Vixen - a dark romance story

Chapter 1

Ray Valentino

Le calme avant la tempête.
Ray took a sip of her drink, enjoying the short getaway from everything. She reflected in silence, relishing in these peaceful moments as she watched people in the bar talk, drink, and laugh.
Just about to order a refill, she felt a warm hand on her right shoulder. She stilled before turning around.
Talk about peace.
She refrained from rolling her eyes at the immediate sight of her boss, Bang Chan.
The latter stood still. He withdrew his hand from her shoulder and spoke with a controlled voice, attempting to stay calm.
"Care to explain what are you doing here? We've been searching for you for days."

Ray looked at him briefly before reporting her attention back to her drink.
This would be the usual, she would disappear for a few days and have her leader scolding her by her return out of spite.
"Hello to you too." She simply said.

He sighed in annoyance, and took a seat next to her. He then mentioned to the bartender, ordering a drink for himself.
"Don't "hello" me. Where have you been ?"

He asked irately as he received his whiskey, immediately taking a sip. He leaned back against the seat, his eyes fixed on her, demanding an explanation.

Ray answered, keeping her gaze on the lively scenery.
"I had some business to take care of."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unsatisfied with her vague answer. He grumbled, growing more annoyed.
"Busy enough that you didn't have time to send even a text? We were worried."

Ray's face adorned a lazy smirk as she took another sip of her drink. She answered, ignoring his inquiries. Why even bother? He knew she had this habit of disappearing once in a while.
"Just say you wanted a text message from me, Bang."

He rolled his eyes at her response, clearly irritated with her nonchalance. He then leaned closer, getting up in her personal space.
"Don't be a smartass, Vixen. I just expect some basic courtesy of knowing whether you're alive after vanishing like that."

She turned to look at him, her grin taking a wicked turn.
"Why? Might miss me if I die ?"

His expression seemed to falter for a moment, but he quickly composed himself, brushing off her question.
"Don't be ridiculous."

Ray smirked at his retort before standing up and adjusting her clothes. She walked out to the exit of the jazz bar, leaving her drink behind.
She glanced behind her shoulder, rolling her eyes as she saw him leave some cash on the counter and rush after her.

"Where do you think you're going? This conversation isn't over."
He said, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to make her face him.

They were standing alone, outside the bar, and the moon shone brightly above them.
"You're pissing me off, Ray. Disappearing for days, coming back like nothing, not even a damn explanation. Don't even try to run away from this conversation."
His eyes darkened as he said firmly, refusing to let go of her arm.

Ray stared at him in silence, studying his moonlit features. She found herself entranced by his sharp face, the way the cold moonlight seemed to play against the edge of his jaw, the way the shadows danced across his high cheekbones.

Her eyes traced the planes of his face and she couldn't help but be in awe at his dark eyes that seemed to pierce through the night, holding her gaze captive. She admired the strong lines of his nose and the slight furrow of his brow as if trying to commit them to memory.

It was only when she realized that he spoke and was waiting for an answer that she snapped out of her trance-like state, averting her gaze away.
"You don't seem to have a problem when another member does the same through."

He took a step closer, releasing her wrist and reducing the distance between them to practically none.
Their eyes locked, and he spoke, his voice low and intense.
"What's that supposed to mean? You know damn well no one does it as much as you. Everyone else has the decency to inform me beforehand. Except you."

He clenched his jaw as he continued his rant in an authoritative tone of voice. His shoulders were tense, and every muscle in his body seemed to be coiled tightly like a spring about to snap.
"You just disappear without a word then reappear as if nothing happened, like a fucking ghost. It's infuriating. We're a team and we have important plans and operations to deal with together that require your presence, as a head member. Yet, you keep acting selfish and pulling the same stunt. Every. Single. Time."

Ray raised a brow, amused by his seriousness. She took a step back, and smiled, clapping her hands.
"What a speech. Have you thought about working as a motivational speaker ?"

His irritation grew further. Her bravado and mocking words seemed to grate on his nerves. He stepped forward, closing the distance she created between them again. He then said through gritted teeth, his eyes narrowing as he observed her every move.
"Typical. Can't you take anything seriously for a moment? How about you start communicating properly instead of turning everything into a joke and acting like a brat ?"

Ray stepped back, her eyes darting around as she subtly studied the area for a way out. She reported her attention back on the conversation, her face adorning a seductive smile.
"You know I'm not good with communication, Bang."

He scoffed at her sultry voice. He caught on her attempt to distract him, but he didn't fall for it. Instead, he took a step closer. Looks like he wasn't going to let her get away easily.
"Don't try to charm your way out of this, Vixen. It won't work. You're not going anywhere until we're done talking."

Ray resisted the urge to clench her jaw, maintaining her impassive expression.
She casually looked around before looking at him,
"I'm done talking through. You know you're fighting a losing battle, Bang."

He chuckled darkly, his voice low and dangerous.
"Is that so ?"

He slowly reached for her cheek, tilting her chin up forcibly, making her gaze meet his, their faces only inches apart.
"You're trapped, Vixen. There's no going anywhere except facing the consequences of your actions."