ZURI: One Night Stand

Alexandra... She continues to touch what's mine and what's mine keeps smiling back at her. Wow! Even the universe itself knows I won't put up with this, not in this lifetime or the next!

Is it the tequila or am I just out of my goddamn mind? Either way, I'm making a beeline for the VIP area. But two intimidating bodyguards block my path, their cold stares daring me to back down.

"You can't go in there, ma'am," one says calmly, but I scoff at their audacity.

These fools have no idea what I'm capable of. Drunk Zuri and jealous Zuri are an explosive mix. And thankfully, it's a combination that has never really happened.... I think?

"Ma'am?" I sneer, narrowing my eyes. "Let me in. It's not a request."

"Ma'am, you have to leave."

Hands grasp my shoulders, but I react in a flash. Two swift kicks connect with their groins, eliciting pained hisses as they release their grip.

Too far? Nope!

"Don't fucking touch me." I push myself between them, locking my eyes on my ex-husband, who's staring at me with a raised brow, and his fiancée, who's looking at me like I've grown two heads.

A dark smirk spreads across my lips, and a tightness builds in my chest as I walk up to Lorenzo. I sit on his lap, wrap my arms around his neck, and look into those amber eyes that our darling daughter has inherited.

"Are you going to play the cliché amnesia game with me, Enzo?" My heart skips as his lips twitch with amusement.

"Should I?"

"Maybe you should," I move my fingers to his throat, anger burning in my chest despite the fact that right now feels like one of my freaky sex dreams of him. Except the groaning bodyguards, and the unwanted Van Der Meer, who's glaring at me with horror and complete disbelief.

"Because I might just punch your throat here and now and make your death wish come true if you don't tell me what's going on.. right now."

A grin tugs at Enzo's lips, but his eyes darken, daring me. Damn!

"I'm busy, Zuri,"

Fuck! I miss hearing my name on his lips, the way it sounds with his thick, heavy voice. But my reverie is shattered when Alexandra's enraged voice cuts in.

"What do you think you're doing sitting on my fiance's lap?" She rises, fuming. "Baby, you're letting her sit on you."

Baby?! I turn to her, glaring with disdain, as if she's trash sullying a pristine castle's sitting room. How dare she call my ex-husband 'baby'?

I start to retort, "Who the fuck..." but Enzo's tattooed hand closes over my mouth, silencing me. My body heats up as his thumb subtly traces my upper lip. Alexandra, oblivious to his gesture, looks like she's about to murder me.

"She's drunk, Alexandra," Enzo whispers gently, his deep voice calm and effortlessly seductive.

Maybe not. But I'm extremely turned on by my ex-husband right now.

"So? I'm drunk too!" Alexandra grumbles, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you choosing her over me?"

When Enzo doesn't reply and I roll my eyes at her, she whines, "I want you to take her off your lap, baby; I'm a very jealous woman, you know that."

My chest burns with rage. There she is, calling him "baby" again!

I want to move and punch her face, ignoring the consequences of my actions. But I feel Enzo grab my top from behind, making me freeze.

"I'll take her home, Alexandra," Enzo says, his voice calm and manipulative. "She's drunk. It wouldn't be right to let my ex-wife leave alone at this hour."

I'm not sure Alexandra notices his underlying tone, but it's clear as day to me. He's playing the saint, pretending to be a respectful fiancé concerned for his drunk ex-wife's well-being. If I were her or anyone smart, I'd see right through this charade. But Alexandra is blushing, clearly taken in by his act. What a sad soul.

"Promise me you won't..."

"Go, Alexandra," Enzo interrupts, his voice suddenly deathly cold and commanding. "I don't like repeating myself."

Though he's not speaking to me, a shiver runs down my spine, and an unsettling warmth spreads through my abdomen.

Alexandra clears her throat, and for a fleeting moment, a great fear unlike anything I've ever seen flashes in her eyes. Huh? What's going on? Alexandra is a powerful heiress, but then again, Lorenzo is a Salvatore.

"I'll, erm, see you tomorrow," Alexandra stutters, turning to leave, but I catch the venomous glare she shoots me as she walks away.

Once she's gone, along with the guards, Enzo removes his hand from my mouth, and I look at him with wide eyes while he stares at me coldly.

"Seriously? You're drunk?" He sounds disappointed.

I shrug nonchalantly. "I got jealous. It's only natural."

Lorenzo's deep voice cuts in, "We are divorced, Zuri." His tone is icy. "And you're drunk."

His anger over my intoxication irritates me. I frown. "Are you going to explain the headlines I saw this morning, or am I going to have to throw up on your gorgeous suit?"

"I don't owe you any explanations, Zuri. When we divorced, all ties were severed between us." The coldness in his amber eyes is unnerving. I don't like it.

Ties... Do you know that we have a beautiful daughter who adores her father, thanks to how wonderfully I've portrayed you to her? She still thinks you're dead though.

"Yeah.... I don't care about any of that." I rise up, then sit back on his lap, spreading my legs and leaning my knees against the cushion, my face inches from his. "You're mine."

"I'm not,"

"So just because you came back from the fucking dead and you're suddenly a fucking high socialite, you think you can completely slip away from me?"

Finally, the coldness fades, replaced by shock and amusement. "I'm not yours, Zuri. I'm getting married."

"If you truly love her, you wouldn't threaten her just to check up on your drunk ex-wife."

A small frown appears on his face. "I just don't want anyone taking advantage of you in this state."

What is this? A clown fest?

"Like the perfect gentleman ex-husband?" I ask, trying to contain my laughter.

His unreadable expression makes me giggle. "I know how you get when you're drunk and angry,"

Oof! The perfect gentleman ex-husband it is!

I place my hand on his broad shoulders, trailing my fingers up to his neck, and shiver at the feel of his heated skin. "Then you'd understand that a one-night stand is exactly what I'd want after learning my supposedly deceased ex-husband is not only alive but also a wealthy heir, and to rub salt in the wound, he's marrying my arch-rival."