"He threatened to kill you?"
I shivered a little when I heard his dangerously low voice shaking slightly. I turned to him and in the dimness of this hallway I didn't see his pair of startling amber eyes... but a pair of strange dark eyes.
Sebastian Moran cold menacing face was staring at me. A slight glow from the nearest lamp illuminated half of his face. The corners of his wide mouth turned into hard lines, while his cheekbones flushed slightly.
I could almost feel his anger pouring out from his tense body. He looked like an animal ready to pounce and kill.
"Chill out, Moran," I whispered in surprise. "What's wrong with your eyes? Are you wearing contacts?"
He ignored my question.
"Did Devlin told you he will kill you?" He uttered each syllable slowly as if he was trying to control his rage.
"No! I'm sorry, I was just messing around with you." Now I felt guilty. The other brother had a lame sense of humor, but this one didn't have any at all.
"Sorry. Your brother only warned me to stay away from you," I muttered half annoyed. Why was I the one apologizing here?
Sebastian closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Did he have anger issue or something?
When he opened his eyes again he was scowling darkly at me. But that's not what concerned me right now. His eyes... had changed back to the original smoldering amber.
"What happened to your—" I couldn't finish my question because I heard the sounds of footsteps going in our direction. Shit, it's Phillip and Arthur!
Sebastian must've seen my alarmed expression because in an instant he pulled me behind the thick curtains of this hallway's windows.
I stared at his chest while we stood in the dark. Both of his hands were still on my hips, we waited until Phillip and Arthur's footsteps faded away.
I couldn't stop a giggle from escaping my mouth, my trembling body slumped into his wide chest and his hands were holding me immediately.
"Is this funny to you?" He murmured into my ear.
"No... yes." I giggled again. Imagining two adults hiding behind the curtains were pretty funny to me, especially a grown man like Sebastian Moran. God, he smelled so good.
Tonight my emotions were all over the place. But this man could make me forget about my bitterness and my miserable situation in a blink of an eye.
He became more and more dangerous for me, If I wasn't careful I might fall for him.
In the middle of this nice atmosphere, I felt one of his hands starting to move on my body. "Are you... groping my breast right now, Mr. Moran?" I blinked and looked up at him.
His playful grin made my stomach fluttering. "Yes, Daisy."
Oh, so I was supposed to switch back to Daisy now. "Men are horny dogs," I smiled at him before getting away and stepping out from the curtains.
"Just so you know, I never let any man grope me this easily. But you helped me so I'll let it slide."
"I'm honoured," he replied smartly. "You look stunning tonight, by the way." He put his hands in his trouser's pockets while his gaze slid all over me appreciatively.
"Likewise." I returned his gaze in the same manner. It was getting harder to suppress my smile. He wore an all-black attire tonight, a classic match of a suit with knitted turtleneck. Everything looked absolutely high-class and he wore them very well.
All dark and dangerous. All mine tomorrow.
"But nothing beats that little red dress," he added brazenly in a casual manner.
I laughed a little before turning my back. He followed me to Phillip's study where I left my purse, I was aware of his gaze boring into my back but I tried to ignore it.
Phillip's study room was empty, obviously, so I picked my purse that I left in one of the chairs quickly.
Sebastian waited for me at the closed door. I almost walked back to him but my eyes caught a familiar face on one of the frames on Phillip's desk.
No, that's not a familiar face... that's my face. My smile vanished instantly and the bitterness I felt all night started to come back again. I took the frame and stared at the picture of me holding my diploma. Arthur was the one who took this picture.
All I felt for Phillip was resentment, I was sure of it. But why... why did my chest feel so tight right now? I hated these weak and utterly miserable feelings. All these years I had been trying to pick up and protect myself so people like Phillip and his family couldn't hurt me anymore, but it crumbled into pieces in an instant.
Just because that bastard put my picture on his desk.
How pathetic.
"Daisy?"
Sebastian's deep voice called my name from right behind me, I didn't hear his footsteps so I flinched in surprise.
"Sorry, did I startle you?" He moved to my side. I was aware he was watching me and the picture in my hand.
"You probably already knew," I mumbled before taking my picture from the frame.
"Yes," he replied softly. His cautious tone made my heart squeezed tightly again.
God, what happened to me tonight?
"I should go—"
"Can I have that picture?" He asked me so suddenly.
I stared at him dumbfoundedly. "What? Why?"
"For commemoration," he answered with a serious face. My eyes slid to the thin scar on his left eyes briefly.
I scrunched my face before folding and putting the picture in my purse. "You have a creepy hobby, do you know that?"
"Who said it's a hobby? I was only asking for your beautiful picture."
I couldn't help but stare when he pulled one of the corners of his lips slightly. Sebastian stared back at me expectantly. This man would be my salvation, the fastest way to get my freedom.
For a moment I was tempted to ask him for a loan of five hundred grand, exchanged with sex with me. I would give up on Kovach too if he wanted. There would be no investigation at all, our arrangement would be simply for money and sex.
I would sell my body like a real prostitute.
But then I saw how warm his eyes when he stared back at me. How he treated me with respect, even offering Kovach and withdrawing his plan for me. He could've just fucked me that night when I agreed to our arrangement, instead he waited, almost as if he gave me a chance to back down.
And all of these small gestures he did to me; inviting me to dinner, sending flowers to my office, and helping me with my existential crisis tonight... they almost made me think that he cared for me.
Like he was currently trying to woo me.
I groaned and closed my eyes for a second.
"Daisy?"
Damn it. This only happened to virgins, right? I should date more after all of this was over.
"Please, call me by my real name," I half begged him. "It confuses me sometimes when you call me 'Daisy'."
"Ludmila, then."
I opened my eyes quickly and he gave me his wicked grin, my heart was beating furiously in my chest and those damned flutters currently invading my stomach again.
Ah, fuck this. I already fell for this man from the start.
"This is bad," I mumbled to myself, unable to shift my blatant gaze from his smile.
His brows creased in confusion. "What is it?"
I stepped back to make a sensible distance between us, his alluring scent made it hard for me to think clearly.
"We should stop doing this," I told him in a croaky voice. "You should stop doing this." I rectified after a beat.
A twitch from the corner of his lips made the flutters on my stomach intesified. "Doing what?" He genuinely looked confused and it's pissing me off.
"You should stop treating me like you like me. It confuses me, you know." God, this was embarrassing.
"I do like you, what's the problem?" He leaned his hips on the table and a puzzled look came across his face.
See? That's the problem. His 'like' and my 'like' didn't even have the same meaning. He was oblivious that I was not immune to his charms. Forget it, I would get him out of my system by sleeping with him.
I hoped seven nights would be enough.
I wondered how many women fell for this man, suddenly I felt a pang of pity for those women.
"Ludmila?"
Gaaaah. The flutters felt worse when he called me by my real name.
"Sorry." I laughed a little, feeling silly. "Forget what I said. I have to go home now, I'll see you tomorrow night at Magnus." I started to walk but his hand caught my wrist.
"This soon?"
Yes. "Yes. I usually only show my face to Phillip and then go home."
"Can't you stay with me?" he asked with a slow smile.
'No. No, no, no, don't fall for that smile Ludy!'
"I have work tomorrow morning," I replied weakly. His hand was sliding into my arm and pulling me closer to him.
"How about I send you home before your curfew? It's only eight PM," he half-whispered, still smiling wickedly.
I didn't have curfew.
"And what... are we gonna do until my curfew?" I whispered back.