Chapter 5
Daniel
“If you eat one more burger, you’re going to burst,” I tease Henry as he stuffs the second half of his second burger into his mouth. He’s a bottomless pit. How he can eat so much is a mystery. The only answer that I get is a toothy grin and a mouthful of food. My nose crinkles as I recoil from the gesture with half a laugh.
“It’s so good that I can’t help myself.” He says around his food. He’s already reaching for another fry to dunk into his heaping pile of ketchup. I should really get on to him about forgetting his manners. But he’s so funny, and he’s enjoying himself so much. Truthfully, if he keeps enjoying himself, I will buy out the entire diner’s stock of burgers and fries.
As promised, we headed out for his favorite meal to celebrate his first day at the new school. He’s a kid of simple pleasures. A good double cheeseburger, with or without bacon, and you can convince him to do just about anything. Add french fries? You’re golden in his books.
The town has only three dining establishments. One is a Chinese restaurant on the outskirtsthat has no posted hours and appears to be perpetuallyclosed. The second is a family dining establishment that I presume is the go-to ‘date’ location for most of the older crowd here. Then there is the diner, fashioned out of what was likely a garage once. Two large bay doors open out over a patio area. The inside houses the kitchen and an array of cracked red booths and mostly clean tables.
The red paint on the picnic-style bench Henry chose for us is peeling away and sun-faded. Teenagers in groups linger around the place, sharing plastic baskets of onion rings and other various fried foods. I wonder if this is the best spot in town, and I sigh. If it is, I’ll have to make sure Henry gets to come here often while he’s making friends.
Henry doesn’t seem to be aware of the teens glancing in our direction. The novelty of being the ‘new kid’ in such a small town seems almost lost on him.
He’s going to crash harder than he realizes when all the sugar from his vanilla milkshakes starts to wear off. He has a collection of half-consumed milkshakes in glasses in front of him. He had wanted to sample each of their flavors so that he could choose which one was his favorite. If it means that he will continue to be optimistic about attending school here, for however long it takes, then it is worth it to me.
“Perhaps next time we can invite your friend to join us? What was his name again?” I ask and dip another fry into the lake of ketchup on his plate.
“James… I already told you.” Henry looks at me with a flash of disappointment, like I should have already memorized the name of his new friend. “‘Sides, he can’t come to stuff like this… he said that he’s lactose intolerant and said he has to spend his nights practicing.”
“Practicing what?” I press. My father didn”t care what my sister and I did as kids unless it jeopardized his reputation or we spent too much of his money. I want Henry to feel at ease speaking with me. I want him to know that I will always support him in whatever he chooses to do, even if I can only do so for now by learning about his friends” interests.
Henry hesitates for a moment, chewing thoughtfully. “Can’t remember. It’s a big wooden thing that he plays between his legs.” Henry scoots back on the bench until he’s at risk of falling backward and pantomimes the motions of a cello.
Visions of Helena float to the forefront of my mind. The way she looked so peaceful while she played, the happy smile that she offered her student... The way that her skirt slowly inched up her thigh as she moved through the piece?—
I force myself to be present in the moment, which is a tall order.
“Do you know?” Henry pauses and looks at me expectantly. “Hello?”
I missed his question, transfixed by the small glimpse of Helena’s thigh earlier. “Hm?”
“I said, do you know what it”s called?” Henry seems momentarily irritated that he lost my attention and had to repeat himself.
“A cello?”
“Yeah! That’s it! James says that he has to practice his cello for two whole hours after dinner every night. He says that with all his homework and practice he never gets to have any fun. So, I told him that sucks. I gotta find a way for him to do something.” Henry shrugged and turned back to his food. “Seems real strict if you ask me.”
“Being dedicated is not always a bad thing, Henry.” I couldn”t make Henry follow such a strict routine, but I know what it”s like to have a parent who has high expectations. My father”s standards and barwere so highthat we were constantly set up for failure. If you couldn”t meet them, the punishments were even harsher.
“At least he likes his teacher. I mean, I think he like likes her. I only saw her a little, but she’s really pretty. You have to see her. She’s really pretty and cool.” Henry adds.
“Your music teacher, or James’ tutor?”
“No, the teacher at school. James says that she’s new this year. He says that she’s much better than the old man they had last year. But he died so they needed a new one. Said the whole town went to his funeral. Can you imagine it?”
I can, but I don’t comment on it. Usually, Henry is reluctant to mention death or funerals since his mother passed. At the time, he hadn’t wanted to go to her funeral at all. If he’s finally comfortable talking about death again, I’m not going to ruin it for him.
“So, what makes this new teacher so cool? Does she have a name?” I ask, allowing myself to think back on Helena… and her thighs. Her skin had looked so soft, just begging to be touched. In another world, I might have introduced myself and found a way to pry open those thighs for myself.
“Mmm.” Henry swallows a too-big bite of burger. His eyes sparkle with excitement as he speaks about her. She must have left quite an impression. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing yet.
“Well,” Henry starts and then pauses, looking guilty. “Me and James were talking a little too much in class… and she threatened to separate us. But then when we started to ‘fix our attitudes’ she gave us stickers instead to ‘encourage good behavior.’” He leans back again, fishing into his pocket to pull out a yellow cartoon sticker that says Awesome in block letters. He flashes it at me and then stuffs it right back into his pocket. “We call her Ms. Sofia.”
Henry suddenly pauses, looking up at the newest arrival in the diner as the click of high heels registers against the tiles.
“Ms. Sofia!” he exclaims and stands up from the table, waving wildly at her. She’s still wearing the same clothes from earlier, but she’s styled them down a little. She’s pulled half of her blonde hair up and away from her face, but some loose strands still fall around her chin. Most of her makeup is gone now. She likely wasn’t expecting to run into anybody here. She waves and smiles kindly but doesn’t come to our table right away.
She heads up to the counter to place her order from the bubblegum-chewing waitress. All the while Henry stands, waiting for her to pay more attention to him. She accepts her receipt and heads over to us. The soft evening breeze wafts the sweet, fruity notes of her perfume in my direction before she arrives at our booth.
“Good to see you, Henry. I’m glad you’re settling in.” She smiles warmly and allows Henry to hug her in greeting. Something in my stomach tightens when I see her genuine smile. I didn’t expect such a cold and calculated bitch to act so sweetly.
“I didn’t know that you liked to come here.” He grins happily. “You have to sit with us!”
That would certainly make things nice and easy. The notion seems to make her uncomfortable like she’s not entirely certain how she should respond.
“I do apologize, Miss. We don’t mean to interrupt your evening. Only, you seem to have left a very positive impression on Henry here,” I interject. Her attention shifts in my direction. Her smile wavers just a bit, and I wonder why. What is she thinking? I stand quickly to be courteous. “Where are my manners, I’m Daniel, Henry’s guardian. It’s good to see you again.”
I hold my hand out to her politely. Helena—rather, Sofia hesitates a moment before taking my hand. She touches me lightly and for only half a second before dropping my hand as if she’s afraid that I might bite her. I’m almost disappointed. Even the briefest touch of hers is enough to let me know how soft her skin is. It’s too easy to imagine what it might feel like to have those same soft hands wrapped around my cock.
“Wait, you know Ms. Sofia?” Henry interjects, and I snap myself back to the moment at hand.
“Hardly. I merely had the privilege of hearing Ms. Sofia play at her cello earlier today,” I answer.
Helena smiles bashfully, a light dusting of pink blooming across the bridge of her nose and the apples of her cheeks. Every move that she makes is careful but soft. She’s guarding herself and watching every reaction that she makes. “That’s right. I do remember seeing you earlier. Well, I’m glad you liked what you heard.”
Of course, she remembered seeing me.
“Very much so. I would love to hear more from you sometime.” I keep my gaze on her and am not disappointed when she flicks those beautiful gray eyes up to me. She’s questioning the innuendo. Good. I want her to. I want her to wonder just what else I might like to hear slip from her mouth. The more attracted to her I appear, the less likely she is to question if I have any other motives besides sleeping with her.
“Well… thank you. I only hope to be able to impart any knowledge that I can. Children are our future, and music is so crucial to cognitive function.” She says quickly, nearly fumbling over the words. I wonder how many times she’s said that today.
“Do you really think I could learn to play like you?” Henry interjects once more, and Helena’s attention shifts back to him.
“Hm?” she muses softly, and my attention is drawn to her soft pink lips as she tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear again.
“Like you said in class, do you think that you can teach me to play like you do?” Henry asks again, wiping at his face with a paper napkin.
“Of course, I can!” Helena switches into teacher mode and smiles in a warm, bright fashion. “But only if you promise that you’re going to work very hard and try your best.”
If Henry weren’t here, I would be sorely tempted to have my way with her in my car, right in the lot. She deserves nothing more. She would probably like the thrill of it—the risk of being seen or caught. I bet living on the edge gets her wet. Of course it does, given the men she’s brought into her life. My mind is already picturing her bent over the hood of my car, that cheap skirt of hers torn halfway off of her and pushed up over her hips.
What is it with this woman?
I want to stuff her into the trunk of my car and take her back to the hotel. I want to defile her in every way possible until she knows exactly what her place is in this world. I will exact Nikolai’s revenge, but I will get my pound of flesh in the process. Being near her is intoxicating.
I have to get a grip.
Patience, I must be patient. Now is not the time for fantasy—it’s time for action. I remember the tracking device in my pocket from earlier, and while she’s focused on Henry and just flustered enough to be distracted, I slip it into her purse.
“Order for Petrov!” The waitress calls from the window. Sofia turns so quickly that her hair fans for a moment, treating me to another hint of her perfume.
“That’s me. I’m so sorry to leave so quickly. It was a pleasure meeting you, sir. Henry, I will see you tomorrow in class.”
Henry nods enthusiastically.
“I have to go, have a great night!” Sofia says with a wave over her shoulder as she goes and picks up the two chocolate milkshakes that she ordered.
Two. Meaning she’s here with somebody else. Who could that be? Just another question that I will need to spend tonight answering. Perhaps some of the information that Nikolai brought me will prove useful in learning what I need.
Sofia glances over her shoulder to give me one last lingering look before she gets into her car. I can tell she’s curious. I wonder if it’s going to be enough to convince her to come to me instead of the other way around.
“We better be heading home too, kid,” I say to Henry who yawns as if on cue. He doesn’t protest and instead hops up to clear his mess.
By the time we get home, he”s fast asleep. I help him inside and remove his shoes before tucking him into his bed. I return to the car to get his backpack and call Michael.
He picks up on the first ring. “Yeah, boss?”
“It appears that our dear Helena is not here alone. I ran into her again, picking up an order for two. Find out who she’s here with. Whoever it is, we have to use it to our advantage.” I hang up without further comment and put the phone back into my pocket.
If she brought somebody into this with her, it could be a potential weak spot to exploit. Things are going so much better than I expected. I have a feeling that it won’t be long before I’m able to lure her into my trap. Then, I’ll have her naked and in my bed, fully at my mercy. I’m getting hard just thinking about it.
It’s only a matter of time.