Chapter 3

The next day.

Zara was sitting across Alicia’s bed when she opened her eyes.

She yawned and said;

“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? I have so much to do today.”

“Des took care of everything. Your whole schedule is cleared.” Zara folded her arms. “And we need to talk.”

“About what?”

“About why you have been burying yourself in work ever since Renad left.”

Renad was her ex-boyfriend who jilted her mercilessly.

Alicia’s chest tightened. “I am fine.”

“I know when something is wrong.” Zara’s voice softened. “He promised you everything and then disappeared. And now you bite the head off anyone who gets close. I saw Alex do absolutely nothing to you last night, and you reacted like he insulted your entire family.”

She suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday and got red with embarrassment again.

“Don’t talk about that annoying man!”

“Huh?”

She remembered the way he kissed her hand and how she had thought about it all night before going to bed. She hated the flutter in her heart she got at the thought of it.

“Is this still about Renad?” Zara asked.

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Too bad. I booked you a flight to Miami for the weekend. You are going.”

“You what?”

“You need a break. Your parents already approved it.”

The argument died in Alicia’s throat. The worry on Zara’s face made it impossible to protest.

“Fine,” she whispered. “I will go.”

Saturday arrived before she was mentally ready.

Alicia stood outside Miami International with her suitcase, sweating while she waited for the hotel car. Her phone buzzed. Sorry for the delay. The car will arrive in 15 minutes.

Of course. Fifteen minutes in this heat. Wonderful.

A sleek black car pulled up to the curb. She moved toward it, then stopped dead.

Alex was in the driver’s seat.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

——-

Alex stepped out slowly. “Alicia?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Bachelor party. My friend’s. You?”

He nodded at her suitcase. “Look, we are adults. We do not need to argue every single time we meet. Want a ride?”

Her phone buzzed again with another apology from the hotel.

She sighed. “Fine. But only because I am melting from this sun!”

He put her suitcase into the trunk. She got into the passenger seat.

“To where?” He asked.

“Melts Miami Hotel.”

“Oh, I’m staying there as well.”

She rolled her eyes.

Of course he was.

 She couldn't resist giving him a few glances while they were driving. She studied his features. It was difficult to ignore his attractive appearance and flawlessly chiseled face. His eyes were dark and soulless, as if life had been sucked out of them, but they looked stunning on his face, giving him the appearance of an attractive, gothic devil.

His dark hair was slicked back and his expensive cologne filled the air of the car. His golden watch shone in the light matching his brown and gold outfit.

He has a great fashion sense too

She blushed and looked away. Why was this annoying man exactly her type?!

She sneaked a look at him again but this time he was looking back. She jumped in fright as her eyes met his. He laughed.

“Why are you looking?!”

“I think I should be the one asking that question, miss.”

“Hmmph!”

Well, he was right. She’d been staring too much. But could you blame her? He was too handsome.

When they arrived, she grabbed her key and escaped to her room without looking back.

Her phone rang. Zara.

“Well? How is it?” Zara demanded.

“The hotel car was late, so Alex drove me.”

Silence. Then a squeal. “Alicia. This is literally a romance plot. This is destiny.”

“This is a coincidence,” Alicia groaned. “Your novels have melted your brain.”

“You like him,” Zara announced.

“I am hanging up.”

“Tell him I said hi,” Zara sang before the call ended.

Alicia flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Alex. In Miami. In her hotel. She kept replaying the drive, how unexpectedly gentle he had been. Has he always been like that? Or had she been too guarded to notice?

Hours later, she still couldn’t sleep. The room felt too quiet. Too heavy. She got out and went to the hotel balcony.

Miami glittered below her. Warm breeze. Endless lights. For the first time all day, she exhaled.

“Couldn’t sleep either?”

She turned and found Alex leaning a few feet away, looking tired but softer somehow.

“I just needed some air,” she said.

He moved beside her, resting his forearms on the railing. “Work was a mess tonight. Needed a break.”

“Don’t you have people who handle that stuff for you?”

He shook his head. “I don’t trust easily. Someone I trusted once sold me out to my stepmother. Learned my lesson.”

She looked at him. “Sounds like you got burned.”

“And you,” he said quietly, “sound like someone who got burned so much she stopped feeling it.”

His words hit deeper than she expected.

She looked away, blinking fast.

“You okay?” he asked gently.

“I am fine.”

But her voice broke, and once it did, everything else followed. Tears blurred her vision before she could stop them.

“Alicia…”

She sank to her knees, covering her face. She hated crying in front of anyone, but especially him.

He knelt with her and wrapped his arms around her. She tried to push him away, but he only held her tighter.

“You survived whatever happened,” he murmured. “You are still here. That matters.”

She looked up at him. His eyes were dark and kind and far too close. Her heart was racing.

“Alex…”

She leaned in before she could talk herself out of it and kissed him.

He froze for a second, then kissed her back, one hand sliding into her hair. Everything around them disappeared.

He kissed her, sliding his thick tongue into hers. His kiss was not gentle. It was intrusive, filling up the inside of her small mouth, taking all the space there. Yet, the kiss made her feel dizzy with need. He kissed her, rubbing his lips roughly against hers as he devoured her. She loved how hungry his kiss felt, how possessive it was. It was dominant in the way she loved and she could soon feel the sensation between her thighs.

His grip never loosened as he kissed her. It was as if he thought she would run away if he didn’t hold her so tightly. They soon broke the kiss, both panting as they tried to catch their breath. He stared deep into her eyes, a sinister smile creeping across his face. He still had his hand wrapped possessively around her waist. She started to look away, her face flushing red as she blushed furiously.

They were about to kiss again when the door slammed somewhere below.

“ALEX. Dude, where are you? We are starting without you.”

They broke apart like reality had snapped them by the collar.

“I didn’t… I shouldn’t have…” Alicia stumbled to her feet.

“Alicia, wait.”

But she was already running. Down the stairs. And out into the night.

………

Alex was still in a daze as memories of the kiss they shared floated into his head. As he drove to his destination he couldn’t stop thinking about the softness of her lips.

A call interrupted him.

“Rouge A cleared, boss.” A voice sounded hoarse at the other end.

“Good. Tell the boys I’ll be coming over.”

He looked towards the hotel. He hoped fate wasn’t playing tricks.

-----

On the desk, files lay arranged with several computers in view. A knock sounded and a huge bulky man walked in.

“Boss….”

Mr. Dickson, Alicia’s father, a ruthless businessman in his late forties, looked up from his magazine. This was his most trusted bodyguard who never called without a detailed truth to tell.

“I’m listening. Are our plans moving as planned?”

“That’s what I’m here to report, Sir.”

“Speak up.” He put the magazine aside. He’d organized that party for a reason, knowing the risks involved.

“We couldn’t move as planned. We got there to realize your daughter was with him, so we couldn’t proceed.”

He raised a brow. “Alicia? My own Alicia? She’s in Miami!”

“Yes. Exactly where Sir Alex is right now, Sir.”

Mr. Dickson stood up. That guy must be up to something. “Get the boys to work immediately. Monitor every move and report to me in detail. I need them thoroughly monitored!”

Mrs. Margaret Dickson walked in.

“Good evening ma’am,” the bodyguard greeted her.

“Afternoon young man,” she replied, then faced Dickson.

“Which Alex are you talking about? Alicia is no more a child. You can’t be monitoring her that way, and besides, Alex would be aware of that.”

Mr. Dickson shot her a glare. “Woman, I don’t want to see your daughter with that man. I don’t want to see her anywhere near the Georges no matter what.”

“I didn’t dispute that. I was only trying to say…”

“To say what? That she have the right to move in with the child of our competitor? Ruth, don’t let me be crossed with you. I need to work now. I need to be alone.”

She sighed.

“I know how overprotective you are of her but…never mind.”

The bodyguard bowed and asked to leave. She waved him goodbye, smiling.

Then she faced Dickson, her smile dropping, and a cold look over her face. She stared at him for a while, smiling. Dickson did not look up to meet her eyes. He just focused on his documents, his hand trembling a little.

She chuckled a little and said;

“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

A last glance at him, she walked out.