I open my eyes to find hazel orbs staring down at me. I'm caught off guard by the intensity in them but I can't bring myself to look away. How long has he been watching me sleep? Do I have drool on my face? What about eye boogers? Why the fuck do I care? It's not like it's the first time we've slept on the same bed. But that doesn't mean I want him to see what I look like first thing in the morning. Should I just close my eyes and pretend to go back to sleep? If he took photos of me drooling I'll set his house on fire. As if reading my mind, he reaches out and brushes my hair back saying, "You're perfect" My breath hitches. Yeah, that is definitely not what I was expecting him to say. Goodness, it's too early for this. My brain can't come up with a reply so I look around trying to compose myself while thinking of a way to start another topic. It occurs to me that there was another human who slept between us but she's missing. "Where is Ophelia?" "She went to get us breakfast"
"Why do you look like that? What happened back there?""Nothing," She says, the look in her eyes blank. I can't remember the last time she gave me that look."Regina..." I grab her arm and pull her back "Talk to me""Let go of me"I do but only because I don't want to irritate her further. The tone of her voice indicates I won't anything out of her right now. One moment she was ready to fight me over a bar of chocolate and the next she's back to her old self. When she left, I thought Ophelia's words must have hurt her somehow but now, I'm not so sure. The blank look she's been wearing for the past ten years is back. It's as if she's gone back to mourning him and feeling guilty."We'll leave in a while. You can leave your clothes here if you don't feel like packing" She walks past me without replying. I look at Martin."Where did you find her?""Deep in the woods, sir""Did you notice anything off about her or the surroundings?""No sir. But she looked shocked to
I've only ever kissed one man in my life... No. There was a time when I kissed countless boys just to make Christian jealous and he had to forcefully pull me off them. Back then, it didn't matter who they were. I don't remember their names or faces. To me, they were only tools I used to get what I wanted. But what's more surprising is that now I've forgotten Christian's kisses too. Not just that but also his touch. The memories are there but the feelings behind them are gone. Now all I can think about is the way Federico kissed me. The way his mouth moved over mine and how he awakened feelings I thought were long dead. If he hadn't pulled back, I don't know how long I would have let him continue. Saying I didn't see it coming would be a lie. I think everyone knows there's something going on between us. The rumors about our relationship in tabloid magazines and social media weren't baseless. Even Rita, my secretary is always trying to set us up. And it's not lik
Summer 2006 Thirteen-year-old Regina was rushing to the kitchen because Isabella, her nanny, had promised she could eat ice cream once she was done with her homework. She'd done it in record time and wanted her reward. Isa never lied and if she wanted anything, she could have it but there was a kind of excitement she always felt whenever she earned her rewards. A sort of fulfillment a thirteen-year-old didn't have words to describe. Since she was in a hurry, she wasn't careful with her steps and missed the last two stairs. With a scream, she went flying, prepared to land on her face and break her nose. Instead, strong arms wrapped around her and she fell on top of something hard. Her forehead colliding with something harder. "Oomph" She lifted her head, ready to offer an apology, and looked into the most beautiful green eyes she'd ever seen. The word sorry died in her throat. "Wow," she breathed in innocent wonder. How come she'd never s
"What can I get you, ma'am?" "Daiquiri. Thank you" I say leaning on the bar suggestively, my dress moving up an inch. The bartender moves to my left to make the drink but he keeps flicking his eyes back to me every few seconds. If I was in his position, I would also misunderstand. Judging by the way my breasts are almost spilling out of the dress I wore tonight, he probably thinks I'm into him or something. A black little number that hugs my curves and has a plunging neckline. The hem is dancing dangerously close to my bare ass and even though my back is to him, I know his eyes are glued on the material. Probably wishing for it to ride a little higher so he can confirm whether I'm wearing panties or not. I'm not. Tonight, I brought all the guns out and then some. Not real guns though. Just a few things that are supposed to make Christian change his mind. My birthday was two months ago and it was the best birthday in my life. I turned eighteen, lost my virgin
"Where are we on the shipment?" "We're making progress, ma'am" I throw him a dirty glare over my shoulder "Try again" "It will be done by the end of the end day, ma'am" "I don't need to tell you what will happen if this isn't sorted today" it's simple. Heads will roll. I am not in the mood to play games with those bastards at the port. If that shipment is a day late, I will handle it the way I normally do. By shooting first and asking questions later. I'm tired of men thinking they can get away with defying me just because I'm a woman. Dino nods. I expect him to leave but he continues to stand where he is "Anything else?" "Mr. Gambone is waiting for you in your office" "When did he arrive?" "A few minutes ago, ma'am""You can leave" I bite out through gritted teeth. Keeping up my calm and unbothered facade when all I what I want to do is run in there and punch him for invading my privacy. He shouldn't be here, much less in my office. Who knows what he's
"Federico!" He pauses in front of the door his driver, Manno is holding open "What the fuck is your problem?" "What are you talking about?" "Are you following me? How did you know I was meeting Rizzo here? And even if it's a coincidence, why the hell would you threaten him?" "He was slandering me. I can't allow that" "Bullshit! Do you think I can't handle him? Is that the reason you keep interfering with my business?" "Is that anger I detect in your voice, Regina?" I grind my teeth so hard I'm surprised they haven't turned to dust already. For years, I've maintained a certain image in front of people. Cool, calm, unbothered. Talk, yell, strip, die in front of me and I won't bat an eyelash. I've killed ruthlessly then gone back to having my dinner as if nothing happened. Only one person can evoke some semblance of emotions from me. But of late, Federico is getting under my skin and I hate it. Old me would never have followed him out of the restaurant. Instead, I would have t
I take one last look in the mirror and then make my way to the office downstairs. It's past ten and aside from the men patrolling outside, everyone has retired to their rooms. Lifting a book off the shelves, I press a button that opens a secret door then push it open and press the lift button. It opens immediately because no one uses it. Once I step inside, things go back to how they were, the door closing and the shelves returning to their normal position. I lived in this house my whole life but I never knew about the secret rooms until I defied papa. Then he turned into someone else. Someone I couldn't recognize. It's been that way for years now. Except, now I'm the one he can't recognize. It makes me wonder if he's ever regretted his decision. Would things have been different if he'd stopped when I begged him to? The elevator stops and the doors slide open. As I walk into the room, my heels announce my arrival. There are days like today when I expect him to turn his head and look a