A residential elevator took them straight to Raphael Mancini's quarters. There was a mechanical ding from somewhere in the elevator cage, and the door slid open, revealing a room that was almost half a football field. It was basically a penthouse, luxuriously furnished with state-of-the-art furniture, telling of a unique sense of style. There was an opulent fireplace, an elaborate display of gory artworks on the wall and a large, kingly terrace that provided a great panoramic view of everything within miles of the property.
Raphael followed her leisured walk into the room. He was relaxed on an exquisite black-leathered sofa, a filled wine glass on a glass stool by his elbow. Elena noticed the exaggerated air of self-importance around him. He looked confident, proud, rich and powerful as he sat, and looked devilishly handsome enough to steal any woman's heart, but definitely not hers. Her heart belonged to Pete Harrison. She wasn't smitten by Raphael's looks and power, he was her enemy, a man that she hated. "Why did you have to call me here? Don't you get tired of demonstrating your power? I have seen enough of you today to last me a lifetime", Elena scoffed, dropping closer into his view.
Raphael Mancini smirked lazily, observing her, his eyes squinted in her direction. "Would you care for a drink" he finally said, picking up a wine glass on another glass stool beside him. Loud patters of feet announced the big man moving towards a private wine bar in the room. He brought a bottle of wine. Bent waist down, he poured light blue liquid into the wine glass. His movement was refined and practiced, and he had the grace of a wine connoisseur. He backed away after filling the glass, returning the bottle to the bar. There was a declining report of feet as the big man completely left the room. Elena eyed the wine glass suspiciously, then Raphael.
"What about the drink?" Elena inquired. "What are you planning to do?"
"I had you brought here to have a drink with me. Relax, stop being suspicious and drink. I am not a savage, or a beast. I won't poison you. I don't enslave, I tame my prey", Raphael said calmly. He leaned towards her, picked up the wine glass, raised it in the air for her to see. Then he took a sip of the drink and returned the wine glass to the stool.
Elena watched, struggling to contain her anger. She couldn't believe he forced her here, just to waste her time having a drink with him.
"So you called me here because you wanted me to drink with you. I don't see why you can't indulge yourself without my presence. Besides, I don't take alcohol", Elena challenged. She kicked the glass stool away, jerking up to her feet. The blue liquid spilled from the glass, making tiny puddles on the floor. Elena looked away from the mess. Her shoulders hunched and stiff with determination, she declared. "I will be going now. I have important things to attend to."
"And what is that important thing?" Raphael asked calmly, reclining further into his seat. He folded his arms, looking up at her. His face placid.
"Attending to my Dad's injuries, of course. You and your boys beat him up badly.", Elena returned.
"Trust me signora, he'd seen worse. He was one of my father's hitmen back in the day before he lost his touch. He has killed quite a lot of people, and had his fair share of being roughed up. He has had more surgeries than I can count with my fingers. Besides, there is a nurse in the house to attend to him. I understand being filial, but he isn't your priority right now. I am. Your one and only existence for the next one year is to please me. The moment you refuse to do that, a bullet goes through the skull of the very man you are so desperate to save."
"I am not your property. I own myself, you don't. The document only suggested I was to be like a sort of girlfriend or wife to you for a year, and not that I was your property. And, of course, the document never talked about a sexual relationship, so you should also forget me, satisfying whatever horrible sexual fantasies you might have."
Raphael gave an easy laugh as he stood up, taking his time. Bridging the space between them, he planted himself just before her. He leaned so low that his breath fanned her cheek. He reeked totally of alcohol. The stench put her off, she hated alcohol. She should have dropped back a little to avoid much of the smell, but there was something about his manly beauty, the taunting jeer in his eyes, and his overwhelming presence that made the stench bearable. She also didn't want him to think she was afraid of him. She stood her ground, refusing to cower in fear against his intimidation.
"I guess you didn't read all through the document, especially the details in fine print" he leaned closer to her ear and whispered, his voice soft and low. Up close, Elena found his voice quite pleasing. She shouldn't be thinking that, she thought, shaking the thought from her head. It made him seem less savage and inhuman than he actually was. Instead, she steered her mind towards what he said. It was true she didn't read the document all through before signing it. He had made sure that she didn't. He had cleverly manipulated her into signing the document without reading it through. Now, she realized she must have signed herself into far more trouble than she had initially anticipated.
Raphael took his face back to her. With his manicured fingers, he picked up a long strand of blonde hair from her shoulder, running his fingers over the silky length. "You are practically my property, signora. I own you for a year. I can do anything to you, even kill you. And yes, I have quite a few sexual fantasies that you can describe as horrible, and you are going to help satisfy them."
He leaned closer and closer towards her, bringing their bodies together, the heat from his body engulfing her. She had an inkling of what he was about to do. Yet, as if a powerful force was keeping her rooted to the spot, she couldn't bring herself to move away, until he sealed his lips onto hers. She had a good taste of the alcohol lying within his velvety lips.
Realization struck her, and she hated herself. She had just allowed her enemy to kiss her. She pushed him roughly away from her, trembling in shame and embarrassment. She couldn't bring herself to look at the smirk that must now fill his face. She turned for the elevator cage, sprinting as fast as she could in that direction.