CELYN'S POV
I arrived in Barcelona the same time the old pig predicted.
Pulling up Snapchat on my phone and checking I looked okay, I popped a gum and kissed my reflection. Most people would say I was too self absorbed but if you looked like me, you'd understand.
I knocked on the tinted window and one of my men opened up the car, still not meeting my eyes but I never bothered to care.
I wore my sunglasses and stepped down from the overly flashy car the boss arranged to pick me up from the airport
The sunny but ironically cool weather hit me and I relished in the feel of the morning sun. We were in front of the hotel I'd be staying in and it looked magnificent. I was actually afraid a touch from me would taint it.
This is gonna be a short but wonderful trip.
The places the car passed by looked so good that I decided to play tomorrow and focus on work the day after. For today, I was totally sleeping in
Giving a nod to the men, they got my silent command and one of them approached me
"Let us know when you're ready. We've got the hotel sorted already and Alvaro stays behind as usual" He whispered discreetly
Alvaro was one of the bodyguards but he looked so scrawny and innocent that you'd never guess he was the most skilled of them all. His body was enough to deceive whoever saw him as weak and it was the perfect blend to not attracting attention to ourselves.
Whenever we go for a mission, he stays with me while the others stay in a nearby hotel. I am never scared of an attack because I wasn't one to be joked with and Alvaro was a close second to my skills. The plan is to make me look normal without the whole strange looks of bodyguards around me and Alvaro was perfect for that. Most times, people thought he was my little brother or friend and we played that role well. Unlike usual, he walks beside me on missions instead of behind, making unsuspecting victims not think too much about it
Another nod from me had the others dispatching into the other two vehicles and pulling away. Alvaro was dressed in shorts and tees that looked quite good on him and when he gave me a hand, I plastered my usual acting breathtaking smile and tapped his chest lightly to signal the beginning of our role play. He in turn gave his dazzling smile and we walked to the hotel's door while conversing like normal friends.
The receptionist smiled at us as we stopped in front of her. After checking us in, we were handed our keys and we headed up the stairs with Alvaro carrying the luggages. He refused help from the hotel's staff and I know it's because he didn't want people following us about, which would in turn continue to make us act. One would think with how long he'd been going on missions with me, he'd be very comfortable already but they were always going to be scared of me, not just because of the boss but also because they've seen what I was capable of.
We went our seperate ways as soon as he dropped my bags in my room. His room was just next door. We were checked in as siblings, giving the same surname
Why we were acting when the target wasn't present? Well, you see, in our world, you never know who is watching and so you need to sell out a story before they get the real story.
I flung myself on the bed and thought about my fun activities for tomorrow. I guess I was too tired because I eventually slept off
************
I don't know what tiredness was that but I slept through the whole day and finally got up 9pm. I ordered food, ate and showered but my body felt too energetic to just waste around in the hotel room. I decided to go out and have a little bit of fun
I got dressed in a green armless dress that stopped in the middle of my thigh. I paired it off with a brown ankle heel and grabbed my purse.
On getting outside my room door, Alvaro stepped out of his too and I rolled my eyes
"I'm not going to run away"
Seriously, I wasn't. Where would I even go? And like I said, I was living my dream life, albeit with a touch of nightmare, it still wasn't something I was ready to let go off
A nagging voice in my head reminded me how much the nightmare was. It wasn't just about having to do sexual stuff with an old man and pretending to like it or the fact he'd beat me to pulp if I refused. It was more of the fact my dream life included so much more but I couldn't get those parts of it. I couldn't get a love life, or go partying with friends and as angry as I was with Mateo, the feeling of never seeing him again was too bitter to swallow. He's the only family I have and now, I am all alone. I had a lavish lifestyle but I had no one to share them with. It's absurd to even call this my dream but it was better than getting killed by the boss if he discovers I ran away. And if I am being honest, that seems too far-fetched an option because these bodyguards were like a magnet to me. They always know when to show up, kind of like now.
Another big reason I'd never run away is Mateo. They'd kill him. I might not be able to see him and touch him but I get a new video of him everyday. They let him live his life but they always watched from afar, unknowing to him and from all I've seen, he's doing good for himself lately, even got a job. I guess it took losing me to get his head back on track
"I know miss. Just following orders" Alvaro replied and plastered a smile when a couple passed by us
I looked him up and down and saw he'd changed into a long sleeved shirt and black pants. He did look ready to go out
"Fine then. I hope you got your dancing shoes on, brother" I drawled the last words before sashaying past him
He followed me with a confused expression that turned into a fake smile as we continued our award winning acting.
__________
The club was packed but then again how else did I expect it to be.
The sweaty bodies dancing together and loud music only pumped more energy into me as I grinned, heading straight for the bar
"I'm just going to check out the area" Alvaro yelled in my ear and I nodded
He looked reluctant but eventually left. He knew I'd never run away. I know what's at stake
"What can I help you with, lovely?"
My head snapped from Alvaro's retreating form to the bartender. "Oh, hi there"
He looked startled for some seconds as he drank me in but it later morphed into a huge cocky grin. I almost snorted at my prediction of what's to come next
1,2,….
"So you want a taste of one of our drink or a taste of me?" He flirted as I had predicted
Men were too easy. All you needed to do was spot an innocent smile and show off some skin. In my case though, my eyes did most of the job before they finally take in my body just as he was doing now.
"I don't see," I paused to read the name tag on his shirt before looking back down on the menu "any Mario on the menu" I smirked flirtatiously
He chuckled and I thought he looked cute. Maybe if he was not the bartender for tonight, I'd have let him have a bit of fun with me behind a closed door. Too bad he was busy
"I'd like to have one of your strongest drinks with lime sprinkled on it please"
He looked surprised at my demand. "Why lime? Our strongest drink don't require it" He finally voiced out
It remind me of the life I am now living, I wanted to say but instead went with "I like the taste of it"
He nodded and went on to make the drink. I watched in fascination as he went about it. It always interested me whenever a bartender made a drink. The way their hands moved and having to know what next to grab onto was all sexy to me. It's like they're in their own world.
My eyes strayed from him towards other parts of the club and I couldn't wait to get high and get my body on that huge dance floor. I caught Alvaro returning from the entrance door and I sighed in annoyance. I was about to turn back to the bartender when I caught sight of someone entering just behind Alvaro. A man, no scratch that, a fucking art piece on legs. His face was turned to the back in search of something but his side profile was too good to be just at the side
I faintly heard the bartender saying something but I was too lost in the beauty of that man to reply or give my attention to anyone else.
Was it legal to look that good from just the side?
I thought I had seen it all till he finally turned to look straight at me but it was only for a second as a woman, who I now noticed held his hands stepped from behind him to his side and kissed him on the lips, breaking our eye contact before they made their way to a secluded part of the club
"Fuck! He's here. I need to tell the boss"
The bartender's words finally snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to him in confusion. "Who?"
Alvaro also seemed interested in what he had to say as he straightened up
The bartender had an uneasy smile as he stared at us. "No..nothing. No one. Please, excuse me" he disappeared towards the back and I raised a brow, finding his movements and stuttering suspicious
"You sure you checked the area? Is it safe?" I asked as I drank from the glass made for me, hissing from the harsh taste of alcohol
"Yes. But I also informed the guys to come out here. They're spread around, just in case"
I nodded and finished my drink, deciding to have a great night. Earlier thoughts of whoever the handsome man was, permanently forgotten as I got high and danced away my problems.
Just like limes weirdly made you start liking or getting used to them after first trials, my life was beginning to become what I could live with. Tomorrow was another day in my life and I couldn't wait to feel that surge of excitement that comes with a mission, course through my veins again. Fuck having fun. I think it's time I embark on what brought me here in the first place.