Arsen
When I got home, I changed into my sweats and decided to take a short nap. I knew that it would be hard for me to sleep because the thought of Lola was on my mind heavily, but I thought that the reassurance that I would have her back in my arms in just a couple of hours would help me rest a little bit. I closed my eyes and began to drift off.
"I love you with all of my heart, Arsen. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me," Lola said, stroking my hair gently.
She used her free hand to caress the side of my face. Her eyes stared deeply into mine and I felt my heart beat so fast that it began to melt. As painful as that sounds, it felt so good. It felt so right. Like we were meant to be here together, with one another. It felt as if we were already a couple. Like we had already made it official. Like we had already broadcasted it to the world.
I turned away from her for a quick second to admire the view of the sunset behind us. It was breathtaking. Truly stunning. But it wasn't as beautiful as her.
When I turned back to look at her, she was gone. The sky had instantly turned black and all I could hear were her screams in the distance. We were no longer on the beautiful and dreamy island. There wasn't even a "we" anymore. It was just me, standing in nothing but darkness. Pitch blackness surrounded me and engulfed me in its terror. I didn't know where to run or which way to turn, but I knew that I had to find Lola. And I had to save her.
"Man, get up." I heard David speak outside of my dream, waking me up.
I gave him a confused look, wondering what he was doing here and how he even got inside.
"Rose," was all he said, answering the questions that I hadn’t yet gotten the chance to ask. I nodded in response and sat up on the bed. I ran both hands on my face and then through my hair.
"What is it? What's the problem?" I asked.
"It is 9:15, man. How long have you been asleep?" he asked, and my eyes widened.
"Honestly, it felt like only a couple of minutes, but I guess in actuality it was a couple of hours."
"Get dressed, boss. It's time to go get your girl back." He smirked and left the room.
I got dressed in my all-black outfit. It was go time and I felt stronger than I was before. I was on a mission to get Lola back and that was just what I was going to do. I had made a promise to myself that I would keep her safe and under my watch at all times, but I failed and it was time for me to redeem myself.
I got my phone off the nightstand and headed out to get inside of the car with David. We sped off into the night, driving as fast as we could to make it to the clubhouse. It was time to prepare and get ready for everything that was coming for us. I had a strong feeling that they were going to try to pull some type of trick on us and try to kill us. We weren't going to let that happen.
When we pulled up to the clubhouse, we quickly hopped out and went inside. The rest of the guys were dressed in their all-black outfits and waiting for us. The bags were packed and loaded with guns. There was one specific bag for me that sat on the table. It was the bag that we were supposedly going to exchange for Lola.
I grabbed the box of gloves and handed them to everyone. They knew what time it was. We packed our things inside of the truck and were on our way. The street they wanted to meet us on was in the next town over, so we had to leave a bit early to make it there just in time for us to set up. The guys held great conversations with each other on the ride there. The funny part about it was that none of the conversations contained worry about what was about to happen in an hour.
When we made it to the street, we parked in the far corner. We left one person in each truck to sit behind the steering wheel for when the job was done. I stayed in the car with the bag so that I could see when the scumbag pulled up with Lola.
The other members checked their surroundings and made their way over to the buildings, where they cut the connections to the keys of these specific buildings so that they could make it up to the roof. When they made it up there, they laid down and hid so that no one could see them. By then, I was getting anxious. I hadn't seen her face in two whole days and I was hoping that it looked exactly the same, or things might not get too pretty.
When I saw the car arriving, I placed a gun into the back of my pants and hid it beneath my jacket. It was a little cool out that night. I grabbed the bag and proceeded to walk toward their car. I stopped in the middle of the street and waited for them. When the driver's door opened, only one man got out, but I wasn't dumb enough to believe that he was alone.
He walked around to the back door of the car on the right side and opened the door. He grabbed a girl by the arm and pulled her out. But that wasn't my Lola. It couldn't have been. Her face was swollen and badly bruised. He had to hold her up because her legs looked extremely weak and she looked extremely pale and lifeless. Her hair was a mess and all over the place. This looked nothing like Lola.
"This isn't her," I said and a smile crept on his face.
"It's me, Arsen." I heard her speak. It was very low, but I knew it was her and my heart broke. I could feel the tears begin to swell in my eyes, but I fought them back.
"Give her to me," I demanded.
"Not just yet," he said. The smirk on his face was the most horrendous thing I had ever seen. "Give me the money and I'll give you the girl. It's a part of our deal."
I threw the bag of money toward him. When I went to go grab Lola, his gang came from around each corner, pointing their guns at me. There were about three on each side, which made it easy for my men to take them out.
"Do you really want to do this?" I questioned, while raising an eyebrow. A smile appeared on my face and I cleared my throat.
Just then, bullets rained down from the building tops, hitting each and every member, except for the man holding Lola. I pulled out my gun and aimed it directly toward him. I moved it over just a little and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Anabella's mother directly between the eyes, killing her instantly. She thought I hadn’t seen her, but I watched her as she looked through the window of the car the entire time.
The guy dropped Lola onto the ground and tried to make a run for it. I allowed him to make it all the way to the car before shooting him in the back of the head. He died instantly as well. I put the gun up and signaled for the guys to come down. I ran over and picked up Lola. I carried her in my arms back to the truck. I held her on my lap until we made it back to the clubhouse. The bag of money I had thrown at him was just a bag of trash. We wouldn’t have actually brought the money with us, since we had no intention to give it back.
When we made it back, I put Lola in the car and David drove us home. I took her inside and laid her on my bed while I ran her a bath. It was really hard to look at her face and to see the damage that they'd done to her without breaking down. When the water was perfect enough for her to get in, I dropped in a few rose petals and walked back into my room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed and was looking at me.
She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. I figured she wanted to talk, but was too tired or in too much pain, so I decided not to bother her about it. I took her clothes off of her and carried her into the bathroom. I sat her down inside of the tub and watched as she winced. I finally had my Lola back, and although she wasn't at her best, I was willing to nurse her back to health.
I watched her as she tried to relearn how to move her arms and legs. It was the saddest thing that I had ever laid eyes on and my heart broke even more, knowing that I was the one who put her in this type of danger. She learned fast. That's how strong she was. Just thinking about how strong she really was made me think back to the different moments that we had shared. Specifically, back to when all of this started.
I knew she wanted that kiss as badly as I did, and I knew that the kiss would definitely leave her wanting more. I didn't really have a meeting. I just wanted to leave her on edge. I knew even the strongest, most independent girl couldn't hold herself back. I knew my magic, and it only took a couple of days. I chuc
kled to myself and walked back to my desk, taking a sip of my coffee while looking out the view of the window. I had everything I wanted in the palm of my hand.
Lola made me feel young again. Being around her took me back to when I was around her age and just starting to discover what love was all about. That was a time when I was wild and adventurous. I had a lot of down time and I could really be myself without any consequences. That was why being with her was such a valuable time for me.
I felt as if she was really the one for me, and that was why it hurt me so much that she would betray me. I felt that, if her feelings were almost the same as mine, she would at least respect my privacy. Whether my email had been left open or not, it wasn’t her place to take a look inside.
That whole situation angered me so much, but I just couldn’t force myself to be over-the-top upset with her. I knew that showing extreme anger toward her would make me uncomfortable and I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her … that much.
My phone began to ring, disrupting my thoughts and making me slightly irritated. It was a call from David. I answered quickly because it was rare for David to call me in the middle of the day.
"Boss, you're not going to like this." His voice sounded frantic and I almost didn't want to hear what he was going to say next.
"What is it?" I kept my calm. Panicking just as much as he was wouldn’t help nothing at that moment.
"That lady who’s been chasing you down for years says she's coming after the girl and it’s not going to be pretty."
"The girl ...what girl?" I asked in confusion.
"The one you went out with the other night, you know? The one who found out about us," he said. There was a silence on the phone after that as I took a minute to think.
“How’d you figure that out?” I asked.
“She sent me an email from her husband’s account he had with us and said these words exactly:”
Dear David and crew,
Since Arsen stole the love of my life from me, I guess I'll have to take something from his as well. That girl—his new arm candy. My daughter has been telling me she’s seen them around town together and it’s more than just him taking her out to make himself look good. He has feelings for this girl and this is the perfect time for me to come in and make my move. I just hope you guys get a hold of her before I do.
"Arsen." Lola called out, breaking my train of thought.
"Yes, my love?" I got on my knees in front of the tub, willing to do whatever she asked.
“Why did you kill my best friend?” She looked over at me with wide eyes. Her knees were pulled up to her chest.
“Who told you that?” I asked, wondering how she found out.
“I heard the gunshots, and when they took me out of the building, I saw her laying there. Dead. Her mother said you did it.” She sniffled and I saw her eyes begin to tear up. “You killed her and her father.”
“Lola …” I started, and honestly, I didn’t know how to finish.
“You took her father away from her and you took her away from me! How do I know if I’m next?” She tried to speak louder, but I could tell it was putting a strain on her throat.
“Lola, I would never hurt you a day in my life,” I spoke.
“Prove it,” she said quietly. “Don’t hurt anyone else close to me, please.”
“Anything for you.” I nodded.
“Now tell me why? Why did you kill her? Why did you kill her father?” She looked down at the water.
“Well, her father was stealing money from us and giving it to other gangs who were against us. He was one of our best members and the entire time he was setting us up.” I lathered a washcloth with soap and started to clean her up. “As far as Anabella, her and her mother were plotting on hurting you in order to get back at me”
She looked up at me in disbelief.
“There’s no need for me to lie. The situation is over now.” I continued to clean her. “Your best friend was plotting against you.”
Things got quiet really fast. As I washed over her body with the cloth, the only sound between us was the light movements of the bath water. I grabbed the bottle of strawberry shampoo and began washing her hair. She sat there, staring into space. More than likely, she thinking about what I had just told her.
I finished washing her up and sat there. I reached for the drain to let the water out, but she grabbed my hand, stopping me.
“Can I stay in here a little longer?” she whispered. I nodded and still drained the water.
“Anything you want, my love. Let me just run you some fresh water.” I slightly smiled, trying to make her comfortable and ran her some more warm water.
“I’m going to go take a shower in your room, if that’s okay?”
She nodded and I got up to leave. Before I left, I grabbed my phone, turning on some soft music at a low volume and sitting it on the sink for her to listen to. Maybe the music would help her calm down. She’d been in the same position since she got in.
As I cracked the door, I saw her relax her body. She pulled her legs down from her chest and stretched her arms out. She lowered her body into the tub, so that the water touched her neck. It made me smile that she felt at home.
I grabbed a fresh towel and a pair of sweats to wear to bed and headed off into her room. I took off my clothes and got into the shower. I hadn’t had a good shower since the day Lola had gone missing.
I made sure the water was hot and the shower was steamy. That way I could really relax and become one with my thoughts. I began washing over my body slowly, being sure not to miss a spot. I washed my hair, then stood under the water for a few minutes, soaking up the heat before I went back into the chill air of my bedroom.
When I got out, I dried off my body and threw on my sweats. I took a deep breath and walked back to my room. Upon entering, my eyes fell upon Lola, who was in my bed, laying on her side. It looked like she had a gown on. She must’ve gotten it out of her room when I was in the shower.
She looked so peaceful. Just when I was about to turn to go sleep in her room, I heard her voice.
“Arsen,” she whispered.
“Yes, angel?” I asked, walking over to the edge of her bed.
“Stay,” she commanded in a light voice.
“You sure?”
“Yes. Please don’t leave me. Sleep with me, please,” she whined.
“All right.” I climbed into bed next to her and turned off the desk lamp, which was the only light on.
The moonlight shone inside of the windows as Lola turned to face me. She cuddled up to me and I wrapped my arm around her. I was so glad to have her back next to me.
THE END
A Billion Dollar Arrangement
Angela Hayes is a beautiful city girl who longs for some excitement and fulfillment in her love life. She has a great job at a huge marketing company and she just learned that the company's billionaire CEO will be making an appearance at her branch.
Anderson Cromby is a sexy billionaire playboy who is every woman's fantasy. He's tall, dark, and handsome, and rich beyond words. He could have any woman he wanted, but he has his eyes on the vibrant young Angela.
Angela thought she was content having casual flings here and there, and she enjoys being in control of things. But when the billionaire Anderson brings his dominating personality and sexual possessiveness into her world, he turns it upside down—in a good way!
What She Wants
Part One
Chapter 1: A Metropolitan Affair
The bubble bath was piping hot. Angela had used the special bubble bath additive that her mother, Karen, had given her for her thirty-second birthday last month. It was delightful, and it smelled great as it moisturized. She glanced at the nozzle of her bath, the one that spewed forth high pressure hot water at the push of a button. She thought of the many lonely nights she’d had right here in her dingy little apartment, where that nozzle had been her best friend. The nozzle didn’t cancel dates; it didn’t give excuses. It ju
st pleased you.
Angela Hayes was a young woman much like any other her age. She had been out of school for eight years and was working in the city as a law clerk. She hoped to one day make it through law school and become a full-fledged practicing lawyer in her own right. She was Italian-American by descent, and had a huge family that was scattered across the state. Her father had passed away on Christmas day two years before, and her mother lived alone in an apartment that was even smaller than hers, on the other side of town.
Angela felt bad for her mom, truly, and tried to visit her as often as her work and social life permitted. Her five younger brothers and two sisters were mostly all married off and had their own lives and careers. A few of them were businesspeople, and the rest were tradespeople— electricians and plumbers and the like. Overall, most of the people in her family seemed happy with their lives, and Angela was grateful for that. They usually all got together on the big holidays and Easter was coming up, so she looked forward to a nice reunion then.
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