Anthony set up a spa day for me to help me get 'relaxed and mentally prepared' as he put it. He went all out and got me a massage, manicure, pedicure and even made me an appointment to get my hair done. I believe it was mostly to get me out of the house while they prepped for tonight but I keep my suspicions to myself. I'd be stupid to turn all of this down. Especially considering the fact that I've never gotten pampered like this before. My final appointment of the day is my hair appointment with a lovely woman named Cassie. I decide to keep my visit rather simple. We start out with a wash and trim. After she dries it, she begins curling it as she tells me her whole life story. Her husband was in the military and she stayed faithful to him while raising their daughter. When he returned from his tour, he left to her be with her best friend. It's a shitty thing to do to someone but I feel especially bad for her because she seems like a genuinely sweet person. To be betrayed by two people you loved and cared for so deeply is devastating. I pray she finds someone who deserves the love she has to offer.
By the time I'm finished, I feel like a whole new woman. I feel like I'm glowing - like I could walk on water. Self care really does give you a sense of happiness and some confidence in yourself. I thank Cassie and leave her an extremely generous tip before driving back to the house. My long hair falls around me in waves as I make my way back inside. The men don't even notice me walk by. I roll my eyes at their lack of awareness as I enter my room. I apply some lotion to my legs before slipping into my dress. I put on my jewelry which consists of a simple set of earrings and a matching necklace. Normally I don't wear makeup but I feel as if this is the one occasion I can allow it. I apply some mascara and lip stick before walking over to the mirror to view the final product.
Hot damn.
Anthony was right. After putting on my heels, I'm ready to go. Nervousness consumes me and I head into the kitchen for some liquid courage. The sound of my heels gains everyone's attention and I try my best to ignore them but it's impossible. Several jaws drop, Jay's being the most noticeable to me. As if they've never seen a woman before. I blush slightly from all of the unwanted attention as I enter the kitchen. "Who needs a shot?"
"Hell yeah!"
"Me!"
Several of the men chime in at once as they follow me into the kitchen. I grab the shot glasses from the cupboard and line them up on the island. Grabbing the bottle of tequila, I quickly pour it down the line of glasses before passing them out. Once everyone has a glass, Jay raises his. "To Isabel."
"To Isabel," everyone repeats in unison.
As the others toss back their shots, mine and Jay's eyes linger on each other for just a bit longer before I toss the shot back. Whew. I needed that. The men head outside to begin loading into the two SUVs as I follow behind. Anthony walks beside me holding a small black clutch with a thin gold chain. "There's a little GPS and microphone in here just in case he tosses your phone somewhere. There's also a card holder with a fake ID and some credit cards. Your name is Scarlett Daniels and you live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Make up the rest as you go. Stay safe."
I nod, accepting the clutch. Oh my gosh, I'm really about to do this. He hands me the keys to the black BMW they rented for the occasion and I sit in the drivers seat. Just when I start the car there's a knock on the window. I roll it down and Jay leans down to see me. His thumb gently brushes my cheek. "You look beautiful Isabel."
"Don't get used to it. I feel ridiculous."
He chooses to ignore my comment. "You can back out at any time. If there are any red flags just walk away when it's safe to do so. Your life is more important than catching this guy. We won't be far. The moment you get to his room, we'll be on our way up."
"Okay," I say softly. "Promise me one thing."
"Anything," he says without hesitation.
"Promise me we can watch the sunset before we leave. I bet it's beautiful here."
He smiles warmly. "Of course. I'll see you on the other side."
Taking a deep breath, I put the car into gear and begin driving to the casino. The SUVs follow so far behind that I only catch a glimpse of them every once in a while. I know it's to be discreet but seeing them behind me calms my nerves slightly. It's about a thirty minute drive to the casino and it's a lot smaller than I expected. The parking lot is full and there's signs for the big event which happens to be some DJ I've never heard of. After parking the car, I make my way towards the entrance as I tuck my key fob into my clutch. I put the gold strap over my shoulder and continue holding the clutch safely by my side. My heels click as I pass through the lobby and enter the casino. I try my best to blend in while keeping an eye out for a man with a face tattoo. It appears to me mostly old people at the slot machines. Hearing the faint sound of music, I follow the sound until I reach double doors with the words Events Only above them. I enter the room to find a large mix of people spread out across the dance floor.
I casually walk around the room the get a sense of the layout. There's only one story thankfully and all of the tables are located against the walls and the dance floor in on the center, dividing the DJ and the bar. I stop by the bar to order a drink. I take a look around as I wait. While there are a lot of people, the room is relatively small for an event like this. Most likely due to the fact that we're in the middle of nowhere. The bartender hands me my drink and I pass him some cash telling him to keep the change. As I take a sip of my drink, I freeze at the sight of a man who fits the description. He's a white man with messy brown hair and a trimmed beard and mustache. He's not entirely bad looking aside from his face tattoo. Luckily for me, he appears to be well maintained. I'm not sure I could flirt with him if he was dirty and missing half of his teeth. He sits in the VIP section with a few men and women. Shifting my gaze towards the crowd, I casually make my way to his side of the room as I finish my drink. Discarding the glass on the bar, I make my way into the crowd just deep enough to blend in.
The song changes and I sway my hips along with the beat. I have to blend in as I come up with a plan on how to approach him. Dancing isn't a strong suit of mine but it sure is easier when you've had a few drinks. There are two men guarding his table so I will have to lure him away somehow. A set of hands grasp my hips causing to to jump in surprise. I glance over my shoulder to find a man who appears to be in his forties smiling at me. Glaring at him, I quickly push his hands away but he immediately pulls me back against him. What the fuck. This isn't even the guy I'm meant to worry about yet the creep won't leave me alone. I'm somehow able to turn in his arms and throw a punch. My reaction gains a lot of unwanted attention and I'm frozen to the spot. Please tell me I didn't just fuck this up somehow. What if I get kicked out and can't follow through with the plan. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint everyone. Just when I'm about the walk away, the man takes an angry step towards me but is immediately pushed back by someone. The man waves two men over and they drag the man who was touching me away. He turns around and I see the name Nicole tattooed under his right eye. "Sorry about that asshole. Can I get you a drink?"
"I think I owe you a drink," I respond.
He places his hand at the small of my back and guides me out of the dancing crowd. We walk towards the bar where the bartender immediately tends to us. "What would you like?"
"I think I'll just get out of here," I sigh, testing the waters.
"Stay. I'll make sure no one else bothers you."
"Do you work here?"
He shakes his head. "No, I'm just a very valuable customer. Are you here alone?" I nod. "I have a table in the VIP section. Care to join me? No one will bother you there."
I glance at the table where a red headed woman sits. "Is that your girlfriend?"
"No."
My eyes move from one eye to the other before trailing down to his lips. "You're Single?"
"Yes," he responds, the corner of his mouth curling up into a small smirk.
His hand slowly moves down from the small of my back towards my ass. He waits for my reaction and when I don't protest, he continues moving it a bit lower to get a firm grasp of my backside. I bite my lip and tilt my head to the side, trying my best to appear interested in him. He's wearing a black suit that is not even comparable to the quality of Jay's. Why am I even thinking about him right now? "Dance with me," I say, placing my hand on his chest.
His lips curl into a devious smile and he leads me back out onto the dance floor. Holy shit, it's working. Our bodies grind against each other as we dance along with the music. He spins me around and I laugh as he pulls me back to his chest. I can feel him begin to harden through his pants and I gasp which earns a smirk from him. His hands hold me close while still managing to wander my body. He forcefully turns my body so my ass is pressed against his growing erection. I roll my hips, effectively grinding my ass against him. I'm terrible at this but it seems to be working so I continue. His fingers curl around my neck as he tips my head back against his shoulder. "I'd love to fuck you right here, right now," he says, his breath tickling my ear.
The idea of fucking someone on the dance floor while surrounded by people sounds exciting, but definitely not with this guy. I continue dancing on him until he abruptly pulls away and I notice a man speaking to him. He's one of the men who was guarding his table earlier. My nerves are through the roof at the idea of being caught. What would he do to me? Taking my hand, he leads me off of the dance floor. We enter the VIP section where there is now only one man who sits. He allows me to sit in the plush red booth beside him. The table is black with a mirrored tray in the center. There's a small pile of coke along with a few lines beside it. The chubby man across the table is mostly bald and has dark eyes. He appears to be in his fifties and has been aging badly. "Let's get down to business," the man across the table says with an annoyingly high pitched voice. "I'll give you an additional five percent if you can get it moved by the end of the month."
"Johnny, you know I'm good for it. You don't need to keep buying me. We've already agreed upon the price."
"I've been hearing things about you," the man across the table, who I know now is named Johnny, says as he shakes his head. "I'm just trying to keep our business clean, Jeremiah. I want it to be beneficial to you to ensure my money gets back to me and we can stay on each others good sides."
Ah, right. His name is Jeremiah - I overheard a few men calling him that. Jeremiah leans back, placing his hand on my thigh. "If you're going to keep questioning my abilities, then you shouldn't be here. Pack up your shit and leave."
"Come on, Jeremiah. I don't mean it like that. I trust you. Come on," he repeats. "Take the additional five percent as a thank you for doing business with me."
"Get me the product by Friday and we have a deal," Jeremiah says, waving his free hand. His men come and remove Johnny from the table as he protests. "Now, where were we?"
He turns his body towards me and his right hand settles on my thigh. "Your name is Jeremiah?" I ask in an attempt to distract him.
"Yes. What's yours?"
Shit. What was my name? I bring my hand up to his cheek, tracing my fingers over the letters. "I wish it were Nicole so I was on your face right now."
His eyes flicker between mine before he closes the space between us. Whew. His tongue brushes against my lips and I grant him access to my mouth. His tongue explores my mouth and he moans softly against my lips. The thought of going up to his room scares me but I try not to think too hard about it. The night is young. His fingertips play with the hem of my dress. He's itching to touch me. "Lets go up to my room where it's a bit quieter," he whispers into my ear.
Just the words I needed to hear. The sooner I get to his room, the quicker this will all be over with. I nod in agreement, holding my clutch close. How can they possibly hear me over the loud music? Part of me hopes they didn't hear what I just said. Jeremiah stands and exchanges words with one of his friends before turning to take my hand. We walk to the elevator as I discreetly glance around in hopes of seeing a familiar face. Unfortunately none are within my view. The elevator dings as the door opens and we step in. The moment the doors close my skin prickles at the realization that I'm about to be alone with this man. An alarm goes off in the back of my head but before I can analyze it, I'm pushed up against the wall and his hand wraps firmly around my throat. I gasp and he catches my lower lip between his teeth. "What's a beautiful girl like you doing here alone?"
"I'm here visiting my grandmother. I just had a bad break up and needed a night of fun while I was here. No strings attached."
"Why'd you break up?"
"He cheated."
He smirks. "How about we take a little video to make him jealous?"
I force a smile onto my lips. I now realize that he's not threatening me. His hand being wrapped around my neck excites him. Perhaps in different circumstances it would excite me too. When the elevator doors open, he gestures for me to exit first so I do. His hand settles at the small of my back as he guides me to his room. It's a standard queen bedroom with an outdated metal bed frame. I try to think of a way to buy myself a little more time. I turn to tell him I have to use the restroom but his lips crash into mine hungrily. Jay insisted that the moment the door was closed they would be on their way. All I need to do is slow him down enough for them to come in the meantime. My hands move to his shoulders and I push his jacket off. He impatiently rips his shirt off causing buttons to fly everywhere. Pulling away, he quickly undresses. His chest is completely covered in tattoos. I don't get much time to examine him before he rips my dress off. I gasp in surprise and his lips capture mine once again. His handles fumble with my bra and he quickly pulls it off before moving on to my panties. He rips my panties off and begins walking me back towards the bed.
"I'm going to eat you until you beg me to stop. Then I'm going to fuck that beautiful ass of yours," he says, his voice deep.
Pushing me back on the squeaky bed, I wait as he grabs something from the nightstand. I naturally assume it's a condom. They're taking too long. They wont be here in time to stop this. "I need to use the bathroom."
I attempt to get up but he pushes me back and straddles me, putting something cold on my wrist. My body tenses when I hear the clicks and realize it's handcuffs. I try to pull my hand away but he succeeds in handcuffing me to the metal bed frame. "Just go."
"Jeremiah please let me out of these. I don't like it," I beg.
"You will."
"I want to go."
Ignoring me, he moves down and takes my nipple between his lips, licking and sucking gently. He tugs it with his teeth before repeating it with the other side. I want to scream. Where the hell are they? My eyes full with tears as he trails kisses down past my belly button. He forces my legs apart and I put all of my energy into squeezing them shut but it's useless. He's too strong. Just as his tongue touches me, the door bursts open and Jeremiah quickly stands. "What the fuck?"
He reaches for his gun when he sees Jay but freezes when several other men step into the room with guns aimed at him. He holds his hands up and allows the men to handcuff him.