Criminal Taste!

Waking Up In The Same Bed

Victor let go of my hand, but his eyes remained intense as he kept up the pressure.

The cold sweat trickling down my temples made me feel weak. I never would've guessed that my boss was a killer.

All this time, he had been hiding behind a mask of coldness and sternness. For some reason, his gaze felt different than usual, though sharp, this time it seemed to hold a different meaning.

But I was still afraid of him. I'm worried about becoming the next victim of a cold-blooded killer.

"Scarlett, you didn't answer me correctly," Victor said.

I looked at him, took a deep breath, and nodded. The atmosphere in the room was pretty overwhelming.

"A-all right, I understand, sir."

I slowly walked out of his office, my hands still shaking as I gripped the doorknob for support.

I was just about to close the door, but I almost fell, tripping over my own feet. All of this was pretty shocking, and I couldn't accept it.

Victor grabbed my arm to stop me from falling, and my heart was beating super fast. I felt like my legs were going to give out, and I don't remember what happened after that.

I must've passed out for a bit.

••••••

I woke up in a spacious room, and it was clearly not my room. The air smelled like lavender, and I sat up slowly and looked around.

"Where am I?"

The room had a monochromatic feel, with dim, soft lighting. I looked to my right and saw a guy lying there, breathing regularly.

This masculine scent...

Wow! It's Victor, he's lying there totally shirtless. I checked my clothes right away, and luckily, I'm still fully dressed.

But what went down? I must've passed out last night, 'cause I have no idea where I am. Could this be Victor's room?

I hopped out of bed and grabbed my bag from the table. I turned on my phone, and it was only four in the morning.

I had to get out of there before Victor woke up.

"Where are you going, Scarlett?"

Ha ha! My body froze as soon as I heard Victor's deep voice calling my name. I turned around to look at Victor, but I was still a bit stiff.

He was sitting on the bed showing off his fit and sexy body. His bulging muscles were clearly visible, and I took a deep breath. He looked great, even though he'd just woken up.

I'm not lying. My boss is actually a really good-looking guy, but I have to admit that he's also a killer.

"G-go home, sir."

Victor rubbed his face, then motioned for me to get back into bed.

"It's still four in the morning, I won't let you."

Thud.

For some reason, my heart was beating even faster. Victor never spoke to me like that before. Even during the two years I worked with him, he barely spoke. He just gave orders, and even then, in short, terse words.

But since last night, I knew something had changed in him. Is he doing this on purpose so I won't run away and tell someone what I heard?

But don't worry about spilling it. I'm already freaking out.

"Scarlett, I'm not gonna say it a third time, come here," he said, staring at me.

"I don't want to," I said in a quiet voice. "I promise I'll forget what happened yesterday and work as usual, sir. I can guarantee it. Please don't do anything to me."

I stood there, not daring to take a single step.

Victor took a quick breath, then he moved and walked toward me. My eyes opened really wide. I took another step back, but it was too late. He was moving really quickly.

As my hands shook, holding my phone and bag, he took them and put them back on the table. He didn't show much emotion, but his touch was really warm.

"What's my schedule for today, Scarlett?"

"Huh?"

"My schedule. Today. It's Friday," Victor repeated.

I took a deep breath. "You're going on a business trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with the Norton Group. A business-class flight has been booked for 10:30 a.m. As soon as you arrive, you'll have lunch at a hotel near the Norton Group."

Victor looked me in the eye, then pulled me back onto the bed.

"We still have a few hours before that, so let's go back to sleep."

"But, sir, you're going with Mr. Dalton."

Victor shot me a dirty look and then grabbed my shoulders. He was on his knees in front of me while I was sitting on the bed. I could see that Victor was having a hard time keeping it together.

His shoulders were going up and down, he was breathing heavily, and you could see the veins around his neck.

"Did you forget what we agreed on last night? Just remember to stay within my sight. Starting today, you're my personal secretary. I've already taken care of Dalton, he'll handle all your work at the office."

What's up with that? I'm an office secretary, not his personal secretary. Is this bad luck or good fortune?

I'm not sure how to respond, besides, do I even have a chance to refuse? Victor's serious, but if he didn't want me to know, couldn't he have just fired me as soon as he found out last night?

That's how it should've been, not making me his personal secretary. Does Victor have another plan up his sleeve?

Then why do I have to keep sleeping with him in this room? On this bed?

"We shouldn't be here together, sir. I'm your assistant, your secretary. This is your room, and we shouldn't be in the same bed."

Finally, I found the courage to speak up. Victor let out a sigh, looked away for a second, let go of the grip, and then looked back at me.

"You still don't get it, Scarlett?"

I didn't know what to say, so I just looked at Victor, totally confused. To be honest, what part don't I get? Isn't being his personal secretary enough to stay by his side all the time?

"I've told you, you have to always be by my side. And your body's your guarantee since you've heard my secrets," Victor said, then took both my hands in his.

"We have to stick together so I don't have to kill you. I can't let you go, even if you promise not to reveal anything. That's not how a criminal like me works."

Once again, his words were getting to me.

Kill me. He'll kill me if I'm not with him. Come on, if my mistake was really that bad, why didn't he just do it from the start?

Victor moved his face right up to mine. He was standing right next to my head, and he whispered something in my ear.

"You need to know what it's like to be with a criminal, Scarlett."