Sinful Desires | 18+

IV

Layla

I turned on myself while taking in the beauty surrounding me. The house we had emerged out of was a stunning three-story, stone home. Vines sprinkled with flowers crawled up the front facade. Small windows bordered with wood were spread out over the surface of the front wall. On either corner of the building were tall towers with red tile roofs. The courtyard was surrounded by tall oak trees and many beautiful flowers and plants. A 4m tall stone wall bordered the property, and on top of that, armed guards stood at the gate, ready to pounce.

Axel ushered me on and we walked along the front facade of the house and towards the garden. The 'garden' was the size of a huge park. There were stables filled with horses, beautiful ponds surrounded by flowers, tennis courts, golf holes and many birds walking on the green lawn. We kept walking and eventually made it to the back side of the house. There lay a beautiful pool with clear water.

The backside of the house was even more impressive than the front; the house stretched farther into the backyard, this wing of the house was not visible from the front. A terrace snaked around the back of the sides, on it lay sun chairs, a dining table and lots of outdoor furniture.

We walked towards one of the outdoor sofas and Axel sat down.

"Sit." He commanded.

I did as I was told. He took my wrists in to his hands, in a smooth motion, he pulled something out of his trouser pocket. It gleamed in the sun which stopped me from having a clear look at the object. He flicked it open, and only then did I realise he had a knife. He gently cut through the zip tie which bound my wrists together.

He held onto my hands for a while longer. He looked into my eyes before saying, "Don't try anything."

He pulled me up once again and we took off through the garden again.

"Layla..." He started, I turned my head towards him, curious as to what he had to say.

"I know this is confusing, but please know that I intend you no harm." He spoke, his voice sounded almost sad, nearly heartbroken.

We kept walking through the beautiful gardens, it was truly beautiful. The tall trees cast a shadow over the rest of the gardens which kept the temperature down, the sudden change in temperature gave me chills all over my body. I slowly rubbed my forearms with my hands in an attempt to warm up. I was only wearing a dress as I had been captured on my way back from a fancy dinner with my parents.

Axel looked at me and stopped, I stopped as well. He untied the sweater he had draped over his shoulders and gave it to me. It was a beautiful dark blue cashmere Ralph Lauren sweater. I slipped it on over my dress, I could instantly feel it's warm embrace on my body.

"Thank you, Axel." I spoke in a quiet tone.

Axel started walking again so I followed him.

"You're most welcome." He replied a few seconds later. "We're nearly at my favourite spot... I think you'll like it." He continued, his voice was nonchalant and almost monotone but there was a hint of childish naivety in his words.

We walked for a few more minutes in silence.

Out of nowhere, a gravel path appeared in the lawn. The path was framed with delicate flowers and lanterns which emitted a warm light onto the path and the grass surrounding it. We followed the path into a tiny forest within the garden. As we snaked through the trees, we approached what looked like a clearing. I emerged first from the forest, the clearing was beautiful. Small flowers littered the grass. A fountain in the shape of a jug stood in the middle of the clearing, the water poured into a small pond where fish swam happily. Fully blossomed lily pads sat on the surface of the water and swayed every so often with the wind. I stepped away from the fountain and looked around, a small wooden 'cabin' sat on the opposite side of the clearing.

I walked towards it, sensing that Axel was following close by. I gently pushed open the wooden door and entered the small building. The inside was beautiful, it was very rustic. A dark, metallic heater stood in the middle of the room, wooden stools draped with cow skin surrounded it. There was a small table, surrounded by a matching chair set as well as a bed that had to have at least 4 decorating blankets placed on it. There was a velvety red armchair on the other side surrounded by piles and piles of hard cover books. Flower vases sat on every possible surface which made the small cabin even more beautiful.

"This is so beautiful!" I said quietly.

"I'm glad you like it." Replied Axel, who was now standing directly behind me.

I could smell his expensive cologne, the strong musk was almost entoxicating.

I couldn't believe that I was at ease of mind in this place when I had been brought here against my will. I gathered my thoughts and quickly pushed past Axel to exit the cabin.

I walked fast as I tried to cover as much distance through the clearing as possible. I couldn't let myself feel comfortable and at ease in this place, around these people.

"Layla! Layla where do you think you're going?" I heard Axel yell as I walked quicker towards the path.

I heard his footsteps, like he was running. I looked back, he was running towards me. I started sprinting, not caring to look back anymore. I needed to get out of here.

If I kept running enough I could find the wall on the edge of the property and climb it. Anything was possible with enough adrenaline. I kept running, I was only focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. I drowned out everything around me, including Axel's commanding yells.

I didn't even know how he hadn't caught up to me yet. I kept running. I saw the house. My legs ached, I was seconds away from collapsing. As my muscles slowed down, I could feel myself losing speed and being on the verge of collapsing.

One step after the other. I struck out my leg, my body couldn't take it anymore, I tumbled towards the ground. I was happy to collapse onto grass and not concrete. My knees were about to collide with the floor when...

A hand grabbed me.

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

Okayyyyyy we're getting into some action now. I'm sorry but I just love cliffhangers (I hope none of you get an add). It's about to get juicyyyyy!!

With love,
M