Page 48 of Twisted Obsession
Overwhelmed by a surge of emotion, I hurled my glass against the sliding door, the shattering sound echoing into the night as the whiskey cascaded down the glass like a waterfall of frustration. I needed to escape this suffocating place, to find a way to reclaim the shattered pieces of my life.
~***~
Lara was more than happy to leave Cuba when I instructed her to pack her things. The evening would be well underway by the time we landed, but that was of little concern to me. My urgency to leave this place was overwhelming; I yearned to return to the comforts of familiar surroundings.
Once we were airborne in my private jet, I felt a small measure of relief from the intense hours spent in Cuba. Our dinner plans had gone awry, leaving Lara’s plate mostly untouched, a telling sign of the evening’s failure. Glancing back at her petite form curled up on one of the plush seats in the rear, I pondered just how much animosity she harbored toward me. It seemed trivial, yet it mattered more than I cared to admit. Summoning a rare flicker of empathy, I rose from my seat, collected a bag of chips, a candy bar, and a bottle of water, and walked over to her.
“You didn’t eat much for dinner. I thought you might be hungry.” I held out the snacks and waited for her to accept them.
“Thank you,” she murmured, accepting the food with a delicate hand.
I offered her a gentle smile before settling into the seat beside her. As I watched her consume the modest meal, my thoughts drifted to the softness of her lips and the desire to feel them against mine. This time, however, I craved for her to initiate the connection.
“Kiss me,kukolka,” I murmured, capturing her gaze as her eyes fell to my mouth.
With a firm grip on my shirt, she pulled me toward her. Our lips met in a tender, rhythmic exchange, and though the urge to devour her was strong, I maintained restraint. A powerful surge of emotion shattered my self-control, placing her entirely at my mercy. I took command, urging her to submit to the moment. Her intoxicating scent enveloped me, awakening a primal desire within.
I wrapped my arms around her slender waist, drawing her effortlessly onto my lap. She melded into me as our kiss deepened, becoming more fervent with each passing second. My longing to explore every inch of her was all-consuming, but this was neither the time nor place. Harnessing every ounce of willpower, I reluctantly pulled away, leaving the moment lingering between us.
“What are you doing to me,kukolka?” I asked, my voice laced with a mixture of bewilderment and amusement.
“You’re the one who wanted me to kiss you,” she replied, her smile playful and knowing. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she slid gracefully off my lap, returning to her seat with an elegance that only heightened the effect she had on me.
Once we landed and settled into the plush interior of the SUV, I turned to Lara, eager to share my plans for the following day. “Tomorrow, I will be taking you shopping for an evening dress,” I announced, watching her closely.
“An evening dress?” she echoed, surprise flickering across her features. “What for?”
“There is a masquerade gala fundraiser that we will be attending in a couple of days. I would like you to go with me,” I explained, carefully observing her reaction. “Don’t think about escaping. My guards will have eyes on you at all times.”
Her expression was neutral, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was contemplating escape once more. During dinner with Clay and Lisa, she had been composed, but after the events in Cuba, I knew another escape might tempt her.
I had to be cautious with the information I divulged. Lara couldn’t know that Andrei Zhukov would be there. Keeping her away from him would be challenging, yet necessary.
Fortunately, she had never met her brother Angelo, so his presence wouldn’t pose an issue. If Angelo double crossed me, my plan was to eliminate him, along with Andrei, before the night was over. The one unpredictable element was Giovanni. I had to be prepared that Giovanni might be Angelo’s reassurance, as well as somehow involved in his plan. I had a feeling Giovanni wouldn’t miss the chance to see his daughter, proving the rumors of his death were merely whispers without substance.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lara
Even though we had arrived at the grand mansion at the ungodly hour of 4:00 a.m., Dmitri was already gone by the time I awoke. The sun was high in the sky, signaling late morning, and I knew I had missed breakfast. Marta, with her ever-watchful eye, would surely chide me for it. It had been over a week since I had pilfered her cell phone, yet it remained undiscovered. My mind swirled with thoughts of the gala Dmitri had mentioned. Somehow, I needed to get word to Chloe and make her aware.
After slipping into a sleek pink sheath dress that hugged my form, paired with matching kitty heels that clicked softly against the floor, I made my way to the kitchen. To my astonishment, the room was devoid of life Not even Marta was there, though I was certain she was lurking somewhere within the mansion’s vast corridors.
This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. I approached the pantry and gently swung open the door. With careful hands, I unfolded the stepladder and positioned it beneath the shelf where my stolen treasure lay hidden. My eyes darted repeatedly to the pantry door, nerves tingling, as I reached behind the flour container, fingers brushing against the cool surface of the phone.
My heart pounded wildly, like a drum keeping an urgent beat, as I descended from the ladder and returned it to its original spot in the corner. I was on the verge of slipping the cell into the pocket of my dress when a wave of frustration hit me—this dress had no pockets. Damn it. If I were caught with Marta’s phone, Dmitri would surely condemn me to the mansion’s dreaded torture chambers.
There was only one course of action left. I lifted the hem of my dress, securing the phone within the waistband of my panties, pressing it snugly over my mound. It was the sole place where it could remain concealed and secure beneath the fabric of my dress.
I rushed toward the conservatory, offering friendly smiles to the staff as if I were carrying no secrets, my heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and fear. The path through the garden took me farther from the mansion until I reached the familiar embrace of the towering tree that had become my new refuge. Hidden from prying eyes, I lifted the hem of my dress and extracted the cell phone, its cool weight reassuring in my hands.
Holding my breath, I silently implored the device to awaken, feeling the tension coil in my chest. As the screen flickered to life, revealing a meager 15% battery, I exhaled a sigh of relief, the tightness in my chest loosening. Without wastinganother moment, my fingers danced swiftly across the keypad, urgency propelling each tap and swipe.
ME:Chloe, I don’t have much time. There is a gala in a few days. You need to let my brother know.
Come on, Chloe, answer. 10% battery life.
CHLOE:Lara. Thank goodness. I was concerned something might have happened to you. We located Angelo, and he knows about the gala. It’s how he’s going to rescue you. He reached out to Dmitri and informed him about it to make sure you both attended.
