Chapter 5 - The Offer

Chapter 5

There was an unpleasant pounding in his head as Ethan's eyes slowly fluttered open, and confusion immediately set in. The bed beneath him was far too soft, the sheets far too smooth, a great comparison to the shabby bed of the hotel he was staying at. Nothing about the room felt familiar. He blinked rapidly, shaking off the feeling of grogginess as he tried to piece together where he was. Above him, the ceiling was a deep, velvety black, with intricate gold patterns that seemed to shimmer in the soft light from a gigantic ceiling fan with glass shaped flowers hanging in the middle of it.

Sitting up, Ethan's heart began to race as he took in his surroundings—the marbled grey and white tiled floor, the sleek glass desk with a laptop that had a soft blue glow coming from it's screen, and the leather seats where a pile of clothes sat atop. Everything about this place screamed luxury. But that wasn't what unsettled him the most.

Ethan tried to recall how he'd ended up here, but his memories were hazy. The last clear thing he remembered was going inside a nightclub, being offered a drink and then darkness followed. Has he been drugged?. Ethan was unsure but that's the only thing that made sense.

Feeling conflicted of his current situation, Ethan slowly got down the bed however, before his feet could touch the tiled floors, the door to the room opened. Dante stepped in, his presence as undeniable as the luxury surrounding them. His sharp, chiseled features framed mismatched eyes—one an intense, almost predatory green, the other a dark, soulless black. But it was his body that truly made Ethan's pulse quicken, not just from the fear and anxiety but something else.

Dante's physique was nothing short of jaw-dropping, the kind that seemed sculpted from stone in Greece, with every muscle defined and effortlessly on display. His caramel skin gleamed slightly, still damp, as if he'd just stepped out of the shower. A single towel hung low around his waist, clinging to his hips dangerously as if one wrong move would make it loosen and fall to reveal something much more delicious than those V-lines. As Dante took a few steps inside, his eyes locked with Ethan and a smirked formed in those lips.

"Had a good sleep?" Dante casually spoke, turning his back from a bewildered Ethan who stuttered with what words to say. He slowly took the towel off his waist, letting it fall softly on the floors. Ethan gasped and turned away, his cheeks burning red. Yes, they were both men in that room but it was clear as day where his preference laid, it was what's infront of him.

"Where am I?" Ethan mustered up the courage to speak, his face still turned away. Dante hummed softly, his eyes scanning the rack of clothes hanging neatly inside his dark mahogany dresser, opting for something casual to wear for the day; black sweatpants, white tank top, and a grey knitted cardigan. Ethan heard some shuffling from the back and decided to peak just a bit. Seeing that Dante was already fully dressed he heaved a sigh of relief.

"What do you want from me? I have nothing of value" Ethan probed, curious to know why this awfully familiar man have him in the premise of his own room; atleast he wasn't tied up so it could've been worse.

"Midnight Fantasia. One of the best amongst Vegas" was Dante's short answer. Ethan's face was almost comical as his confusion deepened further.

"Does this have something to do with the brooch?" Ethan inquired.

"Bingo!" Dante face was full of amusement, he made his way towards his desk, fingers tapping softly against the keyboard the moment he took a seat. Ethan watched his every move, his guard high up. Dante also glanced at him, slightly impressed that Ethan made no move to get out of the room.

"Enjoying your stay?"

Ethan raised a brow. "What?"

"You're in an unfamiliar place and here you are oogling at me with interest. I get it though I always get same reactions from anyone I encounter"

Ethan's face immediately reddened once more. "I beg your pardon?" He was so offended he began reaching for his shoes that he found laying around not too far from the bed. He aggressively put them on and stomped his way towards the door. Dante never made a move to stop him, his eyes gleamed with interest as he watched Ethan go for the door only to realize that it was locked, a set of numbers installed on the long doorhandle requiring a series of numbers to unlock it.

"It's rude to leave all of a sudden. Why don't you sit down and we can talk?" Dante still remained casual with the way he talks. Ethan glanced at the door, hesitating to put random numbers and wishing maybe his luck today was so great he might just figure the passcode out.

"Even if you manage to get out, I have people instructed to not let you out once you leave this room" Dante added. Ethan gritted his teeth. This man felt dangerous, his gut was telling him so. The way he was so casual with how he interacted with him, the way he shamelessly changed while he; a stranger, was right there.

"You know my temper is as short as my patience and right now it's running out" Dante warned and Ethan couldn't help but flinch. There was a sudden change in Dante's voice, he was so casual and carefree earlier, but now he sounded cold and irritated. Ethan, finding no better solution as of the moment complied. He turned away from the door and approached Dante, stopping a few feet away across from him so the two were face to face.

"Good boy. Now, take a seat" Dante instructed further. Ethan pretended the praise at the beginning of Dante's sentence didn't give him goosebumps as he followed and took a seat at the long leather couch, avoiding the spot where a messy pile of what appeared to be a woman's garments sat. Ethan hung his head low, his fingers fiddling with themselves in his lap, a nervous habit he has.

"Ethan Hayes" Dante uttered. Ethan's eyes widened like flying saucers, his head snapping to face Dante, horror written all over his countenance. Dante clicked a few keys in his laptop and flashed a smile towards Ethan as he continued.

"It says here you're from Atlanta. No history of traveling to get to Vegas. Both parents are dead, you're not under any guardian either" Dante paused, licking his lower lip as his eyes scanned his screen, a frown working onto his face. Ethan on the other hand felt his blood run cold. How could that man have access to personal information about him. He doesn't even know people store such information about someone. He tried opening his mouth to say something but Dante raised a finger up, shushing him.

"You have a number of police records for causing public disturbance. You dropped out of school a long time ago and you don't have any information about where exactly do you live, that's if you actually have a place"

Nothing felt more insulting than hearing those words coming from a man Ethan only met.

'What do you know?' Ethan thought. He could only clench his fists tightly ontop of his knees, his jaw locking tight as he grit his teeth. Anger bubbled up deep from within him but along with it are memories of him running almost everyday of his live after his grandmother kicked out. He lived off of whatever money he can get from borrowing around sketchy people and gambling, to sleeping in abandoned places as he couldn't stay in one place because of those loan sharks that hunts him.

"Base on these records, I assume you immigrated here illegally. Now...I could give the cops a quick phonecall—"

"Please!" Ethan stood up, abruptly cutting Dante's sentence short.

"I don't know if I've done anything to offend you. I have no memories of ever getting on your way and I have been quietly trying to get by since I arrived here. I cannot go back to Atlanta and I certainly don't want to be behind bars so please whatever I did. I'm sorry" Ethan finished, staring deeply into Dante's eyes with a look that sent all the blood in Dante's veins rush south, giving him an uncomfortable problem between his legs. Dante admits, this new prey that fell within the palms of his hands held a charm to him. His background triggers Dante's profound interest but there was more to it. Ethan could access Victor's casino without attracting attention, he had been there, he would just be one of the regular visitors there; the perfect set-up to be his inside informant and so Dante had a job for him. He needs him.

"I have no need of any apology coming from you, as you have mentioned, we do not know each other. But you see , you owe me something for making my ass kiss the ground on a very important night I had, and even going as far as taking this" Dante pulled out the brooch from his pocket, placing it infront of him. Ethan groaned inwardly, inside his mind he was slamming his head repeatedly on the tiled floors. How could he have been so stupid. Of course something like that was important, yet he wasn't careful and carried it around as if it was his. If he recalled, it's what got him here in the first place, he should've just threw it when he had the chance.

"I did not mean to take it..I was running away from someone" Ethan tried to explain, eyes glancing away from Dante's piercing gaze. Dante only nodded, closing his laptop as he turned his full attention to Ethan, legs crossing and arms resting on top of the glass desk.

"I'm going to make you an offer" Dante spoke, his tone of voice going into his usual business mode, the same he uses when talking to important clients.

"And what might that be?" Ethan asked, both curious and concerned.

Dante smirked, loving the way Ethan didn't even hesitate to inquire about it.

"Work for me. I'll keep the details short as I don't want to bore you with them but take note, your life might be on the line" Ethan's countenance changed once more after hearing that. He was offended and Dante found how expressive he could be and addition to his adorable charm.

"What makes you think I'll agree?" Ethan countered. Dante only smiled further.

"Because you don't have a choice. I'll give you three days to decide, you can try to decline but I won't like it, you can also run away and hide but trust me I will find you and you'll suffer unbearable consequences. Whilst if you agree, well that's a topic for next time" Dante finished, leaning back against his seat as he watched the gears turn inside Ethan's mind.

Ethan stood there for a moment, his mind going over all possible worst case scenarios of what may happen to him if he declines. He didn't stay around enough to leave an answer though, three days was plenty for him to make a choice or come up with something.

Ethan left Dante's apartment from the top floor and went down the nightclub, it was daytime and the place was free of any people save for Samuel, the bartender, and, another man he doesn't know. A really scary, big, black man with a clean shaved head. Samuel waved hi when Ethan passed by but Ethan only gave him his middle finger, slamming the door as hard as he could as he went out. How is it that life always finds a way to mess with him. Ethan was getting tired of everything yet, his will to live was astonishing. It impressed even himself. He wants to keep going despite everything, and now he was once again faced with a heavy burden, a tall wall stopping him from living the life he wanted where he wasn't so deep into his own grave that he dug.

"Fuck..what am I gonna do?" Ethan could only stare at the cloudy grey skies with a heavy sigh.

Rain was coming, if only it could wash and carry away the problems he carry right up until that point in his life, it was afterall, getting quite heavy already.