Page 46 of Scarred King
I’m sitting in the living room, stretching my feet up on the coffee table, typing quickly on my laptop. I take pictures in my mind of article after article and summarize them neatly in one file. I smile to myself and take a sip of my coffee. This is exactly what I needed, a few hours of flirting with my brain. The sun has already set, and I haven’t seen Johanna all day. I pick up my cellphone to text her just as the door opens. She enters wide awake and smiling.
“I see you had a good night’s sleep,” I smile back, but I’m eaten up with concern.
“Not exactly,” she giggles and throws herself down on the couch opposite me. “Elena, I've had more fun in the last few days that I’ve ever had in my entire life.” She grows serious and puts her hand on her heart. “I think I am falling in love with him.”
“With Tommy?” I ask in disgust.
“Yes…” she says dreamily. “He makes me laugh, gives me compliments and makes me feel like a goddess in bed.”
“I’m happy to hear it.” I’m trying to stay calm but what I’d really like to do is go over and slap her hard across her face so that she could wake up from her crazy dream. “I think, you could find a man who is more suitable for you,” I say cautiously.
“Like all the boring ones before him?” she asks defiantly. “Or maybe like Ralph?” she sneers. “He might look like a movie star, but I have never met anyone as scary as him before,” she says and shivers.
“I’m not really going out with him,” I say dismissively. “I just decided to prove that we’re really not right for each other so that he’ll leave me alone.”
“Right,” she says as her eyes close.
“I don’t understand…” I say to her, “weren’t you meant to cover for me at work tonight?”
“I was,” she replies heavily without opening her eyes, “but Liam kicked me out.” “Really?” I ask excitedly, and I can’t understand why he decided to show some humanity tonight.
“He is so strange,” she mumbles. “One side looks like a monster and the other side looks like an angel.” And then it's like she switches off and falls into a deep sleep. In one sentence she managed to sum up all my feelings towards this creature who I can’t get out of my head.
My cellphone beeps and I open the text screen.
I will pick you up at midnight.
The number is unknown, but I realize that this is my polite date for tonight.
Okay. I reply, trying to understand why he choose such a late hour to go out on a date.
And dress nicely.
I stare at the text and feel like canceling the whole thing. Why does everyone feel the need to stick their noses in my closet? What’s wrong with my clothes? I decide not to text back, and go back to my textbooks. When I raise my head from my laptop again, I’m surprised to see that I only have a half hour to get ready.
Johanna is still lying on the couch deep in sleep. I put my textbooks away sadly and go to the bathroom. I wash myself quickly and as soon as Scarface’s image pops into my head I turn the water off and go to my room. “Dress nicely…” I imitate Ralph’s accent and grumble to myself. Maybe he’s taking me somewhere with a dress code. I consider texting him, but I change my mind. Instead, I go to Johanna’s room and open her closet. Just like mine, her clothes are all organized neatly. I pull a tight, black dress off the hanger, check the subtle cleavage and nod in approval. It’s too tight on the butt and chest, but that makes it look even better. I take some elegant, low-heeled black pumps out of Johanna’s shoe drawer and look at myself in the mirror. My curvy body looks as if it belongs to a different face. My looks too girlish. I roll my braid up and fasten it to my head with some bobby pins, as I’ve been doing recently. I apply some makeup and feel that I look perfect for going out somewhere respectable. I hear a loud knock at the door, so I pick up my purse and go answer it. Johanna doesn’t even stir.
“Ralph’s waiting for you downstairs,” the gorilla standing there says harshly, and I lock the door and go downstairs. A silver Hummer is parked across from the entrance and Ralph is standing by the door in a gray suit. As I get closer, I see that the color of his suit looks good with his fair hair and sky-blue eyes. For a short moment, I can even imagine that he’s a movie star and not a drug dealer.
“Elena. You're a sex bomb.” He says, undressing me with his eyes and just like that, the magical moment ends and I am back in my sick reality.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I compliment him coldly and sit down on the luxurious leather seat.
“Drive,” he orders the second bodyguard rudely, and the jeep rolls on the road.
Ralph puts his arm around my shoulders casually, leans into my neck and sniffs.
“What are you doing?” I gasp and move away. “You can’t touch me without my permission.” I shake a threatening finger at him, and he looks at me amazed.
“Not at all?” he asks.
“Not at all,” I repeat forcefully.
“Then what are we supposed to do in the car if you won't let me make out with you?” he sounds amused and I shake my head in despair.
“Talk. Listen. Get to know each other.”
“Okay. So, tell me about yourself.” He turns his upper body toward me and looks at me.