**Olivia POVA few days after I had gotten back to New York, Jenny came over to visit me at my parents' house. I needed a friend after the vacation that I had, if I could even call it that. I had spent most of it upset or worried.We sat in the living room, going over a school project for one of our design courses. She was majoring in fashion, and I was majoring in business with the intention of going into jewelry design.She picked one of the colored pencils up to work on her design drawing for a gown, while I was working on an elaborate necklace. "So… how was your vacation? What did you do?""Carl invited me over to the Peterson's vacation home in Long Island." I wanted to ease her into the news of our break-up. I put the red pencil back to pick up a black one to shade a few diamonds."Oh? How was that? Did you have some good sex?" Jenny teased me, and I gasped.I shoved her in the arm, making her nearly mess up her sketch, "No, I didn't!""I'm picking on you, Olivia. I
My heart was pounding in my chest as I peered around the club and got lost in the ocean of greedy, lascivious faces. It was even more disorienting with the way that everyone was hiding behind a different mask, concealing their identity from me.I didn't know where I was, and I never thought my night would have ended like this. I swallowed hard and tried keeping my composure, flicking my hair and standing straight. I couldn't let them know that I was terrified. Suddenly, bursting from the crowd of rambling numbers came a high bid in the form of a creepy looking, overweight man in his fifties, wearing a suit that was ill-fit for his stature. "One hundred thousand!"I could tell that his lips were chapped from here and he fondled a cigar in between his fingers, licking the end of it in a salacious way. A shiver ran through me at the sight of him flirting with me through his cigar and drink.The crowd went silent and only a cough was heard to break it for a second. "One hundred
Ellis stepped into the room and shut the door behind himself. Something about the way he relaxed and strutted into the room like he owned the place made me feel calmer.At least he wasn't some stranger that I didn't know, but I was still nervous about whether he would really make me play with him.My heart began to race at the thought of what he had planned.Everything in this room was foreign to me as I looked around, making me feel a bit more unsettled.I watched him sit on the foot of the bed with his legs spread. He scanned my body up and down, taking in my lingerie, and chuckled."What's so funny?" I uttered, not able to meet his eyes.Ellis didn't answer me. He slipped off his suit coat and neatly folded it, setting it on the bed beside him. I could feel that his eyes were locked on mine, burning into my soul and settling into the pit of my stomach. I swallowed hard, as he reached up to loosen his crimson silk tie with one hand.Although I'd seen him a few times before, ev
I looked over at Ellis, who was driving through the streets of Manhattan. Going out to dinner with him seemed a bit unusual, but I was starving."Okay, I'll let you take me to dinner." I agreed with a flat tone and ever-so-slightly noticed the corner of his lips curl up as if he was pleased."Great, I know the perfect place."My phone went off and I pulled it from my clutch to see my mother's name. They must have stayed up waiting for me to return home.I brought the phone to my ear. "Hello?""Hello, dear. Is the concert over?" My mother's voice came through the phone laced with concern. "It's a bit late. Your father and I were worried about you."I completely forgot my parents would have been worrying about me. I quickly scrambled for a reply. "The concert was great! It was nice to have the night out."I knew lying to my parents was wrong. They'd be extremely disappointed if they ever found out. I chewed on my bottom lip, and noticed a smirk coming from Ellis' lips. He was focused on
Ellis drove me home, and I was pleasantly surprised how the evening turned out to be given where it had started. A small part of me felt like he wasn't the cold man I once thought, but I wasn't ready to investigate deeper. It was late and I had to get home.I blushed, thinking maybe I had a bit too much wine, and looked out the side window as we drew closer to my house. Suddenly, I heard Ellis release a 'hmm' sound as if he had noticed something unusual and then I turned my attention to the front window. Carl's BMW was parked down the street.A woman opened the passenger door and stepped out, and my heart dropped to the floor. It was my sister, Bethany.Carl suddenly burst from the driver's seat and began chasing her around the car teasingly. From the smiles on their faces, I could tell they were having a good time.Carl suddenly raced back around the car and caught the unsuspecting Bethany in his arms.He pinned her against the side of the car and ran his hand along h
**Olivia POVAs I turned the doorknob, hoping I could sneak in unnoticed, I was met with my parent's gaze focused right on the door. I quickly ran my hands through my hair and tried to make myself presentable."There you are," my father scolded as he was flipping through his newspaper. My mother added, "We were so worried about you," and she hurried up to me to give me a hug."I told you I was getting a bite to eat," I reasoned, but it didn't register. "Have you heard from your sister?" my mother questioned. The mere mention of Bethany sent a shiver down my spine. After what I'd witnessed, it was hard to believe she really was my sister anymore.I shook my head. "We hadn't been able to reach her for hours...." my mother remarked.I wonder why, I thought.... "I'm sure she's not far away," I muttered and began walking down the hallway away from the front door. My parents seemed to notice my unusual mood, but they didn't pry further.As I approached the staircas
**Olivia POVThe hostess at the Red Sea sat me in a corner booth. I was grateful for the privacy since my cheeks were burning from what I was about to do. As the owner, Jesse was bound to be around somewhere. When I saw him, I waved him over. "Olivia, back so soon?" Jesse asked, arching a single eyebrow at me. "Your Steak au Poivre was just so delicious last time, I wanted to try it again." I gave him the most convincing smile I could. "And I wanted to tell you personally how much I enjoy the Red Sea.""Is that so?" he asked. I swallowed hard. He didn't sound convinced but he nodded and gave me a warm smile."You're always welcome here," Jesse assured. "Thank you," I said, nodding in return. "If there is anything I can do for you, personally, in regards to your meal, don't hesitate to ask," he assured me. His smile suggested a little more than what he offered and I reached for my water, taking a quick sip to avoid answering. "I will," I mustered, my voice cracking even w
The next night I was still puzzled over Ellis's interest in what I 'desired,' while I got dressed for a charity gala. My family, along with some of the richest entrepreneurs in the world, had been invited. My parents always supported children's charities because they'd adopted Bethany, so these galas were commonplace for us. The gala was a black and white affair. Every guest was to wear some variation of the two colors. My black gown was floor length with a slit on one side that showed off my leg when I walked. I fiddled with the elaborate black diamond choker around my neck that my mother had insisted that I wear this evening.When we walked into the ballroom, everyone stared at me and Bethany at the top of a massive, marble, staircase. It was like the party had stopped and erupted into conversation about us.We walked down and I overheard the guests talking about how pretty we were.I could tell that Bethany was enjoying the attention, her face bright with a beaming smile. I waved