Chapter 19
Daphne
I can't believe I slept off. It's a miracle my nerves finally settled, because I slept better in Alex's bed than I ever did alone in that hotel room downstairs.
And it didn't have anything to do with the fact that his foot might have grazed mine after all the struggling stopped. It also didn't have anything to do with the warmth his body exuded. Almost like we touched during the night.
It might have been a dream. I don't even know if it really happened, only a vague memory of what it felt like.
I blink a few times, surprised that I slept this long in a strangers house. The room is still dark with the blinds closed, but the other side of the bed is empty. Sunlight peeks through the narrow gaps at the edges of the curtains.
What time is it?
I slowly sit up and push the comforter off me. It's still a little cold and I'm in nothing but a shorts and t shirt. These unisex clothes—along with some toiletries— are the only things they provided, after taking all my stuff.
They took my hand bag which contained my wallet and phone. I look around the dimly lit room. Alex mentioned that he's been replying my friends texts. Could that mean that the phone is somewhere around here?
It makes more sense that he would have it, instead of Yuri. I let out a frustrated sigh at the thought of Yuri. For the first time yesterday, I felt a modicum of hope when he made me that blood promise. He was my only way out of this, and now I'm back to square one.
I need to do something and finding my phone would be a good start.
I head to the bathroom and wash up, brushing my teeth to wake myself up. Alex's toothbrush is in a holder next to mine and before I can stop myself, I grab it and drag it along the mouth of the toilet seat.
Serves him right for dragging me up here. I then place it back in it's holder, positioning it in the same position so that he'd never notice. I'm smiling to myself as I wash up.
I haven't taken a bath since yesterday and one glance at his walk in wardrobe has me considering if I should just take one of this shirts. I might as well start looking around for my phone there.
First, I fiddle with the remote Alex used yesterday and finally the curtains slide to the sides, bathing the room in sunlight. Once everything is visible, I head over to the small section that's situated to the right of the bathroom.
Except it's anything but small once I switch on the lights inside.
The first part of his closet is filled with clothes on all sides—all of them either black or white, some grey, not a vibrant colour in sight.
There's an entire wall dedicated to shoes and ties and only then do I spot the occasional lavender and dark blue.
I sift around gently, looking underneath the shirts and in the drawers underneath them. I pull out a drawer filled with underwear and my face heats in embarrassment. It feels like a gross invasion of privacy as I move them around to look for my belongings.
Unfortunately, there's nothing but underwear and socks in all of them, so I have to move on to the next section of the wardrobe. The lights here are dimmer, they glimmer over glass encasings and it's colder in here, like I've walked into a different room.
It doesn't look like I will find anything here because everything's on show. Rows and rows of watches fill half a section. They shine brighter than any dream I've ever had and I walk over to look at them in awe.
I spot a few Rolex's and Omega's here and there but there are so many brands, I barely recognise them. Some are adorned with tiny diamonds that catch the light, gleaming like shiny promises. Every piece is more beautiful than the next.
They must be worth thousands, if not hundreds of thousands. How is he able to afford all of this? What kind of criminal is he?
A piece of jewellery catches my eye. It looks like a bracelet—diamonds and sapphires encrusted in white gold— and it's been placed in the centre, a singular light shinning down upon it, giving it more importance over the others.
I frown slightly, wondering if it belongs to a girlfriend of his or something along those lines. It definitely belongs to a woman. I can't imagine Alex wearing something so delicate and demure.
"What are you doing in here?" A cold voice has me jumping in my skin.
It's as if the temperature dropped in a matter of seconds and a chill settles on my skin, goosebumps erupting across the back of my neck. I turn around slowly, knowing full well who that deep baritone belongs to.
I'd assumed he'd left the penthouse. How stupid of me not to check.
Alex stands behind the glass casing in the centre of the room. I didn't even hear him come in. I open my mouth to speak but my throat is so dry, I almost choke. His eyes are narrowed to slits and my mind races with possible excuses but none of them make any sense.
I could have lied and said I needed a shirt, but we're in the watch section for God's sake.
"I asked you a question," he says softly, and somehow that frightens me even more than his usual tone.
"I...I was looking for a change of clothes." It's the only thing I can think of and from his expression, I know he doesn't believe me.
His eyes study my face for a few long seconds before they trail lazily down my body, stopping on my shirt and shorts. I have the sudden urge to hide from his gaze, feeling exposed and self-conscious.
For a second, I think he will finally snap and kill me. Maybe this is the last straw, after all I have been testing his limits since last night. But then he tucks his hands in his pants pockets and nods. "You're not going to find anything here. Follow me."
I thank my lucky stars as he leads me to the clothes section and pulls out a black shirt.
"This should do for now. I think. I'll get my assistant to get you some clothes by today." He hands it to me and I grab hold of the hanger with trembling hands. I'm about to leave this confined space when he blocks my path, his body an impenetrable wall separating me from the exit.
I glance up at him and gulp slowly. He looks straight into my eyes as he caresses the side of my head gently. His touch is like fire and ice, both scorching and soothing at the same time. I almost sigh in pleasure, but then his grip tightens as he yanks my face towards him.
It's a delicious sort of pain that rips through my skull and his proximity doesn't help at all.
His smell, his touch, all of it so intoxicating, invading my every sense, making it harder and harder to hate him.
Our lips almost touch as he studies my face, eyes lingering on my lips for a few long torturous seconds.
"Don't mistake my tolerance for kindness, Daphne. If I catch you in that section again, I'll move you to the place where I keep my real prisoners." He loosens his hold on my hair, his fingers caressing my scalp tenderly. "Trust me, you won't survive a day in a place like that."
His actions are a complete contradiction to his words. I wonder if he realises what he's doing. It's all so confusing that I have to tear myself away from him physically.
I give him a muted nod, feeling slightly giddy. Since he's still here, I hurry into the bathroom and take the longest shower to buy my time away from him. There's a strange ache between my legs and I have to lean against the wall, panting slightly.
I know he noticed. I saw his eyes flare when I reacted to his touch.
Self loathing is an understatement as the image of his face so close to mine replays in my head. The way his pupils dilated when he said my name. The sound of it curling around my heart, tearing away at my resolve.
The throbbing increases, the resultant ache filling me with need. As if on instinct, my hand moves to my core and it's so sensitive that I jerk when my fingers glide across my clit.
Fuck, there's either something really wrong with me or he's a master at messing around with people's heads. He literally just threatened me and here I am, my folds slicked with arousal, dripping down my legs.
I can't...I must not give in to this madness.
I immediately pull my hand away from my throbbing clit and turn the temperature knob till the water is ice cold. By the time I'm done, my body is shivering and I've finally come to my senses.
I dry my damp hair with a towel and put on the shirt he gave me. He didn't give me any underwear and I can't use the dirty ones I just washed. I step out of the bathroom suddenly self conscious again but thankfully the shirt is black.
It's barely noticeable that I don't have a bra on and it falls to my mid thighs, leaving my legs bare. One glance in the mirror tells me I look pretty decent and Alex must have switched on the heater because it's nice and warm outside.
The room is empty, he must have gone downstairs so I make my way there as well. The smell of bacon has my mouth watering and I see Alex in the kitchen by the stove.
He looks so fresh in a pair of grey sweatpants and fitted black t-shirt and his hair is tousled, like he's been running his hands through it. I try not to focus on him too much, instead turning my attention to the plates of bacon, eggs and toast laid out on the table.
"Do you prefer milk or orange juice?" he asks distractedly as he flips over some toast on a stainless steel pan and glances at his phone.
"Umm, can I get some water?" I ask and he immediately flips open a cupboard and grabs a glass. He fills it with water from the dispenser next to the sink and hands it to me.
I take it from him, frowning in confusion. One minute he reminds me I'm a prisoner, the next he's offering me breakfast like I'm welcomed guest.
"Here's your breakfast. Eat up and then we'll go over your statement." He plops the toast on my plate and sits down across from me.
"Don't you have to go to work or something?" I pick up the piece of bread. He must have made French toast from the sugary smell of it. I'd expect someone with all those watches to be too busy working day and night, not cooking us breakfast.
How am I supposed to snoop around with him here, tracking my every move?
"This is work," he says before taking a huge bite of eggs and bread.
"You can cook," I exclaim, surprised that his cooking actually tastes good. Not Yuri level good, but still...not bad.
My stomach flips when he smiles in amusement. "Why do you look so surprised?"
I shrug. "Don't you have a cook or caretaker?" I gesture around us. "To take care of this place."
"I do but I gave her the day off. No distractions today. I need you to be fully prepared for the trial."
The bread lodges in my throat, forming a lump and I grab the glass of water, chugging it down. Just me and him together the whole day?
Something tells me this is not going to end well.