The moment I opened my eyes, my head hurt like hell and the fact that I didn't understand where I was, added more panic. I slowly sat up and noticed I was naked.
What the fuck got into you, Amelia?
The memory of what happened reached my mind. The words he said, the way his hands touched my body. As much as I loved every damn part of it, I had to deal with it today. This was just another slip-up. No more. I said to myself.
This can't happen again. It cannot.
I looked around the room I was in. I frowned. The window behind the bed was a lot like a window on a plane. That would probably explain the loud sound that keeps bugging me. I began to panic.
He's kidnapping me. He's taking me away from where he'll sell me. For fuck's sake, Nate is a bad man.
Just then, the door opened and he walked in. His eyes went from my eyes to my bare chest. I looked down, noticing I was naked and covered myself up with the duvet. Not that he hasn't seen every part of my body already. He smiled.
"Where the fuck am I?" I winced from the pain in my head.
"On a plane."
"I'm not stupid. Where are you taking me?" He stood still, not moving closer to me.
"We're on our way to Italy." My eyes widened.
Italy?
"You are insane. I can't go there." He pulled away from the door and walked over to the bed. "Luke is going to kill me."
"I couldn't leave you alone. If those dipshits were trying to come on you, you needed to have someone to call. For fuck's sake, Amelia, you should be glad I came there." My hands began to tremble.
"No, no, no. This can't happen." I shook my head.
"I couldn't bring you back home. What if Luke-"
"Luke would've understood that part. He suspected that we were more than just a teacher and a student. Way more than that. I had to make up big damn lies to cover it up. I had to lie to my BROTHER!" I yelled.
"Calm down-" I shook my head.
"I don't know how many women you've been in the past, but you never ever tell a woman to calm down, you dipshit!"
"Amelia-"
"No, Nathanial. This is it. I can't do anything with you anymore. The day we land back in New York, which better be tomorrow, I'll sign out of your class. I don't care. Ruin my career. I don't give a damn. I can't keep lying to Luke. I can't keep lying to myself goddammit!" I tried to calm down by taking deep breaths, but it did nothing other than worsen my nerves. "You'll put me on a plane to New York the moment we land," he shook his head no. "No? You're telling me it's okay to, I don't know, kidnap me?" He smiled, shaking his head.
"Princess-"
"No more of this princess bullshit, Nathanial. This, whatever this was, is done." I looked around. "Where are my clothes?" Then it hit me. He tore the dress. "You fucking asshole!" I screamed at him.
"You're the only woman that yelled at me like that and got away with it." I looked at him in disbelief.
"You think I care about that? What the hell am I going to tell Luke?" I held my head with my hand as the pain hit me.
"Are you okay?"
"No, I'm being kidnapped." He came up to me and squatted down next to the bed. I turned away from him, but he wrapped his hand around my throat and brought my head to face him.
"Stop the attitude, Amelia."
"Turn this damn plan around."
"We're not alone here and the only way you're going to get back home is Sunday."
"No. I can't-"
"On Sunday, we're both flying back to New York. Like it or not, it's what will happen. Now, you'll put on a show that you're not a student of mine in front of my second family. You'll act in front of them like you love me and have been with me for some time." He's an idiot if he thinks I'll do that.
"I'm not faking anything."
"You'll only fake the part of you being my student." What was that supposed to mean? I'm not in love with him. "As for me, you're not my student in my eyes either way."
"Go to hell," I spat out, trying to get out of his grip.
"I'll go there when the time comes, princess, but don't even think that you won't go with me." I slapped him across the face and pushed him away from me. I quickly wrapped the blanket around me and ran for my life. A weapon would be nice. I ran to the door and opened it as quick as I could. The moment I stepped out, his hands gripped my waist. I saw one pair of eyes.
A familiar pair of eyes.
"Nicolas?" I said under my breath, making him look in my direction. But before I could say anything else, Nate pulled me back into the room and carried me to the bed as I kicked him everywhere I could to get away from him. "Leave me alone, you moron!" He threw me on the bed so hard, that I thought I was a doll for a brief second. I couldn't run away as his hand took both my wrists and held them above my head. He parted my legs and moved in between them while his other hand wrapped around my throat.
"What was that about?"
"What? You haven't heard? Captives tend to run away. Or at least try to." He rolled his eyes.
"How do you know Nico?" I frowned.
"Who doesn't?" He looked at me as if he was going to kill me right then and there. "Truthfully, I met him personally almost two months ago. He was at one of the lectures I attended about investing your money the right way. Strangely he pulled me away for a second and told me he was fascinated with my accomplishments." I was stunned. Nicolas Salucci told me he was fascinated by me. "He told me he had a friend that could help me get further in the field of mathematics and... Wait..." My mind began to connect the dots. "You're the fucking friend?" He didn't react, as if it was new information he was processing.
"Did he tell you anything else?" I nodded.
"He told me 'I think we'll see each other very soon' and walked away."
Fucking dipshits!
"You all planned this? You'll sell me to some mafia dude now? Will I be-" he shut me up by pressing his lips against mine. I was caught by surprise and couldn't even close my eyes. One thing was my weakness and that was his kisses. They'll be the death of me. He pulled away, looking right at me.
"No one is selling you. I'm very much keeping you to myself."
"I'm no one's property, thank you very much."
"I have some business to help Nico. That's why I'm going there. I couldn't leave you alone if something like that happened again and I didn't know what I would've told your brother."
"You do realize that I have Luke to call if something happens?" He nodded. "Don't underestimate his abilities."
"Just two days, princess. That's all I'm asking. Then you can make your own decision on what to do." Two days. What could go worse, right?
"Fine. But if you don't get me a brand new wardrobe of clothes right now, I'll tell them all you're keeping me hostage. And trust me, I can act." He smiled in disbelief.
"Out of everything you could've asked me, you asked for clothes?"
"And make-up. Maybe a new phone."
"That's... rather cheap."
"I didn't grow up with a fortune so everything I can get is valuable to me."
————
Nate gave me his sweatpants and sweatshirt to wear since my dress was now ruined. And well, maybe that dress wasn't something I should wear as I meet his so-called family.
The moment I walked out of the plane, I noticed Nico with a guy next to him. They shared some facial features and made me think that maybe they were brothers or just relatives. As I began to walk down the stairs with Nate behind me, their eyes went to me.
I had to use a hair tie to tighten the sweatpants since they were way too big for me. Nico took his sunglasses off and stared at my every move.
"Nico," I acknowledged him and turned to the other man. "Someone I don't know." He gave me a faint smile before nodding. I turned back to Nate only to find him looking at me with his arms crossed.
"Amelia, what a pleasant surprise," I heard Nico say, making me turn to him.
"You dipshit got me into this mess."
"Don't call me that, sweetheart." I took a step forward.
"Call me sweetheart one more damn time and I'll show how sweet I can get." His brows lifted as he was taken by surprise.
"Alright, then I was right. You're both perfect for each other." I chuckled before I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Can we get this shit-show over? I seriously need to get back to the US."
"Well, follow me., The similar-to-Nico guy said, leading us to the black Mercedes waiting for us. He opened the door, letting me first. I hoped to share the car ride with someone other than Nico, but I wasn't very lucky on that. The moment I buckled up, I turned my head to the side, noticing Nico right beside me.
"You know, he wasn't happy when I told him to go with my brother." Ah, brothers. No wonder they looked similar.
"Fantastic. Why on Earth did you set me up with him?" I crossed my arms over my chest, keeping my eyes on him. He tucked his phone into his jacket and looked at me right before the car started moving.
"He needed someone."
"You mean to get laid?" He smiled.
"Part of it, yes. But he's losing his mind and someone like you could help him." I frowned.
"What does it mean 'someone like you'?" I made air quotes.
"Someone who's perfect for him." I rolled my eyes.
"What the hell makes me so perfect for him?"
"I'll leave that for him to tell you." I chuckled, turning my head towards my window.
"And they say romance is dead." I shook my head.
"Amelia-"
"Listen, I really don't know why you chose me, but trust me, him and I can't happen. It's not the age that scares me, it's the fact that it's wrong."
"If he hadn't become your professor, would you have gone on a date with him?" I thought about it for a second. Because yes. Yes, I would've. But now that I think about it, I doubt anything would've happened. "You would've. It's just circumstances that don't let you see the full picture."
"He warned me. He said that I wouldn't want to be with him if I knew what kind of shit he's into." Nico let out a laugh.
"Darling, I'm sure that his BDSM fantasies can be arranged to your needs." I frowned and looked at him.
BDSM fantasies?
"I was talking about his past dirty work." His smile faded slowly.
"Dirty work?"
"I don't know what he meant but he said that I would run from him."
But why do I feel like you'd like that? That you'd like me to chase you.
His words came into my mind.
"Forget about it."
"Even my brother mentioned it."
"Who's your brother?"
"Luke. He works for Nate. He told me Nate has done some illegal business but other than that, I'm practically clueless." As I stared into the passing street, I began to think that I revealed a bit too much about Luke. After all, Nico was a made man, I assumed due to the fact he carried a gun at all times and wore suits as often as he wore underwear. Maybe I was wrong. I wanted to be wrong. Hanging around them didn't exactly guarantee my safety.
"I'm sure he trusts your brother." I nodded.
"I guess so. I only found out he worked for him recently."
"Good." Good?
"What is he losing his mind over?" That question came out unexpectedly. I turned my head towards Nico.
"Mathematics."
"Just that?" He cleared his throat and looked at me.
"Amelia, he needs a break. It's been a few months since he left his past and he needs to start living."
"Left his past. So like a girlfriend? A wife?" He smiled as he shook his head.
"He has never been in a relationship. At least none that I know of." I was about to ask him how the hell that happened until his phone began to ring. "Sorry. My mother." I gave him a faint smile before I looked through my window.
If I was unsure about Nathanial before, then I'm questioning this man even more now.
————