Chapter 6 - Trespassing Her Chamber

“Com’n, tell me where you’re staying now.”

Amanda heard Noman whine through the earpiece. She was comfortably lying belly down in front of the laptop screen while the Skype app was turned on. The first thing she did after leaving the dining hall was for her to get in touch with her bestfriend as was agreed. She needed someone to talk to, needed an outlet to vent out her frustration on the turn of events and he was the perfect person for it.

“I can’t, ” she shook her head. “You know I can’t. The Chief briefed me not to.”

“Ugh, at least open your video feed so that I’ll see you’re not in some shady house.”

Amanda watched her friend make a puppy face through the video screen. This was one of Noman’s backup card in order to make someone do his bidding. Apparently, it was working with her.

She smiled and contemplated for a moment.

“Okay, I’ll put myself on live, but don’t you scream.”

She reached for her mouse and clicked on the live button. The moment the screen opened, Noman’s eyes turned wide.

“Oh shit! Oh my God! Are you serious? You are in—”

“Yes, ” Amanda immediately cut in and rolled her eyes. “Now keep your mouth shut especially to Matteo. Don’t tell him this or I’ll be in trouble.”

Noman saluted at her. “Noted boss, but really, how are you faring there? Have you seen...” he paused and wiggled his brows, “Him?”

By him, Noman meant the Vitalis Master.

But the hell? Why did he immediately jump to that topic?

Amanda huffed. She pushed herself up and changed her position to a squatting.

“Yes, I dined with him tonight, ” she answered just as she righted her nightwear of an oversized t-shirt. Under it, she only wore another pantyshort.

“Where? In his bedroom?” Noman grinned, sending a different kind of meaning to the word ‘dine’.

Amanda somehow understood this. “Dom! You’re crazy you know that!” she shouted.

“Uh huh, I know already, ” he admitted without delay. “Now, tell me the juice.”

Amanda sighed, drew up her right knee and rested her chin against it. “We just talked about normal stuff, but mostly it was a silent and awkward dinner.”

“Pshhh, sounds like him alright, but you’re not giving me all. Com’n, give me more details.”

“Nothing really Dom, but there was one time he acted all of a sudden different.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like weirdo different.” Amanda bit her lip. “Well, yeah, he is already a weirdo but there’s something different about him. I can’t put my finger on it.”

In response, Noman rolled his eyes. “Darling, he has a wild animal for a pet, that is already one finger. You want me to enumerate four more?”

Amanda knitted her brows. “I’m not pertaining to the visible things. I’m pertaining to those that I can feel. His aura, it is so dark.”

Noman gasped and covered his mouth.

“Oh God, I almost forgot you have this psychic thingy in you.”

“Psychic thingy huh?” She chuckled. “You better learn the right words Dom.”

“Well, all I can say is that be careful there.” He raked a hand through his hair. “If you think he is bad news for you, then avoid him. Though, it would be awfully a waste not to taste that delicious ass of his.”

Amanda crossed her arms over her chest. “Dom, I’d gladly change positions with you.”

“How I wish sistah, how I wish, ” he mused. “But I am not fit to be chased by mobsters and whatnot. At least you get to stay in that castle like a princess right? Enjoy your time there. Don’t feel pressured about the murder case. Everything will come out fine in the end.”

“Oh Dom, you are the best ever friend anyone can have, ” Amanda sighed again.

“And you’re damn lucky to have me.” He smugly smiled at her. “By the way, what happened between you and Matteo on top the rock peak this morning? I noticed you were silent the whole time when you came down and it seemed Matt was too.”

Amanda went silent for a moment. Her eyes fell on the partially opened balcony of her room and the way the white gossamer curtain swayed together with the cool breeze. It gave her enough time to replay the moment they had together in that summit, the kiss specifically, and Noman was kind enough to wait for a reply.

“We kissed, ” she then informed after a minute.

Noman just shrug his shoulders and released a relaxed breath.

“Mmhh, I thought so, and how was it? What did you feel?”

Amanda, before answering, changed positions again. She lay sideways, bringing her legs together and placed her right hand under her head to support her weight. Her face was still clear in the video screen, an advantage for Noman because he could see the sad expression as she confessed to him.

“I felt some little sparks Dom. Little, stomach-floating sparks, but that was it. It died out the moment we withdrew. It didn’t linger. It didn’t stay in my heart at all.”

On the video screen, Noman’s shoulders dropped.

“Well that ain’t good news for Mr. Vice President.”

“I know, ” Amanda whispered. “He has been doing his best to woo me.”

“You are just such a hard-to-get lady, Cait. Any chance you’d change your mind about having relationships? Maybe if you do that, you’ll be more open to the advances of men.”

“I can’t, ” she shook her head. “It’s better that I don’t. You know that already Dom.”

“I know. That’s why I feel sorry for Matteo.”

And right on cue, Amanda’s cellphone placed right beside the laptop rang and vibrated. Matteo’s name instantly popped out of the phone screen.

“Oh no, ” she uttered.

“What?” Noman straightened from his seat and scrutinized her space through the feed.

“Speaking of him, he is calling me now, ” she informed, bringing the cellphone in front of the monitor for him to see.

The latter twisted his lips together. “Well, good luck to you on that! Answer him now Cait. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Great way of cheering me buddy, ” she muttered and sighed.

Noman pressed his palms against his mouth and blew invisible kisses on the monitor.

“Flying kisses! Mwahhh! Bye!”

And his Skype activity turned off.

Amanda grinned and then stood up from the bed before pressing the answer button.

“Hey Matt, good evening, you’re not sleeping yet?” she said after she leaned against the glass French door of the balcony.

“Yeah, I kept thinking about you, ” the other line replied. “What are you doing now?”

“I just finished talking to Noman.”

“Is he in some shit again?”

“No, ” she answered, smiling slightly.

But I am.

“He just wants to chat Matt. You know how he is.”

“Ah, I see. Well, anyway, I’ll pick you up tomorrow? I told the Company driver already to take the day-off and take a tour around the area.”

This made Amanda squeeze her eyes shut and inhale silently.

“Uh, about that. Remember about the witness protection program Chief Moretti said?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

“I am already in it right now. She relocated me to a safe house this evening.”

“A safe house? Where?” Matteo’s voice, a decibel higher, instantly sounded worried.

“Eh, that’s the thing, ” Amanda bit her lip. “It’s confidential. She said it is for my safety.”

She thought he’d react rather negatively about it, but then she was surprised when she was met with only silence and then a simple reply after a minute.

“I see. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

“Please don’t mention this to my step-father. He might freak out.”

She heard a dark chuckle from Matteo then.

“Don’t worry. I won’t.”

“Thank’s Matt. I owe you a lot.”

“Don’t mention it. You are my responsibility while we are in this country after all. Mr. O’Malley is going to sue my culo if he finds out about your current situation now.”

“Yeah, geez, ” she exhaled deeply and stepped backward to close the glass door.

“Hey Cait, about this morning, I...”

“Oh shit!” Amanda cursed loudly. She was all ears to what he was about to say, but unintentionally cut him off when she saw an unexpected guest inside her bedroom by the time she turned around.

“Wh-what? What happened Cait?” Matteo, with his deeply concerned voice, asked.

Amanda sucked in a breath and blinked many times. She could not believe that the Master’s pet was already lying comfortably in her bed.

“No-nothing. There’s just a big cat that decided to enter my room, ” she stated.

If anything, she would have felt afraid then, but remembering how the beast eagerly jumped into her days ago, she realized she didn’t need to feel frightened at all. Despite its looks, the animal was damn a friendly one.

“A big cat?” Matteo echoed, sounding confused. “You are not afraid of cats.”

“Yeah, well, uhm, I got to go.” She moved to her bed and climbed on it with her free hand stretched over to the panther’s forehead. “I need to shoe this cat out of my bed. Let’s keep in touch Matt!”

“Wait, Cait!”

“Bye!”

And she hung up.

She tossed the cellphone in her head pillows and released a deep sigh.

“Oh God, you just saved me boy, but why are you here?” Amanda rubbed the panther’s chin and looked sideways, front and back and almost all of the corners of her bedroom for good measure. “Is-is your Master with you?”

The animal only silently closed its eyes, giving Amanda no answer at all.

She, in return, frowned. “You mean you snuck out all by yourself?”

Still there was no answer.

“Ah, good. That’s better actually.” Amanda continued to rub its chin. “I don’t think I’ll be able to compose myself if he is here after that little argument of ours at dinner.”

The panther opened its eyes and drew its head down to her lap. He purred and made a mewling, delighted sound.

This made Amanda giggle.

“You know, unlike your Master, you act contrary to the way you look. You are such a softie Mr. Panther.”

“His name is Bagheera.”

Oh sweet mother of!

Amanda quickly looked up, her heartbeat shooting like rockets in the sky as she heard Cord’s voice.

Good Lord. He is here!

He let himself in again and this time, he was standing a lot closer to the bed than he had been the last time he visited.

But how? How again was he able to enter without her noticing? Was she too engrossed with petting the animal that she didn’t see? Or was he really this sick, skillful stalker ready to pounce on her more than his pet would?

Amanda attempted a respiratory pause. Deep breath. In and out. Shit.

She felt inappropriately dressed for a moment.

“Bag-Bagheera huh, ” she spoke and acted natural by continuing to pet the still-relaxing animal. “Like the movie, The Jungle Book?”

“Yes, equivalent to that, ” Cord answered with ease as if he wasn’t aware of the surprise registered in the woman’s face. It amused him because instead of her demanding the reason for his abrupt presence, she just went with the topic at hand.

Amanda refrained from looking back at him. “I don’t see you as a children’s movie-type-of-guy Mister Vitalis. Especially that you just trespassed in my room once again like a ghost moving undetected.”

“I am not a children’s movie-type-of-guy, ” Cord cleared. “It so happens that I fancy the name when I adopted that traitor of a beast.”

“Traitor?” Amanda lifted a brow.

“Yes, traitor, ” Cord answered with less acid than he expected he would spat. “I don’t like it when that animal sneaked from me to be with you. That’s why I’m here, to get him back.”

Amanda, to her dismay, couldn’t subdue a giggle. She quickly cleared her throat and breathed deeply. “Hush, he isn’t a traitor.” She ran a palm on the beast’s shiny fur. “He is just a friendly animal.”

Cord carved a small smile in response. “Huh, you should see his treatment with the others who live here.”

Amanda raised her head and furrowed her brows. She looked at him straight without any reservation and said, changing the subject, “You know, sometimes when you suddenly appear, it makes me think that you are not blind at all. It makes me think that you are wearing that blindfold for other purposes.”

“Other purposes?” he echoed, amused.

“You know like, uhm, kinky stuff.”

She wasn’t sure why she opened that up, but hell, it was already too late to backpedal now. Thanks to Noman and his adult-content stories, she just sputtered a nonsense word that she wasn’t supposed to mention to this kind of man.

Cord in reaction inched forward and stopped just a few feet away from the edge of the bed. He towered her. She felt like a dwarf in front of him.

“Do tell, Amanda. Explain about this...kinky stuff you talk about.” His voice turned darker, deeper, huskier and Amanda felt a sudden chill hearing it.

“You’re-you’re crazy, ” she commented, slightly out of breath. She was supposed to be immune to this kind of attack on the senses. She made sure of it. But why now? With him?

Cord somehow took her word to heart. “Oh, believe me Amanda, crazy isn’t a suffice adjective to define me.”

Amanda stole a deep breath and straightened her back. “Uhm, maybe you should go now Bagheera.” She moved her lap and pushed the animal’s head up. “Your Master needs his beauty sleep.”

Cord chuckled lightly and fuck, it made Amanda’s heart jump out of her chest. That’s a melodious tune!

She looked at him and he looked at her, or at least that’s what it looked like with him still in that damn blindfold.

There was a magnetic pull. That’s what she felt and so did he. As if a strong chain bound them.

Though to other women, it would have been a good romantic sign and a call for happiness, but to Amanda, hell, she hated it. Really hated it. She didn’t like for men to come into her life. It meant trouble for her. Meant heartbreak. Exactly just like what her mother experienced towards her biological father.

The panther climbed down the bed and as soon as it did that, Cord turned around to leave, cutting their little, heavenly moment.

“Have a pleasant sleep, ” he said and nothing more.

“Same to you, ” Amanda answered, hiding an uninvited blush by dipping her head towards the floor.

When he was about to cross the threshold, Amanda looked up and stared at his wide back, making holes there if it was even possible.  To her shock, she realized he wasn’t even using a cane amidst in his fragile state.

Weird. Now, her suspicion of him not blind doubled.

She heard the main door shut hinting the two trespassers full exit of the room. With a sigh of relief, she raced to close her bedroom door. She wasn’t going to take chances now and risk another trespasser especially with her just in a nightwear.

She turned the lights off, crossed the room, pulled the laptop plug out and dropped onto the mattress leaving a soft light from the lampshade in her bedside table.

“Cord Vitalis....” she whispered, closing her eyes. “Who are you?”

That night, Amanda dreamed of the color red, of an amethyst pendant, and of pins and needles pricking her skin.

On her neck specifically.