𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞

72. Dangerous Loving

The night fell quickly before we understood it. I was already dressed with my gun and my knives inside my long trousers. I wore a plain red bustier top and my black high heels.

As I looked out of the window I saw the night sky. The stars in the sky were nonexistent, as between us arose puffs of gray. Those balls of cotten seen during the day shifted into streams of gray the color of ash and soot. They blanketed the sky, hiding the full moon in it's full glory behind them. But the moon fought to shine it's light on the earth. But the clouds stretched over the sky, giving it a hazy ominous feel.

"Are you ready?" Derange checked my microphone one more time. It was working.

"I am fine." I replied without thinking.

After that, I got into a taxicab and went straight to Jame's bar, our sources had told us that he would be there tonight. It was perfect for my plan. There was only one way to describe James. His green, emerald eyes were glinting under the neon lights of the bar. His lips were pale and thin and his nose slender and rounded. A prominent jaw carved gracefully around, the strength of his neck showed in the twinning cords of muscle that shaped his entire body.

He was an Adonis among the other men who each lost in comparison to him. One look and both women and men swooned at the sight of him no matter their sexual preferences. One word passing from his lips had even the straightest men flushing shades of red that no one ever knew was naturally possible. He was depending on this, it was way too obvious to me.

"Miss...I am glad you came in my bar, I hope you are coming peacefully this time." he grinned and sat next to me.

"Inanna" I smiled. "The truth is, my gun is always with me."

"My guys have changed, I couldn't let them protect my bar when they get beaten up by a woman." he chuckled.

"Not any woman Mr..." I acted as if I didn't remember his name.

"James Jones." he replied almost immediately.

His voice was deep, I was sure that whenever he spoke every head in the room would turn. He had that rich, silky tone. He spoke as if he controlled the world. He reminded me a stormy day. A nice one.

"So Mr James, tell me something, are you married?" I asked while sipping from my drink.

"Your drink is on the house." he smiled and ordered a vodka for himself.

Derange's words kept coming back in my head, my instructions were clear for tonight. Men were attracted to confidence. In fact, many men found confidence more attractive than pure physical beauty. When first meeting someone, almost all men assessed women visually. I had to seduce James in the least obvious way.

As James and I continued talking I made sure to look him straight in the eyes. Men often gauged sexual or romantic interest based on a woman's eyes and facial expression. Derange had to become a consultant for relationships, he would make so much money from that!

"I am not married, do I look married?" he asked and chuckled.

"Maybe, you have that..boring style." I replied sarcastically.

"What about you? They say behind every great man is a strong woman. Who is your great man?" he asked me and drunk his vodka.

"Oh! I wouldn't know, I have never stood behind a man." I sipped my drink and smiled.

"You need to have a little faith in people, maybe someone would be worth standing behind." he looked at me in the eyes. "You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen, do you know that?"

"Frankly, many men have said that to me, you are no special." I replied with a serious look on my face.

"You just have to learn to ignore the other men and listen to me." he chuckled. "By ignoring the world around you and focusing on one thing, you can make public nudity legitimate."

"I can? I will start ignoring the world from tomorrow, just to see you naked." I flipped my hair softly.

"Everyone wants to see this body." he chuckled.

It loitered inside me whilst I helplessly tried to shut it out, scratching and aching my every bone, it crawled around in my stomach and fired spears at my heart. It poked at my brain and played with my mind. It whispered acidulous words inside my ear and bit my tongue.

It climbed up my spine, crushing my bones with this unbearable, unbeatable strength, demanding to be felt. It was pain...it knocked on my door and even though I refused its company and said there was no room for it to stay, it brought its own chair. It hurt me, it hurt me flirting with the man I hated the most, sometimes, I has the urge to just take out my gun and shoot him in cold blood. End him right there.

"We should go out, right now. Why don't you come from my place?" he smirked.

"Sure. Let's move the party." I smiled but inside I was hurting.

James lead me to his expensive car and then he drove until his big mansion. As soon as we arrived I took a good look around me. His mansion loomed proudly behind creaky iron gates, flanked by rows of skeletal trees, swaying gently to the chilly wind. At its threshold stood a delicate marble fountain, the soft gurgling of the clear water melodic as it resonated in the surrounding silence.

Inside, his mansion was even more expensive than it looked, it was filled with leather untouched couches and white silk curtains. The dining room was exquisite. The walls were covered with a shimmering gold paper and in the middle of the ceiling above the carved oak table was a candelabra. Down the center of the table was a runner with Celtic design woven in gold and green into the fabric itself.

"Do you like it?" he asked me and came back with two glasses of red wine on his hands.

"I have seen better." I said and took my glass of wine.

He chuckled and drunk his wine. Somewhere in this house my hopes were hidden, the gun was somewhere, behind those walls. I excused myself and went straight to his bathroom, it was as big as a room. I froze when I saw myself in the bathroom mirror, my knuckles going white as I clenched the edge of the sink tightly. I didn't want things to move on with James, I had to keep him wanting me, liking me more and more with each passing day. I didn't know how I would be able to say no to this man, the most difficult part would be for him to accept my no.

I was afraid of me and I couldn't hide it anymore from myself. I tried being brave and playing it cool but when I felt his eyes tracing my body fear started running in my veins.