CHAPTER FOUR

Xavier had spent most of the day sleeping, there was not much to do in his prison. When he got bored, he did some push-ups but that just frustrated him because he became sweaty and his body felt sticky.

His mind still could not believe that the same beautiful lady he had helped at the club was a murderer, she had seemed so fragile and harmless or maybe his mind was just making excuses for his carelessness. He was puzzled about his kidnapper's weird behavior, he was not certain what to make of it. She kidnapped him instead of killing him, for which he was grateful. She threw him in a dark basement which looked like a dungeon of sorts, but then she brought him food and ate with him. She was kind of nice to him.

"Damn it! I'm going crazy." He missed out loud.

He did not know what time it was when she came into the basement. He was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. He did not bother to look at her when she came in. She probably just brought food, he mused.

"Well, someone seems chipper today." She said with a sarcastic tone.

"Captivation fails to provide me joy." He replied and glared at her. What did she expect? Did she think I will jump for joy or what? He pondered in his mind.

"Great! I've got something that might excite you."

He doubted that, but he was curious. He wondered what she could be referring to, he turned to her with a questioning look on his face.

"Get up and follow me. Try not to irk me." She said and walked over to the door. She unlocked it and gestured for him to climb the stairs. When they got to the top of the stairs, she unlocked the second door and walked out.

Xavier followed her with extra caution and he looked at the house in admiration as they went to the grand staircase. The house was nothing short of beautiful, with the high ceilings, expensive chandeliers, marble floors, and the beautiful paintings hung on the wall. The house seemed like something out of a magazine, the design was impeccable and classy, everything about the house screamed wealth. He never would have guessed that such a lovely house concealed a dungeon and who knows how many dirty secrets.

"Where are we?" He stopped walking and asked.

"My house."

They went up two flights of stairs and walked down a hallway that was bare of any personal touch and passed by many doors until they arrived at a big wooden door. He wondered what was behind all the doors they had passed by. She unlocked the door and walked in, Xavier followed her with hesitant steps.

"This is your bedroom, I'll give you the tour of the house tomorrow."

His eyes danced about the room, checking every detail. The room was painted white, like most of the house. It had a big four-poster bed, expensive light fixtures, arched ceilings, a white fur carpet at the foot of the bed and ivory tiled floors. To the left side of the room, there was a living room that boasted a painting of a twilight hung on a wall, a large, flat television hung above a modern fireplace and two couches and a table facing it. The bedsheets were golden brown, same as the curtain drapes and couches. He also noticed two doors by the right side of the room. He walked towards one and opened it, it was a bathroom. The bathroom was very big, it was as big as his bedroom at home. It had a huge bathtub that could comfortably size two people, a shower with glass doors, a toilet and there was a wide mirror on one of the walls with three drawers and a sink. He opened the drawers and found towels in one, toiletries in another and the last one was empty. The bathroom floor had charcoal and ivory tiled.

He came out of the bathroom and saw her staring at him. She had a blank expression, he could not read her. Discomforted by her stare, he opened the other door and it led to a closet. The closet was chic, with three open wardrobes and some cabinets in the middle of the room designed in a circle, on top of the cabinets were different assortment of wristwatches and chains. He noticed the clothes on the rack and the shoes, everything was brand new and they were male designs. He wondered if she got them for him, he checked one of the shoes, it was his perfect fit. Everything in the closet looked expensive and stylish, he had never been one to go for expensive clothes, not that he was poor. He could sustain himself, he had a good apartment and a well paying job. He just didn't like wasting money on frivolous things, and he considered the clothes frivolous.

"Are those for me?" He folded his hands on his chest, standing in the doorway of the closet.

She stared at him for a while before she answered. "Yes, they should all fit you well."

"Why?" He looked at her suspicious eyes as he tried to gauge her expression. She seemed a bit surprised at first, but then her blank expression was back and he wondered if he imagined it.

"I assumed you were tired of sleeping in that dingy room and peeing in a bucket. But if you prefer that, I'll gladly return you." She said.

The thought of the pee bucket made him shudder, he didn't want to go back to the basement. He would just accept her offer and remain alert.

"Thank you. It's a lovely room." He said with sincerity in his voice.

"Alright, come closer." She said but he remained frozen at the same spot. "Anytime now." She said in a firm voice and he walked towards her. She showed him the touchpad on the wall and inputted his fingerprints.

Standing close to her, her scent wafted by his nose, she smelled like honeycomb and lavender. Her head reached his shoulders, she was about five feet eight inches. He stared at her black curly hair, it looked thick and luscious, he wondered how they would feel on his hands.

"Your fingerprint is now saved on the system, so you can lock it or unlock it as you wish." She turned to look at him as she explained it. He had not noticed her eyes before, they were ebony and reflective, like a mirror. "After the tour tomorrow, I'll grant you access to the library, gym and living room. Every other room is out of limits to you. Don't bother trying to escape, you don't have access to any of the doors that lead outside the house." He listened to her and tried not to stare at her body. Seeing her under good lighting for the first time was amazing, she was the definition of beauty. She was slim, but had curves in the right places, her hips were wide and her chest looked ample. Her face was also breathtaking, her good looks hid her terrible nature. He wondered what would have happened if they had met under different conditions.

She opened the door to leave the room but stopped. "Take a bath and change your clothes. When you are done, go downstairs and turn to your right, down the hallway, turn left and you will find the kitchen. Meet me there." She said and left the room.

Xavier stared at her disappearing figure in confusion. He could not understand what she said because he had been fighting himself not to stare at her. He could not blame himself, she was really beautiful.

Yeah and also your kidnapper. A voice in his head reminded him.

*****

Xavier sighed as the warm water fell on his body. He poured some shampoo on his hand and rubbed it on his hair, a feeling of calm engulfed him as he breathed in the scent of lavender. He was not enthusiastic about the female shampoo and body wash, but he was happy to finally take a shower.

He dried his body with a towel and wrapped it around his waist, he noticed there was no comb or hairdryer, so he used a towel to dry his hair and finger combed it.

He found underwear in one of the drawers in the closet and he wore one. He dressed in a cotton t-shirt, sweatpants and leather slippers.

When he was done, he pushed the curtain aside and looked through the large window. It was dark outside, there were stars in the sky but the moon was not bright. There was some light in the compound and he observed three men moving about with guns in their hands. When one turned to look at him, he quickly closed the window and pulled the curtains.

He went downstairs trying to find the kitchen, he could not remember the directions she had given, so he tried opening different doors, none of which opened.

"Are you that impatient for a tour?"

Her voice startled him, he turned around and saw her leaning against the wall opposite the door that he was trying to open.

"I'm just looking for the kitchen."

She pushed away from the door and turned to go back down the hallway. He followed her and tried to memorize the way. They arrived at the grand staircase and she turned right and went down another hallway, turned left and opened the door at the end of the hallway.

They came into an elegant, modern kitchen. He looked around the place and he could tell that she didn't cook. Most of the equipment looked brand new and he felt bad about it. His mother loved cooking and he spent a lot of time with her in the kitchen. He had learnt how to cook and he even enjoyed it. Whenever he had free time, he would cook himself a lavish meal and enjoy it with good wine.

"Sit down." Her voice broke his thoughts.

He sat down on one of the chairs before the countertop. She set down dishes of Chinese food and sat down across him.

They ate in silence and he could feel her gaze on him while he ate. He was almost done with his meal when he stood up.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"To get water from the fridge." He gestured at the countertop.

He opened the fridge to take water and he saw different takeout cartons.

"Do you cook?" He asked her.

"No."

"Do you like Chinese food?" He sat down and unscrewed the bottle. He did not bother asking for a glass, he just tipped the bottle against his lips and guzzled the water down.

"No."

"Then why do you eat it? And you have enough to feed six people in your fridge."

"It's delicious and it fills my stomach. The remaining food is for you, I won't be back until night tomorrow and I don't want you to starve." She said and continued eating.

He did not know what to say to that, then he realized he did not even know her name and she knew quite a lot about him.

"What is your name?"

"Chiara Mariano."

The name sounded familiar and he racked his brain trying to recall where he had heard the name. Suddenly, it clicked. Mariano was the name of one of the mafias the FBI was investigating. They had hotels to cover up their dirty businesses and it was hard to connect them to anything illegal.

"Are you the owner of the Mariano group of hotels?" He feigned interest in the business, trying to get information from her.

"No, that's my dad's. I own the fashion company." She packed the plates and placed them in the sink. She turned on the tap and rinsed the plates, then she washed them with sponge and soap.

"Oh!" So killing is just her side business, he mused. He looked at her and noticed she was washing the plates with her hands. "Why are you washing the dishes with your hands?"

"I can't work the dishwasher." She replied.

He was shocked by her answer, never would he have imagined that someone that smart could not operate a dishwasher. He stood up and moved close to her, he found a dishtowel by the dishwasher and he used it to dry the dishes that she washed.

"Do you like Chinese food?" Chiara asked, taking him by surprise.

"Yes, it's really good."

"What other food do you like?" She packed the dishes and put them in a cabinet attached to the wall.

"I like potato pancakes boxty, corned beef with mashed potatoes, soda bread and colcannon. I like Italian food as well, the spaghetti and meatballs, pizza, lasagna and risotto, I do enjoy burger and fries once in a while." He gently opened some drawers, searching for a knife. She turned around and he made a show of drying his hands.

"So you love your homeland food." She stated as though she already knew and she turned to open the fridge. He used the opportunity to open another drawer and he found a knife. He was trying to fix it in his pants when she spoke.

"We don't want that to slip. It could cut your balls and then you might become useless to me." She said while facing the open fridge with her back turned to him. He froze with the knife in his right hand and a dishtowel in his left hand. She took a soda from the fridge and turned to face him.

"You can keep the knife if it makes you feel safe. Come, let's have a drink." She left the kitchen but he remained frozen in one spot. He was confused about how she found out about the knife and even more confused by her decision to let him keep it.

The sound of a door opening snapped him out of his haze, he followed the sound and saw Chiara in what appeared to be the living room. She had a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a tumbler with ice in the other hand.

"Would you like a shot?" She asked even as she poured it for him. She handed him the drink and he threw it on the floor and pushed her against the wall, holding the knife against her throat.

"I thought I made it clear that I'm not into such kinks." She said and laughed. He was infuriated by her action, so he pressed the knife harder, nicking the skin on her throat. She kicked his balls and he nearly lost his footing, she quickly grabbed the hand with the knife and twisted it backwards. His grip on the knife loosened and she caught the knife before it fell.

"You are beginning to excite me." She whispered into his ear and released his hand. She slashed his right arm with the knife and smiled. "You don't want me excited, it will end badly for you." She said and walked away.

Xavier was shocked by the turn of events. One moment he had her subdued and the next, he was at her mercy. He had never seen anyone move that fast before, he was still trying to process how she managed it. A stinging feeling followed by warm liquid sliding down his arm reminded him of the cut she bestowed upon him. He looked at the cut, it was three inches long. Blood was gushing out of it but it wasn't life threatening, he would just need about five stitches.

"You seem to be in dire need of a drink." Chiara walked towards him and handed him another drink. He accepted it and smelt it, it was a neat scotch. He poured a little on the gash and gulped down the rest. The alcohol helped him dull the pain.

"Figured you will need something stronger." She said as she sat down. He followed her and perched on the edge of another couch. He wanted to ask her for another glass, but he was terrified. He watched her as she drank from the soda can, she seemed so relaxed and unconcerned by what just transpired between them.

"Do you like your new wardrobe?" She switched on the television and put it on an animal channel.

"Yes." He remained alert, scared that she could hurt him. He watched her as she watched the television, she seemed so engrossed in the program.

He did not know when he dozed off but he woke up to a stinging pain in his right arm.

"Don't move." Chiara said, halting his movements. He carefully turned his head to check his arm and he saw her stitching the cut. His surprise was cut short by another bout of pain as she made another stitch. He tried his best to stay still while she treated his arm. When she was done, she gave him two pills and a glass of water. He looked at the pills with suspicion, then he swallowed them. He figured that if she wanted him dead, she would have killed him.

'I just have to be careful and patient, I will find a way out', he said in his mind.

******