[Erin]The following day came, and I roused alone in the bed.Micah must have woken up much earlier than me as the side of her bed had been long cold and the sun penetrating from the heavy drapes shining directly into my face.I raised my hands to block the sunlight and squinted my eyes while pushing myself up from the mattress, releasing a loud yawn. Stretching my arms above my head before edging myself to the side of the bed and swinging my feet, standing and going towards the drapes, pushing them to let the light inside our room, just as the door opens.“You’re awake,” Micah came in, pushing a cart table carrying on top was my meal. “I thought you’re going to be asleep till the afternoon,” she added, opening the stainless steel cover and revealing a roasted chicken and carbonara pasta full pitcher of lemonade.To confirm what she said about me oversleeping, I throw a glance towards the wooden table next to the bed and look at the flip clock, seeing that I have indeed woken up a bit
[Erin]I stare at myself in the reflection in the mirror. Satisfied with what I am seeing. A black satin top hangs in a thin strap around my neck, revealing most of my back. Micah paired it up with a high-waisted white pencil skirt and black ankle boots, totting up my height for a few inches.Micah also set my hair to a French pigtail braid on both sides of my head. She also had my makeup done. To complete my outfit for today, I wore sunglasses with huge lenses that could take up almost half my face.“Are you ready?” Micah came up behind me, her head poking over my shoulder, and stared at me in the mirror.Giving myself one last look, I nodded to her and said, “Let’s go.” I pick up the mini sling bag from the vanity table and hang it over my shoulder. It didn’t have anything important inside it, aside from a pressed powder and a liquid lipstick in case we needed a retouch.I turn around and look at her. She was wearing one of the clothes she packed up for me back in Russia. A two-piec
[Erin]Micah and I couldn’t help but smile the entire journey to our destination. To have our suspicion right, these hooligans could speak our English, and Nikolai set off a security convoy for us today. Two other vehicles followed us and another two in front while we traveled in the middle at maintained speed. Nikolai being an excessive man, did take this tour of us seriously when he said that I would be going but with a bunch of security following around us. Now I feel like someone’s VIP daughter.Micah's face was jammed up against the glass of the window. As she took in the sights that unfolded before us along the route, her jaw dropped in astonishment at each new panoramic scenery. Italy is such a beautiful country, and each and every architectural masterpiece was just mesmerizing. I even noticed myself having my mouth opened the entire time while I looked at the place we passed through. We have no idea where we are going first, but as we have written in our itinerary, we came a
[Erin]My gag reflexes weren’t helping the entire journey inside that sewer. All the food we were before coming here was making its way directly into the back of my throat, and I had been doing my best to swallow it back in order to prevent myself from throwing it up. I could tell that Micah was feeling the same way I did. Flavio, on the other hand, appeared to be very accustomed to being in this kind of setting, and he made no effort to show it on his face that the smell didn't bother him in the least.In contrast to the first wave of stench that we were blasted with when we entered the sewer, the offensive odor gradually lost some of its power as we continued to go through it.Nikolai’s men must be throwing off their wits out by now, thinking why we didn’t come out from that bridge. Probably they were already scouring the entire city of Venice, and this realization has caused me some concern. What if, as soon as we emerged from the dead end, they were already there, waiting for us?
[Third Person’s Point of View—Nikolai]“What do you mean, they haven't been found!” Nikolai's booming voice reverberated around the squared-off room in his conference room. Everyone at the long table was startled by his outburst and looked at him in bewilderment, wondering what terrible news he could possibly be hearing to provoke such a intense reaction.He was in an important meeting with his business. They have to fly all the way from Russia to Italy for this matter because he was not in a good mood on this particular day following the incident that happened between him and Erin in the islet. It was indeed unforgettable, especially the passionate moment they shared. The heat that was building up between them as he buried himself further and more inside of her. To experience for the first time with a woman the exploding sensation of her warm depths, something Nikolai has never felt before with any other woman. Those beautiful groans that she was making. Her lips were the source of t
[Erin]My ears were initially jarred awake by the sound of water dripping, and it was this ricocheting noise that brought me fully into the present moment. The subsequent pounding in my head felt like someone was hitting a mallet, splitting my skull into half and my nostrils stung when I took deep breaths. I am also feeling a bit lightheaded and it seems as though I am on an unsteady platform.Where am I?Hard as it may seem, I was forced to peel my eyes open. My vision blurred at first and it seems that the world is spinning and my sight couldn’t focus on something. I tried to raise my hand to rub my head. However, it was bound to something, and it made me realize what had occurred before this. We were enjoying ourselves at the grand canal. Micah and I—oh gosh!“Micah?” My voice croaked as I forced my voice to speak, worried if she were near beside me or if we had been separated. I blinked my eyes several times, shaking my head before my sight finally cleared out from distortion and
[Erin]I am beyond astounded to see Flavio standing straight in front of me without any scratches or anything else that would suggest that he had been taken against his will through compulsion. In point of fact, he was grinning broadly and boastfully as he towered over me while I was strapped to my chair in the center of this awful basement with no idea what on earth was going on.My conscience just won't let go of the fact that I had in some way drawn an innocent man into a situation, and I was just agonizing over the possibility that something dreadful must have happened to him. Or that he departed because he was afraid for his life and that we did not adequately compensate him for his service before he left. I was so conflicted and perplexed by what was taking place, and I had no idea what to do, yet here he is now. Standing ever so fine in front of me.After seeing him, I have no doubt that Micah is as dumbfounded as I am.“Flavio, what is the meaning of this? What are you doing h
[Third Person’s Point of View—Nikolai]“Do you have a picture of her that we may look at?” Akim was questioned by the CCTV technician as he looked at him from an angle while his fingers deftly punched over the rolls of keyboards that were placed on the desk.Large monitors are mounted on the wall, showing all the nooks and crannies around the city. Akim sighs as pulled his phone, scrolled through his snaps, and came about the first photo he took at the auction when Nikolai purchased Erin.“Here,” he said as he handed it to the technician and plugged a cord into his phone. He then copied the photo into the computer to scan her features and began the search through the footage. The computer screen went haywire, and Erin's face appeared in the middle of it. Akim stared at her with wide eyes filled with terror as she was being auctioned off like a herd of cattle. Not knowing what the future holds for her.Nikolai changed a bit since she arrived in his life, and Akim is quite a bit confu