1. The Blind Date
THE BLIND DATE
‘’ I s it too much?’’
I was nervous, still struggling to keep a smile on my face.
‘’What? No!’’ Chiara, my best friend, refuted.
She sat up in her luxurious bath tub, a cream of foam covering her flawless upper porcelain skin. Her dirty blonde hair was tucked in a messy up-do, highlighting her perfectly made up face and forest green eyes.
‘’ Sei bellissima, Sienna—you look beautiful, Sienna. ’’ She murmured, sounding as though she was in awe of how beautiful I looked.
‘’ Grazie—thank you. ’’ I whispered.
Slutty seemed like my first name with my dark brown hair wrapped in a messy bun, bold, flattering makeup with pure blood red lips, flimsy black dress that left nothing to imagination, fuck-me heels and a dazzling black trench coat.
Chiara claimed I wasn’t stepping out of my comfort zone.
Truthfully, I hadn’t. My work as a flight hostess occupied nearly all my time, leaving me with little to nothing to work with for my social life.
But then, a few weeks back, I was fired.
A rich, snobbish passenger had harassed me, and when I reported to my purser, the piece of shit turned the whole thing on me and threw me out.
Chiara was convinced that it was because I hadn’t let him hit.
She wanted to use her legal influence as a lawyer and sue his ass, but I begged her to let it go.
I had turned thirty a few days ago, and in the spirit of my birthday week, Chiara set up a blind date and told me to live a little. I had enough sulking for a lifetime so I didn’t see a reason to say no.
So, here I was, going on a blind date.
And I was strangely excited about it.
‘’Remember, don’t overthink things tonight, just go there and have fun, and?—’’
‘’Don’t pass on the chance of having a good fuck when you get the chance.’’ We both said at the same time and laughed.
‘’Have fun,’’ she grinned.
‘’I love you.’’ I cooed.
‘’I love you too.’’ She hung up.
I sighed, taking one last glance at myself in the mirror. I was intent on making sure I enjoyed the date I was going on. I wasn’t going to worry about the littlest details. I’d embrace whatever the night had to offer. I stuffed a few essentials in my bag and headed out of the room.
I flagged down a cab that took me to Arancini , a cosy, luxurious and upscale restaurant that was close to the outskirts of Verona.
Chiara was the one who created a profile for me on the dating app, and arranged the blind date.
I was meeting with a dashing young man who was into tech.
Vincenzo Romano. I wasn’t one to fish for something serious in cases like this.
Heck, I had not been committed for a while now.
I just wanted to experience a beautiful, relaxed evening.
The cab rolled to a stop in front of the restaurant.
I paid the driver, alighted and approached the entrance.
The guards flashed me a warm stare, pulling the door open for me to step in.
The sweeping, gigantic space rolled out before me in bold tones of red, black and gold.
The chandelier and perfect lighting made the space look refined, meant for the upper class alone.
I secretly wondered who this Vincenzo guy was again to be able to afford a place like this.
A tall, elegant blonde waitress strode towards me, all cheery and vibrant.
‘’Good evening, ma’am.’’ I was a little startled when a guy came up behind me to collect my coat, leaving me in my slutty outfit for the night.
‘’Hi, good evening.’’ I beamed. ‘’Reservation for Mr. Romano, please.’’
‘’Of course, come with me.’’
She led me past the regular tables, allowing me to note that there were no customers hanging around. I furrowed my brows.
‘’Excuse me, did Mr. Romano rent the entire space?’’ I couldn’t resist asking.
She smiled warmly at me but didn’t say anything. That was when I noticed that we had gotten to the VIP section.
Who is this guy, really?
The waitress pulled out a chair for me. I glanced around, looking for my date.
‘’Where is he?’’ I queried.
‘’He’ll join you shortly.’’
Hot lava builded up in my chest at the thought of having to wait for him.
I didn’t say anything else to her. I took my seat, nervously tapping at the floor with my heels.
I had never liked having to wait for someone, and the fact that I had to wait for him was beginning to shrink my excitement for the date.
In most cases, one would end up being stood up and I didn’t want that for myself.
My phone beeped with a text. It was from Chiara.
Sisterly
Hope you are having fun?
I was tempted to tell her that I might be getting stood up, but I knew my best friend, so I fired her a text in response that I was doing okay.
The waitress returned again, and this time, I was already irritated.
‘’What would you like to order, ma’am?’’ she still had that sickenly perfect smile on her face. It was starting to grate my nerves.
“Nothing,” I said curtly. “My date is not here yet.”
“Mr. Romano wouldn't be pleased if I left you unentertained.” Her expression shifted.
My eyes narrowed on her. “Well, he isn't here now, is he?” It took me a while to realise that I had snapped at her.
I sighed. “Fine. I'll have a glass of water.”
Her face brightened. She nodded and spun around. The waitress returned with a glass of water in no time. Once I had a sip, I couldn't let go. It was refreshing, and I didn't know when I knocked back the rest of the glass.
I glanced at the time again, worried that it was thirty minutes in and nowhere to be found.
It started with a little dizziness, then I grew lightheaded, feeling like a feather on my seat. A slow, weird sensation crawled within my skin, leaving me in a haze of confusion.
What is happening?
The blonde waitress showed up again, and this time, she walked towards me and stopped before me.
“Don't fight it,” she whispered. “It'll feel good. I promise.”
“What is…what is happening to me?” my voice faded. I could barely hear myself.
“Shhh,” she crooned.
I grabbed onto her shoulder, digging my fingernails into them as an anchor. My eyelids began getting heavier, my breathing slowing.
What is wrong with me.
I felt strong arms lift me, skimming my thighs.
“Be careful. The boss wants her untouched and unharmed.”
That was the last thing I heard before I gave in to the darkness.
I was alive, barely. Maybe. I didn't know.
My limbs felt heavy as I stirred awake. I couldn't even move my bones if I tried. But the paralysis was momentary because it soon started coming back to me.
The blind date. The restaurant. The waitress. The water.
The water.
Fuck, I was drugged.
The realisation made me jerk, and I tried to move my body. I could move but at the same time, it felt futile because my hands were tied up somewhere. It started to dawn on me that the world around me was also covered in black.
My mouth wanted to part, desperate to speak but I couldn't. Tears welled up in my eyes, my chest pounding so hard, it hurt.
Someone took me. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. In my dictionary, that was topping the list of my top nightmares.
“Don't move so much, your wrists will get raw before the fun starts.”
I froze.
I wasn't in the room alone. The deep, masculine voice covered every inch of the space like smoke, sending shivers down my spine. Hot sweat broke out on my skin, and I jerked again, this time, with more fright. My frame tried to cower backwards but a coarse hand seized my leg.
I let out a muffled scream.
The tape on my mouth was ripped off.
“Who the hell are you?” I attacked him immediately.
“I'll tell you what you want to know if you promise not to scream anymore. You'll be doing a lot more than screaming tonight, so I need your voice intact.” I detected a hint of mischief in his voice.
My chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as I pondered a little. Then, I nodded softly.
“Why did you drug me? Who are you? Where am I? Why won't you let me see you? Please, let me go. I promise you, I won't tell anyone.” I rapped out all in one breath.
“Hm. I like you. You are curious.” The octave in his voice dropped, making my heart rate spike.
Then, I felt warmth creeping onto my skin, making me whimper. Lean, rough fingers skimmed my thigh upward, deepening my whimper and almost extracting a foreign sign from me. My skin tingled slightly from the effect.
“I want to have fun with you.”
My insides twisted with something I didn't understand. “I don't want to have fun with you!”
“Are you sure about that?” he sounded cocky. “I can see how hard your nipples are through this tiny black dress.”
My face burned, my lips parting. I was flushed. I couldn't speak.
“I bet you are dripping right now. Why don't we check?” I stiffened, holding my breath.
A whimper unfurled from my throat when his fingers found my damped lacy thong. I thought my cheeks couldn't burn harder than it already was, but it did. Why was I turned on by this? I bit down on my lips softly to submerge a moan when he stroked my clothed pussy.
“I knew I made the right choice with you.” he mused.
“Are you going to hurt me?”
“Yes, I'm going to hurt you in dark, unhinged ways that you are going to like.” His lips hit the shell off my ear and I arched off the bed to meet the heat his mouth provided. “And do you know what you are going to do?”
I shook my head slowly.
“You'll moan so hard for me like the dirty little slut you are, Sienna. You will beg me to make you come and almost lose you mind because of how good I'll fuck you tonight.”
I moaned, wanting to squeeze my legs shut.
Why did that sound so hot?
Chiara had told me to let go and embrace what the night held for me.
That was what I was going to do. Maybe it was because I hadn't been fucked the way I'd like in a while.
Maybe it was because I was turned on at the prospects of being used and tainted by a mysterious stranger, knowing I couldn't see him.