I didn’t really expect our office party to be quite this… lavish.

I didn’t even know Providence had a hotel this fancy. I walk into the main ballroom of the Renaissance and instantly I’m a little taken aback. It’s like an eighteenth-century castle in here, with gold filigree and thick drapery. The place is actually packed, and I swear I’ve never seen most of these people in my life. There’s no way all of them work in the mayor’s tiny office, or else I would have noticed when I tripped over a million feet throughout the day.

And of course, I’m totally underdressed. Everyone’s in suits and dresses, and here I am still wearing my navy skirt and bland sweater from earlier. I didn’t bother to get dressed, just came right over here after finishing up some extra tasks in the office.

I feel like a total idiot, but I guess it doesn’t matter. I spot some people I know, Marnie and Taylor and Joey, but I just wave at Taylor and head over to the bar. I can tell I already need a drink.

The place is packed. I have to slide through a group of people laughing loudly at some joke, the men dressed in dark suits, the women wearing too much jewelry. There’s only one seat left open at the bar, right down toward the end, and I hurry over.

I sit down just before this old, heavy-set man with jowls down to his chest can get there. He gives me a look like he wants to buy my whole life then burn it to the ground, and normally I’d offer him the seat, but his gold-capped cane makes me think he can probably afford to look elsewhere.

“Thanks for that.”

I look to my left, surprised. I didn’t really notice him at first, but now that I’m looking, I don’t know how I missed him. He’s handsome, older than me, but not by too much, probably late twenties. He’s not dressed up, wearing just an old beat-up leather jacket and some faded jeans, and he’s handsome as hell. I’m actually taken aback at how handsome he is. Scruffy face, green eyes, thick dark hair, he looks like he spends a lot of time outside.

I don’t respond right away, and he must catch me staring, because a grin cracks across his face.

“For that guy,” he prompts.

“Sorry?”

“You saved me from sitting next to McMoneybags over there,” he says, nodding toward the jeweled man who’s ambling away, muttering angrily to himself.

I laugh softly. “Oh, well, you’re welcome then.”

He nods at me. “Want a drink?”

“Absolutely.”

He catches the bartender’s attention and I ask for a gin and tonic. I sip my drink when it arrives, and although I know I should go over and join Taylor and my coworkers, I decide that maybe I can stay around a little bit longer.

“You don’t look like you belong here,” I say to him.

He gives me a little smirk. “You think so?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You’re under fifty and you’re not dressed like you own a bank.”

“Good point.” He sips his beer and cocks his head. “You don’t exactly blend in, either. You’re not wearing a million dollars’ worth of blood diamonds.”

I sigh dramatically. “I’m so embarrassed. I left all my blood diamonds at home.”

He laughs, still watching me. “I take it you work in the mayor’s office?”

I nod, smiling back. “Yeah, just an administrative assistant.”

“Ah,” he says, nodding. “Glamorous work. Especially for our wonderful mayor.”

I smile at him and glance at my drink. Buddy Weaver, Providence’s mayor, has something of a reputation. I knew it coming into the job, but honestly, I just needed the work. I care about politics and all that, but I care more about affording rent and food, so I couldn’t really pick and choose when something fell into my lap. The job’s not really my dream or anything like that, and I don’t love that I work for a supposedly corrupt crook, but the paycheck arrives on time so I can’t complain.

“He’s nice,” I say.

“Buddy is nice,” the guy confirms. “What’s your name?”

“Alexa. You?”

“Elias. Nice to meet you, Alexa.” His handsome smile is totally disarming, and I forget all over again that I’m supposed to go over to my coworkers. I guess it doesn’t matter, since really only Taylor is my friend here, and she’ll totally understand once she sees the guy I’m talking to.

He starts chatting with me about the work I do, but mostly we make fun of the people around us. It’s pretty easy, since everyone’s glad-handing each other, smiling and laughing too loud. It’s supposed to be an office party for a bunch of civil servants, but it feels more like a banquet for donors or something like that.

The mayor himself is here, shaking hands and smiling broadly. For as corrupt as he supposedly is, everyone likes him anyway, which isn’t really a big surprise. Buddy has a huge personality, and he’s incredibly likeable. He remembers everyone’s name, no matter how briefly you meet him. It’s part of his incredible charm.

He’s also a big man, easily over six foot. Elias is big himself, at least as big as the mayor, but he doesn’t hold himself the same way as the mayor does. Buddy is outgoing and loud, with an obnoxious toupee and a quick smile, while Elias is much more subdued.

I still have no clue what Elias is doing here, but I figure he’s probably just staying at the hotel and wandered in for the free drinks. I don’t bother asking him about it, because I’m too busy laughing at his jokes and leaning in toward him.

The night slowly wears on like that. I spend an hour and a couple drinks just sitting with Elias, chatting and laughing. The crowd around us is getting thicker, drunker, and louder, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering the open bar.

After Elias gets us both a third drink, and I wonder if this is a good idea, he leans back and smirks at me. “You want to see something?” he asks.

I shrug. “Not much else to do,” I say.

He laughs. “Ringing endorsement. But come on, I think you’ll like it.”

He stands up suddenly and I have to hurry to follow. Sure enough, he’s a big guy, and people seem to step out of his way when they see him coming. We part through the crowd like a knife through butter, and I’m in awe of his ability to be so confident around all these powerful and rich people.

He makes a beeline for the service door. “Where are we going?” I ask him as we push through it, back into the kitchens.

“Trust me,” he says, walking through the space.

I expect to get yelled at, but nobody says a word. The kitchen is busy, bustling out little plates and filling orders for people in the rooms upstairs. We stick out big time, and I know everyone notices us, but nobody seems to actually look in our direction. It’s totally bizarre, and I have no clue why it’s happening.

Elias finally stops near a station toward the back. Three guys are working there, one of them an older dark-skinned guy with thinning brown hair tucked inside a hairnet. He’s wearing a uniform like everyone else, except his is white.

“Yo, Jose,” Elias calls out.

The man turns around and beams a smile. “Ah, Elias,” he says, his accent thick. “What are you doing here, my friend?”

“I want to take the service elevator,” he says, and nods at me. “Gonna show her the view.”

Jose looks at me and gives Elias a knowing wink. “Be safe, friend,” he says, and Elias just laughs.

We walk off, into the back of the kitchen. We stop in front of an elevator, and he hits the call button. When we step inside, I turn toward Elias and frown.

“Okay, explanation time,” I say.

He shrugs. “He’s an old friend.”

“How do you know each other?”

“We go way back.” He just waves this off and doesn’t explain any further.

I sigh but I accept his vague non-answer. I figure it doesn’t matter, anyway. The elevator’s rising fast, passing each floor quickly, and I unconsciously step closer to Elias.

He notices, a little smile on his face.

The elevator reaches the top and slides open. We step out onto the roof of the building and I take a sharp breath.

It’s gorgeous. The city of Providence isn’t exactly like New York or something like that, but it’s still pretty nice, and this view is fantastic. We’re right downtown, on the top of one of the tallest buildings around, and we can see everything for miles.

“Wow,” I say, putting my hands on the low wall that surrounds the roof.

“I know.” He stands next to me, looking out over the city. “Nice, right?”

“Nice,” I echo.

“Never really liked Providence,” he admits to me. “Always thought it was rotten at the center, you know? But sometimes, coming up here… it’s not so bad.”

I glance at him, a little smile on my face. He puts his drink down and turns toward me, and I know what’s about to happen.

I’ve been waiting for it all night.

I put my drink down and I let him step closer. I don’t back away. I tilt my head up and kiss him back as he presses his lips against mine, sending a shockwave of desire through my system.

He pulls me closer and I melt into him. This isn’t what I expected when the night started. I thought I was going to have a normal but awkward night with my coworkers, and instead I’m up here on the roof of the building with this strange, handsome man. Heck, he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever kissed in my life, and it feels so damn good.

He pulls me away from the wall, over into the shadow of the elevator. I let him press me against the wall, kiss my neck, feel my breasts. When he hikes my skirt up around my hips and slowly massages my clit, I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do.

He pulls my panties down and I gasp as his fingers press inside me. “Wait,” I whisper. “Right up here?”

He smirks, kissing me softly. “Right up here,” he says. “Or are you afraid?”

“I’m not afraid.” I bite his bottom lip, which makes him press his fingers deeper in retaliation. It feels so damn good.

“Good. I didn’t think you would be.”

I unbutton his jeans as he slowly strokes my pussy. I get them half off and tug his boxer briefs down next, revealing his big, thick cock.

I’ve never done anything like this. It’s insane. I barely know the guy, but he’s so gorgeous, and intense, and I feel so good. Plus, there’s no real danger, or at least there’s no danger of getting pregnant.

He presses me harder against the wall and hikes me up, lifting a leg up as his cock presses against my dripping wet pussy. I feel him slowly press himself inside of me, and I groan. I’ve never fucked a total stranger like this before, let alone on the roof of a building in plain view of anyone around, and it’s so exciting I can barely breathe. He’s huge and thick and he knows what he’s doing, and it all combines to drive me totally insane.

He eventually lifts me up off the floor completely, arms holding me easily as he fucks me harder. He whispers in my ear, tells me how good my pussy feels, how wet I am, and I moan against his neck. I wrap my arms around him and hold on tight, gripping his leather jacket as he fucks me harder, deeper, and god, it feels so good.

Pleasure overwhelms me, and I bite down on his shoulder. He laughs and fucks me harder, and I know I can’t last much longer. I come hard with his cock buried deep inside of me, making me practically scream. If anyone’s nearby, they definitely just heard that, but I don’t care.

He’s close, I can tell. I feel him about to put me down, but I stop him. “You don’t have to,” I whisper. “I can’t get pregnant.”

He hesitates a second before holding me tighter and thrusting into me. He fucks me hard, brutal and fast, and I gasp as I feel him come deep in my tight pussy.

We collapse onto the floor together. I lean up against his shoulder and he kisses me softly. We’re both sweating and smiling from that. We spend a few minutes in silence before we get dressed. I go to get back on the elevator, but he shakes his head, and instead we sit down again near the ledge.

We end up talking for another hour, mostly about the city. I learn about his motorcycle business, how he builds custom bikes for people, and how he’s lived here all his life. I tell him about my family, and how my parents both died in a plane crash two years ago. I barely finished college, but I did it, and now I’m back in Providence trying to make a life for myself in the only town I’ve ever known.

Eventually though, I know I have to leave. We can’t sit out here forever. I think about seeing him again, but I decide we don’t need to do that. This one night was enough for me.

I stand up and stretch. “I have to get back,” I say.

He looks up at me and nods. “Okay then. Guess it’s late.”

I hesitate a second, and then laugh nervously. “I’ve never done this before.”

“What?” he asks. “Left a conversation?”

“No, I mean, had sex with a stranger. I don’t know, do we, like, exchange numbers?”

He laughs and gets out his phone, handing it over to me. “Go ahead, give me yours.”

I type my number in and hand it back. He saves it, texts me, and then slips his phone into his pocket.

I save his number. I stand there for a second as he looks up at me, a small smile on his face.

“Okay then,” I say. “See you later, I guess.”

“Bye, Alexa.”

I hesitate before heading over to the elevator. I hit the call button and wait as the elevator slides up silently.

I watch him as he looks out over the city again. I don’t know anything about this man, but something tells me I might see him again. I still don’t know what he was doing down there, or if he’s actually a guest at this hotel, but I guess it doesn’t matter.

We had our night. That’s all I really wanted from him. I’ve been having such a shitty time these last few years after my parents died. My student loans are killing me and I have absolutely no safety net anymore. I’m alone in the world, working a job I don’t love, and maybe that’s why I needed to let loose out here tonight.

I met a stranger at a bar and I had sex with him. It was reckless and stupid and wild, but it felt good. I’m smiling as I step onto the elevator and ride it back down. I’m smiling as I head back out to my car and drive back to my tiny apartment. I’m smiling as I get into my bed, in my miniature room, thinking about him.

I needed something good, even if it was just for one night. Maybe I’ll keep smiling for a while until I find something else to be happy about. I know I can’t be so reckless in the future, but it doesn’t matter.

I know I can’t get pregnant. I was in a car accident years ago, back when I was younger. There was some scarring on my Fallopian tubes and apparently that means I can’t ever get pregnant. I haven’t been checked or anything since then, but the doctors didn’t say that it was something that could be reversed.

I doubt I’ll ever see him again. He has my number and I have his, but I don’t think I’ll call. I’ll let that night be a good memory, and I’ll move ahead with my life.

But over the next two months, I’ll think about him all the time, about the way he made me feel as he fucked me, about the way I came so easily for him, but mostly about the way we talked and laughed and kissed.

I’ll think about him especially one night not long from now, a month after I should have gotten my period.