Chapter 111 ALLESIA ~~~~~~ I held my pose, the fur coat barely clinging to my shoulders as the photographer clicked away, giving me directions I barely heard. My mind was elsewhere, lost in a whirlwind of emotions. It’s been three days since I left Spines Square and since then, there has been a series of shoots after the other, just enough work to keep my thoughts away from unnecessary things— and people. Nolan leaned closer, his hand resting on my waist, "Feeling good?" I nodded mechanically, offering him a weak smile which the camera didn't miss, "Just tired,” I murmured as I held his chin in a sexy pose, “Can we take a break after this?” “Sure,” he signaled to Reuben. "Take five, everyone!" The photographer called out. I took the opportunity to step away from Nolan's touch, needing a moment to collect myself. On set, Nolan had a way of working my expressions and reactions into perfect, photogenic qualities that kept his fans begging for more. But sometimes his touchine
Chapter 112 RUSSEL ~~~°~~~ She agreed! I pulled her to myself and gently brushed my lips against hers, then I drew back slowly, searching her eyes for something– maybe a permission or a fire that would match the hunger that was blazing through me. It was there, and she didn't only nod her response, she drew me in and brushed her lips against mine too, inviting me in. I didn't want to make the same mistake I made in Spines Square. Our short, fiery kiss in the library was purely out of my pent-up desire and the sexual frustration I had held up for weeks. Seeing her again had ignited that fire, clouding my senses for a minute. Right now, kissing her like this, it felt totally new to me, like it was our first time and I wanted to make it special. I had to remind myself that she was mine, my girl, no longer just another girl. God, I fucking love her! And even though she didn’t say it back, just knowing that she chose to be with me despite all my flaws was enough. As our tongue
Chapter 113 ALLESIA ~~~~~ I stirred awake, feeling the warmth of the morning sun streaming through the window. As my eyes fluttered open, I found Russel watching me with a dreamy smile, his gaze tender and filled with an emotion I had never seen before. “Good morning,” he whispered, his voice husky from sleep. I grinned, feeling a rush of happiness wash over me. Leaning in, I kissed him softly. “Good morning big boy,” Somewhere between last night and this morning, he had carried me back into my room. We had been so engulfed in eating each other that we hadn’t even noticed the change of surroundings. We went at it from evening up till I slept off sometime before dawn. As I stared at him, the memory of the previous night made me blush, my body still tingling from the intensity of all that. Russel cocked his head to the side and watched me with those dark, lazy eyes as I tried to stretch and sit up. I felt utterly exhausted, my muscles pleasantly sore from both the strain of w
Chapter 114 ALLESIA ~~~°~~~ I stood there for three minutes with my heart pounding loudly against my ribcage. The house was eerily quiet, so much that I could hear Russel's footsteps even though he was tiptoeing. That, coupled with my racing heartbeat, made me run out of the room as soon as I heard the clicking sound of Russel’s gun as he cocked it. Whoever it was, I wasn't scared for Russel or myself because I knew Russel would have no trouble getting rid of the threat, I was only scared of how he would do it. I had no doubt Russel will not hesitate to shoot, but if he shot, his aim would not be to warn or scare the intruder off; I knew he would be sending them straight back to sky daddy. “What the fuck—!” “Stop!” I yelled, stepping in between them with my eyes tightly shut and my hands pressed tightly against my ears, “Please don't shoot him, Russel, please.” I heard Russel scoff in disbelief, then I heard him drop his hands to his side. But quite contrary to the chaos I
Chapter 115 RUSSEL ~~~°~~~ After dropping Allesia off, Nikolai and I headed back to Spines Square. The drive was silent, even though Nikolai’s eyes flickered to me occasionally, but he didn’t press for conversation and I appreciated that because my mind was already in a world of its own and I needed the silence to process it all. Going back to Spines Square after a night in Allesia's small apartment actually felt like suddenly being pulled from paradise while in the middle of an exciting dance with the prettiest angel and thrown straight into hell. I let my head rest on the headboard and closed my eyes, allowing myself to dwell on the night before. Sweet memories flooded into my head, eliciting an involuntary smile from me, I stayed like that for the rest of the ride. Even thoughh my eyes were closed, I could still see her pretty face, smiling and teasing me. “…and I love him,” she had said. “Wake up, princess,” Nikolai hissed, tapping me rudely, “Or you might open you
Chapter 116 RUSSEL ~~~°~~~ Control. It was something I had carefully crafted my world around, I always had to be in control– of every situation, of everyone. I tapped the sole of my sharply Polished Mac Lui, which Allesia had gifted me two days ago, slowly on the shiny floor. This place was a wonder, and so was the scenery, Kegan was having a great time taking it all in. But there I stood, tapping away as I stared at the vast beach, but all I could see was how perfect she would look running around that beach. Her beautiful hair flowing dangerously behind her as she ran, the beautiful smile on her face as she tried to wipe off the grains of sand glued to her bare butt cheeks while I sat here on the sand, watching. “This is so fucking awesome,” Kegan commented as he came up beside me, “When you said we needed to stay, I didn't imagine we would uncover so much in the short period of two weeks.” I smirked without tearing my gaze from the scenery, “I bet there's more I could get fr
Chapter 117 ALLESIA ~~~°~~~ Today, I finished from work early and decided to surprise Russel by showing up at his place for the date he had fixed. Nikolai called earlier, asking if he should pick me up, but I let him in on the secret that I would be heading to Spines Square as soon as I finished. “I'll probably meet you there, just got a call from Russel that something urgent needs my attention,” Nikolai informed me. “See you, then.” “See you, mama,” As I drove, I couldn't help the contented smile that spread across my face, merely thinking about how blissful the last two weeks of officially dating Russel Mancini had been could effortlessly elicit that reaction. Like a blessing, I was happier and work was booming. Just two days ago, I got endorsed as the face of Mac Lui, a renowned unisex fashion brand. It was the first deal I was getting without Nolan's help, but with Russel's connection, so I decided to get him a nice pair of his favorite shoes as an appreciation gift.
Chapter 118RUSSEL~~~~~Russel's voice echoed behind me as I fled down the stairs, "Allesia, wait!"But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.I burst through the front door and into the warm evening air, my vision blurred by tears. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions—betrayal, anger, confusion. How could the man I loved, and my closest friend, hide such a monumental truth from me?Maybe it was intentional, maybe this whole thing was a game, even to Russel. Like Nikolai, he probably even lied about loving me just to be close because he knew I was into him. He had manipulated me from the very first day we met up to this point, what else couldn’t he do? Maybe that explained why after all the love he preached these last weeks, he still couldn’t get rid of his dead ex’s portraits. Maybe I was just part of a bigger game. What was I even expecting? Believing he would bend his rules for me? I reached my car and fumbled with the keys, my hands trembling. The door finally unlocked, and I slipped insid