CHAPTER 8

Tori sat in her apartment looking at the blank television. She’d been sitting there for probably close to an hour enjoying the silence and the peace. It was odd, but for the past month she’d had nonstop peace and quiet all day and was desperate to talk to somebody, but now she was free and could pick up a phone and talk to anyone or go out into the house instead of her studio apartment her parents had built over top of the pool house when she turned sixteen, converting it essentially into a nice two-story house and talk to whoever she wanted to talk to.

But she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts, probably because her thoughts would not stop about Mikhail. She could not get her mind on anything else. She kept thinking that he would be in the kitchen making breakfast when she got done with her morning workout or that he would be coming home just before dinner to fix one of his amazing feasts and tell her stories about the stupid things his friends and employees had done that day, some of them horrible things, but it put a smile on her face anyway.

She missed him. She knew it was ridiculous, but she could not help the way she felt. When she broke it down everything he did he did because he wanted her, but he did not force her to do anything she didn’t want to beyond staying in the house. She did not want for anything there. And when she really looked back on it she had to wonder if she knew deep down that Laila was alright. After the first few weeks did she know? Did she know and choose to stay because she liked being there with him?

Tori did not know what to make of her feelings. She had to tell Mikhail how she felt. She had to get some answers and confront him about his feelings.

Thirty minutes later she was knocking on his door. She could barely remember the drive over or even being cleared at the gate to get into his property, but here she was. Was this a mistake after all?

Mikhail answered the door just as Tori was debating whether to leave or not. The sight of seeing him standing there was shocking. He looked incredible and she immediately found herself being sucked back into him.

Mikhail was shocked as well. It took him a few moments of standing there and looking her up and down before he spoke. And gone was the snarky cocky wit he usually displayed. He was talking to her like an actual person.

“Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here ever again,” Mikhail said.

“Well, that makes two of us.”

“So, stupid question, but how are you?” Mikhail asked.

“Enough with the pleasantries,” Tori said. “I came here to ask you why you did that to me. Why did you take me away from my life? Was I just some toy for your amusement? You asked me to acknowledge my feelings; well I’m asking you to acknowledge yours.”

Mikhail did not answer for a few seconds. He stepped back and motioned her inside. She stepped back inside the house and he shut the door behind her.

“Listen, I’m sorry I hurt you. That was never my intention.”

“Then why do what you did? I still don’t get it.”

“It’s like I told you at the bar; I saw an opportunity and I took it. I’ve been like that with everything in life; I’m a risk taker. I take chances. When I see an opportunity I don’t hesitate for a second. I just pounce on it.”

“I see; so I’m just an opportunity,” Tori said.

“No. You are much more than that. Listen, I really care about you. I’m sorry I did that to you. I ended up blowing what could have been the greatest opportunity of my life by trying to force something to happen instead of letting life take its course. I was wrong. I am sorry.”

Tori could tell that for the first time Mikhail was being genuine. He really meant every word he was saying. And she believed him. And she had to admit the truth to herself too; she cared for him deeply.

“I forgive you,” Tori said. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Mikhail took her hands in his and held her close. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I met you. I never want to let you go.”

“I’m not sure where this will lead or if it will work at all, but I want to try. I think we owe it to ourselves to let down our guards and just see what will happen with us.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Mikhail said. He bent down and kissed her gently on the lips.

“Whatever doesn’t make sense, I’m sure we'll figure it out together,” Tori said.

She closed her eyes as Mikhail leaned in for another kiss. His lips were so firm and so strong; just as she remembered. She had been craving him ever since she left him at the club.

They barely made it to the bed with a single item of clothing left between them. The passion had taken over, true passion. It was a mix of lust and beginning love that was intense and sharp, swooping in like a speeding arrow with a destination that it could not be swayed from.

She could not remember a time when she had felt so desired and so spent. As Mikhail entered her with his huge, thick member pushing through her wet shield into her waiting center she knew that it was all going to work out somehow.

Love like this could not be destroyed. It started fast and it burned bright and hard, but with the right tending it would grow to become massive and nothing could burn hotter.

Caged Passion was often that way.