Hidden Scars

Chapter 5: caught red-handed

Eliana’s POV

I hear one of them curse but I don’t dare slow down, and I feel like I’ve stepped into a whole other world. My feet halt as I land in a room filled with men and women. Seductive acoustic music is playing in the background as bodies writhe at every corner of the freaking dungeon.

It isn’t as crowded as I expected it to be, though.

Unlike earlier, no one pauses to stare at me and it’s a relief. I’ve never liked unwanted attention. It always makes me nervous and shy. The girls are all dressed elegantly in lace and silk as some sit on men’s laps while a few roam around the space.

I look around to see if the guard followed me in here and breathe in relief when I don’t see him. It would’ve been embarrassing if someone saw me being escorted out. If my dad finds out, he would certainly reprimand me. Though I can’t seem to worry about it now as I lose myself in my surroundings.

The middle of the room has a table decorated with a fountain of champagne pouring into the pyramid of glasses. Several private booths line the corner of the rooms and you can only tell people are inside upon looking closely.

How the hell am I supposed to find him in this maze?Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me, I can’t help but wonder, and as a waiter passes me by, I grab a drink from him. I’m so desperate for a distraction that I’m making one up.

But why did I conjure him up, of all people?

My mind tells me that I should just leave, but I stay rooted to the spot. Rosa is already busy with Nova, so I might as well take advantage of my surroundings. It’s not often that I come to a lavish private party held in a gentlemen’s club. Because that’s what this is.

Cloaked and hidden below the world outside.

Taking a sip of the hard whiskey I just took a second ago, I circle around the room until I’m walking down another dark hallway. The crowd lessens the deeper I venture, and I gasp when I hear a low moan. My skin heats and goosebumps rake along my arms as they get louder, followed by the sound of bodies slapping.

Light spills into my path from a widely arched doorway a few feet from me. Silhouettes of a trio form on the wall as I stare at them move erotically. It looks like a man and two women and instead of turning away, I prowl closer like a stalker.

A sick thrill courses through my body, twisting into heat when it enters my lower belly.

I swallow when I see the shadow of the man yank one of the women’s hair roughly until she whimpers in pleasure. There are other rooms with s*x taking place in them yet I’m drawn to the last one. My heels don’t make a peep on the plush carpet and I’m glad because I don’t want to be caught.

But is it getting caught if the invitation is obvious?

My heart is in my throat when I finish the last two steps and peek inside. My head spins at the erotic sight before me, and an involuntary gasp spills past my lips.

The earth tilts as I stare at the man.

The guy who stole my virginity.

My ex’s older stepbrother.

Damon Salvatore.

Tangled limbs. Greedy hands. Rough thrusts.

That’s all my mind screams while my eyes are ensnared by Damon. I forget all rational thoughts about him being in my city. Including the fact that he is now rich enough to be able to come to an elite men’s club. All I feel is the strongest urge to watch and never look away as I stare at the threesome in the mirror in front of them.

He looks the same, yet nothing like the last time I saw him.

Those piercing green eyes are the same but they hold an edge and hardness in them.

I’m hit with the flashbacks of our one and only night together like it happened only yesterday. It hits me with a force that even as he takes the woman, his gaze doesn’t hold the desire they once held for me. The hunger I saw in them is missing.

Even more disturbing is how easily I’m able to tell.

His rich brown hair curls against the collar of his shirt that he always wore in a military buzz cut. It drew attention to the cuts and sharp angles of his face. Though his hair is longer now, it doesn’t soften his lethally handsome face. I can’t decide which look is more attractive.

Then my brain taunts me that I shouldn’t find either appealing.

The hands that once held me delicately are now digging hard into the woman’s waist as he mercilessly f***s her from behind. None of them notice my presence.

The girls and I are lost in him but only they are lucky to have his attention. Lucky to feel the pleasure he’s bringing them.

Why wasn’t he rough with me?

What we shared was intimate, soft… like making love. The exact opposite of the ruthless f*****g before me.

Unexpected jealousy and longing stabs me in my core at the unwanted voice inside my head. Maybe it’s the shock of running into him. Maybe it’s witnessing this primal side of his that I never knew existed and the truth that I haven’t been with a man in months.

Or just maybe… it's the inexplicable draw of Damon.

The man I traded secret glances with while being in the arms of my boyfriend. I never wanted or desired him back then. Yet he was the one I ran to when s**t fell apart.

Tonight of all nights, fate has me landing into his lap once again.

Could it be a sign? Even if it was, the meaning is lost on me.

I’m drawn back to the filthy threesome when he grunts, “Get on the couch and suck on your friend’s clit.”

His domineering voice raises goosebumps on my heated skin. The command seeps into my bones even though it’s not meant for me.

I lurk in the shadows like a creep, unable to stop staring.

Dash only has his pants unbuttoned and sleeves rolled like he couldn’t be bothered except for f*****g. Both of the beautiful women are naked with one sprawled on the couch facing me, while her head is tilted toward him. The one he commanded seductively moves to lie underneath the other and tastes her friend’s p***y.

They’re so uninhibited and unashamed.

I wonder in envy how addictive it must feel to be so lost in your own lust that you forget about the world around you. To be so hungrily spellbound by another human.

Will I ever know this feeling before I inevitably sacrifice myself?

Love isn’t in the cards for me, but will I be deprived of lust too?

The longer I watch them, the more the haze of desire vanishes until it’s almost replaced by emptiness. I’m being cruelly taunted by a life I’ll never live. Pleasure I’ll never feel.

Even unintentionally, Damon Salvatore has managed to make me despise myself once again.

So before I’m caught, I decide to leave. Silently, I take a step backward, only for my heel to twist awkwardly in the carpet and the glass to fall from my grip. It shatters to the floor with a loud bang.

Time suspends as hooded dark eyes clash with mine.

I desperately wish for the ground to swallow me up or my body to vanish into thin air. Nothing happens except for the haunting recognition sparking on his face. His eyes melt into molten heat, making my pulse speed up. They darken with potent lust and I just know he’s thinking about the same fateful night.

I hate the warmth that spreads through me that he hasn’t forgotten.

I hate that he's evoking such strong reactions from me.

The girls glare at me for the interruption while I capture his undivided attention. He stills inside the woman he was f*****g and runs his gaze down the length of me. His stare lingering on my heaving breasts before they lock on my face.

My instincts tell me to run but it’s as impossible as moving a mountain.

No one utters a word or moves an inch except for him. His grip eases on the girl as he pulls out, but I don’t dare drop my eyes lower. I don’t want to know if his c**k is as thick and long as I remember.

My toes curl in my heels when he tucks his d**k away and arrogantly walks to where I’m standing. My resolve crumbles and falls to the floor as I helplessly take in his sculpted physique. His shoulders are so broad and packed with muscles that he easily dwarfs my small frame.

I have to crane my neck just to hold his unwavering stare. Even with my four inch heels, I only reach just below his shoulders. His height is intimidating like he could crush me any second.

There were times when he watched me with wild madness.

When he forgot to be cold and detached.