POV: KATHERINA
My eyes opened as I felt a tingling sensation on my skin. I looked down to see Chris drawing some random pattern on my right breast.
Feeling my movement, he lifted his head.
“Good morning” His voice was deep. His hair was messy, and his blue eyes were brighter than their usual shade.
“Morning,” I replied. He slowly came up and kissed my forehead, making me smile.
“How you feelin?” he asked, placing his left arm under my head as his other hand was still doing its work.
“Good,” I said softly. His lips came to mine, kissing me slowly.
“Morning breath,” I mumbled.
“I don’t fucking care,” he replied calmly and kept kissing me.
His lips molded perfectly on mine. His tongue caressed mine sensuously as his hand started moving lower and lower.
A moan escaped from me when he delicately captured my pussy in his palm. My hands tightened in his locks, urging him to continue.
One of his fingers started moving along my slit, which made my head fall back in pleasure.
“Fuck! You’re wet,” he cursed in pure satisfaction and started moving his finger furiously.
“No. I still feel raw,” I said, and he immediately withdrew his hand, making me pout.
He didn’t let me sleep last night, just like he said. He made love to me over and over again. And then fucked me over and over again.
After leaving the club, we immediately dashed to his place as his parents had gone to Hawaii. I forgot all about the man I saw in the club.
“Pancakes?” he asked.
“Pancakes,” I replied.
He got up from the bed and put on his shorts. I tried to get up but hissed in pain and stumbled back on the bed. Chris was beside me in no time. His arms wrapped around my bare body.
“I’m sorry. I was too hard last night,” he said and carried me to the washroom.
“No, you know I liked it” I smiled and pulled him closer, pecking on his lips.
“You want me to help you bathe?” He smirked, putting me down.
“No,” I said and pushed him out of the washroom, his chuckles making me blush red.
I limped to reach the shower and turned on the faucet. The warm water cascaded down my skin. He had gotten everything ready for me to bathe before waking me up.
After the bath, I left the washroom with a towel wrapped around me. Slipping into one of Christopher’s shirts and a pair of his shorts, I walked down to the kitchen to see him cooking, shirtless.
I tiptoed over and wrapped my arms around his huge frame.
“Hey. Pancakes are almost ready, and so is the coffee,” he said.
I stood on my toes and placed my chin on his shoulder, and watched him prepare coffee for the two of us. He gave me my cup, his eyes taking in my attire.
“You look so sexy in my clothes.” He smirked and sipped his coffee while I hopped up to sit on the counter.
“These are comfortable.” I shrugged, and just then, my phone started ringing in his room.
“I’ll get it,” Chris said and ran to the bedroom to fetch my phone. It was my mother.
“Hey, honey.” Her chirping voice came from the other end.
“Hey, mom.”
“Would you come home now and take care of Ara? I’ve got a new client, and I need to get to their place.”
“Mom! It’s Sunday,” I protested.
“I know, darling. But you know it’s very important for me. It’s for a wedding. Please understand?” she requested, and I couldn’t say no.
“Okay.” I sighed heavily.
“Also, I’ve left a shopping list and money on the dining table. Can you go to Walmart?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“What’s wrong?” Chris questioned as soon as I ended the call.
“Need to go home. Mom has to work, so I’ve got to take care of Arabella.”
“Okay”
“Can you come with me?” I asked hopefully.
“Uh, no. I’m sorry. Practice.”
“No, no. It’s totally fine” I smiled in defeat.
After having pancakes, Chris drove me home. Mom left as soon as I got there, leaving behind a little model dressed up like Kylie Jenner just to go to Walmart.
Arabella was wearing a sleeveless black frock that stopped above her knee and sunglasses. I rolled my eyes at her.
I took the money and the list from the table and left home with my sister clutching my hand.
“Kat, can we take a cab? It’s too sunny,” she said, after walking just a few steps away from home, fanning her face, which was covered with huge sunglasses.
The sun was miraculously shining but not hot enough to cause a sunburn. By evening I was sure the weather would change, and the rain would be pouring down.
“No, Bella, the shop is close by,” I replied shortly. The Walmart is indeed close to my home, so a little walk would not hurt.
“But I’ll tan if I walk in the sun,” she complained.
“Stop being a drama queen, Ara. You’re fine, okay?” I said.
“Kat, no, please,” she said, pouting and giving me puppy-dog eyes.
“No.” My voice was firm.
We finally reached Walmart. I took the cart and placed my sister in the child’s seat in the front. For a six-year-old, she’s tiny like a two-year-old and fits perfectly in her baby chair as well as here in the cart.
Every time I take her shopping, she ends up creating chaos with a capital c. I’d rather not bring her at all, but my mom wouldn’t hear of it.
The times I’ve let her walk freely in the supermarket were horrific. She dumps snacks in the cart and causes all kinds of trouble.
Once, she tried to get some cereal from the top shelf by piling up all the items on the lower shelves so she could climb them.
I would’ve been impressed with her intelligence if not for the staff hunting me down and making me put them back.
Other times she would wander off, and I’d get that sick feeling in my stomach and tears in my eyes as my brain wouldn’t stop conjuring images of her being kidnapped and murdered.
Then she would just pop out of nowhere and yell “BOO,” and it was all I could do not to slap her pretty face.
So the best place for her is right in front of me, sitting in the cart.
I started going each row by row, getting the things on the list.
“Kat! Cheetos!”
I took two boxes of almond and raisin cereal as they are Dad’s favorite breakfast.
“KAT! CHEETOS!”
I ignored her completely and went around taking what was necessary.
“I need Cheetos, or else I’ll pee right here!”
There she goes blackmailing her big sister. I took two bags of Cheetos and put them in the cart.
“Two more. Please.”
I grunted in response and threw another two.
“If we’re short of money for this, I’ll leave you here and go,” I threatened her.
She gladly shut her mouth and didn’t ask for anything else.
When we were done with the groceries, I went to the produce section.
Tomatoes—check.
Onions—check.
Potatoes—check.
Peas—check.
Bitter gourd—check.
After getting everything that was on the list, I finally got some chocolates for Ara and me and paid the bill.
Both my hands were stuffed with bags, so I called a cab and waited while Ara was eating her Cheetos. The cab was late, which seriously annoyed me.
I got into it and said the address. My head was aching, and Ara wouldn’t stop making crunching noises.
“Ara, for God s sake, stop crunching so loudly,” I said, which only provoked her to increase the noise.
I opened my eyes to look at my sister eating like a pig. Her fingers and her mouth are covered with Cheeto dust.
She loves annoying me as much as I annoy her. Even with a thirteen-year gap between us, we get along like friends, always having fun.
Smiling at her, I wiped her mouth with a tissue, making her giggle. I looked out the window to see how close we were, but the taxi was going the wrong way.
“Where are you going?” I asked when I saw the car driving the opposite direction to the address I d given. The driver, who was wearing a hat and black glasses, remained dead silent.
“Excuse me? You’re supposed to take a U-turn and take a right to reach my home,” I said a little louder this time, but he remained silent.
Fear started creeping in slowly, taking my sister from the seat and placing her on my lap. I tried to open the window, but it was locked, and so was the door.
“Stop the car,” I said, clutching Ara’s arms around my torso. I felt him speed up.
“I said stop the car!” I screamed. Ara wrapped herself tightly around me.
He remained silent. There was no reaction from him whatsoever. I quickly took my phone out and felt the car stop abruptly. Not reacting to it, I dialed 911.
I was about to press the call button when I heard a click.
I lifted my head up to see him holding a black pistol, aiming right at Ara’s head. His other hand came forward, motioning to give him my phone.
Having no choice, I placed the phone in his palm. His face was covered by the hat, and the glasses made it difficult to see him.
“Try anything, and I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.” His voice was calm yet menacing.
I started shaking vigorously and looked down to see Ara’s face was pressed into my chest, her eyes closed tightly.
“Let us go, please,” I said softly, holding Ara.
“Just sit quietly, and I won’t lay a finger on you two,” he said and turned around, the gun and phone resting on his lap. He started the car and drove faster than before.
Ara lifted her head from my chest, and I looked down.
“Everything’s fine, okay?” I said and hugged her tightly. I couldn’t do anything. I looked out the window to see that we were heading toward the edge of town.
“Please, let us go,” I begged him.
“What did I say about being quiet?” he growled.
My eyes started to well up, and my thoughts were fixed on keeping Ara safe and sound at all costs.
When the car came to an abrupt stop, I looked outside to see that we were in front of a building. The man came to my side and opened the door for me.
I slowly got down with Ara’s legs and arms wrapped around me. The car started moving as soon as I was out, but the driver was right next to me.
He didn’t speak but started walking toward the building, gesturing at me to follow.
“Kat? What is this place? I want to go home” Ara’s voice came out too scared to be heard. We entered, and immediately the room turned silent.
“Shh,” I whispered in her ear and felt her legs tighten around my waist.
The room was filled with workout equipment and horrible-looking, tattooed men. They stopped working out and smirked at me, which only made me tighten my arms around Ara.
The man started walking among them. Their eyes were shamelessly glittering with pure lust as they watched me. I walked faster behind the man who opened another door and gestured me in.
I got in quietly and the door shut.
“Hey, open the door!” I screamed, banging on the wooden door.
I’d heard the lock turn as he left us in here. I turned around, panic-stricken, and looked around. The large room was filled with workout equipment.
But there was only one of each machine, which meant it was a private workout room. The room was so silent that my footsteps were loud.
“Hello?” I called out, hoping someone would come out. Ara finally lifted her head from my chest and looked around the empty room.
“Kat?”
“Yes?” I looked down at her, but she was looking straight, pointing at something behind me.
My eyes followed her finger and saw a man leaning against the wall with his arms folded, making his biceps bulge.
I felt a shiver run down my spine when I looked into his black eyes. I recognized him quickly as the same man I’d seen the day before at the party.
He was standing motionlessly without even blinking his eyes, just like yesterday.
I lifted my head to look at him, surprised to see him in a different position now but with the same motionless posture.
His hands slipped into his black jean pockets as he stood with his legs apart and chin up. He started walking toward me, and I automatically took a step back.
His eyes roamed all over my body, watching my every movement.
He came closer and closer, and I stood on my guard though my legs were shaking. When he stopped just a foot away from me, a ripple of fear ran down my back.
His huge frame was so intimidating that it made it difficult for me to look into his eyes.
His chest was covered with symbols and words I didn’t recognize. There were black studs in his ear. His eyes shifted from me to Ara, and I tightened my grip on her, which he noticed.
His eyes were cold and empty—nothing, absolutely nothing in them.
“What’s your name?” came his deep low voice. I felt a shiver run down my spine immediately.
“Isabella Clearwater,” I lied.
His eyebrows knitted together as he glared down at me, and I knew then he smelled my lie in a jiffy.
“What’s your name?” His voice turned hard and threatening.
“K-Katherina,” I quickly blurted out.
“Katherina what? Is your father dead, or don’t you have one?” he asked softly in his low, dangerous voice. I stared at him and felt my blood boil.
“Katherina Blackwood,” I said a little unsteadily.
His mouth twitched into a smirk as he took a tiny step toward me. I stood holding my sister tightly, who said nothing as she buried her head in my chest.
“Katherina. Katherina Blackwood. Katherina, rina rina,” he chanted with amusement in his voice. I said nothing and looked at the door I came in from.
“Do you know why you’re here, Katherina?” His voice was calm yet dangerous.
“No. Just let us go,” I said in a soft yet hopeful tone.
“You were so fucking sexy last night, do you know that?” he said roughly. I felt the color drain out of my face.
He took a deep breath with his eyes closed, his head falling back in the process. When he opened his eyes, they were dilated. I immediately took a step back.
“Don’t move.”
My body stopped moving at his command.
His face came closer to my right ear, and I tried not to tremble, but it was hard. His face didn’t touch me, but his warm breath was fanning my bare skin.
I shut my eyes, and my body started shivering uncontrollably. Two strong arms held my waist, and my eyes snapped open.
“Stop shaking,” he said when I was actually wiggling to get out of his strong hold. His face dipped into my neck region without any warning, and his arms wrapped around my back.
I was glad Ara was between us.
His sweat and cologne hit my nostrils as his nose started brushing my skin. I took one of my hands from Ara and placed it on his chest, which made him stiffen and tighten his hold on my back.
I felt his abs flexing, his skin hot under my hand as I pushed him with all my effort to create space between us. He didn’t even budge.
He started drawing patterns with his nose on my bare skin, which made my nose curl. The only guy I ever let touch me is Christopher, and anothers man’s touch was exciting in a bad way.
“Stop,” I requested. “Please.”
He quickly left me and stepped back.
“Pack all your stuff and be ready tomorrow. I’ll be at your doorstep to pick you up at five in the evening,” he said, looking down at me.
“What?” I said unbelievingly.
“You heard me.”
“What do you mean by pack and who are you and why—”
“I fucking told you to pack all your fucking things and be ready at five. Question me again or try to involve cops, and I’ll slit your sister’s throat.”
He said this calmly though his eyes were blazing with anger. Ara started to whimper softly and shiver in my arms.
“How dare you. Who—"
My sister and I both screamed when he grabbed my hair and pulled me forward, just an inch away from his face. His eyes were cold and angry looking into mine.
His other hand came toward Ara, and my eyes widened immediately. I started shaking my head furiously, but he only tightened his hold on my hair while his other hand gripped Ara’s neck.
Ara cried out in pain.
“Please! Don’t. You’re hurting her!” I begged him.
Tears started flowing furiously as he let Ara scream. He started pulling Ara away from me by her neck.
I screamed and held her tight, but he was swift. Within a second, he’d pulled her completely out of my grip and held her up by her neck.
“Oh my God, please!” I begged him as Ara kicked furiously in the air. I tried to reach for her, but he stretched his arm and held her out of my reach.
I saw his eyes twinkling with amusement, enjoying the pain and fear he was causing both of us, and it made me sick.
“Question me again, and you won’t see her anymore, baby,” he said, jerking Ara in his arm and smashing my body on his bare chest.
“I won’t! I won’t question, please leave her alone,” I begged into his chest.
He released her from his death grip, and I quickly caught her before she hit the floor.
I was sobbing, rubbing Ara’s neck and apologizing to her when he gripped my hair again and jerked my head up to look at him.
“Please,” I literally begged him.
His hand finally let go of my hair, and he walked toward the door, holding it open.
“Get out and do what I told you. No cop business or clever tricks, or you won’t like what’s coming” He spoke loudly this time, his threat lingering in the air.
I immediately ran out the door. I heard him chuckle behind me. The man who drove us here appeared beside me as I ran out of the damn building.
I quickly got in the car and shut the door. I started to sob silently, holding Ara in my arms.
“’It hurts,” Ara said in a small voice, rubbing the back of her neck.
I scanned the area to see his handprints on her skin. I kissed her neck and hugged her tight.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. As soon as we reach home, I’ll do something about it. Please stop crying, Ara.”
She wrapped her arms around my torso.
My phone was beside me, and I wiped my eyes, trying to figure a way out of this.