The Fancy Pants Club — Chapter 38 - Twisted Game

~ Daniella ~

Clad in a well-ironed suit, Erik stood before me. He had an amused grin on his face, barely visible, but still there and he studied me from head to foot as if it was his first time seeing me.

If it wasn’t for the chains that stopped me, I would have leaped into his arms and embraced him right then and there. I instead just stood still with my left hand pressed against my bounding heart and my right hand restrained by the cuff. A part of me was relieved that it was him, but a part of me was confused too.

“You’re the boss?!” I exclaimed with furrowed brows, but I bit the inside of my lip thereafter when I thought that maybe my question came out wrong.

“Wh-what is the meaning of this?” I inquired the second time. A tornado of questions attacked my head as I waited with bated breath for his answer.

What came out from his mouth however cleared all of it in just a snap.

“Daniella is it?” Erik’s voice weirdly sounded different and the same all together; like it was a pitch lower yet in the same quality. “You’re more beautiful than I imagined. No wonder my twin brother chose you.”

He highlighted that one word and that one word immediately racked my logical thinking.

“Twin...?” was my shaky response.

“Oh?” he cocked a brow this time, “He didn’t tell you? Now that’s...unfortunate.”

My gaze drifted from his face to his neck tattoo and of course, it was clear to see. As oppose to Erik with his black spade and red spears, this man who claimed to be his twin had blue spears.

“No,” I breathed out, unable to believe what I was seeing. “It can’t be. Twins?!”

He grinned. “One and the same, mishka.”

I wouldn’t even pretend that I know that Russian endearment, but as I stilled, something in my lodged memory clicked into place.

“You’re the man I saw in Crescent Moon!”

“Took you long enough to realize,” the twin immediately expressed with a rough Russian accent.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Luca sit in the earlier seat near the wall chuckling at our exchange. I ignored him and chose to focus my attention on the mirror of Erik, scanning him from his messily styled hair to his black well-polished shoes.

I give it to him, they have the same self-important aura radiating out of them just by standing. Stoic and stiff in the shoulders, apathetic and has that intense gaze that reflected of darkness and all things horrific. Well, that was before I acknowledged my feelings for Erik and saw the good side of him.

Does this twin have one too? Is he an ogre who just has a layer of emotions that he hides?

“Your hair was silvery white then,” I recollected, cutting off myself of the uninvited thoughts.

“Yes, but I decided to dye my hair back to brown in preparation for my reunion with my brother,” he answered directly with quiet menace in his voice.

The icy coldness of his stare made me shiver from head to foot. The way he spoke what should have been a warm family term was charged with enough threat to make me think twice. It seems he wasn’t intending to reunite with Erik under normal circumstances.

“No... Erik...” I breathed out shakily when blood and death popped out of my head. “What are you planning?! What are you planning to do to him?!”

I felt a sudden sense to protect the man I love. On impulse, I stepped forward and launched towards him wanting to hit his chest with my fist, but the chain pulled me back.

Judging from the little shift in his stance, I can say that he was taken aback with my sudden outburst, but it was just brief for he snickered, likely amused that I am helpless in my restraints.

“For a whore, you care that much for him?”

I gave him a pointed glare. “I am not a whore!”

“Oh? You’re not?” he stepped a feet closer, but it wasn’t close enough for me to use my punching skills I have learned from my kickboxing training with Armelia.

“You entered a Kamasutra-inspired building with him and I can only guess what you both did there isn’t virtuous. You ride in his car more than a normal club member would too and that makes me wonder... what else do you ride other than his car huh?”

There was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he pointed those at me, but I wasn’t affected by it. What got me more focused on was the fact that he knew about Rohan’s building and my simple, harmless car rides with Erik. Was it possible that he was spying on us?

“We got pictures of both of you, miskha,” he conveniently provided the answer as if he knew what I was thinking. “Although all of them were taken outside the chateau, those were enough to tell me that you are his whore.”

I clenched my teeth and fists, overheated with anger. “If I am just his whore, why did you abduct me then? What use do you have of a woman who gives the best blowjob in the world?!”

I’m sorry. I just have to be crude with this guy. Although I’m not so sure that my BJ was the best, I can only guess that it was based on Erik’s pleased grunts from back that time.

The twin chuckled along with Luca’s irritating snicker.

“Hmmm, for fun of course,” was his clear answer, but it got me arching my brow.

“Fun?”

“Yes, for fun. I want to take everything from Erik starting from the woman that warms his bed.”

He stepped closer to me. I stepped back and positioned myself in a defensive stance. Without warning and speedily at that, he looped one arm around my back and pushed me against his chest. His other hand grabbed a fist full of my hair and I yelped feeling the pulling pain in my scalp.

He disregarded my alarmed voice and went to bring my head to meet him eye to eye.

“Don’t think that I don’t know that you are the first woman he is attached to, Daniella,” he grounded through clenched teeth. “Don’t think for one second that I consider you only his plaything. We will see. When he stupidly barges in this house and demands for you amidst the threat in his life that only means that you aren’t just his whore right? That only means that the man has fucked up feelings for you.”

Erik does have fucked up feelings for me and I, to him, but I won’t give this Mirror a pleasure of knowing it.

“Why do you do this?” I asked through trembling breaths. Two beads of tears started to form in the corner of my eyes amidst my commitment not to cry in front of him. “You are family! You are supposed to- ha!”

I gasped when he strongly pushed me to the floor. My back hit the frame of the bed and it immediately felt sore. I ignored it though and went to gather myself into a fetal position. With my mouth in a hard line and my despised eyes set on him, I readied my elbow to hit his groin just in case he’d attempt to slap me in the face.

“Why do I do this?” Erik’s twin crouched down to my level; his eyes burning with intense hatred. “That is because I want him to suffer.”

Suffer. The word gave me instant visions of Erik beaten to death and that made my pooling tears spill down my reddened cheeks. That told me that he wasn’t a kind ogre who just had layers of feelings locked up. No, he is one bad man at its best. No layers. No hidden emotions. Not at all like Erik. He is simply an uncaring, unsympathetic man who is synonymous with the devil.

“You see, mishka, I am the favorite of my father,” he started, aware that I was listening amidst my detached state. “Always have been for fourteen years. I was showered with everything! Attention, care, and love that any boy wanted from a father. Trained me into becoming a suitable Svaneti. Trained me into becoming his heir someday until I became sick.”

He paused for a moment and pulled me up from the floor holding my ready elbow and let me sit in the mattress. I was lost with his kindness for a moment until he started again, now with tightened fists.

“My weak state meant that our father needed a plan B, and that plan B was my twin, Nikolai -your Erik- who he had initially left with the Dominican nuns’ care simply because he was the older twin newborn who was sickly.”

He eyed me in disgust, but I had a feeling that it wasn’t really directed to me. It was directed to Erik.

“Ironic isn’t it? Twins really do have a special bond with each other when it comes to illnesses.”

“And emotions,” I added, with my eyes slightly dried of tears. “Twins believe in the same principle of goodness.”

“Huh, goodness,” he remarked with his brows cringing. “Don’t you know that your precious man was trained with all things monstrous?”

I didn’t nod or shake my head. I only gave him a blank stare.

“Well, you should know, mishka. Nikolai was sent to one of Iopata’s hideouts and there, he was taught all terribly unpleasant things just like me. And of course, during that time, my hatred developed because father had his eyes set on him into becoming an heir. And you know what, he would have been if it wasn’t for his death in one of Hyde’s special trainings.”

He paused once again and that gave me the chance to evaluate the aforementioned name: Hyde. Surely he wasn’t pertaining to my client, Mr. Hyde Startsev?

Realizing it was possibly true, I swallowed a big lump in my throat.

“His supposed death that is...” he continued with his eyes turning stormy. He raised a hand sideways and with a flick of his finger, gestured something to Luca.

The said man, who was still watching us, stood up and approached him.

“If it wasn’t for Luca here, I wouldn’t have found out that my beloved twin brother is alive and even the leader of an organization who aimed to bring down my father’s mafia.”

This time, it was I who stared at them in disgust.

“My father doesn’t know that he is alive though and I want that to remain as is until I suck out all the blood in his body. There’s only one boss that Iopata Bratva will name and it will be me!”

The fear that I have felt since earlier had doubled after hearing him say it. He really means to kill Erik. Oh, God, he really means it!

“You are a greedy bastard,” I stated acidly; glaring at him like I was the God of Death myself but with fresh new tears flowing from my eyes.

With a flick of his hand, Luca left the room without a word, but I swear I saw the haughty expression in his face finding my situation amusing.

“Daniella,” Erik’s twin captured my attention just as the door slammed close. “Hmmm, you know what, if I were you, I should probably be worried about myself. You are after all very vulnerable.”

He then closed the gap between us in three slow strides with his predatory eyes on me.

My breath deepened the whole time, feeling suddenly uneasy with the change of his rigid behavior. I quickly lifted my arms in a protective stance, but he easily shoved them away with one hand and pushed me to lie on the mattress.

“Don’t you dare put your hands on me!” I snarled, my right hand surprisingly able to grab his slender neck when he moved on top me.

His face reddened with how tightly I pressed my fingers against his throat, but he seemed unaffected with it.

He only grinned in enjoyment.

“Oh my, my, my,” he strained to say, one hand pressing on my right shoulder while the other suddenly slipping in his back. “You see Daniella, there are other ways to rile you up without using my hands.”

To my horror, he took out a pistol from his back and pointed the muzzle at my forehead.

That’s the time that I shakily loosened my grip on his neck and another fresh batch of tears rolled down my eyes.

He pressed the mouth of the weapon against the skin of my forehead making an indentation in it and mimicked the sound of the glock in a threatening tone, “Bang.”

In response, I shut my eyes tightly.

“Oh, you’re crying already?” was his mocking statement.

I dare not open my eyes and just kept my tears from flowing.

Then, I heard him chuckle slowly and stated after, “Hmmm, it’s amazing how a gun tames everyone.”

I felt his weight shift to my left side just as the feel of the cold metal of the pistol disappear.

“Daniella, look at me,” he said in a low voice, but feeling stunned still, I didn’t open my eyes.

“Look at me!”

With his booming voice, I did as he told with a deep, shaky breath. I stared at him with no emotion other than loathing. No fear. No sadness. Not even pleading for my life.

“Luca says I will love you and I think he is right. I’m definitely loving you now, especially that rebellious eyes of yours.”

He cupped my cheeks with his free hand, feeling for the smoothness of my face. Then, his thumb grazed my quivering lips and pried it open. The remaining four digits pressed my jawline on top of my throat and that made me gasp in pain. He groaned something of pleasure when he then inserted his thumb inside my mouth.

Psychotically, he played with the moist walls, swept my teeth, and grazed the tip of his thumb along with my tongue.

I put up no resistance aware that the gun was still near my head, but I honestly felt sick with it. So, so sick that I wanted to vomit.

Unfortunately, that feeling increased even more when he quickly replaced his thumb with his mouth.

With the alarm bells sounding in my head, I speedily shot both of my hands in between us and pushed him back. He answered by weighing his body down and scooping my back to restrain me.

Using a tongue thrust, he deepened his demanding kiss, coaxing my own into submission. I didn’t and tried my best to move my face side to side. I moaned in disapproval and I would have bitten his tongue off if it wasn’t for his hand keeping my jaw open.

I heard him make a pleased groan then, something that fucking sounded like Erik.

Oh, God. Erik!

The twin withdrew just as two hot tears streamed down my eyes. “Hmmm, sweet like nectar,” he remarked, eyeing me with lust.

Such a nectarine taste you have, Sweet Rose. Erik’s previous statement then suddenly replayed in my mind that it had my heart aching quietly. God, I miss him so much! I really do!

“Indeed, I am going to enjoy you,” he produced a grin.

“Don’t you touch me!” I exclaimed and slapped his left hand who attempted to push my pink off-shoulder blouse down. He easily gripped both of my wrists and pinned them above my head.

“I wonder... Are you acting rebellious like this with Nikolai or do you whimper under him?”

He stooped down right near my neck, but before he could touch his lips on my skin, the door sounded a series of hard knocks.

In response, he released a long sigh.

I felt immediately relieved when he pulled himself away and stood facing the door.

“Come in,” was his cue just as I sat on the mattress with my arms on a guarded position.

The door opened and Mr. Startsev, my apparent client, stepped in to my surprise.

“Nikola,” he started right after eyeing me with a wicked smirk.

“Hyde, what do you have that it needs to ruin my night with this woman?” Erik’s twin secured his gun back under his suit jacket and drew his mouth into a thin line.

“We have a problem,” was Mr. Startsev’s announcement.

It immediately elicited an arched brow from Nikola.

“What is it?”

“Your brother,” he eyed me again and then to the twin and then proceeded, “Nikolai, had reunited with your father in New York.”

“Blyad!” I heard Nikola curse quietly. I’d expected him to kick something out of spite, a table or chair may be, just to add effect of his apparent rage, but he didn’t. He remained calm amidst the heavy breath he released.

I, on the other hand, was agape. Erik? The real Erik had reunited with their father? What does that mean?

“Big Boss wants you to meet him in the safe house an hour from now,” Mr. Startsev added.

Nikola eyed me with burning depth and after a pregnant pause, remarked, “You’re lucky. You’re very lucky. I expected my brother to come barging in here with a gun and a life to sacrifice for you, but it seems he turned the tables to his side.”

“Bring me to him!” I ordered confidently to which the two immediately shook their heads.

“No, no. Not yet,” was Nikola’s statement. “You’ll meet him soon enough, but as of now, you will have to stay here and wait for me because I am certainly not done fucking you.”

I paled at his remark.

With a last threatening glance, he left the room leaving me all alone with Mr. Startsev who had his arms crossed in his chest.

“How are you faring Ms. Rosecraft?” he asked as soon as the door closed.

“You...” I uttered, feeling suddenly like a fool. “Huh! Of course, with that bad scar in your face, I should have known that you are one of them.”

“Quite right,” he smiled, but it didn’t give off any sunshine.

“What about the birthday party you reserved? Was it a hoax then?” I asked, remembering the project which I now believe is a trap for the Club.

“Oh, no no. The birthday party is real,” he answered. “Nikola and Nikolai will be the celebrants. Do you like it?”

I sneered at him, “Are you planning a blood bath Mr. Startsev?“and clarified after remembering that he specifically requested towels for the other celebrant which I just found out to be Erik.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, that was the plan at first, but since Nikolai stepped in and revealed himself to his father, I guess the blood bath will have to wait. Let’s just see then what happens during their reunion.”

“You’re sickening.”

“I appreciate the compliment, Ms. Rosecraft,” he grinned and then pulled out something in his pants pocket. It was a key.

“Here, let me make things easier for you.”

He approached me and then reached for my right hand that was handcuffed. I resisted at first but his strong hand grabbed my arm like a vice-grip.

“An order from Nikola: I’ll free you with this cuff but not in this room.”

I snorted. Huh, like that would make me happy.

He inserted the key through the hole and with one twist, it was done.

Escaping quickly was my first choice, but I remained sitting still, unable to move because of the man’s grave threat: “Escape and you will die, believe me.”

I thought of giving him a caustic comeback, but a sob escaped from me instead.

With a snappy turn, he strode towards the door and before he could close it, he said, “Enjoy your stay, Ms. Rosecraft.”

And with that, he left me to drown in the silence of the room. I dropped in the mattress, back first, and covered my eyes with my forearm to hold back the tears.

I wasn’t given a chance to dry them up though when the door opened again and in stepped Nikola wearing a sly grin. I furrowed my brows.

“On your knees, mishka. I changed my mind. Today, you will meet my father as my fiancée. Let’s see then what Nikolai’s face will be.”