Page 20 of Controlled

And so, I turned and fled.

CHAPTER 7

Creed

Bella was so beautiful it was like a sucker punch and that wasn’t something I’d experienced with a single other woman. She was also no pushover, refusing to back down even though it was apparent she knew who I was and all about my reputation.

Defiance.

Some said as with all other aspects of emotions, it was an art that could be perfected with time. Others said it was simply an adult version of throwing a child’s temper tantrum. What I knew was that defiance was nothing more than hiding dark and delicious secrets behind a structured steel of armor.

My brothers and I had perfected the craft years before, acting defensive to anyone who asked about our home life, and there had been plenty of people doing so when we were still too young to understand just how much power our father wielded.

Teachers and principals had asked about our wellbeing, especially after our mother had been run off. My father called them do-gooders who had no understanding of our very special relationship. He’d told several of the ones were most persistent to stay away but one in particular didn’t listen.

I would never forget the day I walked into my English class when I was eleven or twelve, learning my teacher had been found dead in his home, electrocuted in a horrible way. The very sweet man had become worried after my series of macabre stories I’d penned for the creative writing part of our class that something was very wrong at home. I had no doubt my father had slaughtered him because he’d stuck his nose where he shouldn’t have. I’d mourned the loss, the man like a big brother to me, but my father had sat all three of his boys down, reminding us that no one outside of the man sitting in front of us knew what was best for us.

I exhaled from the memory as I watched her trying to fade into the hundreds of honored guests, looking over her shoulder only once to see if I was following her. Given my height of almost six foot five, I could see over the majority of guests. However, being able to see her from where I was standing didn’t matter. I had eight men with me, three remaining in the lobby on the lookout for her arrival but also to ensure no one had followed me.

Tonight, I did not want to be bothered by anyone. It was time to begin unraveling the dark secrets that Bella was obviously embarrassed about. I’d recognized her as the scintillating club dancer by the scent of her perfume. There were ways for a person to hide, even in plain sight. Masks. Costumes. Wigs. I’d seen it all over the years. However, what few people knew was that a person’s scent was easily recognizable, completely individualized. It wasn’t just about the intoxicating fragrance of perfume a woman wore. It was a combination of the body cream and moisturizer selected, the shower gel preferred, and the brand of shampoo and conditioner used.

And for the lovely Bella, a woman who had no idea of how stunning she was whether in a skimpy leotard or the lovely dress she’d selected for the evening, it was her burning desire that had encapsulated what was for me the perfect scent. Heavenly.

She had perhaps the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. But up close they were captivating, the color of a perfect sky or a bluebird on a spring day, irises flecked in gold as if kissed by the rays of sun. She’d uncoiled her long locks from the bun that so many dancers seemed to wear, her silky strands of raven hair hiding one of the most distinctive aspects of her perfect figure.

Her long neck.

I wanted to brush my fingers down one side and up the other, allowing my tongue to trail behind it. The beast inside of me wanted to sink his canines into her soft flesh just below her pulse of life. Did that make me a monster? I wasn’t certain at this point.

As with all women, I’d seen them as nothing but a pretty face. That had included hers initially, but she’d already shown me more substance than any of the women I’d dated or those who considered themselves colleagues of mine. Which was in and of itself a laugh. She was nervous around me, pegging me as a beast in expensive clothing but she wasn’t panicking.

At least yet.

That would come when she discovered I was playing for keeps.

I finished my drink, placing the unwanted glass on a tray and taking long strides through the group, forced to smile and nod toward a couple of people who dared call my name. After carelessly placing her glass on a tray, knocking several items over while doing so, she’d gone through the double doors at the end of the ballroom, and I knew exactly where she was headed.

The service elevators, figuring I wouldn’t look for her there and she could easily slip out of the building at the back of the hotel. She underestimated me and would soon learn that doing so wasn’t in her best interest.

However, the thought of cornering and capturing her had already tightened my balls. My strides were twice hers and she was walking in stilettos likely for the first time in at least a couple of months. That placed her at a severe disadvantage. When she flew around a corner, I knew my assumption had been correct. I picked up my speed, refusing to let her get away.

Her defiance had solidified my desire and my decision.

By the end of forty-eight hours, she would belong to me, becoming my very special house guest.

I smiled and shoved one hand into the pocket of my trousers as I rounded the corner. She was just getting inside, not realizing that while the majority of the hotel had been renovated, the service elevators were much older. The doors were slower to open and close and the aspect I did appreciate, especially for this moment, was that there was a button allowing for a hard stop.

The doors were almost closed when I reached one of three elevators. I pressed my hand against one door, taking a deep breath before pushing it open.

Bella immediately lifted her head, the look of shock in her eyes quickly turning to one of anger. She moved quickly, pushing herself away from the back wall, trying to grab a wide berth so she could easily scamper away from me for a second time. I moved in front of her, not only crowding her space but blocking her completely from escaping.

“You’re not going anywhere, lovely Bella.”

“Let me go, Mr. Saint. I don’t think we should be near each other.”

“At this moment, what you believe isn’t what’s going to happen.”

“Get away from me or I’ll scream.”