Forbidden Temptations (Book #1)

07. helpless

HER POV

I look down at a sleeping Brian. He seems at peace, his eyes shifting every-so-often as I gently run my hand through his hair. We returned to his apartment a few hours ago and he immediately fell asleep after our fifth round this afternoon. My gaze goes toward the clock on the nightstand.

"Goodbye, Brian," I whisper as I place a kiss on his lips. He stirs a bit but does not wake up.

It takes everything in me to step out of the bed. Despite only knowing him for such a short time, the brunette grew on me. I like to believe it is solely because the sexual attraction, but deep down I know he brings a sense of security and protection that I have not had in a long time. If only I had met him sooner, then maybe I would not be in this mess. I slip on my clothes and look back at the sleeping figure with a sorrowful expression.

I try my best to be as quiet as possible as I creep down the hallway, but my efforts fail. The lights turn on in the once dark corridor. Brian's roommate stands near the light switch with a look of judgment in her eyes.

"I see you are leaving without a farewell, again," she says scornfully.

I roll my eyes not wanting to cause a scene, especially since doing so will wake up Brian. If that happens, I know that I will not be able to leave.

"Take care of him," I sigh as I look over at Brian's bedroom door. I then glance back at Eloise with a strained smile. "He needs a good girl by his side."

"Wh-" I open the door and close it behind me in one swift move, cutting off the red-headed girl's sentence.

I lean onto the door and take in a deep breathe before slowly letting it back out. I swallow back the lump in my throat and walk down the hall.

If I were free of my demons I would have stayed. Heck, I would have made Brian forget all about his gold-digger of an ex. I feel my heart being torn at all the what-if scenarios running through my head. I can never be happy again. I am stuck living this fugitive life, running away from my monsters. I wipe away the tears and make my way out of the apartment-building.

"No more one-night stands," I tell myself as I step out into the cold chilly night. I look left and right at the almost deserted road. "Where's a taxi driver when you need one?"

       As I am looking around for a cab, I feel a pair of eyes drilling a whole at my head. I glance over at a black car parked across the road. As my gaze falls on it, the headlights turn off, making it hard for me to see who is on the inside.

I feel a shiver run down my spine as I look over at the plates. V1LLA, it read. All the blood drained out of my body.

"Fuck," I mutter.

To my good fortune, a yellow can pulled up in front of me. I watch as the door to the vehicle across the street creaked open and I wasted no time to hop into the cab.

"Lucy's Cafe," I tell the driver and he nods.

I look out the back window and find that the car is gone. My heart beat hard against my chest as I tried to steady my breathing.

"Are you alright ma'am?" The driver asks and I nod with a forced smile. However, I keep myself alert to the vehicles surrounding us.

I place my thumb between my teeth as my leg bounces nervously. The driver pulls up at the famous cafe which is stationed a few blocks away from Antonio's Bar. I hand the driver the amount due and step out of the vehicle hesitantly.