Chapter 13

"Katelyn Winston...isn't it..." his voice was gruff, as if he had been chewing on gravel.

"I-I thought this was l-ladies' only restroom" Kate stuttered, totally avoiding his question.

"Oh, believe me...It...is..." he smirked as he slanted his head to the side.

Then what was he waiting for? Doesn't he have any manners?

"So, what's the deal between you and Quisito?" the man asked, as he pushed himself off the door.

"I-I...I d-don't know" Kate was finding it really hard to even speak because she had no idea what he was going to do to her. For all she knew, he could be a hired assassin and was just toying with her before pulling out the gun and killing her.

"Don't lie to me Kate I saw how you looked at him, like you wanted to dig your high heels into his heart" the man said as he took a step towards her.

"I'm sorry Sir I-I don't know what you are talking about" Kate involuntarily took a step back. she clearly wanted no business with him.

What if he was a spy? What if he was there to drug and kidnap her? – OH GOD!

Her mind was scaring the life out of her.

"Drop the formalities, Katelyn. Call me Placebo" the man commanded, clearly irritated by her 'scared mouse' like actions.

"I have been watching you from the beginning. Through out the event you wanted nothing more than to get away from him. So...tell me, what is it that makes your eyes shoot daggers at him every time he's near you?" Placebo asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"He and i...uh..w-we don't get along well." Kate admitted, but didn't elaborate on the reason. "I-I have to go before he barges in here" she tried to make a move to escape with the excuse, and it was the truth. She saw how angry Quisito got when she hugged Sam and she didn't even want to imagine what would happen if he finds her with a total stranger in the restroom.

She began advancing towards the door when Placebo raised his hand in the air, signaling her to stop.

"My mistress is currently distracting him, so we have time" Placebo gave a friendly shrug, but Kate was still suspicious of him.

"O-Okay..., Placebo. Why are you doing this?" Kate asked him to come to the point, instead of beating around the bush.

"Here is the thing" he explained "Quisito has been my enemy from the very first day he stepped into the shipment business. I lost a ton of cargo shipment orders to him, plunging me into financial crisis. My enemies took it as a golden opportunity to attack me and I lost half of everything I bult over a lifetime. Since you are close to him and undoubtedly hate him, maybe you can slip me some useful information regarding the shipment location and in return, I can do you a favor by uprooting him from your life"

"He doesn't even trust me. And I don't know how I can help you" Kate was excited to kick Quisito out of her life but with the power he held, it just seemed impossible.

"You don't have to worry about that. I already have everything planned out. But now I have to go. So, when you get a chance, message me. Here's my number" Placebo extended a card towards her and she hesitantly took it from him.

"Remember...texting only; because his men will be recording all the incoming and outgoing calls. So don't push your luck" Placebo gave her a last warning and nodded goodbye before leaving the restroom.

Kate memorized the number and threw the card in the trash because she didn't have space to hide it in her body. After checking her reflection one last time on the mirror, she walked out.

She knew she had to walk back to Quisito, but obeying orders wasn't one of her strong suits. After noticing the curtain of darkness between the restroom and the other end of the bar where he stood, she walked in the opposite direction and climbed on to one of the bar stools.

Kate ordered plain water and began sipping on it, when out of nowhere, a powerful hand grabbed her elbow and swiveled her around. She gasped when she came face to face with her nightmare.

"WHAT THE HELL KATE? COULDN'T YOU JUST WALK BACK TO ME AFTER USING THE RESTROOM?" Quisito roared, making her flinch in his hold.

"I..i was thirsty..; I was going to finish this and...get back to you" Kate pointed towards her half empty glass of water, hoping that he would buy her excuse.

She saw his features softening and she knew he believed her.

"Okay" he let go of her hand. Kate got back on her seat while he chose to remain standing.

"Sex on the beach" he ordered to the bartender, but his eyes were fixated on Kate, who choked on the water after hearing those words.

She could feel the tingling in her core which she tried to ease away by pressing her thighs together.

What was with her body? Why did he have so much control over it?

While tipping the glass to take the last sip, she accidentally spilled water on her chest. Kate immediately tried to wipe it away with her hand, totally unaware of how much she was arousing him.

Her innocent act of rubbing the swell of her own bosom was more than enough to create a throbbing bulge in his pants, even though they were surrounded by people.

Quisito took a shaky breath and slammed his glass on the counter after finishing the drink. "We're leaving now" he declared, while dragging her along with him to the exit of the building.

"B-but the painting"

"You'll get the painting; Now get in the car" he opened the car door for her and she had no choice but to comply.

The sun prepared the sky for bidding goodbye to the earth and everything under the majestic blanket shone in golden red hue. The car ride seemed calm because neither of them spoke but there was palpable tension in the air. Kate enjoyed the wide sunset that was spread along the horizon while she kept on tossing around Placebo's offer in her mind.

The car came to a halt outside the mansion but Quisito had one more event to attend, so he remained seated in the car and asked her to step out. Kate reached for the car door handle but stopped to process the words he mumbled under his breath.

"Tonight...I'll mark you as mine"

Ignoring the instant fear that crept up her spine, she got out of the car and made her way into the mansion.

She walked into her room while probing her wet dress and came to an abrupt halt when she saw what was inside – It was the painting! It was placed on the floor, leaning against the wall. She was both shocked and surprised to see the it because she thought she was never going to see it again because she didn't trust Quisito.

She never even got to see it properly because of the rush; But now, she had it all to herself. Kate advanced towards painting with a smile on her face, just like a child approaching his favorite toy.

The Winter Feathers – Was the name of the painting. It beautifully has captured a flock of migratory birds flying above a frozen lake with a deeper shade of blue sky as the background. The birds seemed happy, free and excited to be out in the open air.

It was a sharp contrast to what Kate had been enduring for years. A human heart always yearns for what it missed and she too was no different. Kate wanted the spirit of freedom to rise out of the painting and devour her soul and break her invisible shackles. She kneeled in front of the large canvas and traced her dainty little fingers on the wings of the birds, as if she was secretly signaling God to give her a pair.

Night approached and Kate was all set for bed but Quisito hadn't come home yet. She was extremely happy because of that but she had to be cautious. So before going to bed, she dragged all the movable furniture in the room and crowded it behind the locked door. Most of them were too heavy to move but her determination shone brighter.

"Perfect! Now let's see how you'll get in" Kate marveled at her accomplishment while placing hands on her hip, her chest rising and falling due to the intense task.

After wrestling around with the furniture, she was really tired and so she retired to bed and let sleep slowly evade her senses.

Kate didn't know how many hours had passed, but she was wide awake in bed, with her eyes fixated on the door because Quisito had returned. Her breathing became labored and her heart threatened to pound out of her ribcage when she saw the silver knob being twisted in the moonlight.

She heard the soft click and that meant the door was unlocked, but he couldn't open it further because of the stacked-up furniture behind it.

Kate smiled, appreciating herself for the struggle she had gone through in building a resistance to stop the devil.

Kate always had a plan – For almost everything, but fate and luck seldom took her side. Her confidence, along with her happiness diminished when she saw him pushing open the door – Along with the heavy furniture!

What was he? An Elephant?

The door opened further until his inflamed eyes met her fear tugged ones in the semi-darkness. Her breath hitched as she scrambled back in bed, foolishly hoping that he would spare her chastity.

When he got the door open enough to get through, he stepped inside and locked it behind him, before approaching her.

"And you thought that was going to stop me from having you..." She heard him rasp as he took off his shirt, revealing his bare chest and chiseled abs.

Her delicate body trembled when he stalked towards her bed, like a predator approaching its defenseless prey, while her mind strained to prepare her body for the inevitable.

He is going to sleep with her!