No Privacy

Infuriated, Frank stomped to his room and slammed the door shut, startling Jennifer who was inside already. She had come in a few minutes earlier, however, she didn't know where to start. She didn't have any clothes with her to begin with and had been waiting for Frank to come in. However, when she saw how irritated he looked, she instantly understood that something must have bothered him. Hence, she remained silent, not wanting to anger him more than he already was. 

"Fuck that idiot!" He cursed, disregarding Jennifer's presence. "He is such a nuisance!" He grumbled and punched the wall. He was used to punching hard surfaces like it, however, it pained his knuckles each time. 

"Damn!" Jennifer whispered as she stared at him with widened eyes. She was being as invisible as she could, but couldn't hold back from gasping when she saw how he punched the wall.

Still fuming, Frank glared at her. 

"Shit!" He cursed when he realised that he was no longer alone in his room. 

"Did that hurt? Let me take a look at your hand." She offered to help him. 

"I'm not hurt!" He snapped at her, not wanting to show even the tiniest bit of weakness in front of her. 

Grumbling incoherent words to himself, he walked over to the bed to slumped on it. Groaning he buried his face in his hands, silently wishing that he could have the privacy he desired. However, the circumstances were such that he had to share his room with a stranger. And not just any stranger, the daughter of his enemy. 

Jennifer waited for some time without uttering another word, giving him some time to relax. She knew that Frank was frustrated, though she couldn't lay her finger on the reason. She knew it wasn't of her concern, and if she was to share the same room with this man, she had to use her wit. Sighing, she sat on the couch which was in front of the bed. She was exhausted and it wasn't long before she spoke up. 

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" She finally asked and Frank looked at her. 

"The couch?" He shrugged. 

"Fine. I would need a blanket and a pillow." She told him. 

"Why can't you sleep just like that?" Frank scowled at her, making her sigh. 

"Look, if you need me to help you, you better take care of what you must. I am posing as your lover, which means they will expect you to take care of me. Ever since you brought me here, I haven't been able to get proper sleep. Maybe tonight I will, but come on, I need a blanket and a pillow." She spoke calmly. Frank remained silent. She was right. If he didn't help her, she could easily expose the truth. 

"Besides, I would need clothes too. I don't have anything with me, you know. You don't want your father to be suspicious." She added after a while. 

Frank sighed and nodded. His anger had resided to some extent.

"Right. I'll order some new clothes for you. Mike will bring them by tomorrow evening. And take a blanket from the closet over there." Finally, he stated, his irritation evident on his face. 

"And….I need a shower and a change of clothes for tonight. I have been wearing these for too long." She told him pointing to the clothes she was wearing. "It is icky, and I can't sleep in these." She added.

"Why are you so demanding?" He snapped, glaring at her. 

"Well, I don't think you should expect anyone to remain in the same clothes forever." She chuckled. "And I think everyone should take a bath." She smirked. "Well, maybe it would be easier for you to take it this way. You don't want me to lay my unwashed body in these icky clothes on your expensive couch."

"Ugh!" He groaned. "Fine. Take a damn shower. The bathroom is over there. And I don't know what to give you to wear tonight." He spoke, in frustration. 

"How about a shirt and pair of shorts you own?" She suggested, frowning.

"What the hell!" He exclaimed. "Those are mine!" He scowled.

"Look, mister. I'm not interested in wearing your clothes either. But I don't think we have much of a choice." She stated, shrugging her shoulders. Frank glared at her as though she had grown two heads. 

"What? You don't want me to sleep naked, right?" She smirked at him. 

"Fine!" He almost shouted too loud. "Take whatever you need from the closet. Just don't touch my suits. You don't need those. You'll get new clothes tomorrow, that should be enough." He mumbled. 

Smiling in triumph, Jennifer walked into the closet and got what she needed for the night. Frank, on the other hand, waited for her to do her business in the bathroom, still frustrated at the situation he was forced into. 

"Telling the doctor that she is my girlfriend is a big mistake." He grumbled. "I should have told him she is my cousin or something like that. Damn! Or I should have just left her to die! Her good-for-nothing father didn't even bother to come and save her! Fuck!!" He continued to curse and complain about having to deal with Jennifer. He could have simply thrown her out of the mansion when he found her unconscious in the cage, but he didn't. He usually doesn't kill women and when he did, it was because he had to. He knew Jennifer was innocent. She wasn't even aware of her father's connection with the underworld. She thought he was a good man and still thinks that her father had done nothing. 

Sighing, he laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling, promising himself that he would let her go as soon as his father leaves the place and never barge into another apartment like that ever again. 

Just then, the door to the bathroom opened and Jennifer stepped out of the door, looking and smelling fresh. Frank's head turned in her direction, subconsciously, and when his gaze fell on her slim figure, his lips parted. She was an attractive woman, he wouldn't deny that. And she did look good in his shirt which was a bit too big for her. 

"I'm damn tired." She huffed and laid on the couch after taking a pillow and blanket from the closet. 

Frank continued to stare at Jennifer, who was oblivious to him gawping at her, as she sighed and relaxed on the couch. 

"Can you turn the lights off?" She yawned as she spoke. She was truly exhausted. As soon as she laid her head on the pillow, her eyes closed. Frank made a face. He hated being told what to do even if it was a simple request unless it was his father. 

"Please….." Jennifer's voice was a mere whisper as she dozed off. Frank felt himself soften up, as he watched her sleep. Sighing he turned the lights off and prepared to get some sleep himself. 

Days passed by. Jennifer's wound started to heal, and by the time a week had passed, the doctor had removed the dressing on her head. Just as Frank had stated, Jennifer spent most of the time in the room, and life was monotonous for her. Frank spent most of his time outside, and when he was home, he rarely spoke to her, and she started to feel the need to do something to kill time. 

"I miss my studio." She sighed as she laid on the couch. Her daily schedule was always the same. Wake up, eat, and spend the whole day alone until it was time to sleep. 

"I wish Frank's dad would leave soon." Murmuring to herself, she paced around the room. As usual, Frank had left for 'work', and by work, Jennifer knew it wouldn't be something she would be interested to know more about. As she paced in the room, she noticed a notepad and a pencil on the dressing table, which she guessed must belong to Frank. 

A small smile curved her lips. Her fingers itched and her heart craved to draw something on it. 

"I wonder……" she whispered and licked her lips. 

With trembling hands, she picked the notepad and went through it, only to realise that it was a blank one. She stared at it for a long time, her desire to draw increased as minutes ticked by. 

"Uuughhhh!" Groaning, she grabbed the pencil and started to fulfil her heart's desire. 

She slumped onto the couch and sketched on the first page of the notepad. She didn't realize how the time flew by, as she spent her time perfecting her sketch. She drew a serpent that was peeking out of a human skull, ready to spit its poison to the next person who dared disturb him. She was almost done with it when Frank entered the room. 

Gasping, she hastened to hide the notepad in the fear of angering him. She had used something that belonged to him without his permission. 

Frank looked at her and narrowed his eyes. He knew she was hiding something. 

"What are you hiding?" He growled. He'd be damned if she was secretly plotting to hurt him. Like his father, he too didn't fully trust Jennifer, and that was the reason why he didn't sleep until he was sure that she had dozed off every night. 

Jennifer gulped. She was certain that she had screwed up. She had been obedient and cooperative the entire week, hoping that she would soon be able to leave and go back to her quiet life. 

"I….I'm….sorry….." she stammered as she shifted uncomfortably, on the couch. 

Frank's jaw clenched. 

"You better not take advantage of my kindness, kitten." He growled as he sauntered over to her. 

Jennifer started to tremble fearfully. Little beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she stared at the feared Mafia Don. Her heartbeat was erratic and her throat had tightened. She felt as though her heart skipped a beat with each step he took towards her. 

Shit! 

She cursed internally. She had certainly screwed up!