Chapter Ten – Olya
Being cooped up in this apartment was starting to get old. Especially when the one thing I actually wanted to do here, I knew I wasn’t allowed to.
What had happened the other night between Solomon and, it had been playing in my head ever since, but I knew I couldn’t let it happen again. We’d already been too reckless, and if Alex caught us in the act, I got the feeling this whole thing would blow up. The last thing I wanted was to do something to ruin whatever was going on here, no matter how messy it might have been – I didn’t want to make it so either of them had to leave.
Having Solomon go down on me, it was the furthest I had ever been with a guy before, and it had been...it had been fucking incredible. I was pretty sure I had never come that hard before in my life. His mouth against my pussy, his hand clamped over my mouth, it had been hot in ways I hadn’t even thought possible. Knowing that we might have been caught at any moment, turned me on even more, which I knew was crazy. If Alex had seen the two of us in the act, it would have caused a whole lot of mess, I was sure of that...
Or maybe he would have joined in. The thought made my toes curl, though I was sure it was ridiculous. Alex was the more careful of the two, the more restrained, and he wouldn’t have been reckless enough to fool around with someone he was meant to be protecting. He likely knew all too well how my father would have reacted if he knew that something had happened between the man he had hired to protect me and myself; Alex wasn’t going to let himself get pulled in by the emotion, the want between us, no matter how potent it seemed.
And I was pretty sure he felt it, too, though he was trying to pretend he didn’t. Did he have any idea of what had happened between Solomon and I? Had Solomon told him? Was he jealous? I couldn’t stop thinking about all the possibilities, though I knew I really should have shut them out of my head right now. I didn’t want to get these guys in trouble – I had no doubt my father would make them pay if he found out the truth, and the last thing I wanted was for them to ruin their reputations...
Ugh! All of this was so confusing. I wished I could just talk to someone else about it, someone who could help me clear my head and work out exactly how I felt about it. Which was ridiculous. How could anyone understand the predicament I was in? How could I explain to them that I had two guards watching over me, and I had hooked up with one and now I was craving the other, too? That I had spent all this time, up till now, waiting for the perfect guy to lose my virginity to, and now, two of them had come along at once?
I checked my phone. Frankie had dropped me a message about the possibility of me joining her and her friends for a night out tonight, but I had turned her down, knowing there was no way I would have been able to go out without having one of the guys with me. And I needed a chance to get them out of my head, not allow myself to get caught up amid all these feelings that were enveloping me...
I knew they would be changing out their shift soon. Maybe I could slip out while they weren’t paying attention. I wasn’t sure if that was going to work, but hell, I had to try.
I pulled on a dress and a pair of heels and picked out my biggest, slouchiest coat to hide my outfit beneath – hoping that they weren’t going to look too closely when they saw me, and if I did, I would be able to just play it off and slip back to bed without them noticing.
Heart thumping in my chest, I pressed my ear to the door, trying to make out what was happening on the other side. I knew I shouldn’t have been trying to sneak out like this, but right now, I didn’t care. I just needed some space...
And maybe there was a part of me that was defiant, a part of me that wanted to prove they couldn’t just lock me up in here and make me play by their rules. I was my own person, dammit, and no matter how into these guys I was, that didn’t mean I was going to give up on everything I had learned about myself, all the freedom I’d enjoyed in Budapest to do whatever I wanted, whenever I felt like it. Out there, I could get up in the middle of the night and go clubbing until the sun rose, if that’s what I really wanted – of course, with my early classes, it’s not as though I made much of a point of doing that, but it was the principal of the thing, you know?
Hey, man, you awake? Solomon’s sleepy voice remarked. I knew he had been watching the door all evening, it was probably his turn to come off shift and get some sleep. Just the sound of his voice made the soles of my feet tingle with the memory of what had happened a few nights ago – I could still remember the warmth of his mouth between my legs, the way he so deftly stimulated me to take me over the edge...
I heard a knocking, and then, the sound of a door opening – probably Solomon checking to see if Alex was up. This was it, this was my chance – if I was going to get out, then I had to do it now. I had to take the chance...
I bolted out of the room before I could stop myself, grabbing my handbag from its place hanging over the back of the living room chair, and rushing to the door. I opened it quietly, wincing and glancing over my shoulder, and then stepped outside, pulling the door to as silently as I could. It clicked in the lock, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
I was out. I was actually, genuinely out. Without anyone at my side, anyone hanging over my shoulder. Holy shit – I had done it.
And I had to make the most of it because I knew I wasn’t going to have a chance like this again.
Moving as quietly as I could in my heels, I pulled out my phone as I headed for the door, dialing a taxi to come topick me up, and dropping a message to Frankie to check where she and her other friends were – I wanted to go out and meet them, maybe talk a little about what had been going on, or maybe not. Maybe just dance and drink and forget about everything for a while. Yeah, that sounded good.
I danced on the spot as I waited for the taxi to arrive, all the excess energy boiling in my system. I kept stealing glances over my shoulder, expecting either Alex or Solomon to figure out I was gone and come looking for me. Would they punish me if they caught me...?
Before I could linger too long on that notion, the car pulled up, and I climbed in, giving them the address of the club Frankie had said she was at – I had no idea who else would be out tonight, but it didn’t matter. With a drink in my hand, I knew I could make all the friends I needed.
I stared out of the window, the lights of the city spackled against the rainy glass as we drove; I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, the whole world suddenly alight with possibility. See? Nobody gave a damn about me, nobody cared where I was or what I was doing. When I got back to the apartment, I could tell Alex and Solomon that they didn’t need to worry about me, that I was totally capable of taking care of myself, and that they didn’t have to keep up this charade.
And then, I would find out if they wanted to stick around after that. Without any force compelling them to remain. I wanted to find out just what happened after that. If they would remain, or if they would leave, glad to be able to put me behind them.
I paid the driver, and, as I climbed out of the cab, I noticed him staring at me – what was he looking at? I raised my eyebrows at him, half-prompting him to say something, and he averted his gaze quickly and drove off as soon as I was out of his car.
I flashed the bouncer at the club a warm smile, and he pulled back the rope to let me in at once. See? It wasn’t that hard. Inside, I glanced around, and finally spotted Frankie, waving over at me from a seat in the corner, surrounded by a few guys and girls. I hurried over to her and leaned down to hug her.
It’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed. You want a drink?
Several, I replied, and she laughed.
Agreed, she replied, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the bar. The place was crowded, and I noticed a couple of guys shooting looks in our direction, scoping out the possibility of coming over to talk to us – I was surprised to find that I didn’t feel any kind of response in my chest to their attention, even annoyance. No, they didn’t even register with me. Because there were only two men I could think of right now, two men whose attention I wanted, and I didn’t know exactly where I stood with them.
Except to say that they would have been pissed as hell if they had any idea what I was doing right now.
I can’t believe you’re here!” Frankie told me, bumping her hip into mine. I feel like you never come out since you got back...
It’s only been a few weeks, I protested, but she shrugged and grinned.
Yeah, I thought you would be looking to find some...you know...guys to have fun with, she teased. I felt my cheeks flush slightly. She raised her eyebrows at me.
Wait, don’t tell me you already did? she laughed. I bit my lip, and shrugged, trying to play coy.
I guess I might have...
Oh, you need to tell me all about them, she replied.
You want to dance? I asked her, nodding towards the crowded dance floor, changing the subject. I wasn’t sure where to even begin with the truth of what was going on inside my head right now, what was happening between me and those two guys – and I had no idea how she would react, either. Would she think I was a slut? Or crazy? Or leading them both on?
Sure! she exclaimed, and, as soon as we had our drinks in hand, we headed out to the floor. The music was loud enough that it filled my ears, pushing every other thought from my mind, making it easy for me to focus on the moment, instead of all the questions I knew I would need to answer soon enough.
But, even as I tried to sip on my drink and relax, I found myself wondering – wondering if they had noticed that I was gone. Wondering if they were looking for me. And, even though I knew they had been hired to keep me locked down in that apartment like a damsel in distress, I felt...bad. Guilty for pulling something like this on them...
Suddenly, I felt my phone buzzing in my bag. I grabbed it and pulled it out – but by the time I got to it, the call had dropped.
Who’s that? Frankie yelled to me. Is that your new man?”
I, uh... I muttered, staring down at the number that had just called me. I didn’t know it. Shit – it probably was one of the guys. They were likely worried about me, or just so pissed they wanted to chew me out in person. Either way, I wouldn’t have blamed them.
Give me a minute, I called back to her over the sound of the music. I just need to take this, okay?
Sure!” she replied, and I made my way to the back entrance of the club, somewhere I could take the call without getting distracted by anything that was going on inside. The cool air prickled at my skin – I had dumped my coat at the table, but it was too late to go back in and get it now.
I tried to dial the number back, but before I could, I heard a voice calling my name – I spun around, confused, wondering if it was Frankie coming to find me with my jacket.
But it wasn’t Frankie. No. My heart dropped when I saw two men blocking my exit from the alleyway around the back of the club – I had no idea who they were, but one of them was holding a gun, the dark metal glinting in the dull light back here. I backed towards the door again, ready to sprint back inside, but I bashed right into another man who was already positioned there to keep me from bolting.
The phone slipped from my hand, landing with a thud on the sidewalk below.
What – what...? I began, stuttering the words out uselessly. But before I could ask a single question, the man behind me wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me off the ground.
Put me down!” I screamed. Someone inside the club would have to hear me, right? But you could hardly hear your thoughts over the sound of that music inside, no way was anyone going to be able to make out my cries for help...I kicked my legs desperately, trying to find purchase against him with the sharp end of my heel, but it was useless. I was too weak to make any kind of a dent.
Get in touch with her father, The man who had me in his grip instructed the others. Tell him we want a million for her. And we’re not going to take a cent less...
He kept talking as he dragged me along the alleyway, but I couldn’t make any of it out, the ringing in my ears too loud for me to make sense of anything else. Shit! All this time, I had been so sure my father was just being paranoid when he had hired those bodyguards, but here I was, my first time out without them, and look what had happened to me. I had been so stupid, so fucking stupid, and now, I was going to pay the price.
Hey!”
A familiar voice cut through the ringing in my ears, and I twisted my head around to see who it was.
And, as soon as I laid eyes on him, I felt a flood of relief hit me. Alex.