CHAPTER 7
Mazikeen.
“Hey, wanna hit the bar tonight?”
I frowned at the way my heartbeat increased like I was in danger,when all I'd done was send a text to Linda.
I glanced at the screen, waiting for the text bubbles to appear,but then I panicked and set the phone down on my desk and wiped my palms on my skirt as I took a deep breath.
So what if I hadn't texted her all weekend? She certainly didn't mind…
“I hope.”
Also,I was kinda hoping to ask her personally,but today was her day off.
I swallowed as I swiftly grabbed the phone just as it tinged with a message notification.
“Sorry,I can't…I'm babysitting my grandma,she has dementia. But I'm open for next time though,xoxo!”
“Oh,” I breathed out, feeling slightly guilty and just a tiny bit disappointed.
Well I wasn't going to just go home after the day's work,I needed some sort of distraction.
Not just because of Graylin.
Mr. Black had gotten severely cross with me over a small error that I could have definitely avoided if I wasn't so distracted by my own life.
I sighed irritably as I slammed the laptop shut and glanced at my wrist watch.
Ten minutes before closing time,I was leaving.
The photoshoot scheduling could wait till the next day.
With this in mind,I grabbed my bag and stood up, pausing only briefly to arrange and align the files on my desk before exiting the office.
The sun had set over Los Angeles, casting a warm,golden glow over the city's towering skyscrapers and busy streets.
But I wanted it to get darker before I went into the bar,so I decided to treat myself to dinner.
Graylin had control of all my income so what I had was what he gave me. Which meant I couldn't particularly afford to eat at the high end restaurants;but that was okay.
I stood behind a tall, broad shouldered man with messy, curly hair as I waited for the food vendor.
And I craned my head impatiently just as the seller put a clear plastic container filled with cut fruits into a paper bag.
“That'd be seven dollars,sir.” He said, handing the bag over to the man in front of me, who'd dipped a hand into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out a bill between long,slender fingers.
“Keep the change,” the man replied smoothly,then moved off without looking back.
I caught a whiff of his cologne,a citrusy-sweet smell,and it lingered even after he'd disappeared into the throng of moving people.
“Thank you,” I said with a small smile as I took my wrapped torta and a cup of agua fresca, resisting the urge to glance at my watch just to make sure it wasn't too late to eat everything.
Graylin would be so upset if he saw me eating something like this, “that’s exactly the reason you can't lose weight,” he'd say.
Just this once…I wanted to enjoy something I loved without feeling like I was committing a heinous crime.
I moved towards a corner and leaned against the wall as I tore open the wrapper and delved in, moaning softly as the taste of crusty bread and savory fillings exploded in my mouth.
I was taking a sip of my drink when I caught that citrus-sweet scent again,but before I could act,I almost startled when I saw a tall figure push off the wall, closing the lid of a plastic container as he began a measured saunter towards the bustling street.
I paused, feeling a little bit paranoid before proceeding to finish my food.
I fished inside my purse for a handkerchief and wiped my hands and mouth with it before pushing away from the wall.
It was almost seven PM by the time I walked into the karaoke bar at Wilshire boulevard.
Blinking rapidly as neon lights flashed across my face as I moved towards the crowded main stage and took an empty spot beside an older man whose eyes were glued to his phone screen as he tapped aggressively.
That was when I saw him,the stranger from the food stall— and the street corner.
He was on stage, holding a mic casually as the beat for Ozuna’s Vaina loca started playing.
For some strange reason,my chest tightened as he began to belt out the Spanish lyrics,his voice as smooth as velvet.
I couldn't look away,not even when his hooded eyes found mine and my mouth went dry.
He looked so good,with his hair hanging over his face,his jeans loosely fitted over his long,long legs,and an equally slightly loose white T-shirt hugging his lean, muscled frame.
I clenched my legs together,every muscle in my body alive as I watched him,too aware of him,each light sway of his hips as he sang.
I swallowed again but my mouth was still dry,so I clumsily stood up and stumbled towards the bar for a cold drink.
I felt hot,too hot.
“A cold glass of fresh lemonade please.”
“Coming right up,” the waitress replied, giving me a brief smile before turning to another customer.
I pressed a hand to my temple,then to my racing heart as I waited for my drink.
“I'll have the lemonade too.”
I stilled, feeling the male heat caress my back even without being touched.
A mix of relief and discontent rushed through me when the heat suddenly disappeared,but then he was at my side…the karaoke man with his sweet scent.
I turned, flushing deeply when I found him staring directly, unabashedly at me.
“Were you at the food stand earlier?” He asked and I sucked on my tongue to unfreeze it before nodding,my breath catching at how breathtaking he was.
Black silky curls, falling imperfectly over his perfect face,feline eyes with green depths,and lips that made me want to see him smile,just to know what they'd look like.
“Y…you were at the street corner too,” I muttered, turning forward just as the bargirl placed our drinks on the counter, pausing briefly to flash the strange man a sultry smile before sliding away.
He didn't return it,I wasn't even sure he saw because I could still feel his intense gaze on the side of my face.
“Are you following me?” He asked softly as I brought the cool glass to my lips and I frowned as I took a gulp, swallowed then lowered the glass.
“What?! Why'd I do that?”
CHAPTER 8MAZIKEEN. “I don't know…unless you're saying our meetings tonight have been nothing but coincidences….”“They are,” I replied quickly.“I don't even know who you are.”He pursed his sinfully full lips as he studied me silently for a few seconds then nodded,as if satisfied.Then he grabbed his drink and drained the whole thing in one breath.“What do you think about my performance ?”“I…it was good,” I sighed to still myself. Why was I so on edge around this man?“You’re Spanish?”“Do I look Spanish?”I shrugged. “I don't know…I don't think Spanish people have a specific look.”There it was,the smile;no, grin…even better.My heart stuttered as I took in his straight teeth,and the dimple on his left cheek.“My mother's from Granada.” He finally answered,his gaze never once straying from my face.“What's your name?”“What's yours?” I threw back,and he smiled again.“I'm Jordan,and you are...?”It hurt, my throat cinching as I raised my hand and wiggled
CHAPTER 9.MAZIKEEN. “The boss is back.”My brows flew up with surprise and I subconsciously raised a hand to my pinned up hair,then smoothed a hand down my skirt as I nodded at Carey’s statement.“And Linda?” The other woman gave me a small smile as she pointed up. “She's in the studio helping the crew get ready for the photoshoot…although,” her smile turned coy, “I suspect she's just there to look at Julio.”“Who's Julio?” I asked then immediately shook my head, “never mind…how do I look?”Carey gave me two thumbs up, “you look like you're ready to make a great first impression.”“Thanks,” I said with a smile before turning away.I wondered why Mr. Black hadn't informed me he was already back from his trip as I rode the elevator up…could he still be upset about my error?I winced as I remembered the unfinished files I'd left on my desk the night before.I should have stayed back to finish the dang shoot schedule…I could have avoided Graylin's whippings.T
CHAPTER 10MAZIKEEN. “Oh my God! Why'd you even think that?!” Linda exclaimed,half amused and half surprised as she stared at me. “I meant ‘vacation with family’ as in with his three sisters,their husbands and their children….”“Well you said he was on a vacation with his family…” I shrugged, “naturally I thought you meant he was with HIS wife, and children.”Linda laughed again, shaking her head as she looked ahead.We were standing in the middle of the bustling studio, watching the costume department get the kids ready for their next round of pictures and videos for a popular cereal company.“Mr. Black isn't married yet…” she started, “he'd come close to doing so last year,but the wedding was called off.”I refused to ponder the reason why the fact that he was single made me want to sigh.Because the assumption that he was married had done nothing to curb my intense attraction to him.“Well you can't blame me for assuming, you didn't explain what kind of fami
CHAPTER 11JORDAN “That new PA of yours...”I kept my head down,and my eyes focused on the computer screen as I typed. “What about her?”Mother didn't immediately respond,but I was already used to her weaponised silence,so I refused to look at her as I waited for a response.“I don't like her.”“Too bad…I'm not firing her.”She scoffed,and her heavy perfume assaulted my senses as she leaned forward. “There's something evil about her…I could sense it. She's probably one of those dirty,bloodsuckers.”I finally looked up, making sure to keep on my mask of irritated indifference as I stared into her dark eyes.“Miss Smith is not a vampire,I'd have known that immediately I saw her.” I knew Maze was something though…a hybrid perhaps?I wondered silently. Or perhaps a siren, that—besides her apparent gorgeousness–would certainly explain the way my blood sang whenever she was around,like an invisible magnet was drawing me towards her.Maybe I could ask her,but what if
CHAPTER 12MAZIKEEN “Alexa,play Amy Winehouse.”“Playing Amy Winehouse…”I let out a sigh as I fell into one of the couches,just as the intro to Back to Black rang out through the living room.It was a normal Sunday afternoon, I was as bored as ever, Graylin had been in his study all morning, and I had nothing to do.I'd gotten used to the boredom—or so I thought.But that emptiness I started feeling a couple months back,had continued to grow steadily–coupled with the changes I felt and the nightmaresThey'd been random at first, recurring maybe once every month,and usually before the moon got full,and also usually around the time Graylin took his monthly trips.But now,they were more frequent; each one similar to the last,and always ending with me being chased by a large,black, wolfish creature.I prepared to instruct Alexa again just as the song came to an end,but Rehab by Amy quickly started,and I paused to ascertain if I liked it enough.The buzzing phone beside
CHAPTER 13JORDAN I muttered a curse under my breath as my twentieth call went unanswered.My mother was by no means a bluffer,but she'd never actively tried to keep me away from my baby sister–she’d always threatened to,but…I bolted up from the couch as I began to pace around the room.It was almost 9 PM and I'd started the call marathon at exactly 7.But here I was,worried about two different women; Maze.She'd suddenly stopped responding to my texts and although I'd been tempted to call her–or even drive over to her house,I didn't.Tomorrow though,if she wasn't at work,no force would be strong enough to stop me from driving over to Graylin's house,even if it meant having a physical confrontation with him because of it.I raised my phone and dialed mom's number again,this time the call was answered on the third ring and I clutched my phone tighter as I heard my mother's voice in the background.“Jordan!!” Anastasia cheered,her tiny voice filled with excitem
CHAPTER 14MAZIKEEN. The nightmares were getting worse.They were to a point where I could barely get in four hours of sleep each night—a sign that the moon would soon be full,which meant a few days without Graylin.I smiled as I tapped on the screen of the iPad, setting up the rest of Jordan's schedules.Graylin's absence would give me an opportunity to finally hang out with Lin.I’d continued to give her excuses about my constant refusal,and one time during the past week,she asked me whether my fiancé had anything to do with my reluctance.And of course I told her no.It was Thursday and Jordan was in a conference meeting with some of the company's brokers when my phone dinged with a message notification from Linda.I quickly swiped away from the website I'd been stalking Jordan on and clicked open her text.“Your fiancé is here!”My heart pounded in my ears as another message came in.“I don't like him, perhaps it's ‘cos of the hostility between him and th
CHAPTER 15JORDAN “Yeah…it was just a silly lie.”Her easy admission undid me more than I wanted,and before I could stop myself, I'd already reached down to grasp her hand.“Why?”Maze shrugged. “I…it just happened,I didn't know what else to do.”“You didn't have to lie for him,he's not a kid.” I told her and she looked away,the pulse in her neck beating erratically.“Is this something you always do?”“What? Lie to protect the man I love with all my heart?”My chest tightened painfully at her response,of course she loved him. Why else would she be wearing his ring?But did he feel the same way about her though? Did she know who he truly was? Why'd Graylin want to marry a girl who…I wasn't sure what she was. Human? She didn't seem like it,but…“Contrary to what you might be thinking,” Maze's voice cut through my inner monologue, “this isn't usually a regular occurrence.”“Are you afraid of him?” I asked and she paled slightly,her lips curling up in a d
CHAPTER 37MAZIKEEN “No,not yet.” Jordan answered softly, “but I know he will,we just need to give him time.”I swallowed, glancing down at my almost empty plate and feeling grateful that I'd at least eaten enough before my sudden appetite loss.“You're right,Maze.”I picked up the glass of water and raised it to her mouth, “right about what?”“There's something special about you.”I side eyed him as I drained the glass--and he looked like he was on the edge of a chuckling fit.“Why're you trying to be sweet in the middle of an important conversation?”“I'm not…” he pressed his lips together and exhaled through his nose. “I'm talking about what you told me the other day, about…feeling like you have some sort of energy…inside of you.”“Ohhh,” I nodded. “See how fast the wounds healed? Barely a full week.” I didn't mind scars but I was glad all the injuries had healed with very minimal ones.Jordan nodded,then tilted his head to the side as he studied me silently.
CHAPTER 36JORDAN Maze's quietness bothered me more than any tantrum or vehemence could have.The way she calmly focused on the ceremony until it was all over,but still sparing Anna a genuine smile when she ran over to use with her yellow belt.“No,I'll call a ride.” Was her response when I mentioned driving Anna to my mom's before taking us home,but at least she’d gone back to the penthouse... I'd half expected her to announce that she wasn't going to stay with me anymore.I exhaled deeply as I pulled out the day old cooked rice from the fridge and moved back to the kitchen.It'd been about three hours since I returned and although I could hear Maze moving around the room up the short flight of stairs–could practically smell the lavender musk of her scent—I left her alone.After two hours of work in my study,I'd decided to make some food.I paused mid-pouring the oil into the pan, “Damn,I should've talked to her earlier.”She'd probably think I was being
CHAPTER 35MAZIKEEN “Okay then.”Jordan's long fingers gripped mine, firmly as he led me towards the main entrance of the academy,his strides confident and purposeful.The urge to scrape my fingers down his back—was almost unbearable—holding his hand wasn't enough and the sight of the dark green knit sweater stretched across his muscled back, wasn't helping matters.God,he looked so good. His hair wonderfully tousled and styled,and he smelled sooo good,a warm,earthy citrusy smell that felt like a soothing caress.I felt the gold band of the ring on his index finger as he squeezed my fingers reassuringly and my gaze fell to the subtle stretch of his jeans,fitted perfectly around his waist.Perhaps I was a vain woman but I really, really liked how Jordan Black looked in his jeans…in all his clothes.‘You like how he looks without them too,’ a tiny voice whispered and I chewed on my bottom lip as images of that first night flashed through my mind,how he felt und
CHAPTER 34 JORDAN “Are you alright?”Maze chuckled but it sounded nothing like her usual ones. “I'm fine..I’m just…nervous about meeting your sister, that's all.”I shot her a look, trying to keep my apprehension hidden.Had I done something wrong?Did she no longer want to stay with me? Did she miss that bloody bastard?I swallowed, slowing down as the taillight of the car in front flashed.She'd been a bit too quiet since after the day I brought Linda and the brother to see her.And although we still kissed and cuddled a lot,we never did anything else and I never initiated anything because I could sense her anxietyIt was in the way she looked at me whenever she thought I wasn't paying attention,the way she held me in her sleep,like she was afraid I'd suddenly disappear when she woke up.It was in the way she had a delayed reaction to everything I said or did.Something was definitely worrying her,and it automatically became a burden to me.“You sure it's
CHAPTER 33.MAZIKEEN “I'm no psychologist,” Lin started, “but I can definitely say that there's absolutely nothing wrong with you for not thinking about your abuser.”I adjusted, “perhaps it's time for me to see a therapist.” “I agree,” Linda muttered,a coy smile spreading over her face. “Mr. Black can definitely afford it.”“I'm sure he can,you know,he even asked to change my whole wardrobe.”“And let me guess,you said no?”I frowned, “Why'd I say no?”Lin chuckled, her eyes glowing with mischief. “You know some girls would’ve been like…nO I Don’T neEd yOuR mOnEY,I'm A BiG giRL.”My confusion deepened but I couldn't help but laugh at her impression.“But why reject something you need though?”Lin shrugged. “Pride? Ego? plot development?”“I'll never do that,” I said honestly, shaking my head. “What kind of girls do that?” “The ones in my books and movies,” she deadpanned,then laughed again.“What are you two laughing about?” Paul suddenly asked as
CHAPTER 32MAZIKEEN. I stayed home the next day too, lounging comfortably on Jordan's expensively furnished balcony.The soft ,L-shaped cushion was fast becoming one of my many favourite things about his penthouse,with its tufted backrest and light brown colour.I stretched lazily, ignoring the dull pain spreading through my still sore back,as I reached forward and picked up the bowl of diced fruits from the chrome coffee table, inhaling deeply and letting the peace settle deeply within me.There was a nagging feeling that I'd forgotten to do something like I intended,but I couldn't quite figure it out until my phone rang.I'd meant to check the time.A smile stretched over my face as I picked up the phone and saw who it was.“Lin!”“Maze!” She shrieked in response, her excitement palpable. “We're here!”I let out a confused giggle as I dropped the fruit bowl and adjusted one flap of my—well Jordan's robe,as I stood up.“What do you mean?”I heard the d
CHAPTER 31JORDAN “Graylin texted me.”My hands trembled with rage as I sieved the flour into the bowl.“Yeah? What did he say?”Maze shrugged, wiping off the counter before turning to face me.“He said he's sorry for hurting me,and that he has broken things off with Savannah and wants me to come back to him.”I swallowed painfully. “He was at the office earlier,I beat him up.”I don't know what I was expecting,but Maze's grin threw me off guard. “Good.”I smirked,pride rushing through me.“Why do you still have those clothes on?”Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “What? you'd prefer me without any?”My cheeks burned,which was a first…no woman had ever flustered me before.“I meant,why aren't you wearing any of the clothes you got today? They did arrive, didn't they?”She nodded, moving towards me at the large marble top table in the middle of the kitchen.“Your clothes are much freer which... is exactly what I need for my back,and…I love the way they
CHAPTER 30JORDAN “Sir?”I paused typing as I looked up at my assistant–Francis–an eyebrow raised in silent question.“There's some w...”“Let him in.”He hesitated, then shook his head. “It's a lady,and she says she's your fiancée.”“Tell her I'm not in,” I gritted out through and he nodded before exiting.Two minutes later,I sighed with frustration as the noise of the ruckus from the hallway reached me.I stood up and walked out,just as Arya burst into the office, followed hotly by a flustered Francis.“Enough.”They both instantly stopped moving, and Arya burst into tears as her blue eyes flicked to mine.I motioned for Francis to leave and the other man wasted no time in doing so.“What do you want?”Arya sniffed,but my expression remained the same. I'd tried to love her,or like her…but no matter what I did, I'd never felt a single spark of attraction towards her,not even an atom of what I felt from the first day I saw Maze.“Why do you keep avoiding me?”I
CHAPTER 29 JORDAN Maze was still curled up on her side when I emerged from the bathroom. And a soft smile spread over my face as my gaze lingered on her sleeping form for a moment, before I headed into the walk-in closet to get ready.I was still in awe of the events of the early morning,her willingness,her ecstasy…. I'd definitely be thinking about everything at the office…I don't even know how I managed to shave my face without any cuts as flashes of her face,her sounds,the feel of her warm,wet walls gripping me,kept recurring.I was knotting my tie when I walked out and stopped dead as I found the bed empty.Rushing towards the bathroom,I sighed with relief as I heard the tap turn on.Then I felt a bit stupid for my reaction,like where exactly would she go without proper clothing? The balcony?I leaned closer,and although I heard the sound of someone brushing their teeth,I still knocked.“Maze?”Silence.I slowly pushed the door open and nearly fell to my