A Mob Boss's Heirs (Book 3 of New York Mafia Trilogy)

38. The Art Room

Vienna was unable to form words. Was this really happening? Here he was standing there asking her to draw him which meant spending one whole hour staring at him. He was going to graze at her all he wanted also making her nervous as she always did. She wasn't sure if she could even draw properly if she was close to him for so long.

Tristan slowly walked closer to her " Vienna.... Will draw me? Or ... Will you not?"

Vienna spoke shakily " I don't think I have enough time to make a good drawing from you. Personal study is only one hour..."

Vienna looked up at his towering figure. He was now standing in front of her. He shook his head and spoke playfully " Tsk Tsk, Vienna. You shouldn't lie to me. We both know time is not a major issue. You know I don't like it when someone tries to deceive me..."

Vienna didn't like to be accused. She automatically responded " But you did deceive me this morning. You locked the door..."

Tristan pretended to think " Thank you for reminding me. No one will show up here but it's better if I do lock the door." He really wanted to get a reaction out of Vienna. So he walked away towards the door.

Then he listened to her reaction as he walked slowly towards the door. He expected her to chase him and stop him but that was not what happened. He heard her move. He heard her foot steps but to a different direction. He turned around and saw her running to the fire exit. He smiled. So she wanted to play hide and seek. He followed her of course.

Vienna was going to do anything to avoid Tristan as long as she could. She didn't want to face him. She wanted to put off having to spend time with him. He was just too scary and they had nothing in common in terms of personality. She knew she couldn't get along with him. The worst part was that ... she fancied him. He was so attractive. She really admired his confidence and the way when he meant it when he laughed. When he was happy and smiled it made her happy for some reason. But it was hard to like him. He was cruel and almost all her friends had suffered at Tristan's hands or by his order in some way at some point. In fact when she came to think of it she was the only one who had never been subjected to Tristan's anger and of course the new students whom had joined that term.

Vienna now could see clearly how she was the only one who he had never ever confronted for any reason. Even when her basketball team drew a banner that insulted the boys basketball team and had displayed it in their changing room all her team had paid a price except for her. Tristan had been in charge that day. He had arranged for his team to lock the girls in a large room and had opened water on them. But she wasn't there. She had been at the library studying and no one had come to get her and later on she wasn't made to pay. Many of the people in her team suffered from a cold the next day. He had been so cruel using ice cold water making them scream and hadn't budged as they had begged him to stop. Clarisa and Vanessa may have been spared because of their close ties to the boys but they had been forced to write an apology letter to the boys team and read it to them while the girls were getting soaked. She had faced no consequences. Vienna then thought back to all the times she had special treatment for various reasons when someone like Clarisa even didn't. She could now see it was all Tristan's influence.

Vienna ran as quick as she could to the other side of the massive art room to reach the fire exit. Just when she became hopeful she could flee and she put her hand on the handle, she felt him behind her. She panicked as he put his hand on the door above her head "Did you really think you can outrun me?"

Vienna closed her eyes. Of course. He was the star athlete of the track team. Part of her thought he could not catch up because, he was at the other side of the room. She was afraid to turn around. Where was this going to lead to. She didn't want to be alone with Tristan O'Neil. No one wanted to be alone with him... She opened her eyes and turned around. She looked into Tristan's eyes as she leaned against the door. He was looking at her playfully.