Chapter 1
Olivia started feeling dizzy, disoriented, and unbalanced as she continued grinding up against Nick, the guy she met two hours ago — who surprisingly kept groping and grabbing her by the second while pulling her away from the dance floor — not like she really realized it.
“Let's talk somewhere else,” he whispered in her ear which only made her in the current state she was in giggle.
“Oooookay,” Olivia slurred in agreement whilst forgetting she came with her best friend and soul sister, Molly.
The more she moved along with Nick’s help, the heavier her legs felt; making them complete jello. Soon the flashing neon lights of the club started to dim, the loud music becoming a mere muffle with each step they took. It wasn't long before she felt the cool air of the autumn night against her heated skin and wet lips on her mouth.
“I'm going to make you feel really good baby,” Nick's voice says, kissing further down her neck, but Olivia wasn't so sure.
It started out slow until the aggressive thug of her mini dress kicked in a bit of sense into her. “No!” She screamed, barely scratching Nick in his face.
“SHUT UP!” He yelled, backhanding her, yanking a fist full of her long, brunette hair — shoving her face against the harsh surface of the dirty back alley wall.
Thrashing around as much as she possibly could, Nick used his much larger frame to keep her in place. “NO!” Olivia yelled again.
“It won't be long, I promise,” he stated.
“My thoughts exactly,” a gruff, accented, voice retorts — the crushing weight of Nick suddenly removed. Olivia could not determine what was happening, she only knew spots started to form before her eyes — then everything went entirely black.
The thick fog of sleep started to clear from Olivia's mind with feather-light touches. However, she couldn't stop her body from leaning into the safe sensation that the touches provided. Opening her dark-brown eyes, they collide into sky-blue ones. “Ahhhhhhhh!” She screamed her lungs out, thrashing around hysterically.
“Bloody hell, calm the heck down!” The accented voice demanded, callous hands restraining her movements — one on her mouth, the other wrapped securely around her hands as a body hovered over her. Instincts kicked in, and the only thing Olivia could do, bit the hand that was keeping her quiet so hard, it bleeds. “FUCK!” The man roared, letting go. That was all she needed to wriggle her way out from underneath him. But luck is not Olivia’s friend, tripping over the bedspread — sprawling out on the polished wooden floor.
“That's what I get for helping,” the voice grumbled. “Listen here, woman.”
“Ummm….I have a name you know,” she mumbled. Looking up, to confront the attacker, but her voice had other ideas since it decided to lodge itself deep within her throat at the man's beauty. I've died and gone to heaven, she thought to herself.
“Are you some psycho chick?” The god asked with a frown, staring at her.
“Who are you?” Olivia finally managed to come up with a question, mentally patting herself on the back that her voice did not quiver. Then again, her father's ex-military, one who drilled a few tricks into her skull from a tender age.
“Jairus,” the god replied. “Your turn,” he added.
“Olivia,” she answered, purposely leaving out her last name too.
“Well, Olivia, do you mind telling me who that guy was last night?” Jairus asks the doe-eyed brunette. Last night, what about it? Olivia thought to herself until the memories flooded her. Nick, the scumbag! Too ashamed, her eyes automatically downcast to the floor on their own.
“Come on, the floor and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye this early in the morning,” Jarius said getting up, only now realizing they're both gathered on the floor.
“Sorry,” she murmured, eyes still downcast a bit.
“Olivia, I don't exactly have the time to babysit you right now. So either you get off my floor on your own, or I give you a hand.” Jarius declared, crossing his huge arms across his muscular chest.
“No need to be rude,” Olivia retorted picking herself off the floor with a little help from her rescuer because she wobbled a bit since whatever Nick slipped her could still be in her system.
“That wasn't so difficult, the bathroom is that way,” Jarius says pointing to a door just a few meters from her.
“Why are you helping me?” Olivia couldn't help but ask, all her life people were only nice for one reason.
“Call it coincidence, the bathroom is at your disposal. I'll get you a cab,” Jarius replied stepping out of the room.
Once in the clear, Olivia quickly entered the bedroom, closing it shut. “Aaah!” She shrieked in horror at her reflection in the concave mirror, mortified by the fact that the adonis saw her like this the entire time. Mother would drop dead if she sees the state of my nest of hair, she thought.
Mother! Olivia suddenly remembered that her mom had made shopping plans for them both to attend her father's honoring dinner later this evening. While her mother is a bit lenient, the same can't be said about her father who is the total opposite — especially after Chance died. In all honesty, she didn't know which parent is worse since her father ensures that Dave — her new bodyguard who stayed with her at all times is the definition of a shadow — while her mother is so passive it annoyed her to no end. She had barely managed to give Dave the slip last night to meet up with Molly, he just had a way of popping up on her.
Groaning, she can already hear the lecturing her best friend has in store for her about going off with a random douche bag. Pulling out one of the brand new toothbrushes from its confinement, she squirts some toothpaste on it and then started the process of cleaning the bile taste in her mouth. “God, I was talking to Jarius with this breath.” She mumbled to herself, for some reason, she felt the need to impress the stranger.
Satisfied that the grim within her mouth is gone and now replaced with winter freshness, she's midway through washing her face when she heard a loud crash, followed by a single gunshot, then a vivid grunt. Having a curious mind, she wanted to stop herself. Yet she still finds her feet moving towards the direction of the commotion. Tiptoeing out of the room, she almost fell face first at the scene in front of her.
“Who the fuck are you and what're doing in my apartment?” Jarius growled at a bloodied face Dave, who didn't respond even with the Glock pistol aiming at the back of his head.
“Oh my god, Jarius! Don't kill him, he's with me!” A mortified Olivia called out trying hard to ignore the fact that Jarius is half-naked, and his face was slick with his wet hair.
Briefly glancing at her, he tightens his headlock on the bodyguard. “Still doesn't explain what he's doing here,” Jarius replied.
“Mm-miss Cohen, your parents were worried sick.” The man barely managed to breathe out.
“Cohen,” Jarius mumbled, a flicker of recognition entering his eyes. “As in General Thomas Cohen?” He asked turning to a now wide-eyed Olivia.
“Yes, my name is Olivia Cohen.” She couldn't help but reply.
Right before her eyes, Jairus's sky-blue ones turned dark, as he clenched and unclenched his fists. “Get out,” he ordered through grit teeth letting go of Dave — the bodyguard scrambling to his feet quickly as he could.
“What's wrong Jarius?” Olivia asked confused at his sudden change of mood.
“Don't you dare say my fucking name in your mouth. Now, get the hell out of my apartment!” He barked scaring Olivia, who quickly made haste out the front door — Dave right behind. All thoughts of her parents’ wrath went flying out of her mind the moment Jarius ordered her to leave the way he did. What made him so angry? Olivia thought perplexed.
“What were you thinking Olivia, ditching me like that? Do you know how many people out there who'd love to teach your father a lesson by using you?” Dave rambled on glaring at her in the backseat of the car through the rear mirror.
“I'm sorry okay, no need for you to add to my headache. Besides, you don't care what really happens to me — just that you remain on my father's good side.” Olivia retorts a bit bitter at the fact. She never really had any friends, they only tolerated her because of her parents and older brother — except Molly, of course.
Suffocated and sheltered for most of her life, last night was the first time she experienced the outside world on her own on her own terms. Even though it wasn't what she expected, it wasn't all that bad since her mind kept thinking about the six feet something adonis back in the apartment. “Ugh, I don't even know which part of town this is,” Olivia grumbled disappointingly. That's until an idea popped up. I can just go back to the club and ask about him! She thought, internally squealing to herself.
**"**
“You were completely reckless, foolish, arrogant, and stupid!” Thomas Cohen yelled at his only remaining child. “What in god's name were you thinking of running off without Dave?!”
“I just wanted to breathe freely on my own for a few hours, why is that such a bad thing!” Olivia replied raising her own voice, immediately shut up by her mother's infamous glare.
“Tom, that's enough dear, let's not make a huge fuss out of this.” Victoria Cohen came to her daughter's rescue if you could call it that since her husband isn't the type to let things go.
Whipping his head around towards his wife, looking at her in disbelief. “Come on Victoria! Do not condone her childish behavior, what she did was extremely dangerous!” He bellowed in frustration.
“Dangerous for who exactly?” Olivia spoke up having enough of her father's insults. “You're the only one who keeps saying that, the only danger here is you, which is why Chance is dead!” She screamed, getting out of the couch, running upstairs to her room even though she knew what she said was a low blow, but she was angry dammit.
Slamming her bedroom door shut, she leans on it as if it'll give her some amount of strength. Why can't my life be normal like other twenty-one-year-olds, she thought to herself — tears running down her cheeks. Oliva needed her elder brother more than ever, never having a say in her life is second nature to waking up each and every day. At times she wished her father was just a simple man.
In truth, she wished she had enough courage like Chance did to live his own life until the very end. At least then she would truly be living and not be forced to remain in her parent's shadow.
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