After I talked to Tamara, I went to the dining room to have dinner, which was a tiny piece of salmon and unseasoned asparagus. When I got back to my room, Charlotte’s stuff was already gone. I stared at her empty bed for a while. The loss of her friendship affected me more than I would have ever guessed. Usually, I didn’t let people in enough, especially when I was on a mission, but somehow, Charlotte, Alice, and especially Dante had gotten past all my walls and made me care for them. It scared me to realize that I was letting people in without making the conscious decision to do so. I grabbed onto the aquamarine gemstone that Tamara, thankfully, had given back to me. I really hoped Dante wouldn't discard me as easily as Charlotte did. But he didn’t come the next day. Or the next one. I knew it wasn’t a big deal, especially because it was during the week and sponsors usually only visited during the weekend, but my anxiety grew with each passing day. I was
Dante led me over to the couch and put his arm around me. It reminded me of the last time I broke down in front of him, which was, embarrassingly, not that long ago. However, like last time, he let me cry it out. When I was finished, he raised my chin and stared into my eyes. He traced my eyebrow. “When you’re upset, your eyebrows turn pink. It’s one of the many adorable things about you,” Dante whispered. “Now, would you like to tell me what’s bothering you?” I nodded. Then, I told him what I learned about Sara. He listened without interrupting. At first, his expression was concerned, but after I explained how corrupt the governor was, he looked increasingly angry. “That asshole,” Dante exclaimed. He looked down at me and his expression switched to concern again. “I’m sorry, Gabrielle. I’m sorry you found out like that.” Dante pulled me into the circle of his arms and pressed me against his hard body. We sat in silence and it was exactly what I needed. He
“Guess what the theme for tonight’s party is?” Alice asked me excitedly. We were in our room getting ready for the day. I admired how Alice didn’t seem like she was getting sick of all the parties The Golden Hive put on. I, on the other hand, was sick of dressing up and pretending like I enjoyed talking to the rich and mostly old men. But that was Alice’s forte, that was when she found out most of her information. “Hmm, all the men are farmers and we’re barn animals because they think they own us?” I replied sarcastically as I put my hair up in a high ponytail. “No, stop being silly,” Alice said, and rolled her eyes. “If you’re not going to play along with my guessing game, I’ll just tell you. It’s casino night!” she cheered. The joy was evident in her face. “How cool is that?” I sprayed myself with a little perfume. “Well, it’s not like they will let us have any fun anyway. We just have to watch the men have fun,” I noted glumly. Alice shook h
His presence only made me pause for a moment, but I recovered quickly. “Oh, hello, Bernard. I didn’t know that you were the one requesting my company,” I noted with a smile. I closed the door, even though what I really wanted to do was lock him inside this room to ensure he couldn’t hurt anyone else. I wished I could lock him inside this room forever. I went to sit by him on the couch. Bernard was sitting there with his legs crossed and a drink in his hand. He had a pleasant smile on his wrinkled face, a black suit on, and his white hair slicked back. “Good evening, Gabrielle. I was wondering if you would like to have a drink with me before casino night?” Bernard asked, and pointed to a glass that was sweating on the table. I picked it up, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to swallow any of that. He could have laced it with roofies. I put the drink to my mouth and pretended to sip it, but I kept my lips firmly closed. “Thank you, Bernard. That is very
I never got a chance to tell Dante about Bernard’s cryptic warning. He had to leave soon after our kiss and I left the party because I wasn’t in the mood for it. I got ready for bed and just as I was about to turn off the light, Alice walked in. She shut the door and sat on her bed, not even bothering to take her heels off. “What’s wrong? I could tell from your expression down there that something happened,” Alice said, her brown eyes on mine. For a moment, I was stunned that she and Dante knew me so well to realize that something was wrong. “Bernard knows something’s up,” I told her flatly. I didn’t want to beat around the bush, preferring to just get it out there. Alice’s eyes widened in fear. “What? How do you know? Did he tell you?” Alice asked, placing her hands on her knees and leaning forward. “Not in so many words…and I don’t think he knows everything, but he’s suspicious of Dante and me,” I explained. “The only thing I can think of is that Valerie
I walked into the room because the door was open. For a moment, I studied him and the feeling of the room. Bernard had chosen one of the few private rooms without a bed in it. The curtains in front of the window were open and the sunlight was streaming into the room. He was sitting with his legs crossed and reading a newspaper at a nicely set table that had a white tablecloth on it. There was a small buffet of food, with plates filled with french fries, bite-sized burgers, mac and cheese, sliced watermelon, and pineapple. Even though I was nervous, my mouth began to water automatically. Bernard saw me eyeing the food. “Good afternoon, Gabrielle,” Bernard began warmly. I studied his eyes, there was no evil glint in them right now. “Please, sit down and help yourself to anything.” He pointed to the small feast. I did as he instructed. I loaded my plate with all the food, already anticipating the wonderful taste of everything. Just before I took my first bite thoug
“Alright, let’s see here. Who has a date tonight… Oh, yes. Gabrielle,” Valerie said and looked up at me. “You’re the only one with a date tonight. Dante will meet in your usual room at eight.” My stomach dropped. Usually, I was so happy to have a date scheduled with Dante. But my lunch with Bernard was only yesterday and I was trying to keep my distance from Dante. Valerie was staring at me with an expectant expression. Should I refuse the date? Technically, we were allowed to do that, but I heard that was very frowned upon. Would refusing the date make me look even more guilty? Ugh, I was developing a headache from overthinking. “Okay, sounds good,” I told Valerie. There, short and sweet. I just needed to act normal. Everything would be fine. After breakfast, I went into my room and shut the door. Alice and Tamara were there. We had helped Tamara move her things into the room the other day, but I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Tamara alone since she moved
“I need you. Now,” I whispered to him, and pressed myself against him again. Instead of answering me, Dante stood up and carried me over to the bed. I wrapped my legs around him and continued to kiss his neck. “Gabrielle, whatever has gotten into you, I hope it stays around,” he replied, then gently laid me on the bed. “Take your shirt off,” I demanded. He grinned and followed my orders. Damn, I’d never get tired of looking at his stomach. It was one of the best parts about him. Along with his face, his arms, and his…Dante pulled his pants and boxers down. I stared at his hard erection. “Come here,” I said in a husky voice. Dante crawled onto the bed. We continued kissing passionately. His hand worked its way under my dress and pinched my nipple. I bucked my hips and moaned in pleasure. After he played with my boobs for a while, I was already close to coming. “Please, Dante.” “Please what, baby?” he asked, chuckling amusedly.