9. -8-
Dorian
Staring at the cards in my hand, I realized I was drunk like a skunk. My vision blurred, colors bled together, and I couldn’t tell whether the ace on the board was a spade or a club. Playing poker was surprisingly difficult when I couldn’t remember my own cards.
Still, I loved a good challenge, so I kept going for a little while before Malin showed up behind me and advised me to leave the party.
The last thing my spotless reputation needed was me falling off a chair or joining the band in the ballroom.
My super adorable, overprotective brother knew very well I was capable of making a fool of myself in no time, and he wanted to prevent it.
I was grateful for that, but my brain still considered his actions a betrayal.
I had such a great time with guests, my friends, and beautiful girls.
They were often too clingy for my liking and threw themselves at me, but it was okay if I managed to keep their wandering hands away.
Not that I didn’t love the attention or hate touch like Malin does, but I’d reached the point where meaningless one-night stands didn’t satisfy me anymore.
It was the same shit, different day kind of scenario, and I was tired of it.
Perhaps it was time to forget about the past and move forward.
I folded my cards and abandoned my place at the poker table. I personally said goodbye to every player before leaving the podium, my eyes scanning the room as I walked the three steps to my bodyguard, Sasha.
“We’re leaving,” I said, earning a curt nod from him.
In a black suit with an intercom piece in his ear, a bold head, and a tattooed neck, he looked like a secret service agent.
He’d served in the military ten years ago, but after he was injured in action, Zyon assigned him to me.
He was excellent at his job and an even better listener, though I often suspected he ignored half of what I said.
I glanced around the VIP saloon for the last time, secretly trying to catch a glimpse of Nina Valentino, who disappeared shortly after I started to play. She was at the bar with her friend, enjoying a drink, and then, when I discreetly looked in her direction again, she was gone.
Even six hours and countless whiskey glasses later, disappointment wrapped around my insides. I noticed her when I was sober and thought she was gorgeous. When the alcohol and my imagination magnified the memory, she turned into a goddess.
But where did she disappear to?
Thinking about the woman who, for the first time in a very long time, ignited a spark of interest inside my chest, I sauntered into the underground garage when Sasha roughly grabbed my shoulder.
“Boss, stop,” he rumbled, pressing the earpiece to hear better.
“What?” I raised a brow, my mind fuzzy from the alcohol.
“Malin said someone is on the roof,” he answered, his thick brows almost connecting above his eyes in concentration. “He asked me to join him. You need to return inside.”
“Hell, no,” I whined, already seeing myself in my warm bed. “I’ll wait in the car.”
“Boss,” Sasha started, but I ignored him, waving off his protests.
I was tired; my eyes were involuntarily closing, and a haze clouded my brain.
My limousine was a comfortable fortress.
With bulletproof, tinted windows, I could sleep inside without anyone noticing until Sasha returned and took me home.
“I’ll send someone to keep an eye on you,” he thundered from the door, disappearing to call an elevator.
Yawning, I craned my neck to ease the tension in my muscles.
My steps echoed on the new concrete floor, the rhythmic sound lulling me to sleep.
I forced my eyes open and glanced at the rows of expensive cars, but none was mine.
I fished the keys from my pocket, but they slipped from my uncoordinated hand and clattered to the ground.
“Fuuuck.” A groan slipped past my lips as I bent to retrieve them, but a long black gown caught my attention. I straightened, swaying slightly as the sudden change blurred my vision. A woman stood to my right, though I couldn’t make out her face.
“Do you need help, Mr. Zhumagulov?” Her gentle voice, complemented by the floral perfume, absurdly enchanted my senses. A smile lifted the corners of my mouth, and I raised my hand with the keys.
“I’m just looking for my car,” I answered with a stupid, drunken grin splitting my face.
“May I?” She took them from me, her pointy nails grazing the skin of my palm. The loud sound pierced the quiet as she pressed the unlock button, the intense front lights instantly showing me where my vehicle was.
“Thank you.” I wavered slightly, sharply inhaling the perfume mixed with her delicate, feminine scent. My cock twitched in my pants from a delicious aroma that teased my nose.
“Come,” she said sweetly, taking my large hand into her much smaller one. “I’ll help you.”
“You don’t have to,” I mumbled, but I enjoyed the touch of her skin against mine. She supported me all the way to the car, her graceful movements and melodic voice painting a perfect picture in my head.
“Here.” She opened my limousine’s back door, helped me get in, and started to fasten my seatbelt. I chuckled when her hair brushed my face; the faint scent of blueberries clouded my already intoxicated mind.
“Thank you, my lady,” I breathed when she finally attached the belt and turned her head to look at me. Her eyes, nose, and mouth blended together in a mush, crowned with long, dark hair.
“You’re so polite,” she whispered, her warm hand flying to my cheek. Her fingernails softly brushed my skin, awakening goosebumps all over my body. “I’m terribly sorry for this.”
My foggy brain couldn’t react quickly enough. Before I could make a sound or move, she stuck a needle into my neck.
“What the…” I tried to speak, but it took effect immediately.
My muscles grew heavy, as if something was weighing me down.
My brain commanded my body to fight, to even move slightly, but it didn’t respond.
Panic arose in my chest as I realized my vulnerable position, yet it quickly faded under the chemical mist. My vision blurred as if someone spilled ink on the picture, and soon, I couldn’t see anything.
My feelings were erased, my thoughts nonexistent.
The world fell into shadow, and only the melodic, almost angelic voice remained, accompanying me in the darkness.
“Sleep, handsome. Everything will be okay.”