“Would it now,” I answered coyly.
He grinned and flung back his head, downing the glass of whiskey before he put it down on the counter.
“It’s about time I take what is owed, I think,” he grinned.
His eyes were definitely glassy now and I started to feel uneasy.
He poured himself another. He stared at me with a predatory glare and that feeling of uneasiness slowly turned to fear. I tried to stand tall and confident, and I didn’t let how I was really feeling show on my face.
I had ignored the initial cockiness I had seen in him and thought it was just the manner of a man with means, but maybe it was something else. Maybe he was arrogant and entitled. Maybe he was just an asshole who bought everything he wanted without having to earn any of it. Maybe he was the type of man who thought that I should spread my legs just because he’d bought me a few drinks.
“Listen, I think I should go,” I said quietly. My voice was level and non-combative and I did that on purpose. I didn’t want him to think I was a threat in any way because right now, I just wanted to leave safely.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled, taking a step toward me. His whiskey glass was so full now that it sloshed over the sides. He didn’t even notice. Instead, he just slurped it noisily before he strode over in my direction once more.
My eyes nervously flicked to the door and back to him, trying to evaluate if I could make it to the door in time before he grabbed me. My legs trembled and I wavered from foot to foot, remembering the heels on my feet once more.
I wouldn’t be able to make it. Vincenzo wasn’t a small guy. He was probably about six feet tall and well-muscled. I had no doubt that he could move quickly if he wanted to, especially if he wanted to grab me. He’d be able to overpower me with ease. I swallowed heavily, trying to evaluate what options I had left.
I’d just wanted to have a little fun. I should have just stayed home with a glass of good red wine and a book, but it was too late for that.
I was going to have to figure a way out of here and fast. I turned back to the window, hoping maybe I could distract him until he possibly passed out. He moved closer to me, his footsteps uneven, his breathing louder than before.
“Take off your dress. I want to see you naked,” he demanded, slurring his speech more so than before.
“I’m not that kind of girl,” I scoffed, knowing that I shouldn’t have said it even as the words left my mouth.
“You’re going to be tonight,” he shouted and then he was right next to me. He grabbed my upper arm and pulled me to him roughly, forcing his lips on mine in a sloppy kiss that left my stomach roiling in disgust. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get the bitter taste of him off my tongue.
I tried to break his hold on me and pushed against his chest, but he only forced himself on me more determinedly than before. I pulled away from him as much as possible and slapped him as hard as I could. I went to run, but what he did next stopped me in my tracks.
He roared in anger and reached behind his back.
I froze, watching in horror as he pulled out a gun.
“You’re going to regret that, you spoiled little bitch,” he snarled, his words becoming more and more difficult to understand. He wavered from side to side and I was suddenly very worried about where this was going.
“Wait. You don’t need that,” I said, my voice finally trembling and revealing just how very scared I was.
His grin widened immeasurably, and it was unnerving. There was a certain deranged madness there and I knew that no matter what I said now, I wouldn’t be able to break through that. Now it was just the booze talking, revealing whatever asshole had been hidden beneath the nice suit and expensive cufflinks.
I had thought I was going to be spoiled tonight, that I was just going to have a little fun, but it was turning out to be quite possibly the worst night of my life.
It didn’t stop there though. It went from bad to worse after that.
He started blubbering nonsense about his family and something about royalty to himself. He said something about a long line of kings, and I stared back at him like he’d gone insane. For a few seconds, it appeared as though he was just talking to himself and had forgotten about me, so I took a few steps to the side in the general direction of the door and he didn’t notice. I managed a few more before he snarled at me.
“Don’t you dare fucking move. If
you run, I’m going to make your life a living hell,” he threatened.
He waved the gun and the unthinkable happened. He pulled the trigger.
The sound of the shot was overwhelmingly loud, and I instantly pressed my hands to my ears as I cried out in fear. Thankfully, the shot had gone wild and thudded into the ceiling. He shrieked again and shot off another and I dropped to the floor in terror, hearing the terrible thundering sound of breaking glass. The window behind me cracked loudly, the splintering echoing in the silence all around me. Then, all at once, the window shattered and the sound of the breeze this high up blew into the penthouse. It whipped my hair around my head and my icy cold fear made my skin prickle. I felt numb with it.
Fuck.
This was bad. Really bad.