Ariella's POV
The heat of the bodies dancing was something that could never get old. Expensive leather and velvet mixing with the strong scent of rum and liquor. The faint aroma of ecstasy in the air as the atmosphere filled with rampant angst to make memorable mistakes and glorious sins.
Colorful and vivid drinks were brought to wealthy lips and swallowed without hitch by prosperous throats. It was a den of wolves examining their prey of the night or the thousands they would spend on the rare liquid imported from god-knows-where.
Parsidical women dancing on the stage, bodies swaying with such talent and grace that put everyone in a trance. Eyes seductive and teasing as the delicate material of their thin lingerie tempted the people who rained money on them. It would take a different kind of talent to move in those heels and look effortlessly provocative.
Women took other women to forbidden exits, driving away in their getaway cars as they began the evening's love-making.
Men took men to lustful nights, ones that would be forgotten in the mornings or remembered for twilights to come.
Women took men and men took women to sanctuaries filled with broken promises yet give in to an epitome of lust.
enemies with enemies,
Friends with friends,
Strangers with strangers,
lovers with lovers,
it was all the same.
They'd be first to indulge in the sins of tonight.
And I'd be one of them.
We couldn't help but turn heads as we exited the Rolls Royce. Everyone's lust-filled and envy-filled eyes peered as the bouncer let us in without a second thought.
A waitress in a sumptuous champagne dress immediately greeted us with a beaming smile, leading us to our V.I.P booth and giving us our drinks.
Mine being a club soda while Lily's was a Cosmopolitan -a little stronger than how it would normally be served.
We watched all the people from our luxurious sitting area that was on the second floor. Their breaths were erratic and slowed yet they didn't care as tipsy smiles spread on their faces. Eyes small and free while bodies moved against bodies.
Lily's crimson off-the-shoulder mini-dress clinging onto her petite curves as her crimson-stained hair swayed against her smooth back. She looked so free and ready for entertainment. And in her eyes, she vowed to stay true to her intentions.
She finished her drink as she wandered onto the dance floor, fueling her something catastrophic while she found a strong guy to lean on. The flashing, vigorous lights shone on her and only her as she stood out to everyone, like a rose pearl among dull seashells.
I leaned back in the velvet chair as I did random things on my phone for the next hour and drank my club soda, occasionally looked up to make sure Lily was okay.
I'd rather stay in the comfort of my private floor and club soda than getting a hangover. And this way, I can keep an eye on Lily while I sip on my club soda.
My night was about to be the most relaxed night yet...right when I needed to use the restroom. I got up and put my drink down on the glass table. I was in the empty hallway, following the signs when a voice called out my name.
It wasn't Lily's voice.
It was a man.
"Oliver...wasn't expecting to see you here," I spoke with a small smile.
I quickly moved my Cartier ring -that was on my right hand- to the ring finger on my left hand remembering how Cameron said that we were engaged. I internally wanted to roll my eyes at the memory. Overprotective man.
"What a nice surprise! It's good to see you again," he grinned as he walked closer to me.
I wish I could say the same.
He caught sight of the ring and his lips twitched as his jaw locked. Then his eyes moved to my neck and chest, eyes caught on the faint lovebites that I covered up...barely. I didn't get the chance to completely conceal them when Cameron took away my foundation and ran away with it.
"Is your fiancé here with you?" he asked as he looked around his eyes hinting with the slightest bit of fear as he looked at the dull marks on my skin from the corner of his eye.
"Yeah, he's just upstairs," I lied.
"If you'll excuse me-" I started while I turned around to actually open the bathroom door. He cut me off as his rough hand grabbed my wrist and turned me back around.
"I would really love to catch up with you soon. I tried asking you that day at the coffee shop before we were interrupted," he spoke through his smile, his eyes glinting with something different entirely.
Did he not look long enough at the hickeys and the ring?
I caught the scent of his breath and cringed at the aroma of strong alcohol. I looked into his relaxed yet determined eyes and saw his pupil expanded lazily. He's drunk.
"I actually have to get back to my fiancé soon-" I started yet again before he gripped my wrist in a bruising hold as I held back the wince.
"Oliver, let go of me," I spoke, my voice unwavering and authoritative.
"I just want to talk to you, Ariella. Quit being a bore," he huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes. His grip didn't ease one bit.
"You can talk to my fiancé," I told him as I tried yanking my wrist away from him. He scowled as he slammed me into the wall, my head taking the impact first as I bit back the numbing ache.
"You were more fun two years ago. The good old days," he mused.
I started squirming and almost got away from his hold right before he pinned all of his weight on me in a violent movement to my chest, knocking the air out of my lungs. A sound between a cough and gasp came out of me as I tried to swallow down more air.
My vision blurred with black dots as my head stung. My teeth ground together as I tried to breathe, struggling under his weight. It took a second for my vision and hearing to come back but he started muttering indecipherable words.
"You look even better than the first time I saw you. Do you remember? That's okay, you'll remember soon..." he whispered.
He was just about to reach underneath my dress before I kneed him in the groin hard and pushed him off of me. When he crouched down, I elbowed him in the eye and made a run for it. He slammed against the wall and slouched against it as he groaned.
Poor wall.
I tried to take calming breaths to ease my erratic heart rate, the loud music bringing me back to reality. I took a deep breath as I quickly moved as fast as I could, my pace easing to a speed walk when I was a good distance away.
I pulled a security guard aside and told him that a man was passed out in the hallway, claiming it was because he was drunk. He nodded with a "thank you" for letting him know. I didn't want to make a scene but I promised myself that I'd tell Cameron when I got home.
Lily was already sitting in the chair. She looked completely bored of the men who fought for her attention downstairs. Looks like the alcohol kicked in.
"Can we leave?" she asked as she yawned. I agreed almost instantly, wanting this night to be over.
I didn't realize my hands were shaking until she held them in her own and looked at my shaken-up face. I could imagine that my face had paled and my eyes were wider than normal. Not to mention that my chest was moving a little faster than usual.
Her face turned into one of concern almost immediately.
"Are you okay?" she asked slowly, her voice soft and gentle. I nodded my head and forced myself to smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just saw more than I should've in the bathroom," I huffed a nervous laugh. She laughed quietly and nodded in understanding.
I still need to use the bathroom.
~~~~~
Cameron's POV
Now I'm glad I got paranoid and checked the camera footage of the club.
I called the security to bring him to the base so I could handle it. I had my phone in a death grip as I awaited her call.
My back molars ground together as the bones in my jaw locked together. My body tensed as the glass of bourbon broke in my hands, the glass shards sticking to my palms and the liquid dripping down to the floor. Pure and vehement wrath boiled itself up in my chest.
Not only did he have the bravery to talk to her when she moved her ring to the other hand and my marks on her skin, but he touched her -hurt her- when she told him that I was upstairs.
For looking at her, I was going to carve out his eyes.
For touching her, I was going to take his hands.
For talking to her, I was going to rip out his tongue.
When I realized that she wasn't going to call, I got in my car and sped to the base. I was sure the steering wheel was going to break from how hard I clutched it, my knuckles turning stark white.
She had it pretty much handled with how she knocked him unconscious and for that, I was proud of her but slightly angry for not listening when I specifically said to call me if anything happened.
But she got hurt. She was bruised and for that, I wouldn't -couldn't- take mercy on him.
~~~~~
Leo's POV
Out of all the years, I'd known him, this was one of the worst times to cross him. I'd only seen him this angry a handful of times.
Even as children, he had quite the temper. Hell, I did too.
I remember going with him to the tattoo parlor countless times, half of which were times when we were too drunk to function. But I distinctively remember when we got our first tattoos.
Both of our tattoos meant something.
Mine was a wilting daisy, almost all the petals falling to my lower back while only two petals remained on the stem.
The two petals for Cameron and my sister.
They both had saved me from a suicide attempt just a few months before.
His was a pair of vivid green eyes on his back. And I knew that his savior was who those eyes belonged to.
I remember the day he came back to the orphanage from the park after he met her. Something about him was different. He came back with...hope. A promise. Since that day, our lives have changed for the better.
The more that I thought about it, the more I realized that Ariella changed all of our lives.
She was like a sister now.
But then someone hurt her.
"You fucked up dude," I looked at him almost taking pity on him.
He sat tied against the chair as the rope-burn ripped his skin. His eye was swollen and turned black and purple, courtesy of Ariella.
Cameron had yet to walk in the room but I knew that when he did, it wouldn't be good. This guy would get hell on earth.
"W-who are you?" he slurred as he fell limp against the chair.
"Would it be too cringe if I said 'your worst nightmare'?" I asked.
Was cringe even a word anymore? I'm too old for this young generation.
'You are only 24...' my subconscious retorted.
Old enough.
"You'll regret this. I'm a l-lawyer! I'll have you arrested and thrown in jail," he cried out, his bruised lip getting in the way.
Bitch, we own the police and your law firm.
"Ah...I'm so scared..." I responded blandly as I checked my phone to see if Cameron would get here any time soon.
This guy is too annoying.
"I wouldn't be here if that whore-" he started before my hand found itself curling around his throat making his words stunt.
My hands spasm like that sometimes.
I need to get that checked out.
"I'd watch my next words very carefully if I were you," I threatened. I squeezed my hand around his throat making him thrash in the chair as he gasped for air.
That would leave a bruise.
I released my hold just as he was about to pass out.
I'm hungry.
Before I could leave and get food, Cameron walked in.
Ooh. He's angry, angry.
Should I rile him up some more?
No...that's not nice.
HAHAHHAHA. I'M CRYING. I CAN'T-
Of course I'm going to.
I flicked the back of the Olive branch's head before walking towards Cameron and smirked as I told him something that got him impossible angrier.
"Camy, I think you should know that he called Ariella a whore," I smirked as I walked out of the room. The next thing I heard was the Olive branch screaming in agony.
I kinda want chicken wings. Or do I want popcorn?
I'll have both.
I grabbed some popcorn as I walked back to the basement. It hadn't even been 20 minutes since I left them alone and the olive branch already had his hands detached from his body. I leaned against the wall as I grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it in my mouth just as Cameron poured lemon juice on his hand-less arms, right on the wounds.
This is such a great bonding moment.
I got a single popcorn and threw it at the olive branch, seeing if I could get it in his mouth from his wails of anguish.
It missed.
Cameron rolled his eyes at me while I just offered him some of my popcorn.
He's lucky I'm sharing at all.
Camy got a knife and watched intently as he carved out his eyes, blood gushing down his face and body. I reached my hand in the popcorn bowl and realized I ate all of it. Some of it was thrown at the olive branch though.
I'm going to get chicken wings.
When I came back with my plate of chicken wings, his dick and tongue were laying on the opposite sides of the room.
"Aw, why'd you started without me?" I muttered.
My eyes welled up with tears as I ate my chicken wings. How could he do something like this?
Cameron rolled his eyes and turned to me, his face dotted with blood and hands completely red like his clothes and leather jacket.
"You can take out his heart," he spoke.
He is such a sweetheart.
I waited for him as he washed his hands thoroughly, my body shaking from excitement. Almost 5 minutes later, the blood was off of his hands and face but not erased from his clothes, especially his white shirt.
I gave him my chicken wings as I took the knife from his hand. The olive branch was barely breathing but still conscious, that would end soon.
I plunged the blade deep into his chest, blood splattering on my face as he squirmed with all his strength which was barely any. A malignant smile spread on my lips as I carved out his heart from the inside. His body soon fell limp as he took his last breath.
Then his heart fell out and rolled at Cameron's feet.
He. Was. Eating. MY. Chicken. Wings.
~
(A/N): WD-2590