by Kylie Parker
He undid the restraints and scooped her into his arms again. She wrapped herself around him, shivering. Entering the bathroom, he set her on the bench of the shower and turned the steam on. Then he filled up the tub and after washing himself off, motioned for her to come to him. She walked over feeling woozy and spent and climbed into the deep hot water beside him. Adding some lavender soap, he then pulled her close and held her as the bubbles crept up around them.
“You are amazing.” He whispered in her ear as he stroked her hair.
“No Maestro it was all you.” She whispered back settling her head on his chest.
“I do hope you will stay for a while. You sure like to play, and I love to play with you.” He spoke softly.
“Yes, I want to stay and play. Please. I am nowhere near done.” She sighed having so much more to say but not knowing where to start.
“You are a natural, my naughty girl. After this I, unfortunately, have some business to take care of, you will be alright here?” he asked, looking at her with loving concern.
“Yes, I think I might need a nap.” She said, the hot water making her sleepy.
“Oh yes sleep so we can play again later.” He kissed her and then exited the tub. “The bed should be clean by now, and I have all your things so you can get back to your editor, who is sure to be thrilled again. Then have a nap and I will be back as soon as I can.”
With that, he left, and she got up and wrapped herself in a towel.
“Before I forget, you will not be locked in this time as you have clothes so feel free to explore. Just don’t get lost, some of these hallways are a bit like a maze.”
“Thank you, Maestro,” she said again the name making her weak in the knees in anticipation for their next game.
Chapter Eight
After he had left, she opened her laptop and checked messages. Of course, Edwards was thrilled with the community involvement and human approach she was taking to the story, showing the many benefits the less fortunate would receive as part of this merger. Not having a clue as to what he was talking about she opened the article she was taking credit for, and it said exactly that. Apparently, the Scriva group of companies was committed to giving back. It was a nice fluff piece painting Scriva and the merger as saviors. And the writer went to great lengths to make their writing match hers. Something about it struck Selena as odd, and she looked at the accompanying picture describing the annual gala they would be attending the following night. In the picture of the crowd from the previous year’s event, there was a stout man who looked very familiar. Her nose for a story was telling her that the man was a criminal, she knew his face but from where.
She left the room searching for some answers regarding an internet connection. She needed to research the man in the picture and how he was connected to Scriva, to Lawrence. Roaming hall after endless hall she found no one and nothing of interest. All doors were nondescript and locked. She found herself in a darkened hallway and searched for a light switch, but there were none. Ahead of her, she heard voices; loud, angry. One of them sounded like Lawrence. Could he be in trouble? She felt her way along the dark hallway wishing she had a flashlight or at least a pair of flats. She had dressed in heels and a light dress, not knowing who she would come across. The voices were getting louder, closer and when she rounded a bend she could see them. It was Lawrence, and he was talking loudly, demanding answers about a mistake that someone made. Selena was just about to make her presence known; it looked like Lawrence could use a hug. As she stepped forward to speak, what she saw made her gasp. It was the man from the picture and in person she knew for certain he was a member of the Italian mafia and highly sought out by the police. She hid in the shadows again as the man spoke.
“Ok Scriva, we are doing our part to cover your ass, give us a break, stop yelling and let’s go deal with the problem.”
“You brought the problem here,” Lawrence spoke with pointed anger. “And that is a big problem.” Then he turned and walked around a corner disappearing, with the other men at his heels.
She followed him keeping enough distance that he couldn’t hear her. When he reached a room at the far end of the building, they went inside. They stayed there, each saying their piece and so Selena tiptoed through to the other room. It had a passageway where she could peek into the other room. When she looked in she was shocked by what she saw. This was not a heated business meeting. There was a man slumped over in a chair, and he was bleeding. Five or six men were in the room with Lawrence, and she heard words about guns, drugs, and owing. From the sounds of it this snitch, as they called him, was going to have a bad day. Selena sat back in the shadows watching the carnage and interesting happenings.
Finally, Lawrence looked at the man and told him he had one more chance to speak the truth. The man spit towards Lawrence and his first reaction was to raise his own gun and shoot the man in the mouth. Selena snuck away in shock and then ran to the closest bathroom and vomited choking out tears.
Without knowing or caring about the context of what she saw she started questioning everything. Scriva was too tidy. Everything about Lawrence and his company checked out and was squeaky clean which did not compute to the scene she had just seen. There were no words. She headed back to her room unsure what to do or how to approach the situation. If only she had been really reporting the last few days instead of playing games, she might have figured this out before it got too serious. As she rounded a corner and came to the door of her room, she met Lawrence “You’re not who people think you are.” She stammered.
“And you are not naked.” He replied.
Her whole self was torn from the lust she felt when he said those words to the realization that he could be really dangerous. She was in over her head and fled.
Chapter Nine
Running blindly through hallway after hallway, Selena did not know where to turn or which way to go. Frantically she ran until she was breathless, not knowing where she was going to go. She didn’t have her phone, wouldn’t have mattered if she did. The only person who could help her was her editor, and she wasn’t calling Edwards; no way. He was thrilled beyond belief at how the story was progressing, but that had all changed now. After what she had seen, all bets were off, and Selena saw for sure that Lawrence and Scriva were hiding something. Should she try to get the story, should she run for her life, or should she embrace her bad boy and go with it. Selena shuddered. This was never a predicament she would have gotten in if she had just stayed in court news. Coming here had been a mistake, and now she might pay with her life.
Gasping and out of breath Selena stopped, she felt like she had been running in circles and she had not seen one person, which was fine because they would have just alerted Lawrence to her whereabouts on their high-tech communication devices. Sitting on a nearby chair, Selena weighed her options again. How she wished she had stayed in the bath. If only she could unsee Lawrence shooting that man. And why did she keep getting flashes of him tying her up? It bothered her that this dangerous side was turning her on, and she was not ready to yet admit it.
Sitting with her head in her hands she heard Lawrence coming before she saw him. She knew it would be him. He hadn’t chased her either. He had simply waited until she stopped and walked up to her with his usual savoir-faire. Even now when she was half terrified with nervousness about what was going to happen next, he was her Maestro.
“We do have a gym if you want to go for a run.” He said. Looking bemused,
Anger and confusion clouded her eyes as she glared up at him. She didn’t know where to start or what to say.
“I was trying to leave,” she admitted, her gaze didn’t move from the floor.
“You can leave anytime you want. I thought we were having fun.” He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes bright. “You didn’t say guava.”
Laughing made Selena gag as she responded to the absurdity of his words. “You shot someone. There was the mafia…who are you?”
Standin
g there smiling Lawrence looked at her for a moment before responding. “Well, that was not as it seemed. I was simply protecting us from a criminal who had broken in. It must have been difficult to see from your vantage point. Fortunately, we had eyes on the whole thing. Quite exciting really now that it is over. He was trying to defraud the company and didn’t care who he hurt in the process. Quite unfortunate it ended the way it did. I was just glad no one got hurt. Your editor will be pleased with this story.”
Rubbing her eyes, she drew away from his hypnotic gaze. She felt bleary and unsure, Lawrence’s smooth voice milking her into calmness, making her want to reach out and touch him again. Of course, he was protecting his business and home; she wouldn’t understand the kinds of threats he would experience being as rich and powerful as he was. Silly Selena, jumping to conclusions before she knew the whole story…Right? She couldn’t be sure, and a headache was quickly spreading behind her eyes. She slumped down in her chair and whispered, “I am sorry.”
Immediately Lawrence bent down and put an arm around her. Whispering in Italian he soothed her, helping her to stand. With his arms never leaving hers, he turned her to face him. Then with the back of his rough hand, he wiped off her tears. “Hush now. I thought we decided you were going to trust me.”
Not knowing what to answer she reached out and touched his chest instead. It felt solid and helped bring Selena back from her daze. His smile reminded her of being in the bathtub with him, and she suddenly got anxious to be back there. Her nipples perked, and she felt a familiar tingling growing inside.
“Sorry.” She said again.
“No need to apologize, it was obvious something spooked you,” Lawrence said, pulling her tighter and kissing her hair. “You are safe here.”
Selena sighed, not sure what to think.
“What you need is a good night sleep,” Lawrence said, and he walked back to her room. He kissed her on each cheek before saying goodnight. “We will have breakfast together tomorrow and if you are still upset…at all…you can be out of here right after that. Okay?”
“Yes, that sounds nice,” Selena said.
“I will miss you tonight.” He whispered in her ear and her legs buckled. She asked him in a whisper to come in with her, and he politely declined. He kissed her again and told her he didn’t want her to be unsure of him. He needed to give her space to decide if she could trust him before Lawrence would try to get close again. Before turning to go he stepped right up close to her, reaching around her for her phone. She watched his fingers move deftly, and he handed it back to her, saying “If you need me, call.”
Chapter Ten
When he left, she sat down in a whoosh. Holding her phone that had a trace scent of him, still warm from his fingers, she wanted to call him and fix what was wrong. It felt backward from the terror she felt only an hour ago. Tired and confused she wanted to take a bath, but it made her think of Lawrence, naked, touching her. Then her mind flashed to Lawrence; gun pointed, menace on his face. Shaking her head, she stepped out onto the balcony. It was the only place left she had not explored, the only one that didn’t leave her breathless, lusting for Lawrence.
Inside her phone rang. From the ringtone, she could hear it was Edwards. Instinctively she rushed inside to answer it while quickly coming up with an excuse for why he had not heard from her. As she pressed the button to take the call, she realized he might have answers for her and said hello, formulating a plan.
“Are you alright dear?” Edwards responded his voice filled with concern, which was rare for him.
“Yes. I am fine.” Selena spoke, not giving anything away until she knew what Edwards knew.
“You are tougher than I ever expected. How you got this story written after such a terrifying event is admirable. It shows true journalistic integrity. And this story is huge! Talk about being in the right place at the right time.” Edwards began talking faster excited to break the story of the intruder into Scriva. From her editor’s short bursts of run-on sentences Selena learned that Lawrence had shot an armed intruder and protected everyone, including her from certain death; according to the article she had submitted. The police report was vague and corroborated with her story.
Selena was shocked and choked out a “yes sir” when Edwards thanked her for doing such a good job and gave her free reign on the story as well as unlimited expenses for as long as it continued. Feeling proud in spite of the lie, Selena ended the call and sat down on the bed. Hearing the words from her editor made it seem real to Selena, and it was a better option than her fuzzy memory of earlier, perhaps she had made a mistake, or at least she could pretend she did.
Feeling sweaty and sticky from the day, Selena stripped naked. She glanced at the large Jacuzzi tub and then opted instead for the walk-in shower. Adjusting the shower heads to a hot mist, she let the steamy water drip over her body and cleanse her. Stretching and rinsing every inch of her body, Selena decided to let go of her earlier memory and commit to the lie, if only to simplify things with her editor and continue her career. There was no going back now anyway because admitting she didn’t write those articles would be career suicide and her journalism days were only just beginning.
Releasing her guilt, she watched the water run, reimagining her memories of the day to align to what Edwards had told her. Finally refreshed she turned the water off and stepped out the shower, wrapping herself in a plush robe. She walked over to the bed feeling again like she was in a luxurious hotel. Leaning back on the row of pillows she slowed her breath and turned on the television. She was trying to distract herself from her mounting desire to see Lawrence. Flicking through channels, she was amazed at how she was becoming aroused just thinking about the restraints a few feet away from her.
On the weather channel, a storm warning was in effect, and Selena leaned forward, squinting to see where on the large map she was and if she would be affected. Her robe loosened at the top, cool air grazing her chest. Selena touched it with her warm hand and looked up to see the balcony door was still open. When she stood to close it, her robe opened a little more, rubbing between her thighs. Selena turned back to the bed, and her mind flashed back to Lawrence. How she desired to keep playing his game. Her fingers moved over her breasts as she thought about him touching her. Sliding into bed she rolled to her side, caressing her nipples as she did. She opened her robe and allowed her large breasts to spill out. She imagined Lawrence admiring them and let her fingers roam gently moving down her stomach and between her thighs. Rocking into her touch, she moaned and spread her legs, feeling unfulfilled.
At that moment there was a knock on the door and Selena shrieked and jumped up, hoping it was Lawrence so they could continue where she left off. She tightened her robe, leaving ample cleavage and feeling sexy, she sauntered to the door. Opening it with a smile, she was surprised when a stranger smiled back, looking at her chest and then the floor. Dressed in white coveralls with a cap shadowing his face, Selena could not get a really good look at him, but it was not Lawrence.
“We thought you would be hungry so have brought you some dinner.” He said his voice soft and quiet. “If you need anything else please let me know.”
He wheeled in a small buffet table with almost a dozen separate dishes. Then he tipped his cap and walked away after taking another look at her breasts. Selena, torn between tightening her robe and taking it off, said nothing, only smiled, felt aroused and watched him leave. It always turned her on when a man watched her or appreciated her body. And here, with Lawrence she was beginning to unleash her sexuality in ways she never thought possible. Her stomach growled, and she decided to call and invite Lawrence to eat with her. She felt disappointed when he didn’t answer her call so she left him a message to come when he could.
Since she could not get immediate sexual gratification, she decided to appease her hunger and peaked inside the delicious smelling trays. Eating a little bit of everything, she went back for seconds, relishing the exotic smells and tastes of a spicy curry and a
cool, fresh fruit salad to wash it down. Full of food, she brought the rest of the bottle of wine over to the bed and leaned back drowsy, tipsy and content.
Chapter Eleven
Without realizing it, she had fallen asleep. The next thing she knew she was being nudged awake, someone was touching her face. She opened her eyes and saw Lawrence, for a moment fear crept in as she saw the same eyes that narrowed and shot a man tied to a chair, in the mouth. She shook the memory away and smiled struggling to sit up.
“You came.” She croaked.
“Yeah.” He said his voice scratchy as he looked down at her. “I wanted to wait until tomorrow, but you left that message, and I could not stop thinking about you. That might mean you are bad for me.”
“No.” She cried out a moan and grabbed him, trying to pull him down to her. “I need you.”
His eyes were on her chest; her robe was loosening again. Wiggling a little she smiled at him, inviting him to her. Nervous and untrusting, he sat on the edge of the bed looking at her. It was hard for him to believe she was authentic. Always ready for a trap or an ulterior purpose, Lawrence was trying not to let his arousal overcome his good sense.
“You make me nervous Selena. Perhaps I should not be here at all.” Lawrence said, leaning forward and debating his inner conflict.
“Please, Maestro.” Selena got on all fours to reach his arm. “I thought you wanted to play.”
Feeling her hand on his arm, Lawrence froze. “What kind of games are you playing? Are you still in compliance with our agreement? Or do you have ulterior motives here? You were sure intent on leaving earlier today.”
“Oh, yes. That was unfortunate. But I have spoken with my editor and the story I wrote is the story that happened. He was very pleased.” She moved closer her soft robe rubbing up against his arm.