My thoughts and heartbeat are racing simultaneously at 100 miles a second and I'm glued to the spot, paralyzed with dread.
He's gonna abuse me.
He's gonna beat me.
He's gonna kill me.
"Look..." the gang leader begins tentatively. His harsh voice has become smooth and warm and I'm arrested by his soothing yet sexy scent that is now in close proximity.
It's all very confusing.
"I know you're probably really scared right now, but I'm not going to hurt you. Please, don't be afraid."
Should I believe him?
Heck no! my better judgment shouts.
Eyes fixed on the Macey Channel, I refuse to turn around and face this horrifying man. But without warning, his soft and gentle fingertips take hold of my hand and a merciless gravitational pull like that of 2 magnets links our touching skin. My heart overheats and shuts down.
Before I have time to register what's happening, I'm facing him. His blood red hospital mask is gone and I finally have a full view of his face. In a nanosecond, I soak in his remaining features. His nose is composed of perfectly structured straight and curved lines. His jawline is sharp and his cheek bones are structured and high. His lips are medium-sized, creamy pink, full, youthful and extremely tempting in appearance...
He's hot!
My better judgement face palms herself while my heart finally overcomes her overheating and turns on again just to fall victim to a spazzing of input that can't be computed.
The gang leader stares at me with those infinite and perplexing ebony eyes and this time, they're laced with caution. Close up, those merciless blackholes are so limitless and enticing, that I'm positive I've stepped into their event horizon; the boundary of no escape.
"I promise I won't hurt you," he reassures me. "I want to help you. Please, don't run away."
I lick my lips nervously, unable to avert my eyes from his pinning gaze.
"Follow me." Guiding me back into the bedroom, he stops to close the balcony doors and leads me to the bed. "Sit down." I follow his words without hesitation and he releases my hand.
Why does this fact bother me?
Please, hold my hand again...
Charlotte, what are you saying?? my better judgement scolds me. He's a freaking criminal!
For once, I ignore her.
"Where did he hit you?"
Oh no. He's not gonna ask to look at my bruises, is he?
My eyes dart to the black marble floor in apprehension. Taking hold of my chin, he lifts my face back up to look at him and the gravitational pull of our skin touching and his ebony eyes reeling me in has me trapped.
I blush. The wires in my heart are short circuiting and she's doomed to experience a hard drive crash.
"Tell me where he hit you."
I point to my stomach with a trembling hand.
"Can I take a look?"
My eyes widen with mortification.
Oh, heck no!
"I'm not going to do anything to you. I just want to see how bad it is."
I shake my head rapidly as my cheeks flush a darker shade of red.
"Okay. Can I at least check for broken bones?"
Hmm... I guess that's okay...
I nod.
The gang leader squats down in front of me and with his cautious and nimble fingers, no longer covered in blood red latex, he presses their padded tips ever so delicately onto my rib cage.
"Ow," I wince.
His fingers halt. "Are you okay?"
I nod while I clench my teeth.
"I'll try to be as gentle as possible."
I nod again and grip the bedding beneath me to brace myself. His fingers begin to move once more, very meticulously. It's then that I notice a flash of ink on their tops. I can't make out what the tattoos are...
Hm. Tattooed fingers. Interesting.
He continues pushing those tattooed fingers very lightly around my rib cage and my eyes instinctively flutter shut.
That feels so good.
Who knew he could be so gentle?
My heart's hard drive crashes as I predicted and she's nothing but a mess of information on the marble floor.
The feeling of his touch is straining and relaxing, chilling and hot, all at once. I bask in the plethora of sensations as well as his sensually soothing scent that envelopes me.
What is that smell? I've smelt it somewhere before...
Oh, I know. In a body wash. Rosemary and mint, I think. But there's something else too...
Something musky, manly and sensual. Sandalwood? Yes, sandalwood.
Mmm. It's intoxicating.
"Well, at least nothing is broken," he says after a while and his fingers are gone. I'm left breathing heavily, completely overthrown by his scent and even the slightest form of his touch.
No. Please. Don't stop...
"My private doctor will be here soon. She'll check for internal bleeding."
All I can manage is a nod as usual. My head and heart are still reeling from his sensory assault.
"What's your name?"
"Ch-Charlotte. Evansen." I'm amazed my voice box is still working. I thought for sure I'd been struck mute.
"I'm Jaxon June." He lifts up his left hand to show me his tattoos and now I have a better view of them. A foreign character is inked on the top of his middle finger: 준. "This is the Hangul. It's a Korean surname." He lifts up his right hand to show me J-U-N-E inked across those finger tops as well. "In English, it's usually spelled J-o-o-n, but my mom loved the month of June, so she changed the spelling to match."
I nod in awe of him.
"Well Charlotte," his tongue caresses my name and the sound of my name on his lips is mesmerizing. His voice is so breathy and sexy and his lips are so pink... and creamy... and luscious... The perfect texture to kiss...I bite my bottom lip in longing just thinking about it.
Jaxon looks at me expectantly and I realize I've become so hypnotized by his mouth that I didn't listen to a word he was saying. "Huh?"
He chuckles and it's a pleasant side of him that aids in gradually smoothing out his coarse edges. "I want you to stay here and rest. Please, don't run away. I promise I'll do nothing but help you, Charlotte. I want to help you."
Why does he want to help me?
"Please," he insists.
I nod completely dumbfounded by his every word and action. A faint smile plays on his ever so tempting lips and I find myself fantasizing about kissing them again.
Get a hold of yourself, Charlotte! My better judgement slaps me hard across the face.
Ow!
That man is a murderous gang leader!
Nobody asked you!
"Are you hungry?" Jaxon asks.
I shake my rattled head.
"Okay. If you start feeling hungry, just make a left at the bottom of the stairs. The kitchen is the second door down. I'll have the cook leave some dinner in the fridge for you."
I nod.
"Now stay here and rest. I'll go see where the doctor is and send her up."
Jaxon gets up to leave the room and I find my eyes wandering over the back of his body, gratefully taking it all in. His back muscles are no joke, featured perfectly by his fitted suit jacket. And his thick, muscular thighs accentuate his...
Charlotte! My better judgement slaps me again. Stop checking him out!
Ow! Geez! Stop slapping me!
Ignoring her, I continue my visual invasion and bite my bottom lip again in longing.
Jaxon is one, mighty sexy man... Criminally sexy.
Like, he needs to be arrested for his appearance alone.
Hm. Jaxon in handcuffs... Now, that's something I'd like to see...
He disappears through the door, breaking my intrusive gaze and I begin feeling guilty for my wayward thoughts.
My better judgment crosses her arms to reprimand me. As you should be. What has gotten into you, Charlotte?? Get a hold of yourself! Let's not forget this man is a murderous gang leader! He could easily kill
you! And you've been abducted for goodness sake! Stop making googly eyes at your abductor!
But somehow, I sense that what Jaxon said is true and that he won't hurt me. After the most recent events, my crippling fear of Jaxon has been banished to a far and unreachable place in my mind - the recesses of my subconscious; that immeasurable and unbounded wasteland that is Limbo.
I'm no longer afraid of him and no matter what, I can't deny the gravitational force that is relentlessly pulling us together like magnets every time we touch or the phantom hot chills left on my skin from Jaxon's unnervingly gentle fingers.
I couldn't get myself to leave now even if I wanted to...
Jaxon's whole being is very persuasive.
My thoughts are interrupted by a petite and motherly looking Black woman who rolls a trolley of medical equipment into the bedroom.
"Hi Charlotte," she smiles warmly. "I'm Dr. Reed. I'll be doing an ultrasound to check for internal bleeding."
"Okay."
She carts the machine to the side of the bed. "Lie down and lift up your shirt."
I do as I'm told. Ever so gently, Dr. Reed rubs a cool gel across my abdomen with her latex covered fingers, then follows with the wand on the machine. "Hmm..." she contemplates the monitor. "Looks like your liver suffered a blow. There's a slight tear and that's why you coughed up blood." She glances at my mouth and I realize I probably have a ring of dried blood around my lips.
How embarrassing...
Jaxon saw that...
"But, good news is, I don't see any abnormal fluid in your abdomen, so the bleeding has stopped," she continues. "The tear should heal up in a couple of weeks."
I smile at her with relief evident on my face. "Thank you, Dr. Reed."
"My pleasure," she returns a maternal smile and suddenly, I'm reminded of my loving mother.
I miss her. I wonder how she's doing in Queens... I need to call her.
"Here's a prescription for the pain." She sets a bottle of pain killers on the night stand. "Did your ex... take advantage of you?"
I'm a little overthrown by her question.
Ex? Jaxon must have told her that. I guess there's not really a better way to put it...
"Jaxon stopped him before he could."
"That's good. When was the last time he did?"
"A couple of weeks ago."
"Are you on birth control?"
"Yes."
"Good. I wouldn't want you getting pregnant."
"Yeah, me neither..."
She smiles with encouragement. "Just take it easy for a while. Take a hot bath and get some rest."
"Actually... Speaking of birth control... I left mine at his house..."
Dr. Reed raises an eyebrow.
Why do you need birth control? my better judgement is chiding me again. What are you planning??
I'm not planning anything!
"Not that I plan on doing anything... I just..."
"Oh sweetie, don't worry," Dr. Reed saves me from my embarrassment. "What brand were you using?"
"Mircette."
"Okay. I'll have it delivered here tomorrow."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." She graces me with that maternal smile again, rolls the trolley of medical equipment out of the room and shuts the door.
After a long and strenuous day, my eyelids grow heavy and I slip into an exhausted slumber.