Zyler tucked his dick in his pants. Panting heavily, Zyler leaned back in his chair, his body still ablaze with the heat of his desire. His shirt was sweaty, and his hair clung to his forehead in damp strands. With high passion, he reached for the glass of water on his desk and gulped it down, feeling the coolness soothe his parched throat.
Just as he was about to turn on the air conditioner to bring down the temperature, the door swung open, and Cole strode in, his eyes widening at the sight of his boss's disheveled appearance.
"You, okay?" Cole asked, his tone a mix of concern and amusement.
Zyler nodded, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Just another day at the office," he quipped, trying to hide the lingering desire that still burned within him. He silently cursed himself for letting her get under his skin so easily.
"Why did Eric walk out of the office unharmed?" Cole wasn't questioning Zyler. He was curious to know why he let Eric walk out. He stood outside of the room, listening to their conversation. This is not the Zyler he knew.
Zyler quirked a brow, "questioning my motives, Cole?" Zyler laced his fingers, questioning his right hand.
"No. I was just curious," Cole cleared his throat.
Zyler's lips curved into a sly smile. "Let's just say, Cole, that sometimes the best way to win is to let your enemy think they've won," he remarked. "I let him walk out because I want him alive," Zyler's mind is always a maze, incomprehensible. Zyler is always playing a game, with his thoughts and plans always several steps ahead of everyone else. He is calculating and strategic, always thinking about the bigger picture and how to come out on top. Cole is aware of Zyler's cunning and accepts it, knowing that there are always layers to his plans that may not be immediately apparent. So, he nodded and walked out.
Thoughts of her consumed his mind, a relentless hunger that he couldn't satisfy no matter how hard he tried. The mere memory of her taste on his tongue made his body ache with a desperate longing. He knew he shouldn't let her get to him like this, but he was helpless against her seductive allure. He could feel her presence everywhere, haunting him, even in his dreams.
Zyler tried to push her out of his mind, but it was like trying to hold back the tide. She had taken up residence in his thoughts, her presence a constant distraction from his work. He tried to focus on the task at hand, but his mind kept wandering back to her, to the way her body had felt against his, to the softness of her skin, the scent of her hair.
He knew he was playing with fire but couldn't resist the temptation. The more he tried to deny his desire, the stronger it grew until it consumed him completely. The way her clit writhed under his tongue and the way his dick responded to it, all these memories, made his mouth water.
His mind went back to the first time he hid in her closet. He was bold, no doubt, but something about watching her sleep all night topped everything else he did to her. It was a rainy day. Zyler finished his work early and reached her apartment before she could. He trudged through her apartment, memorizing all the details of her. He touched the surfaces she owned, and the bed she slept on, the shower she used, the shampoo's owned. The number of times he jerked off standing in her apartment was numerous. It had become his ritual. Only she could make him cum with just her scent.
It was one of those evenings when she came home late. Zyler was waiting for her, as he had no intention of leaving her alone. He was about to go for another beating session when the door of her apartment opened.
His heart jumped in victory. She stepped in, locking the door, and he stood there watching her do it. The victory was his as she stepped further into the apartment, completely unaware of his presence. The darkness of the room worked in his favor, his shadow blending seamlessly into the surrounding blackness. Zyler slipped into the closet as she stepped forward. The darkness of the closet enveloped him, and he felt a strange sense of comfort in its embrace. It was his sanctuary, his place of power, where he could watch without being seen. He relished the feeling of control, of being able to observe her every move without her even realizing it.
He could tell she moved closer to the closet as her intoxicating aroma hit his nose. He inhaled the wafting air, sitting in the corner. She had no idea that he was there, right before her. She moved her clothes to the side, looking for something to wear. He was close, too close. Her delicious mounds touched his lips, brushing past his nose while she stood on her toes, trying to reach the top of her closet. The urge to bite her tits made his hands itch.
Zyler fought the urge to burst out of the closet, to wrap his arms around her and claim her as his own. His breath came in ragged gasps as he bit down hard on his lip, drawing blood, anything to distract himself from the desire that threatened to consume him. He knew he could emerge from the shadows and take her in an instant, but he was unwilling to shatter the twisted illusion he had created for himself —the illusion of watching her, undetected, from the darkness.
She was close too close, her chest rubbing his face while she moved up and down, trying to reach the back of her closet. She failed to accomplish the task. Huffing, she moved back.
Zyler felt a sense of exhilaration and anticipation as he crouched in the shadows of her closet, his heart beating with the rhythm of the rain outside. He watched as she moved about the room, her back turned to him, completely unaware of his presence. It was a thrill like no other to be so close to her and yet remain invisible, a ghost in her own home.
He savored the moment, savoring the way the air felt heavy with the scent of her perfume, the way her voice floated through the room like a melody. He couldn't help but wonder how much she truly knew about the danger she was in, about the darkness that lay just beneath the surface. Did she sense it, even now, as he watched her from the shadows? Or was she blissfully unaware, going about her day-to-day life, never suspecting the danger that lurked so close to her?
And that was the first time Zyler knew this would lead to something more, something deep, something obsessive. That night he observed her, all the details of her. The smell of her cooking, the tone of her voice, she sang so beautifully that it almost sounded like a siren song. Fuck, he wondered what her moans would sound like. Would her voice alone be enough to sate his obsession? He observed when he moved with that wretched animal, talking to him, loving him like no other. He watched silently as she knelt beside her bed, her eyes closed in prayer. He couldn't help but smirk at the irony of it all. Here she was, begging for protection from a higher power, while he, the true monster lurking just a few feet away, remained unseen and unheard.
He chuckled softly to himself as she finished her prayer and climbed into bed. How naive she was to think that any god could protect her from the darkness that he represented. He was the one who held power now, and no amount of prayer could change that. Zyler bit his lips when she pulled out a book with those dainty hands. His body began to warm up. He pondered how perfect those palms would be if she curled them around his shaft and jerked him off. What would that heavenly experience feel like?
And soon, her book slid down her arms and fell off. He watched as she drifted to sleep, her maroon-painted nails perched on her stomach. He slowly came out of the shadows, like a nightmare about to be unleashed. She was so cute today when she felt no one was watching her. He couldn't get a good look at her delectable body, but her perky ass lying beneath the sheets was too much for him to bear.
It was like being trapped in a nightmare, unable to escape the reality of his own twisted desires. And yet, he remained rooted to the spot, unable to tear himself away from her presence. The silence was a reminder of his own isolation, a cruel reminder of the divide between them. And that's how he stood all night in her apartment, watching her sleep, sacrificing his for her.
A loud thud of glass breaking brought him out of his memory. Those were the golden days. He thickly gulped his saliva and went back to his work, knowing he would devour again tonight.
.................
Autumn got out of the shower, fresh and clean. The water droplets dripped down her body, glowing in the light in the room. She pulled out her bag and called Rowena, but her call went unanswered. She almost forgot that she was now at the opposite end of the world. Sighing, she hung up. Her heart was aching to see Peaches. He looked so sad when she left him. She opened her gallery and kept scrolling through her photos, the ones she had taken of him since the moment he was born. He was so small, almost fitting her palm.
Her gallery was full of him, and there was less Autumn and more Peaches. The times when he rolled in literal shit and came inside, jumping onto her fresh sheets. The other time, he brought a rabbit's baby inside her house, and Autumn had to find the mother and reunite them. Even after all these, she could never blame him, and he was the light of her life. Her eyes were welled with tears. She missed him so much. Locking the phone, she threw it on the bed.
Dressing, she stepped out into the mansion to see if she could talk to anyone there. The house was too huge for her liking. Is this where she will die? Shelving those thoughts to a side, Autumn timidly walked to the hall where she was dropped off earlier. She peeked around and saw the staff working diligently. She had never seen someone collaborate so well. It reminded her of oom-pah Loompas. "Do you need anything, mam?" she jolted and turned around to see the woman who guided her to her room.
"I am not, mam. Please call me Autumn," the girl lowered her head, avoiding looking into the help's eyes.
"Sure. Autumn is such a pretty name," the woman smiled, and so did Autumn. At least not everyone in this place is a monster.
"Thank you. I am sorry. What is your name?" Autumn raised her eyes.
"Carly," the older woman responded with politeness.
"Carly sounds like a high school name," Autumn remarked.
Carly laughed. "Unfortunately, my parents gave me this name, so I'm stuck with it," she replied, a twinkle in her eye.
Autumn grinned. "Well, at least you don't have a name like Gertrude or Mildred. That would be a real tragedy."
Carly chuckled. "You've got a point there. I guess I should thank them?"
"You don't sound American. Where are you from?" Carly walked into the kitchen, and Autumn followed the woman.
"I am from England," Autumn admitted.
"Ah, that makes sense why you sound so modest and polite," Carly began chopping vegetables. Autumn grabbed some for herself and began helping her. She didn't know what else to do other than follow the lead. She was there against her will. Not helping would make her feel like a freeloader. If anything, Autumn hated more than being lazy. It was being a freeloader.
She then heard something, a foreign language of buffy men walking by, "what language are they speaking?" Autumn asked, chopping a carrot.
"Portuguese," Carly responded, taking the chopped pieces from Autumn's hands.
"Oh," what had she gotten herself into? Do these people speak English at all? Seeing silent Autumn, Carly made the conversation.
"What is your story? Why are you here?" Carly asked as she stirred the pot on the stove. Autumn hesitated, unsure if she should reveal her situation to this woman. But there was something about Carly's warm demeanor that made her want to trust her. Maybe she could help. Perhaps, Carly can call her boss, and she could be free from Zyler Stone.
"I.........." She couldn't find words to describe it. Instead, she cleared her throat. "Do they speak English at all? Do any of these people do?" Autumn stood there trying to understand stuff. If she must escape, she needs to understand everything about the man.
"Official businesses are all done in Portuguese. Rest is in English," Carly looked at Autumn with a look. Where are you getting with this conversation? "To cover their shady fucking sick stuff," distastefully, Carly cursed.
"Oh," she was about to walk away when Carly stopped her.
"Why are you here?" she wanted to know what a sweet girl like her was doing in this fucked up hell.
"I was offered a job. So, I took it," Autumn shrugged her shoulders.
"What kind of work are you going to do here?" Carly walked to the sink and washed the dishes.
"I am a publicist for a company. I was brought here," she bit her lip, trying to stop the next words from forming. She wanted to yell that she was dragged into this country without her will and that she didn't ask for that job.
"What do you mean brought here?" according to Carly, people don't use words like brought if they are offered a job.
"Meaning, Mr. Stone? Did Mr. Stone offer you a job?" Carly was unsure. She had been working for the Stones since she was 19. Her mother worked for her, and so did her father. She knew what kind of a man Zyler was, and she also knew to keep her distance. She also knows that the man never brought anyone home. So, something was definitely happening there.
"Yes, Mr. Stone, he offered me a job," Autumn wasn't excited at all. Carly could tell. "Does Mr. Stone have a boss?" Autumn was desperate to get out of there. If there is a boss for her boss, she could use it to her advantage.
Carly scoffed. Autumn could tell the woman must've thought of Autumn like a ditz. "He is the boss," Autumn's lips dried at the new information. All the hope that she could run away vanished.
"Did you know him before he accepted this job? Did you look up the CEO? The company's background. Anything?" Carly handed a water glass to Autumn, and she drank the water.
"What do you mean if I knew him before?" Autumn couldn't help but feel something bad was about to be revealed. Her intuition was almost never wrong.
Carly visibly sighed, "Your boss," she shuddered.
"You don't seem fond of him" Autumn wasn't fond of Zyler either, so she could understand where Carly was coming from.
"No, I am very fond of him. It's just that I would choose Hannibal Lecter over him any day" Carly's words made her laugh. This woman was definitely funny.
She cursed Zyler openly. "The magazines might praise him, but in reality, if Satan ever needs a sick day, he knows whom to call for a substitute," Carly's brows creased in annoyance.
"He isn't a nice man, Autumn. The man is so fucked up in the head. I would stay away from him if I were you," Carly couldn't even think of Autumn falling into the sick man's hand, not knowing it had already happened.
Lowly, Autumn mumbled, "well, it seems to be a little late for that," Carly took the glass from the girl's hand, filled it with more water, and gave it to Autumn. She knew about this, but somehow, she felt like something bad was about to be revealed.
"What else do you know about him?" Even though she had seen the brutality he was capable of, she still hoped that his staff might have a good impression of him.
"Have you heard about Stone Industries?" Carly continued, and Autumn nodded. She did hear about them. Samantha's words rang in her head. "The man that brought you in here owns it," Carly casually let the news out that would change Autumn's life forever. Carly's words hung in the air like a death sentence, and Autumn felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. She could feel the blood draining from her face as she struggled to make sense of what she had just heard. Stone Industries? It is Zyler's? the very company that she had written about.
The pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked into place, and Autumn felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She remembered the way Zyler had looked at her that first day, the way he had seemed to know her every move. She remembered the gifts he had given her, the job offer, and the way he had inserted himself into her life. The way he stalked her, all of it made sense to her now.
Her mind raced with a million questions, but one stood out above the rest: had he been watching her all along? How could she have been so blind, so naïve, not to realize the truth sooner? The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, leaving her feeling disoriented and afraid. Did he read it? Is that why he was punishing her?
The thought filled her with a sense of dread, and she could feel the weight of the situation bearing down on her. Carly clutched Autumn's shoulders and shook her, her eyes wide with concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost," she exclaimed, waving her hand before Autumn's vacant eyes. But Autumn's mind was elsewhere, lost in a sea of confusion and fear.
She placed the empty glass on the table with a shaky hand, her mind racing with a million thoughts. Without a word, she bolted to her room and slammed the door shut. With trembling hands, she pushed a heavy dresser in front of the door, a feeble attempt at protecting herself from the impending doom she felt was closing in on her. The room felt like a cage, the walls closing in around her as she tried to make sense of the bombshell that Carly had just dropped on her.