Chapter 14 - Drunken Desire

Lily said the hospital staff frequented the bar. Which meant, Sara could have visited with anyone from the hospital and someone could have confessed to her in the very spot where Halia was standing at that moment.

"Halia? What are you talking about?" the chief asked.

But, Halia didn't answer. Instead, she stared at the fish and the water like she was in a trance. It was so tranquil and calming; so different from the hectic emergency ward and the busy bar around the corner. This long stretch of wall sat between the mens and ladies bathrooms and was in a corridor that was separated from the main part of the bar. The corridor had no lights and was completely lit up by this huge projection.

Although, a bit of noise could still be heard from the bar, it was quite muffled, so there were a few other people around, also talking on their phones. It seemed to be the best place to take calls.

As Halia stared at the projection on the wall, her head suddenly began to feel dizzy. She blinked her eyes and tried to focus her vision, but it didn't help. However, she didn't feel nauseous, nor did she have a headache. Instead, she felt quite relaxed. She leaned back on the wall and stared up at the projection with a smile. The light from the projection seemed to reflect off the wall like sparkling stars doing a dance across the corridor. It was so soothing and beautiful.

"Wow," she admired. She had never seen anything this beautiful before.

At that moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was warm, soft and comforting.

"Halia?" she heard. "Can you hear me?"

"Huh?" Halia mumbled with a smile.

"Do you know who I am?" the voice asked.

Halia shook her head, her eyes still glued to the projection on the wall.

"I think your drink has been spiked," the voice said. "Listen to me. I'm going to get you out of here. You're going to be OK."

Halia simply nodded her head.

Next thing she knew, she felt a pair of strong arms sweep her off her feet. Her head leaned into a firm muscly chest and she realized she was being carried by a man. She could hear the thumping of his heart and she could smell the alcohol in his breath. Mixed with the smell of his cologne, Halia suddenly felt intoxicated by him. She leaned in closer, trying to breathe in his scent and to absorb his warmth. It had been a long time since she had been in the arms of a man. The last time she dated anyone was back in senior high and they simply hugged and held hands. After that, she put her love life aside, went to university and joined the police academy.

The man glanced down at the woman in his arms. How could she be so careless? At that moment, Halia suddenly smiled at him and wrapped her arm around his neck. Her soft fingers touched the back of his neck and it sent tingles down his spine.

He was a man, he was a little drunk and he had an attractive young woman in his arms that was staring at him with desire. His body was screaming for him to take her home, to kiss those soft lips of hers and run his hands across her body. But, he was sober enough to know that it wasn't right.

He carried her into the back seat of his car and sat down beside her. He then buckled her up with a seatbelt and told his driver to drive them to the nearest 5-star hotel.

He didn't know where she lived and he couldn't take her back to his home either.

After a short drive, they arrived at a hotel and booked a room.

The man carried Halia all the way up to the room he booked, opened the door and placed her gently on the bed. He wiped her face with a bit of warm water and covered her with a blanket.

"What was she spiked with?" he asked himself.

Depending on what it was, there was a possibility that the effects could last all the way until the next morning. He couldn't leave her in the room on her own, so he sat on a sofa and watched over her.

At that moment, Halia suddenly threw away the blankets, stepped out of the bed and stumbled over towards him. With a giggle, she climbed onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The man looked into her eyes with a dangerous desire. In his slightly drunken state, he held onto her thin waist and pulled her closer to his body, but he stopped himself from going any further.

"I need to control myself," he thought as he took a deep breath.

But...while he was trying to resist, a pair of lips suddenly pressed against his...