‘Samaira Zivah Martin.’

Samaira traced her name on her bachelor's degree, finally, she graduated from college. She was proud of herself; she just wished her mother was around to see it too. A bittersweet laugh escaped her lips as she thought of the last moment she shared with her mother; it was an ongoing battle of her going to college. Samaira wanted to attend college, however she also wanted to care for her mother. Her mother knew that she would only hold her down and tried convincing her to just go and not worry about her. Sadly, her mother had passed away, leaving Samaira all by herself.

The brunette smiled and hung the frame on the wall of her room. It was one of the things of which she was proudest. After she had graduated from college, she sent her CV out to many companies, and just by luck, she got accepted into a tech company located in Seattle. It turned out perfectly for her; her two friends Emma and Akira moved there.

When Emma and Akira heard the news, they immediately asked her if she wanted to be roommates, if they had a third person for rent, they could all move to a nice place. As of right now, Samaira had some debt to pay off, but she had just enough money to last around two months and now, of course, she got a better job at the tech company, where she’d be paid a nice amount.

This was never the plan; the real plan involved her ex-boyfriend, Eric Sanders. The two met in college and hit it off right from the start. After college, the two planned on moving in together and working for his father’s company. Eric’s dad had a small business, but it would’ve paid enough for Samaira to survive. Everything would’ve gone according to plan if Samaira hadn’t caught Eric in bed with another woman a few months before graduation.

Honestly, Samaira liked living with Emma and Akira better. She knew Akira from kindergarten, and Emma they both met in college. Samaira sighed as she finally finished unpacking her stuff in her room and laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment. She had just realized she couldn’t go forth with her life without first paying off all the medical and college debts…

“Hey, Samaira, all set up now?” Akira asked as she walked into the room, looking at the room that was finally decorated. It was much better than the empty look it had before. The beige walls still were a little dull, but she assumed over time, Samaira would paint them.

“Yup, I think I still need to get a few little things, but other than that, this is it,” Samaira answered as she fixed a curtain.

“You should totally put up some lights,” Emma mentioned, standing by the door as she looked at the two.

“Great idea, I’ll put it on my list,” Samaira could definitely use some more lights, a bit more colors would make her room perfect.

“So, how does it feel? Tomorrow is a big day,” Akira asked, taking a seat on the couch. Akira remembered when she got kicked out, and without a single worry, Samaira had offered her the couch to stay on whilst she got on her feet.

“I’m nervous and excited, this job is important to me. I’ll be working as a professional data analyst guys!” Samaira answered, a huge grin on her face. This was new, exciting, and scary at the same time. Regardless, it was nothing impossible.

“You worked so hard, you deserve the best, man,” Emma patted her shoulder, a slight smile on her lips. Though she hadn’t known Samaira that long, she knew about all of the struggles she went through to get there.

“Thanks, Ems,” Samaira smiled, looking at the blonde for a moment.

“Let’s go to the club, you could use a little unwinding,” Akira suggested, wanting to have some fun. This was the last official free day they all had. Emma and Samaira both started their new jobs tomorrow, and Akira just picked up this huge project, so it would take up most of her time the following weeks.

Samaira hesitated at first, then realized she needed to unwind a little, as Akira said. She had been so focused on everything but her relaxation. This would be perfect, maybe she’ll even find a guy.

“Yes, we never know how stressful my job can turn out to be,” Samaira decided.

“Let’s get ready then; prepare to get laid tonight,” Emma patted her back and got up, taking her girlfriend’s hand, leading the way out of Samaira’s room, and went to go get ready. Samaira took a shower, making sure to shave and exfoliate. She was glad she washed her hair the day before, so tonight it would sit well.

She rinsed off the last bubbles from her skin, then reached for the lilac-colored towel and wrapped it around her body. She hurried to the floor mat, not wanting to wet the tiles. She soon dried her body and made her way to the reasonably sized built-in closet. She immediately laid eyes on the red mini dress. She put it on instantly; the silk-like material stuck to her body, hugging her in all the right places. She loved the neckline, it hung low but not too low, and it was wrapped around her neck. She turned around and looked over her shoulder, looking into the mirror. It was a backless dress. It showed off the tattoo she had on her shoulder blade—a hummingbird; her mother had a similar tattoo. The only difference was Samaira’s was much more modern, geometrical, and minimalistic looking.

Samaira applied some leave-in conditioner to her curls and styled them how she wanted them. Samaira had a mild allergy to the foundation, and after searching and searching for the right one, she gave up and just worked on clearing her skin. She applied a coat of mascara, then did her winged eyeliner and finally got to her lips. She kept it simple and applied a coat of her favorite burgundy-colored matte lipstick.

“Maira, are you ready?” Emma asked, bending down to fix the straps of her heels.

“One moment!” Samaira shouted, putting the cap back on, and hurried to stuff her phone and card into a purse, grabbing her black block-heeled shoes, and finally opened her door.

“Shit, you look hot,” Akira mumbled, then looked down at herself, wondering if she should’ve done more.

“Agreed,” Emma commented, walking over to Akira, and waited for Samaira to join them.

“Thanks, guys,” Samaira’s red lips curled into a smile as she looked at the two.

~

The three took Akira’s car to the club called Euphoric. Samaira looked up at the pink neon sign, she then looked over at the bouncer and showed her ID, and was let in. “I’ll go get us some drinks, what would you like?” She offered, spotting an open seat at the bar.

“Anything tropical,” Akira shrugged, looking around for a moment.

“Cadillac Margarita,” Emma answered, going for her favorite. Samaira nodded and went to the bartender to place their order. The brunette was given the three drinks and made her way back to her friends, handing them their drinks and dancing along with them for a moment, eyeing everyone in the place.

“What about that guy?” Akira asked, once again having to be Samaira’s wingman; it’s been a while since she did this. Samaira looked over at the guy she was talking about and shook her head. “His beard looks untamed and he’s also staring at us creepily,” Samaira answered, turning her gaze away from that man completely.

“What about him?” Emma asked, cocking her head to the man by the bar. “He’s good looking and he’s winking at you, go get ‘em, tiger,” Akira gently nudged her friend. Samaira looked at the guy and figured he was good and made her way to him.

“Can I buy you a drink?” The man asked, his voice a lot harsher than she had expected.

“Of course,” she smiled and took a seat next to him, only to regret it a few seconds later when the man started talking about his gym life. The man understood she lost interest, and rolled his eyes and walked away from her. Samaira sighed, “Back to the beginning,” she thought to herself.

The strongly aromatic scent filled her nose, there were tones of cedarwood in whoever’s cologne it was that made her turn her head and saw a handsome man with jet black hair swept back step forward. She looked into his eyes; they were the bluest eyes she had ever seen, almost as if the ocean was stuck in those beautiful orbs. The man stood next to her, a smirk on his lips when their eyes met.

“So, aside from being sexy, what do you do for a living?” He asked randomly, his voice smooth like velvet. She wanted to answer him just to hear him talk again.

“What happened to normal greetings?” Samaira asked teasingly. The man couldn’t help but smile as he admired the beauty in the dimmed lights of the club.

“A little overrated, don’t you think?” He asked, holding his hand out to her and cocked his head to the dance floor.

“Fair enough,” Samaira answered, placing her hand in his, immediately realizing his hand was huge, and when she stood up, she saw that even with heels she was still very short compared to him. The man led the way to the dance floor, carefully placing his hands on her hips, making sure she was ok with it first. When Samaira took a step closer to him, he got the message and began to move to the music.