The club was still going strong after Emmett disappeared and I ended up walking out hand in hand with Amalia to the car when Marilyn ditched her, Lucas and Reed following behind quietly while I wondered why we were leaving Emmett behind.

I ran directly into a wall of hard, sculpted muscles and I was positive I said "Damn," out loud, much to the amusement of the man I'd just ran into.

"I am so sorry, I must watch where I'm going," he said, the sound of his voice sending chills down my flushed skin.

I looked up into his face and realized where I'd seen him before. He was the stranger I'd been dancing with earlier, and I didn't quite register how sexy he truly was in my hazed drunken state, and lucky for me I was sobering up enough so that my vision was swimming and I could appreciate his gorgeousness in high definition.

"No, no, it was my fault..." I trailed off, finding myself getting lost in his eyes.

"I'm Rafael, you know, the one you were dancing with earlier."

"How could I forget?"

I knew I was openly and unabashedly flirting with him but I didn't care, he was probably the most gorgeous man in the room...except for a certain man who should not be named who was taking all my attention with him even when he was off with some drop dead gorgeous woman...

"I'm Rafael."

He extended his hand towards me in a formal gesture and while it seemed a bit stuffy, I shook it back and immediately knew why he'd done so.

His arm captured mine and he pulled me towards him in a move so suave it was like he was a prince and I was just a royal subject caught off guard and swept off her feet.

"And your name?"

"Her name is Lydia and she was just leaving," Lucas interjected and I rolled my eyes.

"Was this your boyfriend? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes," Rafael said, dropping my arm and backing away slightly.

A group of three men in black suits surrounded Rafael and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. It was like they were his bodyguards or something...weird.

"Ew, no. I'm her brother. But she is pretty drunk and I need to get her home so if you don't mind..."

"Yes of course, I trust you'll get Lydia home safely..." he trailed off, the sound of my name rolling off of his tongue something out of a musical.

"My phone number, in case you'd like for us to see each other again."

He held out his hand and in it was a white card embossed with a fancy looking script with his name and number on it. Our fingers touched slightly as I took it from him and tingles shot through me.

I looked up at him with a smirk on my face.

"It would be my pleasure."

I didn't say goodbye as I turned and walked out with Lucas, meeting up with Reed and Amalia on the sidewalk.

"Okay, who the hell was that?"

I smiled to myself and slid into the awaiting vehicle parked on the curb, clutching the newfound hope in my hands, Emmett nowhere in sight.

***

The car ride back to the house was quiet after the round of questioning from Amalia and my making sure she was okay after the girl she liked bailed on her, the radio turned off completely as Amalia was complaining of a headache from the loud bass at the club when I knew she was really just upset but I didn't push her.

My headache was more from figuring out who the hell that mystery girl was that Emmett ran away with and never came back from.

He ended up texting Lucas that he would get a ride share back home and to leave without him, pouring my hopes of a kiss or anything further down the drain.

It wasn't until later in the car that I realized just exactly why my brain was screaming at me not to do anything with Emmet...the bet. How had I let myself forget that major red flag?!

Emmett was a pig, and the fact that I had pretty much thrown myself at him was completely and utterly humiliating!

He had been very respectful and not acting as disgusting as he had the other night, but hen he left me on my ass for that other girl and he flew right back into disgusting pig territory.

Why was my romantic life so volatile?

But, as one door seemingly shut, another opened wide with a good surprise in the form of a drop dead gorgeous man named Rafael...Rodriguez. He must have been someone of utmost importance which I should've guessed.

Dressed a little too formal for a club in black slacks, a dress shirt and a suit jacket custom fit to utter perfection on his body, he seemed important with an air of sophistication to him that I found more than sexy.

It was a nice change from the immaturity that I was surrounded in living with three guys that acted more like children than men.

It didn't say exactly what he did on his card, but it did give me a company.

Regional Industries, I looked them up and found that they were a conglomerate made up of multi-billion dollar companies that spanned the travel industry to technology to retail.

I googled his name and up popped dozens of pictures with him posing on the red carpet with supermodels and celebrities. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw that he even hung out with that popular boy band BTS at a club.

Everyone was there, from movie stars to singers and other billionaires alike.

His biography was lacking how he made his money but you could tell he was loaded. His Wikipedia page said that he was twenty-eight and had been given the position of COO, or Chief Operating Officer, of Regional Industries.

Wow.

So, hella rich then.

His Instagram was something out of a playboy's dream, up until a few weeks ago all he posted were pictures of him on yachts with girls in string bikinis and him partying it up at clubs with scantily clad women.

I reactivated my account, deleted all my pictures with Nate, and reminded myself to follow him in two days, minimum. I couldn't seem too eager...

What was I really wanting to happen here? He'd given me his number so it wasn't like he would be able to contact me, unless he went full stalker and found me somehow.

I'd just shoot him a text in a few days, just a simple 'hey'. It didn't have to go any farther than that.

Plus, there was the whole Emmett situation that I'd have to deal with sooner or later...

Yeah, a simple 'hey' would suffice.

I was so in over my head.

"What the hell are you doing? I thought 'I never wanna see you again' was enough for you to understand."

I snarled at my ex girlfriend standing before me wearing something that barely covered her body, not something I would've complained about but in comparison to Lydia's equally hot but more modest outfit it just seemed cheap looking at Marnie's barely covered ass.

"I missed you baby..."

Her hands pawed up and down my chest and I wanted to throw up. I had left the table...left Lydia for this?

I just hadn't wanted her to see Marnie and see what I used to be like, to see who I used to love.

"I don't want you to come anywhere near me anymore, you got it?"

"Emmett, don't you think we're past all this now? That new slut doesn't have anything on me and-"

"Marnie I swear to god if you don't stop talking shit about Lydia I'll-"

"You'll what? We both know you're too much of a good guy to hit a girl. You're a good guy Emmett, and that's why I want you back. I know I'm a shit person and I don't deserve someone like you but I want you. And I'm selfish. I know I'm no good for you but I can't help it, I'm miserable without you. Please..."

Tears welled up in her eyes and for a moment I realized how heartless and cruel I'd sounded, the kind of person I never wanted to be.

I put a hand to her shoulder to comfort her because girls crying was my absolute weakness.

"It's okay, Marnie. You don't have to cry...You'll find someone else."

"I don't want anyone else! You were the best thing to ever happen to me and I completely fucked it up! Just like I fuck everything up! I'm sorry, how much more do I have to say?"

"Marnie. I can't help you here, I just...After you did what you did to me, I couldn't trust anyone anymore. You really messed with my head and I just don't love you anymore."

She stared into my eyes the way she used to do and I felt my resolve slip just a little until I remembered every single nude she sent, the cold, heartless way she'd pushed me away after I'd found out.

"Emmett..."

"No, Marnie. The answer is no."

I pulled away to head back to the table until I realized they were all getting up and heading out to leave. I ran a bit to catch up with them but a man stepped in front of Lydia's path causing her to run into him.

I stayed back and watched their interactions and felt the jealousy course through me as he pulled her close.

But I couldn't be jealous, I reminded myself. She wasn't mine to have.

I lost that right when I acted like a complete and total moron running away with Marnie, and introducing that 'bet' to her out of sheer stupidity.

I'd just get another ride home. I needed to drown my idiocy in a glass of this bar's finest bourbon, nursing old wounds and the new ones that ripped open to bleed out on the dance floor for everyone but Lydia to see.