The Desire to Deny

2

Alaric Payne was never bitter to began with, anyone would either agree or disagree with that, it depend on who was to know Alaric. People knew him to not be sober or either sane of his ways, but one thing people knew was to respect him. He was a powerful man, beyond anyone control, except one. Not many knew that one, who could hold a leash to the man, but they too respected whoever. Gossips around the metroplex was that Alaric had that one women who leashed him in, even if he was ruthless outside the four walls of his home or body. But those were rumors he never listened to, even deep down he knew it could... or was true. 

Rubbing his head in between his hand as he released a groan as he gave a good look of himself in the mirror before looking down at the sink. The sound of footsteps behind the locked bathroom door, annoyed him a little. His head was aching with such fire as he didn't know if he could blame it on the amount of liquor he had consume earlier or either it was the rough play with Vanessa Wixen.

The whiney high-pitched voice of her too didn't help anything. God the headache of his was getting on nerve. "Alaric..." Her voice was heard from the door as if she was pressing her face to the door. Gritting his teeth together, he quickly unlock the door and twisted it open with force. Vanessa stumbled a little, as he had sense that she was pressing her whole face to the door. Giving her a glare he inched closer to her now. Somehow her arms was roaming to his chest as she couldn't help but give him look of love. It didn't suit well with him.  

Watching the eyes of her ocean blue orbs burned into his hazel eyes made him more frazzle as he grasped her wrists with no effort before pushing her to the nearest wall. "It's sir to you." He hissed out. Her once passionate look deflated but didn't completely disappear. 

"Yes sir." She smugly rasped out as he gave her a stern look before he backed away from her. He looked around the space around him as he noticed that the room was disheveled in a heap of chaos. Clothes sprawled around the room and the once neat bed was stripped of sheets clumped up together in one knot. How in the hell had that happened? 

"I think we're done for today." He addressed her as he grabbed her clothes from the floor and handed it to her but she shook her head no in defiant. He began to grow frustrated with her as he tried to push her clothes once more toward her. "Dammit, Wixen. Just change and get the f**k out!" He snapped at her. Vanessa who was still trying to get his attention stopped and was suddenly frighten by his demand. Reaching to grasp her clothes from his hand, she quickly made a run for it and into the bathroom 

Once she was out of sight Alaric rubbed his forehead as sat down on the bed. That damn headache..

He wanted to get the hell out of the place and into his home, but he couldn't just yet, especially when the room was such a mess, that he had to clean. Giving another glance around the room, he had noticed that is phone was on the floor faced down. How did his phone reached the floor, he had remembered to plug it into the charger on the table in the corner. Guess it was a truly a rough one today.

Reaching out for his phone, he had noticed the long list of missed called on his phone. Grumbling to himself, he began to go down the list. Half of the phone calls were from associates, friends, and Kameron. He frowned a little as he began to wonder why on Earth that guy would call him. Once he got down to the very bottom of the list, his breathing hitched a little as he felt like his heart froze from beating. Her name was burning into his eyes. Talia. 

Why was she calling him? He quickly pressed on her name as he tried to call her but failed. His mind began to wander as of why was she calling him in the early morning. Why was he so desperate to know all of a sudden? It been so many years since he saw her Caller ID flashed on his phone, and now suddenly he was wanting his phone to ring of her name. He tried to call several time once more but still failed. "Pick up! Dammit!" He shouted. 

After so many attempts to call her he quit and placed the phone on the bed, next to him. His thoughts drifted back to the past. Talia was pushed into his life many years ago, when she had turned sixteen. One of Alaric's collogue and friend came to him so sudden with such a begging force for him to take the burden off his shoulder, his daughter, Talia. According to the elder man, he only could trust Alaric. 

Alaric initial thought was a hard no with Talia's father and his contract but when the whole sob story of how his wife, no, his exact words of "Talia's mother was in a coma after a car accident with Talia in the car," and the whole nonsense of pleading words of how he couldn't take care of Talia and her older sister while watching his wife slip away.

 So like a damn soft bastard that he was, he agreed to first meet the girl. She was a young thing when he saw her at the hospital the week after the whole accident and pleading. Her hair was disheveled in a bun as small cuts filled her face from the impact, along with a cased arm and her past memories gone. She had no memories of what had happened or from what she use to know of her daily life. He usually wasn't known to be a stickler for emotions, but when he saw her, he couldn't help but let it slide, especially when she looked so frighten and small in the hospital bed. Her chocolate like eyes was all he saw, as within a few hours later of meeting the young girl, he had agreed to her father's contract. 

The contract was based on how Talia's father would pay Alaric within each month for financial need, even if the man could with all the hospital bills. Alaric knew he never needed the money, but Talia's father wanted to do the contract. He wanted to act like he was helping out in return. Within less of a month, he had his lawyers in place to put him as Talia's guardian. 

Within months of her living with him, it was difficult beyond anything. The first year was rough as they didn't say much with each other. They talked rarely at the dining table or when she would shortly answer him when he would ask her how her day went at school. Yet when time had passed and the second year came, they were condensed in a tight relationship, close to a father to daughter. And that when s**t hit the fan. Alaric knew he shouldn't keep Talia from her education, but he wasn't pleased of her leaving. Yet in the end, she had left. 

Maybe it was a good thing, cause throughout the four years, he had focus on his life and business. His business of being a new club owner. A owner of a highly successful dominance type club.  Yet it came with a cost, they rarely... no, they never contacted each other once again.

His thoughts soon disintegrated away when the chime of his phone alerted him of an oncoming call. He quickly reached for his phone, hoping it was who he wanted it to be, but to his disappointment it was Kameron. The young lobbyist. 

"What do you want?" He roughly asked. His disappointment was shown in anger. 

"What a nice surprise." Kameron's voice of sarcasm was bleak on the phone, as it annoyed Alaric. 

"What do you want!" Alaric repeated with such force. It was silent for a split second on the phone as Kameron began to speak again. 

"She's back." Alaric's breathed hitched as his heart was beating with a rapid force. Alaric was speechless, no words could be said anymore. "And she's in your penthouse. I sent her there" That was when the bombshell hit with such impact that Alaric finally snapped out of his daze.

"What?" He crocked out. He had million of questions to ask but he only could say, "I'm on my way back." With that, he hung up and flew around the room picking up his clothes. He then remembered that Vanessa was still in the room, so he began to bang on the bathroom door. "Hurry up!" He shouted. The door flew open and stepped out was a shocked looking Vanessa. 

"What's the matter with you today?" She asked. He had no time for such stupid question as he began to rush out the door. "Where the hell do you think you are going?" She raised her voice.

"You have no business to know, beside you have no right to demand. Remember you a sub." He growled out. 

"You leaving?" She still questioned him. Clearly, she didn't listen to him.

"What do you think?" Was his snarky reply before rushing out the room, forgetting to tell Vanessa to clean up the room. 

He ran down the hallway, passed the clubroom without giving so much of a glance, and into the midnight city of wind. Running pass many cars and finding his car in the private parking lot, he had manage to rush out of the area and around the night time traffic. He knew he had probably broken a few laws, but no one had stopped him or even notice to care. From a far, he could see his penthouse building in the distance as he then pressed the gas pedal down a little more and soon sharply turned into the private parking garage. 

Within seconds he had fumble his way out of the car and scurried toward the elevator. Once in the elevator,  his impatient grew as he began to press the elevator button a couple of time, thinking it would make the elevator move more quickly, but it didn't. When the elevator beeped, telling him he was on his floor and was halfway open, he slide his way out and raced down the area, almost bumping into his door. Now trying to slide his card into the slot, his hand shook, almost dropping the card. 

Beads of sweat had collected on his forehead as he had finally managed to open the door. He took a few steps passed the door and that was when his eyes landed on her. She was standing a few feet away from where he was. He drew in a shaky gasp as he couldn't believe that she was there. 

 After all these years, she was here.