Chapter Three
“Ariel, wake up. You’re going to be late for school.”
“ARIEL..... You better get your ass down here after ten minutes or I swear to God, I’ll drag your sorry ass to school wearing your pajama. “
I groaned in annoyance and tossed around, a big yawn escaped my lips. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking, then shrugging, and again drifted back to sleep.
“ARIEL.”
“Damn it, just calm down woman, I’m awake,” I shouted back at my mother that woman doesn’t chill.
I stretched like a cat and turned around, my face buried into my pillow; I inhaled deeply and sighed. Closing my eyes, I smiled softly and rubbed my face all over the soft fabric, enjoying its sweet masculine smell. I sighed again, enjoying the sweet feeling.
After two seconds I shot up looking around frantically searching for the stranger who I found yesterday. Just as I was about to get out of bed, my bedroom door swung open and my angry mom’s face greeted me.
“So I’m gonna drag you out of bed, then.” She said, putting her hands on her hips.
“Dammit Rose, what’s wrong with you? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?” I said, standing up, matching her stance.
“Actually, I didn’t sleep yet, so you are totally wrong.” She smirked.
“C’mon Rose, you don’t need to be sarcastic.” I yawned again, scratching my head in the process.
“OK, you have ten minutes. I’m making you breakfast so I can catch some sleep after. I need to get back to the hospital in the afternoon, so don’t be late for the school bus.”
I looked at her with a grimace on my face and headed to my bathroom. My mom stopped me by wrapping her arms around my waist, hugging me, and kissing my head.
“Happy birthday, my sweetheart. I’m sorry I’m not going to be here today. Even though you don’t like to celebrate your birthday, I should be here and spend the day with you. But I have a night shift today, but I promise I didn’t forget your present, at the end of the month you gonna get it. “
I smiled softly and wrapped my arms around her. “It is ok mom, I love you.”
She kissed my head again and left the room.
As soon as the door closed, I ran to the bathroom looking for the stranger. When I didn’t find him, I went to the closet. Even though I felt so stupid for doing this, but still went there and looked for him, but there was nothing. I sighed in relief and annoyance at the same time. He just left without saying thank you. I huffed ‘ Men’.
I finished my daily routine, took a shower, brushed my teeth, tamed my stupid curls, and wore my clothes. When I was about to get my sneakers, my mom yelled again.
“ARIEL.”
“I’m coming woman, calm your tits down,” I yelled back, opening my room’s door.
“You better behave, young lady. You’re not that old for a spanking.“ She gave me the _ don’t you dare even breathe _ look.
“Geez, Rose relax.” I kissed her and sat down. She put a plate in front of me full of waffles, and I licked my lips and dug in. I love waffles so much that I can eat them every day, all day.
I took a sip of milk and looked at my mom; she was a gorgeous thirty-six years old woman, and so sweet and kind. I don’t know why she doesn’t have a man beside her. My mom got pregnant when she was eighteen. It was a white boy, a one-night stand.
To be exact, a hit it and quit it type of thing. When she found out that she was pregnant with me, she decided to keep the fetus, even though it was hard for her. She was in high school, for goodness’ sake, but her aunt helped her to continue her studies and take care of me, too.
Unfortunately, her aunt, the only family she had, passed away and left her alone with a mixed girl. Technically, not all alone, she has me. But yeah, and that’s it. We just have each other and that’s enough for me. My mom is my sister, my best friend, and my whole family.
“So, what’s up?“ She glanced taking a sip of her coffee.
I shrugged. “Nothing, the same boring life, nothing new.”
She didn’t say anything, just hummed.
“Ok, Rose, I gotta go now.” I jumped, took my backpack in the process, and opened the house door.
“Take care, baby, I love you,” she shouted.
“I know you do. Bye.”
I ran to the bus stop waiting for the school bus; I took my iPhone and played the piece I was practicing; it was a hard one. Classic music is always hard to learn and master. I got on the bus. Ten minutes later, I was in front of my school. I sighed. Another day in hell.
Suddenly, I was tackled from behind. I shrieked, and then Rine giggled like an idiot.
“Dammit, Catherine, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“Chill bitch, I called your name so many times that people flipped me off.” She said, pouting.
“That’s because your voice is so annoying.”
“Oh shut up, that’s not what Rick said yesterday. When we were doing the naughty. Dammit, now I’m all tingly again.” She sighed dreamily.
“Dear Lord, I don’t wanna know anything about your sexual life. That’s disgusting.” I felt my cheeks heating.
“Ariel, honey, you need to loosen up a little. Trust me when I say that’s not normal.“ She looked at me like I was the weirdest creature on this planet.
“What do you mean?” I looked at her from the corner of my eyes quizzically.
“I mean, you need some testosterone in your life, like a man to be naughty with. In other words, you need to get laid.” She said in a duh tone.
“What the heck does that have to do with anything?” I asked in annoyance.
“Everything, making love, is the best thing in this world. The feeling of soft lips kissing you, hands touching every inch of your body. A tongue that caresses your most sensitive spots... “ She moaned “... The feeling of a hot thick, lo.........”
“Jesus Christ, Catherine, for the love of God just shut up.” I stopped in front of our lockers, feeling so embarrassed that I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself in.
“Making love or doing the naughty with your boyfriend is a private matter; you shouldn’t talk about it so openly.”
“Oh shut up, it’s ok besides we don’t make love we fuck hard.“ She winked and wiggled her eyebrows.
“Not interested Mr. Christian Grey.”
I covered my burning cheeks with my hands. That girl is shameless. I don’t know why I’m a friend of hers.
“Because you’re too shy to make friends and technically I was the one that made the effort to be your friend. In other words, the only one who noticed your existence, no one was interested.” She said as if reading my mind, but she was right though.
“OK, my so-called only friend, let’s go to the class.”
I sat down next to Rine and rolled my eyes when I saw Rick coming towards us.
“Hey,” he said, hugging Rine tightly.
“Hey,” she said, and then the two started to suffocate each other with their mouths.
I turned my face and looked at the other side. My mind went back to the last night thinking of my stranger. I can’t believe I did that. I know it was stupid and reckless, but when I looked into his eyes, I just couldn’t help it. It was like I felt the need to save him, protect him. It’s just happened.
The morning went by quickly and it was lunchtime. Me, my hoe of a friend, and of course her jock boyfriend, who was still, by the way, sucking her face, headed to the cafeteria.
I wasn’t one of the popular girls, but my friend was a cheerleader and her boyfriend was one of the football team members. As cliché as it seems, they weren’t that awful. I wasn’t a bullied nerd, and she wasn’t one of the Queen bees. And Rick wasn’t a douchebag. Actually, he was, but not with me, or else Rine would castrate him.
We sat down, the three of us, and after a while, some of the jocks came to join our small group. They didn’t bother to look my way. They knew I was not the social type, only Blake the quarterback was the one who gave me a warm smile, which I returned it back.
“Hi Ariel, how are you?“ He said softly.
“Oh......... Hi Blake, I’m fine, thank you.“ I replied shyly.
The thing is, I’m not antisocial, but I’m not the social type either. It’s like I’m just not interested. No one intrigued me enough.
The day passed by quickly and it was time for my shift; I love my job so much. I love the people I work with. There, I can read my favorite books, and I can play the piano. Daniel, the owner loves music too, so we have drums, a guitar, and a piano so anyone can play. As I said before, you can drink your coffee while reading your favorite book and play music as well.
“Hey Ariel, wait for me. I’m coming with you.” Rine shouted.
“And your boyfriend?” I asked, cocking my eyebrow.
“The coach is frying them in the field. He will join us at the café after a couple of hours.“ She snickered.
“OK, but please don’t flirt with Jason. The poor guy was hyperventilating last time, and he has a girlfriend.” I said while I was buckling up my seat belt.
“C’mon, it was hilarious. Besides, I think he’s gay, but in denial.” She said thoughtfully.
I scrunched up my nose but said nothing. This girl is weird, yep I’m sure.
We entered the café; the bell rang indicating that a new customer had just arrived. Jason looked our way. I walked to him and gave him a hug, which he returned it softly; I like Jason. He’s like a sweet, cuddly big brother. It’s been three years now since we knew each other. I looked around for Daniel, but he wasn’t there.
“Where’s Daniel?” I asked curiously.
“In the kitchen making some cupcakes I think,” he said releasing me then stiffened when he noticed Rine.
“Hello, Jason.” Catherine purred to the crimson red 20-year-old co-worker of mine.
“H...Hi...“ The so-called boy/man squealed, running to help someone next to the bookshelves.
I glared at my friend, who batted her eyes innocently at me.
I pinched my temples. “Just sit your ass anywhere; I’ll get you something to drink.”
“Don’t forget getting me one of those amazing eclairs Daniel’s make.”
“Ok just please stay away from the poor guy.” I threw my hands in the air.
She huffed and pouted. “He’s gay, I’m telling you.”
I didn’t bother even looking at her. She’s driving me crazy.
I said hi to Daniel and stole one of the hot cupcakes, then wore my apron. There were not that many customers in here. It was a little bit boring today, but between my Pickering with Rine and laughing at the flushed poor guy, as she kept torturing him. It was bearable.
After two hours, the bell rang, and a bulky man entered. I stiffened. He reminded me of those three men of yesterday, especially when his eyes landed on me. I held my breath and stood behind the island.
“Good afternoon Miss Evans,” he said in a deep voice.
“Umm......good afternoon?” I said shakily.
He just nodded and put a bag in front of me, then bowed his head and left. I was stunned for a couple of minutes, just staring at the bag, not daring to touch it.
“Ariel, who was that man, and what did he want?” Rine asked, looking behind me.
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
“So? Aren’t you going to see what is it? “
I kept looking at the bag for a couple of seconds more, and then tentatively grabbed it. When I opened it I found a square black velvety box. I held it with my fingers and caressed it softly, savoring the feeling of its smooth texture, then opened it. My gasp alerted Rine, but I couldn’t stop it when I saw what was inside.
“What? What is it?” Catherine asked eagerly.
I held the necklace with my fingers to show her; it was a big black cross with amber stones on each head of it. A three-headed dog was snarling viciously with open mouths showing sharp teeth. Their eyes were crimson red.
The body of the three-headed dog swirled around the cross along with its tail at the end. It was so detailed and gorgeous; that I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Rine whistled. I blinked at her when she snatched the necklace.
“Oh my gosh, do you know how expensive is this? You have six little rubies and four amber stones on the platinum cross, making a masterpiece. A custom made masterpiece, if I might add. It must cost a fortune.” She gawked at me. I just gaped in response. She must be right. That is her family business.
“Who sent this?” she said, giving me the necklace back and snatched the bag to search for clues.
“I don’t know.” I stared at the gorgeous piece of jewelry and the realization hit me. That dog looks just like the tattoo on my stranger’s chest. My heart fluttered, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.
“Are you going to wear it, or are you just gonna stare at it?”
I headed to the ladies’ room. In front of the mirror, I put the necklace around my neck. It reached my breasts. I caressed it softly and smiled again. It was gorgeous.
No one ever gave me anything like that before, not to mention a very expensive thing, too.
After a while, Rine left with her boyfriend, so I took the chance and walked towards the piano. _ I don’t play or sing in front of people I know_ I touched it gently and sat down and started to play and sing......
“How long will I love you?
As long as the stars are above you,
And longer, if I can.
How long will I need you?
As long as the seasons need to
Follow their plan.
At home, I couldn’t sleep. I just kept staring at the ceiling with a soft smile on my lips and touching the necklace that was under my shirt from now on. And then I sighed heavily and pushed my face back into my pillow and inhaled deeply.
It smells like him still, a masculine smell mixed with cologne. I closed my eyes and sighed for the thousandth time today.
This is the best birthday ever.
Chapter Four I punched furiously for the millionth time today; I changed my stance panting, all my body was covered in sweat, feeling hot and exhausted, but still, I didn’t let that stop me. Even though my knuckles were ripped open and bleeding but I ignored the pain. Physical pain is nothing, but emotional is much worse because I hate feelings, being fragile and the worst of all is being helpless. I punched again, aggressively. The bunching bag rattled under the force. No one hurts my family and that stupid fucker, Giovanni and his assholes, crossed the line. After trying to, or almost killing me, they gain the confidence to mess with my business. I don’t give a shit about that; it was like your brat son is making some mess to gain your attention, but yesterday they went insane when they killed two of my men working at one of my clubs. “Woah, easy man. What did the poor punching bag do to you?” Leo entered the gym with a big concerned frown on his face. “Gab, it’s been almost fi
Chapter Five Part 1 Insomnia....... It’s been three days since I had a decent sleep. I can’t concentrate, I can’t communicate with anyone, I can’t even participate in anything. It’s like my mind wants to be shut off from anything and everything. Yep, I’m going into a deep depression and the best thing is I’m all alone. I didn’t see my mom since Monday and it is Friday today. God, I just want to stay asleep and never wake up ever again. Ugh, is it that time of the month? Damn you, periods. That’s why I hate being a girl; though it’s early for that torture....... ugh I need to get up. I rolled over the bed and kicked like a little kid, but because I knew it was the last day of the week, I thought it was better to get it over with. God, I hate high school, so much drama, and hormones. Yep, it’s all about hormones. I chuckled lowly. I’m sulking, and it’s only 6 in the morning. It is going to be a LONG day, man...... I hate my life. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and didn’t b
Chapter 6 Part 2 “Seriously, Rine. I’m not in the mood for clubbing right now. Besides, I look awful.” I said while she dragged me to the kitchen to ask Daniel for permission to leave early. I wasn’t kidding about looking awful. My eyes were puffy and red, my face was swollen and had traces of tears, and my nose was blocked. I was a walking mess. “Actually, this is the perfect time for clubbing because you feel like shit, so we need to fix it.“ She chirped happily, still dragging me. I huffed and cursed her in my head. She’s a stubborn bitch, I know it’s done, I’m going, like it or not. “Not to mention that I don’t have any ‘ Dresses ‘ to wear, heck I don’t even have a simple sundress,” I said, annoyed, saying dress sarcastically. “Don’t worry boo I got your back, and actually I bought you a sexy dress as a birthday gift, and girl, you are damn lucky to have me as a best friend because this is going to be perfect.” She squealed. We entered the kitchen, and Daniel smiled, greetin
Chapter 7 I groaned and closed my eyes tighter to block the light; I tried to use my arm as a shield, but I couldn’t. There was something heavy preventing me from moving. I groaned again, annoyed, but then I felt the little movement of a warm body next to me. Opening my eyes slowly, I looked down at that warm body. It was her, Ariel. She was sleeping peacefully snuggled at my side. Half of her body was above mine, her right arm around my torso, her right leg between my long legs, my right arm holding her tightly closer to my body. I used my left hand to brush some curls away to be able to see her beautiful face; she sighed and snuggled even closer. I smiled and searched for my alarm clock to check the time. 09:00 Am! I slept more than 8 hours?! That’s a first. I looked back at Ariel’s serene face again and remembered yesterday’s events. It was a hectic day, no doubt. After coming back from the Vegas meeting, I was discussing the new security details with Theo and Leo, and all of
Chapter 8 I finished quickly and headed to the second floor to see what kind of information Leo got. I didn’t forget what happened yesterday, even though I looked composed and calm, but deep inside I was seething. I can’t believe something like that happened in my club, to my Ariel. My Ariel?! Since when did I consider her mine? Since you gave her your necklace and marked her as yours ... I still don’t get it. Why did I do that? It’s like another me did that. I snorted. It’s true. It’s the other you alright, the beast inside you wanted her and when it wants anything, it just gets it. But why her? She’s eighteen, for God’s sake! Does it matter? She’s your woman now. Your beast claimed her as his... as yours. My beast..... Cerberus....... My mother gave me that name when I was a little kid saying that I have the soul of a beast, a hellhound, Cerberus, the mythical dog that guards the underworld, Hell. When did I ask my father why Cerberus? She said because I am like him, strong
Chapter 9 I sat on the bed for a while after Mr. Stranger left, still trying to comprehend what was going on. I still don’t understand. What am I doing here? Or How did I come here? I groaned and fell back on the bed; it was soft and tender and so freaking big wow. I turned on my stomach and inhaled deeply, and sighed. Yes, this is his smell. I still remember it perfectly. Though it started to fade back home, his masculine scent, mixed with his cologne, surrounded me like a safe cocoon. I rolled on the bed like a happy cat having her first dose of catnap. His scent made me feel high. I knew it was weird. I should be panicking right now because hello I wake up in a stranger’s bed, a dangerous one at that. But all I felt was safe and protected. Besides, he’s my stranger, so bite me if you don’t like it. I walked to the door he just entered before he left and found his walk-in closet and what I saw made me gap like an idiot. It was huge, bigger than our house, and had everything a
Chapter 10 After I made sure that Ariel was safe at her home and there was no one lurking around it, I headed back to the mansion. I have some serious interrogation to do; I need to know who was that asshole harassing my Ariel and why he chose her from all the girls in the club. I mean, I get it; she was so beautiful in her innocent way, so vibrant and so alive. Every soul in that club noticed her even, me, the coldest asshole. There, her heat and light draw me like a moth to the flames, but still why, especially her? There were so many women there ready to go for a one-night stand. I pinched the bridge of my nose and got out of the car. Everyone was busy doing their job, and as usual, Theo and Leo were waiting for me in my office. “So your girl is safe at home?” the smugness of Leo’s face irritated me. I ignored him as usual and faced my third after sitting behind my desk. “He still refuses to talk.“ I asked with a calm voice, unlike the storm that was raging inside me. “Yes, s
Chapter 11 I was so happy today. My heart felt light and carefree. The old couple’s celebration was a joyful event and a hopeful one, too. It gave me hope that maybe one day I will be lucky to have that kind of love. The love that goes beyond age, time, and whatever life might throw at you. The two looked so much in love, even though it had been years and years. Even though one of them sometimes forgot the other, still their love didn’t change or fade away. And also today, for the first time, I sang in front of people I knew, yes we are not that acquainted, but still, I did something out of my comfort zone. I took the books that were left on the tables with a huff. Some people don’t have the decency to return them back to the shelves. We are not your slaves here. I sorted them out and put everything in the right place, but when I was about to return to the tables again, I was pushed back harshly towards one of the shelves. “Ouch, what the hell?” I didn’t finish my complaint. I wa