Two

When faced with choices always choose the lesser evil.

A minute has passed and the conversation curved into an awkward silence. My voice was caught up somewhere and I was unable to form audible words. The guy not more than thirty with a godlike appearance bought himself a bride and he wasn't being cheap about it. He wasted a big sum of money on purchasing me and my body. The thought would have never crossed my head if not for the fact that I was the one who has been bought. I had no clue of his identity nor anything to do about him. However, he reeked of regal air, something that told me he could get any girl he wants with just a simple smile. And yet, he chose to go with a seemingly odd process.

"I'm a very discreet man. I'm sure my butler James told you about it. So, I've used my private plane to take us home. Feel free to do anything you want before we take our land. The pantry is over there," he said gesturing his hand to my left. "And if you need more, just use the bell on your side and James would beckon to your call," he added further.

"O-okay," I squeaked, my voice sounded like a trapped mouse. 

"I'll be taking my rest for now." I nodded and with a tap, on my head, Yulian made his leave.

Without his presence, my clogged breathing came back to normal. He was too intimidating; I didn't know how to react around him. My head couldn't stop imagining the ways he would use me, my fragile body. And for all who knew I was at his mercy-- a lowly slave of his bodily desires.

Unable to stop my overrunning mind, I headed to the pantry for something to do and maybe quiet down my crying stomach. The small nook was filled from top to bottom with different varieties of food. However, I wasn’t in the mood to cook, I decided to make an easy tuna sandwich. Heavy food would only make my stomach churn, I was actually too nervous for anything. 

I brought the snack back to my seat, looking outside the window made the thumping in my chest a bit at ease. Flying was something I enjoyed the most, it gives me a certain kind of bliss-- being able to go higher than the clouds. Free and powerful at the same time, the things I was greatly devoid of. 

"Do you need anything young miss?" I jumped to my feet at the sound of the voice. I snapped to my back in James' direction. "Do you feel comfortable enough? Tea maybe?" he questioned again.

I shook my head, flustered with his generosity, "I'm fine truly. I would call you if I'll be needing anything." I pointed to the bell beside me. "Thank you, James."

"I see, you're different then," he said turning his back to me and disappearing behind the dark curtains up ahead from my seat, the same way Yulian had gone.

A sigh escaped my lips, I rounded my eyes to the interior of the plane. Everything shouted money, from the plush carpets to the trinkets that artistically adorned the walls. And the high-end technologies that were laid in front of me-- laptop, iPod, kindle, and more that I couldn't give a name. If not for the scenery behind the windows, I would have thought I was inside a lush hotel and not flying to some remote island.

"Meow!" a soft meowing interrupted my thoughts. Huge orange and white tabby cat, came circling my feet. I picked up the furry creature then I started scratching behind its ears. Loving the feeling, the cat then purred in delight. It must have smelled the food I ate.

"You like it, huh? What is your name kitty?" I raised the fat cat in the air when it struggled and jumped down to the floor, scurrying away. "Wait up!" I run in the direction the cat took, parting the same curtain where James and Yulian went through. "Here kitty! Where have you gone...?"

"Meow..." as if to answer me, the cat meowed, its long orange tail slipped through an open door.

Not minding the repercussions of my action, I entered the room. It was poorly lighted, but as my eyes adjusted in the dark, I was able to see the touch of a man in it-- miniature cars lined up one side of the wall, and the other was occupied with a big portrait of the bareback of Yulian. I stepped furthermore, and the minty smell of aftershave hit my nostrils. A lump was hidden under the white covers of a four-poster bed.

"Meow..." The cat stopped to turn its head in my direction as if beckoning me. It gracefully danced on the dark blue carpet, waiting for my next move. 

I tiptoed, carefully aiming to grab the cat but it jumped on the bed. It began mewling while it rubbed its tiny head on the lump. The occupant of the big bed stirred, giving way to the angelic face of Yulian.

Afraid to get caught I grew cemented on my spot. My heart raced, trumpeting in my ears. Though, I couldn't get to divert my eyes away from the slightly open lips of my buyer. He was too perfect in that position and a tingling sensation traveled in my innards. I wanted to touch him, to feel the softness of his skin.

"Shh..." I ordered the cat as it once more rubbed its furry head to Yulian. "Stop it kitty!" I hissed adamantly.

The cat stopped, I wasted no time and I run to grab it. But the most unthinkable of things happened as if I was living inside a cliché movie. 

I tripped.

Gravity pulled me down, slumping my body on the bed, my face fell directly an inch away from the sleeping man. 

Yulian's eyes fluttered open. “What are you doing in my bed?" he asked amused more than annoyed.

Then he lifted me. It was so sudden that I almost didn't know how I get in the position. My whole body laid flat on the bed, both arms were raised over my head as Yulian's unclothed warm body pinned me down. His manhood touching my abdomen.

I gulped for air.

"Meow..."

"I w-was just f-following the c-cat," I managed to stammer out, careful not to cast my eyes further down, his hardness was making the scenario more awkward than it was already.

His face dropped to mine, the tip of our nose touching. "Don't surprise me, never again or I won't be able to restrain myself." He dipped a peck to my lips before he loosened the grip on my hands. He stood leaving me trembling on his bed. "Now, get out!" 

"I'm sorry!" I moved to my feet.

"Wait." He grabbed my arm, his free handheld my chin, tilting it to the side. "You taste good, Mi Eliza." He chuckled teasing my hyperventilating heart.

A tremble traveled to my spine. With another peck on my cheek, he finally let me go, chuckling even more.

My face was burning red, I run outside, my heart was still charging-- palpitating abnormally fast.

You got to be kidding me, he wouldn’t be my kryptonite.

......

After almost two more grueling hours of flying. We arrived at the most awaited destination, at Yulian's home. But, more likely his island. If all my geographic studies have paved off, it would be on the east side of the Pacific. A tiny island compared to those neighboring countries. Though, I wouldn't consider it small as Yulian's castle-like mansion near the edge of a cliff, was the only concrete standing in a whole lot of the greenery. 

As our plane hovered to the ground, the realization slowly sunk into me; I would be like a trapped animal. There was nowhere else to go, every corner of the island leads to the ocean. Unless I could swim for at least a week.

Softly guiding me on my left elbow, Yulian led me down the plane to a mesmerizing rose garden.

"My mom adores them. Red, pink, white, peach...Every color there off. Pretty aren't they?"

I nodded in response to Yulian, slightly shutting off my hanging mouth. There were no words equivalent to the beauty of the flowers. "They are lovely indeed," I said in a low voice, almost whispering to myself.

"Yes, but a beauty that deceives. Roses got thorns that could prick you with a single missed touch, it may seem alluring in our eyes but it could be dangerous." 

I looked up at Yulian as he spoke. His eyes were fixed on the garden, the roses that appeared to glow like priceless gems.

"Master Yulian?" a voice echoed on our backs. A girl with dark locks, deep-set brown eyes, wearing the same uniform as Alice-- a simple white dress with apron and headpiece-- approached us.

"Yes, Katerina? How may I help you?" Yulian asked the girl in a singsong voice.

"Your lawyer, Mr. Archibald is already waiting in your studies. He also made me promise to tell you that you are wasting his precious time and that you better get your frigging ass the moment you step foot in Crestwood," Katerina said in a stoic expression. "Ow, he said he'd leave after an hour and he said that an hour ago," she added furthermore before scurrying away.

"That bastard," Yulian cursed under his breath. "He better not..."

He grabbed my arm without permission, dragging me inside his house.

If the outside made my mouth hanging open. The inside pulled the soul out of my body, it wasn't something I have seen before. Not that I have been in a lot of houses but, it was like I had traveled through time-space and I was suddenly in the wrong era.

Metal armors adorned the long hallway; swords of different sizes and shapes were mounted to the walls of dark blue bricks; an assortment of canvasses was spewed everywhere; huge glinting chandeliers were hanged up above the tall ceiling. And, the burning scent of sage hit my nose, the same smell I imagined an old castle would be. It was a little girl’s dream coming to life.

"Here," Yulian said at once, stopping in front of a big red oak door. "Miguel!" he shouted, letting go of my hands to barge in what I supposed the study.

"Don't you know you are wasting every dollar I would earn by each second you are late!" shouted the nearly balding guy, very stout with bulging belly and the buttons of his olive-green polo wanted to burst open.

I ignored the lawyer; my eyes fell to the walls containing shelves filled with thousands of leather books. Excitement flew inside me that I didn't feel the tugging in my arm.

"Eliza?" I looked at Yulian. "You fancy books?" I simply nodded to affirm him. There was nothing I wanted to do but to hale the scent of the old books lined up on those shelves.

"Isn't she too young?" butted in Archibald. "But I could see why you picked her and then... I wonder where I could get myself one." He laughed, snorting like a pig.

"No nonsense. Let us talk about the contract." Yulian sounded impatient.

"Contract?" I somewhat found my voice to react. 

"You haven't told her?" asked the lawyer. 

"You are going to sign a contract, giving me permission to do as I want, as I please to your…body," explained Yulian.

"But...you already bought me, that big sum of money..."

"I had offered money, yes but it wasn't transferred to your bank yet...half of it though. I still need you to sign the contract before we continue."

"But what is it for?" I hugged my body feeling a gust of cold air.

"I don't want to force you into anything. It's for your own safety I am doing this."

"And what do you have in mind?"

Yulian inched his face closer to my right ear, his tongue almost touching my lobes, "More than you could imagine, Mi Eliza," he whispered intimately making the tiny hairs on my back stand.

My body shuddered, an invisible thunderstruck me, and electricity traveled through my spine making my legs unsteady. My grandfather would be mad seeing my sight, I had to control myself, or else I would succumb to darkness.