Ethan's point of view
"Do you want to end up in a coma?" - Ian's voice makes me take a grimace of annoyance, while he points with the index finger at the glass of whiskey between my fingers, but his words do nothing but push me to swallow the whole liquid in one breath.
I raise my head to the waiter and he understands immediately, even before I start speaking, while my friend nudges me.
"I don't know how long I'll be able to resist." - I admit, without giving importance to his stern expression.
"We have to hurry." - he looks around, and then returns to look at me.
«Do what you have to do and let's run away.» - he says between his teeth, making me understand how anxious he is because of me.
Ian is an honest man, but sometimes he's so annoying that I regret telling him about my plan and involving him in my business.
«I don't want to get attached to Valerie.» - he says all of a sudden, making me look up immediately from the bar counter, struck by his words.
I don't want to get attached to Valerie.
I grit my teeth when I realize he's serious, as the second glass of whiskey slides past my hand, so I rush to grab it to burn my esophagus.
I refrain from punching him when I realize that Ian is starting to be attracted to Valerie.
We've been living with her for less than three days, how the fuck does he like her ?! I could understand if he had feelings for Meredith, but the idea of my friend looking at Valerie like that makes me want to throw up.
She's beautiful, but she has nothing that the other women around me don't have, in fact, she's so annoying and bitchy that I can't spend time with her without arguing.
I would have left that house already, but I will not give her the satisfaction to get away without accomplishing my plans. I won't leave her.
Neither her nor her father, although I restrained myself with all my might from smashing his face in front of his daughter.
I don't know where I found the courage to resist, but Valerie made it easier for me, as her father now believes she is my girlfriend.
"Don't think about Valerie anymore. »- I slam the bottom of the glass on the marble counter, threatening Ian as I have never done before, but he must understand that he must neither touch her nor think about it.
Valerie will be mine ... until I'm done with her.
At my stern look Ian rolls his eyes, and then resumes watching the crowd of people entering the bar at this time of the evening, while my pupils remain fixed on him to study his reaction.
He doesn't seem fully convinced and is trying to avoid me like he does whenever he disagrees with me.
He knows that it would end badly if he tried to say the opposite and that it would take little to lose the trust I have had in him so far, so he shuts up and starts sipping the sparkling water from the bottle he holds in his hand.
«Here he is.» - he bends the corners of his mouth upwards, giving me a quick glance, and then points his chin towards the door of the bar.
With the same annoyed expression I look in the direction of the entrance, sighing when I see Jack approaching us.
From the color of his face it seems clear to me that he is still himself and has not smoked or drank, although the times I have had to deal with the conscious version of him are rare.
"Haven't they thrown you in prison yet?" - Ian begins to provoke his cousin with a smile on his lips, while I just turn my back and avoid his presence, but not before seeing him show the middle finger to the man at the my side.
"I found the right lawyer." - I take a grimace when he takes his place between Ian and me, giving me a pat on my shoulder even if I still do not give him a greeting, concentrating on my glass.
I would have preferred they had locked him in prison rather than having him around these days: since the last party it seems that he and Ian have become even closer, but I don't like his company.
"Good." - Ian lets out a laugh, then looks at him for the umpteenth time:
"I'm going home." - he sighs, making my head jerk up in his direction, then I squint when I cross his pupils to understand what he wants to do, even if it is not the first time he comes home so soon, but after his confession I don't like the idea of him being alone with Valerie in that villa.
Without giving importance to my reaction, he raises his chin to greet Jack, and then passes by me not to be heard by his cousin:
"I'm not stealing her from you." - he says in a low voice, without giving me time to reply and offend him that he is already turning its back to me and walking away from the counter with its ridiculous bottle in hand.
'You couldn't anyway.'- I think mentally, bringing the glass back up to my lips, while the memory of Valerie's kiss makes space in my head.
I raise a corner of my mouth as my gaze is lost in the crowd, when I seem to smell again the parfume of her curls tickling my forehead, while her lips are glued to mine.
I feel the muscles in my neck contract, starting to get pissed off with myself for not being able not to think about it.
Holy shit! Even with whiskey I can't get the taste of his mouth away from mine, as if her fucking scent has entered my skin.
I frown and return to reality when I notice Jack trying to grab my attention:
"Bro ..." - he begins to speak, without stopping to look at a table a few meters away from the counter:
"If I were you I would not let her escape." - he says with a serious expression, making me open my eyes when it seems to me he has been read into my mind, as if Jack knew what I'm thinking.
I only need Valerie to humiliate her and ruin her life, to then abandon her and see her suffer from afar, not to get attached to her and her ridiculous curls, as this mindless jerk suggests, but I relax and growl annoyed when I realize that he doesn't refer to the woman I'm thinking of, but to a brunette who doesn't stop staring at me seductively.
As soon as I meet the woman's eyes I decide to come back to myself and get rid of these fucking thoughts instantly, leaving the glass on the table without thinking twice, and then heading towards the stairs leading to the second floor, sure to be followed by the lady behind:
"Fuck you, Valerie." - I whisper to myself, running my hand through my hair first and letting myself be carried away by the effects of alcohol as soon as I enter the first empty room on the first floor.
***
"You can go." - I nod to my answering machine with a serious expression on my face, without any desire to return to the villa.
I don't feel like putting up with Ian or that hysterical woman after such a tiring afternoon as this, but the idea of spending the rest of the evening in a nightclub or bar annoys me even more.
I close the door behind me and put a hand through my hair in frustration, forcing a smile when one of the employees passes in front of me, probably the last one left in the museum, then I let him out before I lock and leave the building behind.
It's already eight in the evening, but I couldn't help going back to work, especially after the goddamn sex that woman gave me this afternoon, but only now I understand that I shouldn't have left my employees alone in these days.
In three hours of work I fixed what they should have done in a week, even if it was worth it after today's morning.
I hope Valerie's father is already gone, although, after meeting him, I doubt it.
I know that he will insist on getting to know me better and I don't mind that, on the contrary, maybe it will help me in my intent.
But I still have to understand Valerie's weak points, even if it seems impossible to me to get into that woman's head and life.
I stop the car right next to Valerie's, and then take a quick glance towards the villa, already illuminated by the light from the living room, even if the curtains cover everything and you can see nothing but the shadows of those who pass in front of the largest window overlooking the garden.
I raise an eyebrow when I get out of the car and take a quick glance towards Valerie's room, taking advantage of the fact that her room is also facing the gate.
She'll have eaten already and gone back to her bedroom, which makes me breathe a sigh of relief, realizing that I don't have to endure her for the rest of the evening.
I go up the three steps that lead to the front door, and then put the key in the lock.
As soon as I open the door I have confirmation of my doubts, realizing that at the table there are only Meredith and Ian, too focused on eating to notice my presence:
«I didn't know that Valerie cooked so well.» - my friend speaks with his mouth full, while Meredith nods at his words with her head.
I close my eyes and take a seat next to Meredith, capturing their attention, but without deigning to greet them:
"Where were you?" - Ian lifts his head from his plate, while I take a quick glance towards the closed door of Valerie's room, and then begin to serve myself, feeling my stomach rumbling.
«At the museum.» - I whisper between my teeth, avoiding to look at Meredith: I'm so tired that I don't want to provoke her, even if on another occasion I would have liked to end the day with a second memorable fuck.
I refrain from asking what happened to Valerie, not that I care to know how she is, but I have to understand why she locks herself in her room these days.
Maybe she's having a bad time at work or it's her father's fault, but I can't help but enjoy if she's in pain.
The idea that she has locked herself in her room like last night, crying, gives me a crazy sense of satisfaction, but she is not one of those who get depressed easily.
In fact, I really don't think she knows what it means to cry or feel suffocated by the idea of losing the most important person in her life.
The corners of my mouth curl down as I grit my teeth as if it could help me hold back my anger.
I make a grimace of annoyance as I look at the lasagna filling my plate. They look so tasty that I bet she didn't cook them.
I grab the cutlery and start to eat in silence, letting Meredith and Ian converse without intervening, but I have to lift my head from the table when my friend catches my attention:
"Valerie?" - on hearing her name, I first look at Ian, noticing his astonished expression, and then turn my head towards Valerie's room, not even noticing the door she opened.
As soon as my pupils land on her figure, my shoulder muscles stiffen and my chest stops moving, preventing me from breathing normally.
Fuck!
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