Debt

three

selyse harrison

Dragging my hands down my face, I sat up when I finally woke up. I hated admitting I slept well. It could have been the silently crying myself to sleep. It could have been the soft plush sheets. I looked to my side seeing nothing but my reflection in Jack's mirror. Jack was nowhere in sight. Was this a good or bad thing?

I stepped out of the bed, slowly opening the bedroom door. There was a noise coming from downstairs so I followed it all the way to the kitchen. Jack was standing with one of his hands in his pockets as he flipped a pancake in a pan. His naked back was filled with muscle. Every movement of his made the muscle flex. They looked perfectly sculpted.

"You sleep like the dead," was the first thing Jack had to say to me. What a gentleman he is. My body jittered when a woman's voice started speaking out of no where.

"Mr. Moretti, I've finished cleaning your office. Would you like me to clean your bedroom?" A soft British voice said. She was dressed in the same attire as a housekeeper and couldn't be much older than my own mother.

"That won't be necessary. Thank you, Belinda."

He opened a drawer, taking a wallet out. My eyes widened at the many bills he took out of the wallet. She smiled as she received the payment. When she did, her eyes set on me. I crossed my arms with my long sleeved sweater then my legs in attempt to cover my exposed legs because of my shorts.

"Is this the young lady you've been talking about? She finally arrived," she smiled at me. Arrived. Like Jack ordered me as if I'm a package he had been anticipating. Obviously considering he prepared a whole room for me.

"This is her. A cheeky one she is," he muttered under his breath before saying goodbye to her. "Sit down." Jack spoke to me like I'm a child of his and I couldn't believe I'm supposed to be married to him.

"I'm not hungry," I said under my breath. My loss of appetite came from my distaste in being here. I did not want to get too comfortable. Although he had plans to keep me here permanently, in my mind this was a temporary issue I knew I would find my way out of.

"Please don't make me repeat myself."

"Or what?" I scoffed.

Setting his cooking utensil down, he approached me, causing me to slowly back up until my back hit the wall behind me. My heart started pounding and I truly regretted what I said. The look on his face was a look I have yet to see from him. It was hungry and he looked at me like his prey. Holding my breath, his hand carefully held my neck like he didn't want to damage me.

"You're pushing my buttons, piccolo diavolo. You don't want to see me angry." He didn't raise his voice but instead said it in a deep intimidating way. I couldn't do anything but nod.

His hand slowly went to the side of my face. Stoking my cheek, my body melted at his gentle touch. Like my body had been longing for him. With every touch, I wanted more but I also wanted nothing to do with him. My mind was tearing me apart and I didn't know why I felt this way. My body wants to adapt to this new found life but my mind refuses.

A cold spot was felt on my cheek when he removed his warm hand. He went to the dining table, pulling the chair out for me to sit. My hands needed something to fidget with and they instantly chose the bonnet on my head. My body was half in half out and that wasn't okay. Maybe it was my way of processing I might stay here with him forever, so why be stubborn and make things hard when things were inevitable? But they would only be inevitable if I didn't do anything about it.

Jack set the plate in front of me. It looked delicious. Pancakes with bacon and eggs. On the side was a bowl of fresh fruit. In a glass was freshly squeezed orange juice. I slowly chewed my food. The food was good. I really would've never seen him as a cook. Our meal together was just as awkward as it was yesterday.