Deceived

Chapter 6 | The Alley and The Guilt

There are times that catch us off guard

When we find a road not to be taken

As destiny pushes us forward, hard

You give into the mishaps terribly shaken. 

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Alethia was excited, so confident on that day. She woke up feeling like she had achieved it, she was finally going to be able to take the first step towards her dream. The energy around her buzzed with an unknown force as she got ready. There had been no nightmares the night before, considering the fact that she hadn't slept much due to the sinking feeling in her gut in anticipation of her meeting for the next day.

She put on her big girl heels and got ready with her high ponytail. She picked up Mikes final manuscript, covered in red and blue marks from all of her reading and the new print she had gotten back from the editing company. She felt so grateful towards Carter for giving her her first solo project.

He had sat her down a few days ago and told her how she had been the perfect employee and gushed about how he had high hopes from her. He appreciated her efforts and gave her the project with utmost trust and a golden opportunity to gain a plush seat and a cabin of her own. Alethia had gladly accepted the project and worked on it day and night ignoring every other aspect of her life. This came easily to her, to live in a bubble beyond which the outside world slowly frayed into nothingness, nothing could have stopped her.

She walked to the cafe beaming at the familiar faces, wondering how just a glimpse of them every morning had become a routine for her. She entered the coffee shop ignorant but burning with a fire as she went through her mental checklist of things that needed to be discussed.

She was so engrossed in her head, walking blindly to the queues that she never noticed his icy blue eyes following her from the entrance to where she stood. She completely missed the jump of recognition he cleared into. She missed the slow walk that he took towards her as his eyes swept down her full figure and upon her fire bright hair like a hungry predator, full of evil intentions. All of this was irrelevant to her until her heart started pounding within her ears.

A sudden electricity ran through her body, down her spine and to the tips of her fingers; a sweet jittery feeling within the bottom of her chest, swirling into a storm as she felt completely flustered and breathless. It was so sudden and unexpected but it had happened before and always reminded her of that one person she had started to see unfortunately everywhere.

Her head automatically turned around, her honey eyes meeting his cold blue ones immediately. It was a click, a zap, a quick beat and they were one within that moment. He could gaze into her soul, the loneliness, the yearnings for so much more and the pain of the past. She could feel his domineer warning her and wrapping up around her like a soft weave of shield relieving every nerve in her body and protecting her from any pain that could ever greet her broken doors.

His ruggedly handsome face melted into a soft smile, making the scar upon his right cheek vanish. His black hair fell upon his face in light tumbles giving him the complete look of an inhuman creature.

That one moment, it was always perfect for them. It felt just so right. It was meant to be, always.

Until a ping awakened her from her dreams and made the trance fade away as quickly as it had come. She turned a shade of bright red realising she had been staring at him for a while as people behind her got restless.

She fumbled with her manuscripts, dipped her head down and moved to the counter to order the two sets of coffee she always did. She was stuttering, trying to remember her usual order of cinnamon buns for Mr. Richardson. Somehow the words did tumble out in a frenzy as her heart started to pace back to normal..

All their flirtatious exchanges ran through her mind once again. From the the office to the unexpected call; even in her freaky dreams he had been there. He was everywhere.

You hardly know this man Alethia!

She mentally slapped herself for acting like a blithering buffoon. 

Tapping her nervous fingers against the counter she kept her head down waiting for her coffee. A slight tap made her cringe in knowing. She turned around to find Nathan, tall and stunning in his dark suit and silver tie. His hands were casually residing in his pockets as he smirked down at her.

"It's always a pleasure to meet you Miss Foss. "

She smiled up at him and nodded. She was completely out of words. Her presentation and meeting all fled her mind in the momentary embarrassment as she thought of ways to get out of there.

"You have a beautiful name Alethia.." He looked at her with a warm but knowing gaze again; searching for something in her face.

"Thank you." She replied.

Her order was suddenly placed close to her hand and she found the easiest excuse to leave. She didn't know what else to do.

You don't want to mess with this guy, you know his kind! Gather yourself. She kept telling herself.

She mumbled a goodbye and hurried out of the cafe, skipping on steps to get away from him. The moment she stepped out the cold air gushed upon her heated frame and she came back to her senses. She ignored everything and set her head straight about all the things she still had to do. As she was about to cross the street somebody caught hold of her elbow and pulled her away from her spot.

The hold on her elbow was strong, firm.

She looked up at her captor and realized it was him. Nathan was dragging her along the Manhattan side walk and into a dingy side alley, next to the cafe.

It should have frightened her. She should have screamed and ran for her life, but she felt so safe with him. His touch felt like home and she had never known home.

She let him drag her into the dark corner. He made her stand before him, against the wall, looking deep into her eyes. His blue eyes were speaking of things that the both of them couldn't understand. He looked like he was in pain, he was lost. It melted her heart to see him like that.

She slowly reached out to him, hands quivering yet soft, touching his scarred cheek so lovingly. He molded into her hand, giving in. Bending forward, he pressed his forehead against hers.

His hands gently wrapped around her waist as he dipped his head down, closer to her. She lost all thoughts and let everything she was holding fall to the alley floor. Their lips were inches apart; their breaths mingling into one. A sudden urge met them both as he leaned into her and their lips met for the first time.

His lips touched her with such tenderness, such sweetness; she could feel her heart give way to a flood of raw molten warmth. Softly and slowly their lips danced the rhythm of need until their bodies caved into one. She was pressed harshly against the wall and taken for every breath she held.

His lips were biting down on hers, teasingly as his hands raced up her back and into her hair. He pulled her hair out of its restraints and let his hands gently reach out to her, pulling her into him.

Their bodies were in a sync, his tongue licking her bottom lip with such fire that made her insides burn and yearn for so much more. It felt like it would never end, it was so beautiful and full of passion. For a few seconds she forgot to breathe and had to push him a slither to get some air. She was still pressed against him, in his arms, looking into his eyes trying to catch her breath when the world fell apart.

"Marry me." He said in a husky voice. It wasn't a question or a request, it was an order spewed with such an authoritative voice that it shattered the glass box she was sitting in with him. Her insides quivered but the statement puzzled her more.

"What?" She asked confused and completely out of the trance.

"Marry me." He said again. She pushed him away, looking at his face trying to decipher whether it was a joke or the reality of the insanity that she had just let herself get dragged into.

His eyes spoke of no humor, in the darkness of the alley they had changed to a shade of red over the breathtaking blues before. His face spoke of absolute determination.

This is insane! Her head was screaming at her to run, to get away from this man and yet her heart spoke differently.

She calmed herself down and looked at him. Pushing herself away from his arms and standing up straight, making sure there was enough space between them. She shook her head to awaken herself completely out of the haze of the moment and out came the woman who had lived and protected herself all her life, all alone.

"I don't even know you. Is this some kind of a joke?" She looked at him dead serious.

He smirked, looking at her all fired up. She looked even more dazzling than before.

"I'm serious. Marry me." He smirked at her again as she let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes at him.

"This is not some game to me. I don't know you at all! Stop saying that." She was getting angrier by the minute now. The regret for her actions started to spill from the edge of her chest.

"Well it's not a game to me either. And you know me quite well, we were just making out against this very wall a few minutes ago." He chuckled as he said that.

She felt the blood rush to her face as she tried to think of ways to get out of the situation. This had never happened to her before. She was pretty sure this could have never happened to anyone before.

"I'm leaving." She started to walk away from him when he grabbed her by the wrist again and pulled her towards him; her surprised eyes looked into his. He bent down and took her lips, dominating the kiss even though she was fighting it. He pressed her against the wall again, trapping her hands in his vice like grip and holding them prisoner above her head. He was not going to let her go.

She was trying so hard to fight the kiss, she was fighting hard to not fall into his trap again. His hands were firm yet gentle against her wrists holding her up between the wall and his body. As soon as his tongue licked her lips she couldn't help melting into him all over again, losing the fight completely with herself as with him.

They were locked in another passionate kiss all over again, this time it was even more fierce and full of fire. There was a storm brewing in the bottom of her stomach. The way he was kissing her made her forget who she was and where she was.

He stopped suddenly, letting her go and looking into her eyes sternly. He said nothing, just bent down and picked up her bag, papers and gave them to her. She just looked at him flushed. She couldn't comprehend anything in her head. She took her stuff and stepped away from him hoping nothing like that would ever happen again.

"I'll get you love." The words were husky and full of intentions. He smirked and walked away from her, winking at her one last time.

She was left alone in the alley striving to catch her breath, surrounded by the wasted coffee, slowly letting everything sync.

His words echoed in her head again as she watched him disappear in the crowd.

I'll get you love.

She knew she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about him ever again. Alethia just stood there trapped in the shock of all that had happened, she remained frozen for a while as every sense within her calmed down but her brain replayed the whole drama again and again. She sighed, shaking her head in denial, looking at the brick wall in front of her and wondering if the walls were judging her in that moment for how shamelessly she had given into him. Whether they had shook their heads when they saw her pulling him closer and kissing him harder. She felt revived and glum at the same time.

Her phone rang on its own accord calling her attention back from her shame filled daze. She reached for it in her bag not moving from her spot, as if nothing else could have been more important than beating herself up in that moment.

"Alethia, are you okay? Where are you? You're late hun!" It was Rhea's concerned voice that hit her hard making her realise she was going to be late for her meeting.

"s**t! s**t s**t s**t! I'll be there wait for me near the elevator." Alethia picked herself up in her head, fixing her appearance while pretending to not be the victim of an intense kiss in a dingy alley. She flash walked to the office building round the corner.

In that moment she had started hyperventilating.

Why today? Why of all days did Mr. A*hole have to muddle my brain today! 

She was screaming at herself as the elevator rode up. She still had a half an hour left before the meeting but she wanted to talk to Carter about it prior and most importantly she wanted her mind to be focussed and right now it wasn't.

Rhea's green eyes greeted her on the entrance. 

"What's going on?" She questioned looking at her worried.

"He was there. In the coffee shop.. There, almost like he was waiting for me. And then he grabbed me.."

"What? Who the f*ck?" Rhea asked alarmed. They had both been walking to her cabin as people looked at them weirdly.

"He pulled me into this dingy side alley. Nathan, remember that guy? Yeah. He pushed me into the alley and then.. and then he kissed me. He looked so lost, this look on his face. But then something happened and he just kissed me.. I didn't understand it at first but I just ended up kissing him back."

"Dude you're scaring me. What are you telling me? You like him now? What about Jason?" Rhea looked at her with her eyebrows raised.

It took Alethia a few minutes to digest what Rhea had just said, the very thing that had her cringing in her skin already. She felt her insides burn, the nasty kind of fire that leaves you gulping for air.

"I know. I feel so guilty, I don't know how to explain it. In that moment Rhea it was like, just the two of us.." She suddenly became unsure about how Rhea would react or whether it had happened in actuality.

"Alethia, tell me. It's okay.. did he do something to you?" She placed her hand on Alethia's arm with a new kind of concerned look on her face.

"No! No! Or yes.. I don't know. He asked me to marry him! And when I say 'asked' I mean ordered. At that moment I walked away but he pulled me back and then he kissed me like the earth was on fire! I fought him, really hard. I pushed against him but he had my hands held above my head. This must sound so bad. Damn it!" Alethia looked away from Rhea.

"Wait. He asked you to marry him? Why would he do that?" In that moment she loved Rhea so much for not calling her a weakling and the other names she was ignoring in her head at that moment.

"I know! But I looked at his face. He was serious. Too serious even, like his life depended on it." She was confused herself.

"That is so weird." Rhea made her scrunched up face.

"And before leaving he said 'I'll get you love'" Alethia repeated the words to Rhea as a sudden chill settles in her core.

"I'll get you love.. that's so creepily cliched." Rhea replied looking at her. They both realised how they were concentrating on the unnecessary details of her impromptu make out session instead of how badly things had actually gone down and laughed together.

"I need to go Rhee. I have that presentation. Thanks for being there. We'll talk about this later." Alethia replied smiling at her best friend.

"Are you kidding me! That was the awesomest stuff I have heard today. Maybe while you're gone I'll research this guy. Nathaniel Damion right?" Rhea turned away and started typing on her keyboard as Alethia smiled and walked towards her office trying unsuccessfully to forget about everything. 

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So here is the intense chapter you've been waiting for people! Yes this is where s**t gets real!  

Hope you like it!

Please vote and comment to let me know what you think! Any guesses about how it's gonna go? I'm always interested to hear from you guys!

So until next time (which is going to be sooon)

Love,

Sheen