Destroyed For All Others

Chapter 4 - The Car Ride

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Niklaus

Fucking hell, this woman was driving me nuts. I couldn't put my finger on it. The way she openly studied me while I fixed her seatbelt malfunction had me on edge. It wasn't that I was unaccustomed to women perving over me, but it didn't feel like perving when this woman did it. It felt more intimate. Like she was seeing every piece of me. And it was unnerving.

The large breath she had released once I moved out of her space made me think she wasn't as unaffected as she seemed. Coupled with her hand yet again finding that spot in her chest as she had done in the hall earlier alluded to the fact that I made her nervous or anxious. She was frowning as we pulled out of the underground parking area, her hand finally moving from her chest to rest on her lap as she self-consciously pulls on the hem of her dress, which isn't that short.

The Grand is about ten minutes from where we left, its location central to London making it appealing to those with money traveling internationally. It was part of a chain of hotels spanning seven continents, five hundred and twelve in total. With a five-star rating, our hotels were temporary homes to the rich and famous, extravagant stops for those who could afford them.

Neither of us speaks as I deftly maneuver the vehicle along the relatively quiet streets. It is not until I hear Allegra take a deep breath when we stop at an intersection, that I look over and see her hands gripping the seat tightly. So tightly that her knuckles are turning white. Her face has also lost all color. As if sensing me looking, she averts her gaze, looking out the window so I can no longer see her face. She is afraid. The only thing I can assume is because of my driving. I tend to drive the car for the purpose it was made, with speed.

Realizing this, I drive the rest of the way at a slower pace, my suspicion about it being my driving confirmed as her hands start loosening up, finding their way back to her lap.

"Thank you. You don't have to slow down on my account," she says quietly, not looking at me as we stop at another red light.

"I don't want to scare you," I say, her head whipping around to look at me.

"Why?" Three letters leaving her mouth that separately mean nothing but together beg an answer from me that I do not have. Or perhaps I just don't want to say. Her brown eyes search mine, the slight frown between them questioning and suspicious.

"Why would I want to?" I counter, answering a question with a question. It seemed like the safest bet. And less bizarre than saying that the very thought of scaring you makes me angry with myself. It sounded crazy to my ears, so no doubt it would sound strange to hers and possibly scare her even more.

She stares at me a while longer before looking away, her quietly spoken, "the light is green," followed by a hoot from the vehicle behind me, breaking the moment.

"So, how long have you known Ade and Aashiv?" I ask her, hoping to salvage this uncomfortable situation we found ourselves in with small talk. I was also genuinely curious. Ade had never mentioned Allegra in all the time we had known each other. I also never saw her at their house or even at their wedding, and I would have recalled as I was Ade's best man.

"I met Aashiv at Yale when we were nineteen. I have known Ade as long as Aashiv has. As soon as she met him, she introduced me." She doesn't elaborate, giving me the bare minimum. At least I now knew her age. Twenty-nine years old. I was six years older than her, which surprised me as she looked more like twenty-five.

"I know Aashiv studied architecture, what did you major in?" I ask her, wanting to know more about her. Needing to know more.

"Art." Yet another surprising answer. She doesn't strike me as someone artistic, but I also understood I was making a judgment based on just tonight and our limited interaction. Allegra was not easy to get to know.

"I collect art. I have an original painting from the eighteenth-century painter Marou. It's a beautiful piece. With white flowers-" I say, her words cutting me off.

"And a small boy on a swing under a huge willow tree," she says astonished, her eyes twinkling with awe. "I know the one. I did my dissertation on it."

"It is in my home in New Hampshire. I can arrange a viewing if you would like to see it?" I offer, sure that she will say yes. The twinkle in her eye slowly fades as the moment is lost and she seems to remember something, the sad look appearing on her face yet again. Its moments of absence are fleeting.

"Thank you, Niklaus. I'll think about it." It is the second time she has said my name since our meeting, and it is fast becoming my favorite sound. The way it rolls off her tongue makes me feel like I was given this name just to hear it said from her lips.

We drive the rest of the way in silence, the comfort level not increasing with time. The silence looms in the vehicle and I can tell by her fidgeting that it makes her nervous.

We finally pull up in front of The Grand. The valet is immediately at my door as I get out. I hand him the keys while asking the bellhop to relay a message to the reception to have Allegra's bags moved to a room on the top floor, the one next to mine. There were only three rooms on the top floor, the third one not currently occupied.

Moving to the passenger side door, I can hear obscenities being directed at the door from inside as Allegra pulls on the door handle.

Opening the door, her face appears flushed as she climbs out.

"Thank you. I could have opened it myself, but the door handle seems to be malfunctioning," she says, looking at me briefly before looking towards the hotel.

"It appears many things on my car malfunction when you are around," I say, earning a glare before she moves toward the hotel entrance.

Shutting the passenger side door, I follow her as we make our way inside.

"Allegra Edevane," Allegra says when Rose, the employee at the front desk, asks for her name. She recognizes me immediately but, with a shake of my head, she continues, handing Allegra her keycard as she finishes the checking-in process.

"Your bags are in your room. Press nine on the phone if you need anything," Rose says, smiling at Allegra and me as we walk away.

"Don't you need to check in?" Allegra asks, pointing back to the desk as we approach the elevator.

"I own a room here," I say, pushing the button to take us up.

"Oh," is all she says before the ping of the elevator indicates it has arrived.

The doors open and we enter, Allegra asking me which floor she must push for me.

"Top floor," I say, her eyes going wide.

"I am also on the top floor," she says, pushing the button as the doors close.

"I thought the top floor would be reserved for famous or really affluential guests," she says, her confusion evident in her voice.

"There was a space issue with all the guests from the charity event. All rooms need to be utilized," I say, the lie sounding believable on the way out. Her scent envelopes us in the elevator, feelings of nostalgia overtaking me as flashes of memories from that night long ago flood my mind.

"Ahh," is all she says as she looks away from me, her eyes once again finding anywhere else to look but at me.

That all changes when the elevator makes a sudden grinding noise, coming to an abrupt halt just shy of the top floor.

Ohhh, who doesn't like an enclosed space with a sexy semi-stranger? Please comment and vote:)