Kairus
I couldn’t get out the hall we were in fast enough. I had never been a people person nor did I care for social events like that one we just attended, but it was necessary to make myself seen tonight. In order to have the kind of hold I had, and to stay off the radar like I did, there were times I had to rub elbows with people that mattered. The police commissioner and chief were my main two interests tonight and the check I wrote for the department made sure to keep them off my back.
I might not have been by her side the whole night, but I always had eyes on Azeira, whether she noticed or not. As soon as I saw the man approach her, I cut the conversation I was in the middle of short and made my way to her. When his lips touched her skin, my left eye twitched and I imagined how he would look down a hand and lips.
We sat silently in the back of the truck. Rock was in the front seat driving us back to my house. I knew Azeira would look good on my arm tonight. Most of the time I went to these things alone, but tonight I had the urge to show her off. Due to her working for Elite I knew she was used to social events and would carry herself accordingly.
“I googled you,” Azeira blurted after a while.
My eyes left my phone and landed on her. She stared up at me with flushed cheeks. I knew she had three drinks tonight because I made sure to keep count. She wasn’t drunk, but I could tell she had a small buzz.
“And what did you find out?” I raised a brow, unbuttoning my suit jacket.
“Well…” She licked her lips and ran her hand down her dress that looked like it was made specifically for her. The champagne color against her caramel skin sent sparks through my body. Fire heated my blood. My skin buzzed like bees were flying under it. It was hard not to keep her locked away from prying eyes, knowing she would steal the attention the moment she walked in the room. I was aware that eyes were on her and men ogled her the moment we stepped in the ballroom and I was away from her side. No one would be bold enough to approach her knowing she was with me, but I loved knowing she was desired by them at the same time.
“I read about your parents.” My body tensed and a dark haze filled my vision. She cleared her throat and dragged her tongue over her lips again. “It said your mother killed your dad then killed herself and you found them.”
Suddenly it felt like cement covered my muscles. I bit the inside of my jaw.
Azeira’s eyes softened and her hand landed on my thigh. “I’m sorry you went through that. Nobody, especially a kid, should have to see their parents like that.”
Cutting my eyes into slits, I grabbed her wrist tightly. She winced some but kept her eyes on me.
“My mother killing my father was the only good thing she ever did for me since the moment she pushed me out. If she wasn’t the one to take him out then I would have.”
I could tell my words caught her off guard. She opened her mouth but snapped it back closed just as quickly.
A crude smile split my face. “Did you think I would be affected by it? Was your reason for googling me to find out why I act like I do?” I tilted my head to the side.
She scraped her bottom lip with her teeth and nodded slowly. “I don’t believe people are just born cruel, I mean unless you’re a psychopath or something, but I don’t think you are.”
“And what makes you believe that?”
Moving my hand up, I brushed over the goosebumps forming on her arms. “I don’t know, I just do. I also read your dad was just as cruel, if not worse than you. It said he was feared and vicious to everyone. If I had to grow up with someone like that I probably would have turned out the same way too.” Her words grew quieter and softened. “I think you were a kid who became a product of your surroundings.”
My jaw ticked.
Maybe it was the liquor that made her chattier. Knowing she was digging into my past, learning things I didn’t particularly care for her to know, caused an uncomfortable sensation in my chest.
“You shouldn’t try to overanalyze me, Azeira. I’m a man that handles business like I do because if I show weakness then people will walk all over me. My business has gotten to where it’s at because people know they can’t fuck me over without consequences.”
“And killing people?”
“A means to an end.” Her hand brushed higher on my thigh. My dick was aware of the gesture and pushed against my slacks. “Want to know what I think, however?”
Her eyes flashed when I yanked her body closer to mine. “I think you like the cruel part of me. It turns you on knowing I’m not a nice guy, doesn’t it?”
She swallowed hard and her body shivered. “No, killing someone doesn’t turn me on.”
“Mhm. Maybe not the killing, but you don’t think I’ve missed how dilated and heated your eyes become when I threaten to do what I want to this body. The way you squirmed under me when I left my teeth imprinted on your breast. Even after making you stab a man, you came on my fingers just hours later. You might not understand or want to like it, but you get excited with how I am.” I moved in closer, lowering my head so my mouth was just inches from her ear. “I bet if I wrapped my hand around that pretty little neck and squeezed until you nearly passed out that pussy would leak for me like a faucet. Or maybe if I took my knife out and fucked you roughly with the handle, how would you like that?”
She inhaled a sharp breath and her fingers dug into my thigh. When I pulled back, lust danced around her eyes, searing into me so much it almost burned my skin.
I ran my tongue up her neck and sucked roughly on it. Her body shook.
Chuckling lowly, I pulled back and straightened my back. “You’re not as vanilla as you seem.”
I picked my phone back up. Azeira was fun to play with. Because I knew how she reacted to rough play in the bedroom, it made things more interesting for me. She didn’t know I was the man she had lain with multiple times and allowed to wreck her body.
I was in the middle of reading something from Nolan when Azeira spoke again.
“I want to go see my mother soon.” Pausing, I lifted my eyes and faced her again, keeping my face blank. “You know I won’t run because I don’t want harm to come to my daddy, but I want to see my mom. I want to hang out with Jatavia too.”
“And what exactly makes you think you can make such demands?”
“They’re not demands. I’m just telling you what I want. All I see is your staff and house day in and day out. There’s only so much cleaning I can do. Your staff doesn’t acknowledge me. I get lonely there. I won’t even be gone long, just a couple of hours.”
My eyes narrowed. Truthfully there was no reason she couldn’t leave and visit her mother or her friend besides the simple fact I didn’t want her to. I had become selfish since having her in my presence. Even if I paid her no mind half the time, knowing she was in my house under my watch was enough for me.
Instead of responding to her, I turned back to my phone. She sighed loudly and scooted away from me when I refused to give her an answer.
Azeira was my captive. She might not know it but she was at my house to serve a purpose and tame the desire I had built for her.
I leaned back in my office chair when my office door was pushed open and Jeremy stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and walked to my desk, setting the bag in his hand on my desk, then taking a seat.
Today I was working in the office, handling some legal affairs. I had a few more meetings once I got this one out the way.
I grabbed the bag and unzipped it, looking inside seeing money.
“This doesn’t look like a hundred grand,” I stated, lifting my eyes to meet his. He shifted in his seat and ran his hands down his pants. For a second I thought of his daughter. She did the same thing when she was uncomfortable.
Jeremy cleared his throat. “It’s not. It’s only twenty right now.”
My jaw clenched as my eyes narrowed. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with twenty grand?”
“I had more, but my wife is about to get surgery and I—”
“I don’t give a fuck about that. I told you I didn’t want to see you until you had my money. Do I need to take another incentive to get my money?”
His nostrils flared slightly and he sat straighter. “You’ll have your money by my deadline. I was just hoping if I made payments my daughter could be released and—”
I shut him down instantly. “No.”
“But—”
“The answer’s no. Your daughter is mine for the next five months or until I decide to give her back. You knew the consequence when you got in bed with the devil. You’re lucky I was in a generous mood and all I took was a finger at the time because most people aren’t that lucky.”
His hand ran down his mouth and his eyes hardened. “My wife is starting to get suspicious. I’ma get the money in time, I just want to renegotiate our terms.”
Irritation filled me. “That sounds like a personal problem to me.” I glanced inside the bag again, then tossed it back into his lap.
“The next time I see you, I want my money in full. I don’t do payment plans and I don’t do renegotiations. Unless you want to be down another body part.” I could tell he wasn’t happy with my response, but that was a personal problem.
“Well then I guess we have nothing else to talk about.” Jeremy’s body was tense as he stood and grabbed the bag off the desk.
“I’ll tell your daughter you said hello.” I smirked. He glared at me. His jaw ticked. I was sure if he had a gun right now I’d be dead, but that was like most people I dealt with.
Jeremy left my office and I turned to my computer, turning it on and clicking on the file that brought the cameras at my house up. Azeira was in her room, tending to the rose she took from my garden. She clipped the stem and ran her hand over the red petals.
Her body jumped and she looked around before going under her pillow and grabbing her phone. She didn’t know that I knew she had taken her phone back, but I wasn’t bothered by that. I had it cloned and received any texts she got on the burner phone I had.
Going into my desk, I grabbed the phone and looked at the messages. She was texting her friend who texted her daily to check on her. It was comical to me that she feared so much for her friend, which she should considering the predicament her friend was in.
My eyes bounced between the phone and computer screen. Azeira pretty much did the same thing day in and day out. She stayed in her room most of the time after she finished cleaning. Sometimes she spent time in the garden or by the pool. Watching her without her knowing was exciting for me. It sent a rush through my body. Like I was the big bad wolf, stalking his prey.
I was in my music room, currently playing a Mozart piece when a knock on the door caused me to pause. I had gotten lost in the music, just like I always did, so being interrupted did nothing but irritate me.
Rolling my shoulders back, I pushed back from the piano and stalked to the door.
I snatched it open. “What?”
“Dinner is ready, sir,” Lillian revealed. “You told me to let you know when I was done.”
Lillian didn’t blink at my rudeness or cold demeanor. She had been around long enough and was used to how I was.
“I’ll be there shortly. Get Azeira and tell her to meet me at the table.” I waved her off and shut the door. Making my way back to my piano, I got refocused, closed my eyes, and my fingers started moving without thought. I felt myself centering as the music filled the room. The notes became embedded in my veins, intertwining in my soul, and caressing my heart. Music was always my safe place. A place for me to escape the cruel reality around me. Growing up I often found myself saying “why me” but when I picked up a new instrument all that went to the back of my mind. I learned early there wasn’t one I couldn’t master.
I stayed in my music room a little longer, playing a few more songs before leaving.
When I got to the dining room Azeira was already there. She glared at me with an impatient look on her face, like she was annoyed I had made her wait. I smirked and took a seat across from her.
“What’s going on?” she asked, barely giving me a moment to get comfortable.
I looked at her and tilted my head. “I don’t get the question.”
Her eyes grew tighter. “Why did you tell Lillian to make me come down here?”
Normally Azeira ate alone. She would come and make a plate of whatever Lillian cooked and ate in her room or outside in the garden or on the patio. That was about to change though.
“You said you were lonely, correct? This is fixing the problem.”
Her lips pressed together tightly. Her hand landed on the table, causing the silverware to rattle. “That’s not what I meant. I meant I want to be able to leave and see my mom and best friend. Not to mention I had a job before I came here. It was fucked up for me to just no call no show. I don’t want bad blood with the owners, they were good to me.”
“You’ll take what I give you. You wanted more interaction, this is it. If you like, I can send you to the basement and you can eat alone down there.”
She inhaled a deep breath and puffed her cheeks out. “You don’t always have to be such a dick,” she muttered.
Lillian began serving the food. Today it was pot roast with carrots and potatoes.
“Aren’t you gonna bless the food first?” Azeira commented as I prepared to eat.
I lifted my eyes to her. She gave me a look then bowed her head, saying a short prayer.
“Amen.” When she was finished, she faced me. “Now we can eat.”
My tongue dragged over my top teeth as I watched her dig into her food.
“You really enjoy the garden, don’t you?” I asked randomly.
Lifting her head, she stared at me in confusion. “What?”
“I noticed you spend a lot of time out there.”
Her shoulders lifted. “Yeah, well, there’s only so much I can do in this place. I’ve explored pretty much every accessible part. My mom was into gardening and I used to work out there with her. She loved flowers and how there was a large variety of them to choose from. I guess I got it from her. Your garden is beautiful too, really calming. My favorite thing is the waterfall in the center. Although…” Her words trailed off.
“Although what?” I frowned. The strong urge to know everything about Azeira built inside of me. I wanted no part of her body and mind untouched by me.
“I wish you had peonies out there. Next to roses, they are my favorite.” She sighed and shoved some potatoes in her mouth.
I scratched my chin and studied her. The glow and radiance that used to grace her skin and eyes were slowly starting to fade. It seemed like she was going out her way to stay out of sight as well. This was the first time since the gala I had laid eyes on her outside of passing and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Yes I could easily watch her on the cameras, but I wanted her in my presence more. I craved to smell the vanilla, oranges, and jasmine that always lingered when she left the room. She might’ve thought she was doing herself a favor by keeping her distance, but little did she know it only intensified my craving for her.