CHAPTER TWO
1258 Words
ELLA.
The thought of what was to happen tomorrow m twisted my stomach into knots of worry. I sat on my bed, looking at the ceiling, fear weighing me down like a suffocating blanket. Tomorrow, I’d belong to Dominic Armanetti, a future I didn’t choose but was forced upon me.
I took a deep breath and grabbed my phone, mindlessly scrolling through i********: in the hope of distraction. My thumb went still when I saw a familiar face.
Vanessa.
A childhood friend. Or, at least, someone who had been introduced to me as a friend. In reality, Vanessa had been an opportunist, clinging to me when it was convenient for her and dumping me when it was not.
I swiped through the images. A nightlife setting. Pounding music, strobing lights, bodies intertwined in intimate positions. Vanessa's smiling face was among them, among a group of similarly wild, free-spirited people.
A stab of jealousy tore through my chest. How fortunate she was.
Vanessa had freedom. To do whatever she wanted, live however she wanted.
I had never known that kind of freedom. My entire life had been planned out for me. But maybe…not tonight.
I paused, gazing at my reflection on my phone screen as a wild idea took root in my mind.
I could sneak out.
A club. One night. Just to breathe. Just to imagine, for a few hours, that I was free.
My pulse pounded. It was a terrible idea. Sneaking out the night before my wedding? What if I was caught?
But then I thought about the life I was living. Of the one I was heading to. A life in a gilded cage.
I wanted to be free. Just this once.
Mind set, I sprang out of bed and headed to my walk-in closet. I thumbed through her dresses until I selected a black one that was tight—impeccable, but provocative enough to be considered as being club attire. It clung to my body, the hem dropping at mid-thigh, the neckline teasing but not too scandalous.
I slung on a large coat to cover myself, then stood in front of the mirror.
My cheeks were rosy, eyes open and rounded. I looked... alive.
For the first time in a long while, I did.
Throat dry, I croaked softly under my breath, "Okay, Ella. Time to fool the guards."
---
I wasn't even sure exactly how I’d done it, but I had.
I had managed to convince the guards to bring me to an expensive boutique on the guise of getting some women's essentials. Once inside, I had escaped through the back door, jumped into a cab, and had it drop me off at a location I had only heard of in a passing comment.
Escapism.
The nightclub delivered on its title. Thudding, slamming music vibrated the floor when I approached the door. A line waited outside, but I pushed through the line, pretending to be right at home when I really wasn't. The bouncer looked me up and down and stepped aside silently.
As soon as I went inside, the mood enveloped me like a wave.
Neon lights, bright and dim, glowed, casting a tantalizing light on the crowd. The air was heavy with the scent of drink and expensive perfume. Women in tiny dresses stuck to men in suitably cut suits, laughter and joking travelling back and forth like currency.
I swallowed, my pounding heart as I digested it all. This was a world that I was not used to. A world so removed from the uptight, suffocating life I’d grown up living.
I strode over toward the bar and slid onto a stool. The bartender, heavily muscled and tattooed, sleeveing his arms, leaned in over to me with an easy grin. "What's your poison, sweetheart?"
I paused. What did one even drink at clubs?
"Uh… something mild," I stammered, embarrassed.
The bartender chuckled but nodded, setting about making me a drink. When he put it down in front of me, I sipped it—and almost gagged. The bitterness singed my throat, but I gritted and swallowed it.
As I got my tastebuds back under control, my gaze wandered over to the dance floor, watching as others danced, flirted, exchanged furtive smiles and touch. It was fascinating. A game I had never played.
And then something made the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end.
A feeling of being watched.
My gaze flashed up, towards the VIP section.
And that's when I saw him.
A man sat in the shadows, a glass to hand, watching me. His presence was commanding, demanding attention without seeming to try despite his stillness.
But it was his eyes that reached for me.
Steely grey. Piercing. Intense. My breath caught. The moment our eyes met, something shifted inside of me. Heat spread through my neck, and I quickly looked away, my fingers cinching tighter around my glass.
What the hell was that?
I was just about to glance at him again when a slurring voice spoke drunkenly beside me.
"Hey there, pretty."
I tensed as a man came up beside me, grinning. He was drunk and stank of liquor.
"I saw you sitting alone here," he continued, somewhat swaying. "Figured you'd be lonely and need some company."
"No thanks," I said politely, shifting away.
But he didn't take the hint.
"Aww, c'mon now, don't be shy," he persisted, reaching out as if to put his hand on my arm. "A girl like you shouldn't be drinkin' alone."
"I said no," I repeated, this time more forcefully. I turned my back on him completely, hoping he would take the hint and leave.
Instead, he laughed, and was about to come closer.
And then, in a flash, he was gone.
I blinked in surprise as the man was yanked back. A large hand has clamped his nape and pulled him away easily like a ragdoll.
A low, glacial voice cut through the noise.
"She said no."
The drunk staggered as he was shoved to the side. I turned round, my heart racing.
It was him.
The grey-eyed man.
Now that he was closer, I could take a better look at him. He was over six feet tall, with massive shoulders and a sense of cool dominance. He wore a dark suit, flawlessly cut, the top button of his dress shirt undone, revealing a glint of suntanned skin.
But it was the expression on his face that sent shivers down my spine.
Deadly.
Our eyes met again, and something between us shifted.
And then he did something I hadn't thought he’d do.
He held out a hand.
"Come with me?”
His tone was low, smooth, as he asked the question.
My lips parted in surprise, the need to say no rising in me. But then I remembered why I’d shown up here.
I had taken a risk sneaking out. Tonight had to be worth it.
I let out a slow breath. Then, without overthinking it, I slipped my hand into his.
A jolt of electricity ran through me at the contact—warm, tingling.
The man said nothing, just tightening his hold a fraction as he escorted me through the crowd. People instinctively parted to let him pass. Clearly, he was a big shot. A big shot who inspired fear.
Butterflies churned in my stomach as he guided me toward the private staircase.
He drew back a veil of fabric at the top, showing me the VIP section.
With a steadying breath, I walked in.
- Writer
