“Vlore,” he said. “This is a high-end hotel on the coast with beach views. They offer an option to purchase instead of rent a room and well, I like it here, so I bought the whole top floor and turned it into one giant penthouse. I love it here,” he said. Elira crossed the bedroom and pulled a curtain aside to look outside. She gasped when she saw the ocean and dropped the curtain, turning back to face him.
“I know it’s dark right now, but the views are breathtaking,” he said.
“I’ve never seen the ocean before—well, unless seeing pictures of the beach online counts,” she whispered.
“When things calm down, you can even go for walks on the beach,” Llir offered.
“Calm down?” she asked. “Why do things need to calm down?”
“Because I went against my father and my family. I disobeyed his wishes and that won’t sit well with him.” Llir grabbed his cell phone, turning it on, and held it up for her to see. “He’s already tried to call me a handful of times and my father won’t stop there. He will come for me, make an example of my bad choices, and you’ll get caught in the crossfire.”
“What does that mean?” she asked. “What will happen to me?”
He hated that anything else had to happen to her. She seemed to have already been through so much. “I’m not sure,” he whispered. “I’m sorry that I’ve dragged you into my family’s issues.” He wanted to know more about what she had been through, but he wasn’t sure it was his place to ask.
“How about we have dinner?” he asked. Llir was hoping that she’d share her story after she got something to eat, but he wasn’t holding his breath. He had a feeling that if he wanted answers, he was just going to have to ask for them.
Elira followed him down the hall to the kitchen. She reminded him of a stray puppy that was afraid of its new master but more afraid of being alone. She seemed to need some human kindness which fucked with his original plans when he bought her. Llir wanted her but there was no way he’d take her against her will. He was an asshole, and he loved a challenge, but he was sure that forcing Elira to have sex with him wasn’t what either of them needed.
Llir pulled out her chair for her and she sunk into it as he scooched her back up to the table. He had ordered an array of items off of the room service menu, not knowing what she would want to eat. “I hope that you can find something that you like here,” he said, nodding to the table.
Elira shyly nodded, “I was only given porridge in captivity and towards the end, they starved me so that I’d look my best for auction.” Hearing that made his heart ache for her.
He watched as she loaded some food onto her plate and started eating. It was now or never if he wanted answers to his questions. “How did they take you?” he asked. She made a face that reminded him of someone whose food tasted bad. She looked like she wanted to spit out the food in her mouth but instead, she swallowed hard and put her fork down. “I’m sorry—the last thing I want is to upset you so much that you can’t eat.” She nodded and they sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. They ate their dinner and when she was just about finished, she put her fork back on her plate and shoved it back from her place at the table.
“I was on my way home from work,” she almost whispered. “That’s when they took me.” Llir pushed his plate away too and sat back in his seat, waiting for her to go on.
“I am—well, I was a maid. I worked at a hotel back in my little hometown, up north. I had just finished my shift and was walking home. It was such a nice night that I decided to skip the short bus trip that I usually took to get home and just walk the few kilometers by myself.”
“Do you live in a safe neighborhood?” he questioned.
Elira barked out her laugh, “No,” she admitted. “I was being foolish and have regretted it since. I was about a quarter-mile from my little apartment when the van pulled around the corner, blocking my path back to my place. Two guys got out and started questioning me about where I was going and they even asked me if I wanted to party with them. I of course told them no. I tried to go around them and that’s when one of them put their hands on me, stopping me from being able to go home. They tossed me into the back of the van and told me that I’d never see any of my loved ones or my old life, ever again.”
“How long did they hold you?” he asked.
“After a while, I lost track, you know? But, I’m thinking about three months,” she said.
“And no one turned in a missing person’s report?” he asked. Yeah, he sounded like he didn’t believe her, but he was just trying to get to the bottom of this mess.
“No,” she said. “I have no family. I’m kind of a loner and have no real friends. It was as if they knew that abducting me would be a safe bet, that no one would inquire about what happened to me.”
“Yeah—handlers seem to know whom would make good prey.” He’d apologize for everything that happened to her, but he could tell from the blank look in her brown eyes that his apology would fall on deaf ears.
“What are you going to do with me?” she almost whispered. That was a very good question. He wasn’t very sure what his plans were for either of them. Llir was usually self-assured and confident beyond measure, but since getting his hands on the girl, he hadn’t been able to think straight. When he jumped up onto that auction stage and grabbed her leash away from her handler, he knew exactly what his plans were for her. But then, he saw the fear in her beautiful eyes and noted the way she looked at him as if she just wanted to die. Hell, she even begged him to end her life. Taking her against her will became less of an option. He’d never used a woman like that and just because he bought and paid for Elira, she wouldn’t be his first. No, his plans had changed for what he wanted to do with her and now, he was unsure of his next move, which was a feeling he’d never experienced before.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted.
“You bought me and now, you don’t know what to do with me?” she asked, smirking across the table at him.
“I know what I’d like to do with you, Elira,” he said. “But I have a feeling that you have already been through enough. I won’t touch you.”
“Ever?” she questioned. He could tell that she didn’t believe a word he was saying.
“Not unless you ask me to,” he said.
“What happens if I never ask you to touch me?” Elira asked. “You will have paid all that money for nothing.”
“Yeah—and I will have pissed off my father and probably have his men coming after not only myself but you as well.”
She gasped, “They’ll kill me,” she said.
“They can try, but you’ll have my protection,” he swore. “I won’t let them touch you, Elira. You are in this mess because I couldn’t seem to control my foolish needs. That wasn’t your fault. If my father’s men catch up with us, I will protect you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. He reached across the table, placing his hand over hers, and felt her whole body tremble, quickly pulling his hand back from hers.
“I’m sorry,” he said.