Dark Desires, Tainted Bliss

Waking before him, the chain gave her little movement, but she could just sit up right, shifting her body closer to the ring. She called his name, “Takeshi,” but he was still out. She didn’t know what to do. It didn’t take much longer, though, finally, he roused, and she sighed with relief. She was absolutely terrified, yet trying to be strong, unsure she succeeded at it. Her heels were gone, clothes disheveled like she’d been searched. His shoes were gone, too, and his clothing in a similar state. “I – I’m ok, I think,” she glanced down at herself then at him, “Are you ok? Did they hurt you?” When he mentioned shoes, she glanced down, giving a small nod, “I’m not sure when they took our shoes or if they found the tracker. How do we get out of here?” she asked. Before he could manage a response, three men walked into the room speaking Russian. Alyssa perked up ever so slightly before easing. The last thing she wanted them to realize is that she somewhat knew the language – not well, but she could attempt to follow and hopefully catch the majority.

One came over to Alyssa, “Tell us about your father’s operation, this next deal, and we’ll let you and your little boyfriend go.” Alyssa shook her head, “I don’t know anything, and if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. I wouldn’t betray my…” before she could finish, he back handed her across the face. His firm fingers grasped her chin forcing her to look up at him, “You want to do this the hard way, one of you will talk,” the man who seemed to take the lead spoke. He smacked Alyssa round as one went over to Takeshi. “Leave us alone!” Alyssa cried out, but that only made him laugh. He took the cigar he was smoke and pressed the headed end against the front of her shoulder, drawing out a loud scream of pain. Tears filled her eyes, but she fought desperately not to cry, breathing hard from the pain she was already beginning to feel.

"Fuck you," Takeshi spat, earning himself a brutal slap across his face but he didn't flinch, controlling the anger simmering. Acting on impulse and anger while being bound was not only foolish but it would guarantee a certain end he wasn't ready to face. Especially not with Aly's safety a priority. Of course the only way out was ploughing through this men with guns blazing. Problem was, he had no gun and the dagger at the side of his shin was… The dagger! He had always kept this one on his person ever since his father died. Takeshi was thinking fast, putting on a neutral mask as the men cackled wickedly, relishing in Alyssa's agony. He curled himself as he contorted his body to reach for that dagger.

When Alyssa locked her gaze on him, the dagger was already cutting through his bonds like a hot knife through butter. Released, Takeshi breathed easily. His gaze flicked towards the brutes, clearly distracted in their glee, seeing a woman cry. Positioned on all fours, Takeshi's inched towards the men akin to a predator stalking its prey. In a blurred flash, he struck — slashing through one of their calves. The sound of flesh being seared was all he could hear. Bloodlust consumed him, his senses ablaze with adrenaline and thrill as crimson blood pooled on the floor. The man screamed as he buckled down, shock permeating through his body as Takeshi tackled the others, dagger swiftly aiming for their chests, plunging it into their chests simultaneously, taking turns with blood splattering across his face. His laboured breathing took a toll as his hues searched for Aly. It was as if his soul had left the vessel and Takeshi was just moving through the motions.

Grabbing the corpses' guns, he scrambled towards Alyssa, feet almost skidding against the slippery floor. “You, you okay?” the tremble in his voice was clear, his dark hues were wild as he kneeled, hands already pulling Aly's bound hands towards him. “We need to find our way out of here,” he breathed, hastily cutting through her bonds. “Stay close to me, you understand? There will be more of them.”

Seeing the wonder in his eyes - that sparkle that accompanied his smile brought on one of her own. Rosa lived to please. No, really. She'd come to terms this lifetime was about taking care and servicing others. And she was proud of it. But there was something different about seeing Carlos happy; a sense of accomplishment like no other. She yearned to see him smile.

When Carlos smiled, she smiled. When Carlos was happy, she was happy.

Rosa effortlessly folded against his chest. "No se dice eso," she told him, sternly. "You deserve the world, and I'll gladly give it to you." A light kiss pecked against his lips before Rosa pulled from his embrace. "Now, let's get our shut settled so we can break in that tub."

"Adra," She started with a sigh and tried to keep calm for the both of them. "Just because you're upset does not mean you can go wasting food."

"Have you thought about how your actions would affect me? Have you thought of how your actions would make your ex think as he knows you're eating his 'grand gesture'? Have you thought about how disrespectful it feels to not regard my feelings about this interaction you had with him?" Adra gestured dramatically, her hands landing in akimbo. "Because it doesn't seem to be registering to you..."

“I didn’t need protection Matthew” Natalya had listened to his reasonings — She did and became well-informed of where he is coming from but that does not mean.. she could not draw her own conclusion to how his ‘protection’ will render her or even placed her in their relationship. Watching the mannerism of him digging his own nails to his skin had made the designer sighed to herself. “I know that. I know that those comments whether you like it or not… they would influence whether your table is full dishes or not from day to day” and the truth is simple: Natalya, herself, she could be one of his liability as well.

She understood well that he was just trying to protect her from those vexing comments. That is noble of him, she would not deny that. Natalya could not make any further comments as her own eyes trailed to where he was looking at her — her lips, not towards here and their eyes met again, “What exactly do you want from me… Matthew?” Came her question in slight determination to know.

"You can't just seriously ask me that..." Matthew's words came out barely a whisper, tainted with disbelief. His brows had furrowed, dark hues widened with dread and despair. "Natalya." As if saying her name would make this whole dreadful situation go away in an instant. The few seconds of silence was almost deafening as he contemplated her question. "You're not some piece of baggage I can put aside. You've never been something I've considered nor regarded so little till I could just discard you, Natalya.... You're a..." A sigh left him as if he had been holding it in all this while. "You're a part of me. Ingrained into my bones whether you like it or not. Whether you realise it or not... It has never been a question of whether I will lose myself over you. I've become a better person because of you."

His eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment, lips parting to address her concerns. "I'm sorry.... I truly am. I wanted to protect you, that's all. I never had the intention to make you feel that way... as if I am not choosing you the way you want to be... But Natalya, I need you." The pleading lilt in his tone was not attractive, Matthew would admit. But at this point, he was willing to put his ego aside and whatever false dignity he thinks he might be holding on to. "And I want to choose you... over and over again." The middle of his chest constricted, knowing he had hurt her with his previous decisions, hurting her by letting her be unseen. He held her gaze for a moment, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he closed the gap between them. "You're your own person. There's not a chance you'd ever lose yourself over me." Matthew shifted slightly, a finger tracing the back of her hand lightly. "But I'll always choose you, Natalya. Even... even if you don't choose me back. I'll understand."

His breath hitched, teeth grounded as her core pressed down against his. Just enough to cause his flesh to stir and a low growl caught in his throat. Takeshi's hands flew to her thighs, holding them as if he was going to push her off. But try as he might, his own body was betraying him. The heat emitting from her was akin to a spark igniting his well buried desires as his hips bucked against hers involuntarily. "For fuck's sake. You're the one who said you had enough of me." That had stung — Sera's rejection, showing off her new toy in front of him and then reeling him back in.

Takeshi hissed when she spoke, his head thrown back against the head of the couch as if he was defeated. This god damn woman. She really does know which buttons to push. His dark gaze was locked with hers. Without warning, his hand reached out and gripped her jaw — firm, but not enough to hurt. Takeshi pulled her close till their breaths mingled, lips brushing against hers. Fuck. He did miss her too. That sweet scent of hers now swirling in his brain, a sweet alluring promise to his end. "You'll be the death of me." Then with a squeeze to her jaw, Takeshi crashed his lips against hers, his tongue swiping to demand entrance.

His words were conveniently convincing, willing her to want to believe things could be different. But he'd been a grown man with a good job throughout their entire relationship. He could've actively chosen to make better decisions before. Did he really realize he couldn't find anyone who fit him better than she did or would she end up heartbroken on her couch again in a few months time like before? "Daniel— I don't find joy in you falling out with your parents. Especially not over me," she said softly. Hazel hated that she was the wrench that was thrown into his life that seemed to ruin everything. Was it worth all that pain if she was going to be such a consistent problem? Besides, even if she didn't love his family she'd always find it important for him to have a relationship with them. She had never been able to have that. Her grandmother had done a wonderful job of raising her but, she would've killed for a chance to get to know what it would've been like to grow up with a family like he had. She didn't want to be the one to take that away from him, even if it wasn't the perfect relationship. "Do you really think that this—" her fingers twisted around his more responsively now after he'd been the one to link them in the first place. Hazel's heart lept into her throat, "—what we have... is worth risking that? Is that really what you'd want?"

Each little kiss and passing touch felt like they were playing with fire. Hazel's eyes fluttered shut at the kiss to her palm, a tear slipping down her cheek in reply. Her chest physically ached with how much she missed him. How she missed his warmth and gentle nature. It took everything in her to try and maintain even the slightest bit of composure. "Don't— you can't just come in here and say that," her voice coming out weak and frail. Hearing Daniel confess that he'd never gotten over her and never wanted to, it felt like all her hopeless fantasies were finally coming to fruition. She wasn't entirely convinced she wasn't about to wake up on her couch after having some sort of wine-induced mid-afternoon dream. "There's no way you could ever lose me completely," her words coming out defeated. "You are far too ingrained in my very sense of self. There's no way that you'll ever stop being a part of me, or I of you," she added, stating it all as though it were a matter of fact. And it was. There was no escaping this bond that they had. Hazel felt her stomach lurch, almost as though the kiss he left on her knuckles and the plea for them to have another chance made her sick. It made her ill to think just how badly she wanted all of this, how badly she wanted him. No matter how much she had tried to get over him and even see other people, nothing ever came close to how she felt with him. "I don't think I should be the one to decide that, Daniel," her words coming out as almost a whisper. "We need to seriously consider this together," she said, fighting everything in her that wanted to promise him they could be perfect together forever and just kiss him senseless. "It sounds silly but... we need to be adults about this, Danny. We can't just keep doing this back and forth like we're reckless teenagers anymore," Hazel's eyes dancing along the shape that his fingers made intertwined with hers. They way their hands fit so effortlessly into one another's. "I know my heart can't take it anymore and... I don't think yours can either."

“I know I have never said it out loud… but… my parents are everything that I never want to experience in my own life, moving forward.” His brother had known it, being the object of their father’s ire once he became Duke — being passed over by his own brother had left their father bitter. His teeth had been chewing his inner cheek as he tried to gauge Hazel’s responses, her thought process. “Treating everything like a transaction to get more power or money… even their marriage was an attempt to combine wealth. I’ve never actually seen my parents wrapped up in one another in a single soft moment.” He scoffed lightly, shaking his head. “They can either accept it or look on from a distance… I just know I don’t want their life. I want mine to be my own… And I know I want you in mine, indefinitely.”

The stray tear escaping the corner of her eyes made his heart clench — especially knowing that he was the cause of it. Daniel reached out to wipe it away. "Then let's just focus on that..." Daniel insisted, gently squeezing her fingers before reluctantly leaving it to have both of his hands cup her cheeks. The pads on his thumbs caressed her jawline, blue hues searching for hers as if he was afraid that her doubt about their future would burn everything away. "We're adults," he muttered softly, leaning closer now. The frailty of her voice only edged its way into his cracked chest. “I know I’ve hurt you and I still am,” he whispered, his own voice reflecting the same fragility. “But Hazel,” Daniel took in a shuddering breath. “I need you to know that not a day goes by without me thinking of you when you’re not by my side.”  He held her jaw reverently in between his palms. “I’ve lost count the amount of times I wished I was coming home to you… the amount of times I wanted to share a silly joke that I was sure would have tickled you but you weren’t there… the amount of times I just wished you were somewhere near a corner so I could catch your gaze, your sweet smile…. The amount of times I knew I had failed you in all these years but you’re still holding space for me.” His hues had glistened, vision slightly blurry.

“And the blithering idiot I have been for not seeing you, for not treating you the way you deserved to be treated.” That was the utmost truth — try as he might, it was the one thing that had always kept him up at night whenever they break it off. He had leaned in closer, his forehead gently pressed against hers, tips of their noses touching. “And I know I need to match my actions to my words, for you to completely trust me again.” He nodded slightly, nuzzling her nose as he did. “And if you… you need the time and space to consider me… this… then I’ll give that to you too.” The stabbing ache in his chest was back as he pulled away, hands going slightly slack form her jaw and back down to her lap. A meek smile pulled at the corner of his lips. “You know, indecisive man-child Danny wouldn’t do this two months ago,” he chuckled mirthlessly, bashfully wiping away the tears that had streamed down his cheek.

Max kept his gaze upon hers for a moment more until she offered some of the cash and the hotel key card to him. Her words made him smirk again. “I can do that,” he told her when she told him to make himself at home in the suite before she arrived, a hint of playfulness about his tone. He watched as she disappeared from the room, heading over the ledge, and for a few moments after he stayed to think about what had just occurred, the sudden twists and turns of the fight and then the ‘arrangement’ they’d come to. However, without delay, Max also left the premises and headed to the hotel. He got there first, as Seraph had predicted, and let himself into the suite. It was quite the place, which only added to the idea that the female killer was well paid for what she did. Despite dark clothing still being scuffed, torn and blooded from their fight, Max only removed his jacket as he waited, instinctively figuring Seraph would want to see him strip in her presence, or to strip him herself. So, as he waited for her, Max helped himself to liquor and reclined back on a luxurious armchair. 

@renegadetulis

"I do love it when people treat my request seriously," Seraph remarked, discarding her scuffed and worn leather jacket onto a chair. She took a step forward in a languid manner, akin to a feline stalking its prey. "Did I wear you out too soon or are you refuelling?" she remarked with narrowed eyes although her impish smile betrayed her tone. She held his gaze, peeling off her remaining clothes without a care as she sauntered towards the bathroom. "It's an invitation," Seraph called out over her shoulder, pausing at the entrance. "Or information... up to you which one you want."

"Fine," he spoke as he cast this line into the water. "Impressed already Jason?" he teased with a grin on his face as he looked at the male.

"You can claim three things at the duty free counter later," he chuckled, confirming all three of her guesses as he finished up a wing. "Well this just means I get three guesses about you too huh?" He reached for a napkin to wipe his fingers and Tae-woo pondered for a moment. "Let's see.... someone who's able to read a stranger fast and accurately... means you're in customer service or work in retail or in the business serving something... Second, your drink and willingness to entertain a stranger at a bar suggests you're avoiding something huge. I'm guessing family since it's the holidays... Third, someone in said family must have either offended or upset you so much that you seem to be happy entertaining me than spend the time calling home..."

Hearing about the fact she was the topic of argument between her two best friends brought her mid-stop with the bottle of wine and lowered it to the counter to finally look over at Tae-ho, her eyebrows raising at this new found information. "Excuse me, what? Why? I thought you two were happy...I mean that's what I assumed but you're guys posts always made it seem like that."

"The social media posts are for her family and everyone else think that everything's fine." His tone was flat, almost curt. "From the looks of it, no one suspected a thing." Tae-ho met Lacey's confused gaze. The one person who could actually see through their facade that is... But Lara was away most of the time. "Even you...Plus whenever you're around you're much more antsy each time.... She knew about us..."