Something? What? If only I was more interested in what and not his soft-looking lips.
"The black gown looks much better on you than your rainbow puke of an outfit"
Am I surprised he said this instead of what I was thinking? No, not one bit.
With Jason, it was don't expect the unexpected.
He grabs a bottle of champagne from the built-in rack beside me and pops the cork.
"A toast to me and to your makeover, may it last long"
I shake my head.
He pours himself a glass and drowns it in one gulp, I watch his adam's apple bobble up and down as he swallows.
This man was turning me into a creep, it was almost as if all his actions were entrancing. One look and you wouldn't want to look away.
Some people might say it's because I'm in love with him, but I'm not in love and it wasn't lust, like I want to rip his shirt off and have my way or seduce him, no, it was more like admiration for his features.
You know like that hot guy or girl that is always in your line of sight no matter how many degrees you turn your neck, or like when you walk into the room and your eyes automatically search for the person.
I personally think it's a brain function, because sometimes I'm not trying to look but I catch myself doing so.
Wait a minute...
Aren't these signs of crushing? I peek at Jason from the sides of my eyes.
Oh my God, I am so dead.
I guess Jason could add me to the endless list of girls and women that had something for him.
"Want a glass?"
"What?"
"Why are so quiet?"
"I was thinking"
"About what? You could have just said you wanted a glass rather than staring at the bottle"
"Was I?" I force out a chuckle.
"You're acting weird"
Well, when you discover you have something for a hot and deadly Mafia boss, I'm pretty sure weird is the right way to act.
"I'm fine"
I turn away from him and stare out of the window.
"Is it because I didn't offer you a glass?"
I turn back to him. I wasn't even interested in the bottle of champagne, I had more pressing issues to attend to. Issues like how to kill a crush before it kills you.
"It doesn't have anything to do with the bottle of champagne"
"So?"
"What?"
"If it's not the champagne, what is it?"
"You"
It was out of my mouth before my brain could fully process it.
"What about me?"
Crap!
"Nothing, it's nothing. Forget it"
Please don't ask, please don't ask.
"You can't leave me hanging Selene"
"You don't..."
Did he use my name?
He raises his eyebrow.
"I don't what?"
His brows furrow to form a puzzled look.
"It's nothing. Just forget it, it's not worth your time anyways"
"Now I'm curious" He picks another glass and fills it then hands it to me.
I take a sip.
"Woah"
"So?"
"Let it go, Jason"
"Are we on the first name basis now?"
"Would you rather I call you Mafia Jason?"
"Hmm... Back to the topic at hand" Oh no. "What were you saying?"
"I told you to forget about it"
"I'm too curious to forget about it. You have to tell me"
"I was wondering why you chose black and not some other color"
He swirls his champagne flute and then takes a sip.
"You do know you're a terrible liar, right?"
"It could be what I was thinking"
"What is it about me that you don't want to tell me"
"I said forget about it"
"And I told you I'm too curious to simply forget about it. It's not easy to make me curious and now you have my attention, you're playing around with it"
"Look... just forget it, forget I said anything"
"Fine"
He straightens his suit and proceeds to look out of the window.
What a disaster, the silence that followed was so loud, it became deafening.
At least I had a glass of champagne to help ease the tension.
Me and my big mouth, I just had to say 'You' without thinking.
Jason's phone rang and I was glad for its noise, the silence was killing me.
"Yes?"
"Alright"
And that was all. He went back to looking out of the window.
Seriously? I thought it was only women that sulked.
"Jason?"
He didn't as much as move a muscle.
"Jason?"
I tapped his shoulder.
He didn't turn.
Was he sulking? The cold Mafia boss was sulking.
"Jason?"
I tapped his shoulder harder.
"Leave me"
I couldn't help but chuckle, he was sulking.
"Alright, you win. I'm sorry okay?"
"What were you thinking about me?"
I let out a heavy sigh.
"That you are extremely handsome"
He inclines his head slightly to stare at me.
"You're not lying but you're not saying the truth either"
"Let's just say that was the basics of my thoughts"
"And you couldn't tell me that. Selene, every woman knows I'm handsome, it's a fact"
And this is one of the reasons I don't like to praise him, it was like inflating a balloon.
"So you're no longer sulking?"
"What's that?"
"When you keep quiet..."
"I know what sulking means Selene"
The partition separating the driver's seat from the carriage slides down.
"Sir, we'll be there in about fifteen minutes"
The partition slides up again.
Jason hands me a circular glass. Two small lenses float in the fluid within.
"What do I need contacts for?"
"Blending in. I don't want someone tracking you"
I fix the contacts after so much difficulty.
"Silver? Are silver eyes your ideal type?"
"I wasn't the one that bought it. Now there are rules to follow if you want to stay alive. At this party, your name is Rachael but refrain from telling anybody your name until persistently asked for. Don't give out any personal information, nothing about your school or place of birth, nothing at all. You must remain incognito"
"Got it"
"Your target is–"
"Wait... What target?"
"Did you think I was taking you to an event just to meet people? What am I? Your chaperone? It's a mission, better not screw it up"
Was I surprised now? Yes.
Jason pulls out an iPod and shows me a picture.
"This man, Saudi Arabian billionaire Hussain Khan Al-Saud is your target. He's an arms and drug dealer for one of the biggest movers besides myself, your job is to simply attach to him"
"Attach?"
He hands me a small microphone, a small communication device that he puts in my ear, and a phone.
"Hussain Khan Al-Saud owns a huge mine in South Africa, it was formerly a diamond mine, and now it's a warehouse for his deals. Several billion-dollar worths of coke and firearms are in there, the only problem is the security is tough. Three highly programmed firewalls per door, a voice security code activated only by his voice, an optical scanning system, and a fingerprint lock. It won't be a walk in the park"
"And my job is?"
"Make the man say all the letters of the alphabet or simply as many words as he can"
"How useful is that going to be?"
"Pretty much"
"Once you get close to him, Cerberus is going to attempt to hack his phone, you're not leave his vicinity until hacking is complete. Stay in my line of sight"
The Rolls-Royce slows down and soon comes to a stop, the driver opens the door for Jason.
I guess I could live the celebrity life for the night, I wait until the man opens the door for me. Jason's hand is waiting when the door opens.
I take his hand and instantly was blinded by cameras.
I move behind Jason seeking cover from their flashing lights.
A gunshot penetrate the murmur of the crowd and soon the whole place quiet down, even the photographers stop taking pictures.
As we walk down the red carpet, a woman summons courage and walks towards us, she holds a notepad and a pen in her hand.
"Mr. Danvier..."
The glare Jason gives the poor woman frightens me too.
The woman steps back.
"You won't stick to me forever Ms. Orlando, get your act together"
"Sorry, I'm not a fan of cameras"
"Three... Two... One..."
The warmth of the hall engulf us as we waltz into the place.
People stop to stare and whisper to their neighbors.
I was so uncomfortable being the center of attention, there wasn't a single eye that wasn't on me and Jason.
"Is this how popular you are?"
Jason turns and pulls me to the center of the room, the dance floor.
"What are you doing?"
With a single glance at the orchestra, a flamenco beat began to play.
"Jason?"
"Don't step on my shoes"
"How encouraging"
I force myself to focus on Jason rather than the people watching.
The beat picks up slightly and Jason expertly twirls me in rhythm to the beat.
"So you can dance?"
"There's a lot people don't know about me"
I've heard that flamenco was a dance of passion, a sensual dance. Well, here I was dancing with a hot guy in a room full of strangers, time to make the headlines.
My hands crawl right into Jason's suit jacket and up his bare chest to circle his neck.
A smirk appears on his face.
I push my body into him, he doesn't move away.
"It seems Ms. Orlando is getting a little too comfortable"
"What about it?"
Jason's hand trails up my thigh to rest on my upper thigh. He cups my thigh and presses me against him.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into"
The rest of the dance was me and Jason practically seducing each other on the dance floor.
Jason spins to me so that my back is to his chest.
"See that man in the black ankle-long thawb and a white kufiyyah, that is Hussain Khan Al-Saud. You have his attention, engage when you're ready"
The song stops and Jason dips me before helping me up and then letting me go, he bows slightly and then turns and disappears into the crowd.
I make my way to the buffet table, anything to keep my hands occupied so I don't fiddle with them.
"Hi"
"Hello?"
The intruder is a lean, squarish-faced man probably a little older than me.
"You and Mafia Jason..."
He waits for me to finish the sentence.
"What about us?"
"You two..."
"What?"
"Dating or something?"
"We're not. We're not even friends"
'Ignore all meaningless conversation Ms. Orlando, go for the target, we don't have all night, remain incognito'
"Excuse me" I grab my plate and a bottle of red wine and head for the closest chair to the target.
"Can I at least get your name?"
"No"
"What of your number?"
"My answer remains the same"
"Why are acting like you're not some call girl and what gives the likes of you woman the hope that Mafia Jason would actually for once look in your direction, he probably has some woman he's screwing–"
Irritated beyond measure, I turn to give this foul-mouthed cretin a piece of my mind.
"Are you done sprouting nonsense, can you leave me alone now? Instead of riding Mafia Jason's dick, why not you go find a woman that would let a foul-mouthed, stuck-up brat like you drill her hole and leave me the hell alone"
"You're not even that pretty"
"And here you are throwing yourself shamelessly all over me. At least I have class" I turn and continue walking.
Way to ruin my appetite.
'Riding my dick you say'
Holy moly!
I forgot Jason could hear what I was saying.
"He was annoying, how can you be begging for sex and still be acting high and mighty?"
'Focus Ms. Orlando'
I sit facing the target. While eating I make occasional eye contact.
After a few minutes, he excuses himself and comes to sit at my table.
'He's within range, don't let him leave'
"Hey, beautiful" his tongue stumbles over the words.
"Hi gorgeous" If it was acting, I was already a five-star winner, all in my imagination of course.
"What a beautiful lady like you sitting alone doing?"
"I've been stood by my partner"
"His eyes are closed, a beautiful lady like you deserves better"
"You could be the better one"
"I treat you like a queen if you leave him and come to me"
"But I like him a lot"
"He don't know how to treat a queen, I have lots of money, can buy you whatever you want. iPhone? How many you want? Diamond earrings? Small money for me, travel? Have three private jets"
"You're so handsome and wealthy" I trace a symbol on the back of his hand.
He laughs exposing his diamond braces.
'Keep him talking, just a little more'
"But my parents..."
"Forget your parents, me and you, good life, you ever stayed in Burj Khalifa? I take you there tonight for lodging. You like?"
'Done. Reject him'
"Sorry handsome but school is on my mind, I can't travel"
'Nothing personal Ms. Orlando'
"One day"
"Sorry"
"Fine. Travel not on your mind, we can stay here. Oceania hotel is best here, I take you there, we rest for the night"
'Excuse yourself'
"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom"
"I wait for you"
'Come upstairs. The balcony at the farthest end'
I sneak up the stairs and run towards the balcony.
"I am never doing this again"
A man wearing thin-rimmed glasses briefly glances at me before focusing back on his laptop.
"You must be Cerberus"
"Part of it"
"What do you mean by part of it"
"Cerberus is a three-headed wolf"
"I see. So this is one head of Cerberus, and there's two other"
"You've met one other"
"The man in Green Fall gardens?"
"Yes"
"The last?"
"Is a ghost, you might have met him but you won't remember"
"Cerberus. The name is very catchy and you're the Hercules?"
"Although my job isn't to bring them down"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm not"
"Come here"
I drag my feet as I move to him.
"Take a seat"
"You're not encouraging at all. That man drained me physically and mentally"
"So what do you want?"
"Pat my head"
Jason hesitates.
"Pat me"
He rubs my head.
"You did well. Is this better?"
"Yes"
"We're leaving"
"About damn time"
We sneak back into his Rolls-Royce and zoom off.
"So what now?"
"Your job is done, mine begins"
We stopped again at the mall and Jason had someone prepare new clothes for me and a brochure of matching color patterns.
"Thank you for the brochure, I'll be sure to learn it"
"Here"
It seems Jason is in the gifting mood tonight.
A small package was handed to me.
I tore the package open and pulled out a brand-new phone, a smartwatch, and a wireless headset.
"I forgot. Kelvin would think I'm crazy if I showed up empty-handed, he did say I should get a new one"
"You should grab a taxi from here, I have somewhere else to be"
"Sure"
And that was the last time I heard from Jason, last two weeks.
I'm ready to start a new chapter in my life. School is before me, literally. I'm standing at the entrance of New York Business school and wondering if I should even be here.
"No more running, no more hiding. Time to live life to the fullest"
I adjust my bag and merge with the crowd trooping into the premises, a new chapter has begun.