'Til I Found You (COMPLETED)

1

The cold breeze creeps against her skin as she gazes up at the night sky, sparkling with a million stars and a brilliant moon. Like her past, the view is cold and dark. She has spent lonesome years with no one to run to, but she has grown used to the solitude.

She is no longer the innocent, ambitious girl who lived on the streets after her parents died in a plane crash. That day was devastating—a memory she never wants to recall. It feels like a dream now, the fact that she once had a wonderful family and lavish things within arm's reach. It all changed in a snap. Everything was lost along the way, including her innocence and her dignity.

Since she first set foot in that "sinful place," she has changed. It is a high-end club known only to the wealthy, where she satisfied her clients' lust in exchange for high-ticket checks. For years, this was her life, but now she wants a restart. She wants to reclaim what was lost: a better future.

And tonight is her last show.

"F—ck! Oh... you’re good," she moans.

The man slumps to her side, gasping. A CEO of a wine company, he is her final client in this trade. He booked a hotel suite—cozy, luxurious, and detached from the world. Thin smoke curls into the air as he exhales his cigar. She gets up to reach for her robe, but an arm pulls her back to the bed.

"We’re not done yet, gorgeous," he says, nipping at her lower lip.

She gives him a playful smile. "Additional twenty percent, Sir."

He scoffs and reaches for his checkbook on the side table. "Fifty percent. Stay until morning." He hands her the check.

She takes it with a nod. "Sure. I’ll satisfy you even more."

He tosses the cigarette butt into an ashtray and pulls her toward him for a kiss. "You’re undeniably beautiful, love."

"I know," she says, biting her lip.

"Can you be mine?" his kisses trail down to her chest.

She chuckles. "You’re the hundredth man to ask me that, and I give the same answer every time: No."

"Why? I’ll give you anything."

"I already have everything I want. So thanks, but no thanks," she smiles.

He falls back onto the bed, pulling her close to his chest. "You’re different from the other women I..."

She cuts him off. "F—cked?"

His laugh makes her heart flutter. "I was going to say like. You’re different from the women I usually like."

"Bolero. I’ve heard that a million times, so it won't work on me."

"Have you ever been in a real relationship?"

"Yeah. Many times. More than you have fingers to count them on."

He looks at her intently. "Tell me your story."

"My story?" she chuckles. "Oh, come on. Trust me, there’s nothing special about me. Don’t waste your time."

"Why does it sound like a sad past to me?"

"Gary, you’re a CEO, not a psychiatrist. Let’s just enjoy the night before I leave this industry. You’re the lucky man tonight."

"Leave? You mean for good?"

"Yes. I’m leaving this job—the entire city, to be exact." She rests her head on his chest.

"Wow. That sounds like a fresh start."

"Indeed. That’s exactly why I’m going."

"Are you going back home?"