One last sin, pookie.

*PEACE*

The music at the club grew more intense and louder, almost as if it knew I was feeling the vibe. I sat close to the bar, taking shots while Maya and Daniel danced the night away like they'd been waiting for this moment their entire lives. I honestly felt like the third wheel, but Maya kept trying to make me feel comfortable. She'd constantly check on me before returning to her boyfriend. You know the drill.

I smiled as I watched her and Daniel. They looked so funny dancing, Maya throwing out her awkward steps while Daniel desperately tried to keep up with her. They were such an interesting couple. Their fights and love-play always made me wish I had someone of my own. I mean, a man like Daniel.

He treated Maya so well, cared for her more than anything. And watching them, I felt that familiar ache creep up in my chest — the one I never admitted to anyone, not even Maya.

But me? No man wanted anything to do with me. Not that I was ugly or weird, but no one wanted to be with a virgin like me. Most boys wanted someone fun and easygoing to hang out with, someone who could bring their fantasies to life, but I wasn't offering any of that.

Sometimes I wondered what was actually wrong with me, why wanting to wait felt like such a crime to everyone but me.

And that was why I was still single at nineteen.

Though, I'd had my first kiss with Dominic during prom night. Honestly, kissing him had been really nice, because I'd had a crush on him for the longest time. He'd asked me to be his prom date and his girlfriend, and I'd happily accepted, thinking maybe, finally, I'd gotten it right.

But he dumped me the same night we kissed.

He'd wanted to have s*x after the party, and when I told him I was a virgin, everything changed. I still remembered the look on his face right before he walked away from me — like I'd disappointed him just by being honest. Like honesty was the wrong move.

I'd cried myself to sleep that night.

Honestly, it had been the worst night of my life. I told myself I was over it. I wasn't, not really, but pretending helped.

"Girl, you can't be sitting like a lonely b*tch. Stand up, let's dance!"

Maya interrupted my thoughts as she grabbed the glass of shots from my hand, placed it on the table, and pulled me up from my seat.

"Oh goodness, Peace, you're a heavy b*tch!" Maya complained as she struggled to get me up.

"Leave me alone, Maya. I like it here," I said, resisting her pull.

"Stand up. You're not going to find a man by just sitting here all night. Remember, that's why we're here — to club and find you a Romeo." She giggled.

"Okay, I'll dance."

I finally gave up, because I knew Maya. She always stood her ground until she got what she wanted. Probably that was how she'd managed to get the attention of the most popular guy back when we were still in college.

She was a really wild girl.

I mean, really wild.

She was also a bit of a s*x freak. She'd tried linking me up with several guys, but honestly, they were never my type. My type was a secret, even to most of the people who knew me.

I'd always been ashamed to admit it to anyone except Maya. My type was older men. I loved older men so much — it was just my kink, something I'd always been too afraid to admit to most people, like saying it out loud would make people look at me differently.

I'd even had crushes on several of my male teachers back in high school. It was embarrassing to think about, honestly, but I couldn't help what I liked.

Maya found my fantasy weird, but she'd never judged me for it, never used it against me. I really loved her for that. Not everyone got that kind of grace from their friends.

I joined Maya and Daniel on the dance floor. I knew I was good at dancing. I never disappointed when it came to that. But something about this night felt different, though I couldn't yet put my finger on why.

I let the music take over, completely lost in the rhythm.

I let myself go, showing off my moves while Maya, Daniel, and a few other people on the dance floor turned their attention toward me. They watched, cheering me on as I danced, and for a moment I felt something close to confident.

For several minutes, I forgot about everything.

I forgot about Dominic.

I forgot about being single.

I forgot about feeling like the third wheel.

I was just dancing, and it felt good to just be a body moving to music instead of a girl with a list of things wrong with her.

Eventually, exhaustion caught up with me, and I stopped, breathing heavily.

"Happy now?" I asked Maya.

"Yeah, girl! You were fire!" she exclaimed. "I love you so f*ck*ng much. You never, ever disappoint me!"

She gave me her signature happy hop, and I couldn't help but smile. Whatever else was wrong in my life, at least I had her.

"I'll go back to my seat now. I need more shots," I said.

"Okay, I'll be with Daniel. You know he's about to get some of my cookies tonight." Maya paused before adding, "You know what I mean."

She gave me that look that practically screamed I'm about to get freaky, followed by a wink.

"F*ck you, silly b*tch," I replied, smiling, even as a small, familiar pang of loneliness settled back into my chest now that the music had stopped drowning it out.

I watched her run off excitedly, weaving through the crowd of people partying around us. She looked so ridiculous that I giggled to myself before turning around and heading back toward my seat, already thinking about how many more shots it would take to stop thinking altogether.

I was almost there when someone suddenly bumped into me.

The glass in his hand slipped and shattered against the floor.

The drink splashed all over me. Slowly, I looked up at the man standing in front of me.

And the moment our eyes met, something inside me went completely still.

*PEACE*

It felt like I was stuck in a time loop for several seconds as I stared at the man in front of me. Our eyes locked onto each other as if we had known each other for ages, and for one strange moment I forgot the shattered glass, the drink soaking my shirt, everything.

He wore a black shirt with the buttons undone. I watched the droplets of the drink run down his well-defined abs, his brown skin shining like it had been tanned just minutes ago. I counted his abs, and there were seven, each one rising and giving his body an incredible definition before the next.

He was so d*mn hot.

Like, genuinely unfair levels of hot. The kind of hot that made you forget you were standing in a puddle of your own embarrassment.

Just like my type.

The exact type of man I'd described in my diary. The type of man I'd told Maya I wanted during our sleepovers, half-joking, half-serious, never actually expecting to run into one dripping vodka dow