Page 13 of Caffeine & Chaos

Ryan matched her rhythm and pressed his hips into hers aggressively. “I want you so bad.” He thrust against her powerfully and then sighed resignedly. “But not yet Nadia, not yet.”

Nadia panted beneath him, what was wrong? He was so intoxicating, she couldn’t think straight. “What? I don’t understand. You said no more games.”

“No more games. I want all of you Nadia. I want your heart, your mind and your soul. I will only possess your body once I know I have those things.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and scooped the other one under her legs, lifting her off of the stairs and hugging her closely.

Nadia leaned into him and rested her forehead against his neck. Tears welled up again, but they weren’t tears of pain, or rejection. His willingness to open himself to her and ask for her everything had moved her beyond words. She finally broke and accepted the realization that had been lurking in the back of her mind for days. She wanted all of him too.

5

Her.

Nadia asked Armand to drop her off at the cafe. On the boat ride back to the visitor’s centre Ryan had gotten an urgent call from his secretary requiring him to call another car and leave. Before he left, he instructed Armand to ‘see to her needs.’ The idea of Armand attending to her needs in that moment, needs that were entirely fixated on Ryan, felt almost laughable. He likely wouldn’t appreciate Armand seeing to those needs.

It was just after five and Nadia was hoping she could catch Mandy before her shift was over for the day. She had so much to tell her, plus she needed to make amends for ghosting her after the bathroom incident.

“Judging by the look of contentment on your face, I take it you have forgiven Mr. McKellen for his earlier transgressions?” Armand eye-balled her through the rear-view mirror with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“Are you being cheeky Armand?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Miss Moore.” He was definitely being cheeky. “I was half expecting to get a call to come and get you early, with the way you were hurling insults at him when I picked you up.” He did a quick shoulder check and changed lanes.

“Well that lovely lunch you set up at Boca Chita worked in his favour. How did you manage to get that done so quickly?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” Armand chuckled, his face a picture of exaggerated innocence, a look that seemed more suited to a mischievous teenager than a guy pushing fifty.

Nadia waggled her finger at him, “the cat’s already out of the bag Armand, I know it was you.”

“Well in that case, I’ll never tell! There have got to be some mysteries left in life, my dear.” He winked at her and looked back at the road.

Nadia turned to the window, rolling her conversation with Armand over in her mind. There was an unsettling familiarity to Armands words, a nagging sensation that set off warning signals in the depths of her mind. It all seemed too rehearsed, too scripted.

As the minutes ticked by, the thought gnawed at her, and a troubling question began to form: how many other women had found themselves in this exact situation with Armand? How many times had he played the role of caretaker, picking up the pieces after Ryan had grown tired of his latest conquest?

Nadia rubbed her palms against her thighs nervously and gazed out the window, feeling as though the intimacy she thought she had shared with Ryan had been nothing more than an illusion. Was she to become another body laying in Ryan’s wake?

“Everything alright Miss Moore?” Something in her face must have given Armand cause for concern.

Nadia shook her head slightly, forcing a smile to her lips. “Yeah, just had a thought about something my mom said the other day,” she lied. The cafe was minutes away now; she just had to keep up the façade for a little longer.

A few minutes was too long. “You know what Armand, drop me at this corner here. I never did get my run in today, and I’ve still got the outfit on, so I might as well play the part.” She gestured towards the light at the next intersection.

“That’s Brickell Ave, it’s quite a few blocks away. I’m not certain Mr. McKellen would approve of my-”

Nadia cut him off, “it will do just fine. I managed to survive my daily runs before Ryan came crashing into my life, so I am sure I can continue to.” Nadia dropped the tone of her voice at the end in an effort to make the decision sound final.

Armand kept on with his pleas for her to let him take her directly to the cafe until they came to a stop at a red light. Instinctively she hit the lock button, yanked the door handle, and hopped out of the car, leaving Armand to call out in protest as the car idled behind a grey Topaz.

“Thank-you so much Armand, take good care!” Nadia jogged off down the street, eager to put some distance between herself and the car. She had seen how persistent Armand could be and she wouldn’t have been surprised if he were to circle back to try to find her.

She ran up the alleyway between two office buildings and onto an adjoining street. The rush hour traffic was starting to congest which made going on foot a better alternative to driving anyway. Once she was certain Armand hadn’t come back around for her, she slowed her pace to a walk and tried to gather her thoughts.

She ran the day with Ryan back through her mind. He had come across as truly sorry, putting in genuine effort to make things right after the fiascos at the dance club and the café restroom. Nadia prided herself on her ability to spot insincerity, but she hadn’t sensed a hint of it from him.

Turning onto South Second Street, her phone buzzed against her arm. Nadia quickly pulled it out of her armband to check it.

Valentina: Honestly Nadia! Call me right now.

God her mother had impeccable timing. She still hadn’t called her back, and she wasn’t about to now, given the already vulnerable state she was in. She made a silent promise to herself to call her tonight, knowing that she would only become more annoyed and difficult to deal with if she didn’t.

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