[KHALI]
The whole ride to the Casino was awkwardly silent. Jane was sitting on the shotgun seat, just staring outside the window. My rage drove me to do something I shouldn't have, and remorse began to consume me the instant I knew I had hurt her. But it was her fault in the first place; she brought up a topic that is far too sensitive for me.
She barely even knew me, yet she spoke as if she knew what I'd been through. I hate nosy people; those who enjoy poking their noses into things that are no longer part of their business. She should have given it more thought before passing judgment or even expressing an opinion about me. She drove me up to the wall.
But right now, her silence bothered me. I had to look at her from time to time despite that she never cared to speak to me. I continuously tapped the steering wheel with my fingers as my anxiety started to kick in. This awkward tranquility irritates me. A few more minutes, and I decided to break the silence.
"Remember, when we get there, don't go anywhere and don't talk to strangers," I reminded her. I didn’t get any response from her except for her half-hearted nod, which irritated me more. I couldn’t stand her attitude; she was just blankly looking outside the window.
"Don't accept any drinks from strangers," I spoke again, casting another glance at her. I clenched my teeth and tightened my hold on the steering wheel in frustration when I just got another monotonous nod from her.
"Can you fucking look at me when you answer?!" I yelled, causing her to look at me with her lifeless gaze. I gulped as I saw her emotionless eyes staring straight at me. I'm fully aware that she's guilt-tripping me, and I'm falling for it. I couldn't say anything else until she returned her gaze to the window.
"Fuck!" I cursed silently and bit my lip. I'm not going to apologize to her in any way. She will never get it from me. Goddammit!
"Look, what happened earlier was a mistake. You should have watched your mouth when you talked about me. You know nothing about me," she refused to talk to me, even though I was trying to at least relay my indirect negotiation of meeting halfway with her; if that’s what you call apology for some people. But her silence is fucking killing me. That’s it! I’m done with this. I'm not going to bring this up again.
A wave of relief washed over me as we finally arrived at the Casino. Thomas started to tease us as soon as we got out of the car. He gave me a knowing glance, and I frowned at him.
"Ooooh! You’re a thing now?” He asked with a wide grin on his face. I laughed cynically, and Jane merely gave him a little nod. Ha! In your dreams!
"She's not my girl," I told Thomas as Jane walked ahead of me. I rolled my eyes when Thomas refused to believe what I said.
"Whatever," I grumbled as I grabbed Jane's arm, causing her to halt her steps towards the Casino's entrance, still avoiding my gaze.
"Don't go anywhere. Just stick beside me, okay?” I said. She sighed and only nodded in response. Great, I feel like I’m just talking to the wall. Her actions are frustrating me. As if her cold shoulders would make me apologize to her. There's no way I'm doing that. Thankfully, Jey finally showed up, wearing a big smile on her face.
"Hey, Khali, my friend!” she greeted as she did a high five with me, and started giggling afterward.
"So, where's Miss Fatico?” I wondered as my eyes sought for the chipmunk girl. I returned my attention to my best friend, giving her a puzzled expression.
"She's on her way," Jey was excited as her smile grew wider; Jane, meanwhile, continued to type on her phone, refusing to speak to me; Jey must have sensed our awkwardness and gave me a questioning look.
"What?” I asked innocently.
"Did something happen?” she narrowed her eyes in speculation.
"Nothing. Uhm… Can you watch over her? It’s almost time for my game," I looked down at my watch as I patted Jey's shoulder. I know Jey can be abrasive when it comes to this sort of thing; she won't stop until she finds the problem, so I planned an escape before she got too pushy.
.
.
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[JANE]
I felt relieved when she finally left me with Jey. I still refused to talk to her for the fear that she might hurt me again. Aside from that, I’m still mad at her. She couldn’t own up to her mistake; a simple apology would suffice.
I agreed with this slave and master thing, but that doesn't mean she can hurt me. They say that silence is the best revenge, so I'm giving her a silent treatment. At that point, I decided that the deal is off if she hurts me again. I don't give a damn what she says to my dad. I'd rather face my dad's never-ending rants than face a monster like her.
"What's the matter?” Jey asked me with a concerned look on her face. It hasn't been a day since I've met Jey, but I can already feel her sincerity and concern about me. I just shook my head and flashed a small smile. I’d rather not tell Jey. I can let it pass for now. I decided to send my best friend a message instead.
>> To Reese: Reese Posie, where are you? :( <<
>> From Reese: Hey, I'm on my way there. Why are you sad? Did Khali hurt you? I swear if she hurts you, I'M GONNA FUCKING SHAVE HER HEAD OFF! <<
>> To Reese: Well, kind of... <<
>> From Reese: WHAT???!! <<
>> To Reese: It's partly my fault <<
>> From Reese: I don't care whose fault it was. She shouldn't hurt you. Wait for me; I'm going to teach her some lessons she will never forget <<
>> To Reese: It's okay. Don't worry. I can handle this. The moment she does it again, then the deal is off. I can find some other way to avoid Nicholas. <<
>> From Reese: No, I'm going to teach her some lessons. <<
>> To Reese: Please, Reese, maybe next time. I can still handle it. <<
>> From Reese: Okay. But I'm not gonna forget this. <<
"Hey, I’m serious. What happened? Khali won't be acting like that, and you won't be acting like this if nothing happened," Jey interrogated once more.
"It's better if you hear it from her," I deadpanned and decided to play the slot machine instead. I better keep myself distracted than just stick with that monster. She’s telling me not to judge her, yet she was insinuating that I’m going to do something stupid in her Casino; the pot calling the kettle black.
I may have seen a few familiar faces as I walked past the tables. I recognized some of our business partners playing cards at those tables. Maybe it's better if I at least do something productive with my time. I started to approach one of them. Wearing a black suit and checkered ties, he took a seat on one of the tables, which I assumed to be a poker table.
"Hello, Mr. Costello," I greeted him. He was surprised to see me but eventually flashed a smile.
"Oh! Miss Terranova. It's a surprise to see you here; I didn't know you're fond of Casino," he chuckled, and I mirrored his reaction.
"I'm not really into these things, but I do have some business with someone in here; It's great to see you here, sir," I told him.
"It's great to see you, too. Do you play?" he asked as he motioned me to join him at the table.
"Oh, I don't know how to play this, but I can try," I laughed shyly. It somehow reminded me of how I met Khali, but I tried to push those thoughts away. I took a seat next to him, in front of a half oval-shaped table.
When I shifted my focus to the dealer in front of me, he gave me a kind nod. I'm familiar with some terms, but I'm not sure how to play, so I approached him.
"Hey, Mr.—This is my first time playing this game; could you kindly keep an eye on me to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong?" I politely requested the dealer, who smiled and nodded.
"Don't worry, ma'am, I got you," he said, winking at me, and I just laughed. This dealer knows how to flirt. I'm curious if Khali does the same to the other players. I rolled my eyes when I realized I kept on thinking about Khali. This a bad luck. I thought to myself.
"Hey, don't worry, I got you," Mr. Costello spoke beside me. I find it strange and unsettling that he was being a little touchy with me, but I just shrugged it off. The dealer regarded me with furrowed brows; he must have sensed my uneasiness.
"Please wait for a moment; I'll be right back," the dealer said.
"How's business these days, Miss Terranova? I heard your father is planning to expand your business outside of the country. I'd like to offer him some help and support; you know, he can expand his business to Macao, and I can refer your company to some of my business partners there," he said as he touched my hand again. I attempted to act calm by laughing awkwardly and moving my hand away from his.
"Oh, that would be wonderful, sir," I replied, "but I'm not sure about my dad's plan; he's already spoken with the Terranovas."
"Nicholas Terranova?” he raised his brows.
"Yes, Nicholas Terranova," I nodded.
"I didn't know about that," he sounded disappointed and confused.
I refused to answer him and just roamed my eyes around to see if Reese had already arrived. But then I was aghast when I felt his face near my ear. I started to feel scared and uncomfortable. His breath reeked of smoke and vodka.
"You know I can give you more than what Terranovas can offer," he murmured.
I badly wanted to slap him across the face, but before I could move, a strong hand yanked me up from my seat, and I felt an arm around my waist. And I know who exactly it is; Khali. I noticed the dealer smirking at us, so I raised my head to meet Khali's enigmatic gaze.
"I told you to just stay beside me," she said with her deep voice. Somehow I felt relieved that she was here. I partly regret giving her the silent treatment earlier, given that she is, after all, my knight in shining armor who always comes to my rescue when I need it.
"Sorry, sir. My girl and I have to leave now. Please enjoy the game," she added with a polite smile. Mr. Costello only looked at us with his mouth agape.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Costello, but I don't think I'll be able to play for now," I muttered and slightly bowed at him. Honestly, he doesn't deserve my respect, yet he's still a client of ours. Nonetheless, I am well aware that respect must be earned rather than given, especially not to some perverted grotesque like him.
Khali took my hand and started to walk away. I know this is merely a gesture on her part to save me once again, so why do I hope for this to be real? I mean, I don't know if she's sincere, but I somehow hope she is. I was looking at her side profile. She didn't look at me and just kept walking. I looked down at our intertwined fingers. It just felt right but wrong at the same time. She hates me, and I want to hate her, too. I should hate her.
She then led me to the elevator, and I had no idea where it would lead us. I just trust her. Only the two of us were inside, and there was a long silence. I was expecting her to blow up and get angry at me.
"You're lucky, Steven saw you there," she muttered.
Steven? Was that the dealer? Her calm demeanor seemed suspicious to me.
"I told you, I don't want to clean up your mess. That guy was blatantly disrespecting you," she said, her deep voice menacing. She clenched her jaw and darted me with her scolding gaze.
"I can handle myself. You shouldn't have gone there," I felt offended at what she said. I could tell it was all a ruse. She never cared for me in the first place.
The soft binging sound of the elevator interrupted my thoughts, and she grabbed my arm but not too tightly as we stepped out. She’s gentle this time. I reminded myself not to get swept away by these mixed signals she’s giving me. She’s nothing but a walking red flag.
"Where are we going?” I asked her. I saw a door at the end of the hallway, and I just let Khali take me there. I should feel scared, but something tells me that she won't do anything bad this time. She placed her index finger on the biometrics, and then a beeping sound was heard before the door opened.
I think this is some kind of VIP suite. The room is spacious, almost like a living room, with a pair of single couches on one side and a long couch on the other. There's also a mini wine cellar on the other side. Is this hers? I pondered.
She let go of my arm and put her both hands on her waist as she breathed out. I waited for her to speak; I was expecting for her to rant at my face, but surprisingly, she didn’t.
"You stay here and don't come out," she said and was about to approach the door.
"You're going to leave me here?!” I asked her as I held the hem of her blouse.
"You dragged me out of there, and now you're going to leave me here? Can I just go home?" It annoys me how she treats me like this. She can't just lock me up here like a prisoner. She turned her head on me and huffed before she spoke.
"We're going home later. Just wait for me here," she assured me, but still, I didn't let go of her.
"How can I be sure you'll come back?” I asked again.
"You surely have some trust issues," she commented, and I arched a brow at her.
"And so are you," I retorted. She then scoffed and shook her head. I was surprised when she suddenly pulled me, and our lips were almost touching. I can feel her breath against my face.
"I don't like those guys swarming around you. It's disturbing to see them all over you and trying to get under your pants. I don't like it. So, you just stay here, or you surely gonna regret it," I stared down at her lips as she spoke, and I didn’t mind about her threat. I don't know, but this proximity always makes me feel something else like I couldn't understand why I wanted to feel those plump lips against mine.
"Fuck it," I cursed and smashed my lips into hers. I felt her stiffen with my action, and I swear my heart was hammering out of my chest. I was expecting her to pull away, but it surprised me when she pulled me even closer. She moved her lips against mine, and we battled in dominance as our tongues intertwined.
I groaned when she nibbled my lower lip and put her hands on my behind before lifting me to her hips. She's incredibly strong. I wrapped my arms around her neck and my legs around her hips to support my weight. She started nibbling on my neck, and I tilted my head to give her access. I breathed out as I felt a tingling feeling between my thighs.
She started walking, and she laid me down on the long couch. I drew her in closer and kissed her lips again. I've always wondered how her lips would taste, but right now, I don’t have to imagine. She's on top of me, aggressively kissing me. I felt her fingers roving beneath my dress as she lifted it, exposing my panties. I moaned as the frigid air in the room hit my inner thighs.
I felt her hand brush on my covered core, making me move my hips for more contact. I moaned when she bit my neck while she massaged me outside my underwear. It felt so good. The lust and tension I was experiencing intensified. But then, hearing the sound of the biometrics from the outside, I pushed her away. Khali almost stumbled down, and she tried to maintain her balance while I jumped to my feet, panting and straightening my clothes.
"Okay, what the hell!" Jey and Reese said as they stood by the door, their eyes wide with surprise.
"You should have told us," Jey grumbled, her palm covering her mouth.
"I- I can explain– Shit!” I cursed and started walking towards Reese, then yanked her out of the room.
"Okay, hold on, girl. I should be mad, but I’ll let you explain. What the hell happened back there? I thought you hated her?” she asked with a serious look on her face.
"I do hate her, and that's not what it looks like. Ugh! I hate this! Let's just go back to my place. The deal is off," I sprinted to the elevator, and Reese followed closely behind.
"Wait, what? How about Nicholas? You'll be forced to date him," Reese quickly muttered as we entered the elevator.
"I don’t know; I’ll just figure something out," I said, biting my lower lip as I remembered how Khali kissed me earlier. I closed my eyes and silently scolded myself; I could never face her again. It's quite humiliating.
"How about your things in her apartment?” Reese glanced at me with her worried expression.
"I'll just ask someone to pull them out tomorrow," I grunted and fixed my hair that was still disheveled.
"We need to talk about this, Jane. You can't say that we just forget about this. I know what I saw," Reese said firmly. I didn't answer her and just waited for the elevator to open.
This is so fucked up.