Almost Caught

AUTHOR’S POV

“Erhm… nothing,” Rhea replied quickly, trying to keep her eyes from drifting to the pillow.

“I sure heard something,” Mr. Rowan said as he stepped fully into the room, his eyes darting around curiously.

Rhea’s stomach dropped. “I don’t… I don’t hear anything.”

Rowan began walking closer.

Each step felt like a countdown to humiliation.

Please don’t look under the pillow. Please don’t look under the pillow.

Rowan stopped beside the bed, tilting his head slightly as he listened.

“It sounds like it is coming from there,” he said calmly. Rhea swallowed hard, heat rushing to her face.

Rhea nearly collapsed with relief.

The tension that had been squeezing her lungs finally loosened as she let out a quiet breath. She clutched the towel tightly around herself while trying to appear normal.

Rowan straightened slowly and turned his attention to her father.

“It is alright,” he replied calmly.

His gaze drifted back to the bed, then to the pillow, before finally landing on Rhea. Their eyes locked instantly.

A slow, knowing smile appeared on his lips.

Rhea’s stomach dropped.

He knew.

He definitely knew.

But Rowan said nothing. He simply turned toward her father and nodded slightly.

“Shall we?”

“Yes, of course,” Mr Daniel replied.

The two men walked toward the door. Just before leaving, Rowan glanced back one last time and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in amusement before he stepped out.

The moment their footsteps faded down the hallway, Rhea slid down against the door and collapsed onto the floor.

Her hand pressed against her chest as she tried to calm her racing heart.

“That was way too close,” she whispered to herself.

She scrambled toward the bed and lifted the pillow. The toy was still buzzing stubbornly.

“Oh my God.”

She grabbed it quickly and switched it off before shoving it into her drawer. Then she sat there a moment longer before forcing herself up and getting dressed.

Just as she finished adjusting her clothes, her phone vibrated on the table.

A message from her father appeared on the screen.

Come say goodbye to Mr. Rowan. — Dad

She checked herself in the mirror one more time, smoothed her blouse, then tucked a strand of hair back before heading out the door.

They were standing near the front gate. Her father was talking, nodding with the particular posture he reserved for men he respected. Rowan stood with both hands in his pockets, unhurried, listening.

He saw her before she reached them.

She felt it — that specific weight of being watched and it threw off her step. Her heel caught the uneven ground and she pitched forward. His hand found her arm before she hit anything, steadying her in one clean motion.

She looked up and froze. His face was dangerously close, closer than she expected, and the air between them felt charged. She became painfully aware of how close they were standing.

Her cheeks warmed instantly.

After a few seconds Rowan gently helped her stand upright again.

“Careful,” he said quietly.

Rhea nodded quickly. “Thank you.”

He said nothing. Just held her gaze a beat too long before releasing her arm.

At that moment a sleek black car rolled to a stop in front of them. Rowan’s driver stepped out and opened the back door.

Mr Daniel bowed slightly.

“Safe journey, Mr Rowan.”

Rowan gave a small nod before turning toward the car. Just as he was about to step in, he paused and turned back toward Rhea.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.

“Here.”

Rhea blinked in confusion as he handed it to her and turned it over slowly in her hand. Her father leaned closer to look as well, both of them sharing the same puzzled expression.

Seeing her expression, Rowan explained calmly, “It is a black card. You can use it for your upkeep and shopping.”

Mr. Daniel shook his head and said, “You don’t have to worry.” But Rowan only smiled. “I insist,” he replied. “Besides, we have a lot of visiting to do soon.” Before Mr. Daniel could argue further, Rowan’s car drove off, leaving Rhea clutching the card tightly in her hand.

Without another word she turned and ran back inside the house.

That night Rhea could barely sleep.

She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling while replaying the events of the day over and over in her mind.

Every time she remembered Rowan catching her, her cheeks grew warm again.

The way he had looked at her.

The way his hand had felt on her arm.

She turned onto her side and buried her face into her pillow.

Sleep eventually came, but it was filled with strange dreams where she found herself wrapped safely in Rowan’s arms.

*******************

*******************

Across the city that same night, Rowan stepped out of his car in front of one of his private clubs.

The music inside pulsed through the walls as soon as he entered.

A few women near the bar immediately began whispering when they saw him. Their eyes burned with a hunger for him that seemed to ooze across the room, but Rowan spared them no glance.

His friends were already seated at their usual exclusive lounge.

“There he is!” one of them called out with a grin.

Rowan joined them and sat down casually before lighting a cigarette.

A woman in a tight dress approached him almost immediately, leaning down slightly so her perfume drifted toward him.

“Can I buy you a drink?” she asked seductively.

Rowan barely glanced at her. “No.” His hand lifted, and the security men stepped forward to take her away.

His friends burst out laughing once she walked away.

“What happened to you?” one of them asked. “Already acting loyal because you are getting married?”

Rowan scoffed lightly and exhaled a slow stream of smoke.

Another friend leaned forward curiously. “Seriously though. Why are you settling for a college girl instead of someone in our circle?”

Rowan scoffed. “These ones… the moment you look their way, they’re already calculating. What they want. What you owe them.”

He took another slow drag before continuing. “That college girl has exams to worry about. Assignments. She will not have time to think about climbing into my bed or trying to own me.”

The table erupted in laughter.

“Mr Mysterious,” one of them teased.

Another friend added jokingly, “Or maybe you picked her because she is innocent.”

“Untouched,” someone else said.

They all laughed again while Rowan simply smirked quietly.

Rowan gulped down one glass after another, until his vision became hazy.

“Get me Miss Sheryl,” he said flatly.

The waiter nodded and hurried off.

One of his friends leaned back in his seat, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Well,” he chuckled, “I guess Mr mysterious isn’t keeping himself after all.”

“His college wife is far too fragile for his grasp. He would ruin her,” another one said.

Rowan said nothing, he just dragged on his cigarette, blowing the smoke up in the air.

Just then, a lady with curves in the right places walked towards Rowan, her eyes already drinking him in. She had barely anything on, just a thong and flimsy strap top.

She bit her lips softly, then she grasped Rowan’s tie with her fingers and tugged it softly as she walked toward the darker side of the lounge, pulling the curtain back.

She gave him a soft shove, and his butt landed firmly on the chair. Then she slowly knelt between his legs, her hands already reaching for his zipper.

Like an expert, the belt came undone in seconds. Her hand slipped inside, pulling out his semi-hard length. She stroked him slowly before taking him into her mouth, her warm tongue wrapping around him.

Rowan’s fingers tangled in her hair, gripping her head as he pushed his hardening member deeper, forcing a gag from her throat.

“Fuck,” he groaned.