Page 16 of Entwined

“She’s right. The two of you deserve a break from this. It might be worse when we get home to California. Stay. Eat. Drink. Take in the culture. I’ve been here for months remember? I’ve experienced all that. We should probably fly home separately anyway… it will be easier to blend in. I’ll take Mr. Santos’ jet. The two of you can fly on the Government plane.” I grab a pair of yoga pants and pick up my backpack. “I’ll see you at home.”

“No. Jessie. We just got you back. Don’t leave.”

“I’m sorry, Dad. It’s a lot for me to process too. I-I think I just want to be alone. I need to take it all in. I’m sorry. I just need this right now.”

He sighs, “Fine. I don’t like it. But I need to remember you’re not a little girl anymore.”

“No. I’m definitely not.”

I squeeze them both tightly before opening the door. I don’t really want to go home. But the quickest path to my future is to begin my new life right now.

“Is there anything else I can get for you Miss Montgomery?”

“No thank you. I’m fine.”

But I’m far from fine as I stare out into the black sky below me. With I sigh, I take out my old phone finding the pictures I took of my first days in Capri. There’s me and Andre. Hannah and Bree. And then… there’s him. I sigh, my head falling back in my seat. I’m exhausted but I can’t sleep.

Thank God I’m alone. There’s no one here to see me fall apart. I weep softly, holding the soft cashmere blanket the stewardess left around me. I’m going back to the start. California. Still without a clue on where to begin. But at least I know what drives me. I actually have a career path I’m excited about. But how can I go back; forgetting everything I saw…everything I felt. The dark world of Dom and subs, power and money—and the dark man who ruled it all.

The phone ringing on the table across from me jars me from my wayward thoughts. It’s loud in the quiet cabin. My fingers reach for it, hesitating before I decisively pick it up.

“H-hello?”

“Jessie.” His voice is husky, dripping with desire. I’m silent unsure what to say. The last time we spoke, he asked me to choose him. I didn’t. Then we spoke with our eyes as Christos ravaged me in the Candy room. I made him watch. I taunted him and yet here I am, taking him up on his generosity.

“So, he did the right thing and set you free, eh?”

“Why? Wh-why does it feel so wrong?” I whisper hoarsely.

“Ah. I thought this might be your frame of mind. That’s why I called. It happens. Often, really.”

“What? I’m so lost. So, confused.”

“You fell. Hard. It’s common with subs. What starts as infatuation grows. You get confused by lust, convincing yourself you’re in love. That’s when most DOMS pull out, dumping you and finding your replacement.”

“No. He wouldn’t do that. It wasn’t like that with us.”

“Oh really? Whose plane are you on sweeting?” I suck in a breath. He wouldn’t. Would he?

“What have you done, Dimitri?”

“Nothing. But I’m tempted as hell to. All it will take is one phone call to the captain alerting him that there’s been a change in the flight plan.”

I grip the phone hard. How could I be so stupid? Why did I trust him? “My parents and the authorities know I’m on your plane.”

“So? I could take you places where no one would ever find you.”

My cheeks heat. My nipples harden. He’s good. So much like Christos. “No. Dimitri. I don’t love you… I still love him.”

“Ah, do you little one? What if…. what if we conduct an experiment. Be mine. Come to me. And we can test this theory of love. Maybe after a month in my arms, my name will be the one you cry for in your sleep.”

“That’s impossible. I might be lost in so many ways but not when it comes to what’s in my heart. What we had was real Dimitri. I know you can’t understand that. I’ve seen what transpires at the gatherings you frequent. Love doesn’t belong there. I hope someday you find what you’re looking for. It isn’t me.”

“I’m not giving up so easily. Flip open the center of the table. Press the screen button. Do it now.”

I fumble for a second, then find the latch in the small coffee table. I press a button and a flat screen moves up from the center. It turns on. His handsome face fills the screen. His shirt is unbuttoned, his necktie jerked aside. His eyes devour me, he stares into my soul as his next command is spoken like a caress.

“Drop the blanket. I want to see what you’re wearing.”

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