by Deja Voss
“She asks a lot of questions,” Fabian says.
“It’s called making conversation.” She winks at me. “If you didn’t know any better, you’d think these guys were raised in a barn, am I right?”
I don’t know why, but I get a weird vibe from her. She’s being perfectly nice. She’s super pretty. She obviously has Fabian wrapped around her finger, and has given me no reason not to like her, but I just have this weird feeling she’s interrogating me.
I don’t know why, but my mind instantly wonders if Fabian isn’t the first King she’s been with.
“I’m gonna head back to the house. I don’t want to interrupt your date. If you hear from Serafin can you please let me know?” I ask.
“Is everything alright?” he asks. “Did you guys get in a fight or something?”
You’d like that, wouldn’t you, I want to say, but I know if I want to be a part of Serafin’s life, his friends are part of the package deal. “I just haven’t seen him since last night. He’s probably still working.”
Fabian nods. He picks up his phone and slides out of the booth, pushing through the crowd.
“I’m sure he’ll turn up, love,” Magda says with reassuring smile that kind of makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe these margaritas are just going to my head. She probably means exactly what she says, but I can’t help trying to read into it. “You sure you’re alright to leave by yourself?”
“I’m not some fucking damsel in distress,” I say.
She puts her hands up in the air. “Woah, no need to be hostile. I never let my girl friends travel alone. You really don’t know what goes on in any of those cab drivers’ minds. A pretty girl like you, all by yourself.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a little on edge. I just moved back to the city and I fully admit I have a chip on my shoulder.”
“Well, I’m happy to be the welcome wagon,” she says. She reaches in her black Gucci bag that probably costs as much as a year’s worth of rent at my apartment, and slides me a shiny black business card. “That’s my cellphone number on there. You ever want to go out for drinks or manicures, I’m your girl. And if you’re looking for work, I think you’d make a great fit at Club Taboo.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Thanks,” I barely squeak out. The wildest sex I’ve ever had in my life was last night in Serafin’s office. I don’t think that’s adequate experience to work at a place like that, but by the way her eyes are planted on my breasts and the way her hand grazes mine as she pulls away from handing me the card, I can’t help but feel like she wouldn’t mind training me.
“He’s fine!” Fabian says as he walks back over to us.
“Did you think otherwise?” I ask.
He looks at me and shrugs. “The man’s known for disappearing every once in awhile. He has a cellphone from 2002. He barely gets service a mile outside the city. He said he’ll be back at the house by midnight.”
I look down at my watch. It’s only 9 PM, and I plan on being passed out sound asleep by then. Even if what Fabian says is true about his cellphone, he still could’ve called me, texted me… anything. I don’t want his flowers or money or gifts. Now that he’s back in my life, all I want is his time. I don’t want to end up like his mother, bought and paid for, well kept, but still kept in the darkness.
“I’ll give you a ride back,” Fabian suggests.
“You don’t have to pretend like you want to be nice to me, Fabian. Seriously, I’m fine.”
“I do want to be nice to you,” he says. “I want the two of you to work out. Without you, he’s a fucking disaster.”
“And with me?” I tease.
“Listen, I’m sure whatever he’s doing is extremely important, at least in his mind. When he gets an idea in his head, he doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants, even if it drives him completely insane.”
I feel a blush running over my body. I know how bad he wants me, and I can’t stop thinking about how much I crave him.
“You’re more than welcome to stay and hang out with us if you want, or I’ll call you a cab so you get home alright, but either way, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Serafin is the most loyal person you’ll ever meet.”
“I know. It’s not just that…” I look at Magda and wonder if she knows exactly how these men earn their livings. I wonder if she’s completely fine knowing at any moment, out of the blue, somebody might come along and take away the thing she cares about more than anything in the world. “I can’t stop thinking about the incident. I don’t want something like that to happen to him ever again.”
Fabian’s eyes light up and he smiles and takes my hand. “Hey, we can’t control the past. We can’t control the future. All we can do is show up every day and try and find these little pockets of love and joy wherever we can. I know it sounds cheesy, but there’s no sense in obsessing about things we can’t control.”
“What he means is, live like you’re gonna die tomorrow,” Magda says, raising her margarita. “and just enjoy the ride.”
“You don’t hate me for what I did?” I ask.
“I can’t hate someone who makes my best friend so happy. I do want to know why you added me on social media, though.”
“You know exactly why,” I say, squeezing in the booth next to the two of them. “I was trying to stalk Serafin without anybody knowing. My husband would’ve killed me and Serafin’s parents would’ve sued me.”
He slides his margarita in front of me and I take a big slurp from the straw.
Magda throws her head back and laughs. “I knew I liked this woman. She’s lived a life.”
I guess I have lived quite the life, but the stuff Fabian said rings true. None of the stuff that happened in the past really matters. I can’t let myself dwell on the future. Serafin’s had my heart all these years, even though we were miles apart, even through the good and bad. Right now I can just curl up in this pocket of love and for once in my life not feel like I’m about to be pushed off a cliff into the ocean. Now’s not the time to fight. Now’s not the time to freak out or imagine the worst case scenario. He is mine. I am his. That’s all that matters.
14
Serafin:
I run up the stairs as fast as my legs allow. I haven’t slept more than a couple minutes here and there in over twenty four hours, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins is enough to keep me awake for another day or two.
On my way back from the country I started getting texts from Mia. I had a feeling she was going to be pissed off because I took off for so long right after our first night together, but some things can’t wait. To my surprise, her texts weren’t angry.
They were the kind of texts that made me wish I upgraded my phone a long time ago. The grainy pictures of her in that red lingerie I bought her made me push the speed limit a lot harder than I normally do.
I hurry down the hallway to her bedroom, knocking softly on the door. I turn the knob, flip on the light switch, and let out a grunt of disappointment when I spot her perfectly made bed without her in it.
I check the bathroom, but all that’s left in there is the smell of her perfume. “Mia!” I shout as I run down the hallway, my heart pounding.
The house was locked up securely when I got here, but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a security breach. For a brief moment, I straight up panic. I made damn sure her ex husband wasn’t going to come anywhere near her ever again on my little adventure, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a million other people waiting in the background to try and take what’s rightfully mine and use her to hurt me.
I should’ve never left her alone, even though I made sure I had eyes on her all day.
I run through the house, throwing open doors, storming from room to room, until I get to the end of the hall where the master bedroom is. The door is cracked slightly open, and the sound of soft music drifts from behind it. I pull open the door, my heart racing, and in the soft candle light, she lays there on my bed, the roses I bought her earlie
r today scattered around her.
She smiles at me and licks her pert lips, and my dick goes from zero to rock hard when I realize her arms are bound at her wrists over her head with one of my bright red ties.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” I whisper.
“That’s what you’re worried about?” she teases, fluttering her eyelids as she lets out a little giggle.
“You’ve done all this for me and I haven’t even told you what I did today,” I say, approaching her slowly, marveling over the work of art wrapped up for me like a dirty little Christmas present. I don’t know whether or not I want to rip her wide open or take my time, unraveling her one delicious piece of lingerie at a time. “You’re such a good girl.”
“I’ve been bad today, Serafin,” she says, pouting her lips and arching her back as she slowly gyrates her beautiful lace covered hips. “I couldn’t resist. You left me for so long.”
I straddle her body, taking her mouth with my tongue as I pin her down to the bed. She tastes like mint and tequila, and as she licks at my tongue with those soft little jabs, I can barely contain my cock in my pants.
“What did my little mouse do?” I grip her hair in my fingers, tugging her head back, reveling in her eager, devious grin.
“Well, you left me all alone for so long, I had to take matters into my own hands,” she says, raising her eyebrows. “It started with the shower head. You’d probably be really jealous if you knew how hard it made me cum.”
“Such a dirty girl,” I growl.
“Are you going to punish me?” she taunts, reaching her lips up to my face, planting a kiss right on my jaw.
I’ve never had a woman in my own bed. All these years, my bedroom has been my fortress, the only place I never let anyone penetrate. I’ve never been willing to let anyone inside, but Mia just barged right in and made it hers, and nothing’s ever felt so right.
“You want me to punish you?” I whisper in her ear, my breath hot on her neck. She gasps as I rip her bra open, exposing the curvy flesh of her breasts. Her nipples are hard and I twist them in my fingers, squeezing until she groans. “And what makes you think you want that?”
She gasps as I take her nipple in my mouth, flicking the hard nub with my tongue as I knead her breasts in my hand. I love watching her writhe underneath me, her hands tied up like that.
“I like when you get lost in me, Serafin,” she says. “I like when it’s just you and me and nothing else exists. I like when you play with me.”
I roll her over on her stomach, her knees splayed out to the side, her mound glistening with excitement, and I take a moment to savor the view. She’s so fucking gorgeous. So fucking perfect. In my bed. All mine.
I pull back my hand and swat her ass cheek softly and she moans in shock and delight. Her hips sway backwards towards me, her body asking for more. I don’t think my dick can get any harder, and if I don’t take her here quickly, I’m going to
I spread her delicate folds with my fingers, bringing my tongue to her quivering slit. She gasps as I flick her clit and then flatten my tongue, grinding on my face, coating me with her essence.
I spank her again and she grinds into me with desperate need.
“You’re going to make me cum,” she squeals, and I feel like a god. I know exactly how to play her body and work her mind. Lord knows I’ve spent the last twelve years dreaming about all the ways I was going to please her if I ever got my hands on her again.
“Cum for me,” I say, flattening my tongue onto her clit. I grasp her thighs tightly as they begin to tremble and relish her flavors as she loses herself in me, screaming into the pillow.
“You taste so good for a bad girl,” I say.
I slide my pants down, just far enough to free my cock, careful not to let her see the carnage that’s my leg. I’m surprised she hasn’t noticed yet, but she’s so into me, she has no idea what a damaged freak I am. Maybe someday we can talk about it, but right now, she’s exactly where I need her, head buried in the pillow, ass in the air, waiting for my cock.
“Such a good girl,” I growl, lining my dick up with her dripping cunt. As I inch my way in, my fingers trace the delicate bud of her ass. Soon, every part of her with be mine.
She thrusts back onto my cock, staring back at me with fierce passion in her eyes. I tug on her hair, bringing her neck to my lips, biting down hard enough that she’ll need to cover that up to go to work tomorrow.
Or not. I want everyone in the world to know she’s mine.
And soon they will.
She’s strong. She’s fierce. She’s independent. The kind of woman you can’t squeeze too hard or she’ll disappear like grains of sand through your fingers, and yet she lets me dig my fingers into her neck, goads me on, begs me not to stop.
Her pleads of “more,” are like music to my ears. I thrust into her as hard as I can, feeling her pussy erupt again, squeezing and clenching down around my dick like a vice grip and I lose it, filling her insides with everything I have.
I slowly pull out, untying her wrists, and rolling her over on her back so I can have a good look at her. Her hair is out of place, her makeup running down her face, her skin flushed bright red… she’s the picture of perfection.
I trace my fingers over her shivering flesh, relishing every single goosebump that pops to the surface. I could do this all night long and be the most satisfied man on the planet.
“I’m sorry I left you alone so long,” I say. “There were some things I needed to handle.”
She rolls over on top of me, straddling my body, cupping my face in her hands.
“I’m not thrilled, but I understand. It’s not like we planned any of this.”
“Oh, Mia, I’ve been planning this my whole life.”
“In the back of my mind, I always knew this was all I ever wanted,” she muses, kissing me on the forehead. “Every time things got rough, all I had to do was think about the way you always made me feel, and I knew I could through another day. Even if I was never going to see you again, I always had you inside me.”
It breaks my heart knowing what she went through with Bartek, which is why I made sure she’ll never have to worry about him again. She looks so calm and serene right now, though, I’m not going to do anything to disturb this first moment of quiet we’ve finally got with each other.
I’ll save it for tomorrow.
Tonight I just want her curled up next to me, in my arms. Tonight and every night from now on.
15
Mia:
“Come straight home from work tonight?” he asks. He sits at the kitchen table with the newspaper in his hand, casually sipping a cup of coffee. He looks so fucking sexy in the gray sweatpants that hang low on his hips, exposing that perfect V, and I try not to let myself get lost in his abs. It’d be so easy to call up Jakub and tell him I’m sick, but that’s not the kind of employee I’m trying to be. Act two of my life is going to be learning how to stand on my own two feet, and Serafin isn’t responsible for cleaning up my messes.
“Will you be here?” I ask, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the table. His hand reaches up my bare thigh, and I feel my entire body blushing. Last night was dirty and mind blowing, but it only made me fall harder for him than I thought was possible. Never once did he make me feel like he was using me for sex. Never once did I feel anything less than loved.
I like the way he touches me. I like the way he wants me, even though he knows I have to go to work. I like the way he makes sure I’ll think about only him all day.
“I need to show you something,” he says, standing up from his chair. I cock my head and admire his massive boner poking out from his sweatpants, tracing it with my fingers, and he shakes his head and laughs. “Not that. Not now anyway.”
He takes me by the hand and walks me through the dining room, into a sort of sunroom attached to the back of the house. The windows sprawl from the floor to the ceiling, and there are potted plants everywhere. It smells like the earth and dirt, and the
sun warms my body. I gasp when I see the
“How did you get these?” I ask. I rush over to my paintings, dropping to my knees as I begin flipping through them all, a wave of excitement flowing through me. These paintings are my babies, my life’s work, my ticket to freedom, both in their creation, and their ability to pay my bills. I try not to cry as I run my fingers over each and every one of them.
“I don’t kiss and tell,” he says, shooting me a wink. “But I promise, nobody’s going to come and take them from you. They’re yours to do with whatever you please.”
I don’t know exactly how he ended up with these in his possession, but my stomach starts to flip when I notice the bloody fingerprint on the back of one of them. I try and tell myself it was probably just a scrape from one of the nails in the back. I’m not letting assumptions taint my bliss. Everyone knows Serafin is a dangerous man. He doesn’t have to resort to violence to get what he wants.
The thought of him confronting Bartek makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t hardly imagine he just let Serafin walk into the garage and take these without even putting up a fight, but maybe he’s over it. Maybe he’s moved on. I know I sure have.
“I got your easel and some of your equipment, too,” he says, motioning to the set up in the corner, a blank canvas propped up on it, waiting for me to desecrate it. I shove down my feelings of doubt and jump up from the floor, kissing him on the lips. “If you make me a list of everything you need, I’ll order it for you. Don’t hold back. You deserve the very best.”
“You are so sweet, Serafin, but you’ve done plenty,” I say.
“Oh, we’re just getting started. You have a good pile of paintings here, but you’re going to need a lot more when you open your gallery.”
My jaw drops. I’ve been featured in other people’s galleries many times in my life, but having something of my own was always way too far out of reach. I don’t know anything about real estate, let alone how to run a business. The art part comes naturally, but I’ve always struggled with wrapping my brain around the rest of it.