CHAPTER 3

When they had been driving for almost 30 minutes. Adriana wondered if she should just stay quiet incase she was getting kidnapped or ask where exactly Niklaus lived. She settled for the latter. A short while after she inquired, they arrived at an electric gate. The driver ordered the gate to be opened, and then he drove in. Voice activated, not surprised. Niklaus could see the awe all over her face. The car door opened automatically and Adriana got out. She didn't even know it could do that. It’s a Rolls Royce. Of course it does that.

When Niklaus had told her he lived in Westchester County, she didn’t think he meant he lived in a literal mansion. The house had to be about 10,000 square feet. It looked original and old, but elegant and fancy. It looked like something that has been passed down over the years but had also been refurbished over the years. It was a combination of sky blue and spotless white, with subtle hints of gold. It looked so beautiful. Every part of this mansion was illuminated. It looked like a palace from a fairytale. It was so beautiful. You could easily think a king of high royalty resided here.

Adriana didn't even know a house like this existed in the whole of New York State. The glass windows and obvious high ceiling around the mansion were large enough to welcome any ray of sunshine, and high enough to see into the clouds. Literally. Adriana finally got in contact with the front door. It was so far up, she had to tilt her head all the way back, just to see the top. She suddenly wondered what he did for a living.

" Come on. Don't gawk." Niklaus said, nudging her forward while his palm rested on the small of her back. She regained consciousness, so to say, remembering to put one leg in front of the other and walk, as they approached the front door. Niklaus let her do the honors as She reached for the golden knobs with her hands. The huge doors opened apart with ease. See? Original. You would assume a house as big and modern as this, would have a finger print or remote-controlled front door, but it wasn't. It had some originality to it, like a manual, golden doorknob. Adding even more mystery to the whole thing. Adriana walked in and she was greeted with the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. She couldn’t tell if it was the beauty of this mansion or the fact that she had to be somewhat sober, considering she followed a strange, mysterious billionaire home, but she suddenly felt energetic. All signs of drunkenness no longer present. Probably the latter.

"It's so beautiful," Adriana said out loud before staggering forward. Well almost all signs. Niklaus smiled and walked forward, guiding her.

" Come on. You're freezing." The furniture was mostly spotless white or golden. Probably pure Gold. There were unique artifacts all around, adding more originality to the furnishing. A wolf-like artifact stood out. It looked like a huge, white wolf, with bright red eyes. It looked too real. Adriana looked away and focused her gaze forward, there was so much space around. There were two spiral staircases on both sides of the living room. It looked like it had a million and one steps. It probably led to thousands of rooms. She was heading towards the stairs, ready to go up. Niklaus jerked her forward by grabbing her wrist, forcing her to come face to face with his striking, bright blue eyes.

"Where are you going?" He asked, gazing intensely at her like he was trying to read her mind. She swallowed quietly.

"Sorry," Adriana said, holding her breath without realizing it. She didn't realize how handsome Niklaus was earlier. Now standing so up close, she took note of his bright blue eyes. They were breathtaking. He had thin, pink lips. They looked so soft. And his hair, his hair was so black it was almost dark. They looked so soft, they looked like silk, she felt the sudden urge to run her fingers through them. But she didn’t.

" You don't think we're going up a fleet of stairs, do you?" Niklaus asked, without waiting for a response, he released her wrist and headed forward.

" We're taking the elevator, come on."

"Oh." Realization hit her. An elevator. Another modern installation in an original home. This was what she meant by 'original and old but elegant and fancy'. Just like the voice activated gate. And the manually operated front door. Adriana followed closely behind Niklaus. He pressed a button and they got into the elevator together. They were both forced to lock each other's gaze. Niklaus gazed into Adriana's amber-colored eyes, they were rare. Her dark brown hair stopped at the middle of her back. Her skin, smooth. He had an instant attraction to her the moment he saw her drunk at the bar. He wanted a taste.

The elevator door opened, indicating they had gotten to their destination. They both walked out of the elevator. Niklaus walked really fast. He walked majestically in front of her, stopping in front of a door. He twists it open and enters. Adriana followed behind. She was awed once again. The room looked like it was occupied previously by a Disney princess. The queen-sized bed sat firmly in the middle. There was a nightstand with a huge mirror on the right side of the room. There was a huge walk-in closet on the opposite side. There was a bathroom at the far end of the room. She could tell from the wide, sliding mirror doors that there was a balcony where she could see everything in the compound of the mansion. She remembers the huge, lit up fountain she had saw earlier, pouring out clear blue water generously.

"The maids took a night off so no maids around. There's a change of clothes in the closet, and I take it, you see the bathroom at the far end?" Niklaus said, making casual hand gestures, like he did not just let her know, very subtly at least, that he lived like an actual king, maids and all.

"Yes, thank you," Adriana replied as she looked around. Niklaus took one last look at her before heading towards the door. Adriana kept looking around. After hearing the door close shut, she sat on the bed, her petite body sinking softly and lightly into the bed. It was so soft. She headed for the closet.

She searched for a nightie her size, but she found nothing. They were either too big or too small. She came out of the closet shutting the door closed behind her. She sighed. She thought about going to Niklaus, but she was sure she was going to get lost in the process of trying to find him. She needed to have a change of clothes. She smelled like alcohol and sorrow. And besides, she needed to charge her phone.

She decided to search for him. She walked out the door of the room she was in and shut it behind her. She looked left down the hall and right down the hall too. She was confused. She went left. She kept walking to nowhere in particular. She heard something clattering in one of the rooms, so she tried locating where the noise was coming from. She located a room with a high door. It looks like what you would call a master's bedroom. She placed her ears to the door and could tell immediately that someone was in there from all the rustlings. Niklaus could hear her at the door, he smiled softly and walked towards the door.

Adriana heard footsteps getting closer as she reached for the door handle, Niklaus reached for the door handle too but he was faster, he pulled it open, coming face to face with Adriana, she was still dressed in her fitted black dress. She was barefoot too, he found that cute. Adriana was taken aback as she came in contact with a shirtless Niklaus. His chiseled abs glistened like he was just out of a shower. His briefs, hanging dangerously low, reveal a v-shaped line disappearing into his briefs. She gulped. She realized she had to speak so she did.

" There were no nighties my size. I didn't know what to do." Adriana explained.

"Would you prefer to wear one of my clothes?" He asked quietly. She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. Adriana chuckled nervously.

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not." She pointed out, avoiding his gaze. He leaned forward, and using his index finger, he easily lifted her face towards him. Adriana was startled, but she let him. Feeling satisfied, he dropped his finger. He had slick, long but firm fingers. They were veiny too.

"Come on in," Niklaus said. She entered what she assumes is his room. She was greeted with a strong masculine yet attractive scent. This was Niklaus' scent, She was right, this is the master bedroom. It had a master bedroom style to it. It was similar to the room she was staying in, only larger and more masculine. There were wolf artifacts and paintings everywhere, they looked really expensive. Did he have a thing for wolves?

Adriana was cut short from her usual daytime wanderings when Niklaus handed her a big black t-shirt.

" Thank you."

She held the t-shirt up, it could take about 3 people her size. This would do. Her brain was telling her to leave and go get dressed in her room but she couldn't move, for some reason. Niklaus assumed Adriana was waiting for him to turn his back so she could change into the t-shirt, so he turned his back to her. She found that amusing so she laughed.

“ I was gonna use the bathroom.”

She said, as she fumbled with the T-shirt. She went into the bathroom, she placed the T-shirt on the marble counter. It was cold. Of course Addie, it's marble. Adriana swiftly took her black dress off, clad in just her underwear, she proceeded to take her bra off. Sliding the t-shirt on, she sniffed it out of curiosity. And it smelled heavenly.

She walked out of the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She stood there in his t-shirt, all he wanted to do was pick her up and make love to her. Possibly mark her. He walked forward slowly. He could hear her heart beating fast. He can usually read the minds of women easily. He could read hers too. But only faintly. He wondered if she felt the same hunger he felt. He stood in front of her now.

Adriana didn't know what was happening, all she knew was that suddenly she could feel that sudden rush of adrenaline she felt at the bar. Niklaus leaned forward and so did Adriana. They kept slowly walking toward each other until they were mere inches apart. Niklaus reached for Adriana's cheek, stroking lightly, she placed her left palm over his palm on her cheek as she leaned into his touch.

"You're distracting, Adriana," Niklaus said, still stroking her cheeks. Adriana breathed in a sharp and heavy breath. She was begging him to kiss her at this point. Adriana didn't know where this newfound hunger was from. There was something different, something mysterious about Niklaus, and it drew her to him. She hadn't noticed it until she was up close, staring into those breathtaking blue eyes. She silently begged him to kiss her as their lips were mere inches from each other. That, he heard. He watched as she shut her eyes, anticipating.

Niklaus noticed the way Adriana licked her lips and parted them slightly, he couldn't help it. He quit stroking her cheeks, grabbing her roughly by the neck. He kissed her hard but soft, roughly but passionately. Adriana felt like she couldn't breathe, but she could breathe at the same time. She shared his breath. They locked lips tightly. Adriana gripped Niklaus by the torso, pulling him towards her. Niklaus moved his hands to her waist, squeezing and pulling her towards him as they continued kissing. Adriana broke the kiss, gasping for air, she managed to force words out.

"I just need you to kiss me. I am not going to have a one-night stand with a stranger." Adriana said, trying to catch her breath. Niklaus held her gaze for a second then locked his lips against hers again, as her hands moved to his neck, trying to pull him closer. Trying to feel every inch of him.

"Okay."