Chapter 40"My goodness, Lis, your wardrobe is bursting full."Clarissa fingers a dress in leaf green. I know what she feels. It's soft delicate silk and wraps around my body when I wear it, making me feel and look like a sex bomb. She touches another dress, and yet another, and then she turns round to look at me."How did you get so many clothes in just two months?"I shrug, as I try to hide a smile because what can I say. Ash hasn't stopped with the gifts. The man spoils me silly by buying clothes, shoes, and jewelry for me, and even though I always protest, it falls on deaf ears.He said, and I quote- I want everyone to know you're a queen. My Queen.Even though he hasn't told me he loves me after that first love declaration, I know he does. It's in the way his eyes soften as he looks at me, and the way he holds me after he ravages my body. Speaking of which, I can never get enough of his hands on me.I
Chapter 41I give up when I realize I've been going over the same line for the past ten minutes. I sigh as I look up from my textbook and flit my eyes across my environment.Library environment . . . CheckQuiet atmosphere. . . CheckText books & Notes. . . CheckConcentration . . . UncheckFor the life of me, I can't seem to concentrate on a single word and that's bad for me because in less than an hour, I've got my first set of tests and school will close thereafter for a short break. t's not like I'm going to fail if I don't read. I go over my notes everyday, but I'm a stickler for repetition. I need to know I've got every last detail into my system and not go chewing my pen during the test.Perhaps the problem is because I haven't heard a word from Ash ever since he travelled and it's toying with my mind. He said it would take only a few days. Three days tops, he had said, but it's been over a week now,
Chapter 42🎵Ring-a-ring-a -rosies.A pocket full of posies, A tissue, A tissue, we all fall down. 🎵Joy swells in my heart as we come to a stop, mother's hands tightly encircling mine. Her eyes twinkle as she looks at me."Martha, stop filling Batista's head with girl stuff, that boy is going to become the mafia boss when he grows up."Dad's voice wafts over to where we're still hunched over on the ground, trying to regain our breaths. Mum tenses as she turns to see dad, who is already advancing towards us, his countenance dark and forboding."Oh, Marco, please don't say such things, he's just a boy, let him grow up the way he should, with joy, our love, and guidance."Dad prowls closer to us, his hands coiled by his side in fists. "Are you going against my authority?"Mum's hands drop from mine as she stands on unsteady legs. Her bottom lip is slightly open and trembling. She bends and whispers for me to
Chapter 43"Ash! Ash, please open your eyes, you're safe now."From far away I hear my name being called.This is it.Judgment day has come for me.I already know it. I'm going to hell."Ash! Open your eyes now, please. Come back to me."Those words smack of female desperation.Would an angel tell me to open my eyes and come back to her?"So. . . .maybe I'm not dead.Maybe.It takes grave determination and grit before I'm finally able to pry my eyes open, although they feel like bricks are weighing them down.That's not the only hurdle I have to face.My vision is blurred, but after blinking like it's going out of fashion, I make out a form standing over me."Ash!"That same voice calls out my name once more. A woman's voice.I blink once again and a face comes into view. Long blonde hair and blue eyes are the first things I take in. Recognition sweeps through me and I rear back, shock making my body tense."Bell?"
Chapter 44All through the ride to my place, I urge the driver to speed up. I've been dispossessed of my phone by, probably Guilang's men, so I'm running blind here. Maybelline's words about Alicia, play on repeat in my mind."Fucking hurry up, man." I growl at him for what seems like the umpteenth time.The man ignores me altogether, but I feel his watchful eyes on me through the rear view mirror. In all fairness to him, he speeds up, and in no time, he's swinging into the familiar residence of my street. Even before he stops in front of my gate, I'm opening the door and vaulting out."Hey, man, you haven't paid me!" The Uber guy's voice is like a whip crack stopping me in my tracks.I dig into my pocket but come up empty. Reluctantly, I turn to look at him. "Hold on, I'll send someone to you."As I step through the gate, two of my guards slink out from the grove of trees. The joy and relief on their faces make
Chapter 45Something is wrong.I can feel it.My body can testify to it.Bile rises to my throat and I know a second round of vomit is on its way. I won't allow it take me by surprise this time around.I vault up and rush to the bathroom, and just in time too, because the moment my head is bent over the toilet bowl, it all comes gushing out. The remains of my dinner last night, or whatever the first round of vomit didn't bring out. After a few minutes, when it's obvious my stomach is a bit settled, I stagger to the tap and splash some water on my face. The coolness of it helps to reduce the quiziness I'm feeling. After splashing a little more onto my face, I feel a shade better, and even manage to walk without stumbling back into the bedroom.What did I eat last night?I close my eyes as I try to recall. Ash took me to Parched for the night, to celebrate Chucho's passing.Actually, his murder.When Ash told m
Chapter 46Sixteen years ago.Bonde hair cascades onto her neck and falls across her graceful shoulders. I look into blue eyes that are heavy with passion and want. Her lips are already swollen from my ministrations, and her body is naked and wantonly displayed under me. Seeing all this ignites the sensual lust in me. She wraps her hand around my neck and draws me even closer to take another sip from her lips. I can't get enough as I bend forward and drink to my heart's content.My hands pave a hot pathway down her body and land in between her laps where I know she's already wet and ready to be taken. She stiffens against my hand inching into her wet folds and I look into her eyes questioningly."I need to tell you something."She knows talking is the last thing on my mind, but I remove my hand from in between her laps, anyway, and lie on my back. I put a bit of space in between us so I can concentrate on what
Chapter 47I dip hazel eyes in a low arc and watch as her eyes flutter close and her long lashes rest on her cheeks. It takes only a second and I'm lifting her back up and into my arms. A flush settles on her cheeks and a smile coils her lips as her gaze settles on me."Where did you learn to dance this way?" She's watching me like I'm an interesting specimen.I chuckle before answering. "I go to a lot of these stuffy parties, unfortunately."She throws her head back and lets out a tinkling laugh, affording me a view of her long slender neck. "Stuffy?" She shakes her head. "This party is delightful, I've never been around so many important people before."My eyes stray to the senators chatting amongst themselves before my gaze once more settles on her. "Well, then, I'll make sure to bring you to more of them."My words must really affect her because her eyes glimmer with excitement, and her hands tighten around