**Ch 12: Repeat [R-18]

Somehow I found myself back at the club on the same night I thought I had seen Orlando cheating on me. Similar to a mirror image, I saw myself leaving with tears in my eyes after I gave Orlando's engagement ring to Crystal. My past self walked right through me. Suddenly, I blacked out, and involuntarily drifted into this room.

"Ohh yes, Orlando!" I heard moaning and grunting.

I turned around to find Orlando naked with the blanket wrapped around his waist, and his legs were uncovered past his knees. Underneath him was the same pretty woman I thought I had seen him with that night. She had her legs wrapped around his waist outside the blanket. I watched his ocean-blue eyes rolling in the back of his head as he was thrusting her hardcore. They kissed roughly, and sweat was covering their bodies as their nakedness clashed together.

Tears ran down my face to see him with another woman. I pound my fists on the door, trying to break out, but my mind was stuck here, hearing them moaning and grunting mixed in with heavy breathing.

"Watch, Victoria!" a voice said over their loud animal sounds. This is messed up! I don't want to be here to watch this!

"Victoria, you have to watch!"

Suddenly, I heard a loud agonizing scream, coming from the blonde. I looked over to see fangs growing from Orlando's upper mouth before he violently bites her neck. Bones break with a resounding crunching noise. Blood was running down her neck. He digs in deeper and ripped her throat out!

~~~

My body flies up from the bed. Thick sweat glazed my forehead.

"It was only a dream!"

Instantly I crawled out of bed and opened the door to find Orlando, but he wasn't there on the couch. I couldn't understand where he went. The hand clock on the wall said it was three o'clock in the morning. Why wouldn't he be here? On that questioning thought, the knob to the door turned, and Orlando popped in, fully dressed in a black shirt and black jeans. His eyes gaped to see me, standing here in my black lingerie gown that just covered my thighs.

"Babe, why are you up?" Orlando asked like he was the one puzzled.

Meanwhile, I was baffled here too. "What do you mean by that? You're the one who is dressed at three o'clock in the morning," I scorned him, but he laughed.

He cradled me into a snuggling hug. "I couldn't sleep any longer, so I went to the bar," Orlando claimed.

"At this hour," I giggled. "Is it still open?"

Orlando teased. "It is if I say they are."

I laughed before he leaned down, snatching my lips, but that was when I tasted blood and smelled it on his breath.

I immediately pulled away, "Why do you taste and smell like blood?" I pry.

His tongue rotated around his closed mouth, and then he answered. "I bit the side of my tongue." He opened his mouth, and I saw this sliced wound on the side of his tongue.

"That looks painful," I told him, yet I'm not sure what tooth would cause that kind of wound. It must've been his canine tooth.

"It is painful," he whined, briefly holding his jaw in pain. "Anyways, why are you up?"

"You'll laugh at me," I whimper with tears randomly running down my face.

It was so painful and messed up to dream about him cheating on me that night I thought he did. I know it wasn't real, yet it felt real because it was like a Deja Vu replaying itself again.

More sweetly, Orlando cuddled me into his arms, "I'd never laugh at anything that would make my baby cry," he gently uttered.

I outburst and told him my dream and I even admitted he was a vampire. For once, he didn't tease me with the vampire jokes. This time he held me.

"You know I'd never cheat on you," Orlando whispered, kissing my wet cheek.

"I know it was only a dream. Your father proved it was Alejandro that night." I sniffled.

Unexpectedly, he scooped me up bridal style before laying us both down on the couch. So I laid over top of him while he played with my hair. I felt so comfortable and soothed by him. Before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep.

~~~

By the next morning, Tom opened his hotel room door, letting in three men wearing nicely fashioned black suits.

"Duncan, come in, and make yourself a home," Tom nervously greeted the middle man wearing these dark sunglasses over his eyes.

Each man looked vast and shone with defined elegance. Underneath their fashionable style, their perfectly sculpted muscles were visible when they moved.

"I don't have all day, let's start the meeting," Duncan snorted a reply, which made Tom flinch as he shut the door.

Along with Tom, the three men sat down at the round table in his living room. Duncan sat in the middle chair across from Tom between his two partners.

"I have written up every artifact piece as it is found to Mr. Collin," Tom informed, beginning the meeting while his bones rattled with nervousness.

"Who is the one finding the most important artifacts?" Duncan broadly asked while his sunglasses and body size made him look like one mean terminator.

"W-why, that would be me," Tom lied with a hesitant slur.

Suddenly Duncan picked up a briefcase he had on the floor. He flopped it on the table with a thud and opened it. Not wasting time, he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He clicked the pen before he started writing something down.

Tom watched, having great anxiety weighing down on him. Under the table, one hand tapped his knee, nervously.

"Read this for me, Tom." Duncan vaguely insisted, passing him the paper.

Tom's hand shook, taking the paper to look at it. Whenever he examined what Duncan had written, Tom saw nothing but gibberish. He realized this was the exact language Ms. Perkins can read.

"Uhm," Tom cleared his throat, feeling nervous sweats coming. "Well—"

"You can't read it, can you, Mr. Stewart?" Duncan's broad voice cut him short before he even had a chance to make one sentence.

"No, I can't," Tom shamefully admits.

Now Duncan narrowed his hidden eyes and coldly scoffed. "Of course you can't! Out of all the teams on this excavation, Ms. Perkins is the only one here out of the rare few who can. Unlike Ms. Perkins, I know how to read it and write it."

"Is this why Mr. Collin hired her?" Tom raised a frazzled brow.

"Yes," Duncan replied before he grins mischievously. "Allow me to make another thing clear, Mr. Stewart. Mr. Collin doesn't care about you claiming the girl's achievements. She was only hired to locate the Pharaoh. As soon as she's finished doing that, the girl is useless to us. Disposable, in fact."

Tom's eyes lit up, hearing this as an idea came to mind. "After she is done finding the Pharaoh. Do I have permission to fire her?" he asked.

Duncan's grin widened as he informed. "Mr. Collin will be writing up her discharge form."

Tom beamed a devilish sneer that was pure evil. Depravity consumed him as Duncan randomly delivered him a thin pinky-size vial that was a silvery darkish black color. The bottle looked to be made in the medieval times.

"Once you find the Pharaoh and analyze him, Mr. Collin wants you to drip this special solution into his mouth," Duncan instructed.

Tom took the vial while the men stood up to leave. "Is there a reason why?" he asked.

"Don't ask questions, Mr. Stewart, and do as you're told." Duncan snarled colder before leaving Tom bewildered as he stared at the vial.

~~~

Early morning, Orlando and I woke up on the couch together. We kissed each other good morning. Then I quickly got ready to have breakfast with him.

"How is your mouth feeling?" I asked Orlando while we ate our breakfast at the dining room table.

For a second, he peeked at me oddly. "I was talking about your tongue," I reminded him.

More strangely, his eyes seem to gape. "Oh, you mean that injury," Orlando exclaimed in such oddness. "It feels much better now."

To me, he seemed rather dubious, but I rubbed it off. There was nothing to pry out of him. I only wanted to be sure he felt better. After we ate, I had to leave. His driver dropped me off at the hotel I was staying at. Orlando got out with me and pulled me into his arms for a long magical kiss. Our tongues intertwined perfectly together as one.

Slowly, peeling my lips away, Orlando whispered, "I love you." Without me being aware of it, he pulled out a tan box and opened it to show me my diamond ring. "Will you wear it?"

I full-heartedly smile and allowed him to place it on my ring finger. Then I wrapped my arms around his nape, kissing him in full passionate love.

"After this excavation, we will plan our wedding," I told him softly while brushing my seductive lips against his.

"Be safe and call me," Orlando smiled before he kissed me one last time.

Hereafter, I walked inside the lobby's front doors, and I watched as Orlando got in the limousine and left down the street. The whole time, I remained spaced out to see him leave. My heart was pining to be with him while I stayed at the glass door long enough that I could no longer see the vehicle. Afterward, I turned on my heel to leave.