Page 41 of Fear the Reapers
She had me feeling like a drunken idiot alright. The strange thing was, it had nothing to do with the alcohol coursing through my system.
When we first met, I had the distinct impression that she was some spoiled princess. Rebelling against Daddy because he didn’t give her everything she wanted. But after getting to know her over the last few days, I had the nagging feeling that my assumptions were way off.
People rarely surprised me, yet she was a walking contradiction. She never said or did anything I expected her to, and frankly, it was hard to keep up with her.
Stevie was an enigma. A force energy that crashes into your life and fucks everything up or unfucks everything up depending on how you perceived it. She was fascinating. A complex puzzle that the problem solver within me was dying to solve. I needed to know more about what made her tick.
“So, Stevie Alexander, what is it you want out of life?”
“Come on,” she said, raising a brow as she shook her head at me, “you can’t ask me that.”
“Why not?” I responded, taking another sip of my drink.
“I don’t know. Given my situation, can I even want things anymore?”
“Of course you can. Being here isn’t a death sentence.”
“So says one of the assholes holding me captive…” She deadpanned, staring off into the night sky that encompassed her room’s entire far wall.
The turn of the conversation instantly sobered me up. I stared at her disappointed expression and wanted to kick myself for even bringing it up. She was just telling the truth, so why did her words bother me so much?
Probably because I was the stupid fuck that decided to ‘wine and dine’ our fucking toy. What for? To win her over? I didn’t need to win her over, she was stuck here whether she liked it or not.
Shooting up from my seat, I moved to gather my suit jacket and leave. I had overstayed my welcome as it was, and I didn’t need to let this conversation get any more out of hand. She belonged to us, and listening to her complain about it would only result in me fucking everything up. Feeling sorry for her wasn’t an option.
Chapter 26
Stevie
The room’s temperature dropped ten degrees in an instant.Nice one, Stevie. Per usual, you just had to open your big fucking mouth.
It was as if for the last few hours Cyrus had slowly stripped away the wall between us; the one that separated us as captor and captive. He let me in. My big stupid mouth had just convinced him to work overtime to build that wall right back up.
“Let’s just forget I said anything, okay?” I asked, standing up from my seat and walking towards his.
“It's fine,” he said, reaching for the jacket he had slung over his armchair, “I really should go, anyway.”
“No,” I said, placing my palm against his chest, “you don’t need to leave. Stay. Please.”
He stared at me for a moment as he tried to decide what to do next. It was obvious I had struck a nerve and I could see the indecision all over his face. It was the first time I had a genuine conversation with someone in days, and the selfish part of me didn’t want it to end.
I didn’t understand it, but something about Cyrus made me feel at ease. Maybe it was because he was one of the few people who had seen my scars and didn’t treat me like I was broken. He didn’t know everything about my past, but by now he knew enough to make some judgments about who I was, yet it was as if my past didn’t matter to him.
I needed to think of something, anything to keep him talking. After sleeping next to Alex for almost sixteen years of my life, the solitude I felt by staying alone in my room was maddening. I didn’t know if I could survive more time alone.
“How about we play a game?” I blurted.
“A game?” He asked, a gleam of mischief in his eye.
“Yeah… truth or dare?”
Ugh, really Stevie? What is this, a fucking thirteen-year-old’s sleepover?
“Alright, Princess. I’ll play.” Cyrus said with a gleam of mischief in his eye. “But let’s add a twist. If you refuse any request, you drink.” He said, flashing me a sinister smile.
Butterflies swirled within me. I told myself that it was just nerves about the questions he’d ask. If playing a stupid drinking game kept him hanging around a little longer, so be it. I desperately needed the company.
I retook my seat next to his and watched as he carefully took off his suit jacket and got comfortable again. As Cyrus moved to place his suit jacket on his chair, a sleek card slipped out of its pocket and tumbled towards the hardwood floor.
