His Exclusive Stripper: You Are Mine, Don

Charlie had managed to tame the heartrending sobs that had burst out of my throat minutes ago, and now, I was quietly coiled beside him on the bed. The sobs had eased into silent hiccups.

The sound of the television invaded my thoughts every now and then. Charlie was still beside me. But I knew he was awake and wasn’t watching the television either. He was probably lost in thoughts.

“He wants me to go work for him,” I blurted.

Charlie did not respond immediately, I almost thought he hadn’t heard me. Then he shifted closer, pressing his body into mine and rubbing his hand over my bare arms.

“Do you want to?” He finally asked in a whisper that tickled my ear lobes.

“No,” I murmured.

A long silent followed my response. I was hoping Charlie would be proud of me. Proud of the fact that I had turned down the offer to work for that devil that cost us our jobs. But when he spoke again, I realized my hopes were wrong.

“Maybe you should,” he released his hand that was cuddling my shoulder, and dropped it by his side.

“You not serious, are you?” I rose from my position to take a good look at him.

Was he insane? Why would he ask me to work for that man? Oh… I knew what this was, it was guilt. Maybe he was feeling guilty that he had made me loose my job. It was the only plauseable explanation as to why my boyfriend would ask me to work for another man. Not just any man, a man that ordered his men to beat him up, a man that wants me to breakup with him.

If he had any sense right now, he would be asking me to stay as far off as possible from Antonio, not asking me to go work for him.

“Charlie, how can you even think that? This man wants me to breakup with you and come work for him and you sit here advising me to take up an offer like that? Have you gone nuts?” I shifted away from him, putting a little distance between us.

“Babe can you hear me out first?” He was trying to get hold of my hands.

“Don’t even touch me, Charlie. I can’t believe you right now. I understand that you feel bad about us losing our…”

“Can you listen!” He snapped at me.

A little shiver ran down my spine at the change in the tone of his voice. Charlie is not a good sight when he is angry. His hulky figure tends to magnify with anger. Sharp veins had formed a narrow lines around his neck and his typical brown eyes had darkened in color.

“I hate that bastard as much as you hate him, and that is why you have to work for him if we must make him pay for what he has done.” His voice sounded hoarse with rage.

“I don’t understand, how do we make him pay if I get to work for him?” My voice came out delicate, a mixture of fear and confusion.

“Come here darling,” he pulled me into his chest, patting my hair down my shoulder.

“We both know that the so called Antonio Bernoti is a Mafia Lord. This can only means he is associated with so many dirty secrets. Secrets that when revealed would mean his ends,”

I was clearly getting the picture of the suppose plan, but clarity only heightened my fear.

“If you accept to work for him, we could dig up some of those secrets, we could report him to the police and we could bring him down. Wouldn’t you love that Eve darling?” The tip of his tongue was caressing my ear lobes.

“I’m scared, Charlie,”

“Don’t be, sweetheart. All you have to do is call the fool, tell him you’re willing to take up his offer and voila! Plan in motion. You would make him trust you by all means, we get what we want and you leave. It’s that simple baby,”

“And if he wants other things?” I blinked at him.

“What other things babe?”

“I see the way he looks at me, Charlie, what if he wants sex?”

I was startled when he burst into laughter at my question.

“What’s funny?”

“The fact that you think Antonio Bernoti would want to have sex with you. Eve you are a club stripper…”

“Excuse me?” I arched my brows. His words had cut deep into my heart. I would never have expected Charlie to utter words like that. Being a club stripper didn’t make me less desirable, if anything, it has made me most wanted by men with insatiable sex appeal.

“Look I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you okay, all I’m saying is, we have to make Antonio pay for all his crimes by all means and if have sex with him is the little sacrifice to pay, then maybe you should do it,” he continued.

All along I have been grateful for having a boyfriend that isn’t jealous of the nature of my job, but right now, it hurts terribly to know that he didn’t care very much if some other man desired me or was making passes at me.

For the first time in two years, I was questioning Charlie’s love for me. What if he didn’t really love me?

“Look babe, I love you so much okay and I wouldn’t let you do something if it isn’t good for us. You’re doing this for us, this is you seeking justice for what Bernoti did to us, okay?” He said as if reading my inner thoughts.

“I love you too, Charlie,” I forced the words out of my throat.

“That’s my girl, now come to daddy,” he covered me again in his arms, taking my lips into his and kissing them feverishly.

I wanted to be in the moment, to enjoy the feel of his hands that trailed my skin, touching every part of me intimately, but I couldn’t. My mind had been put to work. I was thinking of what Charlie had said, I was weighing the possibility of the success of this plan.

I liked the idea of making Antonio pay for his wickedness, but I wasn’t sure if I liked Charlie’s plan. I would have preferred to let karma have it way. If Antonio Bernoti was as notorious as I’ve heard, then Charlie was sending me into the lion’s den. Which brings me back to the disturbing question that has been lited in my heart like candle flames, “does Charlie really love me?”

“You’re so beautiful babe,” Charlie’s hands were circling my nipples when I looked up at him. I was only realizing that he’d stripped me off my dress.

“I want to do so many bad things to you,” he continued. I was in no mood for his dirty talks, even if I use to like them before now. I faked a moan, playing along.

***

It was evening when I woke up. Charlie was not lying beside me, he wasn’t in the bathroom either. He was gone. I sighed, rolling out of the rumpled sheets and striding nakedly into the bathroom for a wash.

I thought of calling Antonio as I showered. I thought of his deep baritone voice that brought goose bumps on my skin. If I was to admit, the man was handsome. Maybe too handsome that it got into his head.

I stepped out of the shower, throwing a robe around my body and heading into the kitchen. There were left over sandwiches in the microwave. I picked a few pieces, threw them into a dish, grabbed a bottle of water and returned into the living room.

I would be needing physical strength when I call Antonio, and to get that strength, I needed to eat. Half way into the meal, my phone beeped with a text. I concluded it was Charlie. He probably wanted to let me know that he was home, so I ignored the message, chewing leisurely on my meal as I rehearsed the words I was to tell Antonio when I call.

A second beep came in by the time I had returned from the kitchen where I went to drop my used dish. The number on the screen was a strange one, not Charlie’s as I had guessed.

“Hey Angel,” the first text read.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“A gentle reminder that my offer is still on, just incase you change your mind,” the second text said.

I didn’t need a seer to tell me who it was that had sent the message. Antonio Bernoti. Well, texting made it easier. I thought again about going on with this plan. I love Charlie, and I would do anything to please him. Gulping a large amount of air through my lungs, I opened the message and typed.

“I’m willing to accept your offer.”

I threw the phone over the couch, bitting my lips hard as I waited for a response. In a nanosecond the phone buzzed again. I picked it up with shaky fingers daring to read the content.