Chapter 2: SMILE

Smile

"What is it?"

Dom's deep baritone voice rang through Sapphire's ears, sending shivers up to her spine. She can't help but look at the woman behind him. The blonde woman was running her hand up and down Dom's arm, making the innocent Vazquez uncomfortable.

Sapphire looked up to meet the hypnotizing eyes of Dom. It took her a few seconds before she came back to her senses.

"Papa's inviting you for dinner." She said in a soft voice and looked away. She tried to shift her gaze to anything else but Dom's chiseled chest. The blonde woman raised her eyebrows at the girl. 

"But if you're...busy, it's okay." Sapphire continued, lowering her voice as she glanced back at the woman.

Is that her girlfriend? Wife?

"I'll go." Dom's tone was filled with authority. Like every word that came from his mouth was a law.

"What about me, Dom?" The blonde sultrily said, putting her hand to her bare waist. She was wearing nothing but a black underwear set. Sapphire tried to remove her gaze from the half-naked woman, wondering what did they do before she came. 

Sapphire has not seen a woman showing that much skin. So it was a puzzle for her as to why the blonde woman was just wearing underwear.

But she didn't want to intrude. It's their life. And she's just the daughter of a man that Dom works for.

"You can leave now." The man dismissed the blonde, making her jaw drop to the wooden floor.

The woman threw Dom a sharp look, and then at Sapphire, before stomping away to retrieve her clothes. She felt offended on how Dom just made her leave.

If looks could kill, Dom and Sapphire would already be dead by now...

"You don't n-need to go to dinner, though. It's j-just...dinner," Sapphire tried to ease out the situation. She didn't want to interrupt...whatever they were doing. She rubbed her arm with a hand, a silly mannerism that she does when she's nervous.

She hasn't seen that blonde woman before. Maybe she's from the neighboring town? She thought.

"You invited me. I'm going." Dom's tone was softer now.

Sapphire brought her head down, giving a light nod. A ghost of a smile escaped her lips. Somehow, Dom's previous words made her heart leap and float in the air.

"Okay," 

"You can wait inside." Sapphire went inside the cabin. The fresh scent of vanilla and chamomile flooded her nostrils. This is the first time she went inside the cold man's abode. The walls were made of dark but shiny oak wood. He had a big L-shaped couch with a bunch of brown cotton pillows, and a chandelier was placed almost directly above the point where she's standing in. There were a few shelves with thick leather-strapped books. A few antique objects were placed on there too, along with a rusted steel globe. 

Her vision went to the stack of papers on his brown wooden coffee table, adjacent to a television. Sapphire almost gawked at the large TV screen in front of her. If she wasn't mistaken, a hint of marble and slate were present in the doorway of his kitchen. One of his large glass windows were open, welcoming the soft wind into the abode.

All in all, the house is modern, but cozy and warm at the same time. A complete contrast to the man's cold expression. 

The blonde woman threw Sapphire a harsh look before strutting away.

Dom came back from upstairs, now wearing a plain black v-neck shirt, veins protruding on his strong arms. Sapphire remember how they moved while Dom was carrying sacks of fertilizers just the other day.

She immediately erased that from her mind, wondering why she even thought about it.

"Let's go." It was almost a whisper.

Sapphire stood up walking through the door, simply glancing at the man behind her to know if he's actually coming.

She still doesn't understand what happened between him and the woman back there in the cabin. Maybe it was hot? She thought. Which led to the two being half-naked.

An unfamiliar feeling set inside her as she remembered how the woman looked. She's definitely beautiful, with straight blonde hair cascading down to her waist, long lashes and feline eyes. The woman she saw earlier looked like one of those poster girls in the neighboring town's pub.

Dom probably likes those type of women. A very masculine person like him definitely pairs up with someone as gorgeous and mature-looking as him.

Silence enveloped the two while following the path to the Vazquez Residence. As Sapphire pondered deeper, that certain unnamed feeling grew.

Her brown boots scrunched up the weeds on the ground as she made her way back to the house, with Dom following closely behind her. His black boots emitted louder thumps, especially on rocky areas of the road.

It was a bit dark already. They passed by a few houses with lights visible on the windows. The wind blew harshly, making the young girl shiver.

"It's late, you shouldn't have come to my house." Dom's deep voice broke the silence.

Sapphire felt her heart double a beat. "Papa asked for you. He made a lot of soup tonight," 

Dom didn't respond. Instead, he kept on walking in the so-familiar path. A path that he'll never forget, and will forever be engraved in his heart and mind. 

Sapphire felt a little embarrassed when he didn't say anything. The silence became unbearable for her yet again. She wants to talk, but doesn't even know what to say.

They reached the dimly lit house. Sapphire opened the wooden door and she immediately smelled the unique aroma of chicken soup.

Dom shut the door behind her, making her jump a bit. The man's lips twitched...he almost smiled.

Almost.