Bad Boy Attraction

Chapter 4

“I was hoping to see you soon, but did not expect it so soon, love.”

I freeze, recognizing the voice next to my hear. The guy from the bar. Jordan.

“I really did not think I’ll find you here, two times in the same evening, I’ll start to think you are following me.” I hear the amusement in his voice, but I cannot manage to move, scared I’ll do the wrong thing that will get me hurt, or worst.

I feel his hands going down my arms, taking my hands in his, tightening his embrace.

I feel a tear of fear leaving my eye. I try to gather my courage to keep my breath steady.

“What do you want from me?” I asks but my voice betrays me and breaks.

“From you?” he makes him look like he thinks about it, but I feel his smile in his voice. “Your number maybe?” There is still the amusement in his voice. I can’t retain a sob escaping, thinking it will be the end. That I will appear on tomorrow’s newspaper, just another article in the miscellaneous part, mentioning vaguely a dead body found in a dark alley. Maybe r***d and dead. And people will only think that she deserved it, that it was her fault for being in the wrong street at the wrong time.

Another sob escapes with a tear.

I feel his hug becoming tighter, in a weird comforting way. “Don’t worry, love. No one’s going to hurt you.”

He turns me slowly to face him, and keeps me in arms. He puts my head on his chest, while passing a comforting hand on my back. The touch makes me cry, letting go of everything I was holding.

A few minutes must have passes, while I filtered out completely the noise around us, until I hear a man’s voice close to us. “What’d you got?”

I feel the hand on my head disappear, while he moves, pushing the other guy away. “f**k off,” Jordan says with amusement. His hand automatically comes back to me.

“Dude, she got a Balenciaga,” says the guy, mentioning my bag. One of the only valuable things I owned, which I like to take when I go out. A gift I care dearly, more for the emotional attachment than the value, but I must admit it had cost a lot and I will have a hard time to give it away.

“f**k. Off.” repeats Jordan firmly, all the amusement disappearing from his tone.

“Okay, I get it… jeez…” says the guy, getting away from us.

I hear muffled cries behind me, most probably belonging to my group. I try to push Jordan away, but I am too tired and lack force to move even a tiny bit. I look up at him, my vision blurry from my tears. He looks down at me and takes a big inspiration.

“Okay baby, time to go,” he says simply. I don’t have time to react that he takes me back in his arms, but carrying me this time.

I let out a scream and try to get free from him. He passes in front of the guys I came with. I see Logan looking at me from the floor, before looking away. I look at the other guys, hoping one will do something as this stranger takes me away, but all of them looks down or away, avoiding any eye contact with me. Even Sarah looks like she doesn’t notice me at all. My force disappear with despair and I let Jordan carrying me out of the alley.

“Please,” I beg with a sob but he doesn’t reply. I cry silently on his shoulder while he rubs my back with his hand. He walks for what could be a few seconds or few minutes, losing track of time, before putting me down.

I look up at him, begging him with my eyes. He leans toward me, kissing my forehead, while reaching for something behind me. I hear the mechanical click of a car’s door opening. I look with fear behind me, while he pushes me gently inside. I don’t even attempt to resist, knowing I can’t overpower him. He attaches the seat belt and quickly walks to the driver’s seat. I am too stunned with fear, tiredness and the alcohol to do anything to get me out of here, accepting it with resilience.

He starts to drive, my tears continuing there way down my cheeks. He puts some music on but I don’t pay any attention to it to even recognize it. I look down on my hands, playing nervously with the bottom of my shirt.

He puts a hand on mine, and I feel his stare going sometimes on me.

“Don’t worry, love. I’m getting you home,” he repeats but his attempt to comfort me fails.

I can’t tell time anymore until I feel the car slowing down. Looking up, I notice we are in front of my building. I frown and look at Jordan.

“Told you I was getting you home,” he says while getting out of the car. He goes around to open the door for me. He holds his hand out for me but I ignore it, getting out by myself.

I look again at the building, precisely at the window from the third floor, where I have left the curtain close, knowing I will come back home late at night. “How…” I don’t even finish my sentence, still staring at my window.

“Remember, you told me you moved in here. The building above the jewellery,” he answers calmly, trying to follow my gaze.

I look away, trying to remember when I could have told him that. It must have been in the bar, but the middle part of the night starts to become blurry. I gasp, wondering what else I could have let out.

He takes my hand, pulling me with him toward the entrance of the building, on the side of the store. “Could have told you that it is dangerous to overshare with a stranger, but I thought a demonstration would have a greater impact,” he says, winking at me. He speaks to me and acts with amusement, like it is all a bit joke to him, while I am terrified. This guy, who attacked us, knows where I live, and finds it funny?

I remove my arm from his grip, and stops on my spot, refusing to go anywhere. He stops to look at me. When he sees my expression, he frowns.

“Come on, sweetheart, open the door,” he says, standing a few meters from me, next to the door.

I don’t have the courage to do anything, but at least I don’t make the mistake to open the door.

He closes the distance between us rapidly, looking down at me menacingly. “Open the damn door,” he orders now.

I am at loss of words so I just move my head from left to right to show him I won’t comply, holding my purse closer to me.

“Look,” he says more calmly, but not more reassuring, “I could take your keys, which are most probably in that bag,” he continues, pointing to my purse with a movement of head. “I could take you on my shoulder and wake up your neighbours one by one telling them that my girl is too drunk to remember her apartment. A pretty girl moving not too long ago, I’m sure they all know where you live.” He marks a pause, looking at me. “Or you could open the damn door and lead the way to your apartment. Either way, I’ll put you to bed tonight.”

I don’t know how to get out of this situation. His eyes get down on my lips, making me realize it shivers with fear.

“Or,” he continues with a smile after my silence, “I’ll forget being nice and getting you home, and take you to my place. I’m sure you’ll love it”

My eyes go wide, and I finally get moving after a good three second of silence. I go past him and open the door, hoping I’ll be fast enough to close the door on him. I know that the door auto-lock, so I might have a chance if he doesn’t suspect me. As resilient as I have been so far, it might play in my favour.

I take my time to open, hoping he will look away but he pays attention to my every movement. As soon as the door unlocks, he is on my side, putting a hand on the door to open it for me. I get in quickly and still tries to close it behind me but it doesn’t move a centimetre. I look up to meet his eyes, and am a bit reassure when I see amusement on his eyes instead of anger. His hand did not move from its place on the door, like he expected me to do something. He gets inside, making a movement of head to indicate me to lead the way.

“Please,” I beg in a murmur.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I just want to know you are home.” He walks closer putting both of his hands on my arms, a smirk starting to form on his lips, “and now I kinda want to know your apartment.”

When I don’t move, he continues with a reassuring tone. “I haven’t lied to you so far, right? I really won’t do anything to you. I just want to get you home properly.”

He gets me closer to him, holding me in his arms before carrying me. He starts to walk up the stairs, as there are no apartment on the first floor, just the store and the staff rooms.

“Which floor, love?” He asks as we reach the second one.

I have my arms around his neck and my head on my arms, feeling not as scared as I thought I would be.

“You know, it is not too late for me to go around your building asking for your apartment.”

“Up,” I end up saying.

He goes to the next stairs, “how up?”

“Third.” I gave up completely, but have a weird feeling I might not end up dead in my own apartment.

He gets up the stairs quickly, like he doesn’t even hold me.

“Where?”

“The last one on the left.”

“308?”

I pause, not liking that he just said my apartment number, even though I am the one who lead him there. “Yeah.”

He puts me down in front of my door, and takes gently my purse. He looks quickly inside to take my keys. One of the keys has a simple key chain with the number 308 written on it.

“I don’t know if I am grateful you made it so easy or concerned,” he mutters more for himself than for me. “Could have lied a bit.”

“You would have known either way?” I ask him even though he wasn’t waiting from an answer from me.

He looks at me but doesn’t answer me, knowing I am right.

He opens the door from me and pushes me gently inside. I look at him with a gentle smile while handing me my keys and purse.

“Get a glass of water, that will make your ease your hangover. And lock the door,” he tells me more like an order than an advice. “Good night Jade.”

I look at him standing outside my apartment, with a smirk and an expression making me shiver. I close the door and lock it before dropping on the floor, my tears falling uncontrollably on my cheeks.