"Thank you," Red smiled and thanked the chauffeur who helped her out of the car. She was now standing in front of the grand estate of Mr. Wells. She whistled quietly to herself, taking in all the fine and exquisite architectural design, landscape, and well-manicured acres of Arborvitae trees.
"In and out, blend in," she cooed to herself before gingerly catwalking into the halls of the house, swaying her hips with confident strides. She was dressed in a simple, floor-length, backless charmeuse silk dress, fitted to perfection, gripping her body and outlining her slender shoulders and waistline. Her rhinestone thin spaghetti dress straps glowed as the lights all around her shone.
Her curly hair poured delicately onto her shoulders. A simple pear-drop rhinestone necklace adorned her neck, and her ears sparkled with matching elegance. Her light makeup complemented the silver white mask that concealed her face, adding an air of mystery to her already captivating presence.
She walked into the hall, trying to blend in with the high-class guests, all wearing different types of masks, from feathery to elegant stoned masks to outrageous ones. The masked guests poured in and out of the hall, chattering and laughing.
Immediately, she decided she was already bored trying to blend in. She took a champagne from a nearby passing tray and decided to stand in a quiet corner, watching them all.
She mentally tried to piece together the floor plan of the house she had studied. She knew exactly where she needed to go; all she had to do was quietly move without drawing attention to herself.
After a while, she successfully slipped past visitors into a private area without the guards at the entrance noticing. She needed to get to where the diamond was, passing a series of doors, quietly making her way through.
Getting closer to her destination, she couldn't help but feel a little proud - this was going to be as easy as she thought.
"The party is boring, isn't it, baby?" Someone whispered behind her.She yelped, turning her back, her heart racing with surprise.
"Jesus, do you just walk up behind people purposely trying to give them a heart attack?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the man before her, who appeared drunk.
"I didn't mean to scare you, sweetheart," he slurred, "but damn, you look really good... and I mean, really good." He eyed the curves of the top of her breast, his gaze making her uncomfortable.
"Excuse me?" She asked, irritated, eyeing him up and down as she stepped back.
"C'mon," he chuckled, smirking at her as he strolled towards her. "I saw you looking at me downstairs at the party, and you led me up the stairs, all the way here." He whistled low, his eyes literally undressing her.
"Hey! Stay the hell away from me, back off!" She warned, raising her voice.
He stopped in his tracks, his face frozen, as if he had been slapped in the face. "What the fuck are you playing at, huh? Playing hard to get? Huh, you slut?"
She slapped him.
"Why, you little—". He raised his hand to strike her, but was abruptly interrupted by an intimidating roar.
"Hey! Don't. You. Dare!."
Two men without masks approached them. One appeared to be a bodyguard, and the other a guest, who did all the talking and warning.
"If you want to act like a piece of shit, harassing a defenseless woman, don't pull that shit here," he roared.
Defenseless???? Who is he calling defenseless? Red thought to herself, getting a little offended.
Compared to the man who came to her rescue, the drunk man, trying not to appear intimidated, roared back.
"Back off, buddy, she didn't ask for your help." He tried to appear taller, puffing his chest in an attempt to appear bigger.
" Actually, I want you to back the fuck away from me" Red hissed at the drunk man, glaring at him.
Her saviour positioned himself between her and her harasser, as if to protect her.
" You heard her,now get the fuck out of my house or I'll kick you out myself" the man growled, his voice menacing.
The drunk man darted nervously at him. "Mr. Wells? Shit, look, I'm really sorry, I—"
"Leave," Mr. Wells commanded, his fingers snapped towards his bodyguard, who immediately began to push the drunk harasser out, until they were out of sight.
Red sighed, relieved, but still a little shaken and angry.
...
"Are you alright?" His deep, low, soothing voice brought her mind back to her surroundings. She was alone with him.
She looked up at the tall figure standing just a few inches away from her. She could literally smell his cologne - a rich, sensual blend of leather, amber, and bergamot. He smelled divine.
Mr. Aiden Wells
She was standing face-to-face with the man she was here to steal from. "I'm fine," she said, backing away as if she'd been burned.
Still flushed and angry from the previous encounter, she tried to appear calm and collected. "I had the whole situation under perfect control".
His eyes, a piercing shade of honey brown, hooded with thick lashes, stared down at her. Expressionless.
"Oh, really?" He said, tilting his head to the side a little, observing her like an exotic animal.
"Because it didn't appear that way to me. It looked like he was about to hit you, and it didn't look like you were going to do anything about it.", He spoke calmly, his tone neutral.
His words sparked a defensive response.
"He wouldn't have", she snapped at him. "Because I wouldn't have let him hit me. Thank you for your help, but it wasn't needed."
"Are you always this defensive?" He asked, his face still expressionless.
She blinked at him, She wasn't going to be intimidated, she stared right back at him.
"Excuse me?, Are you trying to insult me?"
" Do you feel insulted?"
She gave him a murderous look. "No I don't, I'm disappointed".
"Why,do tell?", He said, leaning against the wall, with his hands in his pockets, never taking his eyes off her.
"I expected more originality, I expected something better from someone as charming as you_"
As the words left her mouth, she quickly realized what she had said, she was already burning red hot with embarrassment.
Aiden Wells was quiet for a while, then gave a wicked smile, flashing his perfect set of teeth, which made her feel exposed, even behind her mask.
"Ah, you think I'm attractive", he said in a low, mocking voice.
"No, that's not what I meant", she protested. "I didn't mean you were attractive, even though you are... but that's not what I was trying to say. I'm trying to say—", she faltered, her words trailing off as she struggled to compose herself. She was sure she was glowing red,why the hell was she babbling, what the heck is happening.
She could see him, grinning, enjoying every minute of it, enjoying her humiliation. She scorned at him, narrowing her eyes.
"Screw you", she cursed at him.
Instantly, his grin disappeared, he had a dark look on. Slowly, he began to walk towards her, like a predator.
"Careful Habib, you shouldn't say things like that, when you're alone with someone like me".
His voice, a low sultry growl. Sending chills down her spine, making her instantly scared and maybe, just maybe a little excited.
"Or else what?", She taunted. Her eyes never leaving his. She stood her ground, refusing to back down as he continued to stalk towards her.
He was finally close to her, Looming over her. The air was electric and suddenly too hot. They were too close, way too close,she could feel his warm breath on her skin. His golden brown eyes, blazing with desires. She knew he was a dangerous force, She liked the thrill, giving into the burning sensation she felt.
She asked again, barely in a whisper, "what are you going to do?".
Her dare hanging in the air, unanswered. A challenge to cross the imaginary boundary line between them. They stood there, eyes locked in a silent standoff.
....
For a while, they just stood there. He said nothing. His eyes still fixed on hers.
He slowly began trailing his fingers over the designs and patterns on the mask that concealed the areas around her eyes. His finger tips slightly brushing her skin as he trailed the edge of her mask, His touch sending shivers down her whole body, she couldn't help but swallow hard. His eyes, dark with lust, seemed to bore deeper into her eyes, feeling hypnotized unable to move.
He began leaning in
Her heart racing, her mind subconsciously taking over, she began to close her eyes.
Just when it seemed like he was going to kiss her.
He stopped.
His fingers went still on her mask, Her eyes fluttered open, confused and dazed. He took a step back, still holding her gaze.
"What are you doing here?"
He asked, his low with a hint of curiosity.
"Huh?", She caught herself saying, taken by surprise by his question.
"The party is downstairs,not up here", he gestured to the hallway.
She felt a pang of disappointment. But quickly recovered, hiding her dismay, trying to compose herself.
"I was looking for the restroom",she responded nonchalantly. Feeling flushed and stupid.
"The restroom?", He repeated after her.
"Yes.."
she stood there, unsure if he believed her or not, her heart beating fast.
He took another step back.
"You shouldn't be up here, go back downstairs", he said firmly. "I'll show you where the restroom is first" he added gently.
She nodded, not knowing what to say again, trying to process everything that was happening.
"This way", he gestured for her to follow.
As they walked deeper into the hallways, she could feel his eyes on her, burning into her skin. she tried to ignore it, she focused on the interior details of the large hallway instead.
The dark panelled hallway scattered with collectibles and antique arts, a classic grandfather clock standing on one side, white marbled floors with golden details adding elegancy to the hallways, huge paintings hanging on both sides of the wall, contemporary lightings and chandeliers hanging from the high celling. A mix of modern interior design and Victorian era. She tried to keep her mind occupied.
Get the job done,in and out.
She reminded herself. The whole hall seem to fade away.
He stopped in front of a door and gestured towards it, for her to precede him.
"The restroom" he said, quietly.
"Thank you", she murmured, reaching for the door handle.
But before she could, he grabbed her hand,his fingers wrapping around her wrist firmly. Pushing her gently against the door, moving closer to her.
"What are you doing?!" Red demanded, taken aback.
He ignored her as he slowly peeled away the strings holding her mask to her face. Her body froze, her breath seized as she sucked in a breath.
"What_"
her voice this time, rarely audible, barely a whisper. Completely frozen, holding her breath as he proceeded to loosing her mask completely.
He let it fall to the ground.
His eyes burned into hers, unyielding and strong.
"You have quite a smart mouth on you", he eyed her lips, his sultry voice purred,his fingers trailing down her neck, slowly working his way up to her chin.
She felt a shiver run down her spine as he lifted her chin, His eyes blazing with intensity,like fire.
"I told you to be careful around someone like me".
Her lips parted a little, slightly. She was completely and utterly speechless, Her mind was blank, still trying to process what was happening.
"Nothing?, You don't have anything to say again?" He appearing a little vexed, teasing her.
He opened his mouth to say something again, but before he could.
Her lips crashed into his
Grabbing him by his collar, her other hand delved into his dark silky hair, catching him completely off guard, shocked, momentarily freezing him.