When he first laid eyes on her, he knew she was the one. She had brown eyes, wavy hair, and plump lips painted a matte wine red. What first caught his eye was the smirk on her face when the teacher called out everyone’s name and she didn’t reply. As he watched her, he wondered how she could be bold enough to sit in on someone else’s class.

He walked to the middle of the class with his hands behind his back and smiled. You could hear the silent whistles and occasional oh my god coming from the female students. All except for her. That was new for this charming older man. She didn’t even move her eyes up from her bag to see what was going on. The older man was caught off guard since he was always the center of everyone’s attention when he walked into the room. A woman had never not taken an interest in him, so this random student not giving him the time of day made him drawn to her and only her.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Arsen Lockhart and here’s how I became a billionaire novelist”, the man announced before the class. As soon as the word “novelist” slipped out it was as though something clicked inside of her brain. Her head popped up immediately and she began paying attention.

Lola Anderson. She was the epitome of stubbornness and ruination. Her only goal was to become a novelist, so she had never had time for relationships, or even friendships. Except for one, that is. Lola had a best friend named Arabella Spencer and they had had an unbreakable bond since middle school. Lola was currently skipping her eight o’clock math class to spend time with Arabella and never expected that there would be a seminar. Who could have known that this one day would be the start of something interesting?

They made eye contact from across the room and from the moment he saw her, he knew he had to have her. She bit down on her lip as she watched the much older man walk around the classroom. It was really a coincidence that on the day she had skipped her class a great opportunity like this came about. There had to be a reason the universe pulled them together.

Lola

I began to feel very drawn to Arsen as he started his presentation. Despite the fact that I was in college, I hadn’t met any other guy who had that certain type of confidence he did. I examined the way he walked, with his back straight and chin up, the way he spoke slowly making sure every word was articulate, and the way his eye contact burned holes straight through anyone’s head. He was the perfect guy, if I wanted one.

I quickly shook away the lustful thoughts and started to take notes. He went into detail about how to market your novels for the age group you want to sell to, and that’s where I struggled with my work—trying to make someone want my book in their home.

Arsen also owned a line of hotels across the country named after himself, The Lockhart. I wasn’t interested in any of that, though. The fact that this man was a novelist was really attractive to me. He told us about his daily routine and how strict he was with time for his employees. It showed how ruthless he was when it came to his work. He was stern and didn’t play with his work. He was a man who knew what he wanted and got it. What was this feeling? I fanned myself lightly and continued taking notes.

A half hour went by and the presentation was over. When Arsen went around to hand out his business card for whenever we needed to ‘contact him,’ his smile melted the hearts of all of the female students. I fell victim to this feeling, but I would never let that be known. When he handed me the card, we made eye contact and there was a tingling feeling throughout my body. He winked and I was taken aback, feeling attracted but confused. I guess he noticed because he chuckled and moved on to the next row of students.

“What was that?” Arabella asked, smiling. “He was totally just flirting with you”

I rolled my eyes and pulled my bag over my shoulder. “You’re over-analyzing things, Bella”.

“You like him!” Her eyes widened with excitement as she stared at me.

I raised an eyebrow, trying to mask my nervousness, and stood up from my seat. “I need coffee,” I forced out and left the room quickly.

I’m not sure how a simple gesture could get me to crack like that, but it was strange, and I had never felt that before. I rushed out of the class and straight to the coffee shop to clear my mind. I started to think about Arsen again as I waited in line. His suit was so nice—form-fitting without a single piece of lint. His hair was so dark and his gray eyes were piercing.

“Hello! What can I get for you?” I heard faintly in my head. That confused me, but I ignored it. “Excuse me!!”

I snapped back into reality and realized the barista was trying to get my attention. I laughed softly. “Sorry about that. One large cup of vanilla hazelnut coffee please”.

The barista put in my order, then told me my price. As I looked through my bag for my wallet, I heard a familiar voice.

“I’ve got it, and add another large coffee. Black” I saw a man extend his arm, handing the barista a black card. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him and my body tensed up. All of my feelings from just ten minutes ago came rushing back when I turned to see Arsen standing next to me with a smirk on his face.

“You didn’t,” I spoke lightly, then cleared my throat. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to, so I did.” He chuckled and took his coffee from the barista, and I did the same. “Let’s talk.”

My eyes widened, and he chuckled again and walked away to a table in the corner. Taking a deep breath, I followed him to the table and sat in front of him.

“You’re not afraid?” I asked.

“Of?” He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Being out in public without some sort of bodyguard or protection. You know ... being a billionaire and all.” I took a sip of my coffee and almost moaned as the warm liquid rushed down through my chest.

“I have nothing to be scared of …” He trailed off, not knowing my name.

“Lola,” I stated simply and stuck my hand out to shake his. He grabbed my hand and placed a kiss on it. I heard a girl gasp from the table behind us and I rolled my eyes.

“Too much?” He asked, referring to the kiss.

I shook my head in disagreement. “Girls here are just annoying sometimes, but why did you want to speak with me?”

He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. He licked his lips and that made my stomach full of butterflies. “I saw you taking notes and I wanted to ask you what you thought about my seminar.”

“Arsen Lockhart cares what I think?” I questioned and smiled lightly.

“I do.” He smiled and drank more of his coffee. “So tell me, Lola, what did you think?”

“I really admire how hard-working and dedicated you are.” I pushed my hair back behind my ear. “Actually … can I interview you the next time you’re available?”

“Uh. Sure. What will this interview be about?” He leaned back in his seat and crossed his hands.

“You and what made you want to become a novelist.” I stared into his eyes as he nodded.

“I should be free next Tuesday around three. I’ll tell my assistant. Don’t be late, Lola.” And with that, he stood from his seat and left.

I just sat there, not knowing what to do really. I was confused about why he decided to leave so abruptly, but after a few minutes, I shook away the thought and went on about my day. I grabbed my cup of coffee and headed back to my suite, which I shared with Anabella. When I got there, she was sitting on the couch waiting for me with a smile on her face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I chuckled and took off my jacket, hanging it on the coat rack.

“I saw you and Mr. Lockhart at the coffee shop! You totally have a thing for him, Lo”

I plopped down on the couch beside her and kicked off my shoes. “Why do you think I have a thing for him? We only spoke for like five minutes.” I pulled my feet up and looked over at her.

“That’s the reason, Lola! You never give any guy—” I cut her off.

“He’s not a guy. He’s a man. So what if I talked to him? That doesn’t mean I like him”

“You never give any guy or man the attention to even have a five-minute conversation. You’re a hi-and-bye type of girl” Anabella smiled. “It’s good that you say you don’t like him because he’s too old for you anyway.”

Too old? I thought to myself. I’m a grown woman. I can date anyone I want, however old. I mentally rolled my eyes and flashed Anabella a fake, small smile. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

Three days of normal activities went by and it was finally Tuesday. For some reason, I wanted to wear something that would catch his eye, so I decided on a black button down, a black skirt that hugged my waist and hips, and a pair of red heels. I did my makeup neutral with a bold, dark brown lip. I straightened my hair and smiled at myself in the mirror. If this look didn’t grab his attention, I didn’t know what would.

When I walked out of the bathroom, Anabelle’s mouth dropped. “Where are you going? You look so hot!”

“My interview with Arsen is today.” I smiled and grabbed my bag from the couch. “See ya’ later, babes.”

I could feel her watching me in disbelief as I left, but I shrugged it off. As I walked toward my car, a ton of guys looked my way or tried to talk to me, but I only wanted Arsen’s attention. I hadn’t been interested in a guy since I’d been in college, so the act of developing feelings for someone was new to me. Like learning how to walk again.

I pulled up to his office. It was a place I had always seen, but had never thought to research, since this wasn’t the place I was from. When I walked through the huge glass doors, my heels clicked against the marble floors. That sound made me feel bold for some reason and helped me stay focused. I was here for an interview, not to fall into the arms of Arsen Lockhart.

The walls had big, beautiful paintings on each wall. ‘The Lockhart’ was written on the wall behind the front desk. Although it was a big building, I felt as if I belonged. Like this was the place I needed to be.

Arsen

“He’s straight through the doors,” I heard my assistant say from afar. I turned from my view of the city to see Lola sitting there, looking as beautiful as ever. I was shocked. She looked completely different from the girl with the jeans, sneakers, and ponytail she’d been when I first saw her. I smirked and sat down at my desk.

“Hi, Mr. Lockhart. How are you today?” She sat in front of me with a smile on her face and her notebook in hand. I watched as she opened it and wrote something down. She looked back up at me, confused as to why I was staring at her, but I just chuckled and leaned back in my chair.

“I’m doing great, Lola. How are you?” I stood and walked to the front of my desk, leaning against it. I looked down at her in her chair and finished before she could speak. “Let me guess … ‘I’m doing well Lockhart, and I’m looking very beautiful as well.’” I mimicked her voice and laughed.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably and shifted in her seat. “Good. Um. Actually, Mr. Lockhart, I was going to say I’m doing fine.” She looked me directly in the eyes with a straight face.

I laughed. She couldn’t possibly be serious right now. Who knew she couldn’t take a joke? Scoffing, I grabbed a cigar from my desk and lit it. “Well, what are your questions?”

“For one, I wanted to know what inspired you to become a novelist.” She looked down at her book, ready to write. Her nails were painted beige and her hands looked soothing and slightly glossed from the lotion she had used.

“Since I was young, I’ve loved reading, so by the time I was seventeen, I had written my first book. It was never published, but since then, I’ve been extremely passionate about writing. It’s really all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life, so I decided to turn it into a career. Now look at me—a billionaire!” I laughed and took a drag from my cigar. I loved talking about myself. It’s not so much of a ‘cocky’ thing to do. I’m just very confident, and talking about myself helps remind me of how I made it to the top on my own.

“Great,” She spoke, writing down what I’d just said in her notes. “And how long have you been writing, Mr. Lockhart?”

“Twenty years.” I returned back to my seat. “Published my first book when I was twenty-two years old”

I saw her eyes widen slightly, but she continued to write. Her bracelets clanked together softly and her hair fell on her face. She was so beautiful. I really wanted her in my life. There was a silence in the room and the air grew thick. I decided to lighten the mood a bit.

“How old are you, Lola?”

“‘I’m twenty-one, Mr. Lockhart” She kept her eyes on her notes, but I could see her face turning red.

“Do you want to be a novelist?” I asked and she nodded.

She finally looked up at me and spoke. “I do, Mr. Lockhart”

“Call me Arsen,” I told her “How badly do you want to be a novelist? How hard are you willing to work for it? It’s not as easy as you may think. You can’t just write a book and get it published. It’s much more than that. It’s hard to catch the reader’s eye these days, and this field is competitive, since most people read on their electronics. To get to the top, you have to be the best and don’t stop working, ever, until you get what you want.”

She sat there in shock, not doing anything. She had completely stopped writing and just stared at me. She was startled and I could see it all over her face.

“Let me mentor you, Lola.” I smiled and leaned forward on my desk.

“O-okay, Mr. Lock—Arsen.” She shifted in her chair once more and wrote something down in her book. I could see her begin to turn red in the face again.

“Every Tuesday, same time.” I stood up and fixed my tie. “I’ll show you out”

She looked at me, confused, and stood up, following me toward the door. Before she could fully exit, I grabbed her hand and planted a kiss on it. She furrowed her eyebrows and continued walking.

I couldn’t afford to be around her too long or I might just grab her and kiss her. She was so gorgeous, standing at 5’6 with a perfect curvy figure and long, black hair. Her freckles were like constellations and her lips were pouty and desirable. There was no doubt in my mind that she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen in my life, and I had to have her. I didn’t mean to come on to her too strongly. I guessed that she just needed time to get comfortable around me. She seemed stubborn about who she gave her attention to and that’s what attracted me the most. I’d be a fool to let her slip through my fingertips.

Lola

He did it again! Cutting our meetings off short, as if there wasn´t work that needed to be done. I rolled my eyes at the thought of it and got in my car. I didn’t understand him. The interview was going well until he just went on a rampage about what’s it was like being a novelist. I appreciated the advice, I really did, but I didn’t expect all of that in that very moment. I definitely didn’t expect the kiss he left on my hand before I left. Although that was a very interesting experience, I am happy that he asked to be my mentor. I needed someone like him to help me get where I need to be. The only problem with that plan will be trying to focus on my work with him breathing down the side of my neck. I felt like I was going to melt right in his office, but showing extreme amounts of affection too early with a guy can turn him off or give him the leverage to use you.

When I made it back to my suite, I thought of ways to avoid Anabella, but luckily, she wasn’t there. All I could do was lie in bed and think of Arsen. I hadn’t felt the weight of a crush in years and it made me feel like an irresponsible schoolgirl again. There was just something about the way he talked. His voice almost struck fear into my heart. Those bold eyes and pink lips. That slender body in that dark suit. I felt myself getting hot and breathing heavily, so I had to quickly take my mind off of the thought of him. I rolled over on my side and pulled my laptop onto my bed. I opened it and the last piece of writing I was working on appeared on the screen.

It was titled “Daisies & Apricot.” It was a short story I had written about my past lover who always brought me daisies and apricot-scented body scrubs. As I read over it, I thought that I would come across some similarities between my ex-boyfriend and Arsen, to give me a little hint as to why I was so attracted to him, but that wasn’t the case. Arsen was the exact opposite. He was challenging. All of my past boyfriends were very sweet and submissive. Their personalities fit so well with my dominate behavior. They all fell to my knees the moment they saw me, but Arsen Lockhart was different. He saw me and felt attracted, but he didn’t fall to my knees like the rest of them. He remained strong and determined. That’s what attracted me the most about him.

I was so used to being around childish little boys that thought being over the age of eighteen made them “real men,” but Arsen was a real man. Strong, hardworking, dedicated, and stern, all while being confident. He had everything he wanted in the palm of his hand and he could control people however he pleased. Except for me, of course. I liked him too, but I wasn’t that easy. I was a tough cookie who took a while to be cracked, so if he thought he could have me falling to my knees in a couple of days, he had another thing coming. I smiled, closing my laptop and putting it on my bedside table. I had a man who had my dream job and also had a thing for me. Why not use this to my advantage?

I took one red rose and one white rose from the vase on my desk and carried them to the bathroom with me. I needed some time to relax and to also care for my skin, so I ran a warm bath and added the petals from the roses, pink salt, and a few drops of lavender oil. When I first put a foot in, I felt the warm water kiss my skin and it automatically put me to ease. I played my favorite album on my phone and just relaxed. This was everything that I needed.

I was about three songs in when my phone began to ring. I dried off my hands on a small towel and picked up my phone to see who it was. My eyes widened at the name on the screen. Arsen Lockhart. What was he doing calling me after our meeting? Hopefully it was to tell me why he ended our session so quickly. I hesitated a little, then answered. For some reason, it felt really good to hear his deep voice on the other line.

“Hello, Lola,” he spoke, not saying anything else.

“Hello, Arsen. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I’m trying out this new restaurant tonight and I want you to come with me.”

“Well, Mr. Lockhart, I-”

He cut me off. “I’ll pay for everything and you can ask me any of the other questions you were going to ask earlier today.”

“I guess dinner wouldn’t hurt …” I trailed off and sat up in the tub.

“It wouldn’t, so I’ll pick you up at 7:30. I’m wearing a navy blue suit, so work around that.” And before I could even get a word out, he hung up. I guessed I was going on a date. I sat there genuinely confused and sort of turned on, but I quickly shook off the thought and began to wash off.

When I got back to my room, I looked in my closet and thought to myself, “What do you wear on a date with a billionaire?”

I had to look like arm candy. Arsen Lockhart wouldn’t just go out with any girl. It was 6:30, so I just laid out my clothes and started on something else to pass the time. I decided on a simple black dress that hugged my curves, with a pair of heels. I straightened my hair and put on light makeup, but I made sure to wear a bold red lip.

“Where are you going tonight?” I heard Anabella speak from the door.

“Out,” I replied simply.

“Yeah, sure, Lola. Have fun with Mr. Billionaire.” She chuckled and walked away. I didn’t know what upset her so much about my going out with an older man, but I was a grown woman. If I wanted to date someone much older, I had every right to.

I rolled my eyes at her remark and walked over to the bed to slip on my dress. I felt so beautiful with it on. I never wore it because my mind was too focused on my studies to go on dates. To go anywhere at that. All my life consisted of was writing. I remembered that when I was around eighteen or nineteen, I knew how to balance being a party girl and still getting everything done that I needed to do. That sadly wasn’t enough for me, though. I wasn’t reaching as much success as I wanted, so I completely cut out partying and having fun at the age of twenty, and here I am today.

I was twenty-one years old and had butterflies before going on a date. There was nothing wrong with that. I just always thought life would turn out differently for me. Maybe that was why I was so open with Arsen. It might not seem like it on his end, but I didn’t usually even give guys the time of day, so he was lucky. I felt that he could be that missing excitement that I needed in my life. I was just so used to being by myself without any distractions. I wasn’t sure if a relationship was what I needed right now, but I was willing to try it out.

My phone lit up, showing a text from Arsen. It said that he was outside and that his driver was waiting for me. I laughed a little and slid on my shoes. I didn’t even know why I expected for a billionaire to drive himself to a restaurant. I made it outside and saw the driver open the back door. I kindly thanked him and got inside. Arsen sat, watching me get in the car with a smile on his face. His teeth were the whitest I’d ever seen. All of his teeth were so perfectly straight that it was mesmerizing.

“You look absolutely stunning,” he spoke.

“Thank you. You look good as well, Arsen.” I blushed slightly at the nickname he gave me.

The ride there was lovely. I got to see the view of downtown at night, while music played softly in the background. The air was fresh while blowing through my hair. I felt like my nineteen-year-old self again. I heard a chuckle and turned to see Arsen watching me.

“Having fun there?” He smiled.

And for the first time, I actually smiled back. “I am, actually. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic”

“I understand.” He nodded. “Go out with me more often and you could feel this all of the time”

The smirk on his face made my stomach drop. “As pleasing as that offer sounds, I’ll have to see how the rest of the night goes before I make a decision”

He shrugged with a smirk on his face and turned to face the window as we pulled up at the front of the restaurant. I waited for the driver to open my door and thanked him after. I looked up at the big, white letters.

“The Crystal Room,” Arsen spoke, reading my mind. He grabbed my hand, causing me to tense up and pull my hand away. “It’s okay, Lola. I don’t bite.”

I nodded and he grabbed my hand. “At least not too hard,” I heard him mumble as we walked in.

Arsen

I watched as her body moved swiftly in that dress. She was the most gorgeous girl I’d ever laid eyes on. I liked a woman with curves, long hair, and an attitude. I was determined to make her mine.

“Hello, Mr. Lockhart. Your table is this way”

We followed the waitress to our secluded table, upstairs on the balcony and took our seats. I ordered us some wine and watched as she looked over the menu.

“See anything you like?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not really …” She closed her menu and sat back in her seat. “Order for me.”

I smirked and looked over at the waitress, who had begun to pour our wine into our glasses. “Are you ready to order, sir?” She smiled down at me.

“We are,” Lola stated loudly. The waitress jumped a bit from how stern Lola’s voice was and I chuckled. She clearly wasn’t expecting for her to be that bold. Lola seemed a bit protective over me, but I liked it.

I scanned my eyes over the menu and decided on what we were having. “We’ll both have the steak and lobster dinner with mashed potatoes on the side.”

“C-coming right up.” The waitress spoke as she collected our menus and walked away.

“Jealous?” I asked Lola as I took a sip of my wine.

“I could never be jealous, sweetheart. Look at me.” She smiled and took a sip of her wine as well. “I just don’t like being disrespected. I deserve just as much of respect as you do”

That turned me on—the way she thought so highly of herself. I just wanted to tear that little piece of fabric right off, but I had respect for her. A strong, beautiful woman like herself took time and patience, but I was sure I’d get her to crack soon.

“I want to know more about you, Lola. Have you always wanted to be a novelist?” I folded both hands together and leaned back in my seat.

“Since I was about seven, I knew I wanted to write. Every other day I’d try to write a new story or start reading a new book to get inspired. My life literally revolved around it.” She took another sip of her wine and licked a drop of it off of her bottom lip.

“There was never anything else you wanted to do?” I raised an eyebrow.

She nodded. “There were, and I did them. I took ballet for a couple of years, I used to sketch, and I’m a pretty amazing cook. I used to want to be a chef as well, but over the years those just became hobbies. I knew I wanted writing to be my career.”

“Ballet, huh?” I smiled. “Explains why you have such strong and beautiful legs. I’d love you taste your cooking one day, since you’ve bragged about your talents”

“You’d be amazed.” She smiled and ran her finger around the brim of her glass. “This wine is amazing. So smooth and opulent.”

“You want a bottle to take home?” I asked.

“I sure do.” She smiled widely. “Thank you”

Just then the waitress came back with our plates. The food looked absolutely delicious—almost as delicious as Lola. Usually the girls I dated would light up at the expensive meal before them, but it was like she was completely used to this. Has she dated rich, older men before?

I shook the thought and asked the waitress for another bottle to take back home. She politely told me that she’d wrap it up and put it in a bag for us. I nodded and turned my attention back to Lola, who was cutting into her steak. Seeing the fork slide in between her lips after taking a bite made me hot.

“Is the night going well for you?” I asked, staring into her eyes.

“Wonderful,” she stated with a smile and continued to eat.

“Maybe we could do this again tomorrow night?”

“Sounds lovely, Arsen, but I’d really like the next time we see each other to be at our next meeting.” She poured herself another glass of wine. “I have a lot of work to do and I would love to be undistracted.”

“Oh.” I cleared my throat. I’d never been turned down. I was starting to wonder if she even liked me. I began eating my food.

“I would like to do this again, though. She smiled and continued eating.

“Then we shall.” I wiped my mouth clean and smirked.

“Arsen Lockhart, I am going to murder you!” a woman screamed as she ran towards me. She began hitting me, yelling that I had killed her husband and ruined her family. Lola was shocked, but managed to pull the lady off while workers rushed over to see what all the commotion was. I dialed my driver’s number and told him to be out front of the restaurant immediately.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Lockhart!” A random woman said to me as she tried to clean off the food that the woman had spilled on my clothes while going crazy. “I’m the manager and I’m not sure why this would happen”

“You should really work on your establishment if you’re going to let crazy people like that inside of a place like this.” I looked at her, then over at Lola, who was taking the extra bottle of wine from the waitress. I quickly grabbed her free hand and dragged her out of there. We quickly got inside of the car and the driver sped off.

“Um, what was all of that about?” Lola asked.

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen that woman a day in my life.” I shrugged and turned to look out of the window. I knew exactly who that woman and her husband were, but that was none of her business.

I heard her sigh deeply and adjust herself to face the window. She probably didn’t want to go out with me again, but I would make sure that she did.

Lola

That was one of the weirdest things I’d ever encountered, and the fact that Arsen knew absolutely nothing about the situation seemed very fishy to me. I really loved the feeling of being taken out and shown off, but not if things like that were going to be happening. I wondered if he was hiding something.

“Why do you think she’d do that? Throw an entire fit in front of everyone, claiming that she’d want to kill you in a public restaurant, and why would she accuse you of killing her husband?” I unlocked my phone to text Anabella to tell her that I was coming home and that I didn’t have my key.

“Simply because I am a billionaire, Lola. People will do anything to get their hands on my money, even if that means accusing me of false crimes. I don’t even have the time to kill some random man.” He scoffed.

“I guess you’re right,” I agreed and looked out of the window the entire ride back. When we pulled up to my dorm, I called Anabella, but there was no reply.

“Let me walk you to your door,” Arsen offered with a smile.

“No, it’s okay. I’ve got it.” I laughed slightly and proceeded to step out of the car, until I felt him pulling me back by my hand.

“What? Do you think I'm going to murder you or something?” He smirked, staring me directly in the eyes, and I felt my body go entirely numb. His voice sounded so chilling—more serious than playful.

“N-no, you can walk me there,” I said quickly, pulling my hand away and getting out of the car fully. I was in such a blank state of mind that I forgot to thank the driver.

“Here’s your wine,” Arsen said walking around the car and handing me the bag. I nodded with a slight smile, then led him into the building and up to my door. I knocked a few times, but there was no answer. I tried calling a few times too, but there was still no answer.

“I mean, you’re always welcomed to stay with me for the night,” Arsen offered.

There was a solid ten seconds of silence before I even replied. I had to seriously think, do I really want to stay with this man after he made several romantic advantages or do I want to sleep outside in the hall until Anabella realizes that I’m here. I turned to him slowly and laughed. “You promise you won’t kill me?”

“I’ll try not to.” He threw his head back and let out a loud chuckle that made me jump. His arm slid around my lower back and he walked me back outside to his car. The car ride back to his place was long and silent. The only sounds were the wind and soft music playing in the background. I felt like something was going to happen tonight, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

We pulled into the driveway of his house and it was luxurious. I had never seen anything like it before. There were plants everywhere and I could see the view of the pool upon entering. The driver got out and opened our doors, wishing us a good night, and Arsen led me into his home.

“This place is so beautiful.” I looked around at the fiery red furniture and black decor.

“Almost as beautiful as you, Lola. Follow me.” He led me to the clear doors of his elevator. “Let’s get you into something more comfortable.”

“What did you have in mind?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing too serious. My daughter is a little younger than you. She comes to visit time from time, so I always have new clothes here for her to sleep in,” he laughed. “She’s a little smaller than you, but I don’t think there’s anything that you can’t sleep in”

When we made it upstairs, it was just as huge as the downstairs. There was a long marble-floored hallway that led to what I suspected was his bedroom, because it was the biggest. Upon entering, I saw the biggest bed I’d ever seen in my life with black silk sheets.

“Wait here while I go get you something to put on.” He winked and then left the room.

I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that. I was just happy to take these shoes off. I sat on the edge of his bed and kicked off my heels. I found a small hair tie in my clutch and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. I looked around the room and it was very minimalistic, but still very opulent.

“I found this for you.” Arsen spoke and my head snapped in his direction. He closed the door behind him and walked over to me. He handed me a champagne-colored silk nightgown. He began unbuttoning his shirt and walking into the bathroom attached to his room.

“Where can I change?” I asked him.

“Right there.” He peaked his head out of the bathroom. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t look”

I heard him laugh as I tried to quickly get out of my dress and get into the new one. When I took off my bra, I turned to see him walking out of the bathroom in only his boxers. Let me tell you, for an older man, he had a great body. I erased the dirty thoughts from my mind and just stared at him.

He looked at the shocked expression on my face and down at my body and smirked. I looked down and noticed that I was only in my underwear. The air in the room became thick and I quickly grabbed the gown to cover myself. I didn’t have a bad body, but for some reason, I felt really embarrassed and uncomfortable. I mean I’d only known the guy for a couple of days. It wasn’t really the right time to be naked around him, especially when I wanted to wait for this moment if things even got that far with Arsen and I.

“Lola, you don’t have to hide from me. We’re both old enough to be naked around each other and comfortable with it” He walked by me and picked up my clothing from the floor. He placed them on a chair next to his desk and looked over at me again.

“Where will I be sleeping?” I tried changing the subject to take away from the awkwardness.

“With me, hopefully,” he responded. “I respect whatever boundaries you have. I just haven’t slept next to a beautiful woman in a long time.”

I nodded slowly, not wanting to put up a fight, and climbed into bed. He turned off the light and got into bed next to me. Directly across the room was a huge floor-to-ceiling window and the curtains were pulled back completely. There was a beautiful view of not only the moon and stars, but of the city as well. I could see almost every building that was well-lit and that alone made me feel safe. The light from outside made it easier to see around the room and to see that Arsen was staring at me staring at the view.

I looked over at him and smiled. “The view is beautiful. Thanks for letting me experience this”

“Anytime you want to see it, let me know” He ran his hand over my thigh and it drove me crazy. “You know, Lola, I’ve wanted you ever since I’ve laid eyes on you”

“I’m well aware, Arsen,” I replied bluntly, trying not to say too much.

“Well, do you feel the same way?” I felt him move a little closer to me.

“Maybe.” I smirked and rolled over on my side. I felt him pull me back so that my body touched his and his hand grazed my leg.

“So why aren’t we doing anything about that?” His hand slipped between my thighs and I began to melt, but I wasn’t going to let him know that he had full control of my body at the moment. I pulled his hand away and laughed lightly.

“Goodnight, Arsen Lockhart.”

“I really felt like the connection was there. I guess not.” He spoke quietly. He moved back away from me and turned over. “Whenever you’re ready, Lola, just let me know”

“Again,” I smiled to myself. “Goodnight, Arsen Lockhart.”

I woke up to a mist of water on my face. “Wake up, angel.”

I sat up and rubbed my eyes to see a woman standing over me with a tray of food. “What was that you sprayed on my face? It feels … really refreshing”

“Rosewater, ma'am. Mr. Lockhart ordered that we wake you up beautifully with a nice breakfast”

“Mmm.” I smiled, closing my eyes and inhaling the smell of pancakes. The woman placed the tray of food on my lap and I automatically dug in. It was like nothing I’d ever tasted before, although it was a simple meal—pancakes, eggs, and bacon with a cup of tea and a bowl of fruit on the side.

“Mr. Lockhart had to leave early for work but he says that you are welcomed to stay here until he gets home. He left you an outfit at the end of the bed and if you are ready to leave before he gets home, just let me know and I’ll phone the driver” The woman smiled and left the room without saying anything else.

Who would’ve expected that Arsen would even let me stay after things didn’t go as he planned last night? I guessed he really liked me. I sat the tray of food aside after I was finished eating and slid out of bed, grabbing the clothes that were left for me. I walked to the bathroom and saw the most beautiful shower I had ever laid eyes on. The shower head was the entire ceiling and the doors to the shower were clear with a gold trim. I was in love.

I took off my clothes and hopped inside. I turned on the shower and the water fell down on me like the mist of a rainforest. I looked at the shelf built into the shower and saw all of the beautiful bottles of body wash and shampoo. I helped myself to whatever I needed and got myself cleaned up. I grabbed the two folded towels inside and dried my body and my hair.

After taking the best shower of my life, I put on the dark jeans and fitted shirt that he had left me. These really hugged my body, so I guess he picked them out for a reason. I walked back to his room and shot him a text asking if I could check my email on his computer.

While waiting for his reply, I walked around the upstairs of the house and eventually found his daughter’s bedroom. She looked just like him, gorgeous and model-like. I saw why her clothes were too tight on me. She looked around seventeen or eighteen. I wondered if she knew her dad liked girls a couple years older than her. I saw a picture of a woman who seemed to be her mom. I wondered what the relationship was like between her and Arsen and why they weren’t still together.

I shrugged away the thought and went to explore more of the house, then Arsen finally texted back and told me that I could use the computer. I continued my exploration down the hall and into another room, which was just full of plants and a different computer from the one in his room. For some reason, I felt the urge to use this one.

I sat at the desk and turned it on. To my surprise, there was no password on it. I logged into my email as an extra account because I didn’t know if I should just sign out of Arsen’s or not. I clicked through a few messages and saw that classes were canceled today, so that was good on my part. I was going to skip them anyways. I really felt tempted to just switch over to Arsen’s account and see what an actual novelist’s inbox consisted of.

So I did it. I scrolled through a couple of spam messages and emails for upcoming book events until I saw something interesting. A read message was titled, “I am going to kill you, Arsen Lockhart.” It reminded me of the crazy woman from the night before, so I decided to open it to see what it was about.

“Dear Arsen Lockhart,

I knew about this whole little business you and your rich friends were running and I had nothing to say about it because it didn’t affect me that much, but you have crossed the line. Michael was a kind, loving man and father of three who was just doing what he had to do to provide for his family, and you go off and kill him? He had a life! Whether he had your stupid drug money on time or not, he still had a life and a family and you took all of that away from him. You took him away from us. Now what are we going to do? He was the one who made a living for us. Either you give me 5 million dollars or I am going to kill you, Arsen Lockhart! I will sabotage your entire drug cartel and make your life a living hell!!”

I quickly exited out of the email. My heart was beating extremely fast. I knew Arsen was hiding something by the way he reacted last night, but I didn’t know that it was a drug cartel. I didn’t know that he would actually kill someone! I shut off the computer and stood up. I turned to leave and saw Arsen standing at the doorway.

“Hello, Lola,” He said sternly.

* * *

Lola

Have you ever felt as if time has stopped around you, but in that specific moment you were unable to move? Unable to think and speak clearly. That’s exactly how I felt after learning that the man that I was developing feelings for was a murderer, then turning to see that him watching me go through all of his private information.

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as I hesitated to respond to Arsen. He raised an eyebrow with a smirk on his face.

“I see the clothes fit you well,” he spoke, looking me up and down.

“Hello, Arsen.” I finally managed to speak and looked straight past him into the hallway. “Yes, the clothes fit very well. Thank you”

Before I could even make it to the door, Arsen stepped in and closed it behind him. “Did you ... find all that you were looking for on the computer?”

I gulped and nodded. “I’ll just be leaving now.”

When I tried to walk past him, he grabbed my wrist and I felt myself being pushed against the wall. I gasped and looked up at Arsen, who was now hovering over me. I could tell by the look on his face that I was caught and this wasn’t going to be easy.

“You know, it’s really not polite to go through people’s emails. You don’t have the right,” he spat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking abo—“ I mumbled and was quickly cut off.

“Don’t play stupid with me, Lola. I was standing in the doorway the entire time,” he scoffed.

“Arsen, I swear—“ I was cut off again.

“I know what you saw on that computer and you don’t know how much trouble you’re in now, Lola. But you don’t seem like the type to be a loud mouth about these type of things, so I’m considering letting you go.” After he said that, I felt so much relief. He smirked down at me and backed away slowly. “Just know that if you run your mouth about anything, you’ll end up like that woman’s husband. Unlike his situation, your family won’t have the fortune of ever finding your body.”

That was oddly a turn on. Not the fact that he would kill me, but the way he was so serious. Not once did he crack a hint of a smile. His face showed zero emotion, almost as if he was heartless. No man has ever talked to me in that tone of voice and it gave me a bit of a rush. Feeling myself shake in fear and pleasure, I bit down on my lip and nodded in agreement. He flashed a look of confusion as his eyebrows knitted together. He was clearly confused about my reaction. For once, I felt …submissive, and I liked it too.

“Come on. I’ll give you a ride home. You can grab your things from the bottom of the stairs.” He turned and left the room, and I followed after him like a lost puppy shortly after. It seemed as if the hallway grew longer with every step I took. The tension was so heavy and the air was so thick that I found myself almost out of breath. I fanned myself to try to calm down.

Once we made it down the stairs, I grabbed the bag with my things in them and slid on my heels. They surprisingly went well with the outfit I was wearing. I said my goodbyes to the house workers and went outside to Arsen’s car. He was already inside, staring forward toward the view of the city.

I realized that this wasn’t some bad boy, good girl fantasy. This was real life and I was actually next to a murderer. I never understood how people could kill one another. It just didn’t make sense. I guess it could come down to that sometimes, but from what I had read, Arsen was completely in the wrong. If that’s how things were in drug cartels, I was glad I had never become a part of one.

I sat in the front seat and as soon as I closed the door, he sped off. I didn’t even have time to put on my seatbelt. He must have still been upset about the situation. Why wouldn’t he be? Some random girl had found out his biggest secret. I’d be pretty upset too. There was an awkward silence between us.

His grip on the steering wheel made it painful for me to watch. I found myself constantly switching my thoughts. One moment I was thinking about how amazing it felt to be put in my place and another moment I was realizing how my life was actually in danger at that point. I wasn’t sure if I actually had an attraction for this side of him or if I was just romanticizing the situation to make myself more comfortable.

I wondered what he was thinking about. Maybe about the ways he would tell his gang that I had found out their secret, or maybe about how I had betrayed him by going through his personal emails. I guessed I would never find out, because I was too afraid that asking him that might just make him snap. I decided to just leave that situation alone and focus on the city lights ahead of me. They brought me some type of peace in this terrifying issue.

Arsen was so deep into his thoughts that he didn’t realize that he had passed my building on campus.

“You missed my building.” I spoke a little too loudly. He jumped a little and quickly put the car in reverse, moving back toward my building. I admired his tightened jaw and how straight it looked. His skin was very smooth without any wrinkles. I guessed anything was possible when you were a billionaire. I grabbed my bag and opened the door. “See you tomorrow, Mr. Lockhart.”

He finally looked at me for the first time since we left his house and raised an eyebrow, questioning my statement. I smirked and stood from his car.

“I’ll be at your office to finish my interview with you. Three o’clock, sharp.” I spoke with my back turned to him, and before he could respond, I walked away. When I made it to my floor, my door was wide open and Anabella was moving what looked like a few old things from the place. I greeted her with a simple hello and walked straight in toward my room. I clearly couldn’t talk to her about this new unexplained attraction I had for Arsen without her rude criticism. She didn’t even respond when I spoke to her.

I laid back on my bed, wondering how I could possibly feel this way. This man had just threatened to take my life if I revealed his secret and I could feel nothing but lust for him after that. Was I going insane? In that brief moment of submission, I felt so alive. It was just something about the way he told me what to do and that look he gave me, like I had better listen to him or else. I wasn’t sure why, but I thought I was letting my guard down. I thought I might be able to open up to someone new. Arsen was different from the rest and I thought it was time for me to actually deal with a real man.

I was definitely insane. I was risking my life, all for the sake of finding a lover who I could actually balance out with. I thought he could get over his hatred for me after seeing how trustworthy I would be with his secret. I turned on some music and started to sing along softly until I felt the presence of someone at my door.

"So you were just going to stay out all night with no call or text, then come home and not tell me where have you been?" Anabella asked from my doorway. I looked at her and shook my head.

"Ana, I called you like twenty times last night and you didn't answer the phone for me, which resulted in me staying the night at Arsen's house. I didn't think you would care to know where I've been since you ignored my phone calls and didn't even bother to respond when I just said hello to you." I rolled my eyes and continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"Did you call my new number? That would be the smart thing to do, Lola," she said. “And great. Just great. You’re sleeping with this man now?”

"Since when do you have a new number and when were you going to tell me, Anabella?" I sat up quickly and looked directly at her. "I'm your best friend for Christ's sake. What if it was an emergency?! And how dare you? Nothing happened between Arsen and I!"

"I'm sure Arsen would be all the protection that you needed, Lola. And I definitely sent a text to all my contacts with my new number. You would have noticed if you had taken a break from that little novel of yours and paid attention to the real world." She scoffed. “Pathetic. I don’t even know who you are anymore”

"Get out of my room, Anabella." I couldn't believe that my own best friend would even say such a thing like that to me.

She had been the only one who supported my decision to become a writer, but the last few days had been really tense between us. I wasn’t sure where all of this built-up hate had come from inside of her, but I needed to find out, and I needed to know why she was directing it toward whatever Arsen and I have going on.

"Fine," she mumbled, folding her arms over her chest and leaving my bedroom.

I heard her say a few things under her breath, but I didn't care enough to extend the problem at hand. Since we were children, Anabella was always stubborn. She never cared if she was wrong or right as long as no one questioned her actions, and when her actions were questioned, she would catch an attitude. This specific problem never phased me because I was the most knowledgeable one in the friendship and she would always listen to me.

Since Arsen and I had begun talking, Anabella had taken her stubbornness to an entirely different level. She had been very moody and disapproving of everything that had been going on, although I was a grown woman who was completely capable of making her own conscious decisions. I wasn’t quite sure what she didn’t get about that.

Even if she didn’t approve of who I was dating, she could at least support me being in a relationship—and that was the thing! Arsen and I weren’t even dating, so I didn’t see what the big deal was. Whatever we had between us could either go really badly or really well. All I knew was that I wished I could have my best friend there for me through it all.

I started to do a bit of studying to clear my mind, but also to gather some questions to ask Arsen. I searched his name on the internet and wrote down any interesting facts that caught my eye. I started downloading a couple of his books onto my laptop to read later. I wanted to know the ins and outs of his mind. One of his books caught my eye and I couldn’t wait to read it.

The very first page caught my eye and I almost instantly fell in love with the story.

"Idyllic is what I would describe him as." I spoke into the phone, letting out a small laugh. I was in the community kitchen of my apartment, filling up a small bucket with ice. I heard my best friend mumble, slightly confused, on the other side of the phone.

"You barely even know the guy, Sarah. Plus, he’s like ten times your ag." She sounded irritated. I could just imagine how hard she rolled her eyes, but something drew me to this guy—my new neighbor directly across the hall. We bumped into each other once in the hallway and the way he caught me was breathtaking. I don't know what it was.

Guys never really caught my eye, old or young. I was always on a level that they weren't. I liked to focus on my craft more than a silly relationship, but this was something different. His rich, tan skin and glistening smile. There was a little spark when I fell into his arms. The innocence of the touch drove me up the wall and I have yet to understand why.

"You don't get it, Rachel. I felt something." I smiled slightly and ran a finger around the rim of the silver bucket of ice.

"You're irritating, you know that?" she exclaimed with a very nasty tone of voice. I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Look, if you're going to continue with this lurid attitude, I don't think we should finish this phone call. Bye." And with that, I hung up the phone.

When she made it back to her room, she opened up her journal to the entry she wrote after meeting Arthur.

‘He was just a guy and I was just a girl.

No, wait, he was more than that.

How could I devalue a soul with rich intellect and a consciousness that glows immensely to just a gender? Something so distant, something so man-made.

I want to know your thoughts. I want to feel your vibrations. I want our subconscious minds to linger around each other and engage in an experience our physical bodies can't.

I want to talk to you. I want to hear about your childhood, I want to know your deepest conspiracies, and I want you to take up all the space in my mind.

Feed me knowledge. Enlighten me.’

Sarah smiled down at the page before she started to draw hearts all over it. She felt that Arthur was the guy of her dreams.

The story of my life. Midway through reading, I found myself still thinking about the argument I had with Anabella again. So I decided to just let the situation go and get some rest before class and my meeting with Arsen tomorrow.

Arsen

Why was Lola acting so …seductive after I practically told her that I’d kill her? Why was she so eager to see me again after she found out about my drug cartel? This was all so strange. Did she really feel this way, or was this all apart of some type of scam from my enemy? I wasn’t sure what it was, but I called a meeting with the guys at the clubhouse.

I picked up a pack of beer and brought it along with me to the meeting. The guys were very anxious to hear the news that I had for them. I didn’t know how they’d react or what they’d say, but I just knew I had fucked up badly. Had I not taken the time to calm down, I would’ve never noticed that my hand was red and burning from how tightly I was gripping the steering wheel.

I just can’t believe that something like that even happened. How could I be so stupid to have practically left all of my most important information out in the open? I just thought I’d be able to trust Lola enough to not do anything stupid like that, but boy was my judgment wrong. I started to think about how my entire empire could come crashing down if the world found out about this, and I became so angry that I just had to hurry inside before I lost my temper.

In the clubhouse, the guys and I gathered around the table. They all took seats while I stood before them. I put my hands behind my back and cleared my throat. I was afraid to tell them the news, but I knew that I had to be strong in front of them. My team would never do anything to me. I just had never told them news like this before so it was a new experience for me. This could also spark a new emotion that I had never seen in them.

How easy could it really be to break news like this to them? How could I tell them our future lives were in danger?

"All right, guys, here's the bad news." They all sighed and threw up their arms in anger. "I know. Bad news is a rare thing around here, but we are in serious trouble now."

"What kind of trouble, boss?" Pete, one of the members, asked.

"So, there's this girl who I met after doing a seminar at her school a couple of days ago and she's gorgeous. I mean, the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on." I took a deep breath and continued. "To make a long story short, we went on a date and she came home with me. I let her stay in my home while I was at work today."

"Well why would you do that, boss?" David, another member, said.

"Don't ask. Anyway, I caught her going through my email and she found out about this drug cartel." I shook my head and took a deep breath waiting for their response.

All of the men gasped and looked around at each other. I could see the anger in their faces, but also the worry. A couple of men started discussing with each other what could go wrong if anyone else found out, and it felt like the weight of the world came crashing down on my shoulders. I knew that I had really messed up.

"What are we going to do about this? What are we going to do to the girl? No one can find out about this." Pete sounded confused, looking around at all of us.

"I say we kill the girl. If she isn't that popular around the school or if she's a nobody in general, there should be no problem if she dies. Right?" one of the other members spoke. The group waited in silence for my response

"Kill her?! I think we've killed enough people already," I said, covering the fact that I wanted to save her life because of the feelings I had towards her. "Plus, there's something really special about this girl."

"You like her or something?" Pete asked.

"That's beside the point here, Pete."

"I say you kidnap the girl. There's like a week left in school, right? Kidnap the girl and no one at the school will come looking for her because it's the summertime," David spoke up. "There's no point in killing the girl when you can use her to work for you"

I ran my index finger and thumb over my chin. "Hmm, sounds like a pretty cool idea."

All of the guys simultaneously agreed that that would be the best option and we began to plan it out. The guys and I came up with the best way possible to get Lola to fall for this trap. Tomorrow at our interview I would see if Lola would come over to my place for dinner after her last day of classes. Then I would explain to her that she was going to stay and work for me until everything was settled between us. Hopefully, some other things would happen between us, but I'd save that for later.

Lola

I finally finished my math final and it was time for me to go to my interview with Arsen. I changed my outfit from a simple t-shirt and jeans to a form-fitting skirt with a button down, leaving the few top buttons loose to show off my cleavage. I put on a simple pair of heels and pulled my hair up into a tight bun. I went for my everyday makeup, which was natural but with a bold lip. I knew that Arsen would love what I was wearing, so that made me feel more confident than usual. I got in my car and headed over to his office.

Upon entering, I saw the same gorgeous girl at the front desk. For some reason, that made me really jealous and I began to wonder if Arsen had ever tried anything with her. I mean, she was flawless. She had great hair, a great body, and a nice smile …but she wasn’t me. I walked up to the front desk and flashed a fake smile.

"Lola Anderson for a scheduled meeting with Mr. Lockhart at three p.m." I stared at her as she clicked through the computer. She told me to just walk into his office and that he would be waiting for me. Perfect.

I walked towards his office, once again loving the sound of my heels clicking against the ground. I made it to his door and knocked three times. I heard him mumble for me to come in, so I proceeded to enter. I watched and he looked up from his desk. He was wearing his reading glasses and had on a navy blue suit. I felt this tingly feeling in my stomach.

“Hello, Arsen.” I smiled and took a seat in front of his desk. I pulled my notebook from my bag and opened it to where I had left off after our last meeting. “How are you today?”

“I’m fine, Lola. How are you?” I saw his eyes go from my eyes to my chest and back up to my face. He smirked and leaned back in his chair, holding the back of his pen between his teeth.

“I’m amazing.” I let out a small laugh, “So, Mr. Lockhart, I did a little studying on your pieces of work and I wanted to talk a bit about your book, ‘The Midnight Hour.’’ It’s more erotic than I expected, but it really caught my eye.”

“Yes. That’s one of my favorite books that I’ve written.” He folded his hands together and placed them on his lap. “What about it sparked your interest?”

“The age difference.” I smiled and he raised an eyebrow. “Also, the way you write. I love how the story alternates between both of the character’s point of view. You have a way with words that really capture the reader's eye, Mr. Lockhart.”

“Thank you, Lola.” He smiled. Just then, there was a knock, and a pretty woman stuck her head through the door.

“Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Lockhart. I have your coffee.” She walked in wearing an outfit similar to mine. She placed his coffee on the desk and flashed a sly smile. “Have a nice day, Mr. Lockhart.”

Arsen smirked and watched her as she left. I raised an eyebrow in slight jealousy and cleared my throat. “Um. I should make myself a bit more comfortable.”

I pulled my hair from its bun and let it fall over my shoulders. Arsen’s eyes widened at the sight, and I knew I had him back in the position I wanted him.

“Now.” I smiled. “What inspired you to write ‘The Midnight Hour?’”

“My attraction to women like you inspired me, Lola.” He chuckled. “My dominant traits inspired that book as well.”

“My attraction to men like you makes me want to read your story a million times.” I laughed and began writing in my notes. “Tell me about your favorite book, Arsen.”

“Well, for starters, I’ll tell you the name of the book. It’s ‘Can’t Buy Love,’ by Nicholas Hunter.” he spoke and I jotted this down as fast as I could before he could continue to explain what it was about. “It was the very first book I bought from the school store of the college I went to. I’d heard a slight buzz about it around town and decided to check it out.”

I smiled softly and sat back in my seat, waiting for him to go further in detail.

“It was about a boy who had always dreamed of having as much money as he needed to buy whatever he wanted and he achieved that goal. But here’s the twist—by having so much money, he attracted all of the wrong types of people to have friendships or relationships with. He learned that money can’t buy love, and though it can buy you materialistic things, it can’t bring you deep-rooted and eternal happiness.” He smiled and watched as I copied that down into my notes.

“That’s really beautiful. I’ll definitely have to check that out.”

“I have a copy that I could lend you one day,” he offered.

“Wow, that’d be amazing. Thanks, Arsen.” I blushed slightly.

He checked his watch and looked at me. “Well, Lola, I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have a meeting to attend.” He sat up and took a sip of his coffee.

“Oh …all right,” I said, making the disappointment in my voice clear. I began putting my notebook in my bag and rolled my eyes at how awkwardly short that was.

Arsen stood from his seat and grabbed my hand as he walked from around his desk to walk me to the door. “Now listen.” He backed me into the door.

I began breathing heavily from how close he was. I stared into his eyes and he smiled.

“I have a very busy schedule this week. So I don’t need you popping up with any interviews anytime soon. All right?” He grabbed my arms and slid his hands down to my waist. “Next Friday, after classes, get real pretty for me, all right? And meet me at the coffee shop at seven p.m. sharp. We’re having dinner at my place.”

I nodded slowly, not breaking contact. I felt his lips press against mine roughly and my knees buckled. I never expected for him to kiss me. One of his hands left my waist and held the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. There was absolutely no space between us and I felt my heart drop when he bit and tugged on my bottom lip.

“Now go.” He pulled away, laughing, and used his thumb to wipe away any lipstick that he had smeared.

I licked my lips and just stared at him, not knowing what to say. That was the most breathtaking kiss I’d ever had, and the way he had taken it by force was the icing on the cake. He held the door open for me and I quickly fixed my hair before leaving. For the second time with Arsen, I felt nineteen again.

I walked away feeling like someone powerful. I felt like a new person ...like I had a life again. With being the uptight, all-work-no-play type of girl, life could get pretty hard. I was always stressing about what I had to do or what deadline I had to meet, but I didn't feel that way around Arsen. I thought that I might be letting my guard down a little too fast, but honestly, it was the best decision I'd made in a long time. This new rush of excitement completely took over me and I didn’t think I could turn back. It was far too late now.

Being around Arsen made me feel like it was okay to take a break every once in a while and have fun, but to also go back and finish my craft later. But it had only been a few days, so I needed to slow down and really pay attention to who I was falling for. This man was a murderer—a new leader of the drug cartel! What had I gotten myself into?

Arsen

I knew she wanted that kiss as badly as I did, and I knew that the kiss would definitely leave her wanting more. I didn't really have a meeting. I just wanted to leave her on edge. I knew that even the strongest, most independent girl couldn't hold herself back. I knew my magic, and it only took a couple of days. I chuckled to myself and walked back to my desk, taking a sip of my coffee while looking out the view of the window. I had everything I wanted in the palm of my hand.

Lola made me feel young again. Being around her took me back to when I was around her age and just starting to discover what love was all about. That was a time when I was wild and adventurous. I had a lot of down time and could really be myself without any consequences. That’s why being with her was such a valuable time for me.

I felt as if she was really the one for me and that was why it hurt me so much that she would betray me. I thought that if her feelings were almost the same as mine, she would at least respect my privacy. Whether my email was left open or not, it wasn’t her place to take a look inside.

That whole situation angered me so much, but I just couldn’t force myself to be over-the-top upset with her. I knew that showing extreme anger toward her would make me uncomfortable and I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her …that much.

My phone began to ring,

disrupting my thoughts and making me slightly irritated. It was a call from David. I answered quickly because it was rare for David to call me in the middle of the day.

"Boss, you're not going to like this." His voice sounded frantic and I almost didn't want to hear what he was going to say.

"What is it?" I kept my calm. Panicking just as much as him was going to help nothing at that moment.

"That lady who has been chasing you down for years says she's coming after the girl and it’s not going to be pretty."

"The girl ...what girl?" I asked in confusion.

"The one you went out with the other night, you know? The one who found out about us," he said. There was a silence on the phone after that as I took a minute to think.

“How’d you figure that out?” I asked.

“She sent me an email from her husband’s account that he had with us and said these words exactly.”

Dear David and crew,

Since Arsen stole the love of my life from me, I guess I'll have to take something from his as well. That girl—his new arm candy. My daughter has been telling me she’s seen them around town together and it’s more than just taking her out to make himself look good. He has feelings for this girl and this is the perfect time for me to come in and make my move. I just hope you guys get a hold of her before I do.

“It’s crazy, boss,” David spoke. “This woman is absolutely out of her mind.”

“Oh, this isn’t good …this is not good, David.” I found myself panicking just as much as David. It was bad enough that all of the guys hated her. Now this random lady was after her because she saw us at dinner one night together. Who was her daughter and why was she watching our every move?

“What, do you love this chick or something?” David asked in an almost disgusted tone.

“Just find out where that lady is and handle her,” I spat and hung up the phone.

Love? Pssh, whatever. Sure, I was fond of her, but I was most certain I didn’t love someone I barely knew. My jaw clenched and I stormed out of my office. Maybe I did love her ...but how? I’ve barely known her for that long. How could these feelings for her be so strong?

I decided I was going to go home early. After taking my keys from the assistant, I made my way out to my car. Hopefully the ride back to my place would calm me down. I turned on some soothing music and took in the beauty of the city.

I inhaled the fresh air that blew through the window as I drove up the driveway of my home. When I made it inside, I completely ignored the workers there for the weekly cleaning and went straight to my bedroom. I took off my shirt and tossed myself back onto the bed, feeling more comfort than I expected.

I began to think about Lola and how much her personality reminded me of my ex-wife. Yes, the shy and innocent girls were fun to toy around with every now and then, but the open and hardworking ones were the type of girls I’d considered actually being with.

My ex-wife was a lawyer, and very loud and opinionated. We met at a convention for young innovators when we were in our early twenties and fell in love. We had an unbreakable bond up until a couple of years after our first daughter was born. She became a different person, and I knew that being a mother and raising a child could change you in some ways, but she didn’t even try to do anything the same anymore. She completely shut me out when we were supposed to be a family. Where she crossed the line is when she cheated on me.

It would have made sense for me to be the one who cheated, since women had been throwing themselves at me since my ex-wife and I met, but, no. She fell in love with someone new, and in the back of my mind I always beat myself up about that. I wondered what he did for her that I hadn’t, or what I had done wrong in general. Everyone told me that it was all her, but I just felt that I had some responsibility with that.

Being around Lola brought back those feelings that I had with my ex-wife, and that’s another reason why I couldn’t bear to be around her for so long. I didn’t want to fall for the wrong person, thinking that I could get back what I used to have. I guessed that kidnapping her next Friday would actually help me find out if she was the one or not.

“Hey, boss. I just got a call and you’re not going to like this,” one of the members in the back spoke up.

“What’s up?” I asked, not really ready to hear what other bad news had to be stacked on top of the situation at hand.

“Ronnie, down at the harbor, says the new guy got away with a couple of boxes of the drugs. He says he didn’t notice a few of the boxes missing until the car was speeding off and he saw them in the back seat.”

“What fucking new guy?! I didn’t hire anyone new! It should only be the five men that I sent down there originally.” I slammed my hands on the desk. “We let some random get away with a few boxes of our product?”

I couldn’t believe this was happening. First, my life's in danger because an outside knows my illegal source of income and now a large amount of my product has been stolen. I picked up a bottle of beer and launched it across the room. It shattered as it hit the wall and beer went everywhere.

“Clean this fucking mess up,” I spat. “And come up with how we’ll find this son of a bitch by morning or things aren’t going to be pretty.”

Lola

Great! An entire week without Arsen after he kissed me like that. I laid in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I had no classes or finals to take that day, so I had nothing better to do. I sat up, grabbed my laptop from my bedside table, and opened it quickly. I thought, what better to do right than continue to read where I left off from Arsen’s book, ‘The Midnight Hour.’

I began reading from page thirty-six. The main character, Arthur, had just awakened from a long, steamy night with his lover. It was like Arsen described his character’s feelings almost as if they were his own.

Have you ever looked at someone? Like really looked at them. Did you take a minute to admire the beauty that lays upon them?

I have. I do it every day.

Looking at Sarah is a pleasant moment I experience every day. Taking even the slightest second of the day to admire her inspires me so much. She's so deep-rooted into my poetry that I could write about my love for anything in the world and still find a way to reference my feelings for her.

She and I are meant for each other. I know this because our souls vibrate on a higher level together. Without her, I would probably be an old man down in the dumps every day because I haven’t found my true love.

My favorite part of the day is watching her. She’s my favorite movie. I like the way she lotions her legs, mimicking rich and fancy women. I love the way she laughs at the littlest things I do. I love the crinkle in her nose when she giggles, and most of all I love the way she loves me.

Despite the age difference, she and I truly love each other. And, no, we aren’t accepted in society, but we are going to continue to let our love grow strong. We’re both grown and consenting adults and we should be able to love each other without any judgment. Sadly, this isn’t how the world works.

Fuck what the world thinks. I am in love with Sarah Hughes and nothing’s going to change that. The way she moves when she dances, the look on her face when I tell her she’s beautiful, and how she’s so carefree with whatever she’s doing. And that’s why I’m writing this right now, because the feelings I have for her are too strong for just a short, simple poem.

She changed my life so much that there has to be another way to show that I really care for her. I love her and I’ll love her until the day that I die.

I sighed and smiled to myself. What if Arsen thinks of me the same way Arthur thinks of Sarah. I must’ve said that aloud, because Anabella let out a loud laugh as walked past my room.

“Yeah, right.” She snickered as she walked down the hall.

I quickly stood from my bed, tired of her attitude, and walked down the hall into her room where she’d just entered.

“And what exactly is your problem, Ana? You’ve had an attitude since I met Arsen. Why can’t you just be happy that I actually like someone?”

She turned her back to me and sat on her bed. “You dumb, silly, little girl. You’re sleeping with the enemy.”

“The enemy?! What are you even talking about, Anabella?” I asked, genuinely confused about what exactly she meant by Arsen being the enemy. “And I’m not sleeping with Arsen. Let’s make that clear.”

“Wow,” she scoffed. “Some best friend you are.”

“What, are you jealous?”

“Of what?” she laughed harshly.

“The fact that I’m out having fun without you? Or maybe even the fact that you can’t hold on to a man, but now that I have one it’s rubbing you the wrong way? Is that it?!”

“You’re trash, Lola! How could you say that to me? Are you really going to let some random man come between us?” she screamed. We were now standing face to face and she was on a verge of tears.

“I should ask you the same thing, since you’ve been acting as if I'm nothing to you since Arsen and I met!!”

“If you don’t remember one of the biggest things I’ve ever told you, things would be better off if we didn’t talk anymore.”

“But Ana! I’m so confused. What are you talking—“

“Just go, Lola!!” She cut me off and I threw my hands up in defeat.

“Whatever, Anabella. I guess I’ll see you around.” I had no choice but to go back to my room, disappointed and confused. There I was trying to resolve the issues between us and she couldn’t even tell me what was going on so I could fix it. Why did she believe Arsen was ‘the enemy’ and what was the big thing that she mentioned?

A couple of days passed slowly but surely. Class after class, final after final, and I had to do it all on my own, without Anabella there to tell me that I’d do fine or to let me know that she’d be there for me. I felt empty. I tried making small talk with the other students and even the professors, but it just didn’t feel right. I hadn’t been alone like that in a long time.

On the bright side, I had been working on my novel. It’s based on a teenage girl who has not a care in the world. She goes by herself on an adventure through different states and learns a lot of life lessons along the way. Being who she is, the trip through various cities and areas full of nature help heal her. It gives her closure from past struggles and a sense of relief from the issues she faces in the present, making her outlook for the future positive.

There was a spin on the story, though, to keep it interesting. The reason this girl went on an ‘adventure’ was to escape from the weird guy who had been stalking her for months. I finished up the remainder of the draft for my story intro.

"It's like boys are manifested with trouble," I sighed as I laid back onto my bed. I could feel the cool breeze from the air vents cause goosebumps to swell all over my arms and legs. My silk gown wasn't doing much to cover my body.

"Oh, girl, I'm sure it's just someone playing a joke on you," Shandy said, smiling.

"No! This is serious, Shandy!" I half-yelled angrily. "Do you know what it's like to be stalked? I'm always being watched. It's scary and it's getting in the way of my job, new relationships, and just everything in general!!"

Shandy bit the inside of her cheek gently and her eyes widened slightly. "What are we going to do about this?"

"I don't know." I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "I really don't know. I just need to get away."

It’s all a big representation of who I am, who I used to be, and who I’m becoming. It’s my life experience dramatized through a life I wish I lived—a life that I will live after my dreams of becoming a best-selling author comes true. The way that Arsen’s favorite book made him feel was exactly how my own novel made me feel. As though, even if the character was fictional, there was still someone out there who I could connect to. I was often guilty of getting lost in my own writings.

I would usually have had Anabella critique my writing, but after the situation between us, it was like living with a stranger. We didn’t acknowledge each other anymore. The worst part about it all was that I was starting to see her hang out with a new group of friends. I just wanted to know where we went wrong.

I let my English professor look over my work instead. She gave me a couple pointers on how to go about writing certain things and just scanned through a few of the pages that I had already written, but overall, she said it was a pretty cool story. The words ‘pretty cool’ made me uncomfortable. I didn’t want my story to be seen as ‘pretty cool,’ but rather spontaneous, refreshing, or life changing.

Random thoughts of how my work could possibly not make it far in the writing business flooded my head. I knew that I was a great writer, but the weight of everything happening plus the “compliment” I had just received from my teacher made me think otherwise. I knew there had to be a way to get myself back on track.

I shook the negative thoughts from my head and started to walk back to my room from class. As I approached the building, I spotted the lady who had attacked Arsen at the restaurant. She was leaving the building that I lived in and seeing her in broad daylight, she looked strangely familiar. I walked with my head down until she was out of sight so she wouldn’t see me and assumed it had something to do with Arsen murdering her husband.

I started to think about how messed up that situation actually was and I felt horrible. I couldn’t imagine that happening to me or my family, if I had one. I finally made it past her without her noticing and caught the elevator up to my room. When I made it inside of my suite, there were about four or five other people sitting on the couch watching TV. Ana was sitting in the middle of them.

Seeing her doing something that we always did together with some random people made me feel less important—like this entire relationship actually ended over something that I wasn’t completely aware of. I stormed into my room and lay out on my bed, burying my face into the pillow. I let out a muffled scream of frustration, then sat up straight. I just wanted everything to be back to normal.

It had officially been an entire week since the kiss with Arsen and the argument with Anabella, and I hadn’t talked to either of them since. I didn’t talk to many other people on campus, so when it came time for me to rant about anything, I could only talk to myself. It felt like I was going crazy. It was definitely not fun being the only person I could talk to.

I had just finished my last final of the school year and decided to get a cup of coffee to wake myself up. Everyone must have really been in a hurry to get home because the line for coffee wasn’t as long or as slow as usual. The campus was almost empty. It was finally summer.

I got a cup of coffee and a danish. This was the only thing that had been able to put a real smile on my face for the last couple of days.

The walk to and from the coffee shop, and the actual coffee itself, was what I needed to clear my mind from everything that had been going on lately. Though I felt pretty bored and alone, these were the moments that I needed to keep myself sane. It was always good to take the time to reassure yourself that everything was going to be all right and that you could always move forward in any problem as long as you worked hard enough.

I took a seat on a bench next to a girl with sandy brown hair. I wanted to see if my attempt to make small talk would work because, quite frankly, I was tired of talking to myself.

“Hi.” I looked over at her. “I’m Lola. What’s your name?”

“Daisy.” She smiled and looked over at me. “I know who you are, Lola. I’ve always wanted to hang out with you.” She laughed nervously.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She just looked at me and I caught on. “Let me guess. The email that I sent to the entire school claiming I didn’t need distractions from my work?”

“You’re right,” she laughed. “What made you want to talk to me?”

“Just decided to be social for once.” I smiled slightly. “I thought it’d be cool to actually have fun once in a while.”

“I understand,” she spoke.

“So, do you have any plans for the summer?” I asked.

“Well, yeah. There are tons of flyers going around for some upcoming parties and bonfires.” She began pulling out pieces of folded paper from her bag. “You can have these. I already have the information on my phone.

“Thanks, Daisy!” I smiled big and put the flyers inside of my bag.

“A couple of friends and I are hosting a big ‘end of the semester’ party event tomorrow. You should come out.” She mimicked my smile.

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind.” I stood up and waved. “See you around!”

Did I just make a friend? The end of my junior year of college and I was finally making a friend other than Anabella. Why did this feel so great? Was it because I had found someone who could fill this empty part of me or because I just missed the feeling of having multiple friends when I was younger? Who knows. I was just glad that I didn’t have to be alone anymore.

As soon as I got back into my room, my phone rang. It was Arsen. After this long period of not speaking, I thought I would be the one to call first. I answered and put the phone up to my ear slowly.

"Come over tonight." Those were the only words that he spoke. His voice was deeper and darker than usual. It sent chills up my spine.

"What time? I thought I was meeting you at the coffee shop."

"You know what ...just come over now."

"I—is there anything that you need in particular, Arsen?"

"Stop talking and come over now," he demanded. I'd never been more attracted to him than I was that very moment. He hung up the phone and I sat there speechless. I decided to slip into something more appealing. I took a quick shower and threw on a dress similar to the one I wore when we first went out, with fishnets and a pair of nude heels. Little did anyone know, I was hiding a beautiful set of red lace lingerie underneath. I put loose curls in my hair and wore no makeup, except for my favorite burgundy lipstick and a little mascara. I was sure I knew what he wanted, but if things went a different way I wasn’t so sure how I’d feel.

The drive to his house felt like I was on top of the world. I was in my own car, blasting my favorite music, with the wind blowing in my hair. Once again, I was feeling like the nineteen-year-old me. I had a feeling that my life was about to take a turn that I never expected. This could be the start of something new.

I pulled up to his house and parked off to the side. A couple of seconds after ringing the doorbell, I was greeted by the nice lady who helped me last time.

“Well, hello, beautiful. It’s a pleasure to see you back here.” She smiled and stood off to the side so that I could go in. “Mr. Lockhart is waiting for you in the master bedroom.”

I thanked her and took my time walking up the stairs. With every step I took toward that room, I felt the anticipation rise. I knew that there was going to be something interesting behind those doors, but I couldn’t imagine what it could be. I got closer to the door and placed my hand on the doorknob.

Arsen

As soon as I heard her hand on the other side of the door, I knew it was 'go time.' I quickly opened the door and she jumped slightly. I grabbed her wrist, pulling her inside, shutting the door behind us, and pressing her up against it. She groaned quietly and I placed a few kisses on her neck. I felt her body become tense, so it was time for me to lay out some ground rules.

“Now you listen to me, and you listen closely.” I spoke in a stern voice, asserting my dominance.

Her eyes widened as she nodded slowly. “O—Okay.”

“Nah-uh.” I pulled her hands over her head and gripped both of her wrists with one of my hands. “From now on, you answer with ‘yes sir.’ Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir.” She bit down on her lip and I smirked. I loved seeing her under my control. I wanted her to submit to me. I wanted to have complete dominance over her.

“Whatever I say, you do.” I chuckled. “You didn’t really think that tough girl act was going to cut it around me, did you?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. “Think before you answer, Lola.”

“No, sir,” she said quietly.

“Louder, Lola.” I pushed myself closer to her.

“No, sir!!” she squealed and I felt the pace of her breathing increase.

“That’s a really beautiful dress you’re wearing, Lola.” I spoke in a low tone, but loud enough for her to hear me. “Take it off.”

I let go of her wrists and took a step back so that she could get undressed. She turned her back to me and slowly let down the zipper of her dress. She let the straps fall down her arms slowly and proceeded to pull it off of her chest. From where I was standing, it looked like a simple red bra, but then she turned around and the lace took me by surprise. I could see her beautiful breast through the thin material she had on.

She slid the rest of her dress down to her ankles and kicked it across the room. She had on a matching pair of lace panties underneath her fishnet stockings. They looked so beautiful laid across her long legs. I sat on the bed and just admired her beauty. Everything was happening in my favor and I couldn't be happier.

"Take off the stockings and bring them to me. When you make it over here, lay across my lap and do not make a sound."

And that's just what she did. Without hesitation, she complied with each demand, and I loved every moment of it.

When she made it over to the bed she stood in front of me. She placed the stockings in my hand and laid across my lap. Laughing slightly under my breath, I pulled both of her hands behind her back and tied them together,

“Good girl,” I said, and she moaned slightly under her breath. I gave her a spank right on her ass and she squirmed in discomfort. “I thought I told you specifically to not make a sound, Lola. Don’t make me punish you.”

“Yes, sir,” she whined, and I gave her another spank.

“Don’t say another word,” I instructed. I lifted her body and tossed her on the bed. I brushed her hair back out of her face to admire her beauty. Her skin was perfect and the color of lipstick she had chosen really made her eyes glow. I looked her directly in the eyes and said, “You’re never going home.”

Her face went from seductive to panicked. It made me chuckle to see how frightened she’d gotten. She was about to open her mouth, but I warned her that, if she screamed, although no one would hear her, she’d be in serious trouble.

Lola

“You’re never going home.” Arsen spoke as he looked me directly in the eyes. It was like the words rolled off his tongue as slowly as possible.

Just when I thought life was going great, everything went to shambles. I watched as he laughed right in my face, as if I was nothing. Maybe this was all a part of the roleplay, I thought to myself, but there I went again, making up silly excuses in my head to make light of the situation. I guess it was a way to make myself calm and comfortable.

I thought back to Anabella calling me a dumb, stupid, little girl. That’s exactly how I felt right now, because that’s exactly what I was for trusting a man who I barely knew. There was just something about Arsen’s aura that just pulled me in. His charm and witty sense of humor really captured my heart. Even with everything going on, I could feel myself falling harder for him.

I somewhat understand why he would keep me here ‘forever.’ I knew his biggest secret and he didn’t want anyone to find out. He was just protecting himself—maybe even the both of us. Maybe someone else found out that I knew the secret and was out to get me and this was Arsen’s way of protecting me? Why else would he wait an entire week to do something about the situation?

Whether he was doing this for us or just himself, I still felt stupid for the way I caved. I submitted to him so easily that it was embarrassing. I had never been so obedient and controlled in my entire life, not even as a child. My parents were never really the most chill parents in the world, but they definitely were not as demanding as Arsen.

I felt my panties become wet at just the thought of Arsen having full dominance over what I did and said. I wished he would come back to finish what he had started, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. So I sat there, close to tears, and not knowing how feel or what to do next.

I felt hopeless at this point. My arms were tied up, so if I’d tried to make any escape, it would be ten times harder than it should. I shifted onto my side and laid down. It was a little uncomfortable for a while, but soon my body became numb and I couldn’t feel a thing.

So many thoughts were flying through my brain that I couldn’t even decide what to think about first. I eventually got so confused about everything that was going off that I just let myself fall asleep to take a temporary break from all of the madness.

Arsen

I left her sitting on the bed and went to my office to check a few emails and see if there was any new information from the guys. I was scrolling through a load of emails from people contacting me to do events and lectures around the world. The guys sent a few messages about how they found out the woman’s name and address. Now they were coming up with a plan of how to get rid of her. I sent out a few replies and continued to scroll through pointless messages until one message in particular caught my eye.

It was titled ‘Watch your back, Arsen,” and it read:

Dear Arsen Lockhart,

I know what you’re up to. As if you didn’t think murdering my father was enough, now you’re fooling around with my best friend?

I raised an eyebrow. What was this person talking about?

The fact that she actually gives you the time of day makes me wonder if is she that stupid or if you are just really good at playing these games. My father has been dead for a year now and if you think my mom and I have forgotten, you have another thing coming. Enjoy your peaceful life as much as you can, Arsen.

The letter wasn’t signed with any name, but when I thought about it, the girl who sat next to Lola the same day that I gave that seminar looked a lot like the woman at the restaurant. That woman had said her daughter had been watching Lola and me around town, and the only person who could possibly know who we both were and what has been going on between us was Lola’s best friend. Was it possible that I had killed Lola’s best friend’s father?

* * *

Lola

I woke up in a room I’d never seen before. I looked to the left and the view was almost the same as the view from Arsen’s house. I looked down and I wasn’t tied up anymore, nor was I wearing the same outfit from the night before. I was dressed in a satin top with matching shorts. I pulled myself out of bed and walked to the door. When I tried opening it, it was locked. No matter how hard I pushed or pulled it wouldn’t open.

With a sigh, I turned and went to look at myself in the mirror. My hair looked freshly brushed, which was odd. I pulled it into a ponytail with the hair tie that was on my wrist. I looked down and saw a note laying on the dresser. It had my name on it. I was a bit hesitant about picking it up, but maybe it would explain why the door was locked.

After a couple of seconds of deciding, I finally opened the letter. It explained that there were two doors inside of the room. One led to a walk-in closet, while the other led to a bathroom. It said that there would be various pieces of clothing that were my size inside of the closet. I read over a few more lines about where certain things were in the room and I finally made it to the end, which was what I was looking for.

The reason the door was locked, according to the note, was because I didn’t deserve as much freedom as I wanted. The note was clearly written by Arsen, because it said that I should think about the consequences of my absurd actions. He wrote that he had had a hard time deciding if I should work for him until he trusted me again or if he should kill me. He also mentioned that my phone had been taken away and any source of connecting with someone outside of the house had been blocked off of the computer in the room and my laptop, which he had found in my car.

I rolled my eyes and crumbled the note into a ball. I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me all because I looked through a couple of emails. What I really wanted to know was why it had taken him so long to take action against me. What about the situation changed his mind? Did someone else know?

That’s it. Maybe he told the members of his cartel and they put this entire plan together. That had to have happened, because what else would’ve made Arsen change his mind so suddenly?

I shook my head and slid my feet as I walked back over to the bed. I plopped down and buried my face in the pillow. I let out a muffled scream to release the built-up anger in me. There was a knock on a door, followed by the voice of the woman I had met the first time I was there.

“Ms. Lola, your breakfast is ready,” she spoke.

I got up quickly when I heard the door unlock from the outside. It pushed open slowly and she came inside, walking toward me with a tray of food. It smelled so delicious. I couldn’t wait to eat. As she sat the tray down on the bed, I eyed the cracked door, thinking about whether I’d be able to make it out to find my car keys.

I guess she noticed, because she grabbed both of my arms and looked into my eyes.

“Don’t even try it,” she whispered. “There are two big guards out there.”

I nodded slowly. “Do you know when I’ll be getting out?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Mr. Lockhart doesn’t tell me much”

“Two questions.” I looked at her and she nodded, agreeing to answer them. “What’s your name? And why are you always so nice to me?”

“I’m Ms. Rose, the maid.” She smiled. “You remind me so much of myself when I was younger—independent and spending time with older men. Seeing you makes me nostalgic. After over-hearing Arsen explain the situation between you two, I thought you could use all of the support I can give right now”

“Thank you so much.” I smiled and hugged her. She jumped, not expecting the hug but returning the gesture. She reminded me a lot of my grandmother, who I was really looking forward to seeing this summer, but that plan was ruined because of Arsen.

“Rose, what is taking you so long?” One of the guards asked in a menacing tone.

“I gave you extra bacon.” She smiled and left the room swiftly, closing and locking it behind her. I smiled softly to myself, knowing that someone cared, and crawled back into bed. On the tray were waffles, bacon, eggs, and a bowl of fruit. I was also given a cup of tea with a little bowl of sugar on the side.

After I finished eating, I decided to take a shower. The bathroom looked exactly like Arsen's, so I knew how everything worked. I walked back into the room and went on the computer to play some music. To my surprise, Arsen had a lot of the music I listened to on there already. I made a quick playlist and turned the volume all the way up so that I could hear it in the bathroom.

I started my shower and actually enjoyed my time in there. Some of my favorite songs were playing and I was using all of these fancy and expensive skin and hair care products. I didn’t know if Arsen intended for that to happen, but I was actually starting to have a good day.

I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. I didn’t want to put on the same clothes, so I went into the closet to see what was there for me. Upon entering, I expected to see just a small amount of clothing, but this was more than that. What was before my eyes was an entirely new wardrobe. There were all types of outfits. There were everyday outfits, night out outfits, an array of night clothing, and even all types of shoes. I looked into the drawers of the dresser and saw different types of undergarments and lingerie. I started looking at the tags and everything was the right size. Just like the note had said.

This was sort of strange, but I guessed it would come in handy during my time there. But if I was going to be held in this room for the time being, why would I need all of these different types of outfits? I shrugged away the thought and just picked out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

I lotioned my arms and legs and just decided to play on the computer until the day went by. Arsen mentioned my laptop in the note, but I didn't see it anywhere, which left me the only option possible. The computer in the room. Although I used this computer to play music earlier, I was still very concerned that I might stumble onto something that I should not see. That could really trigger Arsen to take my life.

I was very careful about what I clicked on. I made sure to only open the notepad application because my mind was full and I needed to write a few things down. I let some of the music play quietly while I gathered my thoughts together. I decided to start a new novel. Since my laptop was nowhere to be found and I couldn't continue working on the novel that I had already started, this could be something that I would do to pass time here. I titled it, "Locked in with Your Own Thoughts." It was going to be about a girl kept in captivity because of her bad behavior with the man she loved.

I began to type, releasing all of my thoughts.

"Forty-seven days and three hours. That's how long I've been held in captivity in the basement of my Master's house. I never knew that I could make him this angry. I never knew he would turn on me like this. It isn't too bad down here. I have a bed, a TV, and a bathroom, and there's always someone bringing me three meals a day and a couple of new books when I've finished the old ones. The only thing that's not good is the lack of human communication. I have no friends, no family, and no master.

I know you're wondering what happened, why I'm being held captive, and why I even have a master to begin with. It all started a year ago when I signed a contract with a man by the name of Eric Pierce. He is the most gorgeous man that I have ever laid eyes on, and when I first saw him at my job, I knew I wanted to be associated with him somehow.

His skin was smooth and blemish free. He wore ripped jeans, beige boots, and a long t shirt that read 'Angels set free.' He was glowing. He had such a powerful energy that I couldn't believe it. He walked around with his hands behind his back, examining the room I was in.

There was a room in the building where I worked that I used to paint in. I thought no one would ever find it, due to its hiding place, so I hung up a few of my pieces. He smiled at a few and nodded at others. He walked up to me and eyed my outfit, raising an eyebrow at my bright yellow sweater.

"Did you do all of this?" he asked.

"Yeah ...why? You going to tell on me?" I rolled my eyes and spoke in a mocking tone.

"No, none of that. I just saw this place sitting around and wanted to check it out."

I nodded and pointed to his shirt. "I love that album."

He smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Same."

"So how much of my work did you see?" I asked. "And what's your name?"

"Just about all of it," he chuckled. "I’m Eric."

We spent almost an hour getting to know each other and it was beautiful.

One day after work, he stopped me at my car and told me that he'd been checking me out since he saw me. He then proceeded to ask me if I had ever participated in a dom/sub relationship.

I'd already had experience with BDSM, so I told him yes and then let him know that if he was trying to pursue this type of relationship with me then I was very much interested. He smirked and told me that he'd have a contract typed up by the next day.

The next day came and we went over the rules during lunch. One of the main rules was that I would address him, and only him, as Master. Since that day, he's been my master and I have done everything he has asked.

Exactly forty-eight days ago, I messed up. When I say I messed up, I mean it. It was really bad. Eric has been out of town for a week, and I needed sex so badly that I felt like I couldn't wait another day for him to get home. It felt as if I was going to die without it.

He came home a day early to surprise me and walked in on the worst thing ever. He caught me in the act of being with another man, and what made it worse was that I was so caught up in the moment that I called the other man Master.

The look on his face was terrifying. I had never seen him that angry or aggressive before, not even during one of our dom/sub moments. Before I knew it, I was being thrown into this basement.

“Lola.” I heard Arsen’s voice and jumped. I hadn’t even heard the door being unlocked and opened. I had been too caught up in writing.

“Yes?” I turned to him and spoke with a slight attitude.

“What have you got there?” he raised an eyebrow and tried to look at the computer screen behind me.

“Nothing of yours, don’t worry,” I scoffed and crossed my arms over my chest.

“Fix your tone of voice, Lola. You’re lucky I didn’t kill you …yet” He smirked and walked towards me. He handed me two spiral notebooks and a box of pens. “One book has all of the jobs you will be doing for me while you’re here, and the other you can use as a journal when you get bored.”

I began to read through the book and saw that there was a list of groceries that I needed to pick up tomorrow. It also mentioned that I’d get the money tomorrow and the driver would be there at ten to pick me up. Something told me that he didn't really want to punish me. It was just something about the tasks that I had to do. I mean, was grocery shopping really a task you would give to someone you were holding hostage? I didn’t know. His intentions were beyond me.

"Before I go, come here.” He spoke in a very demanding voice.

I got up and walked over to him. He grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him. Our noses were barely an inch apart and he flashed a smile that made my heart melt. It felt like everything around us stopped. One of his hands grabbed the back of my neck and he kissed me. He kissed me so hard that I stopped breathing. He pulled away and chuckled, licking his lips and walking out of the room in one swift movement. Hearing the lock on the door made me snap back into reality.

That kiss just proved that someone had put the idea to kidnap me in his mind. If he was angry enough to kidnap me all on his own, he wouldn't have come in here and kissed me like that. I brushed my fingers over my bottom lip because it had begun to tingle. I wasn’t sure what it was, but that kiss had felt magical. He had kissed me with so much love and passion within that three seconds that it was scary.

I didn’t even get to ask him why he kissed me. I sighed and saved the document on the computer. I let the music play while I opened the window and looked at the view. I was surprised that the window wasn’t nailed shut, but after looking down at the bush of thorns, I understood why. I sat on the window seat and pulled my knees to my chest.

I was bored out of my mind and had nothing better to do but watch the clouds go by and see what types of shapes they made. Besides the song playing, silence filled the air. The house, this area, the sky—it was all completely quiet. Though I had longed for this type of silence back on campus, I was starting to miss the various sounds that had surrounded me there. Being locked up, even if it had been only a couple of hours, made me miss school and my home.

I started to think about what my parents and siblings are doing at that very moment—probably playing board games or watching movies and having lunch. That’s something that I’d never missed out on and I would have given anything to be doing that with them in that moment. Actually, I would have given anything to take back my horrible actions. I wish I had never looked through Arsen’ emails.

Maybe I’d have a life to live.

Arsen

During the entire process of abducting Lola and holding her hostage, I could do nothing but keep her comfort first in my mind. The boys had wanted to keep her inside of some rough, cold building where she had very little water and food, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that to her. I couldn’t have lived with myself if I had done that to her. With anyone else, I would’ve done it in a heartbeat and maybe even have taken their life without any thought put into it. With Lola, things were just different. They had to be different because something about her led me to believe that she was the one I’d been searching for years after my divorce.

I wanted to deny my strong attraction to her, but every time I did, my feelings just became stronger. I even had to take a deep breath before walking into her room. She doesn’t know that she’s my weakness. She’s not even a little aware of how hard I’ve tried to remain calm around her.

I went into her room, admiring her beauty from behind. I called her name and watched her jump. I hope I sent shivers down her spine. I had to brace myself for when she turned around. When I saw her face, I had to hold back a smile. She looked very well rested and sort of happy, but when her eyes met mine, her face cringed into a look of disgust. She was definitely upset with me.

I gave her the two spiral notebooks and pens I had for her. One of the books I gave her to write in when she was bored and the other was a list of things I needed her to do for me. I didn’t know if she noticed when she flipped through a couple of pages, but a couple of those tasks involved spending time with me for a couple of days—dinner dates, some trips to the mall, and outings to a couple of other places. Hopefully, those outings could lead to us having mutual feelings for each other, because at this moment it seemed like I had more feelings for her than she had for me.

Kissing her was a part of my plan. I wanted her to feel the feelings I had for her, because clearly being nice after kidnapping her wouldn’t work. As much as I wanted to take her right there on that bed, I couldn’t. I had to resist as much as possible.

I’d be lying if I said the thought of her curvy body wasn’t always in the back of my mind. It was. Each and every day, I imagined my hands moving up and down her smooth waist and pulling her body close to mine. I longed for her touch. It killed me inside that I couldn't have her the way I wanted. Why did she have to fuck up?

I shook my head angrily at the thought and continued on with my day. There was a meeting today with the guys and me. We were getting together to talk about what was new with the whole kidnapping situation and what was new with the cartel in general. This cartel was first put together by David and me, around the time we both became very money hungry. We were looking for ways to make more money, and David, being my best friend since childhood, was doing nothing but looking out for me when he suggested this idea. A drug cartel full of millionaires. Yes, I said it. A drug cartel full of millionaires.

Each and every one of us had worked our way up to an outstanding amount of money coming in daily because of our jobs and also this cartel. If anyone found out about this, we wouldn’t lose much money because we already had a lot saved up, but we could ruin our reputations within our careers. Not to mention, we could do a lot of time in jail. That was why the boys were so anxious to get rid of Lola, but I really didn’t think that she would be the one to take down our entire cartel.

If she really wanted to sabotage us, she would have acted quickly. There were no messages or emails on her phone and laptop about the situation, so I doubt that she even had a plan to expose us in the first place. The guys made it seem as if she was working with the enemy and they knew the easiest way to get inside of my house was by using a young, pretty girl.

That logic didn't make sense, simply because of the fact that Lola was playing extremely hard to get. If the enemy sent her over to get any information from me, then I would have had sex with her the first day we met. She wouldn't have hesitated to spend the night at my place either. The guys really kept coming up with these outrageous theories about her, but she was just a normal girl who got caught being very nosey.

"Hey, what's up guys?!" I greeted the guys as I walked into our clubhouse. Similarly to the meeting from last week, the guys sat in a group behind the table and I stood in front of it. They greeted me back with various ‘hey's’ and ‘what's up's.’

“So, what’s up with the chick, boss?” David sat up in his chair.

“Yeah, boss. Did you get the job done?” Pete spoke.

“What do you mean did I get the job done?" I cocked an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for a response. "There was never a job to begin with."

"Did you kill the girl?!" one of the other members yelled.

"No, I didn't kill her," I spoke.

"She knows too much, boss," Pete added.

"Look! I told you idiots that she only knows that the drug cartel exists and that I killed that woman's husband. That's it. She literally knows nothing else," I spat angrily. How dare they question me about killing her when that was never the plan in the first place.

Silence filled the void air between us as the guys looked at me, taken aback by my reaction. I paced back and forth for a few seconds to blow off some steam. I couldn't handle the thought of Lola actually being dead, especially because of me.

“What’s the update on the missing packages?” I sighed and took a seat. Someone handed me a beer and I took a quick swig.

“We have the names and location. We were going to send a few of our best men out to get them tonight.” Pete took a swig of his beer and looked directly at me.

I nodded. “Let’s get their things ready.”

“Yes, sir,” they all said in unison, with the exception of David. I could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking really hard about something. He wasn’t paying much attention to anything that was going on around him.

“You two,” I pointed to the two guys in the back. “Get the bags, and the rest of you get the guns ready”

I sat back in my chair and watched as everyone left the room. Again, all but David. I grabbed a cigar from the box on the table and lit it.

“You really like this girl, huh?” David chuckled, looking up at me.

“I do.” I took a drag from the cigar and blew out the smoke in his direction. I kept a straight face. “Why are you asking me this?

“Why else would you spare her life, Arsen?”

“She’s the one, David. I’m so serious when I say this.” I took a deep breath and brushed my hair back with my free hand.

“How are you so sure?” His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “She’s a little college girl.”

“No, David. She’s a grown woman, and I know she’s the one because Lola makes me feel the same way she did. Maybe even a little better.”

“Damn,” he laughed slightly. “You really are feeling this girl. Now I know why you lashed out. I’m surprised that you even went through with the kidnapping plan if your feelings for her are that strong.”

“That’s the thing, man. I’m torn between loving her and killing her.” I shook my head. “I don’t think I could bring myself to do it, but the thought seems tempting. I couldn’t live with her being dead, but I could definitely live without the fear of falling madly in love again. You get what I’m saying?”

“I understand man.” He sighed. “It’s just going to take time, all right? Don’t stress yourself out.”

I flashed the slight smile and put out my cigar. What I really needed right now was some rest. I hadn’t slept much for the past few days, so I was just running off of multiple cups of coffee. I said my goodbyes to David, telling him to pass the message along to the rest of the team, and left.

The drive back home was shorter than I expected and I was thankful for that. Immediately after making it inside of the house, I quickly walked to my room. I wasted no time taking off my clothes and hopping into the shower. The warm water kissed my skin and I swear it felt like heaven on Earth. I found myself humming along to the song that was playing softly when I entered Lola's room earlier. It made me think of how beautiful the shower would have been if I were to share it with her.

My mind started to fill up with the thought of her. Whenever I tried to think of something different, it just brought me back to her. She reminded me of the sunset. How it's so warm but so vibrant, and it could make your whole day better just by looking at it. She was like caffeine in the morning. As much as you had been warned to stay away from it, it was addicting and you needed it to get through the day. She stood tall like a sunflower, beautiful and bright. The perfect combination.

Who would have suspected that I, Arsen Lockhart, would ever find love again? Now, I just had to figure out if she loved me back.

Lola

I woke up yet again, but this time to a purple and orange sunset. I didn’t even know that I had fallen asleep. It was like they were waiting for me to wake up, because the moment I sat up in bed, there was a knock on the door.

“Dinner.” I heard Ms. Rose speak through the door. I smiled slightly, but not for long.

When the door opened, Ms. Rose wasn’t alone. She walked in with a huge tray and Arsen followed swiftly behind her. I guess I wasn’t eating dinner alone. I looked down at my hands and played with my fingers while Ms. Rose sat the food in front of me. I whispered a small thank you and she whispered back for me to stay strong.

I looked up only enough to see the food and Arsen's body as he took a seat on the bed. We were having grilled chicken and broccoli for dinner. I picked up my plate, placing it on my lap, and began to eat in silence. I didn’t know how to feel, but I knew I wasn’t necessarily in the mood to speak with Arsen right now. Especially after that kiss.

“It’s a nice night, huh?” He broke the silence. I saw him take small bites of his food while waiting for my response.

I just stayed silent, not sure of how I should reply. I took another bite of my food and sat my plate to the side. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and turned away from Arsen. I went to sit on the window seat and watched the sky turn black. I heard him muffle a stiff laugh and sit his plate down on the serving tray. Then he set the tray on the dresser.

“Lola, can you talk to me please?” he asked. The sound of his feet tapping against the hardwood floor as he got closer to me made me anxious. “Why didn’t you finish your dinner?”

“Not hungry,” I replied simply, watching the sun almost go into hiding.

“Why are you acting like this? Is it something that I’ve done?” His tone of voice was dripping with concern and confusion. He took a seat beside me and I could feel his eyes burning holes into the side of my face.

“How do you actually feel about me, Arsen? Why’d you kiss me, then leave me here locked up without an explanation? Am I part of some type of sick game you’re playing?” Tears began burning my eyes, waiting to fall out, but I forced them back. “Why are you doing all of this?”

“I’m not sure why I’m doing this … but I don’t want you to ever think that I’m playing you or whatever. I actually care about you.” He tried to take my hand, but I quickly pulled it away. I didn’t want to touch him right now.

“How do you feel about me, Arsen?” I asked again. I finally turned to face him and looked him directly in the eyes.

“I …I can’t put it into words, but I know that I can show you”

“Great.” I forced out a laugh. “And how do you plan on doing that?”

He kissed me. Just leaned in and kissed me, but this time, I didn’t kiss back. I stood up and walked away from him, shaking my head.

“No, Arsen. You don’t get to just kiss me and leave again.”

“But Lola—“ He started, but I quickly interrupted.

“If you don’t mind, I would really like to be alone right now”

He sighed and left the room. I heard the lock click and for some reason, it was annoyingly loud. I just wasn't quite sure how to feel at the moment. I’d had the opportunity to express my feelings for him. Better yet, he’d had the opportunity to express his feelings to me, but I guess he just wasn't ready yet.

What was crazy about the whole thing was the fact that he was a writer. It really shouldn't be that hard for him to put his feelings into words. Me being a writer as well, it was very easy for me to explain myself. I guessed it was just different for everyone.

I really needed to separate myself from him. I couldn’t pinpoint this exact feeling but it was very overwhelming. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of my own emotions and I was too far away to swim back to shore. This was what I called the visionary aspect of a writer's mind. I had these moments where I actually envisioned my thoughts and my imagination became so vivid that it felt real.

The color blue surrounded me, but it surrounded me in various shades. Both warm and cool tones captured my soul in a way they hadn’t before. Blue sky, blue clouds, and blue waves. There was fog everywhere and the air was clammy. My hair stuck to my arms like feeding leeches.

It was not salty ocean water that I was floating in. I was washing away in my own tears. I took a look up and the clouds looked like question marks. They had this gold glow that rested around the edges of their shape like they were hiding the answer to all this confusion from me.

The sky turned a peachy orange color as my body washed up onto a black sand beach. After seconds of coughing up water, I started to catch my breath. The sun peeked through the clouds letting me know that even though things may have seemed solely negative at the moment, things were going to be okay. Left in the sand were the footprints of another human being who was now vacant. I wondered if they were on the same trail of vivid emotions.

I was just trying to find my way through this warped reality but I knew that it would take a while. It was already taking me a while to process the thought of Arsen not feeling the same as I did, but what if he didn’t feel anything for me at all? What if this was just a simple scam for him to have his way with me and still end up killing me in the end. I didn’t know. I didn’t think he wanted to kill me, but with him, I never knew his true intentions until he acted upon them.

Why did I feel like the only one who didn’t have the answers? Why must I be the one lost at sea?

My questions almost never had answers to them and I wished I knew why. It had almost always seemed like the answers to my questions would only come in the form of a conclusion to my overall problem, which was very annoying because the situation could last for years and I would be confused all the way up until the very end, when things were solved. I threw myself onto the bed and pulled the blanket over me. It felt like I was a child again.

When I was younger, I would always crawl into bed and lay under my blankets as a way to solve my problems. It was the place that made me feel safe and that was why, for the longest period of time, my room was my sacred place. Being alone in there made it so easy to be one with my thoughts.

It had been only a few seconds, but within that short amount of time, I felt like I was in my sacred place again. But this wasn't my home and I didn’t think it ever would be. I knew that my feelings for Arsen were very strong, but I just didn’t know if he felt the same. I didn’t even know if his kisses were genuine. I needed him to show me that he actually cared for me in more ways than just physical.

There were a million and one ways that he could express his love for me, if he had any, but he'd just have to find out how to show me on his own. If he felt the same way, this wouldn't be a problem. Although I had just taken a nap, I decided to just go back to sleep and get ready for whatever Arsen had planned for me to do tomorrow.

I woke up to the loud ringing of the alarm clock, which was crazy, because I didn't even set it. I pushed myself out of bed and into the bathroom to take care of my hygiene. My schedule said that this morning I would be grocery shopping and that I should be ready to leave by 9:45 so that I could make it to the store by opening time.

It was just grocery shopping, so I decided to wear a t-shirt, a pair of yoga pants, and a pair of running shoes. At 9:45 sharp, the door unlocked and opened. In front of me stood Ms. Rose and Arsen's driver.

"Are you ready, Lola?" Ms. Rose asked.

"Yes," I said with a smile, then she handed me the grocery list and the credit card.

"You can follow me to the car, Ms. Lola," the driver spoke. His smile never left his face the entire time.

I followed him out to the car, got inside, and he opened the door for me. I was happy to be out in the fresh air after being locked up in the house for a day and a half. I rolled down my window and let the wind blow through my hair as we drove off. I tucked the grocery list and card into my back pocket, trying to clear my mind off the task that needed to be done until it was actually time to do it.

We drove through part of town that I had never seen before. This must have been where the wealthy people shopped because the buildings around the other parts of the city were nowhere near as nice as these. The driver found a perfect parking space right in front of the grocery store and told me that he would be waiting for me right in this spot when I was finished. I thanked him and got out.

The store was named Organic Everything. It was set up really nicely and organized throughout the entire store. I grabbed a cart and pulled out the list of items that I needed to pick up. Finding things in the store was very easy, due to how they labeled everything from the aisles to the prices. Strangely, this brought me peace.

The soft music playing from the ceiling speakers and the subtle chill that surrounded me put me at ease. I wouldn't mind doing this all of the time. This felt like meditation.

I had gotten all of the items that were on the list within fifteen minutes. Just when I was about to close the note and put it away, I saw something written at the bottom. It told me to also pick up a few of my favorite snacks, because by the time I got back I would have a mini fridge and a small cabinet for my items.

I smiled at the list and put it away before quickly doing another run of the store and picking up a few things that I wouldn't mind snacking on from time to time. I went to the cashier and paid for all of the items. Maybe this day would be better than yesterday.

The driver helped me pack the groceries into the trunk and we both got back inside of the car. I kept my snacks in the backseat with me. The music on the radio was playing little louder than it had been earlier, and it was on another station too. It was on the alternative station, and I knew every song that came on back-to-back. This was just another good thing to add on to this good day.

When we got back to the house, the driver told me to just take my personal bags up to my room and that he would take care of the rest. I thanked him and went inside of the house. There was a guard waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, and as much as I should be upset that I was going to be locked inside of his room for the rest of the day, I wasn't. I was happy and I didn’t think anything could ruin my happiness right then.

The guard let me into the room and locked the door behind me. Just like the note said, there were a mini cabinet and a mini fridge. There was also a slender bookshelf full of books in the corner. The smile on my face got bigger and I felt the happiest I'd been in a few weeks. Who would have thought pure happiness could come from being locked in captivity?

I thought it was really nice that Arsen took the time out of his day to do those things for me. I guessed this was him showing that he appreciated me. That gave me a little reassurance. I smiled to myself and put the snacks away. When I turned around, I jumped a little at what randomly appeared. There was a TV mounted on the wall and I’m not sure how I missed it upon entering. There was a sticky note attached to it.

I walked closer to the TV, and the note read:

“I’m sorry about last night. I hope you can forgive me”

I shook my head and took the note off of the TV screen. I tossed it into the small trash bin and walked back over to the bed to sit down. He didn’t have to buy me gifts to apologize, but I did appreciate the things he gave me. They could entertain me while I was locked up in here, however long that would be.

Luckily for me, I saw a couple of books that I'd been meaning to read on the bookshelf. So that was another great thing to look forward to. I got up and sat in front of the computer. I was going to write a little more of my story.

I know you’re wondering what my name is, and I’ll tell you. My name is Hazel and I fell in love with my dominant. He fell in love with me too, but his feelings aren’t there anymore. Not since I hurt his feelings. I used to make him so happy. I love his smile. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world. I can't believe that I even brought myself to hurt such a beautiful soul like that.

I remember waking up every day to make him breakfast and to make sure his clothes were ironed for work. I just miss making him happy. Being trapped down here in the basement gives me enough time to think and, man, have I learned my lesson. Never take the one you love for granted.

Arsen

Seeing Lola close to tears like that made me feel horrible. I couldn’t believe that I’d had the chance to actually reveal my feelings for her, and instead of telling her, I kissed her. That old trick had worked on girls in the past, but I should’ve realized that Lola wasn’t like most girls. She wasn’t like the ones before. She is the one.

I tried to think quickly about how I could make her see that she was actually important to me without physically making a move on her. I started to think about how her room was lacking and that I could actually help her enjoy herself while she was here. I noticed her room had minimal entertainment in it. Al that she could enjoy herself with was the computer.

So I called up the interior designer. I told them that I needed them to do some work for me the next morning. Lola was a novelist, so clearly, she liked to read. I decided to get her a little bookshelf with a couple of books from my library. Just in case she got hungry between meals, I told the designer that I wanted a mini fridge to be put inside of the room as well. I also thought that adding a flat-screen TV to the wall wouldn't hurt. I figured she liked watching shows and movies just as much as she likes reading books.

I was really excited about this. I hoped that this would put a smile on her face while I figured out something bigger and better to do to show her that I really cared. I didn’t want her to think that she was just another girl that I was playing games with. I wanted her to see truly how important she was to me. Although I had to keep her hostage, I wanted to see her nothing but happy.

Her happiness brought me joy and her smile brought me comfort. She made me feel young again and Lord knew I'd been longing for that feeling since my divorce. That was why I scheduled us to go to dinner tomorrow. I wanted to take her to a semi-normal restaurant to eat so that we could be around people of both of our age groups.

I wanted her to feel safe and secure around me. I wanted her to feel beautiful and like she was the most important girl in the world. And I knew that money could not buy her love, so I was really putting thought into this. I wanted to live the rest of my life with her. I suspected tomorrow night would be the night that I expressed my true feelings for her. I just hoped things went as planned.

Lola reminded me of the second book I had ever written. It was similar to my book that she told me she liked during our interview, but better in my opinion, as the author. This particular story didn't have an age gap between the two lovers because it was based on my ex-wife. Although I loved that woman with all of my heart, there were a few things that she could have worked on to better herself as a person.

I made sure to put those things in the novel to make it seem as though this was just a character and that her and my wife had differences. But they were good differences. The character's name was Abigail and she was Lola in the flesh. She was described the same, she talked the same, and even felt the same. It was like I was actually reliving my own book.

I smiled to myself as I continued my plans for the day. I got another strange email from the girl who may possibly have been Lola’s best friend. She claimed that she knew where I lived and that she’d be sending people over to ‘end’ me. I chuckled and leaned back in my chair. She was a very funny girl if she thought that she could ever kill me.

I licked over my lips and started to think of ways to lure this girl in so I could retrieve her information and track her every move. Although I looked at her as a joke, threatening my life wasn’t a joke and it wasn’t something that I took lightly. Now my goal was to end both her life and her mother’s life. I just didn’t need the stress of their complaints.

I finally sent an email in response from a fake email account to let them know that things were serious:

Subject: To the mother and daughter of the man who couldn’t do his job.

Let’s get a few things clear. First, your threats don’t scare me. As a man of wealth and people, I have nothing to fear, and if I were afraid of anything, it’d be neither of you two. I am a very hardworking man, but your loved one couldn’t deliver me what I asked for. I paid him exceptionally well for minor jobs, but he still couldn’t deliver what I asked for. Why? Because he was a greedy son of a bitch.

He stole money from me! It just so happens that he was the only one to come back later than the others, and he came back with less money than I requested. I was killing random people in the market because he claimed that the amount he had given me was the amount they gave him. He played with my money, so he needed to lose his life. So I’m warning you now ...if you don’t stop these childish acts of trying to scare me or trying to kill me, you’ll end up six feet under just like him. You rats are a disgrace.

P.S. — If you or anyone else you are associated with even puts a hand on the girl, I’ll tear you to fucking pieces.

I smirked as I hit send. I felt full of energy and on edge at the moment and it was kind of crazy. I pulled out my phone and made a call to Pete to check in on everything with the group.

“Hello?” He answered. “What’s up, boss man?”

“Not much,” I chuckled. “How’s everything looking?”

“As far as I can tell, everything is right on track. We’ve located the residence of the lady and we’re going to handle the situation tomorrow night. Make sure you’re out of the house and busy with witnesses so nothing leads back to you.”

“Perfect!” I replied.

“Also, we got back the packages that were taken and more. We now dominate their shipping and get half of all of their income and profit.”

“This is great.” I smiled widely. Today had been the best I’d had in a while. “Where would I be without you guys?”

“We could ask the same about you, boss.” I heard him laugh. “Everything will be back to normal soon.

“All right. Talk to you soon.” With that, I hung up. Seemed like my life would be going smoothly again.

I was going to spend the rest of my day putting everything together for Lola and I tomorrow.

Lola

I woke up the next day in the best mood ever. My breakfast was already sitting on my dresser for me, and to my surprise, it still had steam rising from it. I stood up and took a huge stretch. I was convinced that this was literally the most comfortable bed I had ever slept in.

I waked over to my dresser and took a seat. In front of me sat fresh, fluffy pancakes with an omelet and a small bowl of fruit. Ms. Rose really did know how to cook. Each bite tasted like love and compassion, and I just got happier as I neared the finish of my food. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and skipped back over to the bed. I got back under the blankets and turned on the TV.

The only thing that was written in the journal of tasks was a dinner date later, around seven o’clock. It was ten-thirty, so I had all of the time in the world to relax and have a little fun before I had to get up and ready.

I turned on a channel with music videos and just sang along like crazy. There I went, shamelessly feeling like a teenager again. The summer after my high school graduation was a blast. It was honestly the best time of my life. It was non-stop parties and just fun activities in general. No matter what we did, we made the best of it. ‘We’ meaning my friends back at that time. They never stuck around because we had different ways of living. Partying was their only hobby.

When I turned twenty, life took a drastic turn. But that was another story. I decided that tonight would be the best night to express my love for Arsen. Regardless of whether he felt the same about me, it was still something that I needed to get off of my chest. For a man who had such little time to waste, he had so much time for me.

For a man who held so much importance in the world, he held much more importance with me. And I cherished that. I cherished every moment that I spent with him, and though we only had a few minutes to spare sometimes, it was like world moved in slow motion.

For a woman with a strong head on her shoulders and a bright future ahead of her, I had time to fall in love. Just when I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life alone because no one was level-headed like me, someone came along. He came along. Something about him made me want to do better, but also made me want to do things that I shouldn't.

This dominance he held over me was something that I'd been craving for years.

I started to rehearse the words that I would say to him in my mind. Maybe something along the lines of, ‘Arsen, I know we haven't known each other for that long, but my feelings are becoming really strong for you. It's kind of crazy. I mean, I only know a little about you, but I feel like I want to be with you for the rest of my life. When I was nineteen years old, I had the best time of my life. I knew how to equally balance my work and my time to have fun. You make me feel that all over again, and that makes my attraction to you grow stronger. Maybe, if you feel the same, we could possibly spend the rest of our lives together."

Yeah, that's perfect. I laid back on the bed and turned on a French film. The elegance of French culture always made me feel fancy. What better way to feel before a date with a billionaire than opulent? The specific film that I put on was about a young girl who sold her body to older men. In a way, I could relate, because I had always been attracted to older men, and no, I didn’t have daddy issues. I had just always been that way.

Tonight was going to definitely be something to remember.

Arsen

It was finally time for us to go out and I was nothing but happy. I pulled out one of my best suits and put extra effort into doing my hair. I knocked on her door and waited for her response. After a few moments, I didn’t hear anything, so I just unlocked the door and let myself in. Her music was playing faintly in the corner of the room and I heard things moving around in the bathroom.

“Lola?” I called, tapping my knuckles against the bathroom door slightly.

“Almost ready!” she called out.

“All right. Meet me downstairs when you’re done, love.”

“Okay.” I heard her giggle and it touched my heart. I smiled and let out a small chuckle.

I left her door unlocked and went downstairs at the end of the stairs to wait for her. I knew she was just going to be beautiful beyond words. My heart raced as I waited for her to be in my presence. She headed downstairs and I was taken aback by her breathtaking beauty.

I smiled and took her hand, helping her down the last few stairs. My eyes traced her body as I admired her outfit. She had on an all-white, long-sleeved dress with rose gold jewelry and matching rose gold heels. Her makeup looked amazing and her hair was pulled up into a bun.

“You look absolutely stunning, Lola.” I smiled and pulled her closer to me.

She draped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a hug. I smelled her natural scent, but it’d been enhanced. Her aura opened my senses a little more. She pulled away slowly and smiled at me.

“Ready to go?” I asked and she nodded, sliding her hand back into mine.

I led her out to the car and opened the door for her. We both got in and I closed the door behind us. The driver pulled off, and he began taking the long way. I wanted Lola to see the entire city in one night. Instead of cutting through town, we took the highway, which surrounds the city. You could see all of the buildings and bright lights in action, and it was up closer than the view from my place.

Her face lit up when she saw everything, especially the harbor. I saw the twinkle in her eye when she saw the tall Ferris wheel. Little did she know I already had that planned for after we had our dinner.

I felt like a teenager again, out late at night with the girl of my dreams. For that moment in time, it felt as if we were the only two people on earth. I looked over at her, just taking in the beauty of her surroundings, and felt my feelings becoming even stronger.

We made it to the restaurant and it wasn’t crowded. This made me ten times happier than before. We were escorted to a table that was in the middle of everyone. The people surrounding us looked like everyday people, which is exactly what I wanted. I wanted Lola to know that there would be times when we could hang out and still be around normal citizens.

“How are you feeling tonight, beautiful?” I asked Lola. “You look absolutely stunning.”

“Why, thank you, Arsen.” She blushed. Her cheeks became a rosy pink color and she flashed a childish grin. “I’m feeling amazing tonight. Thank you for bringing me out.”

I nodded. “I just want the night to be special for you. For us.”

I wanted tonight to be memorable for the both of us. I wanted us to express our love for each other and hopefully take a big step forward with what we have between us.

"I'm really honored to be here right now. It's really comforting seeing average people here tonight, and the fact that you are here with just me and no guards is amazing. You're a billionaire with a crazy woman after you. You're so brave and I admire that." Lola spoke, pulling her chair closer to the table.

"If anyone should be honored, it should be me. I'm sitting face-to-face with an angel right now and I couldn't be any more grateful." I smiled and grabbed her hand, placing a kiss on it.

I felt like I was on top of the world. It was like time slowed down, but we were still in the present. The only thing I cared about in that moment was me and her. I would love for her to really give me a chance. I'd been sitting there the entire time, thinking about the right thing to say to her. Maybe something along the lines of:

“Lola, I know we've only known each other for a short while now, but I’m falling fast and I'm falling hard. My feelings for you are starting to become so unbearable that, if I don't tell you, I’ll lose my mind. You may not feel the same and that's okay, because we are still in the process of getting to know each other, but if you could just give me a chance, I won't disappoint you. I can promise you that I can make you happy and I can provide you with the things that you want and need. I don't want you to look at this as me trying to bribe you with money or materialistic things, because giving you everything that you want and need doesn't just apply to luxurious items. I can satisfy you mentally, physically, and emotionally. If you could just let me show you how much you mean to me, this could be the start of something new and amazing.”

“Hi, my name’s—” the waitress began, but was quickly cut off by Lola.

“Anabella?!” Lola shouted.

“Lola?” the waitress questioned as she raised an eyebrow. She turned to me and her face turned into a look of disgust and hate. Bingo. This had to be the daughter of that awful man who had worked for me, who also happened to be Lola’s best friend.

“Anabella,” I smirked.

“You,” she spat, and before I could blink she lunged towards me.

* * *

Lola

“Anabella,” Arsen smirked. He looked as if he was reaching him out to introduce himself. I kind of smiled at how nice he was being.

“You,” Anabella spat. She began to lunge towards Arsen, and thankfully, there a worker nearby watching the entire situation. Before she touched Arsen, the other waiter hooked an arm around her body and snatched her back.

“I’m so sorry about that, Mr. Lockhart!” The waiter apologized to Arsen and pulled Anabella away, leaving me shocked and Arsen very confused.

“What was that all about?” My eyes widened in disbelief. “W-why would she even do a thing like that?”

“I have no idea.” Arsen sat up straight in his seat and shrugged his shoulders. “Did I do something?”

“No.” I shook my head. “She’s just been acting really strangely since I met you. I think the fact that I may be paying more attention to you than her may have gotten into her head a little too much.”

“That’s unfortunate.” Arsen spoke with a saddened tone. He sounded really genuine and I couldn’t believe Anabella would even be that upset about what was going on between us.

“Yeah …” I sighed and looked down at the menu. “You probably want to leave, don’t you? I can’t believe she just ruined everything!”

“No, no, no. Not at all”

My head shot up and I saw a smile on his face. I felt my heart melt. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’m not going to let a little incident like that ruin our night. I planned this night specifically for us and no one’s going to come between that.” His smile got bigger.

“Well, then.” I smiled back at him, picking up my menu and nodding. “What do you plan on eating?”

“Let’s find out” He let out a small chuckle and picked up his menu, scanning over it with his eyes.

I couldn’t do much but blush. I couldn’t believe that something extreme had just happened, but we were still here enjoying ourselves.

The waiter came back to our tables and introduced himself, apologizing once more for what had happened with Anabella. I nodded along with Arsen, and we proceeded to order our meals.

“So, I have an interview with this magazine for novelists and they want me to bring someone along with me who’s a great writer.” He smiled.

“That’s so cool!” I exclaimed. “Who are you going to take?”

“You.”

My mouth dropped. M-me? Out of all writers, why me? I mean, I completely agreed that I deserved the opportunity, but how did he even know if I were a good writer or not?

“Why me?” I raised an eyebrow. The waiter came back with two waters and a plate of lemons. I dropped two slices of lemon into my water and swirled them around with my straw.

“I forgot to mention that whatever is saved on the computer in your room automatically syncs to every other computer in the house.” He chuckled.

My mouth dropped again, opening wider than before. That meant he had read the story that I had begun to write about the girl betraying her ‘master’ and being thrown into a basement under lock and key. I wondered if he noticed that the story slightly related to the situation between us.

“Don’t worry,” he laughed. “I loved your story, and honestly, I think you’re an amazing writer. The way you write is similar to the way I write and I think you’d be perfect for the interview.”

“Wow. Thank you so much, Arsen!” I smiled and took a sip from my water. Could this night get any better? This could be my big break for my career. What better way to celebrate than with the man who made it all happen?

I wondered what the rest of the night had in store for us. I would have never seen all of this coming a couple of weeks ago, but I'm glad it came as a surprise. It was crazy how the one time I decided to do something that I shouldn't, I was introduced to a man who could change my life forever. God, what did I do to be this lucky?

We began to eat soon as the food got to the table. We must have both been starving. Arsen ordered the steak with rice and asparagus, and I ordered a hearty salad with a side of mixed veggies. I wanted to stay light on the stomach. He began to talk, going on about something, but I wasn't paying attention because I got lost in his eyes.

They glistened in the restaurant's light as he continued to speak.

"Are you okay with that?" he asked.

"Um ...yeah," I said, not really knowing what he was asking me. I didn't want him to know that I hadn’t been paying attention. Whatever I had agreed to couldn't have been that bad.

"Great!" He smiled and finished up his meal. I did the same.

Arsen paid for the meal and we left. When we got back inside of the car, the driver pulled off in the direction of Arsen’s home. I frowned a bit, not really wanting the night to be over with.

I looked out of the window and watched as others walked hand and hand through the city streets. It made me happy. I hoped that Arsen and I could be like that someday soon. I looked over at him and he was staring directly at me.

“What?” I laughed. “Is there something on my face?”

“No.” He stated bluntly, with a mild expression. “You’re just really beautiful, Lola.”

“Thanks.” I blushed, brushing a piece of flyaway hair behind my ear. “You’re beautiful too, Arsen.”

“I know.”

We both looked at each other and laughed. He was doing a good job of keeping me amused tonight. Other times he had been very pushy, but tonight he’d been really laid back and I appreciated that.

We took the highway back toward Arsen’s house, but I noticed the driver took an unexpected turned. I turned to Arsen to see if he had noticed, but he didn’t seem to care.

We soon pulled up to the harbor and my eyes lit up. I’d always wanted to go, but never did. I felt myself become very excited, like a child in a toy store. The lights were bright and lit up everything around us. What made everything better was that it was right on the beach. The waves were crashing and couples were making their way toward the water as the sun began to go down.

When the driver came to a stop, Arsen got out and jogged around the car to open the door for me. I stepped out and grabbed Arsen’s hand, pulling myself closer to him. I looked over the harbor in amazement.

He led me down a path over to a stand. We walked hand in hand under the trees. He bought me two roses from the florist at the stand, one red and one white.

“Thank you for all of this, Arsen.” I smiled.

“Anything for you, princess,” he mumbled in a low but audible tone.

I felt my cheeks burn red. I didn’t know why I got so shy and child-like around him. We walked down to another stand where he bought me cotton candy. I didn’t know exactly where we were heading, but I hoped it was somewhere great. He led me to yet another stand, but that time bought me a teddy bear. It was red and white, just like the roses.

We continued walking down the same path and Arsen told me to close my eyes. I closed my eyes and walked with him slowly to our destination. I felt a gush of wind blow across my face as I felt him guide me on to some type of seat. I sat there with my eyes closed and I felt him sit beside me. He was rather close, too. I heard what sounded like metal clamping together and that completely erased my thoughts of us being inside of the building.

"You can open your eyes now, Lola," Arsen said softly, and I felt us begin to move.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was on a Ferris wheel. I clapped my hands together in excitement and flashed a big smile at Arsen.

"I saw the way you looked at it on the way to the restaurant and figured that I couldn't miss out on the opportunity to see that smile on your face. The exact smile that you have on your face right now. I know this will be a great decision." He smiled at me and took my hand into his.

"You've made me so happy tonight. I don't know how I could repay you." I stared him directly in the eyes.

"You don't have to pay me back. This night is about you." He said, while taking a piece of my cotton candy.

I laughed and looked out at the sunset. The sky was various shades of pink, orange, and purple. As the sky was going dark slowly and the Ferris wheel was heading up toward the sky, I started to drift off into a deep thought.

Was I getting in way over my head or was I actually falling for this guy? It was just a simple date, but it was just the way that he went about things that made this more than ordinary. Everything about him, besides him being a murderer, was perfect. It was sort of scary. He could kill me at any time and get away with it, but for some reason that was completely okay with me.

I felt wild, carefree, and reckless when I was with Arsen. I wanted this feeling to last forever, but I’d have to wait a little to see if the feelings are real or if it was just lust.

“Lola.”

“Huh?” I came back to reality and looked over at him.

“We’re back on the ground.” He chuckled and opened the metal door for us to get out. We got out and started to walk toward the beach. The walk gave me just enough time to eat my cotton candy. I shared most of it with Arsen because I wasn’t that big into sweets. I held the stuffed bear and roses close to my body as we neared the water.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Arsen asked, referring to the now-dark sky and sparkling stars.

I nodded in agreement and took off my heels. I sat the bear and roses next to them and walked toward the ocean, letting the water come up to my calves. I pulled my bun down and loosened my hair, letting the soft wind blow through it.

Serenity. I felt pure serenity.

“You are absolutely stunning.” Arsen took me by the hand and spun me around. Was this a fairytale? It felt like it.

I felt Arsen’s hands slide around my waist and pull me close. He rested his chin on my shoulder and took a deep breath. All I could do was smile. I couldn’t find the words to say. I didn’t have any words to say. I just wanted to take in everything at the moment.

Who knew the next time this would happen again? I laid my hands on top of his and looked out at the stars once more. I felt him place small kisses on my neck and I tensed up.

“Let’s go, beautiful.” He spoke under his breath, but clear enough for me to hear. He walked away to get my things. I slid on my heels and followed behind Arsen like a lost child. Funny how he made me feel like a child and a grown woman at the same time.