SERENA POV

My body had a mind of its own, thanks to the many drinks Joyce kept feeding me.

The flashing lights and pounding music just made me dance more.

I hadn't experienced the feeling of losing control in a long time and realized how much I missed it.

Not a single thought was running through my head as I let my body move to the beat of the music.

No Lance. No secrets. No dark past.

Just me and my friend dancing in our alcohol daze.

I felt Joyce reach out for me and I grabbed her hands so we were facing each other. She had a wide smile on her face as she danced with me. A laugh left my mouth as she spun me around.

"This is so much fun!" I yell to her and she nods her head.

"I told you!"

And she wasn't wrong.

Why did I ever think clubs were bad? This is the most fun I have had in a long time!

After dancing for a while longer, I felt eyes on me but couldn't track them back to the person. It was like someone was watching me, and only me.

I stopped dancing and looked around for anyone looking in our direction but found no one.

The thoughts were back running through my mind as I felt the internal panic start.

The effect of alcohol quickly wore off as I slowly scanned every face close and far from me. Nobody was looking at us that I could see, but the feeling was still there.

When I turned back to Joyce, Spencer had graced us with his presence again. He was saying something to Joyce by her ear while she nodded.

"Hey," She says getting closer to me. "Spencer's going to bring us upstairs."

I nod my head as she grabs my hand, maneuvering us through the crowd. My eyes move upwards to the large glass panel I hadn't noticed before. The windows were tinted but I could see a figure behind them, looking straight at me.

My eyes stayed on the figure as Joyce led me away from the dance floor. Joyce said she was bringing us upstairs so I would see them staring person soon.

And when I did...

My head snapped away from the tinted glass and back towards where we were going.

Spencer leads us to a back hall and then up a set of stairs. The music was just a buzz up here.

"Where are we going?" I ask, letting go of Joyce's hand now that I couldn't get lost.

"To the VIP section," Spencer says over his shoulder at me with a smile. At the end of the hall, he stopped and put a code into the last door before opening it for us.

Joyce went in excitedly but I walked hesitantly, looking around the room as I entered.

The lights were dimmed slightly and the walls were the same red as downstairs. In the corner was a mini bar with a few people standing around it.

In the middle of the room, were some comfy-looking black couches that were empty. There were only five or six people in the room other than us.

"Would you like you to sit?" Spencer asks.

"Of course," Joyce says and plops down on the couch near the bar. Spencer quickly took the seat next to her so I was left with the couch across from them. My eyes watched the people standing around the bar cautiously.

"Are you guys enjoying the club?"

"Oh, yes. I haven't had this much fun in my whole life. Even Scarlet over here was having fun and coming out of her shell," Joyce says looking at me with a smile.

"Yeah, it's a nice club. A lot better than the ones back home."

"That's for sure, nothing is better than this one here," Spencer says with a wide smile. His eyes linger on something behind me before a shadow is cast on the ground next to me. "Lovely of you to join us."

I look over my shoulder and feel my jaw almost drop. It was the man from the elevator, the same one who was watching me on the balcony.

He must have been the person watching me.

He was dressed in a nice black button-up with black slacks. His sleeves were rolled up, showing off his tattooed forearms and a nice watch. His hair was slicked back so the dark brown curls were out of his face. The light stubble on his face was still there, making him even more handsome.

His dark brown eyes connected with mine and I felt my breath stop in my lungs. He was a Greek god standing right in front of me. A smirk formed on his face, and a little dimple formed on his left cheek.

Realizing I was staring, I turned back to face Joyce and Spencer.

Snapping out of my thoughts I clench my jaw and squeeze my hand on my thigh to clear my mind.

"Ladies, I would like you to meet my friend Clayton Harmon," Spencer says as the man, Clayton, walks around the couch and sits beside me, close enough our thighs were almost touching. "Clay, this is Joyce and her friend Scarlet. I met them on the flight here."

"Lovely to meet you," Joyce says and I look up at her to see the wide smile on her face. In her eyes was a look of knowing. My eyes scan her face but she quickly turns to Spencer.

Hearing Clayton clear his throat next to me, I look over to see him already looking at me.

"Nice to see you again," I say in a bland voice.

"Again?" Joyce asks with confusion filling her expression.

"We took the same elevator at the hotel when I went to bring the trolly down," I say not taking my eyes off him as if he were a predator. Maybe he was.

My instinct was telling me to run away from him.

"Well, that is great news!" Spencer chimes in. Clayton was silent as we just stared at each other for a few seconds.

"So, what brings you to Italy?" He finally speaks.

I look over at Joyce for her to answer and take his attention off of me, but she was in conversation with Spencer. Looking back at him I gave him a fake smile.

"Just a much-needed girl's vacation. We both needed a break from work for a while," I tell him and he nods. His eyes roam over my face as if searching for something. He was quiet for a few seconds, just staring at me.

"Just work you needed a break from?" He asks and I slowly nod my head. "That's not what it sounded like on the balcony." He says quietly so the others don't hear.

"Just trouble back home," I say trying to end the conversation.

"What kind of trouble? It sounded serious."

I bit my lip as I try to come up with a lie. I look over at Joyce to see them getting up and heading to the bar.

"Guy trouble?" He asks, his voice getting huskier. My head snaps back to him. His eyes looked darker at the mention of another man.

"Isn't that a little personal to ask someone you just met?" I ask with hostility in my voice.

He opens his mouth to speak when Spencer approached.

"Drink for the lady," He says, saving me from the conversation. He hands me a glass of red wine. "Are you thirsty, Clay?"

"No," He says and I look back at him to see his eyes still trained on me. I keep my eyes trained on him as I take a sip. It was a delicious blackberry flavor.

When Spencer walks away, I move to get up and follow but Clayton's hand lightly rests on top of mine.

"Scarlet, I asked you a question."

The male dominance that came off this man had me sitting stunned.

The tone, the authority leaking off him, the blank dark eyes.

It was all too familiar.

"Yes, it was guy troubles."

His jaw clenched slightly at my answer. "Is he still bothering you?"

"He's all the way back in the states. It's not like he can reach me in a different country. All he can do is spam my phone, that's why I turned it off and left it at the hotel," I say matter-of-factly.

A smirk appears on his lips and my heart flutters.

"What was the point in asking something you already knew? To prove you know something about me to have the high ground?" I ask and the smirk falters. "I know all the tricks in the book so you can't intimidate me with pointless tactics."

"Fiesty," He mutters.

"You have no fucking idea," I say with a bored expression.

Looking over at the bar I see Joyce sending cautious looks our way as if expecting a fight to break out between us. When she catches my eye she smiles before looking back at Spencer.

"For Joyce's sake I will continue this conversation so she thinks we are friends," I say and look back to meet his curious eyes. "Spencer said you were business partners."

"Spencer is partly right," he says with a smirk as I take another sip of the wine until it was gone. "I own the club."

I nearly spit out the wine but put a hand over my mouth to stop myself. A chuckle escapes him from the action.

"You own this club?" I say with honest shock.

He gives a curt nod, watching my reaction.

I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out.

"Scarlet!" A voice yells. I slowly look over at the bar at Joyce. "Let's go dance before we have to head back to the hotel!"

"Coming," I say and stand up, Clayton doesn't try to stop me this time. Spencer wraps an arm around Joyce as he leads her back down the hall.

Before we leave the room, I turn to Clayton to see him watching me, not moving from his seat.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Clayton. Although I am sure I will be seeing more of you"

"I wouldn't doubt it for a moment, Scarlet."