~~Daniil's POV~~
"You…you … you played soccer?" he struggled to vocalize simultaneously with the hysteric laughter that escaped his lips.
I just related my whole ordeal to this crazy jerk while on our way home and all he could afford to do was laugh. It was funny yet vexing.
"How did you manage?! You've never had to lift a muscle before!" He finally gained some composure.
"I managed somehow. I'm a master at everything, you know?" I bragged, veiling the subtle annoyance I felt.
"And the body contact?" He paused midway, stealing glances at me through the rearview mirror. "The sweat? You had to put up with all of that for a girl???" 'Ughhh… don't even get me started. The shampoo I used that morning cost a fortune!' I'd washed up and left shortly after Ashley did, losing my zeal, but nothing could beat a warm bath in my king-sized tub at that moment; I just needed to take my clothes off and immerse my spirit, body, and soul its glory.
"Make sure to tell whoever to discard these clothes." I inclined my head back against the headrest, shutting my eyes.
"Yes, young master." I shot my eyes open then swayed left to the left and held his instead through the rearview mirror. The brief quiet that ensued was smashed when he let out a stifled laughter which instigated a peal of uncontrollable laughter from us both in milliseconds.
I almost forgot he had the habit of mimicking his tedious elder brother whenever he yearned to see me laugh. And coincidentally I found it really amusing when he did that. Those words coming from him felt farcical; it did anything but suit his personality. He was the only one who managed to crack this hard nut.
While trying my hardest to stop laughing, I raised my left hand, raising my middle finger to him.
A few seconds after…
"I bet your teammates cringed at the sight of the abominable deeds you perpetrated on the pitch all in the name of football."
"You improved your vocabs over the past weeks?" I teased with every ounce of sarcasm therein.
"You bet." I couldn't help another hearty outburst at the hysteric way he blurted freely.
"So tell me. How did you manage to pull the deed off? I bet you've never felt a football before."
"Like I said. I excel without even trying."
"And the sweat? The body contact? You hate those, boss," he noted. The thought of it made me recoil in disgust.
"Don't even get me started…" I waved him off. "But the good thing was that I escaped your brother's sickening claws."
The next morning…
Jason strolled down the hallway in his usual euphoric self and halted standing directly before Daniil's door. He winked at the camera installed on the door lock when the yellow light – signifying he was being scanned – flashed through the sensor. Each member of the house had their data registered, hence Alexa's ability to rightly inform Daniil of whoever was trying to gain access. The yellow light turned green.
The door chimed open.
"How've you been, Alexa?" he cried into empty nothing, casually striding in.
"Better than you have been in the last few weeks," the smooth feminine systematic voice replied.
"I see your boss' sassiness is rubbing off on you, huh? By the way where's he?"
"In his closet."
He knew Daniil was somewhere within this vast expanse but was too lazy to comb through and decided to ask instead. "Thanks, Alexa."
"You're welcome."
The path to the closet was a straight one.
On getting in, he paused, looked at Daniil then bulged his head through the entrance, out of the closet to ask: "Alexa did my boss by any chance switch bedrooms? Am I in the right bedroom?" He caught sight of the most befuddling scene he beheld in ages – Daniil sat before his dressing mirror while a female servant styled his hair.
"What in the world is going on here, boss?" The gape that settled on his face portrayed his imminent shock. Daniil abhorred seeing another in his room; especially those eyesores swarming around him in corporate white-and-black-themed outfits.
"What?" Looking at Daniil's reflection in the mirror, he saw him raise an eyebrow.
"You're seated here while this chic does your hair?! Don't tell me you're dolling up to impress that girl."
"Whatever."
Jason coughed in disbelief.
"Besides…" he paused, stepping back three paces to scrutinize the lady standing beside him. She had an olive skin tone, and her ebony black hair wrapped behind posed an aesthetic view of her side profile, perfectly highlighting her aquiline nose. His eyes then fell on her round butt swelling through the black pencil skirt she had on, whetting his appetite. "ona chertovski goryachaya (she's hot as fuck.)" He switched to Russian.
"U tebya yavno otstoynyy vkus (Your taste clearly sucks.)"
Hearing them speak gibberish while feeling Jason's eyes sweep over her body made her head spin. Her mild shudders gradually evolved, gaining palpability. She struggled to keep her hands stable as the quivers slowly crept to them; she was clearly nervous. One wrong move, and she'd be toast but he won't stop eyeing her up, making her lose focus the more.
"Yesli by ya byl na tvoyem meste, mne by ne prishlos' khodit' po ulitsam (If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't have to visit the streets.)"
"Ya ne obedayu svin'yami (I don't dine with pigs.)"
"Derzhu pari, chto tvoya shkol'nitsa I vpolovinu ne Taketa krasivaya (I bet your school girl isn't half this pretty.)"
"Ty khochesh' (You wish.)" Daniil scoffed.
"Eti popy, odnako (Those butt cheeks though.)" he uttered beneath his breath.
Like getting lost in the strange words they chanted – that her hands almost moved involuntarily – wasn't enough, she felt Jason's hand cup her butt and slipped. Then…
"Owww!!!" Daniil's shriek snapped her back to her senses.
She gasped then buried her head at once with both hands crossed in front of her. "I'm s…s…s… s… sorry, young master…," she stammered, shaken to the bones. She was terrified for she knew what doom would befall her if she incurred his wrath.
Using the back of his hand to shield his lips from Daniil's piercing glare, he whispered – "run for your life" – eerily.
How badly she wanted to dash out but her legs couldn't muster the courage to move an inch without his consent. She froze at one point, like between a hard rock and a wall, unsure of the most logical step to take. Anyone whom he got physical with left in an ambulance and never returned; they vanished into thin air. And of course none of them would dare whisper behind those mighty walls.
She gulped down air, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as the room remained quiet far too long for her liking. It's actually only been seconds.
"Get lost." Faster than a rocket propelled by stardust, she zoomed off on Daniil's command.
Jason chuckled breezily.
"Why do I feel like you do this on purpose?"
"Do what?"
"Scare these hotties away." Oh no he did not. His ill-temper did. But Jason couldn't really relate as the duo's friendship couldn't be more brotherly.
"Your car's ready. And I've been waiting not knowing you're still trying to make an impression."
Ignoring his remark, Daniil held up a pin to him, motioning to continue from where she stopped. "I wonder how she made such perfect braids with those quaky hands." Jason mumbled before fixing the pin in his hair.
The left anterior part of his hair was braided in three rows and held midway with black pins while the other part held in place by black pins also, flowed dexterously in shiny waves to his shoulders.
"You look breathtaking," Jason teased when he won't stop checking himself out. "Shall we leave now?" he breathed sarcastically.