In The Hands of Dominic

10

The morning was bright and sunny with white fluffy clouds drifting across the sky.

In Andras's home, she was playing a platform game on her laptop in the living room. A knock sounded at the door but she was not ready to attend to whoever was there.

She was wearing a beanie over her hair which she had braided into a single strand. Her oversized t-shirt flowed over her mid-thigh shorts, making it look like a t-shirt was all she had on.

Her cousin passed by with a drink in her hand. "There is no difference between you and a boy." She commented teasingly.

"Leave me alone." Andra retorted, ignoring Molly who went her way, letting her be.

Andra heard the knock again, firm, in the classic three-knuckle given pounds. She fleetingly wondered who was out there. She was already engrossed in the game and didn't see herself pausing or being distracted so she could keep her character in the game, alive.

The knock sounded again, offending her. She groaned with impatience and continued with the game.

"Hold on." She said with a whine and continued playing for a few more seconds when the knock repeated, insistent.

Andra groaned again, feeling frustrated. Why couldn't the person just exercise a little bit of patience?

"I said hold on." She called out again as she continued playing. The insistent knock repeated again.

"Damn impatient freak." She cursed under her breath. She forced herself to bring the game to a pause and attend to whoever was at the door.

With a frown of displeasure on her face, she stormed towards the door and opened it without hiding her annoyance.

At the sight of the man standing outside the door, Andra became frozen without a concrete reason. Dominating the front door, he was tall and attractive, wearing a simple red-fitted long-sleeve shirt, and black fitted jean trousers with a pair of dark slip-ons. She perceived his fragrance, which she found amazing like a spicy misty forest calling invitingly for exploration.

Andra's eyes dropped to his feet and perused him from his feet to his broad chest, his firm chin, and mesmerizing hazel eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she met his gaze.

He towered over her just like her father. Her heart skipped a beat for no particular reason that she could place her finger on.

Dominic looked down at the petulant-looking girl before him and guessed she was the source of Duke's headaches. Her brows were knitted together in a frown that showed she was annoyed. And she could not hide it before a visitor.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked in a clipped tone.

He could tell that this was the girl just by her rudeness.

Andra was jolted back to her senses after hearing him speak. His voice was deep and husky but still managed to be warm even though it was laced with authority.

Although she was curious about who he was, she immediately added him to her unlikable people list which was not long. It had just her stepmother. And now, he was number two because of his rudeness. She didn't care about his sexy voice or attractive hunky looks.

"Do you know who I am?" she demanded, offended by his words.

His eyebrow lifted irreverently at her. "Of course, I do." He replied. "You're a boy. And you sure aren't Mr. Duke who is expecting me, are you?"

Andra visibly fumed at being called a boy. She unconsciously checked herself. Then she stared at him with indignation.

"Are you blind? Can't you see that I'm a female?"

His eyes swept over her as if to ascertain her claim. "My eyes have never been better." He said. "And all I see is a bad-tempered boy. But if you insist that you're a girl, suit yourself."

Andra could tell that he was calling her a boy on purpose, just to annoy her. The thought caused her to dislike him further.

"I am Andra Anderson." She proudly announced.

Donovan was slightly amused by her haughtily delivered introduction of herself as though her name was supposed to make him bow before her. A smirk formed across his lips

"What is funny?" she demanded.

"The fact that you're announcing your name like you are royalty, which I believe that you're not." He ignored her brows which were coming together again in a frown of displeasure.

"Now that you're done, introducing yourself, kindly inform Mr. Duke that Dominic is around."

Her eyes narrowed at him in anger and he met her gaze with a cool one of his, unaffected by her displeased look.

Quietly, she opened the door wider and stepped back, allowing him to step inside while she went back to her laptop on the couch and sat down.

"By the way, since you asked, I was staring at you because you're a stranger. I have never seen you before, so it's normal."

Dominic took a seat on the sofa, sitting directly opposite her. He had to make himself comfortable because he had read her body language and knew that she would not offer him one. She was mannerless.

Andra didn't offer him a seat because she wanted to enjoy his humiliation when he would stand there waiting to be offered which will never happen.

She was disappointed when he confidently took his seat immediately after stepping inside.

Dominic pinned her with an austere gaze. Her heart skipped a beat. His eyes were beautiful even in their unfriendly state. She hated that someone so full of himself would be blessed with hot features.

"Are you supposed to be sitting down right now?" he demanded more than asked.

"Excuse me?" Andra was taken aback.

"I am here to see Mr. Duke. Will you tell him that Dominic is here or should I call him on the phone and say that there is a boy here who has refused to do the needful?"

Andra silently boiled with fury as she glared at him for what seemed like the umpteenth time. As usual, he was unaffected by her hostile look. He simply met it with an unfazed expression. Feeling defeated, she left her laptop and proceeded to go and call her father. Although she already disliked him, she felt a bit of fear around him. She hurried to call her father. She could not wait to rid herself of the daunting stranger's presence.