We Don’t Have Time

Who was he? How did he know her name? Adeline had never met or seen him before. Could he be one of Caesar's men? If so, that would make so much sense.

Deciding to play along and gamble, Adeline waved back at him, a broadened smile manifesting on her face. She hurried toward him, and the second she got too close for them to peck on the cheeks, she questioned, "Who are you?"

"I was sent by Caesar. Play along, please," the man whispered back. "Call me Damien."

She was right after all! Adeline smirked, pulling back a little. "It's a pleasure to be here, Damien."

"I am more than pleased to have you here, Adeline." Damien gently took her hand, and after a short conversation with the receptionist, he led her toward the elevator.

The two men glanced at each other and wrinkled their foreheads. Scar-faced arched his brow, uncertainty flickering in his never-wavering gaze.

"Let's go," he ordered his comrade, and they followed Adeline into the elevator.

The door chimed open, and Damien's foot crossed out. He walked Adeline to the door and swiped the key card.

The card worked, and Damien stepped in, turning around to smile at her. "Come in."

Adeline went into the room, and he slammed the door shut in the faces of the two men, locking it.

She looked around, taking in her surroundings. It was far from the average rundown hotel.

Downstairs, there was a theme of white and gold. And in the room were pillars between the open space, the king-sized bed, and a window with a large balcony.

"Isn't this a bit too…fancy?" Her gaze landed on Caesar, who was seated at the nice white table situated in the center of the room. Instead of a bun, his shoulder-length dark hair was let down, covering his undercut. He was clad in a fine black-striped suit, his hands gloved as usual.

A grin played on his lips, his eyes rising to admire her with no ounce of gentleness in them. They were ravenous for her.

"So it wasn't just that red dress…" he murmured, his voice saturated with seduction as he uncrossed his legs.

Adeline's brows scrunched in response to his statement. She glanced at Damien, who was still in the room with them and returned her attention to him. "Is he staying here with us?"

"Of course not, Mrs," Damien quickly replied before Caesar could say a word. He strolled to the window in the large room, and with one last glance at the two, he jumped off, landing successfully on the concrete ground.

Adeline's jaw was on the floor. "You've got to be kidding me. How did he just…oh my gosh."

"What?" Caesar asked.

Adeline shook her head, laughing awkwardly in shock. "I-it's nothing."

How did that man seriously just jump so casually from that height? 

"I thought you were being reckless when you chose a five-star hotel, but I see you did have everything under control."

"You should learn to trust me more, doll," Caesar said with a playful lilt to his tone as he stood up from his chair.

He approached her and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips to pepper the dorsal with a gentle kiss. His touch lingered for a while as neither of them looked away from each other. It was almost as if they were searching for god knows what in each other's gaze.

"Come here." Caesar walked her over to the table. He sat down and gripped her hips.

Adeline's brows furrowed in puzzlement. "What…are you doing?"

"I wonder…" Caesar whispered, sitting her down on his lap with her body facing him. "Aren't those two here to keep an eye on you?"

"They are," Adeline responded, tensing.

What sort of sitting was this? What was he trying to do? There were two chairs; why did he prefer to have her sit on his lap?

Caesar looked into her eyes, his grin expanding. "They expect more, don't they? After all, to them, you are here to have fun."

"W-what do you mean?" Adeline blinked frantically, her brows raised.

Caesar rolled his shoulders and breathed against her neck. "Like, hearing you scream in pleasure…beautifully messed up."

Adeline was frozen for a moment by the sudden sound of such an exotic voice and his fettering, hot breath. She pressed her hands against his chest to get off of him, but Caesar held her in place.

"Hey, I'm not here to fuck you!" She glared at him.

"That's no fun." Caesar clicked tongue. His thumb caressed her under-eye, and he slipped her hair behind her ear. "Don't worry, nothing of the sort will be happening…yet."

He leaned in closer, till his face was close to her ears, and whispered, "When I'm ready to undo you...every inch of you, you will know."

"What?" Adeline's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes snapped wide in an instant. "You're out of your mind." A small snort of laughter left her mouth, and she grabbed his chin to gaze into his green orbs.

Her lips were so close to his that if she moved her face any closer, a kiss would just happen. But instead, she bit her lower lip, saying, "You can't bring me undone, Caesar."

Something about her laugh made Caesar's eyes crinkle with amusement.

"Confident… I like it." His hands on her hip gripped harder, a soft breath exiting his nose. He brushed the back of his knuckles over her cheek and down her jaw. "Do you know Rurik? The man I spoke to you about."

"I don't." Adeline's response was with haste. "How do you talk to me about a random man and give me no context?" She pulled away and frowned.

Caesar smiled. "He's a man I was making a deal with. He owns these very expensive pills worth millions of dollars that everyone wants to get their hands on. But considering I offered the highest, he chose to sell it to me before the upcoming auction, where bidders will bid for it."

"Now, the issue is that he suddenly canceled, no longer willing to deal with me. He switched sides and chose to sell it to that old man, Fyodor. I can't seem to figure out what he offered him, so I want you to find out."

Adeline peered down at him, her brows creasing. "But…how can I do that?" No one even told her about the conference they had the last time, so how was she to find out anything concerning this Rurik guy and the deal he had with Mr. Petrov?

"I don't know. But you can find a way." Caesar held her at the base of her neck. His thumb traced her hip bone. "Finding out what Fyodor offered Rurik is crucial. I'll be able to do what I intend to do properly once I know."

Adeline thoughtfully pinched between her brows and sighed. "I'll need time, Caesar."

"No." Caesar shook his head at her, his eyes rising to look at her face. "We don't have time. The auction is in a week's time. You barely have seven days till then."

Adeline frowned at him. "But-"

"You have to find a way," Caesar interjected, twisting a strand of her hair with his index finger. "This is your opportunity to take the first step. You want it slow and painful, don't you?"

Adeline frowned with a nod. "I do."

"Good." Caesar smiled, teasingly running his finger up and down her shoulders. "You've known them for a long time now, I'm sure you will figure out a way."

"I'll…try." Adeline shivered at his touch and bit her lower lip. She ought to make him stop, but she wasn't willing to. His touch was gentle, so she let him play with her hair, teasing her exposed skin as if absent-minded.

"Adeline." Caesar's voice suddenly rang in her ears, and she felt two large, warm palms cup her cheeks.

She blinked at him. "What?"

"Why don't you try and get closer to Dimitri?" Caesar asked, tipping his head to the side.