Chapter Forty Seven:
Clara
I was woken up by my alarm at 7:30 AM in order to have enough time to get ready. I wasn't well rested that was for sure but I felt good enough. I had maybe 4 hours of good sleep in total but it was an adequate amount.
I stood in front of the mirror in the room that I was occupying and I observed what I was wearing. I was wearing a very sexy dress that clung to my sides and hugged every curve. I wished it was something that Harry could have seen because he would have hiked the back up and bent me over before I could even say my last name.
Gio had a tendency to put the female members in his gang in small and skimpy clothing, according to Billie. She had shown me a picture of the outfit that she wore for the big drop off that everyone else did in Rome and she was in some very small clothing. I suppose that since Gio had said that he gets people to use manipulation and seduction to win at poker games, then it applies the same as the drop offs.
I took a picture of my black and leather dress in the mirror. It had one sleeve and the other was off the shoulder. There was a zip running down the middle from the neckline to the base of the dress which sat above my knees. It was paired with a pair of black stilettos and I wore red lipstick as an accent colour.
I stood admiring myself and bathing in the wealth of what my life had become. Then, Gio came knocking on the door. You always knew if the knocks were Gio's because they were hard and firm against the wood of the door.
"Come in!" I shouted, taking a step away from the door. I crossed my feet underneath me and I folded my arms over my chest, struggling in the tight material.
Gio walked in and he looked me up and down. "That'll work. You could have gone sluttier but they'll be distanced by it." I pulled my head back a little at his crude comment. "Don't worry. The Gryphons are easy to please."
"Okay... What am I exactly doing?" I asked, taking another step back to rest my butt on the edge of the table. I sank down a little as I sat so I looked up even further at Gio.
"You are talking to the Gryphons, who are the buyers and I need you to sweet talk them while George and I move the shipment one crate at a time into their transport. You will also be in charge of getting the money from them. The Gryphons are usually good buyers but they have been known to try and trick people in the past. You're going to have to sit and talk about all the things that they want to talk about as long as they want to. If they touch you inappropriately, that's when you move away because it isn't worth starting a war over." He said, looking at me sternly.
I was confused by his last statement because from what he said, it sounded like he was referring to the men touching me without my consent. I wouldn't want their crusty and dirty hands on me. The hands of people that had killed many.
I just nodded and took in everything else he said. "So I have to flatter and smooze the middle aged men while you two do the heavy lifting? That seems easy enough." I shrugged and I looked at Gio's straight face. He wasn't showing any emotions so the look I had on my face dropped off right away.
"Clara. This is serious. Yes, that is what you are doing but these aren't just some crude middle aged, these are killers who have murdered women and children with their bare hands. There isn't anything that they wouldn't murder for so please for the love of god, don't make any of your ridiculous jokes because I will kill you myself." He gritted out through his teeth.
I could tell that he was serious because his eyes were stern and cold. I nodded and I turned away, blowing out a big breath of air. I picked up my burner phone and my purse and I tried to tuck it into the bra part of my dress but my boobs were too small to hold anything so I huffed as I couldn't fit them in there and I reached for a small bag that I brought with me. It was a shoulder bag and it went with my dress.
I looked at Gio and said, "okay, I'm ready." I stepped out of the room, following behind Gio. We found George in the study, flicking through some last minute plans and then we were ready to go.
Gio nodded to him and I looked at the ground. I couldn't look at George because otherwise I would have killed him with my bare hands. I couldn't stomach the sight of him. Everything that he had done to Harry was inexcusable and the fact that I as having to work with him was torture. I questioned whether I had done something to annoy Gio and he knew that there was some sort of weird family history and he was doing this for a punishment. Maybe we would have gotten to the destination and he said sike.
I knew that that wasn't going to be the case. I mulled everything over in my head and if I was Louis or Liam then they would have been able to work out the statistics. It was a very low chance that Gio would say sike... ever... but an even lower chance that the scenario that I made up in my head would have actually happened.
I sighed as I walked past Gio and George conversing, keeping my eyes cast down as I headed for the library room. I had started to find it comforting to sit in there with the books surrounding me. Even if I wasn't reading, I knew that a thousand different stories were being told there. A thousand different lives that were sad and tragic or happy and cheery all at the same time. A thousand different lives that weren't mine.
Each book character had a different life that either compared to mine or didn't. Something probably worse had happened to them. Most of the books I read include multiple hunky men that have big brooding issues and dicks way too big for the size of their forearms. But I loved them.
Books screamed at me. When I was having a down day, I wouldn't want to do anything besides read or maybe write. Even on days when socialising becomes too difficult, I know that I can pick up a book and instantly fall in love with the story, the writing, the characters, the setting. Everything about books is amazing. People that don't read miss out on a lot. There is something about turning the page and finding out something new about the main character and their love interest.
I snapped back into real life and I gazed around, looking at the ten foot tall bookshelf shelving units that were covered in bodily fluids from many different sexual experiences and books that were probably fifty years old.
Eventually, George was the one that came and found me. I looked over my shoulder at him as I was deeply engrossed with the book in my hand. I started to recite what I was reading. "The kind of love that you find with another person in a romantic way is like a drug. However, the love that you have for your family and children is unconditional." I knew that it was George standing behind me.
I chose to read those particular words out loud because they resonated with him. I hummed as I finished reading the line. I looked over my shoulder and I gave George a pointed stare. "That seems awfully familiar doesn't it?" I said, raising one eyebrow at him.
Something that can only be described as anger flashed over his eyes. It was gone in a second. He took a step away from me and cleared his throat. "I think it's time to go." He said, straightening out his tie. It made me smirk knowing that I had said something to affect him.
I looked through my peripheral vision at his outfit and he was in a deep blue suit and I hated to admit it but I could see where Harry got his looks from. Anne is stunning but George is also very good looking so it's no wonder that Harry turned out looking like he did. Harry had his father's eyes and mouth. But his facial shape was all his mother's.
I stood up and I placed the book I was reading down on the seat. "Okay. Let's go." I slang my bag over my shoulder and I sauntered out of the door. I went outside and I climbed into the car parked against the curb.
Chelsea is in the congestion zone in London, meaning that there is a daily tax that Gio has to pay in order to drive in central London. It isn't something that is relevant to me but it's one of those totally facts that I know that seem useless until I actually need to know it.
I waited in the car for a few seconds before George and Gio climbed in. They got in the front and Gio sat in the driver's seat. The car was a blacked out BMW. It looked really expensive but it wasn't like Gio had an issue with money. Gio pressed down on the accelerator and we were heading straight.
I was slouched in the seat, trying not to crease my dress until I sat up and leant forward to speak to the two men up front. I rested my elbows on my knees and I asked, "where are we going?"
George turned his head slightly to look at me and I slouched back in my seat. "We're going to a warehouse on the docks somewhere along the River. It is hard to miss so once we get close we need to keep an eye out. It shouldn't take us too long to get there." He spoke like his last words were final and I got the impression that they were, because he turned back to face the front.
We sat in silence for a little while longer but I started to get all antsy and I needed to do something with my hands and as I didn't have my regular phone, I had to take out my shitty burner phone and play snake. It was a crap nokia phone that only had the snake game on it.
I clicked play and the sound of the game rang through the speaker. It was very loud but I didn't know how to turn it down so I just let it play really loud. I played the game really shit at first and then as I started to get the hang of it, I got better.
"Fuck, yeah." I said under my breath as I used the keypad to guide the snake. I played for a bit before Gio slammed his hand against the steering wheel and it made me jump, making me to die. "What the fuck, man?" I shouted at him, raising my arms slightly.
"Shut that fucking phone up before I shut it up for you." Gio said sternly, gritting through his teeth. He seemed serious. His brows were set low on his face and the vein on his forehead was popping out. His hands were clenching around the steering wheel hard enough to make his knuckles white.
"Gio, calm down. This will go fine. There's no need to stress." I said, lowering my voice slightly. I kept it from shaking even though I was a little scared by Gio's reaction. I shut my burner phone off and I dropped it into my shoulder bag. I sank into the chair and I pouted, looking out of the window. I was cold and if I looked down I could tell. My nipples were fucking hard and not because I was turned on but because it was 5 degrees Celsius. The hairs on my arms were standing up on their ends and I covered my body with a random blanket that I found in the seat next to me.
"Ooh, you might not want to wrap that around you because there was a dead body wrapped in it, not too long ago." I looked up at Gio and he was wincing. I shrugged the blanket off and I shuddered.
"Fuck." I cursed, trying to rid myself of the feeling. I thought that it was strange how quickly I had become accustomed to Gio referencing dead people. He had only mentioned them a few times but he had indirectly mentioned it a handful more. I gagged slightly as I chucked the blanket even further away from me. I squished myself as close to the window as I could, creating distance between me and the dead blanket.
We were in the car for just under an hour in total with traffic and everything. I sat in silence in the back of the car, listening to George and Gio's conversations. It was everything relevant and they were talking about how they were going to approach the Gryphons and introduce me. I didn't say anything. I was going through a weird phase. I was quiet but I knew that I would perk up in ten minutes.
Soon after, we were turning down an alleyway. I had paid attention as to where we were and we were near the Dartford bridge. We were heading towards a set of warehouses and the thought crossed my mind that Gio and George were taking me somewhere so that they could kill me in peace.
"No, Clara. We aren't. That would be a lot of hassle to come all this way where we could have just done it in the basement." Gio said, laughing. His laughter brought me out of my head and I looked at him like a deer in headlights.
"Christ, I need to stop saying things out loud." I said, shaking my head and darting my eyes away from Gio's. I sighed and I looked at the dark and dingy road that we were heading down. "It seriously seems like it could be an option." I muttered under my breath.
As we turned the next corner, a lot more headlights shone at us. I casted my eyes away from them because they were fucking bright. "Jesus." I said, as I held my hand over my eyes.
"Coglione," Gio whispered as he rolled the car to a stop. "Turn your lights down!" He shouted out of the window and the people on the other side, managing the cars, turned their lights completely off. Gio moved our car forward and he turned the engine completely off. Before he stepped out of the car, he held something out for me to take. "Here, put this in your ear." It was a little earpiece. Then, he stepped out of the car, straightening out his jacket. He turned to look at me and he nodded his head, gesturing for me to get out of the car.
I quickly contemplated taking my bag with me but I knew that the Gryphons had meddled in some bad business in the past and they would probably rob me with everything I had. I got out of the car after quickly spraying myself with some of my body spray that I had brought with me.
I pulled my dress down as I stepped out of the car, making my boobs spill out of my dress just a little more. I pulled out my sexy model walk as I sauntered over to Gio. I pouted my lips a little, giving the illusion that I had perfect blowjob lips.
I knew that these men were probably married and maybe even had kids, yet they were still going to fawn over me like I was a prostitute. If I was going to have to seem like a prostitute then I was going to go full out.
I stood next to Gio and I stuck my right hip out to the side a little further than I normally would. I had to make it seem believable. "Gryphons, this is Clara. She is one of my newest girls and I thought that I would put her to the test today. Give her your best boys." Gio said, raising an eyebrow at me. As he placed his hand on my back, he leant down and said in my ear, "do whatever they want but don't let them touch you. Get them talking about themselves and you'll be set." He pushed me away and I headed toward the men in the dark suits that were leaning up against their expensive cars.
"Hi, boys!" I said, setting my voice a little higher than usual. I darkened my eyes and I swayed my hips as I sauntered towards them. I moved my fingers in the air, waving at them at the men. One of them whistled and the others observed my appearance. Their eyes dragged up and down my outfit, taking my curves and my chest and my face.
"Well hello to you too." The guy in the middle with silver hair. He was quite attractive but he looked like he had a wife and several kids at home, waiting for him. I went over to him first and he parted his legs to make way for me to come in between them.
I stood in between his feet. I didn't move any closer and I just stood, kind of awkwardly, with my hands beside my sides. I linked my hands behind my back and I rocked back and forth on my heels. "Tell me about yourselves. What are your names? I'm sure there are lots of stories in those big handsome brains of yours."
"Well, my name is Arthur. We are the leading dispatchers and sellers in London for things like this." The silver haired man said, pointing over to the shipment. It was in a large white van that had all of the shipment order. It must have been following us on the drive over but I was too preoccupied to notice.
Gio and George were standing in front of two other men, who I presumed were from the Gryphons. The two G's were standing very closed off and the others were standing just the same. They were talking quietly and the men around me were talking loud enough that I couldn't hear.
My attention was brought back to the men in front of me when one of them coughed to catch my attention. I smiled as I looked at all of them. "That seems very exciting. Do you want to tell me more about it?" I moved towards the one that coughed, batting my eyelashes and standing in front of him. I crossed my feet underneath me and he reached out to touch me. I tutted and took a step back. "Nice things aren't meant to be touched." I said, sternly but soft at the same time. I let out a little giggle and I twirled a piece of hair around my finger.
The man smirked and nodded, recoiled his hand back and he crossed them against his body. "Why are you asking so many questions?" He raised an eyebrow but I couldn't quite work out if his question was serious or playful.
I braced my hand on my chest and I gasped. I shook my head, "I'm sorry, mister. I didn't mean to ask so many questions. I just wanted to know what you're all like." I made my eyes bigger and I pouted my lips at all of them.
"It's okay, doll. I've got an answer for you." The one second from the other end said and I made my way towards him.
"And what's your name, doll?" I asked him, repeating what he had called me. He laughed and stood up, moving closer to me.
"What's it to you?" He asked, towering over me. I cower back a little, unlike what I would have actually done. If the man in front of me was anyone other than the Gryphons I wouldn't have backed down but I knew how much this drop meant to Gio and George's business. I didn't need or want to mess it up for them. This drop and shipment was relying on me. I wasn't quite sure how I was needed so much. I wasn't even helping them move anything.
I stepped away from the towering man and I walked back a few steps, giggling nervously. "I-I'm sorry." I stuttered. "You're clearly not into the name thing which is fine. Tell me what you want to tell me. I'm very good at listening." I said, making sure to appear small and mouse-like. They were prey and I was their food.
"There's a good girl. Don't ask too many questions that you don't want to know the answers to." He said, taunting me.
Arthur jumped up and rushed to stand between me and- "Back down, Marco." Marco. "She's not worth fucking this up. Look at her. She's a pathetic piece of flesh. She means nothing. Don't fuck with Gio, you know this." I could see the fire roaring in his eyes and as he looked at, who I could only presume was his leader, Arthur, he stalked away, huffing and puffing. "Don't mind him. He has a short temper and big trust issues."
I nodded sheepishly and I walked towards the car in the middle. I looked at the bonnet, calculating the chance of me being able to get on the hood of the bar. I decided that I would probably be able to get on there. "Can I sit on there?" I asked, looking at Arthur and pointing at the bonnet. He looked at where my finger followed and back at me before he nodded.
I kept saying in my head, 'all you have to do is keep them occupied' as I pushed myself onto the bonnet of the Mercedes. I crossed my legs and I leant back slightly. I was definitely showing off my cold nipples to all eight of the men around me. They had formed a circle around me and it was like I was entertaining all of them. I suppose I was.
"Seeing as he doesn't want me to ask the questions, why don't you tell me what you want to tell me." I batted my eyes again and I shook my boobs slightly. All of their eyes went straight to my chest. I suppressed a gag and I grinned at all of them.
I hoped that I was playing the prostitute well.
"We are bad men, Clara." Arthur said to me in a low voice and I furrowed my eyebrows. "We kill people on a daily basis because they fuck us over. I hope you aren't going to have to be one of them."
I giggled and turned my head away slightly to show that I was getting shy. "Oh my gosh, you have a funny way with words. Well, it's good that I'm a lady and not a man, isn't it!" I said, giggling at my own joke.
I should have gotten an oscar for my award winning performance. It was so good that it made me feel sick. I was sure that I was going to throw up part way through the gig. It was a shame that I wasn't an acting student and I was getting graded because it was grade A worthy. Distinction. Top knotch work.
"You're a funny little lady." The coughing guy said in a low voice. I think he was trying to be seductive. Spoiler alert. He wasn't.
I quickly glanced over at Gio and George and I could see that they were loading the shipment packages into the Gryphons chosen mode of transport. "Good job, Clara. You're doing well." Gio's praise rang through my ear and I suppressed a grin. I had always thrived off praise in a non sexual and sexual way.
I glanced at Gio and George once more and I could see them looking over their shoulders as they messed with the shipment. One of them slipped some off the packages into their suit jackets. It wasn't a lot but it was enough to make my heart race. Suddenly, I understood why I was so essential. I decided that I needed to keep the Gryphons preoccupied.
"I know, there's nobody like me." I was questioning whether I was going to have to pull out the big card. The 'nobody like me in bed' card. It was risky because they all might take it as an invitation to touch me and that wasn't allowed.
"Don't let them touch you." Gio's voice rang through my head and as I looked up, it was as if he knew what I was thinking about. I shook the thought away as I focused on Marco.
"Hey, you have the same name as Marco Polo." I swiped my tongue along my lower lip. The man nodded and hummed. His eyes darkened and I leant back a little further on the car bonnet. "He was pretty famous. Just like you." I giggled, twirling a single strand of hair around my finger.
"You certainly are a charmer, aren't you, love?" Marco laughed, smirking. "DO you know anything else about Marco Polo?" A confused look almost flashed over my face but I held it back. I was puzzled as to why he was asking.
I changed my face and posture to seem like I was thinking of something to say in response to his question. In all honesty, I was but I was trying to look at his face and determine whether he was actually testing me and wanting to know if I really was who I said I was.
"Umm..." I said, giggling. "He was a merchant and the Marco Polo swimming pool game was created off his name." I batted my eyes at him and I grinned.
"You're a very smart young lady." He said and I shrugged.
"I just really like history." I giggled, pushing my hair behind my ear. He coughed, straightening up and he pushed back his suit jacket a little, exposing a concealed firearm. He was bloody lucky that I wasn't a cop because he would have been straight in cuffs.
I squirmed a little, alarm was written all over my face. In reality I hadn't really seen a small gun this close up before. I'd seen the ones that Gio's men had been holding at all the airfields that we went to over Europe but never this up close. They were... intimidating to say the least.
"Hey, don't worry, baby. I won't use it on you... Unless you want me to." Marco winked at me and I forced myself to not gag.
"Oh my gosh, no!" I gasped, looking at Arthur briefly. "Please don't. I like my life a lot." I cried out, looking scared. I wasn't necessarily scared but I did feel my heart racing a little.
"Marco, go and see what's taking Gio and George so long." Arthur said, nodding his head over to my partners. I panicked a little. I was pretty sure that Gio and George wanted me to keep all eight of the men around me for the entirety of the drop off but I wasn't doing a good job.
"No!" I exclaimed and I immediately shot myself in the foot. I squeezed my eyes shut and I sighed. "I mean, I want all of you around me. I don't want any of you to leave."
"Go check, Marco." Arthur said a little more sternly this time. I cowered back a little as his eyes drilled into my head. He continued to look at me as he listened for his friend to walk away.
I heard Gio say in my ear, "nice job, Clara." I could physically hear the eye roll. I blocked Gio from my head and I smiled weakly at Arthur and he didn't smile back.
"I've been in this business a long time, Clara. I know when I smell a rat and funnily enough it isn't you. I know it isn't. You've had to face the eight of us and I understand if this has made you nervous." Arthur said and in my head I snorted. Fucking idiot. He's bragging and it's a shame because under all the death and destruction, he probably would have been quite a nice person.
"I'm so glad that you think so." I fluctuated my voice in pitch and tempo to make me seem goofy. It was a direction that I had taken my character and I was pretty sure that it was working. I slipped in a little giggle at the end and Arthur smiled at me. It was a haunting smile and it shook me to my core.
"You're lucky that you're so pretty, otherwise I would have let these piranhas on you." He gestured over to the rest of his men. A few of them were shying away a little more than the others. Someone that took my notice was the young boy, who was maybe a little younger than me at probably only 18, who had glasses sitting on the end of his nose and a lopsided smile. He looked sweet but he was in the wrong business to look sweet. I hadn't been in the business for very long but I knew that he wasn't going to make it very far before he gets himself killed.
We started to talk for a little while and we continued until Marco came back over. He whispered something in his boss' ear that made him smirk. I quickly slid off the car hood and I walked up to Arthur. I brushed my hand against his tie, smoothing it against his chest.
"I'm going to go check in with my boss. I know nothing about what's happening so I'd like to know when I get to have dinner." I grinned at the men, winking at a few of the quieter ones, making them blush.
"Yes, love. Go and see when you get to eat. We can be having a beautiful girl like you losing all her curves." He winked at me and I dropped my head slightly. He brushed his hand against my chin, tilting my head up slightly. "You've gone all shy."
I turned my head away and I pushed my way through the gaggle of men. I headed over to Gio, swaying my hips as I walked. I heard one of the men say, "look at the ass on her" and I nearly threw up but I just turned back and looked over my shoulder, smirking.
When I got to Gio, I popped my right hip out because I knew that the men were watching me. Just as I reached George and Gio, they were collecting the money from one of Arthur's correspondents. It was being handed over in the large briefcase and they opened it to show Gio and George the money. When I saw it, my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. There was so much of it. I didn't even think I would be able to count high enough.
I let out a little gasp and it made Gio and George's head snap over to me. A nervous giggle slipped from my mouth. "T-that's a lot of money." I said, pointing at the briefcase. It wasn't so much a briefcase, the closer that I looked at it, it looked a little more like a small suitcase.
"It is Clara. What are you doing over here?" Gio asked me, his eyes flicked over to the gawking men behind me. "You're meant to be with those men."
"Thank you, sir. That'll be everything. Well get back to you once we've finished loading this stuff onto your truck." George said, still speaking to the man across from the three of us. "Hey, what's she doing over here?" He said, showing his sharp teeth at me as soon as the man with the briefcase moved far enough away.
"I'm seeing when I can have dinner. This has been going on long enough and I'm hungry." I said but it just made the two of them look at me like I was talking in another language. "How long do I have to do this for?"
"I don't care if you're hungry or unhappy. You're doing this for as long as I say." Gio said, seething at me. He clapped his hand tight around my shoulder hard enough to leave marks. "You're going to walk yourself back over there and smoothly talk your ass into their conversation. You leave a big impression on people because you've got a big personality and I want you to get as much information as possible. If you don't... well... Do I even have to say?"
I nodded slowly because I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. "That little best friend of yours might just get the cut. I know that your father is pretty important to you also. They might just find themselves on the receiving end of my barrel." I sucked in a quick breath, trying not to show any sort of emotion.
I nodded and I whispered, "I understand." I could tell that my stance had faltered because one of the men behind me whistled. When I looked back at them with a false smile on my face, one of them gestured for me to go back over to them. "How long will it take? I need to tell them something." I avoided eye contact with Gio as I spoke to him quietly.
"Tell them fifteen minutes but maybe twenty at the maximum." Gio said, a lot softer this time and he brushed my loose hair over my shoulder. "Have they touched you?"
I nodded, and told him which one. "It was only on my chin. I'm okay. I just need a deep fucking cleanse when we get back." I tried to turn away but Gio kept his grip on my shoulder.
"Despite my warning of consequences, I do care that you are safe." He said slowly, holding eye contact with me and I nodded before I moved away from him. I spread a fake smile across my face as I looked back at the eight men around the Mercedes. They were all watching me and I strutted back over to them.
"He said that they'll be done in fifteen to twenty minutes and then I can go eat. I bet you can hear my stomach from all the way up there!" I adopted my false voice and exaggerated act. I rocked back and forth on my feet and I giggled, running my hands through my hair. "So, you better make these last fifteen minutes count."
The men moved closer to me. The only one staying back was the shy one in glasses. He needed to get out of the business but I had a feeling that it was one you were in, that was it. You don't get out.
They crowded around me. One of the men that I hadn't even spoken to yet spoke first. My head snapped to the slightly overweight, red haired man that adorned a brown suit jacket and cream coloured trousers. "I think you'd like to see my tattoo. It reminds me of you." He winked at me and I giggled and rolled my eyes a little. When I looked at him I could tell that he was deadly serious.
"Go on then. Let me be the judge of it." I gestured for him to show me and he untucked his shirt a little. For a second I wondered where this was going but when he lifted the corner of his shirt up, he exposed a fully healed lily tattoo. It was the lily flower surrounded by a bunch of either barbed wire or the stems of roses where the thorns were.
I didn't have many tattoos but I could definitely appreciate a good tattoo. Harry had so many of them. I loved Harry's tattoos because they expressed who he was and what he was feeling in the moment.
The man's tattoo was really well done. I could tell that my mouth dropped open slightly because the man smirked. "Wow, I mean. It's really well done. That's insane." I had dropped into my normal speaking voice as I moved closer to assess it so I slipped a quick giggle onto the end. "What's your name?" I quickly asked, widening my eyes so that they appeared doe like.
"My name's Brad. You like it?" He said, asking and I nodded enthusiastically.
"Well, Brad. I really like it. I'm not so sure how it reminds you of me but I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway." I said, teasing him a little.
"It's at the right height that you'd be able to see it perfectly if you were on your knees." He said and it was fucking gag worthy.
"Way to ruin the mood, Brad." I deadpanned, letting my persona slip slightly. I looked up at his face and as my eyes moved up his body I caught sight of his finger and he had a nice and prominent gold ring on his wedding finger.
"Nah, I'm just playing. You're too innocent to be doing such naughty things." He teased and I giggled. God, I was really hating myself.
"Oopsie daisy!" I exclaimed as my ankle wobbled slightly on the gravelly floor. It was starting to give way so I really needed Gio and George to finish up soon. "You guys are so co- Oh look! It's Gio!" I squealed and I ran up to him. I latched my arms onto his bicep and I giggled, lifting my leg off the floor. I was continuing my act and Gio looked a little alarmed. "Gosh, wasn't that a quick fifteen minutes!" I giggled and I batted my eyelashes at the eight men. I made eye contact with all eight of them before I looked back at Gio.
He crossed his arms over his chest, puffing it out slightly. I kept my arms on Gio whilst he spoke to Arthur. "Okay, Arth. Everything is there. Now I just need your big guy to give me my money." Gio gestured over to the muscly man by the Gryphons' van. He was the same one as before with the briefcase/suitcase with the huge sum of money.
I followed Gio's finger with my eyesight and then I looked back at Arthur. Gio and Arthur were clearly long term acquaintances because Gio was giving him a nickname, unless it was a derogatory thing.
"Of course. I trust you Gio." Arthur said before nodding his head for Mr Muscle to come over with the case. "These guys are done and they've checked out the money to make sure that it was real so hand it over."
Mr Muscle handed the briefcase over to George and his hand dropped a little in the absence of someone holding the heavy case. "It's been good doing business with you." Gio nodded and he turned to walk away. I obviously turned with him but I made sure to look over my shoulder at the men and with one finishing act, I winked at all of them, making eye contact with the youngest one specifically.
We headed back to the car and I climbed into the back seat with the briefcase on the seat next to me. I was shivering because as we pulled away, my adrenaline was starting to run out.
"Can we go get some food?" I asked, sheepishly. I was looking at the floor by my feet. I was sitting behind the driver's seat. I looked up when Gio spoke. He was already looking at me through the front mirror.
"Yep. That was a lot for you. You deserve some food. Can we just take this case back to the house and then we'll go get something." Gio asked me and his voice was very soft, almost parent-like. It was as if he was talking to a child. I smiled weakly and I nodded.
Suddenly I was missing everyone. I had done something tonight and I wished that I could celebrate with my best friends and the man that I love but I can't because my boyfriend doesn't even know and my best friends weren't with me. I couldn't even call them.
"What do you fancy?" Gio asked me. My eyes quickly flashed to George, who was sitting in the passenger seat on his phone. It didn't surprise me that he was all work and no play
"Something really greasy and that has a thousand calories in one single bite like fast food." I replied as blunt as I possibly could and it made George smirk and scoff. I didn't have the energy to challenge him so I just rested my head on the window and I stared at the dark night's sky.
I really wanted to get my dress off and put something ridiculously comfortable on. I was sick of leather and latex. I felt disgusting for letting those men around me and the next hour's drive I was cold and shaking and drained.
I was so burnt out. I didn't know what else Gio had planned for me but all I knew was that that wasn't all of it. It was going to be jam packed.
Eventually, we got back to the dark house and I rushed inside to find some clothes. I told Gio that I would be out in a minute. I got the room that I was occupying and I got a jumper. I didn't bother to take my dress off because I knew that it was going to be a lot of effort that I didn't have. I hoisted the bottom of the dress up over my arse and I pulled a pair of sweats on.
In a matter of seconds I had gone from Nightout to hungover and I went back out to Gio. I threw my hair up into a bun and I climbed back into the car. I was a little warmer but I had gotten numb to it. This time I was in the passenger seat. I didn't care whether George was coming with us but if he was, he could sit in the back seat.
He didn't. He decided that it would be best that he went home and I was glad about it.
Gio got in the driver's seat after maybe 5 minutes or so and he drove me to the closest fast food restaurant. It was McDonalds. "Ah," I let out a sigh, "good old maccies." The double golden arches were a beautiful sight. The light that they emitted basically screamed 'please give me diabetes.'
Gio asked me what I wanted and I said a medium six piece nugget meal with a fanta but I stopped myself and told him to scratch that and just get me a chicken nugget happy meal with an orange juice. The woman on the drive through window looked at me a little funny when she noticed that there was in fact no child in the car.
We proceeded to sit and eat our fast food in the car, talking about how that drop went and how I felt. We then headed back to the house and I bathed, scrubbing my skin clean of any physical and mental dirt.
It was safe to say that my sleep was interrupted by my nightmares and I didn't have anyone to comfort me.