Collared by Professor Valentino

Dahlia Carrington~•~I wish I could say having a suitor visit my home like we were still in the eighties was something new, but it was not. I was the daughter of a multi-billionaire, who unfortunately for me, was patriarchal as hell. My mother was the regular housewife; a trophy wife who spent most of her time at home or shopping.My father wished to marry me off like I was some object. According to him, I’d reached marriageable age and it would be better for me to get married quickly before I got old and wrinkly, and then, no one would marry me.I was especially anxious today, and not just because I was meeting another suitor today. As though my thoughts could be heard, the chime of my phone successfully distracted me from them. I jumped, taken aback, and ruined the mascara I’d been applying.Turning around, I looked at the digital clock by my nightstand. It was exactly ten o’clock. I held my breath in anticipation as I took hold of my phone, and truly, it was an email from New York

Dahlia Carrington~•~THREE MONTHS LATERI finally understood why my parents took their business seriously; why they’d rather sell me out to a man I barely know in the name of marriage rather than let their business fall.Okay, maybe saying I understood them was a stretch. They shouldn’t have to exchange my future for theirs but I was at a very critical point in my life.Someone rapped their knuckles against the counter, bringing me out of my thoughts. Thankful to see that it wasn’t my boss, I plastered a fake smile as I stared at the man. “What can I help you with?”“Two bottles of beer.”After he paid, I handed the bottles to him and he left. I sighed as another customer came immediately after. I barely had time to rest whenever I was working, which was almost every hour of the day and I wasn’t getting paid as much as my coworkers were. My salary was cut in half because I was offered accommodation by my boss. It was a very small studio apartment that seemed like it could collapse an

Damon Valentino~•~Dahlia nodded like she was in a trance. It intrigued me. I had a lot of doubts about our meetup and I almost stood her up, but Juan persuaded me to come. It was my first meet up and with how shy she was, I could tell that it was her first as well. She was easy to see through and while I could tell that she was soft-spoken and naive, I could also tell that she was trying so hard to come across as brave. She wanted to take matters into her own hands when she would prefer I do so instead.I sucked on my teeth, not wanting to scare her off on her first, dare I say, date. “I didn’t mean for that to come out so harsh.” It was obvious she really needed money if she needed to be at work in an hour. I hadn’t been so sure about the app thing, but as soon as I saw her, all my doubts were cleared. I wanted her.She shook her head. “It’s fine. It’s fine.”“Where do you work?”Dahlia looked at me suspiciously. “Why? Do you want to kidnap me when I’m going home alone at night?”I

Dahlia Carrington~•~“Why are you taking a shower at this time? Are you going out?”I almost jumped in fright at the question, but I was able to hold myself back. Wrapped in a towel, with one around my hair, I had just stepped out of the bathroom only to see Prisha, one of my roommates, on the wall directly opposite the bathroom. There was only one so it meant we all had to share.I had never shared a bathroom with anyone but I was beginning to get used to it. Even the small studio apartment Fred allowed me to stay in came with its bathroom.“You scared me.”Prisha laughed, twirling her black hair that was in a ponytail. It was something I noticed she always did. I had been here for only two nights but I knew that already. She came from a conservative Indian family which was why the lives of others intrigued her. She was also my coursemate and we were both freshmen. I was happy that I had someone to accompany me to classes.“You haven’t answered my question yet.” Prisha reminded me, f

Dahlia Carrington~•~It was the first day of school and everyone was running around like a headless chicken. It was so easy to spot a freshman because they were all like me; lost.Although Prisha and I were in the same department, we weren’t taking the same courses and it just so happened that my first class for the day was one Prisha wasn’t in.She knew more about the school than I did because she went for freshman orientation and familiarized herself with the school even before she got admitted. I wished she was here to guide me but unfortunately, I was stuck trying to find Philosophy 151 on my own.My hair was all over the place – I sincerely regretted not putting it up in a ponytail – with my tote bag in my right hand. I regretted not bringing a bigger back because I bought most of my books this morning, so some were in my hand.Not focusing on where I was going, I ended up bumping into someone. I heard a deep grunt and I whined in frustration as my books went flying all over the