Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Angelica

I groan in my bed trying to stop the ring of my alarm clock. My wobbly hands reach the head of the time piece sitting on my night stand but the irritating sound doesn’t seem to have any intention to stop. Running a series of curses I open my sleepy eyes and find that it was not my clock that was trying to disturb me at this unwelcoming hour but was my stupid cell phone. This better be something important or I am going to rip the hairs out of the head of this untimely intruder.

Looking at the phone I find a familiar name flashing on the screen. Why is this sexy, hunk calling me at this time? “Hello…”I voice out still sleepy pressing the answer button. “Angelica, are you alright?” comes out his panic voice. “What the hell…” I mutter under my breath and answer him “Still breathing.” He doesn’t seem to note the indignation in my tone and continues to speak. “Last night I had a very bad dream about you baby. I was awake almost the whole night. I am sorry, I couldn’t curtail myself anymore but to call you at this early hour.”

“I am fine.” I answer him plainly. “Now if you permit me I wish to go back to sleep.” He chuckles and I didn’t understand why my temper sounded to him funny? “Of course cup cake, but after you wake up, please… I want to see you today. Augustus’s tone changes from solicitation to consequential by the end of the sentence.

His cheesy lines trigger something in my heart but I am not stupid to fall for his antiques. After the termination of the deal, he was going to abandon me like a trash. The reality brought churns in my stomach and I try to speak to him placid. “I am sorry. I can’t come today. I have to take my dad for a check up to the hospital.” For a moment there was silence on the other side and then came his defeating reply. “Okay”

I was lying to him openly and it was killing my insides. I know falling in love with him is the biggest mistake of my life and I don’t want to share this shameful truth with anyone in my life. With the distressing conversation that we had sleep was far gone from my system.

I climb out of the bed to stand near the window of my bedroom. It was the time of dawn. The sky cascaded with beautiful colors of blue grey and light orange. Birds were chirping and flying out of the trees accompanied with the melodious voice of nightingale. The sun was slowly rising through the horizon bringing in the positivity of another day of fruitful and pleasurable events but ironically my life felt nothing close to sparkle. It felt sunless, pitch black and murky with no trace of hope and happiness. Wiping my tearing eyes I go the washroom to do my business.

Next day in the morning I get a call almost at the same time from yesterday. Pressing the answer button I could hear his angry voice. “Don’t you dare lying to me. I want to see you and that is final. Meet me in my house at sharp 9 for breakfast.” He was brief disconnecting the call giving me no chance to reply. “That was rude.” I whisper yell to myself look at the electronic piece resting in my hand.

Dressing myself in a pink chiffon top and grey cigarette pants I cover my lips in a nude lipstick with a little bit of eye liner and mascara. I give a final look at myself through my giant size mirror and approve myself. I invoked the black eye of the devil by lying to him yesterday and now I am supposed to bear its consequence. I hope my looks could spare me from his displeasure.

Oliver was already waiting with his car at my entrance. I enter the blue Lamborghini twisting my fingers in trepidation. The drive towards his home felt very long probably because of the building anxiety within me. “Never to mess with the monster I keep chanting the same mantra but his domination and the extreme ego centric approach always gets me out of the line.

I ring the calling bell with my trembling fingers. He often tells me to accept his house keys but the reality was, I never felt his mansion as mine. I am, was and will always be a guest here. At least that is what my inner voice says but today I am cursing my stars for listening to my heart. Though it was just for a few seconds the wait at the door felt like eternity and in front stood an Adonis.

If only the ground could swallow me. Fidgeting with my fingers my eyes fix upon his beautiful toes. He was wearing black sweat pants. It is the first time that I am seeing his toes bare. They are long, slender and upturned, like a beautiful piece of art. God must have taken special care to make those shapely toes. My eyes then slowly move upwards and capture his lean, skilled fingers. It was just a couple of days when those pink digits were marking their magic upon me and the carnal instincts long buried resurfaced through my soul. Goosebumps erupted as my optics grasps a look at his sexy figure.

His bed hair looking incredibly nubile and I wanted to run my hands in it. The grey t.shirt he was putting on did little justice covering his firm chest and muscled arms. I felt at risqué and unknowingly wet my lips looking at his perfect physique. My thick reverie was set ablaze with the ejection of his feline voice that felt hoarse and absolutely masculine.

“Come inside cup cake.” He puts his hand on my back bringing me inside the opulent castle. The winter temperature in New York was record low this year but the heat I felt in my body looking at his stimulating figure stood no match to the climate outside. “Are you feeling hot baby?” He reaches my behind and frees the jacket off my body. Taking two steps behind me he brings the remote to his hands and adjusts the temperature of the centralized air conditioner.

“Martha” He calls out his maid. “Get Angelica a chilled glass of freshly made orange juice.” He looks at me and smiles and my hungry eyes divert to his rims. What sensual lips that he has got, how would it feel to get kissed by them ones again? “I know oranges are your favorite.”

We were sitting on a sofa and his hand was behind me resting on the sofa. I could smell his scent, a sweet mixture of musk and lemon and that was enough to get my emotions hay wired. My toes curl and bring my feet closer trying to restrain the wetness pooling between my legs and my hands tightly grip the clutch in my hands as if it could reduce the tension.

“Are you okay Angelica?” There was concern in his voice reaching for me. I instantly pull away my hand from his grip and mumble “I am alright” looking at the ground. Martha reaches us with a glass of orange juice at the exact moment and I had no better words to thank God. I grip the glass tighter than I could imagine and empty the contents in one go.

He looks at me in a stupor. “What happened to you Angelica? Is everything alright with you? His voice was now hinting extreme nervousness. In a swift moment he hovers over me and lifts me bridal style. “Let me take you to our bedroom. I will give you some massage to ease those pensive nerves of yours. Probably you are experiencing one of those pre marriage jitters.

He deftly carries me inside his bedroom and closes the door. Bringing him closer he examines my face thoroughly. His hand reaches my back and unties my hair from the grip of the clip. My long chestnut hair cascades to my waist in free curls. Running his hands softly on my tresses he tugs a few wild tendrils behind my ear. “You look more beautiful when your hair is left loose.” He whispers closing the distance between us in a tight warm hug.

Pushing my hair away from the shoulders he nuzzles his head in my neck and inhales the scent of my hair. I shudder under his touch. “Calm down baby, I am not going to eat you.” He teases and bites my neck. A shrill cry leaves my lips before I could even make a note of it. He instantly covers my mouth with his hand. “Shh, there are servants around. Do we intend to extract audience here?” He taunts me like I was a child.

Cupping the sides of my face in his calloused hands he gives each one of my cheeks a willies smooch. I shut my eyes filled in aspiration to reminisce the tender touch of his lips on my skin. His hands held my neck from the back and pull me forward for a very long, passionate heart thudding kiss. My hands clutch my pants compact and close my eyes dense trying to control the prurience strengthening. His tongue pushes inside my lips and explores my mouth. Gripping me firm he plants soft kisses running from my ear to my jaw line and his fingers adeptly rid me of my shirt.

I was pulsating heavy trying to regain myself from the intense make-out. His fingers trace the swell of my breasts which was left uncovered by the bra. “Beautiful” he murmurs and starts licking. I bite my lip to control the moan trying to come out. One of his hands cups my hips and he squeezes me there. I jump at the sudden action and try to distance myself from him. “Not so early sweet heart.” His voice was husky as though he just got out of his sleep.

His spiral arms then stride downwards gripping my waist and they start undoing my bottoms. I pull him upwards not getting enough from the kiss and snog him ravenous. Looking at me in predilection, he pushes away the strands covering my face. “Do you know sweetheart, you are a beguiling seductress, a drug to which I have gone addicted? I can’t stop myself from connecting with you, holding you in my arms and caring for you all my life.”

“Please stop Augustus. I can’t take it anymore.” I plead him controlling the desires building in my flesh and run out of the house pulling my shirt back. “Stop” I was almost reaching the entrance of the house when I hear him. In powerful and tough strides he reaches me within seconds and takes a hold of the purse resting in my hand. I try to pull it off his hands but he was too strong. “This is too personal. You are not supposed to…”

“What is this?” He brings out the bottle of sleeping pills hiding in my purse. “You thought of sedating yourself before the marriage so that you can stop the wedding or put it even worse, to kill yourself? His voice was burning in anger, his aura herculean and effectual like a wild wolf hunting for its prey. “How did you find out?” I asked him forbearing and exposed with tears.

“There are cameras everywhere in my house. I watched you from my computer tugging a bottle of pills in your purse before entering the mansion. I am not stupid. I connected the dots.” His voice was assertive surreptitious and commanding, demanding answers from me. But moments later his thunderous, unwavering demeanor was replaced with languidness and fragility. He kisses my forehead. “It breaks my heart when I see you in pain, cupcake.”

“What is it that you are worried about?”

“Why do you want to end this marriage before it even starts?”

“Why do you hate me so much?”

He felt shattered with his eyes red covered with unshed tears.

Holding a finger to me, he gets back efficacious and sovereign like a ruling king. “You pull that stunt upon me,” he points to the bottle now resting on the table in his drawing hall. “I am going to press charges against your dad on the grounds of manipulating his daughter against marrying me, for instigating my fiancée on a suicidal attempt and damaging my reputation in the society.” His eyes were now blaring fire like a monster set to kill someone. “Cheating and robbing me off my company accounts.”

Taking predatory steps, he comes closer to me with hands balled in fists covered in fury. “Please, no….” I beg him with my hands folded almost falling to my knees. “I will be a good woman and agree to marry you giving no further complications.” But he doesn’t pay a heed to me anymore and continues on his grating words. “Never try to invoke the monster inside me else I alert you in debouch the repercussions will be god awful. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you in advance because I did.” His last words reverberates the magnificent hall sending shivers down my body and I run out of his mansion to save my life like a helpless woman from a devil’s cave.