Payment

Fights and Audiences

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



"So, you decided to tag along after all?" Kana's voice still held animosity. I could hear the disappointment etched into it. It made my heart throb for a moment as I saw the hurt reflected in Dominik's big green eyes.

He took a moment to gather himself before stepping into the cabin and sitting beside me. His leg pressed up against mine, his massive form of muscle taking up most of the bench. Almost purposefully he leaned in close. I could smell him, beneath the collogue and soapy smelling suit, I could smell him as if he were pressed up against my skin.

And suddenly, his words from last night came fluttering to my mind. I blushed while there was no one to see it on my face.

"Not that we're complaining." I chimed in as if I could somehow defuse the tension with the simple sound of my voice. I didn't do much.

"You just want to watch all the models strutting around." Kana shot, eyes flickering in my direction ever so briefly. I knew what she was doing and tried to not take offense to her cheap tactics. "Skirt chaser."

"Yeah, that's why I decided to come." The sarcasm lacing his voice was a bit of a surprise. I had expected him to get a rise from her words, maybe a little offense on my behalf. But he simply played it off like a joke.

There was sliver of disappointment that swam around my heart. It dug at my insecurities and me doubt things I wish I hadn't. I remained silent as they hashed out their sibling dispute, each spitting insults at the other until there was a long stretch of silence. So many things hung in air. Tension and cruel words made the atmosphere almost too thick to come back from but the sudden pause set in a bit recovery. I saw the frustration leave them as they let everything out in the open rather than bottling it up. 

Kana was the first to break. Her eyes were the most honest, shining glossy as she swallowed the rest of her disgruntlement.

"He's not going to be there, if that what your worried about." She sighed. "I made sure he and Renee were on their way back to Paris last night."

He nodded, melting back into his seat.

"Or could it be that you want to be publicly seen with two ladies at your side?" She raised a brow looking at her brother with suspicious humor.

He broke into a smile, sending his hand up to run though his hair as if to hide it from her. She saw it and laughed.

I bet having a sibling was always like this, a constant battle of anger and forgiveness. I was glad to be born an only child. Just watching the struggle between Kana and Dominik was exhausting. I couldn't imagine my entire life being like that argument.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, they were done being mad at each other. Despite not knowing exactly how they had made up, I was happy it was over. For now at least.

Time passed and the day faded into night, the sun shrinking back behind the trees. All was good. We sat and talked here and there, but nothing rehashed the frustration from earlier. It almost seemed as if everything was back to normal.

I found myself back at the bar, Dominik beside me with his glass of dark liquor in hand. I watched him sip from it. Just as I watched the problems seep back into his gaze to cloud his thoughts.

"What's wrong?" I asked before thinking.

He looked at me funny before polishing off his drink and slapping the glass back down on the bar. He puckered his lips and turned to me.

"How do you know there's something wrong?" He hummed in my direction, eyes at our feet.

I didn't want to give away the fact I had been intently staring, so I shrugged, playing at aloofness. 

"Speaking my problems does nothing to solve them, unfortunately." He sighed. I was still letting his words sink in when he lifted up my skirt and set his hands on my knees. It stunned me, freezing my brain and setting an electric buzz across my skin. He looked down at them, his fingers smoothing over the scars there. "I'll always be worried that something like yesterday will happen again."

I expected to see a sad droop in his shoulder. Maybe I even expected him to pull away. But instead of doing either of those things, he looked me in the eyes with this sense of satisfaction. It wasn't some big worldly love for what was happening around us. It wasn't about yesterday or this morning. In a way it was promise. I understood even if he hadn't spoken the words.

"I'll just have to try harder to protect what's mine." He smiled at me slyly, his hands sinking in beneath my skirt. I nearly gasped aloud as he pulled me forward, to the edge of the seat, with a strong grip at my hips. He stood, as if there were no one else around and planted a rough kiss on my mouth. He took it slow, kissing me deeply before pulling back to see how it effected me.

I peered up at him with the most vulnerable eyes, through my lashes as they beet hard with shock. I could still feel him on my lips, on my skin. It tingled and seeped deeper into me, inciting a frenzy of warm energy to churn in my stomach.

"I'm not yours, though." I grinned, my hands gripping at his paws slithering around under my skirt. 

He bit his lip, a devious sensuality shining behind his gaze. It drew me in, making me weak to his charm. I nearly let him continue, I nearly stood and threw myself into his arms, but the bartender cleared his throat, breaking me from Dominik's spell. Looking around, I found dozens of gazes plastered to us, to his hands stuck beneath my skirt. And the moment was over.