The Fancy Pants Club — Chapter 25 - Contract Be Damned

The Fancy Pants Club Chateau (Present)

~ Daniella ~

“You’re...him?!”

Was my first expression when I saw the tattoo on Erik’s neck; the tattoo and its details that had lodged in my brain since the incident a year ago. This was the only evidence, or shall I say, remembrance I had after my encounter with my nameless man.

But now, as I stared straight into the black spade and red spears, there was no denying the fact that they are one and the same.

If only my vision wasn’t a blur at that time, I would have known Erik was him by first glance, but it was and my loss of blood complications that time added to the problem that’s why my memory of his face came out fuzzy.

With mouth agape, I stared at Erik who had a growing smile on his lips — a smile that I would consider to be a proud one.

“Yes, it is me, ” he confirmed as he strode closer.

And of course, to nail the facts down, he had to shove his coat to the side to show me the infamous silver gun secured in his holster.

I wasn’t afraid to see it or even with him as he continued to approach me. He was my savior for heaven’s sake. He didn’t leave me in that barn to become a corpse. He had to drop me in the nearest hospital amidst being wounded himself.

All the known irritation I had bundled up for the rude side of Erik vanished and replaced with care and compassion I had collected this whole year for my nameless man.

I owe this man my life. I owe Erik my life. The thoughts lingered in my head as I watched him half-kneel in front of me.

Why the fuck is he half-kneeling in front of me anyway?!

He placed a gentle hand on my knee. It burned immediately with his touch.

“Daniella, you don’t know how much I am pleased to find out you are alive. Leaving you in that hospital half-dead had me endlessly worried.”

My breath hitched when his right hand held my waist and the other followed suit to bring my blouse up halfway. I could feel my cheeks heat up when his eyes roamed down to look at the blue rose tattoo in my right upper abdomen. Then, my subconscious screamed when he thumbed the scar’s edges and caressed it just like the way he did back when we were in the gym.

All my body reflexes could do was to tremble...tremble in the sensation he was giving me. His nearness was already intoxicating since I met him, but now knowing that we shared the same past, it was more potent than ever before.

“My guilt had already eaten me so much knowing that I had involved your innocent soul in such a mess, Daniella, ” he continued to speak, languidly, sorrowfully while I was still tongue-tied; my mind still tangled to even make out a coherent sentence. “This scar is a reminder of my incompetence. I will never be at peace until you have forgiven me.”

With one swift motion, he bent forward and kissed it. My heart leaped as he did so and all I could do at that moment was stare in astonishment.

“E—Erik...” I muttered and placed a hand on his head when I felt he was lingering too much on the spot.

‘Such silky, smooth hair, ’ a part of me remarked, but that wasn’t the current issue I was to deal with. It was Erik and the truth he had just shared with me.

Slowly, he removed himself, straightening back to meet me face-to-face. “Will you forgive me?” was what he said.

Well, I’ll be damned. I never ever expected that he would say that contrite word.

Through his repentant eyes, I saw flashbacks of our past; our chance encounter that consequently ended me in the hospital.

“I—I have already forgiven you, Erik, ” I whispered softly, realizing that there was no reason to harbor any ill feelings towards him. “You did keep your promise that you wouldn’t kill me, ” I added in a mocking tone.

This was my little way of lowering the tension between us, but I guess he just ignored it because he simply closed his eyes and breathed in deeply; a content smile appearing in the faintest second on his face.

“Then I am relieved of my guilt, ” he spoke.

When he opened his eyes back, the sadness in it had disappeared and was replaced with an emotion I knew all too well: gratitude. “Thank you, Daniella.”

“You—you’re welcome.” I shifted in my seat, unable to bear the warmth in my upper abdomen that emanated from his fingers. He pulled out a bit enough to give me space, but both of his hands fastened at the armrests, imprisoning me subtly.

“Now tell me, why did you do it?” The tone of his voice had a lilt of curiosity, but of course, I didn’t miss out the command in it.

“Do what?” I furrowed my brows, feigning innocence.

“Take the bullet that was meant for me.”

I swallowed. Here is the question I dreaded to hear.

What am I to answer him when I don’t even know why myself! Until now, I don’t understand why I jumped to take the bullet for him.

Maybe it was because of my courageous reflexes? Maybe I was dumb to think that I was superwoman? Or maybe I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong man that I think I could heroically save? I just don’t know why and I hope he could see that confusion in my eyes when I stared at him.

“I can’t answer...I can’t answer that Erik.”

I don’t like interrogations when I don’t know the answer. More so, I don’t like him interrogating me with those intense eyes, so I gathered all my balls up and decided to extricate myself from the pressure.

“I’m sorry, I...I think I should leave.”

I pushed myself up, but he quickly set me back in place with a strong tug on my elbow.

Then, the mood changed all of a sudden.

I leaned against the back cushion and froze when Erik walled himself on top of me. One leg was on the floor while the other knelt on the sofa. His hand materialized underneath my back and pulled me up to meet him body to body.

Caressing my bottom lip with his thumb, he spoke in a slow, breathy voice.

“You can’t dodge me now Daniella. We are not in the elevator, so no one can disturb us. We are not exchanging text messages, so you can’t just ignore me easily. Now, answer me.”

“Your cellphone is vibrating, ” I pointed out abruptly when I felt the vibration of his phone in his jeans pocket.

“Ignore it.”

“It must be an emergency.”

“I said ignore it.” He leaned closer as if to kiss me, and me, unable to bear the warmth of his breath, turned my face to the side.

“Answer me, Daniella, ” he sought again. His hand that had caressed my bottom lip earlier now raked my hair.

“I don’t...I don’t know why,” I replied with lips trembling.

“Look at me in the eyes, ” he commanded. I shuddered when he grazed his fingers on my throat sensually.

“Erik, please let me go.”

“Look. At. Me. Daniella.”

I did. Because of the sternness of his voice, I did, but in a sudden bold move, he lifted my back a bit, secured my head in place, and crashed his lips on mine.

As a natural reflex, my hands pushed his chest back, but he only tightened his embrace and pushed his weight towards me so I ended up sandwiched by him and the cushion.

His tongue dipped inside my mouth. I moaned in response.

Then an explosion happened, inside me that is, from these two bombs that I have kept so long in my heart and in my mind since last year.

Erik had kissed me twice, thrice but he had only detonated them now after I knew of the truth. Yeah, and it was because I honestly harbored unexpected feelings for that nameless man who turned out to be him.

Realizing there was no turning back, I reciprocated his kisses, dueled with his tongue for languorous minutes until we were breathless. The force and the heat were the same as that in the elevator and the anteroom, but now the pleasure heightened.

I gasped when he withdrew to trail kisses on my neck. His tongue, oh his tongue, hot and wet licked me where no man had ever done before. I closed my eyes feeling a rush of pleasure flood inside me.

“Daniella...” he breathed into my ear. “Your life is mine. Since the beginning, you are mine.”

“Mmnhh...”

Yes, me, Ms. Daniella émile Rosecraft, after hearing those words, finally succumbed to this man’s touch.

I lifted my chest up to offer him myself. In the back of my head, I wanted him to tear my blouse away and make good with my already aching breasts. He was being a gentleman however and proceeded to slowly, agonizingly suckle at my skin.

I raked his hair with my fingers while he, after devouring my neck, slid lower and lower into the half-exposed valley of my breasts. He ventured a hand under my pencil skirt up to my burning thigh and I would have opened my legs wider if not for...

“ERIK!”

A loud, panicked voice boomed inside the room right after I heard the main door forcefully opened.

The pleasure that collected inside me from Erik’s caresses instantly drained and replaced with confusion and alertness.

Who the hell interrupted us?! My mind shouted after he hurriedly removed himself from me whilst I fixed my blouse right.

Briefly, we exchanged glances; mine was of surprise while his was of displeasure.

In a split-second, he took the silver gun from the holster and pointed it at the intruder.

“Son of a— Put that gun down! And don’t glare at me, Prez! It is your fault you ignored my call!” I heard the man said and when I stood up from the sofa, I saw Rohan standing at the threshold with Karl behind him who seemed to be catching his breath.

“Oh shit, Daniella is with you?!” he stated watching me with surprised eyes. “No wonder you didn’t answer my call.”

“What the fuck is it that you want Rohan?” Erik butted in before I could say hi to the guru. I saw his finger shift inside the trigger, ready to fire it, and added, “This better be good or else...”

Rohan visibly cleared his throat. “Well, uhm... Karl!” He turned to his colleague quickly and pushed him into the front. “Karl, buddy.  You tell him.”

“Ah, h—hi Daniella, ” Karl stammered to greet me. I gave him a nod and a small smile, but then Erik, in his rude self, interrupted. “Spit it out, Webmaster.”

“Prez!” Karl jerked nervously. He took a deep breath, looked at Rohan warily, and then started in a not-so-calm voice. “Well, uh, Prez... its, you know... the situation...uhm...”

“It’s fine, ” I heard Erik say. He looked at me with a knowing smile growing slowly in his lips. “Daniella is clear. She knows everything.”

“She does?” Both Rohan and Karl simultaneously said.

“Focus on the matter men, ” Erik reminded.

I saw Rohan nudge at Karl and then the latter frowned before explaining whatever situation he was trying to say.

“Iopata... Mr. Sergio Svaneti. Your...your fath—”

“Skip it, ” once again, Erik butted in, but at least this time, lowered the gun down.

Karl, looking relieved, stepped forward and continued, “I tracked his trails Prez and found that he is here...in Lotus Spade, right now for a brief, very brief visit.”

From my vantage point, Erik’s clenched jaw was clear. He placed the silver gun back in its house and looked at me apologetically.

“Daniella...”

“I know, ” I cut in, embracing myself. “You need not say anymore.”

After a long sigh, he closed the space between us and cupped my face.

“I’ll see you later?”

I shook my head gently. “You know I won’t be waiting.”

“Then, I will just have to wake you up.”

I grinned. “We will see then.”

He gave me a kiss. Yep, a kiss in the forehead. One that was chaste but full of promise and of course, it swelled my heart. It swelled as it did back in the past when he held the white handkerchief and cleaned my fingers.

With no more words spoken, the three of them left leaving me alone in Erik’s room. I sat back in the sofa where not a minute ago almost became the witness of our passion and from there closed my eyes and reminisced each stroke of his hand in my skin, each flick of his tongue in my mouth, and each blessed sensation that he bestowed as he touched me sensually.

I almost gave myself to him back then and I know that I wouldn’t regret it if it did happen, contract be damned.