Vow in Whispers

Heady scents of lavender and patchouli dragged my conscience back to the world of reality.

Stirring half-asleep, my dainty hands stretched yet met with vast emptiness.

Dread and abandonment rapidly surge through my veins, creating unnerving knots in my restless organs.

Sadness trickled down my cheeks and muted sobs started to break the silence in this unfamiliar bedroom.

Enveloped by that too familiar taste of abandonment, my body retreated under these foreign satin sheets, curling into a ball of depression, willing the rest of the world to simply disappear.

Thoughts so intrusive and sadistic, mercilessly played multiple scenarios in my head, yet all had one thing in common: Was Ansel a mere figment of my imagination?

Clutching the sheets over my pounding head, I heard heavy footsteps quickly approaching the bedroom door when I heard the voice of my saving grace.

"Nikita! Are you okay?" was all Ansel had to whisper for me to throw myself into his welcoming warm embrace.

"I- *hic* thought- *hic* I- *hic* made- *hic* you- *hic* up!!!" My relief broke my sentence in weary sobs.

"Shush now, it's okay. I'm right here, Nikita. I'm real." Caressing my hair, Ansel practically smothered me with comforting words as I held onto him for dear life.

"Where are we? How did we get here?" asked Ansel as my puffy eyes surveyed my new surroundings.

"Your new home. Your grandmother didn't want to wake you up and asked me to watch over you. Well, it was more like, she had no choice but to let me stay since you had me in a chokehold. More like, you were kicking and crying my name in your sleep whenever I tried to pry out of your grasp." Ansel was nervously rubbing his neck as he explained the situation.

Mortified by my unconscious action, I end up profusely bowing till my head started spinning.

"My silly little Cinnya~bun. Someone's adorably tempting. The maids here are almost done preparing your lunch. So just freshen up in the bathroom on the left. I'll wait for you in the hallway. Okay?" Squishing my cheeks, flashing his sexy lupine smirk.

"Wait, Cinnya~bun? I'm not that adorable?!" Crossing my arms, huffing and puffing my disagreement with my so-called cuteness.

Leaning closer, he whispered, "Oh yeah? You sure about that?" Ansel had us rubbing the tip of our noses when we heard someone clear their throat in the doorway.

"Ms. Nikita, lunch is ready. Do you need help freshening up? Would you like me to escort you to the nearest bathroom?" a rather modest-looking young lady informed us about lunch, yet her eyes kept stealing glances toward Ansel.

As some unsettling nerves started to churn my insides, Ansel pulled me to his lap as he coldly informed the flirty maid, "We can manage on our own. We'll just call Mr. Connor if we needed anything from staff, right Nikita?" as he made sure that I knew that he only has eyes for me.

Feeling her unsavory rejection, she didn't even bother to hide her resentment as Ansel never acknowledged her advances.

"Looks like someone's going to lose their job for inappropriate behavior... tsk tsk. Heard today was the staff's first day. Mr. Connor would do well to hire respectful professionals next time." Ansel snorted behind me as a well-dressed gentleman, in his late 40s gently knocked on the door frame.

"Thank you for informing me of our staff's unprofessional behavior, Mr. Xavier. I will personally see to it that the new staff would do well to exhibit proper decorum." Mr. Connor gave a hand signal to someone else in the hall as multiple footsteps from different people are heard clicking on the marble floors.

"Also, will you please join Ms. Nikita for lunch, Mr. Xavier? Seeing as the Madam trusts you with her only granddaughter." Mr. Connor explained as he came back with a trolley of today's lunch, setting the food on the far-off table near the open balcony.

Waving my hands, worrying about the maid's job, I exclaimed, "I do apologize for all the trouble, Mr. Connor. I didn't want to have someone lose their job because of me. Maybe we could've talked things out first? To clear the air?"

"The Madam does not take kindly any rudeness towards you, young miss. She doesn't tolerate disrespect, regardless the severity nor subtlety of the careless remarks, especially towards her only heiress." Connor informed us as he gestured towards his table setting, indicating our lunch is ready.

"Anyone with half a brain knows not to mess with the founder of Lumeria Enterprises. You've practically sentenced yourself to a lifetime of unemployment, even by slight thoughtless misconduct towards her beloved heir." Ansel explained as he offered his hand, guiding us to our lunch by the balcony.

"Gran-gran isn't all that bad? She's strict because she cares. She's generous with rewards if you deserve them. The same goes with punishments." Stating facts about Gran-gran being firm yet just as Ansel was being such a gentleman by pulling my seat for me.

"Well, if any of you need anything else, just press one on the wall keypad by the entrance. I'll see to it I'm done re-evaluating the current staff's proper decorum before you're done with your lunch. Don't hesitate to call my attention, Ms. Nikita, Mr. Xavier..." Mr. Connor raised a knowing eyebrow towards Ansel, as he continued to feign innocence, Mr. Connor continued, "please behave towards our young miss."

With a final (I'm watching) 2 finger gesture thrown at a rather amused Ansel, Mr. Connor closed the bedroom door as we finally broke the deafening silence in my new bedroom with our held-back laughter.

"Mr. Connor reminds me so much of Dante from back home! Oh my gosh, I recently just got here. I can't believe I'm already starting to feel a bit homesick." giggling as I placed the table napkin on my lap, catching a rather triggered Ansel at the mention of another man's name. A thing I found rather strange as he was quite unbothered by my (Mithras this-, Mithras that-) rambling a few hours ago.

Mithras.

The thought of Mithras, before had always left me in a state of bittersweet blissful wonder, now feels like poison spreading thick on my tongue.

My mind and heart suddenly decided to have an internal death match mid-lunch.

"Ugh, why now?" I muttered under my breath.

"Why? What happened, Nikita? Penny for your thoughts?" Putting his utensils down and pulling his chair closer to mine, Ansel leaned closer as he asked, his index finger lovingly steering clear some stray hair off of my face.

Hesitating to speak, my worry about ruining such a happy mood with the truth, Ansel leaned back as his fingers trail my arm down, towards my clenched fist, gently smiling as he patiently await my response.

"I-" my nerves had me biting my lower lip, Ansel freed my lower lip by gently pressing it down with his thumb, as he spoke, "Go on, Nikita. I'm listening."

"A few hours ago, I wasn't bitterly rejecting your advances because I wanted to stay loyal to Mithras. And now!" with a heavy sigh, I continued, "We're enjoying a homemade lunch in my new bedroom. To which, how did I even get here? Oh no!"

Staring right into a smirking Ansel as he raised both eyebrows, I continued, "Did you-?! I'm heavy, aren't I? I'm so sorry, Ansel!! This is so embarrassing! I promise you, I never let anyone touch me! Let alone carry me! Was I heavier than a sack of potatoes? I barely ate and yet-" as I found myself silenced by Ansel feeding a spoonful of mashed potatoes in my rambling mouth.

Displeased with my rambling, Ansel pulled my chair to face him, firmly holding my hands, he sternly informed me, "Nikita, I don't like it when you talk smack about yourself like that. You shouldn't say mean things to yourself like that. I won't tolerate such cruel behavior, especially towards my beautiful goddess. Can you be a good girl and apologize to yourself?" Smirking, all while never breaking eye contact, he ended his request by firmly leaving butterfly kisses all over the back of my hands.

To say I'm in a state of stupor would be a definite understatement.

"Uhm, you sure you don't have a girlfriend somewhere? Like you know? Asking for a friend. Friend being me." my brain practically farted nonsense out of my once-silenced muttering mouth.

Chuckling his ever-seductive sexy baritone laughter, flashing his flirtatious lupine smug smirk, Ansel rested his chin on his left armrest, while his right still never left my hands; never taking his silver eyes off of my flabbergasted blushing face.

"Mr. Connor was right to remind me to behave, yet my precious Nikita is not making things easy for me. Do you plan on tormenting me, my sweet Cinnya~bun? mmhm?" Ansel surely enjoyed teasing me while claiming I'm making it oh-so-hard for him to behave properly.

"Uhm. Why do you keep calling me Cinnya~bun?" curiosity got the better of me as I tried to Ansel of the reason behind such a cute nickname.

"I'll tell you once you finished your food." Enjoying his flirtatious antics, Ansel seemed to have me all figured out as I found myself stuffing my mouth as quick as I could just to get the answer I seek.

"Shush little Cinnya~bun, chew your food slowly. Be a good girl and enjoy your meal, okay?" Ansel sweetly stroked my stuffed cheek as he handed me my raspberry iced tea to stop me from choking.

"But-!" stuffing another spoonful "I want-" as I rigorously tried to chew the food in my already stuffed mouth, "to know!" then I gulped half the glass of my iced tea, desperately trying to finish my meal as soon as possible.

"Always eager to feed your curiosity rather than yourself." Wolfishly smirking while clicking his tongue, Ansel wiped the food crumbs off of the corners of my now empty mouth.

"But I am curious!" Pouting as I crossed my arms over my annoyingly well-endowed chest, Ansel continued to tease me by mockingly mirroring me.

As if we were in a heated pouting contest, his excessive laughing broke his focus when I up my antics by puffing my cheek and pointing my chin towards the ceiling.

"Ha! Victory is mine!!" Standing up from my chair, I did a victory dance that resembled neon blown-up flailing displays by the mall entrance during monthly clearance sales.

Gripping the shirt over his well-defined 8-pack, gasping for air while laying down on my bedroom floor, he tried to speak in between chuckles, "Seriously?! Nikita!! I didn't think you can even make me happier than what I already feel right now? Ah! You truly are my beautiful goddess!" then he proceeded to wipe his tears of joy.

Proudly smirking as I walked towards a laughing Ansel, offering my extended hand to help stand him up, "Can you please not clean the floor with your shirt? I might have you hand it to me to have it dry cleaned."

"My my my... look who's starting to flirt back? Tell me, Cinnya~bun? If I take my shirt off right now, would my chances of winning over your loving heart steadily increase?" Running his fingers through his hair, Ansel with his staple lupine smirk, took my extended hand to steady himself when standing up.

His teasing antics took me by surprise as Ansel pulled me into his firm chest, wrapping his toned arms all around my pudgy body.

Shaking my head, I uttered, "I'm sorry I called my body pudgy in my head." as I found myself enamored under his silver gaze.

Caressing my right cheek with his thumb, Ansel placed a chaste kiss on my forehead as he said, "At least my good girl is being adorably honest. With that, don't you think you deserve a reward?"

The thought of reward made my emerald eyes eagerly sparkle like never before.

Nodding with enthusiasm, our gaze broke free from each other's hold by the echoing of my ringtone.

Releasing each other from our embrace, feeling the emptiness between us, Ansel escorted me back to my chair as he went to fetch my phone.

Staring at his broad shoulders, my eyes unknowingly strayed downwards to his rather pronounced gluteus maximus.

Clearing his throat, noticing me practically drooling over him, Ansel swiped the corner of my lip, he said, "You're way too good for my ego, you know that?"

"Uhm.." to hide my embarrassment, I snatched my phone from his hand as I answered the call, Gran-gran spoke, "Hi, my princess. Have you finished eating?"

Chugging on some iced tea, I answered, "I'm almost done, Gran-gran. Are we having dinner together?" as Ansel quietly sat and continued eating.

"I'm sorry, my love. I won't be able to join you tonight. Which will give you more time to make memories with Mr. Xavier?" Quickly covered my mouth before I spew iced tea toward Ansel, if I didn't know, Gran-gran was practically giggling like a lovestruck teenager on the other side of the phone.

Shooting a curious look my way, Ansel gently patted my back, hoping to prove me some relief.

"He's a dreamboat! You truly have better taste than your mother. Mr. Xavier has my stamp of approval! But don't tell him yet, okay? I have a reputation to uphold. Let me have him go through a few trials before officially offering my precious princess' hand in marriage. I hope I'm still alive to meet my great-grandkids!!! I need to stay healthy long enough to live to see that glorious day!!" Gran-gran continued rambling about her obvious approval of Ansel as her future in-law.

"Gran-gran! Calm down. Take a breather. I'll be okay. Though I do feel bad that a maid got fired because of me." I tried my best to make Gran-gran calm down while keeping her informed.

"WHO DARE DISRESPECT, MY PRINCESS?!!? Give me the name and features of that ingrate! Better yet, I'm calling Connor right now to ask him to deal with those ingrates accordingly." Gran-gran was practically fuming on the other side of the call.

Sighing wearily, I continued, "Gran-gran, I said it was my fault?! I just didn't like her practically undressing Ansel with her beady eyes."

Noticing what my blabber mouth just slipped, my jaw dropped as my eyes saw Ansel, stifling a chuckle while smugly nodding in full agreement.

Annoyed by my exposed thoughts, I threw my table napkin, hoping to wipe the smug wolfish grin off of his annoyingly good-looking face.

Gran-gran ended the call with her proudly proclaiming, "Well good riddance! No one has any right to flirt with your future husband!"

Sinking into my chair in complete defeat, closing my eyes, feeling Anself stand up and proceeded to massage my temples; finding myself moaning in relief.

Hearing his neck crack and a low growl deep from his chest, opening my emeralds to meet his silvers, Ansel muttered with a clenched jaw, "The things only you can make me do..."

Lost in his eyes, I dared asked, "How much are you willing to risk for me?"

His devilish smile gracefully encompasses his face, he leaned forward, firmly marking my forehead with his lip imprints, he made a vow within whispers,

"Shouldn't the question be: What wouldn't I give to make you happy?