Payment

The Realization

Note: Rewritten but not triple checked for spelling and grammatical errors. If you see any feel free to comment

I stirred awake in bed, my sleep erratic and untrustworthy. Kana hadn't come to bed again and the emptiness beside me seemed to nag at my brain, driving it in circles of never ending thoughts. I had been restless since the dinning room incident. It had pegged me as strange. Giovanni had seemed brutally wounded but there hadn't actually been a single scratch on him. It made me uneasy just thinking about his smooth skin caked in dried blood.

I shot up at the mental image, no longer able to lay there and pretend to toss and turn. There was no going to sleep. So, I got up and dressed in my long robe before making my way downstairs. I knew Vera and all the other workers would be asleep but I didn't find any harm in helping myself to the kitchen in their absence. That is until I saw the light was on. 

Hesitant, I peeked into the usually bustling room and found only one person. He was big, his beautifully bulging bare muscles glistening with a sleepless sweat. I watched him a moment, peaking around the corner like a stalker, silent and stealthy in my observation. I followed the hard lines of his body as he rose the glass of milk to his mouth. He chugged it, a thin film being left over his upper lip. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, eyes flickering over to where I stood. Doing a double take, they grew big, almost lighting up with this soft brightness.

I slinked in, my hands held behind my back. My palms were sweaty, my skin crawling sweetly beneath his gaze. It slid over me, accepting the fact I had been silently watching. He didn't comment on it. Instead, he motioned me over, offering me the glass that had just been to his mouth. 

I took it, tipping it up so that I could take the last couple of sips. It wasn't milk. Sweet and nutty, it was nothing like I had expected it to taste like. I could tell from the moment it hit my tongue it was plant based, not as smooth and acidic as milk would be.

"Its Vera's specialty." He sighed, leaning against the counter as he watched me finish off his glass. "She says she can milk almonds but I think she's just messing with me." 

I nodded, peering into the glass as if it would whisper its secrets to me. It didn't, to my disappointment. I set the glass down beside me and lifted my body onto the counter, my butt sitting exactly where I knew Vera wouldn't want me putting it. I looked down in retrospect and heaved a sly snicker.

"You can hear her voice in your head, cant you?" Dominik smiled at me while wiping his face dry with a rag. "It happens to me all the time."

"She's so great isn't she." I sighed, my hand sliding along the countertops she treasured. "She would be yelling at me to get down right now. I bet she'd even spank me with the spoon then offer me a slice of pie immediately after."

He laughed as if imagining that exact scenario. It was realistic and comforting to think about. Far more calming than anything else that could run through my mind. With just a simple look at Dominik's half naked body my heart raced, squeezing tight and pleading for me to go back to thoughts of Vera.

My mind was muddled by the view of him, driven so mad by the harsh lines of his muscles that it spouted something stupid. 

"Are you going to the ball?" His eyes, once holding a softness, suddenly turned hard, aggressive even. I watched them edge my face, debating whether they should turn away or continue to grace my features.

"Are you?" His voice held even.

There weren't any cracks or weaknesses for me to decipher in his tone. The only way I could read him was to go based off of his eyes and they told me of a million different things.

"What if I say yes?" My bare feet pressed to the cabinet beneath me as nervousness clutched my racing heart.

"Then Id say you are being cruel." He pursed his lips and turned away from me. 

I watched him brace his hands on the edge of the counter. Pushing back on his heel, his back seemed ridged, hard worked from rage. He stayed like that for a long moment, taking deep and even breaths through his nose. I didn't interfere, I just kept my gaze on his back, on his muscles moving and shifting along with his breathing and subtle movements.

When he turned around there was exaggerated hostility on his face. It pinched at his eyebrows and turned his jaw hard. He rushed me, slamming his hands down at either side of my thighs, making me jump. Though, I knew he was being serious, I laughed a little in his approaching face.

He took my reaction and ran with it, shoving my body back so that he could climb onto the counter with me. I shot my arms out to press at his shoulders, my body being pushed back down against the counter by his weight. He tried to crush me beneath him, my legs flailing around at either side of him. 

I howled in excitement as his mouth latched onto my neck. I felt his teeth playfully nip at my throat, his hands gripping my arms and shaking them wildly. 

He pulled back, looking into my face with a wild expression. It was one of humorous affection, one I didn't see often. He hovered over me, a gentle laugh trickling past his lips. 

In that moment, I knew all to well that I loved him. My heart screamed at me, demanding that I act on this realization. It wanted me to grab him and kiss him like he'd done to me a few times now. But I remained frozen beneath him, scared of what my actions could do.

As if reading my mind, as if feeling my hesitation, he's spoke what my heart desperately wanted.

"Come to my room?" 

And despite every fiber of my being wanting to accept his offer, I bit my lip and shook my head.