Of Kings and Aces

01| Rude Awakenings

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A man with beady eyes stared down at me. I was tied to a chair, and my wrists were bound behind my back. The room was pitch black, save for the lone yellow lamp hanging above our heads.

"What do you want? Who are you?" I asked. I tried to move my body, nothing hurt. But how did I get here?

"Let's play a little game, shall we?" The man produced a deck of cards and shuffled it. The shrill ring of a familiar ringtone broke his concentration. He cursed under his breath as he fished his phone out of his back pocket.

"Hello?" he said, but the phone continued to ring. I snickered. That wasn't a good decision because it ticked the man off.

"You think that's funny, huh?" He threw the phone to the corner of the room. I heard it smash, but it continued ringing. Against my better judgment, I laughed as he stared at the ringing device.

"You want to laugh? I'll give you something to laugh about!" He quickly pulled out the gun from its holster under his left arm and aimed it at me.

"Jesus, no!  Stop! I'm sorry!" I yelled in a panic, pushing against the chair as if it would save me from a bullet. The phone kept on ringing in the back.

"Shut the fuck up!" the man screamed and pulled the trigger. 

I woke up with a jolt, breathing heavily. My head was buzzing, my eyes bleary, but the sky outside the window was already bright.

"Damn, is it Monday already?" I groaned. Looking around, my surrounding was unfamiliar - a floral duvet, a bookshelf of unfamiliar books, a corkboard with polaroids and sticky notes, a white dresser. I don't have these in my condo. 

A bra hanging on the back of a chair. 

I'm definitely not in my condo, I chuckled. I was disoriented as to where I was, but it didn't matter. I was alive, and it was just another bad dream.

I sighed and dropped back in bed.

The phone rang again, interrupting my shallow sleep. I squinted, trying to block out the light that was already shining through the blinds. 

Dammit. 

The sun was already up, meaning I was already late for work. I turned my phone down to silence it, but after a few moments, it started ringing again. Looking at the caller ID, I let it ring several more times before picking it up.

Bloody hell! I will never get past my hatred for Mondays and this persistent prick! I grumbled internally.

"Jaxx, I'll be there in thirty," I groaned.

"You'd better be!" he yelled and cut the call.

Yup, like hell I will be. I smirked, my eyes still closed.

There was a rebellious part of me telling me to snooze for five more minutes, but I immediately jolted wide awake when an arm wrapped around my waist and a warm, womanly body pressed against my back. The sensation of her hardened peaks sent shivers down my abdomen, but I had no time for a morning quickie. I was late!

"Morning, Ace," purred whoever she was. I cursed silently, still racking my brain for the name of the chick I went home with last night. I wasn't even in the mood to get laid. But how come I don't remember actually coming?

"Morning, babe," I said as I untangled her arm around me. I searched for a sign of used protection while putting on my clothes, and my heart raced when I could not find one. Fuck! I've never been this careless!