Pain And Pleasure 18+✓

Forty -one

Our breakfast flows smoothly as we eat, having small talk while at it. I think it's one of the best mornings I've had so far in my life. No intrusion from anyone, or anything; it's just me and him on this little island in the desert.

"Where exactly are we going? I remember you told me about dinner which impelled me to get the evening dress for that matter," I ask Adrian.

He clears his throat and sips his coffee. Eyes back on my face, he simply answers, "It's sort of a business dinner, but I can't leave you alone here so we're going together."

Oh? Well, I wouldn't want to protect this big house in the middle of nowhere all by myself and I don't think I can break out of here without a GPS locator so it's only fair that I stick with him for as long as we're here.

But who am I kidding? It's exactly what I want.

"So, I'm gonna be an observer at that business dinner?" I muse, staring back at Adrian.

He smiles boyishly, looking like a guy on a cruise. "You're a business major, Arabella, and a very smart woman. I'll probably need your insight on some matters, who knows? You may find the evening quite indulging when you least expect it."

"Hmm, I'll be the judge of that." I'm not looking forward to the evening or anything, but I don't mind being his date or whatever the name is for the sake of business. "So, what's your plan once you acquire the Imperial Hotel?"

Not sure why I'm curious. I shouldn't be.

"Change," he states matter-of-factly. "Restructuring the management, remodeling the building, and renaming the hotel. No more Imperial Hotel."

"I thought as much," I retort. Maybe The Castle Hotel will do? I shift in my seat, all too excited for him. He squints his eyes quizzically until I say, "But, well, I'm talking about your plans. Personal plans."

He smiles again, probably toying with my wits while knowing fully well about the nature of my untamed curiosity from the very dawn of our conversation.

"I'll go back to New York. I haven't thought of my next move yet but I'm surely not the kind of person who settles in one place for too long. I see a new opportunity, I go for it," he replies simply, with no trace of humor in his voice. "What about you? What's your plan after school?"

To get a job and chase for papers? What's there for me if not to survive? Cliché, I know.

"We're talking about you." Ignoring his question, I firm my eyes at him. He draws himself back a bit, gauging my rather evasive reaction. "So you're a wanderer, huh? A gatherer, too, who desires nothing but to get more and more business deals while roaming around the globe."

I want to understand him. What does he really desire? He has everything, from what I can decipher, but what exactly is he searching for? I get the feeling that he's either running away from something or looking for it.

He's many shades of mystery.

"You're right," he says monotonously, giving me a level look. My chest heaves. "I am a wanderer, and a gatherer. I want more and more, and more every day. I move around for business only, but I'm glad the pleasure seems to find its way wherever I go. The world has a lot to offer, Arabella, you simply need to search for whatever you want."

His hard, crafty look stirs the blood in my veins. I guess I'm one of his many pleasures and it's a blade on the chest. The more I search through his eyes, the darker it gets, making it utterly impossible for me to read any of his inner thoughts. But he only talks of wants, what about his needs? Does he even know about it?

He's a complex man.

"Are you happy, Adrian?" I blurt out, only to realize that we're surrounded by utter silence and our bodies in a calm stillness.