The Prey

I swallowed hard, suddenly not wanting to go in. He said child, but I feared that my assumptions would go to Pacific. Anyway, it was too late to back now. I was here for a job.

The door opened quietly and a soft, dim light illuminated the room. I stepped in. Breaths caught in my throat. My heart pounding in my ears. The door closed behind me with a small thud, and I jumped startled.

Swallowing down the nervousness, I took a look around. It was not a bedroom, but a large room bifurcated into an office and a mini-lounge. My nostrils twitched. Among the scent of leather and patchouli everywhere, there was a strong smell of tobacco mixed in it, but beyond that, there was a heavy odour of Oud. Somehow, it reminded me of the forest behind my house in Texas. So familiar yet distant. Something I was always scared to explore. Wild beasts and deadly creatures resided there.

And this moment it felt like I was going into that forest. 

Something flickered in my periphery, my body instinctively moved on its own. Eyes narrowed in confusion and unconsciously my hold on the bag tightened. I could see silhouettes of furniture against the dim light, but it was hard to notice any detail except for the strong presence that quickly grabbed my attention. 

A man was sitting with his legs crossed on the leather couch-his frame dark against the dim light coming through the small lamp behind him. Swallowing the growing anticipation, I took a step forward, the light now falling on his face, and at this angle, I could bathe in his frame. 

His lips curled gently while looking in the direction of where I was standing.

He was wearing a dark robe, which was wide open, and his toned muscles peeked through. My eyes caught the colourful ink adorning the side of his neck stopping just behind his ear. It was difficult to identify the patterns but I could definitely recognise the shape of the fangs. is tousled hair added to his dishevelled- almost predatory look, making him appear both alluring and dangerous.

He had categorically distant facial features. A light, barely there, stubble enhanced his sheer masculinity. A cigarette between his lips, and I resisted the urge to recoil at the odour. On the other hand, it was hard to tell the colour of his eyes, resembling that of a predator. Feral, dangerous, and calculating. 

I felt like a prey animal walking towards its demise. I tried my best not to feel intimidated and offered a small smile.

I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking into the cave of a wild beast. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this breathtakingly beautiful man suddenly transformed into a wolf and killed me.

And to my dismay or whatever we call it, there was no child in the room. I started to believe that Kyle lied to me because this man was definitely looking directly at me. Therefore, he couldn't be blind. His eyes were anything but unwavering. He appeared anything but vulnerable.

I stopped approximately ten steps away from him, a small table creating a boundary between us. He dragged in a puff and pulled the cigarette away from his lips, blowing the smoke. His dark silhouette appeared more feral, cloaked in the swirling tendrils of smoke. 

I wasn't usually one to judge a book by its cover. But with this man, I couldn't help but make assumptions based on his appearance, he was... different. 

As I began to sit on the chair, that low and sleepy voice called out, "Come closer." He said in English, and I gulped. I watched as he spread his arms over the back of the couch and tilted his head back, his eyes shutting.

I stilled and looked around, reluctantly walking forward two or three more steps before stopping again. His grin did not falter, instead, it widened. And I watched him raising his hand and curling his two fingers beckoning me closer. "Closer,"

Damn, his voice! What did he have to sound so intimidating? Against my wish, I was just following whatever he was saying.

Finally, when I was only two steps away, I sat on the chair just adjacent to his and spoke. "I guess you wouldn't want me to come closer than this, sir,"

Opening his eyes, he leaned forward in his seat and got closer to my face. Then he placed the back of his cigarette under my jaw. 

"Wha..." I began, but as he leaned forward, the dim light fell completely on his face, and I forgot the rhythm of my heartbeat. The light edged his features, making them appear sharp, accentuating the intensity of his gaze.

"How old are you?" I looked wide-eyed at him.

"T... Twenty-two, sir...." I stammered, feeling a surge of discomfort as he drew closer, his breath warm against my cheek. Attempting to put some distance between us, I shifted in my seat, but he was quick to stop me with his other hand, preventing any escape.

See, this man couldn't be blind. 

His fingertips were soft, but the palm of his hand wasn't. Firm calluses rubbed my cheek as his thumb touched the corner of my lips. While he was touching my face, I kept my eyes closed tightly.

"What's your name?" He asked in his raspy voice. 

"Seraphina, sir. Seraphina Rosewood." I clutched my bag tighter. 

He dropped his hand after I had finished answering his questions.

"Judas Romanovski," he dragged in another puff.

I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, but I just... wanted to know if you're the one...I'm supposed to take care of?"

"Do you see any other disabled person here, Ms. Rosewood?"

I took a deep breath and backed away a little bit. I started to question his blindness even more, but he would certainly not hire me if I asked about it. There was no way he was blind. How could he be when he was piercing me with his eyes alone?

Moreover, I couldn't help but be struck by his beauty, even amidst the current situation. Should I compare him to a snake with a predatory gaze or the moment the charcoal began to glow scarlet red in the middle of a pile of ash? 

It was hard to find the correct words to describe this man's beauty. I felt that if I looked away, he would simply pounce.

Recalling Kyle's warning to not ask unnecessary questions, I silently waited for him to request something of me.

The man was touching his lips with the same fingers he had just used to touch me before he pointed to the table behind him.

"Go to the table, and grab the contract."

Following his directions, I located the contract but stilled when I saw a pile of cash and gold bricks carelessly placed on the table. Ignoring it, I walked back to the couch and presented it to him, I noticed that the contract was in Russian.

"Sir,"

"Third page, fifth para, second line, read it."

"What?"

"I simply asked you to read the line, Ms. Rosewood. Is it that hard?"

"H... Yes, sir." I flipped the pages and stopped at the third page. Without my glasses, it was hard to read the words but I somehow did. "Party B can not..." I cleared my throat, the contract feeling sweaty in my hands. "Party B must not disclose the personal information of Party A." I frowned. Why would he think I'd sell his personal information? Who was he even? Obviously, he was rich, but so were the other billionaires around the country. What was so special about him that he had to go to lengths to prepare a contract for me?

"You can trust me on that."

I could feel his gaze on me and at the same time, I felt as if his eyes were not on me. This was humanely impossible. He didn't say anything for another moment and then dusted the cigarette on the table just on the side of the ashtray. My eyes narrowed. If he was not blind, he would've dusted the ashes in the ashtray not outside.

I tilted my head, feeling both curious and doubtful, and stepped forward. As I approached, I could see his naked chest from the side, the flesh covered with tattoos. Sneaking to the table, I eyed the gold brick and grabbed it in my palm. It was heavy. With cautious steps, I walked back to where he was sitting.

My lips stretched in a thin line and my eyes narrowed. I cautiously leaned down and waved the gold brick in front of his face. Of course, his eyes didn't waver. Either he was a great actor or I was doubting him too much. 

"Go through it," He said suddenly and I jumped startled almost knocking over the table. Placing my hand on my chest I took a deep breath. Shit! Get yourself together, Seraphina. 

When I calmed down and placed the gold brick back where it was. I slowly and carefully turned the pages of the contract.

Whatever the hell was written I couldn't even understand. Though there were words that seemed suspicious what could be written more in an employee contract? It was not like I was investing shares in his company.

"I agree." 

He smiled in satisfaction. "Sign."

My eyes flickered across the room while feeling something strange. There was a pen on the table in front of me.

I took the pen, flipping through the pages and signing wherever there was an empty spot. When I finished, I placed the contract on the table beside the ashtray. He hummed, tilting his head back and placing the cigarette between his lips. I noticed ink markings on his hand—again a scary-looking sinister serpent, its mouth parted in a snarl, lower jaw stretched over his thumb and upper jaw over the back of his hand. As he moved his thumb, it appeared the snake drawn on his hand was writhing, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the room.

"You're not Russian." I pried my eyes away from his hand and looked at his face. 

"No, I'm from US," I shook my head as if he could see me.

He hummed and dragged in a deep puff. I crinkled my nose and pressed the back of my hand under my nose. He took his time and puffed out the smoke and again dusted the ash outside the ashtray. After a while, he tilted his head as if something was going on in his head. 

"I'm curious, what would be your price?" I narrowed my eyes. 

"I..."

"As my caretaker." His eyes again did that thing, piercing through me. What was asking for the price? Wasn't it already mentioned in the advertisement? 

I narrowed my eyes taking a seat at my initial position. "Whatever you see fit," I grumbled, adding a mental eye roll for good measure. Was he one of those billionaires who lured people in with money and then offered nothing but empty promises?

"That's all?" 

He asked, and I raised my chin and found him grinning, he ran his tongue over his lips. "I'll pay you the double.” Took a deep breath and muttered in Russian. “But you will be a pawn on my board.”

I gulped and nodded not catching his last words. My hands were trembling. I just couldn't believe it. $20,000? In a month? I could send the money to my mother and ask her to hire someone to do her chores. She could just resign and sit at home all day, or better, she didn't even have to work.

It was more than enough for me to buy my mom peace. She would also be able to buy a house and even open a shop.

Then suddenly, he stopped smiling and lowered his head to whisper in a deadly low voice, "You will be at my command whenever I want, do you understand?"

I blinked. Once and then again till the dreams I was weaving in my head blurred, and his dark eyes- no, pale blue with specks of greens in them with a ring of coal black surrounding his irises- pierced through me. And without realising what I was doing, I unconsciously nodded.