Since the penthouse held only two master suites, Sammy was her roommate, sharing Jasmine's bed with her. Zayn had offered him his own room at the hotel. But after two nights, Sammy declared he hated to be alone since his dark days in a dungeon.
Hope still didn't understand what he meant by that statement. The last time she checked, dungeons were not used in this century. He must have been relating the feeling of being alone to the same feeling of being stuck in a dungeon. Hope didn't mind the company. She hated being alone too. It lent her a sense of security having him beside her.
His ever constant chatter was welcoming. Sammy claimed sharing a room with her reminded him when he was a kid and his girlfriends would come over for the weekend for a sleepover. Only this time they were adults.
Over the next week, life in the hotel and outside of it became routine.
Stacks of boxes and bags filled their shared bedroom with eye-watering expensive clothes from top designers. Dresses, skirts, blouses, sweaters and shoes. Even the underwear Sammy picked out for her was gorgeous. The expensive clothing, fancy lingerie felt normal. Hope learned the ropes of taking care of her appearance faster, doing her hair and made use of the high end make-up products recommended by Sammy who coached her on how to apply them.
She practiced moving like a model, like Sammy showed her. He helped her work on her posture, trying to walk upright and proud, with her head held high.
Her movements became less awkward and jerky in heels. She even tossed her hair like a normal female would if it were long and in her way. Hope felt herself change on the inside. Holding herself differently, making eye contact where she never dared.
She was like an actor in character.
As she became more beautiful with the fancier clothes, new hair and make-up catching attention, Hope was hyper aware of the hundreds of eyes tracking her movements. The attention was worse than the first couple days after her transformation. She was on display all the time and most people were not ashamed in showing their interest.
It was bearable because Sammy was at her side, barking profanities–most especially the men who stared a little too long or the others who were ever so bold to approach her and try to chat her up. The outrageous things he said to them to keep them away appalled her but they did the trick.
"Keep your nasty self at least ten feet away!"
"Keep your ugly ass eyes to yourself, sir!"
"You want to chat up a cheap hoe, go to a bar!"
"She was born a man, keep walking!"
"Her dick is longer than her balls when it's soft, run don't walk!!"
However, there was a couple of men bold enough to ignore Sammy's threats and tried convincing her to have a coffee with them. Sammy hit him upside the head with his handbag. Another man was kicked in the butt by Sammy for invading her personal space.
With his high heels.
Needless to say, Sammy gradually became more prepared for the attacks, as he called them. He wore a favorite new pair of Gucci flats ready to intervene when the opportunity presented itself. Hope quickly learned to conceal her discomfort to Sammy since he defended his and her whenever their comfort was compromised.
She'd asked him, "Where's your patience, Sammy?"
His response, "I left it in my micro mini Chanel bag! I got a call from the boutique telling me they don't have my bag. It's delayed! I swear if I find out they sold it to somebody else, I'm gonna throw the biggest bitch fit anyone has ever seen!"
From what she'd witnessed at the restaurant and recently learned by pure observation, and recent experiences, Sammy never cowered away from a threat or challenge. He welcomed them both with open arms. Plus, his irritation at the delay of his bag added more to his growing frustrations day after day.
Now that she had time to reflect, she was grateful for fate placing her at the wrong place at the right time. She was meant to be saved, to survive. It was like he was meant to enter her life in the exact moment she needed his expertise the most.
Aside from the escapades accompanying Sammy at all times, she was grateful for him in her life. She'd gained more knowledge and heart stopping adventures from him in a week than she would her entire lifetime.
He was her very own personal supporter. The perfect companion, mentor, teacher and advisor. Everyday she learned far more than she ever expected. He was the friend she never had.
Zayn would never be able to teach her the key fundamentals on how to behave as a lady the way Sammy provided her. However, Zayn had helped her in ways she never would have imagined was possible for a nobody like her. She was left defenseless as a child in an uncertain world when he descended like an angel from the heavens and swooped in to rescue her.
However, her savior made himself scarce in the past week. He'd be long gone in the early morning, starting his work day by the time they woke. She and Sammy would be settled in for bed by the time he finished his day. They missed him during the afternoons since their days were spent outside of the penthouse shopping until they could no longer walk.
Countless nights would pass when Sammy and Hope listened to Zayn's footsteps when they'd lay in bed nearly on the verge of sleep. Other times Hope would be reading while Sammy scrolled through his phone on instagram watching highlights from his favorite designers and celebrities or downloading his own images dressed in his recent purchases of designer shoes and bags.
A part of Hope was relieved they didn't see each other and the other part was giddy with nerves.
Everything that's happened before Zayn found her was like seeing an alien world you've only seen through a telescope. Everything about her was different and it wasn't just about her looks. Her senses, her observations, everything was heightened.
The way her body reacted when she thought of Zayn left her baffled.
Was it normal for her skin to tingle? For her breath to catch in her throat whenever she listened to him moving around in the living room? She was nervous he would knock on her door requesting to see her. But he never did. She didn't know what she would say or how to behave anymore. What was there for them to discuss? She couldn't continue just saying thank you every time he complimented her or when he stared a little too long.
The nightmares plagued her still. They weren't as bad since Sammy was there but they bothered her and kept her awake during most of the night. She couldn't sleep until dawn and woke up later in the morning.
Washing her face and getting dressed in something comfortable, she wandered to the living room hearing Sammy and Reggie's voices.
"Reggie, my man, make me a smoothie." Sammy requests.
Reggie's eyebrows rose slightly. "Certainly sir."
Hope half expected he'd order a martini. He always does. Morning or night.
"I'm on a dairy free diet, so make sure you add nut juice, not milk." Sammy turns his attention to Hope as she walks into the living room.
He looked totally at ease with a mask coating his face, dressed in a pink robe with fur trim to match.
"Nut juice?" Hope asked. "I've never heard of such a thing. Does that even exist?"
"Not if you had a mind like mine, but if you must know, it's almond milk."
He sends her a wink.
Reggie is silent for a few seconds as if trying to process the information he was given.
He clears his throat. "Very good, Sir. Miss Hope, what would you like served this morning?"
Hope blushed. She was still uncomfortable being so pampered and having things done for her.
"Thank you, Reginald. I would like a croissant with honey and a cup of coffee, please."
"May I suggest a bowl of fresh berries?"
Her blush deepened. Would she ever get used to the extra attentiveness she received from the hotel staff?
"I would love it, thank you."
"My pleasure Miss. I'll see to the orders immediately. If you require anything else I'm only a ring away."
"You the man Reggie." Sammy responded with a curt nod, his attention back on the magazine in his hands.
Hope could have sworn Reginald sent Sammy a glare until he noticed she was watching on with amusement. His expression turned somber quickly and his cheeks turned pink in embarrassment.
Once Reginald leaves, Hope takes a seat on a chair and switches her gaze to the television. There was a sitcom she didn't recognize and after a minute she sighed reaching for a magazine beside Sammy.
Suddenly, her nose scrunched up in disgust and she nearly gaged at a wretched odor.
"Where is that god awful stench coming from?" Hope asked, covering her mouth and nose.
Hope's unintentional reaction was to gag and her eyes instantly watered in response.
Sammy set down his magazine and frowned. "Stench? What stench? I don't smell no nasty-ass stench." He sniffs himself. "Girl, I smell like I got out of a bed of roses."
Ever since she arrived at the penthouse and smelling like a bouquet of flowers everyday plus everything always clean around her enhanced her sense of smell.
Hope could no longer contain her disgust and jumped from the chair, darting towards the hallway powder room. Once her gag reflex kicked in, it could not be stopped. Bent over the sink, she ran hot water and splashed her face and mouth. Hope coughed and coughed, tears seeping from the sides of her eyes from the exertion the reflexive action took to keep her throat from contracting.
"What the hell happened!?!" Sammy screeched from somewhere behind her.
Snatching a perfectly rolled hand towel from the counter, Hope wiped her mouth and nose. Her chest was heaving with great effort as she faced Sammy in the mirror.
"I-I don't know what happened. One second I was fine then a disgusting odor wafted towards me and–"
She watched Sammy's wide eyes pop surrounded by the gooey ugly colored mix on his face. Then the stench wafted through her nostrils again and her reflex started again. She quickly covered her nose and mouth with the towel and quickly realized where it was coming from, pointing at Sammy's face.
"It's you." She said through the towel. "Get away from me Sammy! I can't take it!"
"Wait what? My bitch mix facial? Are you kidding me? It don't smell bad!" He exclaims, stomping his foot.
She had never smelled anything so horrible. Even when she lived on the streets with no way to clean herself for long periods of time, she had never smelled as bad as the odor polluting the air. Or perhaps her stomach was weaker after being used to living in the penthouse where everything and everyone was perfectly clean.
"Please go–"
She gags again. With no strength to keep standing, Hope leaned against the counter straining to keep upright and not collapse in a heap on the cold tile floor. Getting on all fours she crawled over to the toilet, spitting out the excess saliva from her mouth.
"Oh no. I can't." Sammy began making gagging noises too. "Cause if you don't, we both gonna puke stomach acid!"He held up his hands in surrender struggling to keep a straight face. "I hate it when somebody pukes in front of me!" He yells trying with all his might to keep from vomiting.
Hope could only nod, very weak and unable to speak. The relentless gagging used up her energy.
"Don't move. I'm gonna go rinse it off. When I come back, I'll give you something to keep you from puking your guts out, Capisce?"
Hope closed her eyes, the towel helping block out the odious stench from reaching her nose again. She listens to his retreating footsteps. Minutes later, Sammy returns with the mixture completely cleared from his face. Whatever he used left his face squeaky clean and glowing which surprised Hope.
"Come on girlfriend." Helping her from the floor and supporting her with an arm around her waist. "Reggie delivered breakfast. I sent him to get me what I need to help you keep that nasty ass reflux down."
"As long as you don't use that stuff again when I'm around, I won't puke." She replied.
Reginald returns with a box of cigarettes and a lighter.
With her breakfast still untouched, Hope was laying on the couch with a free arm covering her eyes.
"I got your fix right here honey. Pucker up. Since we doin' this I'm gonna include a short lesson on how to smoke like a sophisticated bitch."
Sensual music flows from the ceiling speakers above them.
"Now that we've set the mood. . ."
Hope frowns and slowly sits up watching Sammy open the pack and light a cigarette.
"Look at the way I'm holding the cigarette between my fingers." He starts, demonstrating. "Now, you wrap the butt of the cigarette to your lips and take a light puff at first." He inhales then exhales, a puff of smoke escaping past his lips. "See that? That's how a bitch does it. Got it?"
Hope looked doubtful. "Are you sure about this? Doesn't smoking kill people?"
"I'm not a regular smoker myself. The only time I smoked was when I went out with friends from college back in New York. It was more of a social thing for me. I ain't addicted. This will help you get rid of the nausea and get your appetite back."
Sammy stands before her and hands her his cigarette and lit another for himself tossing the pack and lighter on the coffee table behind him.
Hope holds the cigarette between her index and middle finger as he demonstrated.
"Atta girl. Now I'm gonna walk you through it the first time."
Hope holds the cigarette awkwardly and lifts it to her lips. Immediately she coughs and swats the smoke from her face. She coughs again, her eyes watering.
"This is awful!" She exclaims.
"This isn't a joint, girl. Plus, you need to take it gently and slowly." Sammy explained. "Let's try this again."
Zayn stops under the threshold of the penthouse, the door halfway open when he hears Sammy's voice and internally groans. It had been days since he saw either Hope, or Sammy for that matter. Hope he was eager to see Sammy, not so much.
Zayn's ears perked.
"Now, bring it to your mouth. Nice and smooth. Just let your lips grip the tip. Gently now. . .not too firm. . .just the right amount of pressure. That's it, girl. Now suck. Pucker your lips like you're gonna kiss someone while the tip is still in and suck."
Sammy watches her intently, his head tilted back in pleasure.
"That's it, doesn't that feel ohhh so good?" He groans.
What the fuck was going on?
It sounded like. . .
Sammy was teaching her how to give blow jobs.
When he spoke to him about helping her be aware of men and their advances, nowhere in that was teaching her how to please a man.
With the soft music playing overhead and his overactive imagination nearly blinding him, Zayn's blood pressure rises.
"Feels good don't it?" Sammy asks, moaning. "Watching you do it makes me–"
He moans.
Zayn then listens to Hope moan in agreement.
"Not too firm, remember. Gently. In and out and blow. Men appreciate it when–"
Zayn couldn't take it anymore striding into the penthouse not prepared in the least at what he was about to walk into. He was shocked to witness Sammy standing before Hope in nothing but a pink robe with it slightly gaping at the front. His view was obstructed by Hope's head directly facing his groin. . .and Sammy's hands on either side of her head.
Zayn felt like he was gutted. He was most definitely not prepared at the sight before him but he was more than prepared to strangle him until he couldn't breathe.
Sammy notices him and sends him a wink, waggling his manicured fingers.
Zayn's eye twitches with anger.
That's it, he's dead.
"Continue practicing, I'll be right back." Sammy tells Hope, patting her head as he passes her.
Zayn blinks.
Sammy presses the front of his robe together, retying the sash at his waist and continuing to advance towards him. Behind him smoke blooms in the air from where Hope sat still facing away from him.
Zayn had to blink again. He didn't understand what was going on. He takes a few steps to the right of the hallway, out of Hope's hearing range.
His hands open and close at his sides. The strong urge to capture him by the neck and slam him against the wall while choking the life out of him was soon to become reality.
He hauls Sammy aggressively by the collar of his robe and rams his back against the wall.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Zayn demanded in a whisper.
He'd give him a chance to explain before he strangled him. Just one chance before his temper exploded.
Sammy's eyes widen in confusion and he holds his hands up in surrender.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Sammy asks in return.
"Answer me, dammit!" Zayn said between clenched teeth.
His eyes turn hostile and wander to the tight hold he has on his robe. "Watch the robe, its fur and silk."
That's it. One of Zayn's hands wrap around and Sammy's neck and he begins to squeeze.
In response, Sammy's eyes begin to widen as the oxygen flow is restricted.
"She's smoking, genius." Managing to squeak out a response.
Zayn stiffens and instantly loosens his grip.
"I believed. . .No I thought you two were. . .She's smoking?"
Sammy rubs the skin of his neck, cussing under his breath while carefully rearranging his fur collar and smoothes out the wrinkles where Zayn clenched at the fabric.
"She's smoking?" He repeats.
He moves around the corner, watching Hope.
"Are you deaf?" Sammy asks. "That's exactly what I said. What'd you think I was teaching her? How to give a blowjob?"
That would explain the cloud of smoke.
"I'm trying to teach her how to puff and blow like a lady." Sammy explained. "Look, she's a natural." Gesturing to the sensual way she lifted the cigarette holder to her lips between her slender fingers and gently took a puff.
Smoke bloomed from her pouty generous mouth as her graceful neck extended delicately like a swans.
Zayn was transfixed in amazement.
The cigarette holder slipped between her perfect pink lips gently as she drew another puff of smoke and released it into the air. She looked like one of those ladies of fashion back in the day who widely used them to help prevent nicotine staining of the fingers. The only thing she was missing was the elbow length gloves to finish off the look.
She was so beautiful, he thought.
What he never expected was the tightness he felt in his pants as his erection swelled. His whole body went hard so fast he nearly staggered back from the intensity of his desire.
"What the hell Sammy?" Anger blazing in Zayn's piercing blue eyes. "Teaching her how to smoke! You're supposed to be her mentor, her tutor in proper etiquette not this–."
"You gave me the job of fairy godmother! And that's what I'm doing! She'll eventually be exposed to bad influences in the real world anyway so why not under my watchful eye?"
"She's not a child." Zayn mutters between clenched teeth. "Just naive and you're exposing her to something which is extremely harmful for her health!"
"Ain't she a natural, though? I mean she does it better than I ever would. She makes smoking look sexy." Sammy released a sigh, clasping his hands together against his chest.
Zayn slices his gaze from Hope to Sammy ready to give him another earful when he notices the prideful look in his expression. If he didn't know better, Sammy took his responsibilities far beyond his expectations, looking upon Hope like a doting mother to her child.
For a selfish person he had a nurturing side Zayn had never seen before.
Zayn cleared his throat, forcing his anger aside. If he was honest with himself, Sammy did not deserve his frustration and anger. He was using him as a punching bag because he didn't want to feel anything for Hope.
He was more upset with himself. What Zayn didn't expect was how he would react to her.
Hope's eyes flew open, the whispers behind her catching her attention. Angling her body towards the voices she turned slightly spotting Sammy and Zayn speaking. Hope quickly diffused the cigarette between her fingers in the glass ashtray, swatting the cloud of smoke away from her.
Her cheeks turned hot in mortification.
She was uncertain as to what was going on, however, part of her was thrilled to see him. Zayn was facing Sammy giving her an easy opportunity to covertly study him briefly before he noticed. His posture was rigid and his shoulder tense.
His hair was brushed back perfectly like it always was. The finely tailored sport coat he wore clung to his broad shoulders. The way he dressed emphasized the darkness of his looks and gave the impression of a prosperous businessman.
He looked strong, powerful, magnificent, and so handsome he made her heart leap.
He moved to the side giving her a better view of his face.
Hope frowned. He appeared angry. Better yet, furious. But why?
Noting the faint lines fanning out from the corners of his eyes and the sensual line of his mouth. Standing there, with his feet slightly apart and hands thrust into his pants pockets, he resembled a model out of the latest magazine of men's fashions.
It was almost a sin, she reflected for any one man to exude such a degree of sexual chemistry. The strong angles and planes of his facial features bore the stamp of his character. He possessed the aura of predator, arresting and potentially dangerous. He held such an enormous advantage over any red-blooded woman in his close proximity whose eyes didn't gleam in appreciation.
Even with his chiseled attractive appearance, Hope saw past the looks. She saw a man who was strong, loyal, warm and kind which was rare. Even with her lack of experience, she knew that much.
Hope's lips parted when their eyes met. His eyes shifted from looking like shards of ice to soft blue instantly.
Those beautiful sapphires of his managed to take her breath away. Even back to the first night they met. Catching her undivided attention whenever their gazes locked. She could never seem to look away. She was hypnotized by them.
By him.
Those beautiful eyes captured everything about her, roaming all over her as if to find something new had changed with her appearance.
It warmed her greatly.
For she saw appreciation in his eyes which managed to skyrocket her confidence to levels she didn't know existed.
Something momentarily hardened the depths of his gaze. Hope felt as if she couldn't breathe. Her eyes were trapped by his, her body transfixed as though in a state of suspended animation.
For an instant, they smiled at each other, and Hope's heart suddenly twisted in her chest as she stood.
His perfect mouth parted as his gaze raked leisurely over her and caused heat to burn through her everywhere his eyes touched. Hope's tremors left her weak kneed.
Sure, she had been stared at, hit on by strangers, but none of them ever produced a single emotion other than discomfort and sometimes fear.
Her cheeks hot, she quickly looked away, her breath frozen in her lungs.
Was she truly attracted to him as Sammy suggested?
The goal was to get her life back on track, not get her heart beating a little differently.
Her emotions were conflicted. She couldn't afford it. Her life was uncertain. Her future, her past unknown. She could very well be putting Zayn and Sammy's life in danger. Besides, she didn't want to be another tally on the playboys list.
Ready to turn away and flee the living room, Hope realized his massive, magnificent, strong body was blocking the hallway.
Hope did not know if it was part of her imagination but she could have sworn his blue eyes slid briefly to her lips. It caused her heart to race at an unhealthy rhythm.
She had to resist the impulse to moisten them.
She was in deep trouble.
__________________________________________________________________________
Thanks for reading everyone.
Next Friday: Trouble finally finds Hope.
His Camelia readers, Its Camelia's Birthday, October 20th. Happiest Birthday Camelia 💕
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-Shaz