TRAPPED BY DESIRE

SKILLED

"I'll take a shot after you've had ten, just for encouragement," Ryan said, leaning back in his chair.

Extinguishing his almost finished cigar butt on the ashtray sitting on the table, Roman picked up a shot and gulped it down. His face showed no reaction as he reached for another and swallowed that one just as steadily.

Ryan smiled faintly, watching Roman down yet another shot without flinching. This was precisely what he needed to alleviate his grim mood. His mother's announcement that Alana had moved out had enraged him. He understood her adulthood, but it remained ethically unacceptable that she had simply left home to live with an unknown acquaintance.

Worse still, his mother had no idea where this acquaintance lived or even how to reach her. Roman raised another shot glass to his lips and drained it in one swallow, the sharp burn settling deep in his chest without easing the tension at all.

******

It was well past one a.m., and Alana remained wide awake. She had put down her phone some time ago, weary of t****k after Jane had closed up and left hours earlier.

Turning onto her side, she hugged a pillow to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut in a desperate bid for sleep.

Just as drowsiness began to claim her, the shattering of glass jolted her fully awake again.

She shot upright in bed, her heart hammering against her ribs. The sudden sound had cut through the silence in the house. Eyes wide with alarm, she listened intently, her senses heightened and every muscle tense.

Another crashing sound followed, then the unmistakable sound of footsteps moving through the rooms below.

Alana panicked as she realized that someone was in the house. She assumed that it could not be Roman since Jane had informed her that he was not returning that night.

Without a second thought, she slipped out of bed, her bare feet making no sound as she moved toward the bedroom door and stepped out as quietly as she could.

The source of the noise seemed to be coming from the living room. Alana could hear strange muffled sounds and the clatter of objects, and the lights were also on.

A huge wave of shock hit Alana when she saw Roman roughly making out with a woman.

The two of them looked like they were starved and simply wanted, no, needed to devour each other.

Roman had a brutal grip on the woman's blonde hair as he continued to kiss her, their kiss deepening even more, while one of his hands explored beneath her panties.

The woman, already in her underwear, moaned desperately against his lips as she tore off his shirt, the buttons scattering across the floor in different directions.

Alana was frozen in place, unable to look away. She wanted to leave, but she could not seem to bring herself to move.

"Get on the floor," Roman commanded, his tone hard and devoid of emotion.

The woman smiled and obediently got on all fours, but Roman grabbed her by the waist, forcefully turning her to make her sit on the ground.

She gasped and chuckled as Roman grabbed her by the hair, his crotch coming dangerously close to her eager face.

He started to undo his belt. Alana snapped out of her daze, her eyes widening as she realized what he was about to do.

Alana quickly turned around and left, returning to the bedroom. She shut the door quietly and softly walked to the bed, slipping under the covers.

She squeezed her trembling fingers, not understanding why her heart was still pounding furiously.

Was she still shocked or was it something else?

She exhaled deeply, using a pillow to cover her ear as moans and screams reached her from the living room.

The sounds made her wonder what Roman was doing to the woman that caused her to scream as if she was in pain.

Alana had witnessed her stepsister making out with boys before, but none of them had kissed her in the intense way that Roman was kissing that woman.

"Maybe he's just skilled," she muttered innocently, knowing nothing about intimacy or even kissing.

She had never kissed anyone in her entire life or even had a boyfriend before.

Alana shut her eyes tightly, attempting to sleep, but found it impossible in the midst of such disturbing noises that refused to fade.

******

The morning sun shone on her face, casting a warm glow on her delicate features as her eyes fluttered slowly and tiredly open.

Turning her face away from the sun, she tried to shield her weary eyes from the bright light that felt far too harsh after so little rest.

She had been fortunate enough to have fallen asleep around past four a.m. that morning, giving her only three whole hours to rest.

Her alarm blared loudly, the aggressive sound causing her face to scrunch up in annoyance.

Reaching out toward her phone to silence the alarm, she accidentally knocked the buzzing device to the ground with a soft thud.

Groaning in frustration, she got up and picked up her phone, turning off the alarm before heading to the bathroom for her morning routine.

After getting dressed, she sat in front of the mirror, her pale face with dark circles around her eyes staring back at her.

She frowned at her reflection.

It was all Roman's fault. Thanks to him she barely had any sleep. He just could not take his activities to a hotel or at least use the other room since Erin was not around.

She applied a light layer of makeup to her face before releasing her cascading hair, which she had previously tied up.

At times, managing long hair could be a bit tiresome and time-consuming, but she did not mind at all. She adored her hair and the way it fell past her shoulders.

After playfully brushing her hair down until it shone, she grabbed her purse and phone, exiting the room with quiet steps.

Pausing in her tracks, she pondered whether Roman and the lady were still in the living room before continuing her stride down the hall.

The sight of clothes scattered across the floor was the first thing that greeted her when she entered the living room.

There was no sign of either Roman or the woman from last night. She heard Roman's voice coming from the kitchen. It seemed like he was on the phone with someone, his tone clipped and impatient.

She wanted to leave right away, but she could not do so without eating anything, so she decided to enter the kitchen.

He looked irritated as he spoke to the person on the phone. Taking a large gulp from the glass of milk in his hand, he glanced at Alana when he noticed her standing there.

Alana mouthed "good morning" to him, but he did not react. Instead, he stared at her as if trying to process something before walking out of the kitchen without a word.

Settling in at the counter, Alana began to enjoy her bowl of cereal, the simple taste grounding her after the restless night.

"Can you drive any faster? I want her out of my house in the next five minutes," Roman said to the person on the other side of the call before ending the call with a sharp press of his thumb.

He returned to the kitchen but stopped at the entrance, observing Alana as she ate with a calculating look in his eyes that made her pause.

Alana paused mid-spoonful and reached for her ringing phone in her bag on the table.

She stared at the caller's ID for a moment with a light frown before dropping the phone on the table.

The incessant ringing persisted, the vibrating sound of the phone slightly irritating her ears. Alana let out a sigh of frustration and picked up her phone to put it on Do Not Disturb mode, putting an end to the calls at last.

"Ex-boyfriend?" Roman asked from where he stood, nearly causing Alana to choke on her food.

Alana glanced in Roman's direction, a small frown on her face as she coughed gently into her hand.

Roman straightened up from where he had been leaning on the wall and approached her, taking a seat directly opposite her with deliberate calm.

"It's none of your business," Alana replied curtly, causing Roman to raise a brow at her.

"That is a very rude way to speak to someone who is planning on offering you a ride this morning," Roman said, his voice low and even.

"I don't need your ride. I will take a taxi," Alana said as she cleared the empty bowl and set it aside.

"But I insist," Roman insisted, watching her closely.

Alana sighed, the sound heavy with irritation.

"Unless you plan on dragging me to your car, though good luck with that, I am not going with you in your car," she said with finality, meeting his gaze.

Roman smirked, his handsome face taking on a more gorgeously sinister look that sent a flicker of unease through her.

"I do love a good challenge in the morning," Roman said as he stood up, causing Alana's frown to deepen even more, her eyes narrowing as she wondered what the man could be up to next.

Before she could even react, Roman effortlessly lifted her and threw her over his shoulder, causing her to gasp in shock at the sudden strength of his hold.

She squirmed and protested, pounding her fists against his back, but his grip was strong and unyielding.

"Put me down this instant!" she demanded, her voice a mixture of shock and boiling anger that filled the quiet kitchen.

Roman said nothing and showed no reaction to her protests as he started walking toward the living room, heading for the elevator with steady steps.

"Put me down, Roman. You're making a terrible mistake," Alana warned, her voice filled with desperation as she tried to persuade him to release her.

Roman scoffed, the sound low and dismissive.

"What are you even saying? Keep struggling and you might end up shifting your gown and revealing your underwear. Though I wouldn't mind it if you do."

Alana's eyes widened, and she immediately ceased her struggles, heat rising in her cheeks.

The elevator doors opened, revealing Erin holding a few bags in his hands.

The shock on his face was evident upon seeing Roman carrying Alana over his shoulder like that.

However, he quickly reacted by stepping out of the elevator to make way for Roman to enter.

"Get her bag and phone from the kitchen on your way out," Roman instructed Erin as the elevator doors closed behind them.