Choice And Consequence

CHAPTER 2

Her trunk was placed in the boot of a car glinting darkly in the sunlight, a fitting choice for this dark, almost menacing man, Madelaine thought as she observed the vehicle. 

The passenger door was pulled open, dark eyebrows rising in a sardonic appraisal as he spoke, "Surely you have something else to wear?" Vladimir let his eyes slide over Madelaine's body, shamelessly undressing the young girl off her scruffy uniform, his eyes lingering on her knee-length socks before snapping up to meet her confused eyes.

Not entirely understanding the reason for his remark, Madelaine told him coolly that she had no other clothes. 

"None? You father is not a poor man." 

"My father is not a... wasteful man." Madelaine managed at last, blushing a furious scarlet as she noticed how the fine fabric of his suit trousers stretched over his thighs as the monsieur slid into the driver's seat. 

"You think it is 'wasteful' spending money on clothes? I think it is past time for you to change your wardrobe for something a little more... womanly." 

His eyes rested meaningfully on the taut fabric stretching across her chest and Madelaine's hands folded tensely in her lap, hating the way the stranger was looking at her, and yet curiously excited in some strange way. 

"You must fasten your seat-belt." he suddenly growled, "Like this."

Madelaine held in her breath as he shifted in his seat to reach across her, the fabric of his suited arm unintentionally brushing against her chest.

The scent of cigarettes and expensive cologne drowsed her senses as his warm breath fanned across her neck. The proximity of their bodies in such an enclosed space caused her muscles to lock tightly. His alluring scent made a shiver to run down her spine. 

The atmosphere was charged with an electric, exhilarating energy as Madelaine's heart begins to race. She shrunk back into her seat as he secured the belt around her, the 'click' being the only sound besides her erratic breathing. 

Having fastened his own belt, he started the car, the powerful roar of the engine drowning out the hurried thud of Madelaine's heartbeat as the car swept along the gravel drive and out of the convent gates. 

The building faded into the distance as the cool air flowed into the car, the freshness of the country air blowing through Madelaine's golden locks. She let out a content sigh as the car accelerated forward. 

***

"I cannot drive you all the way to France looking like that" the monsieur informed her when they had been driving for several miles. "I have no wish to get arrested for attempting to kidnap a child." 

He leant his head back, rolling up his sleeves with one hand, revealing his tattoos.

She spotted a phoenix tattoo inked on his left hand with a skull pattern. The symbolic combination of life and death, light and dark, made her curiosity grow.

Madelaine was attuned to his forearms, streaked with veins that sat comfortably on his silky olive skin. His fingers drummed against the leather wheel, as he shifted gear. 

"I expect that my father has forgotten that I have grown," Madelaine replied unhappily, feeling like she had to explain herself. "I haven't needed any other clothes as..."

"As your father has never permitted you to leave the convent." he finished for her. "Yes, I am aware." His attention momentarily diverted from the road to her, and Madelaine felt herself flushing again under his thoughtful scrutiny. 

"However, you have left the convent now, and your father's previous limitations shall be rectified soon enough." 

When he spoke, Madelaine stared into the man's face, stunned to see the uninviting coldness in his eyes. Tiny feathers of alarm curled along her spine, as a tension she couldn't comprehend infiltrated the atmosphere in the car until every muscle in her body was taut in response to it.