Temptress

13|Magic Teddy

Sereia's POV

F O U R  D A Y S  L A T E R

My body shook violently as I forced myself to pack my suitcase.

The day he told me that we were going to New York I forced myself to stop taking the heroin.

It's not like I could travel to New York with drugs in my pocket, could I?

I had gone through withdrawal many times before, but they were never as bad as this.

I wish it was as easy to stop as it is to start.

I hadn't even been to work in four days because I'd gotten so sick.

However, I couldn't stay in bed any longer.

He was going to be here any minute now so that we could go to the airport together.

I threw my last pantsuit in there before zipping it up.

I fell back on my bed and closed my eyes.

That felt like a whole workout.

The doorbell rang and I groaned.

All I wanted was a minute.

I sighed as I forced myself up and pulled down my black, bodycon dress.

I then grabbed the handle of my suitcase before dragging it downstairs with me.

When I opened the door, he was there to greet me, dressed in his full black suit.

"Ready to go?" he asked as he took the suitcase from me.

My hand began to tremble and I immediately placed it behind my back.

If he were to ever find out I was on drugs, he'd fire me immediately.

I'd say goodbye to any glance of revenge.

I forced a smile. "Ready as I'll ever be."

He held the backseat door open for me and when I was seated inside, he carried my suitcase to the trunk.

His driver in front smiled at me with a wave. I did the same before Elliot came next to me.

The driver took off and for the first ten minutes, we didn't speak to each other.

Normally, I would have already taken advantage of the situation and tried to get closer to him but not today.

Today I wasn't in the mood to force myself to interact with him.

"My assistant said you were sick," he said as he looked out of the window. "Feelin' better?"

His Chicago accent was thicker than usual.

I looked out of my window. "Yeah, stomach bug got me."

I suddenly felt something soft on my lap.

When I looked down, it was a small brown teddy bear.

He looked at me. "He's supposed to help you feel better. I sleep with him whenever I'm sick or tired."

I turned to look at him as I furrowed my eyebrows.

Is he for real right now? Does he believe a teddy bear can cure illnesses?

"Don't worry," he said. "I washed and disinfected it. It's germ-free, I promise."

"Sir, is this a joke?" I asked.

"I really did disinfect it, twice actually," he defended himself and I shook my head.