Chapter 6 - Stefania
“Get dressed,” he snaps in his usual grumpy manner.
I roll my eyes, something I’m doing a lot lately. “I am dressed, this is all I have to wear.” I gesture toward the sweatpants I found in the closet, which I think once belonged to his sister.
“Oh, right,” he huffs. “Where is your dress?”
“The one that tore when you kidnapped me?” I should be playing nice, keeping up the sunshine attitude, but I’m still annoyed about last night. All I was doing was swimming. He didn’t have to go full asshole mode on me.
He bites at his lower lip, his hazel eyes narrowing as they watch me.
“Alright, whatever, let’s go,” he says, gesturing with his chin.
I don’t slide off my bed immediately. Trust is an issue. As it should be.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask tightly.
“Shopping.”
He turns and walks from the room.
I bolt out of bed, grabbing my sneakers and shoving my feet into them without tying the laces. I’m confused and curious as I run after him.
“Shopping?” I call out, running to catch up to his long strides because he’s already out the front door and heading toward his car.
He tugs the passenger door open and impatiently waves his hand for me to get in.
He’s so strange. I narrow my eyes and climb into the passenger seat. I lean forward to tie my laces, and he slams the door behind me and climbs into the driver’s side.
Once in the car, Marlen turns toward me with a stern look on his face. Grumpy as usual.
“Listen very carefully, girl,” he says.
I nod, trying to hide my amusement. For some reason, he just doesn’t look as angry as he usually does, and I’m finding it funny.
I bite down hard on my lip as he glares at me.
“This is serious, Stefania. I’m taking you to a mall to get whatever it is you need.
This is a one-time offer, so make sure you get everything you need.
We won’t be going back. There isn’t a limit on your spending.
Get whatever you want. Do you understand?
I just don’t want to have to do this twice. ”
“Okay,” I say cautiously. “So, you’re taking me on a shopping spree and warning me to spend as much as I like?” I say, smirking. Knowing full well that isn’t the message he was trying to get across.
Marlen growls, knitting his brows.
“No, yes, but that’s not…” He sighs loudly and rubs his temples with his thumb and forefinger as though I’m exhausting him.
“I am going to be watching you closely. At no point will you be out of my sight. Do not try anything. Do not try and escape. I am watching you like a hawk, girl, and this whole outing is a limited-time offer. It will not happen again.”
I widen my eyes and do my best to look innocent and sweet. “Yes, sir,” I say, no smile.
He cocks his head to the side, and something flickers in his eyes. Something dark and devious. He sucks in his cheeks, and his gaze tightens for a second. “Good girl,” he says, and turns his attention to starting the car.
My heart somersaults and heat builds between my legs, confusing the hell out of me.
Are you serious? Because he said good girl? How freaking cliche do you want to be, Stef?
Busying myself with strapping my safety belt on, I turn my face away from him to hide the glowing blush on my cheeks.
***
The mall isn’t too busy, given it’s a weekday early in the morning. I roam from store to store, picking out what I like, not holding back when it comes to spending his money. Maybe it’s my little jab at him for kidnapping me. Maybe I’m just having fun because shopping without a limit is fun.
But all the while I’m enjoying myself, I’m acutely aware of his eyes on me. The severity of his gaze is unnerving and makes me shy, which is weird for me because I’m never shy.
“When you said like a hawk, you really meant it, didn’t you?” I tease, trying to ease the tension.
“Are we almost done here?” he snaps in return.
I grin. “Nope, we’re going to the lingerie store next. I need underwear.”
His face tenses, and he stands up a little straighter.
“You can wait outside if you like, I don’t mind,” I shrug.
“Nice try.”
“Do you plan to come into the fitting room?” I raise my brows, knowing I’m annoying him.
“Just guess your size, and we can get home faster,” he huffs.
“Mm. No, after the lingerie store I want to go to the surf shop for a bikini,” I say casually.
He groans.
“Remember, you said it was a limited, one-time offer, so I should make the most of it,” I remind him.
“I’ve never heard of anyone needing five different dresses and four pairs of jeans.” He lifts one of the bags he’s carrying and shakes it.
“That’s because you’re a guy. You probably wear the same pair of pants every day of your life. Girls are different. It’s not my fault you didn’t know that when you made this offer,” I smirk.
“I have more than one pair of pants,” he says defensively.
“Of course, one pair of chinos and one pair of jeans?”
“Oh shut up, I have more than two pairs of pants,” he huffs, but I swear I see a smile touch his lips.
Marlen is incredibly fidgety while I’m choosing underwear, but as promised, he doesn’t take his eyes off me. It turns me on to have him watch me like this, even though it’s for all the wrong reasons.
After the lingerie store and the surf shop, I drag him to a beauty boutique and make him wait while I ask far more questions than I need to about skin care, a winter routine, and makeup that also offers treatments.
He stands with a stern, annoyed expression and his hands shoved into his pockets. I notice how every girl who walks past steals glances at him, some giggling, some blushing. And I find myself stepping closer to him when they do, just to let them know I’m with him and they should get in line.
How ridiculous, Stef, playing these silly little games with the person who kidnapped you.
Whatever, I have to entertain myself somehow, or I’ll go crazy.
In the beauty boutique, one particularly cute little blonde starts eye-flirting with him, as though I’m not even there, and this sparks some kind of possessive streak inside me that makes me want to teach her a lesson in messing with men that belong to someone else.
Just because she’s gorgeous, and has that long blonde silky hair, and those beautiful blue eyes…
I step backward, knowing Marlen is close behind me, but not knowing that he has moved closer.
We bump into each other, and he slips his hand around my waist, his broad fingers stretching over the curve of my hip. My heart beats faster, and I take a sharp breath.
He leans down and whispers right against my ear, “You should look where you’re going, girl,” and it sends a shiver down my spine as his hot breathe brushes over me.
I lean closer into him, feeling the hard curve of each muscle traced over his toned stomach.
My mind spins, and for a moment, I’ve lost control.
He clears his throat loudly, and I snap back into myself.
Horrified, I step forward and brush my hands over my pants, muttering about narrow walk spaces and not enough room to move.
Marlen glances left and right down the wide aisle and at the bright shelves displaying a variety of products. I pull my mouth tight and huff, ignoring the amused accusation in his eyes.
“I’m hungry, take me for lunch,” I demand, changing the subject.
Marlen looks at his watch. “Closer to dinner than lunch,” he corrects me.
Rolling my eyes, I scoff, “Even more reason to feed me before I go feral,” I snap at him.
“Are you one of those people who changes personality when they don’t get fed on time?” he chuckles.
“I am, don’t say you weren’t warned.”
His smile is beautiful. In fact, this might be the first time I’ve ever seen him really smiling. It sets my heart on fire, and my cheeks glow red again. I spin away from him and march toward the counter so he can pay for my shopping. I stand so that he can’t see my face.
But Marlen clearly knows he’s had some kind of effect on me, and he’s not letting it go. He steps up behind me at the counter while the lady rings up my things. His body is practically pressing into me, and he leans over my shoulder and whispers, “I’m very good at taming feral things.”
His words run wild in my thoughts, creating images of him doing unimaginable things to me. My cheeks burn hotter, and I almost moan out loud.
Thank goodness the lady behind the counter finishes ringing things up, and Marlen has to step away from me to pay.
I hurriedly create distance between us, standing to the side and pretending to be interested in one of the displays. But my heart is screaming, and my whole body is drenched with desire.
“Come on, ravenous one,” Marlen says, placing his hand on my lower back and steering me toward the exit. “I know a good place to eat.”
Scrunching my nose, I walk in silence, not wanting to encourage his teasing or let him know what he’s doing to me.
***
The restaurant he takes me to is quiet.
“Where are all the people?” I ask, looking around at the empty seats.
“It’s an exclusive dining experience. They only open for three hours a night,” he tells me, gesturing for me to sit down. I don’t sit, though. This place looks dead.
“They clearly aren’t open now, Marlen. I think we need to go somewhere else.”
As I’m telling him this, the chef comes rushing over to us. “Mr. Popov, I can be so happy when you message me. It’s been too long a time, my friend,” he says in broken English with an accent I can’t place. He takes Marlen’s hand and shakes it enthusiastically.
“I’ve missed your cooking, Bartel. What are you going to make for my guest and me today?”
“Ahh, who is the beautiful lady? Is Mr. Popov celebrating the love?” he grins, winking at me.
Love. How funny is that? No, Mr. Popov is taking his prisoner out for the day like a little treat for a little pet.
Marlen grins and glances briefly at me with an expression that might be embarrassment.
“This is a good friend of mine, uh, Stef,” he says, clearly reluctant to give my name out.