The Innocent Troublemaker

7 years ago

Zane sat with John in his room, indulged in alcohol and a game of chess. "How can you trust a person you just picked off the streets?" John asked, his tone careful yet concerned. "She doesn't even have a name-"

"This is exactly why I can trust her," said Zane, smirking. He wasn't so naïve to trust a stranger without first evaluating all the possibilities. He had done his homework on her, and he knew why she was a solid candidate for the position he was searching for.

"She’s been abandoned, left to fend for herself, with no name to call her own. When I found her, she was desperate, clinging to survival. But you don’t see what I see—she’s more than a lost soul. She’s a weapon—razor-sharp, lethal, and untamed. I’d drape her in luxury, give her everything she could ever need or want, but it wouldn’t come freely. Her loyalty," he leaned back with a smirk, "would belong to me."

Zane moved his queen across the board, capturing John’s king with a decisive checkmate. His smile widened. "Like a queen on the chessboard, fierce and unrelenting, she would do whatever it takes to protect her king."

"Excuse me, Mr. J-," a voice said, followed by a tap on the door, interrupting their conversation.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" Zane asked, his gaze narrowing at the brunette standing in the doorway, clad in a silk nightgown. Her peach lips parted, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of him.

"I—" She hesitated, biting her lip, her gaze quickly dropping to the floor. Her hands moved behind her back, clearly hiding something.

Zane's sharp eyes caught the movement instantly. "You're hiding something," he accused, rising from the couch and stepping toward her.

"No—" she stammered, taking a step back, but her retreat only piqued his curiosity.

He paused, sniffing the air, his brows furrowing. "Wait," he said, blinking in surprise. "Is that my cologne?"

Her silence was all the confirmation he needed.

"You went into my room?" His voice held a scolding edge, but she met his gaze without flinching, looking up at him like a lost puppy.

What had possessed him to take in a thief? The thought crossed his mind, and for a moment, he regretted his decision. Yet, the irony of it all made him chuckle inwardly. After all, he wasn’t so different from her—not in his past.

"I read on the label, the perfume is unisex," she pouted.

"You dare not touch my belongings ever again, you get that?" He shouted at her, earning a meek nod from her.

"Does this imply I'm not permitted to touch myself either?" She exclaimed after a short contemplative pause. "Since you declared I was yours now-"

His jaw tightened, his patience wearing thin. Was she truly this clueless, or did she take some twisted pleasure in testing his limits? He couldn’t tell.

Zane liked when women wore his cologne—it stirred something primal in him—but when she brought up touching herself, it sent his thoughts spiraling down an entirely different path. His already hazy mind darkened with images of her, tempting and vulnerable, and of his hands roaming over her in ways that were anything but innocent.

He clenched his fists, trying to will away the sinful thoughts that threatened to unravel his self-control. Damn her, he thought bitterly. Damn her for getting under my skin like this.

"What’s that behind your back?" Zane grumbled, trying to suppress the thoughts raging in his mind. "Show me what else you took—" His voice took on a harsher edge as he trapped her against the wall, his hand reaching behind her to snatch whatever she was hiding.

Her breath hitched, the fear of being caught evident in the way her chest rose and fell, a sight that only worsened his internal struggle. He could feel the warmth of her body, the soft curve of her waist as his hands slid lower, then higher, struggling to wrestle the object from her grasp.

Moreover, the object she had been hiding didn’t help Zane in the slightest—it only made the storm of unholy thoughts raging in his mind even worse.

"What are you doing with—" he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening in disbelief as he recognized the object in her hands. His brow furrowed, and he let out a sharp breath. "Is that a… vibrator?"

Her innocent gaze shifted between the device and him, completely oblivious to his reaction. "I found it in your dresser," she said casually, scratching the back of her neck. "There were so many—different shapes and sizes—but this one caught my attention. I like the color black, but… I don’t know what it’s used for."

Zane blinked, unsure whether to laugh or be completely flabbergasted. "You don’t know what it is?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face, showing his teeth. He shook his head in disbelief, a low chuckle escaping his throat. Is she seriously this clueless? Her wide-eyed naivety sparked something in him—an unexplainable mix of intrigue and frustration.

"No," she said, shaking her head earnestly. "That’s why I came to ask Mr. John—"

"Mr. John!" Zane burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as if she’d just told the funniest joke in the world. His laugh echoed through the room, uncontrollable and gleeful. He clapped his hands together, struggling to catch his breath. "Oh, please—Mr. John—do enlighten the lady what that equipment is used for!"

"But I-" John choked on his spit, his wide eyes pleading with his boss not to leave him alone with the girl as he watched him walk out of his room, still laughing.

"Tell me," she wiggled her brows at John, but the man was too flustered to even stand in front of her.

"Th-th-a that's a sex toy," he stuttered, his ears and cheeks flaming while he kept his distance from the lady.

"A sex toy?" Her eyes popped out of shock. "But how do we play with that?"

John’s jaw dropped slightly before he quickly snapped it shut, shaking his head as if to clear the mental image her words had painted. "It’s getting late, and I really need to sleep," he blurted out. "Why don’t you, uh, go ask the boss instead?"

He all but shoved her out the door, quickly slamming it shut with a sigh of relief.

"What?" Zane smirked as he felt a presence at his door. "Didn't Mr. John explain to you what it is?"

"He did," she replied reluctantly as she entered the room, only to be greeted by a shirtless Zane in his sweatpants.

She swallowed a lump, taking in his toned muscles as he stood from his study table, closing the book he was reading.

"So, why else are you here? Do you want me to show you how to use it?" He smirked as he noticed how her eyes were hooked on his abs.

"N-n-no," she stuttered, looking away. "I came to return it." He snickered, accepting the object.

He watched as she turned around to finally leave but something stopped her.

"What do you use these for?" Her question amused him. She for sure was dumb, but what if she was not.

"To stimulate the women I f*ck," he answered flatly. "What brings you to this question?"

"Are you going to use them on me as well?" She questioned him again, this time looking him in the eyes.

"Would you like me to?" He questioned back, maintaining eye contact as he walked closer to her. She was certainly trying hard to end up on his bed, he thought.

"No," she blinked, her nervous eyes moving from left to right. "That's not what I meant. I just wanted to know if I-" She bit her lower lip before swallowing her fears. "Why did you bring me all the way to Seoul?"

"If you're afraid, I've brought you here to sleep with you," he answered, his eyes still fixed on her but his expressions unreadable. "Then rest assured. I have more than enough ladies around me to do the job."

"Then why-" she began, only to be cut off by him.

"Because it's not your body I'm interested in," he said, as his feet ceased a few inches away from her. "I'd want to buy your loyalty."

"I'm giving you branded clothing, a huge house, and every luxury you could possibly want. But all I ask in return is that you devote your life and loyalty to me."

"See me as your god," he whispered into her ears. "I give you complete freedom in your everyday life. You'll have my money, and you're free to do anything you want with it. Go to clubs and drink as much as you want. I won't mind if you f*ck as many guys as you like, even my henchman Jonathan, if you want him. But-"

"Never forget who you serve," he emphasized, his brow furrowed. "You must be prepared to lose your life if it is necessary to protect me."

She listened calmly, reflecting on the contrast between her past and present lives. How she had to steal every day just to survive, and how she had to defend herself from the predatory gaze of men with rapist tendencies.

Zane was ready to spoil her with money and comforts, and he hesitated to engage in sexual relations with her. What could be more enticing than this deal? He thought.

"If that's all you want," she replied, a faint smile on her lips. "I'd gladly give my life to serve you, Mr. Kang. This is the least I could do in return for your hospitality."

"And please," he added, as the fragrance of his cologne on her bothered him. "Please do not wear my perfume again. Otherwise, I'll end up f*cking your senses out."

"But you just said you're not interested in-" he cut her off with a finger on her lips. A shudder ran down his spine as he admired how silky her lips felt on his fingertips, and he couldn't help but wonder how they would feel pressed against his own.

"If you want to sleep with me that desperately, just say so," he gulped, before hissing into her ears, his bare chest brushing against her defensive hands as she attempted to keep him out of her personal space. "You don't have to play dumb for it."

"But I'm not playing dumb I-" She attempted to defend herself, but it was too vain. He was not at all willing to listen to her explanations; she had already pushed his buttons too far, and he was not used to it. No one ever has worn his scent and got to walk out of his room, just like that. How could he let her?

He was nonetheless arguing over it with himself, whether he should or not make this move. He did not bring her to have sex with her. She wasn't supposed to be one of his whores or even hookups; he regarded her as someone superior. 

For in her, he saw a reflection of his own former self. The naive yet fearless guy with no limits to his capabilities, who once was a thief. Look how far had he come.

His lips, though, betrayed him. The scent of his cologne on her was as if enchanting, the more of it he inhaled, the more it made his mind hazy. Hazy with desire and lust. And he crashed his lips on hers, his firm arms drawing her closer to him by snaking around her waist, their hearts hammering in tandem, but before she could process it or kiss him back, he jerked away with a groan.

His determination was considerably more powerful than his lust.

"I do not wish to make you my whore," he growled, their lips just one inch apart as he stared at her. "You'd better not push my buttons again."

"And I do not wish for the luxuries and freedom you're offering me," she replied, staring the man in the eyes. "You can't spoil me since I'm not drawn to your wealth."

"What else do you want then?" He scoffed, pushing his hair back in frustration. "My position?"

"No," she replied, blank faced.

She can’t be serious. He thought.