54
Zayne (33 years)
Sometimes living just isn’t enough without love especially when you’ve loved before and it leaves you with a cold unfeeling emptiness of not knowing, of not caring, and eventually of just living a day-to-day existence. Then you see something that reminds you there may be a life after losing love, a light at the end of the tunnel that beckons to your heart like a beacon of hope on a sea gone wild. A sense of not understanding but wanting. Of feeling when you’re not supposed to. Of being pulled without grasping the sixth sense that tingles at your nape. And knowing if you don’t listen to it, you might cease to exist.
That was what was happening to me right now as I glanced across the room and watched Julian’s boss descend the spiral staircase, into the ballroom. Every inch of her screamed sophistication, a beauty so magnetic, she captivated the entire room. Even without knowing what her face looked like there was no denying that beneath that white mask, a loveliness unmatched, existed. Like a bee drawn to the sweetness nectar in a field of delectable flowers, I couldn’t take my eyes off her and what surprised me more was my body’s reaction. My cock didn’t harden or twitch, my balls didn’t tighten or ache. No. The effect on my body was how my heart thumped a subtle boom that seemed to grow in resonance with each step forward. And that was the other thing. I didn’t know my feet were moving, drawn of their accord toward her.
When she descended the last stair, people immediately gathered around her, but I waited because unlike everyone else, I didn’t want to share my space with her. I wanted just the two of us, alone, in a room together, sharing the same air, letting our inhales fuse into one before we exhaled on agreement.
Fuck. I ran a hand through my hair. The last time I’d felt this drawn to someone was the first evening Ria said a simple hi. Shaking my head, I turned away from the circular of people around the beautiful woman, the host no doubt. I stilled my thumping heart, vowing to meet her alone.
And my time came. All through the evening, I watched her. Not once though, did her mask slip. Unlike everyone else who’d removed their masks now and then, hers remained in place, not sharing a hint of her face beneath. Then she rose and wishing the people at her table goodnight, she walked off. The train of her red lace dress following at a steady pace as if it was afraid moving too fast, might trip her up. I followed.
When she reached the first passage, away from the ballroom, her bodyguard, not Julian this time, paused in his trail. He watched her walk away and then turned to face me, his stance protective. Loosening my hands at my sides, I was ready to take him on. Nothing was going to stop me from meeting that woman. Not because of the child, or her desire to spend the night with me. Because I had to know who she was, for my fucking aching heart to settle. When he took a step forward, he pressed a finger to the comms in his right ear and with a subtle nod, gestured for me to proceed.
Although I didn’t have her in sight, the click of her heels echoing down the silent halls acted as my guide. Until it stopped. I halted my steps, looked right then left before a soft swoosh like water falling, caught my ear. It came from the passage to my right. I walked down until the space gave way to an arch. I stepped through, impressed by the beauty of the indoor slash outdoor pool setup. Attracted by the movement in the water, I stared. She’d stepped into the pool with the dress and now her lithe form cut across the water with smooth perfection.
I waited for her to reach the opposite end. Like a Phoenix rising, she surfaced. The subtle sequence in the red dress shimmers against the light as she slowly stepped out of the water. Mesmerized, I watched as the water cascaded down her body, revealing the dress’s snug fit now that it was wet. Long black hair plastered to her back, reached her waist. With her back to me, I couldn’t see if she was still wearing her mask. Raising her hands, she swept it over her hair, smoothening it to her scalp and back. As she stepped up the last stair, her dress began sliding down her body, exposing a trim waist, rounded ass cheeks, shapely thighs, and toned calf muscles before it pooled at her feet.
Slowly, my eyes drifted up while she was turning around. Our gazes locked. The sear of a thousand knives pricked my heart, one by one until my chest tightened from the inability to breathe. My body grew light, weightless. I swallowed hard to anchor the feet I couldn’t feel. “Ria,” the name floated past my lips on a shaky exhale.
“Hello, Zayne.” She walked toward me picking up a towel on her way and wrapping it around her naked body, but all I could see was that face, that beautiful face, I’d never forget even if I lost my memory.
“Ria,” I’d say it a thousand times and it still wouldn’t stop the shiver of happiness racing through my body. “Hi,” I finally managed another word.
“You can stop staring now,” her tone held none of the childish innocence I knew so well. She sounded unbelievably mature. I stared, wondering whether those full pink lips would widen in that familiar curl—a smile that had, on many occasions, made me go weak in the knees whenever she wanted something.
“What happened to you, Ria?” I took a step toward her and she held up a hand, stopping me. I frowned, my earlier excitement making a quick exit, leaving annoyance in its place.
“Ria died a long time ago, Zayne.” I recognized the hardness in her eyes. After her disappearance, it was the same look I saw reflected at me when I looked in the mirror.
“So, what the fuck should I call you then?” This wasn’t the woman I’d fallen in love with or loved me in return.
“Gianna Mancini.” Unsure whether Julian had lied about her name, I hid my surprise, wondering if I should bother asking her more questions. “The deal was for a fuck in return for the child, who would’ve been delivered to you at the airport tomorrow. You can go now if you’re not interested.”
The cold dismissal wrapped my heart in icy frustration. “I’ve been going out of my fucking mind since you disappeared and that’s all you give me.” I didn’t stop the biting steel to my tone.
“What else do you want, Zayne. A cuddle for old times’ sake, perhaps? A fucking hallelujah because you found me?”
“Jesus fucking Christ. Who the fuck are you and what have you done to my wife?” I barked.
“As I said, she died a long time ago.”
I drew in a frustrated exhale and tried a different approach. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can.”
God, this woman was infuriating with her almost monosyllabic answers. “Jesus, Ria, what happened to you? Have you become the offspring of the devil? Like father like daughter, perhaps? Because I have no fucking clue who the man claiming to be your father was.”
