by Haley Ladawn
“Okay! Woo-hoo! I got a new job!” She ran down the aisle, flailing her arms. “I’m going to be rich!”
“What the hell are you doing here?” I cut straight to the point when Elisa’s silhouette disappeared from view.
“Relax. I didn’t come here to fuck you in public, if that’s what you mean.” He shrugged absentmindedly. “Although, they do have some really nice mattresses here.”
“Please.” I crossed my arms, biting down on my lip in frustration. “I’m sure you would go straight for the desks. Considering you slept with that girl in your office.”
“I didn’t sleep with her.” He folded his arms across his strong chest, as if he was offended. “She just gave me a really bad hand job. Her hands were too rough. Lotion wouldn’t even have helped that godforsaken creature.”
I stifled a laugh at the girl’s expense. I was about to say something, when I noticed a dark box in his hands. “You’re buying a box of condoms, really?”
“You’re buying a box of tampons, really?” He mimicked me, while his eyes narrowed. “Do you even know how to use those? I could help you, if you like. You just spread apart your warm—”
“Do not give me a tutorial on how to insert a tampon.”
“Well, I could just show you instead.” He gave me a wicked smile that made my skin crawl. “Let’s go to the dressing room. You need to get changed anyway. You’re soaked.”
The double meaning to his words made me want to slap him across the face, but he was right. I was completely wet from the rain.
“I can’t believe you’re wearing a Hello Kitty bra.” He growled, shaking his head in disbelief and pity.
My cheeks warmed with embarrassment as my eyes fell on my chest. No wonder he kept calling me kitten.
I completely forgot that I was wearing a white t-shirt when it rained. This had suddenly turned into a wet t-shirt contest and I was in first place. I wondered what the prize would be.
Chapter 5: I’m Coming For You
Do you know how hard it is to fit two people into a dressing room? Let’s just say, it’s close to impossible. Especially when one of the individuals is carrying a giant teddy bear twice the size of her own body.
Technically, there were three of us in the dressing room that fateful night. An angry woman, an overly horny alpha male, and a stuffed teddy bear.
Elliot slammed the door behind him, locking the two of us in the dressing room together. I wasn’t too sure about what was going to happen here, but I figured I could slide underneath the door if I really needed to get out. Then, there was always the option of screaming. That seemed to work wonders for most people.
I was beginning to wonder why I hadn’t tried it yet. Maybe I was already developing Stockholm Syndrome. Yeah, right. He hadn’t even kidnapped me yet— not that he was planning to. I was going to end up jinxing myself.
When he turned back to look at me, there was a hungry fever masking his baby blue eyes. It made him seem even more ominous, along with the dark tattoos that curved up the nape of his neck. I thought I saw angel wings twirling down the front of his throat, disappearing into his shirt, but he turned his head before I could identify the art.
“Don’t you even think about touching me,” I said out of nowhere, crossing my arms in frustration.
Suddenly, his wide eyes were back on me, searing a hole into my chest. My bra must have been entertaining to him. The swelling bulge in his dark slacks only seemed to prove that. It made me wince.
Within a matter of seconds, he had me pinned against the wall, with my hands held high above my head. His body was hot to the touch, as his chest pushed against mine, making it impossible for me to move. I was cornered and there was something hard touching the top of my stomach. It sent a tingle through my body when I realized what it was.
“Oops.” He gave me a false smile while his rough jaw brushed against my own. “I’m touching you.”
His hands trailed to the top of my wet blouse, but his chest remained against mine, as our hearts seemed to beat in unison. I glanced at him sideways, but his eyes evaded mine.
It looked like he was inspecting the design on my shirt or something, but then he grabbed me by my collar, pulling me to his face. There was amusement in his possessing gaze as my eyes trailed down to his soft plump lips. Then, I thought about the woman in his office this morning. The one who undoubtedly kissed those very same lips. A sting of unwanted jealousy coursed through my veins.
“I can’t believe you’re buying a fucking teddy bear. Are you eight years old or what?” His lips curled into a half smile. It was out of mockery, not happiness. “Why would you cuddle that when you could cuddle me?”
“Because teddy bears are innocent, unlike you!” I spat, pushing him in the shoulder.
“I never claimed to be innocent, gattina.” A raspy laugh escaped his dry throat, vibrating through his whole chest. It made me shiver in his grasp by the ferocity of it. It was so animalistic and primal.
It was hard to think when I kept getting lost in his eyes. I groaned out of exasperation. I needed to get out of here before something bad happened. My pheromones were blocking my brainpower. I needed to concentrate on getting the fuck out of here.
“Oh, my God.” I ran my fingers down my face, wondering how this had become my life.
“You’re so wrong about that, fiorella.” He whispered into my ear, while he ripped the fabric of my white t-shirt down the middle. Curse him for being strong enough to do that. “God wouldn’t rip your clothes off your body, and he sure as hell wouldn’t think about fucking in a dressing room.”
My mouth dropped, but he didn’t seem to care about my surprise. He let go of my hands and tossed a red sweater at me. Next, he threw a set of a bra and panties in my direction. They were both black with lace trim around them.
Why the hell is he throwing lingerie at me?
“Change now,” he demanded, eyeing me like an animal stalking their prey. His didn’t even blink, neglecting to show any type of fear. It was then I realized that a man like him probably never tasted fear. A monster couldn’t be afraid of themselves, could they?
“I don’t have all fucking night to wait for your clothes to dry, and the space in between your legs is never going to.”
“Your name is Elliot, but it should be Ellislut.” I creased my brows in anger, while my palms tightened into fists around the clothing. “I’m not changing in front of a pervert.”
“Well, your name should be Killith,” his lips curled into a frown. “Because you’re killing my boner with all of your complaining.”
“Please.” I murmured underneath my heavy breath. “It would take a nuclear explosion to kill that thing. It’s like you’re always turned on. Is that normal, or did you down an entire bottle of Viagra?”
“I told you already.” He narrowed his glacial eyes at me. “I really like redheads.”
“Well, fuck it and fuck you,” I shook my head as I crossed my arms across my chest. “I’m not changing in front of you, and I’m going to dye my hair as soon as I get home.”
“I really like your red hair,” he growled, biting down on his lip. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t pull it so fucking hard that you’ll scream bloody murder. I suggest that you change your clothes now before I rip your hair out. You won’t have to worry about dying it then.”
The playful look in his eyes had diminished with his threat, and I could tell he was being serious. I hated having my hair pulled. I couldn’t even handle it when Elisa was trying to put it up in a bun.
There’s no way in hell that I could handle him touching me. I knew he wouldn’t be gentle about it. He would rip my hair out from the roots, like children who tear helpless flowers from the ground.
“Fuck me,” I murmured, rubbing my temples in defeat. I walked to the corner of the small room and turned my back to him. He wasn’t going to see my chest anytime soon. I slid my arms out of the ruined t-shirt, and unbuckled the clasp of the bra. All the while shielding my body from
view.
“All in good time, baby.” He was suddenly close, pulling the bra the rest of the way off my shoulders. A cool wave of air brushed against my breasts as the bra fell to the floor. My hands shot up to cover my chest, but he pulled them back down to my sides. His warm hands settled on my waist before his fingertips started to brush against my stomach, trailing to my exposed chest. Right when he was about to touch my breasts, I turned around to stop him. By the time I met his face, his eyes had already landed on me. “You really shouldn’t have turned around.”
My cheeks reddened with embarrassment, but I was even more surprised that I hadn’t covered myself up yet.
“Nice, fiorella.” His eyes lowered to my chest, inspecting the areolas around my nipples. My chest was rising and falling underneath his smoldering gaze. “You have a bad attitude, but your tits are great. They almost balance each other out.”
When his hands fell from my sides, I turned around immediately to slide on the bra and sweater before something else happened. The bra was a little tight, but I managed to squeeze into it.
The sweater hung daintily over my shoulders, showing the straps of the new black bra. Despite being thin, the fabric was warm. He tossed me a pair of black leggings next, and I kicked my feet into them quickly, not wanting to test his patience. If all he wanted to do was dress me up like Barbie, I was fine with that.
After getting dressed, I began thinking of a hundred and one ways of getting out of this dressing room alive. He obviously wasn’t going to let me go on my own.
I had a sudden idea.
“Come here.” I lowered my voice, trying to sound as sexy and seductive as I possibly could. “I have a secret to tell you.”
He came closer reluctantly, cocking his head to the side. My heart was beginning to beat against my chest like a jackhammer. “What is it, Rose?”
Well, here goes nothing…
“This!” I lifted my knee up to kick him in the groin, putting all of my strength into the hit. “I hate to bust your balls, but I’m leaving, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
Within a matter of seconds, he was doubled-over in pain, and I saw my opportunity to run.
“She shoots,” I unlocked the door with trembling fingers, pushing it open to escape while I had the chance. “And she scores!”
“Fucking bitch.” I heard him groan from the floor, but I didn’t look back to see if he was getting up.
I ran down the aisles, like I was running a marathon. I didn’t stop to take a breath, knowing that any amount of hesitation could seal my fate forever. If he caught me, I was sure that he’d never let me go. I only stopped when I hit a brick wall, or what I thought was a brick wall.
“Slow down, Lily.” Elisa caught me in the middle of the food aisle. Her eyebrows were raised in confusion. “Where’s Elliot? Did he go home?”
“No!” I clasped my chest, struggling to breathe. I was completely out of breath and I had only run through a couple aisles. I really needed to work on my cardio. It was embarrassing. “He’s back there and we have to go.”
“What’s the rush?” She narrowed her hazel eyes, picking up a jar of peanut butter. She threw it in the air and caught it in her palm. “Why are you wearing different clothes now? Did you have a quickie in public?”
When I failed to respond, she gasped. “You did, didn’t you!?”
“God, no!” I frowned at her smug expression, wondering how she couldn’t see how distraught I was. “If by quickie you mean, did I kick him in the nuts really quick? Then, the answer is yes! Can we go now?”
“You’re kidding me?” Her mouth dropped and the jar of peanut butter fell out of her hands. “You’re supposed to lick it like a lollipop, not kick it like a soccer ball. Have I not taught you anything?”
“Save the sex lessons for another day.” I grabbed her by the hem of her jacket, pulling her toward the exit. We were leaving even if I had to drag her out of here. That left a bad taste in my mouth… I was beginning to act just like him. “We have to get out of here before he gets back up.”
“Did you at least give him my number before you attacked him?” She smirked devilishly, seeming all too entertained by this atrocious situation. “I still want that internship.”
I ignored her as we closed in on the glass doors that lead straight into the unpromising night. It looked dark and scary from here, but at least we’d be able to blend in with the dark shadows of nightfall. It would make for the perfect escape. We just had to make it to my car, and then we were home free. When we got there, I was going to curl into a ball underneath the covers. Then, I’d figure out the rest in the morning.
Would I go to the cops or would I take the internship?
The rain was pouring down outside. Dark clouds blanketed the skies, making the overcast that much more present. It sent a creepy feeling inside my bones, and it wasn’t just because there was an angry millionaire out there somewhere.
We ran through the parking lot, looking for my car, but it was nowhere to be found. It was like the rain washed it away into the drain pipes. It was just my luck for my car to be stolen while I was trying to run away from a maniac.
“Where did you park it?” I gave Elisa a questioning gaze as water soaked my hair, causing strands to cling to my face. My body was on fire, but the rain was icy cold.
“Right here!” she shouted over the hammering rain and bustling wind. “It was right here. I parked it next to the vending machines, so that I could get a candy bar.”
“What is it with you and your obsession with chocolate?” I groaned in frustration, running a hand through my soaked hair. “What happened to my freaking car? My mom is going to kill me.”
“Well, there is this thing called a no parking zone,” a deep, throaty voice said from behind me. Elisa sounded like a troll sometimes, but that definitely wasn’t her.
I stood up from the ground immediately to see a man with coffee colored hair standing behind me. His eyes shown dark blue in the darkness, like the puddles that were beginning to form on the ground.
“You! You did this.” I couldn’t contain my anger anymore. I was either going to punch him in his face, or I was going to turn into the Incredible Hulk. Either way, my vexation was coming to a boiling point. In fact, it was boiling over. “I’m gonna… I’m gonna…”
“You’re going to what? Assault me? You’ve already done that, gattina. It’s on camera, too. I wonder what the cops would say about that.” He crossed his arms, seeming excessively amused. I wanted to smack the smile right off his face. “Have you ever been to jail? It’s quite… the experience.”
“It wasn’t an assault.” I glared at him, my lips flattening into a small line. “It was self-defense.”
“For it to be self-defense, you must be in danger first, fiorella.” He combed a finger through his dark hair, brushing it away from his face. “I wasn’t going to hurt you. I was going to help you.”
By dragging me into a dressing room and threatening me?
“I could give you two girls a ride home,” he offered when I failed to respond, cutting his eyes toward Elisa who stood in the darkness quietly. If she’d heard our conversation, she sure as hell didn’t seem rattled by it. “It’s safer than the two of you walking all by yourselves.”
I doubt that…
“Wow, thank you.” Elisa nodded eagerly, stepping forward to meet him head on. “He’s such a gentleman, Lily! What would we do without him?”
Walk home in the pouring rain? Even that sounded better than getting in his car. You should never get in a stranger’s car, no matter how bad the weather, but Elisa didn’t seem to understand that. I tried to object to his offer, but she shushed me with a disapproving gaze. She gave me the death stare, and I knew she had already made up her mind. There was no changing it.
If I didn’t go with her, she would end up going by herself. I needed to stick by her side. There was power in numbers. There was two of us and only one of him. The three of us walked toward a black Maser
ati that made me hate him even more.
“You know, Elisa…” I tried one more time, giving her the best puppy dog eyes I could muster. “We should walk home. I could really use the exercise. I’ve put on a little weight recently. I have love handles and my thighs are really big and—”
“I love thick thighs,” Elliot cut me off with a growl that only I could hear. “It will feel better when you sit on my face.”
I shot him an appalled glare, scrunching my eyebrows together. This night just kept getting worse and worse. To distance myself from him, I walked toward the other side of the car where the passenger seat was. I pulled on the door handle, and much to my surprise, it opened. It wasn’t locked.
“Nice try, dandelion.” Elliot pulled me back by my waist when I went to slide into the front seat. His erection was still hard when it pressed against my lower back. His lips brushed against my ear. “Get in the back. Only good girls get to ride in the front.”
“I’m not riding in the back.”
“You’re lucky I don’t throw you in the trunk,” he whispered in my ear, tightening his grip around my hips. He was pressing against me so slowly that I could feel an unwanted pressure building between my hips. “You can ride in the back, or you can ride my dick. It’s up to you.”
“Thanks for making the choice for me.” I replied bitterly, taking my spot in the back seat.
He offered me a weary smile that never touched his cheeks. Then, he opened the door for Elisa gracefully. He looked like a goddamn gentleman as he did it too. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but I was the only one who could see the roughness beneath his soft exterior.
“Why thank you.” She gave him a polite smile, taking the seat he offered her. Unlike me, she got to sit up front next to him.
“At least someone is behaving.” He let out a devilish laugh as he started the Maserati, pulling out of the parking lot with agility and speed. At this rate, we were going to crash. In the haste of driving, he gave Elisa a sideways grin. “You’ll be rewarded for that later tonight, sì?”