by Sia Wales
“Sure! But I need to make sure Scott’s ok before you whisk me off.” He watched her go back into the bar, a pensive expression on his face until she reappeared a few minutes later. He led her to his Bentley with his hand delicately placed on her lower back. With a flourish, he offered her the key, his eyes never wavering from hers.
Stella stroked his arm, running down to his wrist, and then his hand, softly tracing his fingers until she reached the keys. Donn held the key tight. He could not resist the maddening urge to kiss her, pressing his body against hers.
“Shall we go?” whispered Donn, with a warm tone. He opened the door on the driver’s side and guided Stella into the seat. He raised both hands to rest them on the roof of the car and leaned in suggestively, looking down at her, desire burning in his eyes.
“You grace it like it was made for you, Stella.”
“It’s a dream come true to drive this car,” Stella raised her head to find his breathtaking eyes gazing at her.
“And my dream is to be with you, my angel… But aren’t you forgetting something?” Donn bent forward, the promise of a kiss in his eyes deepening the seed of desire he’d sowed in her.
“Am I?” she asked faintly.
Then, she felt him gently slide the seatbelt over her shoulder. She stiffened instinctively as he drew it across her breasts, flattening her body against the back of the seat and arching her neck back to press her head into the headrest. She felt something surge inside her, and she arched her body toward him and let her lips skim the mouth that was now hovering over hers.
Their breaths intermingled as once again a flash of desire shone in both their eyes. Stella bit her lip and Donn pressed his tongue against her mouth, sucked her lip and penetrated the rear of her mouth, caressing every part of it.
“Do you bite your lip on purpose?” asked Donn, watching her sternly, breathlessly. He felt the need to bite that lip too.
“Sorry,” murmured Stella, hesitantly.
Donn looked at her cautiously, impassively, and continued to draw the seatbelt across her body, sensing how aroused she was, feeling her quiver as he let his thumb graze the top of her frayed denim shorts, until a loud metallic click announced that he had locked it in place, bringing them both crashing back to earth.
“You lead the way, I don’t know the road to your house, and anyway I’d rather stay behind you …” he said.
He stepped back and softly closed the door, his body moving with languorous grace to her Corvette. Sparking the engine, he let it warm up first as he greedily inhaled the scent of the noir perfume he had smelled in her hair. He let his eyes fall to the passenger seat and the shirt she had left there. Picking it up and holding it tightly in his fists, Donn closed his eyes and put it to his nostrils, inhaling her scent, intoxicated. Unable to stem his curiosity, he opened the glove compartment that held Stella’s things, a jumble of CDs, an iPod, lip gloss, a gauzy scarf, car documents, sunglasses, invitations to parties, make-up, hair elastics, hand cream, a bottle of her perfume and a digital camera.
He switched the camera on and began to scroll through her photos. His attention was caught by those dated over a year ago, the ones of her and Jason as they held each other tightly, looking intimately into each other’s eyes or kissing each other passionately.
He covertly slid the camera back where he’d found it when he saw the headlights of the Bentley reflected in the rearview mirror; he rolled down the window and waited for Stella to drive alongside.
“Hey there,” she said defiantly, jamming her foot on the accelerator.
“You do wonders for my car, Miss Whitely, it looks magnificent with you at the wheel.”
She blushed and stretched her lips in a smile.
“Why didn’t you already get a start on me?” she asked, curious, leaning her head on a side.
“I just wanted to see if you had a spirit of adventure!” he teased with a smile.
“Oh boy, you’re gonna wish you’d never said that,” she laughed and promptly floored the accelerator, leaving Donn blinking in astonishment. He quickly recovered and, crashing the gears, pressed his foot to the floor to race after her. She’s going way too fast, he thought, worried, deciding he’d better overtake her to slow her down, only to see her deftly pull even further ahead of him. He tried again to overtake her but at the last minute saw a car come hurtling toward him in the opposite lane. Fortunately Stella had seen it too and slammed on the Bentley’s brakes, giving Donn just enough room to swerve safely in front of her and escape an otherwise unavoidable collision.
He made her slow down and hit the road for home. They pulled up beside her house. Stella got out of the car, she was furious as Donn walked rapidly towards her.
“Damn it, Donn, are you out of your freaking mind trying a stunt like that?” Stella shouted, hitting his chest repeatedly, still trembling from fright.
“You should have warned me it I would have to risk an accident to get you to slow you down,” said Donn drily, feeling her blows land on his chest like soft caresses. He looked at her dismissively and Stella turned abruptly toward the house, tense and irritated by Donn’s sudden, but by now expected mood swings, which ranged from irascible to extroverted to disciplined and frustratingly impenetrable.
“No, Stella, wait!” He grabbed her wrist and suddenly materialized in front of her.
“You’re so fast! I didn’t even see you come past me!”
“Sorry. Force of habit.”
“No, it’s me that owes you an apology, I’m sorry Donn. I guess I got carried away, I was having so much fun driving your car… You wouldn’t have attempted that stupid stunt otherwise.”
He lashed out suddenly and kicked the side of his car hard. “There, now do you still think I did it for my car?”
“I just thought…” Stella started to say, stunned as she stared at the ugly dent in the Bentley, then flinching as he ploughed his fist violently into the rear windscreen, shattering it into a gazillion jagged pieces.“Need I go on, Stella? You were speeding up and I wanted you to slow down, nothing else.” Stella lowered her eyes, dejected. Her instinct told her he was telling the truth.
Donn placed his hand under her chin, lifting her face. Stella felt unnerved by his gaze.
“So you know where I live! Are you some kind of stalker?” She nibbled on her lip.
“Yep, and I’m a control freak, too.” The harshness in his tone made her stop biting her lip, but then his eyes turned tender again.
“So you’re trying to control me now, are you?” she whispered.
“Why do you ask, angel?”
He grabbed her hip. Stella, perturbed, refused to reply. Donn scrutinized her face, her embarrassment not escaping him.
He stopped in front of the entrance and drew her between his arms while he waited for a reply.
Meanwhile, Jason had just arrived from Boston by motorbike, suspicious of the man’s voice he had heard on the mobile, and was watching them from a distance. Donn had noticed him.
“I want to kiss you,” Stella confessed, hesitantly.
She blushed and bit her lip again. Donn raised his eyebrows for a moment and, taken by surprise, looked at her, nonplussed but sure of himself.
“You only have to ask, Stella… and don’t bite your lip!” he scolded her severely, before kissing her on the mouth, sucking her lips avidly and plunging his tongue deeply into her.
“Now go to bed, little angel, it’s late,” he murmured earnestly. He wanted to speak to Jason. He brushed her hair out of her face, lowered his hand down to her chin, then stroked her lips with his thumb and withdrew, not wanting to get too aroused. Stella went into the house and Donn turned towards Jason. He reached him in an instant and stared at him impassively.
“So you’re Mr. No one,” Jason exclaimed threateningly.
“And you must be the ex-boyfriend that can’t face the facts.”
“I know you, you’re a member of Council!” Jason whispered incredulously.
“I sure am,�
�� replied Donn laconically. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Council Capital Holding, also known as just “Council.” It performed the tasks of a normal Board of Directors of a company with a multimillion dollar turnover in the security sector, but it was also a body of thirteen members appointed to govern and supervise cohabitation with humans. The Council consisted of six conservative Directors, six Progressives and an independent Chairman. Council Capital was a holding and its offices were scattered over five continents. Each office had its own Board of Directors and each Board was appointed to govern and supervise cohabitation with the humans of its zone.
“Look, you can take anything you like, as far as I’m concerned, but not Stella,” Jason said in a low voice, his eyes dark, his voice steady, resolute. Donn, amused, raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips.
“But she’s everything to me!” he exclaimed harshly and commandingly, darkening his gaze with a bold grimace.
“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, Mr. Brooks,” replied Jason crossly. His dark eyes suddenly turned to a tenuous red. In truth, Jason had something of the werewolf in him. He was influenced by the moon when it had a halo around it or when it was pervaded by a reddish glare, and his eyes glowed with similar shades. Donn opened his eyes wide for a moment and intensified his gaze.
“There’s no doubt about that, Jason, because I’ll keep seeing her,” he exclaimed again.
Donn looked at the boy incredulously, trying to remain impassive, his mind almost bursting with a deep, dark secret that no longer affected him, but Rod Warner, an ex-member of the Council, expelled a short while ago… A surreptitious affair that could never be leaked.
The calm before the storm
The next morning Stella sipped some hot coffee, her legs dangling from her kitchen stool. When she left the house to go to university, wearing her jeans, a pair of All Stars and a large t-shirt, she found Donn waiting for her, leaning against the wall just outside the door.
“Are you ready?” he asked her softly, in a husky, velvety voice.
Stella jumped and blushed when she saw him.
“Ready for what?” she murmured hesitantly. He was wearing a pair of Ray-Ban glasses, a gray tailor-made suit and the same linen shirt he’d had on when she saw him in the library and in the classroom during the lesson. His expression was impassive, but he could not stop his lips turning up into a slight smile as he gazed at the girl.
“And a good day to you, too, my little angel.” He eyes became tender and he approached her boldly. He lowered his sun glasses on his nose and threw her a sensual look with a controlled, self-confident air, then he cupped her chin with his hand and quickly placed a tender kiss on her lips as he pulled the house door shut behind her. Stella felt her whole body tremble; for a moment she felt the ground give way beneath her feet. She shivered and lowered her gaze to rest on Donn’s chest.
“What a lovely shirt…” she stuttered, enveloped in warm memories.
“It’s my favorite now,” he admitted as he ushered her towards the Bentley.
“I’ve got to give my last lesson today and I wanted to give you a lift to the university.” He slid his arm around her back and led her to the car, opening the door for her.
He walked nonchalantly around the car and slipped into the seat beside her. He switched on the stereo and turned the key; the engine gave out an untamed roar. Stella heard the voice of Bryan Adams singing Run to You. Donn looked at her and smiled with trembling lips. Her cupped her chin and kissed her again on the mouth. Then he put his hand back on the steering-wheel and his foot down on the accelerator, the sudden speed sending Stella flying back against her seat.
They took the I-93 and reached Boston in no time. There was less traffic than usual. Bystanders watched the car streak along the streets and studied its occupants through the darkened windows, when they were at the traffic lights.
Now it was the voice of Sting that flooded over them. He sang with passion and control. Stella was wrapped up in the words of the song. Donn looked at her and placed a hand on her thigh. The music stopped and the ringtone of Donn’s mobile sounded through the loudspeakers of the car. Donn hit a button on the steering-wheel; his face gave away his annoyance.
“Brooks,” he hissed.
“Russell here.”
“I left a message that you weren’t to bother me,” Donn exclaimed sharply.
“I know, sir. I insisted. I need your permission to go ahead with the security plant we’re working on in Delaware.”
“Go ahead. Anything else?”
“No, sir.”
“Keep me updated by e-mail.”
The call finished and the music started up again.
Donn glanced at her from time to time, but mostly he seemed distracted, lost in his thoughts. They reached Commonwealth Avenue and the music was once again interrupted by the ringtone of his mobile.
“Brooks.”
“Mayers here.”
“How are the negotiations going in Nigeria?” He seemed to have a closer relationship with this caller. His tone was less harsh and peremptory.
“Just say the word and the deal will be closed.”
“Have they agreed to our conditions?”
“Yes, they’ve accepted them.”
“OK, conclude by all means.”
“The girl?”
Donn’s forehead creased and he gave a rasping sigh.
“I’m on the speakerphone and I’m not alone right now.”
“I see. I’ll keep you up to date on any developments.”
Donn closed the call and the music began again.
“Were you talking about me?” Stella asked, hesitantly.
“I sure was, baby girl,” he replied evasively, and said nothing more.
They entered a covered car lot, he took off his Ray-Ban, stopping at the barrier to take the ticket, while his hand squeezed her knee once more. It was late, lessons would start in a few minutes. He parked the car and switched off the engine. He looked at her and took her hand, drawing it slowly towards his mouth.
“Do you want to come to my lesson?” He kissed her hand again, keeping his bold eyes fixed on her.
“I can’t, I’ve got to attend another course,” she murmured. Donn put her hand tenderly back on her lap and Stella took hold of the handle to open the car door. Donn stopped her.
“Allow me to help you out, at least.” Ever the gentleman, he got out of the car and opened her door. He took her by the hand and led her out of the car lot towards the COM. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as they walked along the street. That skin-to-skin contact caused Stella to almost burst with desire, but when she saw the college building she realized it was time for them to part ways. She felt a rush of anguish and felt empty inside.
Donn and Stella entered the university and went their separate ways, each to a different classroom. As Stella watched him go, a lump came to her throat.
Stella’s concentration deserted her during the lecture. She just couldn’t stop thinking about Donn and his invitation to watch his class; getting up suddenly, she collected her things and walked out of the classroom without a word to Vuk or Jamie, who were sitting beside her. She found the classroom where Donn was teaching and slipped in silently to sit down in the last row, making sure the heads in front of her shielded her face from him.
She let herself be lulled by the velvety sound of his voice, intrigued by his graceful movements, his easy and natural charm, noting how he remained professionally detached from the crowd of pretty students gazing at him from the front, spellbound. He ignored them, not even rewarding them with a glance, despite their every effort to attract his attention.
Donn’s senses quickly alerted him to Stella’s presence. His mouth curved into a secret smile as he smelled her scent drifting in the air. He spotted her at the back. He shot her a playful smile but his focus on the lecture never wavered. Every so often, he had to stifle his emotions when he saw her expression change from innocent to knowing, as she remembered the sa
tiny touch of his hands on her neck, the subtle yet sensual way he moved his body.
Winding down the lecture, he gave Stella a look that said ‘wait for me’ only to see her blend maddeningly into the crowd of students that started to exit the classroom as soon as he’d signaled it was over. Donn found himself once again hastily going through the motions of thanking the teacher and practically running out of the room after her. He slalomed impatiently through the groups of students chatting in the corridor, closing the distance between them, but not before she had left the building and turned the corner, where he found her.
He seized her by the shoulders and drew her towards himself, feeling her flinch.
“Were you just putting me to the test?” He examined her meticulously but coolly. Stella bit her lower lip, pressing it between her teeth and sucking it into her mouth.
“Do you insist on putting me to the test, Miss Whitely?” Donn asked dryly, tightening his jaws. Stella could not hold back from biting her lip once more.
“Don’t bite your lip,” Donn scolded her. He seized her head, pulled it to him and forced a violent, penetrating kiss onto her lips, no longer caring that they were in public. It was impossible for Stella not to return the kiss, giving way completely to his touch and abandoning her nape to Donn’s hand. Only when he slipped out of her mouth did Stella see the eyes of several students trained upon her. Embarrassed, she blushed and buried her head in Donn’s gray jacket. Donn stiffened and was almost on the point of pushing her away, but he understood Stella’s discomfort and let her remain clasped to his chest for a few seconds. He bent down to kiss her forehead and Stella looked upwards. She saw his beautiful sky-blue eyes studying her, his perfect lips slightly apart.
“Did you really think you could get rid of me so easily, Miss Whitely?”he asked, realizing she thought she’d given him the slip as he saw the startled look on her face of someone being caught out.
“That’s the second time you’ve scared me to death today! Are you trying to kill me softly by any chance, Mr Brooks?!” she exclaimed smiling.