"Am I a threat to you?" Lena posed the question to Darian, applying final touches to the light makeup on her face.
She huddled her makeup kits back into the box and heaved an exasperated sigh. She wasn't the type to go out to open places but she couldn't refuse Gaby's request not after bribing her with something she had longed to know of.
"In what way, Lena?" He passed the earrings she left on the bed to her and sat back, resting his back on the headboard, his eyes glued to the magazine he was reading.
"Never mind, Darian." She smiled. She didn't want to tell Darian about Judson's threats; they didn't get to her. She had pondered on telling him but there was no need for that. "How do I look?" She spun around, standing in front of him.
Darian didn't look at her, the news about some assassins had gripped his attention, he didn't realize she was still talking to him.
"Darian!" She grimaced.
"What?" He asked in a bored tone.
"Nothing, never mind." She walked toward the full-length mirror to have a better look at herself.
She smiled satisfactorily as she admired her figure in the mirror. The short dress she wore hugged her body, properly accentuating her slender frame. She rubbed her hand on her chest.
"Dry, it's hard." She muttered.
"You are going with the bodyguards," he said to her.
"Why? Gaby and I just want to hang out. We don't need those big men around us. Oh my gosh, people are just going to think the men are our boyfriends. No man will even come close to us," she pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes at Darian.
"A man? What do you want to do with a man?" He placed the magazine on the bed and hoisted his head up to divert all his attention to her. "I will double the bodyguards, six of them will go with you." He said, jealousy apparent in his eyes as he spoke.
Lena chuckled dryly, "do you think I'd do well as a model or should I just become an influencer?" She sat on the chair that was close to the vanity table and straightened her hair with the hot comb.
Darian didn't respond to her. She turned to take a look at him; he was back to reading the magazine.
"I think I should consider being a model, those who wear bikinis and shake off their asses while making videos for the world to see. That would fit me more," she felt his eyes on her when she said those words, but she didn't waver. Instead, she went on and on. "Lisa knows about a manager who wants ladies to model for his new lingerie brand. I guess I should just call her," Lena pretended to be serious as she talked to herself. She played along by standing up to get her phone from the bed.
Darian took the phone from her before she could reach it.
"That's my phone, give it back." She grumbled.
"No,"
"Why not?" She walked to where he sat and stood in front of him. "I have to call Lisa."
"To tell her that you are interested in being a model who wants to shake off her ass in bikinis or model for a lingerie brand?" He scoffed, clutching the phone tightly with his hand.
Lena smiled slyly, "are you jealous?" she winked at him.
He held her gaze for a long time, rising to his feet. He took a step forward. Lena gulped down, her eyes moving around the room. She stepped backward, she didn't want him to get too close.
"Just give me my phone and let's end this drama," her voice was low, lacking vigor.
Darian pinned her to the cold wall and his lips grazed hers.
She felt a pulse in her chest, "I am not jealous. You are mine and mine alone. So fuck the bikini and the lingerie brand!" He gave her phone back to her and turned around to sit back on the bed.
She smiled.
He just proved to her that he was jealous. She loved how cute he looked and it felt so good to call her his own. She rubbed her hand on her chest, staring briefly at him.
"I will not be a model who showcases her body in a bikini and I won't call Lisa to ask for the manager's number either. I love to be yours, it feels good to be yours." She said, biting her lips, eyes down on her feet.
She tiptoed around the room to where the shoe rack was placed, she slid on a pair of low-heeled stilettos and balanced well on it.
-
Thirty minutes later, Darian dropped the call and said to her "Gaby is here, you two be safe out there. And let the bodyguards watch over you." He instructed.
"Yes, captain." Lena mockingly saluted him. "We will be fine. The whole of the Dawson family's bodyguards are going with us, so don't worry too much about us." She patted the tip of his shoulder.
"Call me if something urgent comes up," he stood up and walked to where she stood. He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead for a long time, he let go and smiled softly. "I will be in the study, be good."
Lena stayed frozen on the spot, the things he did to her always caught her off guard but she didn't despise any of them. She always wanted more whenever he showed her a bit of affection.
Darian left the room and Lena went to join Gaby downstairs. Gaby had a small frown on her face when Lena appeared in front of her.
"Oh, I am sorry, I shouldn't have come downstairs when…"
"Lena, the movie has been canceled. The cinema doesn't receive people on weekends." She grimaced, folding her arms against her chest in disappointment. "They didn't specify that before, I would have gone to somewhere else. Now my plans are ruined."
Lena was glad but she didn't jubilate because Gaby seemed upset with what happened and it would be unfair for her to make a mockery of her in that situation.
"Let's stay back at home and see a movie together, is that good?" Lena suggested.
"No!" Gaby yelled. "Where is Darian?"
"In his study," Lena responded.
Gaby nodded her head, she understood that Darian didn't like to be disturbed whenever he was in the study.
"Let's go outside to sit under the tree, it's cooler there and we get to have a cool time together." She didn't wait for Lena to decide before she hurled her out of the living room. "I love staying under the almond tree at the back of the house." She walked with Lena until they got to the back of the house that was occupied by a very large almond tree.
Benches were scattered under it, and the dried leaves fell, meeting with the floor. She smiled, it felt cool as they took shelter under the tree.
"So, I wore this dress to sit under a tree?" She glared at Gaby.
"You know it's not my fault, they changed their mode of operation." She retorted.
"Yes, I know. If we had gone out, what would you have told me about Darian?" Lena asked bluntly.
"I have so much in store for you." She kissed her teeth and smirked. "I wonder why he didn't tell you a lot about himself."
Lena said nothing. She glared strangely at Gaby and smiled. "You can go on." She urged.
"Can you keep a secret?"
"Yes, I can. I won't let anyone know if that's what you want." Lena drew closer to Gaby's bench.
"Darian doesn't know his mother. He despises the word so much." Gaby crossed her legs and shook her head in pity.
"Is there a reason behind that?" Lena inquired.
"Yes, a whole lot. His mother used to work as a hostess in the casino, his dad met her there and I think they fell in love. She got pregnant but his dad didn't leave her, he supported her until the very last day." Gaby said. "The Dawson family rejected her when he introduced her. They accused her of being a prostitute who was only after his money."
"That's not fair," Lena protested.
"His mother gave birth to him and that's the last that was heard of her. From the moment she gave birth to Darian until now, no one knows who she is, what she does, where she stays, and anything about her. Darian blames his mother for leaving him to survive on his own."
"How do you know all of these?" She asked Gaby.
"My dad told me some and my mom spilled the others too."
"I see," she nodded her head. "What else do you have to say about my husband?" She thought carefully about what Gaby just told her.
Now, she understood why he never talked about his mother. He didn't know who she was.
She wondered what kind of a mother would abandon her child, but she was so sure. There was something more to what she did. She must have been in a really difficult situation and maybe just abandoning him was the best thing she could do at that time.
"You know what? Let's talk all about Darian the next time we meet." Gaby said in a serious tone.
"Oh," Lena was disappointed but there was nothing she could do to make Gaby change her mind. "That's good, how about I choose the venue this time?"
"Oh, you know a lot of cinema around here, right?"
She asked Lena.
"No, I will look them up online and pick a good one. Let's hang out next week Saturday, I should be done with my search then." She smiled.
"Perfect, I should get going then." Gaby stood up, dusting imaginary dirt off her short skirt.
"Why? It's too early to leave you here. Stay a bit longer. How about we go inside the kitchen to name some cookies?" She suggested.
Gaby loved the idea, she nodded her head to it and they left for the kitchen together.