Chapter 04

Lina agreed.

          “One...”

“Two...”

          “Three!” the two counted together and closed their eyes when Maddie opened the box. They opened their eyes and, inside, a thin chain, with a small moon as a pendant, rested on the velvet.

          Maddie removed the jewelry and looked at it closely.

          “I think this is real gold…”

          Lina grabbed the box and turned it over in her hands. There was absolutely nothing there that could indicate who the sender and recipient of such a gift could be.

          Maddie saw that behind the moon, there was a small button. She squeezed it, but realized it was meant to be pulled. She did so and a small role appeared. She pulled it completely out.

          “Read. I don't have my glasses here...”

          Lina took the note and read it out loud.

          “Use this.”

          “And that’s it?” Maddie asked and took the note. Even though she couldn't read it very well, it was quite obvious that the message only had two words.

          “Apparently, yes. But... Who should use this?” Lina asked.

          “I have no idea. This is very weird. We should go to the police, that's it.” Maddie said.

          “Do you think it's Noah's thing? Or his girlfriend’s?” Lina inquired.

          “I don't know. This damn building doesn't have cameras... What do we do?” she asked and Lina shrugged.

          “I don't know. The only thing I know is that I need to do some homework, get some more sleep and go to work later.”

The two decided that this must really be some kind of joke played by Noah or Olivia. No one would dare do that to them, other than those two. The two women had no enemies.

          “Monday we can clarify this,” Maddie said and got ready to leave. She had to buy food and, choose some missing props for some costumes for the play.

          “Right. And I'm going to finish my work, study a little and go to sleep. I have the impression that tonight is going to be a hit.”

          Maddie blew Lina an air kiss and left. This one, in turn, did what she said she would do and went to sleep.

          Lina dreamed of a nice kiss, surrounded by voices and flashing lights. When she woke up, she was excited, but she was already at the last minute. She had to eat something, take a shower, and go to work.

          “I'm leaving!” she shouted to Maddie, who was in the shower.

          Lina locked the door after leaving and went to Gambini’s.

          The owner of the place was Agenore Gambini, and he was nervous. When he saw Lina coming, the man sighed in relief.

          “Finally... Lina, we have a VIP guest. You're our best, so... Please serve his table.”

          “Oh, okay ... I'll just change my clothes and I'll be right there.”

          He nodded and left in a hurry.

          Lina raised her eyebrows, thinking who could make Gambini be in that state he was in. His parents were Italian, he was short and didn't speak much of his people. It was probably someone he knew in the V.I.P. Lina knew that Gambini was fond of strange and powerful people, but she never bothered to find out who they were, exactly. ‘Ignorance is a bliss,” she always repeated to herself, in this type of situation.

          Lina took the tray and went towards the V.I.P. session. In fact, it was a mini room, where whoever was inside was separated from the rest of the ‘rabble’. Lina didn't have the patience to get ready much, so she just applied mascara to her eyelashes, tied a ponytail and applied nude lipstick to her lips. Tidy enough to not look sloppy, but not too tidy to the point of looking ‘available’.

          The room was dark when she entered. That client didn't want to be seen, from what she could deduce.    

          “Good evening, sir. May I serve you anything?”  she asked. Three people could be distinguished there, although it was not possible to actually see them.

          Two of them stood up, and when they came within range of the lamp, Lina froze. They were the two men from the day before! She made to turn around to leave, but they were quicker. One of them held her arm and the other stood between her and the door.

          “Let go of me!” she screamed. But the room was well insulated and, of course, unless the bar was super quiet, no one outside would hear her.

          The man ignored her and sat her down on the chair in front of the table.

          “Why aren't you wearing the pendant like I told you to?” That voice was not strange to Lina.

          “Who… Who are you? I'll call the police. You broke into my house!” She screamed and tried to get up, but the ‘bodyguard’ didn’t allow it. He pushed her down a little harder and she complained of pain.

          “Careful!” the voice of the obscured man spoke, through his teeth.

          “Yeah... Be careful!” She agreed mockingly, pulling her arm.

“You still haven't answered me...” the man seemed irritated.

          “I didn't even know if that was for me. Besides, I'm not going to take orders like that!”

          He let out a mocking laugh.

          “Are you sure?”

          The man stood up and walked around, stopping right behind her. The smell that invaded Lina's nostrils... Flashes of the nightclub returned with everything in her mind, and she turned around abruptly.

          “You!”

          She got up and this time no one stopped her. She looked at him. The man was even more handsome than she remembered. His brown hair was shiny, his facial features well designed, like that of a Greek God. And his eyes... They were pure lust.

          ‘Control yourself!’ Lina said to herself, in a reprimanding tone.

          “Did you think I would just forget about our deal?” He asked.

          “I was drunk... I don't even remember exactly what happened.” Lina said, nervously, but trying to seem indifferent. She remembered it very well, actually. How would she forget that kiss? Those strong arms and the musky scent?

          “You don’t even remember…?” he asked, mischievously and let out a low, seductive laugh. The man approached her, like a predator. Lina took a step back, and another, until she hit her butt on the table.

          He leaned over her, bringing his nose closer to Lina's neck. She had to hold herself back from moaning loudly. Her breathing was more than erratic and he knew what that meant. He could feel the heat emanating from Lina's body.

          “Then I think I need to refresh your memory.” He whispered and passed the tip of his tongue on the corner of her lips, making her take in air and held it, trying to avoid making any sound. He put his arm around her waist and lifted Lina, making her sit on the table.

          Instinctively, her legs opened, so she could balance herself, and he took the opportunity to stand right in the middle. Lina could feel the bulge in his pants and, although nervous, she couldn't deny that it was very exciting. She wanted more, no matter how crazy that sounded.

          He grabbed her hair with one hand, pulling it and lifting her head. The man was much taller than her. His mouth came down on Lina’s without much delicacy and she held on to his shoulders.

          That man's taste was perfect. She wanted more and more. Lina could feel his muscles under his shirt and, unable to hold back any longer, she moaned.

          “Yes, moan for me!” He ordered and Lina just nodded. He got closer, bringing his hips closer to her, and applied pressure, because he wanted her to feel how ready he was to take that further.

          “No...” She managed to say. The man frowned and pressed himself against Lina again. She moaned loudly but still shook her head.

          “I know you want it.”

          “I... No... I-can’t.” She said and stopped kissing him, turning her face away.

          He moved his torso away from her body to take a better look at her.

          “You're mine, until I decide I don’t want you anymore. Remember?” He asked.

          Lina's eyes opened at once. She stared at him in disbelief.

          “Are you seriously going to take that to heart? I was drunk!” She asked indignantly.

          “So, you shouldn't drink, if you're going to go around making promises and agreements that you won't be able to keep,” he snorted, still with one of his hands in her hair. “But I'm not one of those who accept excuses. You are mine, Lina. All mine.”

          She pushed him away with both hands on his chest. Not that she could actually make him flinch. He looked like a mountain: big and immovable.

          “Get away from me, now!” She ordered and he smiled sideways.

          “No can do.”

          “What do you want, to undo this?” She asked, irritated. He was hot and, if Lina were a little weaker, she would let him devirginize her right then and there. He was, physically, exactly how she had always dreamed the man of her dreams would be. But she wasn't stupid. “Say it and I…”

          “Another promise you won't be able to keep?”  he laughed. “Don’t take me for an idiot. I don’t trust you.”

          Lina cursed her poorly chosen words. It was obvious that he wouldn't want to make deals with her like that.

          “Right. I just need some time. I don’t know you!”

          “You don't need to know me to fuck with me. You already kissed me, without knowing me,” he clarified, shrugging his shoulders.

          Lina let out an awkward laugh.

          “I'm not going to fuck you, Mr...?” She looked like she was waiting for him to say his name, but he didn't. He continued staring at her.

          “Wasn't that what you wanted, from the beginning, when you offered me anything?”  He asked, frowning, showing genuine doubt.

          “Are you crazy?! I just wanted to show my asshole of an ex that I wasn't as ‘unsexy’ as he said I was!”

He knew she said she just wanted a kiss, but even though she didn't look like the ‘sluts’ who approached him normally, he doubted she didn't want to have sex.

          “I hate women who likes to play hard to get...” he warned her. Yes. He hated it. Some pretended they didn't want to fuck at first, in a failed attempt to seem like they were worth more than they really were. But with him, it was always a one-time thing.

          ‘Did she mention an ex?’, he asked himself, realizing she was not trying to seduce him, but she just used him!

          “I’m not playing hard to get! I'm just clarifying that I'm not going to fuck you,” she blushed when she said that word. “You're not special enough for that.”

          She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him defiantly.

          “Are you telling me that you really used me to make your ex-boyfriend jealous?” he asked, his voice low but threatening. He held her hair a little tighter.

          “Ouch! The intention wasn't to make you feel used, but ... Technically, yeah. I told you I wanted a kiss...”

          He released her, irritably, turning his back to her and running a hand through his hair. He, Vincenzo Bonaccorso, had been used by a young girl to make her ridiculous ex-boyfriend jealous. Anger was bubbling inside him.

          “Get lost,” he said it quietly, but it was a clear order.

          “I’m sorry?” She asked, thinking she had heard it wrong because he spoke softly and through his teeth.

          “GET.THE.FUCK.OUT.OF.HERE!” This time he shouted, and she swallowed hard. One could feel his anger from afar. Lina got off the table, picked up her tray and left the room, without looking back.