Surrender To Me

CORINA

I don’t know what I did wrong or right. Or whether it was right or wrong. Whatever I did, it made Dante push me away. I didn’t catch on at first. The morning after the party; I was happy to enter a kitchen occupied only by Rob and Vera and Rob, telling me that Dante had already gone to work. At least I didn’t have to endure his presence, I thought. For the next three days, I was even happier. I came into the kitchen the same way. I only started to wonder if he was avoiding me when he barely acknowledged me at work as he passed me by. He didn’t even spare me a glance, which I thought was unusual. That’s when the doubts crept in. He finally spoke to me after five days of silence and it was only to tell me he was going out of the country for a business meeting and that I was not supposed to go anywhere without Rob and Bruno. Which wouldn’t be so bad if it was only Rob, but Bruno was a pain in the ass altogether. He hated having to be my bodyguard, and even though he never said it; he made it clear through flagrant insubordination and annoyance. One day, when I got ready earlier than usual, I heard them talk about me as they waited. Bruno sounded irritated when he said, “I don’t understand why I have to look after his whore. I have better things to do, you know.” “Don’t wonder about things that don’t concern you,” Rob replied. “Do your job. You don’t know what she means to him.”

“She’s just another fuck hole. I heard the boss say as much. Anyway, he has other fuck holes all over town. She can’t be that special. He even visited one after the party.” I wanted to punch him for referring to women as holes, but I was held back by what his statement revealed. Dante had another woman? A mistress? A girlfriend? I didn’t know what to do with that since I assumed I was the only one, but why would I think that? I didn’t even qualify as the one. As Bruno said, I’m just a hole. That didn’t mean it didn’t affect me, though. I felt jealous of this other woman. Did he go on his business trip with her this time instead of me? Did he even go on a business trip? Why do I care?

It’s day eight now, the day he’s supposed to be back, and I am now wishing he was here. I even contemplate calling him, but I’m saved from humiliating myself at the last minute by Jesse, who calls and asks to come up. ‘I want to see where you’re staying,’ she says. I invite her over. What’s the harm in it, anyway? After all, I’m in dire need of a friend.

A few minutes later, I hear a knock on the door. It’s Jesse. I usher her inside. As soon as we enter the living room, she exclaims, “Wow! Holy shit! No wonder you don’t want to go back to our old apartment. I would stay here forever if I were you.” She wanders towards the window view of the city. The same one Dante plastered me against as he fucked me senseless. “I can see the entire town from here!” she says, looking out.

“There’s a French door over there, if you want to go to the balcony,” I say as I stride over to it and open it. She follows me outside and we leave Bruno and Rob who have been basically us ever since we came in and were now sitting on the sofas. “You should see it at night,” I add.

“No wonder you didn’t speak to me for an entire week. You probably didn’t want to be reminded of our sad existence.”

“Come on, you know that’s not why. I told you I was in Rio.” I was in Rio for only two days maximum, but going there provided me with enough cover to say I was there the entire time he had me cooped up in here.

“That must have been something.”

Oh, it was something alright. I want to tell her so much. I want to tell her everything, but I’m afraid if she knows, or even gets a glimpse of what is happening, Dante won’t hesitate to get rid of her. I doubt she has the same protection I have that’s holding back Dante from offing me. “It was okay.”

“It was okay? A trip to Rio in a private jet is just okay for you now? I’m so jealous.”

“Don’t be.” If only she knew. “Do you want to see the rest of the house?”

“I am dying to see where the two of you,” she nudges me in the ribs, “you know, get it on.”

I give her a tour of the rest of the place. First, I show her the gym which I’ve seen Dante use twice since I woke up earlier than him. I move past my bedroom. I’m not ready to explain that yet, and we enter the master bedroom. It’s my first time being here, and I feel like a kid sneaking into a place where she’s not supposed to be. The large bed at the center is covered in coal gray, silky, sensual bedding. Like the rest of the house, it’s decorated in black and accents of white. There’s a glass door, which I assume is the closet. I open it and it actually leads to a bathroom suite on one side and a closet on the other.

Jesse walks over to the black marble tub at one end of the bathroom. On the other end is a shower big enough to fit two people. “That is probably the biggest hot tub I’ve ever seen.” She jumps into the tub and sits. “I can swim in here! Corina! How did you do it?”

I know what she’s asking. How did I nab him, she means? “He asked me out, and that was it.”Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.

“After poker night?”

I nod. It was practically the truth.

“I sensed it, you know. He’s always looking at you.”

“Is he? I doubt that.”

“Oh, I know for a fact he’s had a thing for you for at least a while now.” Highly unlikely, I think to myself. Dante was probably wondering whether I was the spy he was looking for. “Looking back at it now. I should have known.”

“Known what?” She looks like she’s said something she shouldn’t have said. But she gathers herself quickly. “Let’s go to the closet!” she scrambles out of the tub and rushes out of the bathroom. “I want to see all the clothes he bought for you.” I don’t have the time to stop her. She’s already opening and closing drawers. Each time encountering his clothes.

“Where are your things?”

Before I can reply, we’re interrupted by Rob. He looks a little apologetic. “I didn’t know you were here.” He leans in my ear and whispers, “You’re not supposed to be in the boss’s bedroom when he’s not around, according to his orders.”

“Right. Thanks for that.” Behind him, I see Bruno looking a little more aggressive than Rob. Fuck. I hope I don’t get into trouble when Dante comes back. With that in mind, I take Jesse’s hand and lead her out of the closet. “I have my room,” I explain to her.

“Oh.”

Bruno glares at us as we pass by him. He barely gives us space to pass through as he is filling the doorway. “Excuse me, what’s your problem?” Jesse says as we squeeze past him.

“It’s fine,” I say, glancing at Bruno. He looks like he has barely suppressed contempt. I fucking miss Colin already. At least he was a block of zero emotion. “Please don’t antagonize them.”

“Why not?” Jesse looks up at Bruno, challenging him. “they’re your bodyguards, right? They should do what you want them to do, not the other way round.” I hear Bruno scoff, and I almost want to cringe.

“Come on Jess, you wanted to see my clothes, didn’t you?” Jesse is giving him dagger eyes and I have to nudge her forward for her to walk.

“You should show them who’s boss, you know,” she says as we enter the hallway. “You’re his woman. They should respect that.” I almost laugh. He is probably with his real woman now and Bruno knows. “It’s okay,” I reply.

“No, it’s not.”

“Jesse.” My tone says leave it alone, and she sighs and raises her hands in surrender just as I open the door to my bedroom. Her jaw drops. “Wait? You have your own room?”

I shrug. “He likes his own space.” This mollifies her. Maybe this is a normal arrangement within the sugar daddy/sugar babe world. I watch her as she walks around, taking in the white and cream that’s more dominant in this room and strikingly different from the rest of the penthouse. A sharp contrast to the rest of the apartment. “It’s so you? If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought he made this room especially for you.” That was odd. Since entering this place, I have never thought about it like that. I was fearing for my life and not at all thinking about the decor. I take a second look and notice what she’s saying. It is decorated to my tastes. Probably a coincidence. He’s probably had a string of girls come in and out of this room, and I’m just the latest.

“Corina!” I look around for her. Where did she go? She calls again. She’s inside the closet. “You’ve gotta lend me some of these clothes,” she adds. “Do not restrict yourself,” I say when I enter the closet. She’s holding a cocktail dress against her body and admiring it in the mirror. “Your boyfriend will probably gut me on the casino floor if he sees me wearing your things.” She returns the dress back onto the rack. Her face is serious when she faces me. “Did he say anything about the money? I heard from Sal that he was looking for a thief.”

“You and Sal talk?” I’m glad she’s the one to bring it up first, because I had no idea how to confront her about that. However, this Sal thing is new.

“We talk occasionally. But he came to me wanting to know if I knew about you stealing. What did Dante say?”

“I didn’t think you two are fucking. Just thought it odd, but you know what, never mind. I told him I took it. He was a little angry at first. But he’s forgotten about it.”

Her eyes widen. “Really?” A mischievous glint flashes in her eye. “Or did you suck his memories away?” I blush. In a way, that happened, wasn’t it? I don’t even need to say it. She can easily read my face. “No fucking way?” She giggles. “You should stop hanging around me. I am teaching you to be bad.”

“Can we talk about something else, please? My cheeks are about to flame up.”

“Thanks anyway. I don’t know what my sister would have done without you.”

“It’s fine. But you should have told me it was for your sister. And how much money did you steal, anyway? Apparently, you’re on the hook for,” I lower my voice, “five hundred grand.”

“I didn’t mean to! Take that much at least. But with Jackie’s mounting medical bills and the debt from her previous hospital stay accumulating, I had to do something.”

“You should have told me!”

“I tried to, but it was hard. I hated living with the secret.