Chance

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “Don’t tell me you’ll miss me.”

  I glanced away and then bit my lip as I looked at him. “I was just enjoying the walk. You really do have a beautiful piece of property.”

  “You should take the day to relax and go through your things. Make a list of anything you want and Esmeralda will make sure you have it.”

  “Will you take me shopping? I like to pick out my own clothes.”

  “I’ve had a personal shopper pick out a selection for you. If it’s not to your taste, I’ll take you shopping this weekend.”

  A bright smile lit my face and he grinned back at me. Leaning forward, he kissed me on the mouth and pulled me tight to his body. “Tonight…” he said with promise. As he pulled back, I tried my best to look excited, though my insides were churning. I hadn’t expected to have to sleep with him quite so soon, but I didn’t have another choice. Things were already progressing faster than I had planned and I couldn’t put the brakes on now.

  I followed him inside and waited for him to leave before going upstairs and looking in the closet at the selection of clothes. There was everything from ball gowns to dress casual. When I saw a dresser, I hoped that I would find comfort clothes, but the bottom drawers were empty. When I got to the top drawer, I gasped at what he had gotten. I was expected to wear lingerie for him and I hated lingerie. All the underwear were thongs and there was nothing I hated more. The bras were all made to be sexy instead of for comfort. I would have to ask Esmeralda to get me some comfort clothes and something to run in. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if this was what I had to wear while I was here. I just hoped that I didn’t make Wes mad.

  After sleeping all night in bed with Wes, I needed a shower to clean his scent off me. It felt wrong, almost like I was betraying Chance by doing any of this. But I was positive he would understand. He knew the lengths I would go to in order to get my daughter back. After showering for close to a half hour, I toweled off and dug around for some lotion.

  “Ms. Morgan?”

  I was putting lotion on my legs and startled at Esmeralda standing in the doorway. Apparently, privacy didn’t occur in this house. She looked professional in her outfit and you would think she was headed into the office instead of working at the house. She had long, dark hair that was pulled up in a bun and wore a silky blouse, a fitted skirt, and heels.

  “Yes?”

  Esmeralda seemed nice enough, but she worked for Wes and I had to treat anyone that worked for him as someone that would turn on me. There would be no friendship with this woman. No gossiping or spending time together.

  I walked into the bedroom, pulling my robe tighter around me as I went to the large walk-in closet to try and find something comfortable to wear. The only thing slightly comfortable was a pair of white linen slacks. I pulled down a blue sleeveless blouse to go with it and laid it out on the bed before I went to the dresser for a bra and underwear. When I had everything gathered, Esmeralda was still standing there, though she hadn’t spoken a word.

  “What can I do for you?”

  Esmeralda turned around as I got dressed, which really irritated me. Was I not even allowed to dress in private? I cooled my anger and got to work.

  “I came to see if there was anything you needed.”

  “Yes, I’ll be needing some running clothes and some more conventional underwear and bras. Also, some running shoes and some lounge wear. Most of this stuff isn’t everyday clothes. I’d like jeans and shorts, t-shirts, anything that’s comfortable.”

  “Of course.”

  I studied her for a moment after I finished dressing. She didn’t necessarily look like she was happy to be here, but I would imagine that being a personal assistant to a woman that did nothing wouldn’t be that fulfilling.

  “So, how did you come to work for Mr. Hughes?”

  “Um, my father wanted me to gain some experience as a personal assistant.”

  “Oh, does he have a company that he wants you to work for?”

  “Not exactly. Let’s just say that it benefited both my father and Mr. Hughes for me to come work here.”

  “So, this isn’t what you wanted to do with your life?”

  Her eyes widened in terror as she stumbled toward me. “I shouldn’t have-”

  “Don’t worry about it. He won’t hear a word from me.”

  After a somewhat uncomfortable moment, she smiled uneasily and clasped her hands together. “So, we should probably go over your schedule while I’m here.”

  “My schedule? I was under the impression that I would be here at the house all the time.”

  “Right, maybe schedule is the wrong word. It’s more of a collaboration with Mr. Hughes’ schedule. You’ll want to know when he’s in the house and when he’ll be out of town for work.”

  “Does he go out of town often?” I asked just a little too quickly.

  “He goes out of town every few weeks, from what I understand. I’ve only been here a few months. He has businesses all over the United States, so he travels to them frequently, but he also works from home quite a bit.”

  “Okay, well, when’s the next time that he’ll be out of town?”

  “He’s scheduled to be here through the weekend and then he leaves for a week on business.”

  “So, I have five more days with him,” I said, belatedly realizing my negative tone. “That’s not very much time to spend with him before he has to leave again.”

  She smiled sadly at me, patting my hand consolingly. “I’m sure you’ll get used to his schedule and adjust fine. He takes very good care of everyone around here, so I can’t imagine that he would leave before he knows that you have everything you need.”

  I nodded, but didn’t know what else to say. It was going to be hard to persuade him to let me have my daughter if he was constantly traveling. He said that I needed to prove myself to him. If he was gone a week at a time, that wouldn’t give me what I needed.

  “Look,” she glanced back at the door and then leaned in to whisper. “I’m aware of how you were brought here and the fact that you were kept in the cellar. You need to be careful around him. He’s not a man that lets anyone make a fool of him and if he thinks you’re playing him in any way, he’ll make sure you pay. Watch his moods. If he’s got that angry look on his face, tread lightly. That isn’t the time to try and get something you want from him. There’s no arguing with him when he’s angry and you’ll only get yourself in trouble.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be just fine. Mr. Hughes has been very good to me.”

  She looked at me knowingly, like I wasn’t fooling her at all. “There are cameras all around the house, so don’t try anything. He monitors everything and there’s always someone watching. There are several rooms that are off limits and if you even go near them, you’ll be in deep shit. Has he told you about those yet?”

  “He took me around the house when I first arrived, but frankly, the house it too big and I can’t remember most of what I saw.”

  “I’ll take you around the house again later and show you everything you’ll need to know.”

  “Thank you.”

  She looked a little hesitant, but didn’t hold back. “I know that he’s obsessed with you. He’s been talking about you since he met you. I figured something like this would happen. I also know what he promised you. Don’t get your hopes up that he’s going to get your daughter back any time soon. Based on everything I know about him, he’ll make you wait and really prove your loyalty to him. He’s very good at manipulating people to get what he wants. If you’re going to trick him into loving you and believing you, you’re going to have to be a very good actress.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I came here because I wanted to be with Weston, but I appreciate you looking out for me.”

  “I have to go now. Mr. Hughes doesn’t like the staff lingering around too much. If you need anything, just let me know. My number is programmed into the phone by your bed and you can reach me at any time. I’ll make sure to
get the things you asked for. And when you’re ready for that tour, just call.”

  “Thank you, I will.”

  She left and it was only then that I noticed the tray she had left behind for me. I brought it over to the bed and removed the cover. There was a spread of cheese and crackers and pretty much every kind of fruit I could ask for. I started munching as I looked around the room, trying to adjust to the fact that this was my new home for the foreseeable future. I could do this, I had to. Payton was relying on me to save her and if I had to pretend to fall in love with Wes to get my daughter back, that was exactly what I would do.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  I woke to something soft brushing against my skin. I stirred slightly, not wanting to wake from the warmth and comfort I was wrapped in. I swatted at whatever was brushing against my cheek, but when it didn’t stop, I pried my eyes open. I gasped, scrambling back on the bed when I saw Wes leaning over me. My heart was racing and the angry look on his face told me to be careful with how I proceeded.

  I leapt forward and wrapped myself around his body, clinging to him as if I needed him more than life itself.

  “Thank God it’s you. I was dreaming about that man. He was coming back for me and when I woke up, I could swear he was leaning over me.”

  His hand ran up and down my back soothingly until I loosened in his arms. He pulled back and gazed at me, his handsome features showing through the monster I knew was lurking. His voice was so calm, but had a tone of evil behind it. “Yes, that must have been terrifying for you, but I’m here now and I’ll make sure nothing ever happens to you.”

  He spoke as if he wasn’t at all at fault for me being down in the cellar in the first place and it wasn’t one of his men that attacked me. As far as I was concerned, this was all because of him. “It was terrifying, but I have you now and I need to remember what you’re willing to do to protect me.”

  “Well, now that you’ve learned your lesson about crossing me, that shouldn’t be an issue anymore. No one will hurt you.”

  I smiled slightly at him, hating that I had to pretend to be okay with his condescending bullshit. “It’s just hard to adjust to someone caring about me. It’s been so long.”

  He slid his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. I put everything I had into it, wanting him to think that I was falling for him.

  “I had the cook make your favorite meal. Don’t take too long coming downstairs.”

  After a week of not eating, I wasn’t sure that I would ever feel full again. Even if he was a psychopath, he had a good cook, which I was eternally grateful for at the moment. And talk about creepy that he knew my favorite meal. “Thank you.”

  He smirked at me as if he knew exactly what I was thinking, and stood. “Well, I’ll see you downstairs in ten minutes. Don’t keep me waiting.”

  “Of course,” I said demurely, hoping that I came across as trying to please him and not like I was putting on a show. Even when he was trying to be nice, he came off as a total creep. Evil just radiated from his pores and I wondered why any of the staff took a job with him. They had to realize that working for a man like him would get them all killed one day.

  I walked downstairs five minutes later and found my way to the dining room. Wes had an extremely long table in the dining room that was better suited for a dinner party. I took a seat right next to him, even though the other end of the table looked really appealing. Wes was watching me with a smirk on his face. I could tell that he was happy that I had chosen the seat next to him.

  “You look lovely.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate all the clothes you got for me.”

  “Esmeralda said that you requested more clothes, running and casual clothes.”

  “Yes, I figured that if I was around the house, I would want something more comfortable.”

  “You’ll get plenty of use out of those clothes when we travel.”

  “I’ll be going with you?”

  “Of course. Not right away, but when I’m sure you’re ready for it, I’d like to show you the empire that I’ve built. I can open up an entire world for you that you would never have seen in your previous life.”

  “Will that include my daughter?”

  I wasn’t sure if it was the right time to ask about Payton, but I needed him to know that she was still a priority for me.

  “When you’ve proven yourself, I’ll make sure that you get her back. I’ll treat her like my own child. She’ll have everything she needs or wants.”

  I dropped my chin, staring at the table, willing the tears to come to my eyes. When I felt his fingers under my chin, I let the first tears fall.

  “What is it, Dushenka?”

  “I’ve just never had someone care for me the way you have. I didn’t see it before. I think I was too scared that you were like the rest of them. But what you’ve done for me, the way you saved me and have offered me so much, it just proves that I was wrong all along about you.”

  “I knew if I could get you here, you’d see how great it could be between us. And tonight, I will show you exactly how I feel about you.”

  I smiled even though my insides were squirming. I didn’t want to sleep with him, but I had taken this road and I had to see it through. Nothing was more important than getting my daughter back. I knew I was taking a leap of faith by believing that he could get her, but he was my only option now.

  We finished up dinner and he held out his hand for me. He took the shaking of my hands as nerves and didn’t look any closer. If he had, he would see the revulsion I was trying to hide.

  “Slip into something sexy for me. I want to unwrap you.”

  He kissed me and then stepped into the bathroom. I went to my closet and picked out something to wear. I would never wear another piece of lingerie as long as I lived. It was tainted now. I took down my hair and finger combed it into a sexy wave that hung over my shoulders when I had finished dressing. Now all I had to do was wait.

  When he stepped out of the bathroom, he was completely naked and hard. His body was chiseled, but not even that made me slightly comfortable with what was about to happen. I walked toward him and let him pull me against him. His lips were all over me, caressing me the way a lover would. His fingers touched me in the most intimate places and my body reacted, even though I didn’t want it to. I couldn’t help it. It was a good thing though. I needed him to believe I wanted this.

  When he laid me down on the bed, I stared at the ceiling, refusing to look at him as he went down on me. I wished that he was bad at this, but unfortunately, he was very good and brought me to climax in just a few minutes. Everything he did, every touch and every intimate gesture made me feel dirty. Would I ever want sex with another man after this? Or would I always remember him?

  When he pushed inside me, I prayed that he would be fast, fuck me hard and leave me. I could work with that. My brain could process this whole thing as a job, but the slower he went, the more my body betrayed me and made me want more. I was enjoying it and I hated myself for that. When he finished, he laid beside me and pulled me against his chest. I wanted to get up and leave. I wanted to wash his touch off me, but that didn’t work with my plan. Instead, I fell asleep in his arms, wishing that he was Chance.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Chance

  Every passing day was a total mindfuck. I couldn’t do anything but stare at my cell walls and outside at the lush trees that were just out of my reach. I wanted so badly to get out and run, just to feel alive again, but my small cell was all I had at the moment, and all I would have for a very long time. The cuts on my back were healing and the antibiotics must have worked because I wasn’t feeling any of the signs of infection.

  Weeks passed with the same boredom. I had never been idle for so long with nothing to do. Even when I was a sniper, there was always a job. Even if I was lying for days at a time, scoping out a target, I had a purpose. My only purpose here was to get Payton back, and I couldn’t do that from in here.

&
nbsp; Mark continued to bring my food and water every day, but he didn’t speak to me anymore. I could tell that he was uncomfortable with me staying here, but obviously not enough yet to do anything about it. I passed the time with working out, but even that wasn’t enough. With the cramped space and lack of real meals, I was tiring too easily. If I pushed myself too hard on my workouts, I would just end up more tired.

  I sat up quickly at the sound of boots clomping through the trees. They were coming back, probably for another torture session. It was time to implement my plan and get some more intel on the island. There were four guards and normally that would be no problem. I hoped that was still the case.

  The door was unlocked and the guard reached in and yanked me out. I was immediately hit in the back of the head with the butt of a gun, but the guard hadn’t hit me hard enough to knock me out. I stumbled to my feet as another guard yanked me up, and shook off the pain and spots that were forming in front of my eyes. I had to think fast if I was going to get away from all four of them.

  We were headed toward a post with a rope hanging down from a hook at the top. It looked like they had set up a torture station since the last time they brought me out. As discreetly as possible, I took in my captors and noted each of them carried a baton of sorts and a gun holster at their sides. I waited until we were closer to the post before I made my move.

  When the man that gripped my arm flung me forward, I grabbed onto his baton and swung him headfirst into the post. Using his baton, I quickly slammed it against another man’s head and then smashed it into the arm of the third man that reached for his gun. The fourth man’s baton hit me sharply in the back, causing me to fall to the ground, but I didn’t stay down for long. I swung the baton up against his balls. As he bent over, I crushed his skull in with the baton. Moving back to the third man that was writhing on the ground in pain, I dragged him over to the rope and tied a knot around his neck, hoisting the rope up until his feet were off the ground. I used a second hook to tie off the rope and took off for the cover of the trees.