SALT #2
All of it is arranged as if these were innocent little decorations meant to add charm to the space. Unfortunately, all they do to me is trigger a wave of heat that has nothing to do with arousal and everything to do with pressure and stress.
At the front of the module, right by the entrance, there is something resembling a tiny living room, with a small couch clearly meant for only two people sitting very close to each other, a coffee table, and a flat screen mounted on the wall.
But literally four feet behind the couch there is a large double bed.
Gosh, it looks so strange, a bedroom right in the center of the living room.
It is the only bed in the entire module, which means that Eliano and I are going to have to share it.
I swallow hard, feeling a nervous shiver run through me, mixed with the faintest spark of excitement.
The bed is so wide it takes up the entire middle section of the module. Past it, along the wall, there are a few kitchen counters and cabinets, something like a microwave, and a mini fridge.
And then there is the door to the bathroom.
Mr. Miller opens those as well.
What catches my attention immediately is the bathtub. It is clearly meant for two people, maybe even with a jacuzzi system. It is obviously designed to encourage shared time and, of course, erotic activities.
This whole damn decor is actively pushing people to fuck.
Okay, it is not like I did not understand from the beginning why I am here and what the purpose of this program is, but hearing about it and seeing it with my own eyes are two very different things.
I shoot Eliano a probing look and catch him glancing at me at the same moment, a tiny smirk lurking at the corner of his mouth.
Asshole. I know exactly what he is thinking right now.
He does not seem nearly as scared of what is supposed to happen here.
I would bet he has plenty of sexual experience.
Guys like him, handsome, tied to the mafia, trained in combat sports, probably have omegas throwing themselves at their dicks. He is likely already imagining flipping me onto that bed and ramming himself into me.
Yeah, well, he is in for a surprise. I am not going to give in that easily, and I seriously doubt he would force me to do anything against my will.
Looks like celibacy is waiting for you, Eliano.
"Make yourselves at home. You can shower, freshen up, and put your things away," Mr. Miller says, gesturing toward the narrow cabinets running along the wall between the couch and the kitchenette. They are clearly designed to avoid cramming the space.
Out of curiosity, I open one of the cabinets, and to my shock, I find neatly packed bundles of clothing inside. I immediately know what kind of clothing it is. Erotic underwear. Of course it is. What else should I have expected here? I curse under my breath and shut the cabinet again.
Miller does not notice. He is busy showing Eliano a small laptop stored under the coffee table.
"The WiFi password is on the sticker here. Lunch will be in an hour and a half. You already know the way. Just take the promenade to the recreational building, on the right is the dining hall. After the meal, please report to the warden’s office," he says with a broad smile.
"Then, both of you will undergo a medical examination. "
My face tightens immediately. I do not like that at all. No one has ever examined me like that before, and quite frankly, I have no idea what to expect. This is getting way too real. I do not want to be touched, anywhere, especially not there.
Eliano, on the other hand, seems completely unfazed. Miller says goodbye and adds, almost as an afterthought, that behind our module there is a small set of outdoor rattan furniture where we can also spend time together, and then he leaves.
For the first time, we are alone.
Eliano turns toward me as if expecting me to say something, but since I stand there with my lips pressed together, he simply crouches down and calmly starts putting his things into one of the cabinets. While doing so, he checks the others and pulls out a set of towels.
"Looks like they have pretty much everything we might need," he murmurs.
Something inside me keeps building until I finally snap.
"This damn module looks like a brothel room! It makes me want to throw up," I burst out.
Eliano looks mildly amused. He lifts his eyebrows mockingly and says, "Someone here is not sex-positive?"
"Oh, shut up!" I mutter, grabbing one of the towels from his hands and pulling a change of clothes out of my suitcase. "I am going to take a shower," I growl as I head for the bathroom.
Only then do I notice that the bathroom has no lock. Perfect.
So much for privacy.
Hoping Eliano will not barge in without my consent, I undress and step into the shower.
Beside the bathtub, there is a full shower cabin, and it is surprisingly large, probably designed for two people as well.
Inside, there is a low plastic seat and another one that is slightly higher, positioned perfectly if someone wanted to pin another person against the wall and engage in shower sex.
The sight irritates me even more. It is all just too much, these constant sexual innuendos everywhere.
I shower thoroughly, washing and shaving my intimate areas. If I am going to be examined, I might as well be prepared for anything.
After that, I dry off, get dressed, and head back into the living area.
And I freeze mid-step!
Eliano is sitting on the couch with the laptop on his knees, but the room has changed completely. All the pictures depicting sexual acts have been turned around to face the wall.
All the sex toys that were displayed in the glass cases are gone, probably stashed away in one of the cabinets.
The room looks far more neutral now, and a massive wave of relief washes over me. I look at him, and even though I do not intend to show it, I feel a deep, damn gratitude.
After a moment of hesitation, I mutter, or rather grind out through clenched teeth, "Thanks."
"No problem," Eliano says, shooting me a brief glance before setting the laptop aside. "Mind if I take a shower too?"
He grabs his things and heads into the bathroom.
I stand there for a moment, looking around the room.
What he did was genuinely nice, and I did not expect that gesture at all.
Still, I pull myself together fast. No, no, no.
I’m not about to start liking him over small stuff like this.
That’s exactly the kind of thing I need to watch out for.
Saving me, purring for me, cleaning the room for me…
what’s next? I kind of wish he’d just stop.
Why make this more complicated than it has to be?
I crouch down by the cabinets, since they are all annoyingly low, and start unpacking my things. I slide my suitcase under the small kitchen counter.
A moment later, Eliano comes out of the bathroom wearing nothing but sweatpants. His back is covered with a towel, but his chest is completely bare, and he is not fully dry yet. A few droplets of water glisten on his golden skin.
His hair is still slightly damp too.
I freeze, instantly aware of heat creeping up my cheeks.
Damn it, he is beautifully built. His muscles are full and sculpted, his six-pack flawless. I could drag my finger over it like a washboard, soaking in the warmth of his skin, vibrating with the powerful energy of a young, fertile alpha.
Stop, Salt!
I stand almost glued to the wall, staring at him. No way. I will not let him know what his sight did to me. Instead, I gather a surge of hostile energy.
"Do you really have to walk around half-naked?" I snap, fighting the tension in my jaw.
"Is there a problem with that? We’re both adults." Eliano stops, sets the things he is holding down on the bed, then turns toward me and takes a step closer. Then another.
Now he is standing right in front of me, and I catch the scent of his shower gel.
It reminds me of lemon basil with a touch of sage.
I wonder if it might be his Allure. I have heard that people often choose scents in cosmetics that complement their natural pheromones.
As a beta, I cannot sense real Allure, of course, but the gel is strong enough that I can smell it up close.
Eliano takes one more step, and suddenly we are almost chest to chest.
My heart is pounding, my temperature rising. A part of me thinks it might actually feel nice if he brushed my gland again. Even though I’m a beta and its activity is low, it’s still sensitive, and the way he touched it felt good.
Earlier, right there next to the police van, as he mouthed over my gland, it sent a blissful shiver through me.
But instead of letting out the breathy, erotic sigh I’m craving to let out, I snap sharply,
"Do you have to keep invading my personal space?"
"I don’t have to, but I keep getting this weird feeling that you want me to touch you," he murmurs softly, tilting his head.
How insolent! And… unfortunately, he’s right.
His mouth drifts toward my gland again. So close… even closer. Yes, yes…
No, no, no. I can’t!
"Wrong!" I lie. "Can you back off a bit? I told you those animal mating games of yours don’t work on me."
"I think they do, but okay," he says with a faintly mocking, arrogant smile and steps back, which I accept with real regret. Then he drops back onto the couch and picks up the laptop again.
"Hey, you didn’t just claim that laptop for yourself, did you?" I mutter without much conviction, trying to calm my racing pulse and fight down a hard-on. "By the way, I am surprised they only gave us one."
"There seems to be a general rule here that we are supposed to share everything," Eliano says with a wide grin. "The laptop, the bathtub, the shower, the bed. Two laptops would probably encourage everyone to sit on their own, and this way we have to juggle time or look at the screen together."