Chapter 4 Telling the truth

I blinked many times to be sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.

I thought this dude was the "special guest," and he was kind of handsome.

Alright, forget about how incredibly attractive he was.

He entered with assurance, followed by a few other individuals who appeared to be either very aware of him or possibly employed by him. The man wore a black business suit with a matching black tie and a white button-up underneath. Even though his dark hair was well-styled, it contrasted with his clothing in a quite messy way. A loose strand of his thick hair fell down his forehead just above his eyebrow, indicating that it wasn't too short.

Even though he was farther away, the man was incredibly attractive from this viewpoint. He tilted his head to the side to welcome someone, shaking hands firmly but without making any facial expressions.

I couldn't tell because he was farther away, but he appeared to be at least six feet tall, if not taller. His jaw was extremely well-defined, and it was made much more noticeable by his well-groomed dark stubble that traced the shape of his jaw. I was unable to look away from him.

Beside me, I heard Bonnie murmur, "Woah."

I muttered back, "Mhm." I wasn't shocked that Bonnie had figured out what I was thinking because the man was difficult to overlook.

Stunningly attractive people rarely visited us, but when they did, they were nothing like the man who had just entered the room. In a way, I wished he hadn't been the notable visitor.

A couple more males, some pretty young and some fairly old, entered, and I watched. However, I was unable to determine the attractive, dark-haired man's exact age. He appeared to be around 20 at this point.

I maintained my stance while looking around the room at everyone there. The barman began serving drinks as some classical-sounding music began to play.

I wished it had been Mr. Tall, who is black and quite attractive, but I felt like I was being watched. In a fleeting glance, I noticed a man of around thirty looking at me with a sneer on his face and dark eyes.

Gulping, I quickly turned my head aside, glancing back and forth to make it less evident that I was observing him in return.

To put it mildly, the man was attractive but not as impressive as the dark-haired man who had entered earlier.

He wore a dark gray suit with a matching tie, and his hair was ash blond. He appeared older, but not overly so, and much shorter than the other man. Without question, this man was attractive, but he was also making me uneasy and looked a lot like Paul, which instantly made my stomach turn.

I made an effort to ignore his looks, but my breath caught in my throat when I started to see him moving toward the platforms.

My face began to flush uneasily, but I managed to maintain my position.

The man suddenly came to a halt in front of my platform and smiled at me.

He winked and extended his hand to me, saying, "Please, pretty girl, get me a drink. A scotch with ice."

He was the first to be asked to do something, so I looked up nervously and looked around the room, chiefly noticing him staring at me and this man.

I chose to gaze between him and the man in front of me since he was staring at me without expression and I was having trouble looking away.

My cheeks were flushed, and I was experiencing extreme anxiety.

The man in front of me laughed and said, "Are you mute?" although it seemed a little irritated.

I gasped and said, "N-no," "Sorry. I'll get you your drink now sir." I nodded at him and then reluctantly took his hand.

He looked me up and down as I started to leave the platform, grinning and saying, "My name is Nicholas. Although, you can call me Mr Daniels."

I had a strange sensation about this guy that I didn't like, and I hoped he wouldn't purchase me. I wasn't sure why.

I nodded as he told me where he would be sitting when he released my hand. I then went to the bar and requested a scotch with ice from the man.

Picky folks didn't appeal to me.

I felt much more at ease as I waited patiently at the bar and saw a few more maids approach to place drink orders.

With a smile that looked to be compassionate, the bartender handed me the scotch and said, "Here you go."

I returned his tight-lipped smile because I detested it when people looked at me like that, as if they were sorry for me or thought I was defenseless.

Yes, almost every human right was taken away from me the moment I started working here, but I didn't need the pitying looks from some of the employees. I felt foolish because of it.

I turned away from the bartender and started walking up to Mr. Daniels's seat. I noticed that the man from earlier was staring back at me as I began to walk in my heels, which were much too high for me, and I unintentionally made eye contact with him.

I turned away as soon as I thought he had seen and hurried over to Mr. Daniels.

He was still grinning as I walked up to the table, and I gave him a stern smile in return.

I put the drink down on the table and said softly, "Here's your drink, Mr. Daniels."

As though he was waiting for me to speak my name, he said, "Thank you..."

"Selina." I blurted out.

He looked down and muttered, as if thinking aloud, "Selina..."

"Beautiful name, for a beautiful girl." Mr. Daniels muttered eerily as I stood there for a time before he looked up again.

I replied, unsure of what else to say, "Th-thank you."

With a smile on his face, he picked up his glass and took a sip, slamming his lips together thereafter.

"Hmm," Mr. Daniels said abruptly as I stood there still like a fool, "you may leave, pretty girl." I gave him a respectful gesture before returning to my perch.

I saw that Bonnie and the majority of the other females had left their stands, leaving just a short, red-haired girl who appeared incredibly bored.

When I noticed she was observing me, I smiled slightly, but she ignored me and simply turned her head away. I thought it was rude.

I repositioned myself on my stand and resumed my first stance, still absorbing the ambiance.

I made the decision to track out the attractive man whose name I had not yet discovered. He was so captivating and fascinating to look at that I decided it would be a crime not to look at him, even though I knew I sounded like an odd lady who stalks attractive boys.

Yes, I am crazy.

When I eventually saw him, I was let down to see that he was speaking to...Bonnie? Although she was quite attractive and any guy would be stupid not to desire her, I was still strangely startled that she was with him.

As far as I could tell, he had not yet smiled, and it appeared like he was extremely bored as Bonnie spoke to him. As she talked to him by the bar, he even tried to stare past her head.

It took me some time to realize that he had noticed my intense gaze. This was awkward, and I thought, Oh God, not again. Should I turn away or act as though I'm in a trance? I reprimanded myself for being so preoccupied with him.

He then developed a tiny smirk on the right side of his mouth, which would go unnoticed if you weren't paying close attention, but I was.

I blinked a few times, perhaps making him think I was completely crazy, but the expression he had vanished, and I wasn't sure whether it was just in my imagination.

I shook my head and hastily turned aside when I saw Bonnie bring him a drink. That's not how I could be getting sidetracked. I wasn't here to be watched for my gratification; I was here to be bought and make money.

Five or ten minutes later, Bonnie came back to her stand, grinned at me, and took her seat.

Aside from an older man requesting me to get him a drink, I was standing at my platform for about twenty minutes without any interruptions. However, once he asked me a few questions, I almost instantly moved back to my original position.

I kept standing there and watched as the night sky started to peek through the window and the light from the sunset started to dim. I wanted to go to sleep, but I was so exhausted that I tried not to yawn for fear of being reprimanded.

I continued to stand there thinking, starting to think that I wouldn't be bought tonight and would have to wait until tomorrow, which I wouldn't have been happy about because the beds here were terrible.

I had given up until one of Leonardo's employees suddenly started to approach our platforms with Mr. Daniels right behind him. He glanced behind him and gave me a little smirk.

God forbid, not him-anyone except him. I had the strangest vibes from him.

The employee, who I think was named Toby, remarked, "Miss Jafarova," "you are kindly being bought by Mr Daniels here."

"Yes, I couldn't take my eyes off of you the minute I walked in here Selina, and I would love you to be my maid." Mr. Daniels stepped in.

Like a fish, I opened and closed my mouth, but nothing came out. "I-I..."

Toby gave me an odd look, and Mr. Daniels appeared both perplexed and irritated.

Mr. Daniels responded anxiously, "Well, come on then I want to get you home."

I instantly tightened up and gave Toby a panicked look as he grabbed my wrist and said, "You heard him, Selina, let's go."

I started glancing at Bonnie, who had a dejected expression on her face, as soon as Toby didn't even care to acknowledge my desperate attempt to get me out of this predicament.

She glanced at me hopelessly and mouthed, "Sorry." It wasn't her fault, I assured her as I gazed at her. I hoped it wouldn't happen today, but it happens all the time. I wanted to accompany someone who didn't make me feel uncomfortable.

Toby said, "Come on Miss Jafarova." and yanked me off the platform.

I inhaled deeply as I glanced up at the two men in front of me. Goddamn it.

I gave Toby a hard look as though to say, "I'll go," and struggled out of his grasp after accepting that Mr. Daniels would buy me. He was the first back to lead the way to the main area after reluctantly and forcefully letting go of me.

Mr. Daniels smirked briefly before turning around, with me trailing closely behind.

We worked our way past the tiny group and were about to go through the door when someone behind us said in a low, husky voice with an Italian accent.

It said, "I'd like to buy this girl."

Almost instantly, the three of us spun around, as though we had all realized he was speaking to us.

The man I had been observing all night suddenly materialized in front of me, towering over me. He had strong shoulders and muscles that were visible through his heavy blazer, indicating that he was well-built.

He had a dark, dominant expression on his face and his brown eyes were piercing into mine. It made me uneasy and made me see him as more than just a pretty guy.

He was very terrifying to me.

The first to speak up was Mr. Daniels, who stepped next to me without even approaching the man's height in front of me. "Well that's too bad isn't it, my friend, because she's already been purchased. By me," he stated arrogantly.

The man maintained the same look as he mockingly remarked, "I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement, my friend."

I stood motionless, staring at the figure in front of me as if I had just seen a ghost, unsure of what to do.

"I don't think so Mr..." Mr. Daniels said, waiting for a name to be addressed to him, just like he did to me.

The man said, "Mr. Riccardo. Sebastian Riccardo." His voice now had a more pronounced Italian accent.

Even though everyone else in the room was listening to the exchange, there was a brief period of stillness.

Sebastian, the man, arched an eyebrow at Mr. Daniels and Toby with a chuckle on his face.

I scowled in perplexity and glanced at the two men who were now standing beside me. Toby in particular appeared anxious, and I believe I understood why.

Without a doubt, Mr. Riccardo was the "important guest."

***

Toby said uncomfortably, his Adam's apple bouncing up and down as he swallowed, "I-I, sorry Mr. Riccardo. If I'd have known you wanted this maid, I wouldn't have been so quick to let her be purchased."

Sebastian answered, sounding disingenuous, "Well, then you'll be glad to hear I am one for giving second chances." He didn't appear to be the kind to provide cautions.

Almost instantly, Toby said, "Yes of course thank you Mr. Riccardo, so you wish to buy this maid?" and I was astounded.

What? I didn't believe they would follow through.

After this little interaction with Mr. Riccardo, I've decided that I would prefer to remain with Mr. Daniels.

"But I want-" Mr. Daniels started, but Sebastian shot him a frightened glance, and Mr. Daniels instantly stopped.

This individual must have been incredibly significant.

After glancing briefly at Sebastian, Toby, and me, Mr. Daniels rolled his eyes and moaned.

He turned to face me after saying fiercely, "Fine. Take her."

I could almost hear the crack of his sneer as he leaned down to my level and pressed his face to my ear, whispering, "I'll find you, pretty girl and then I'll make you my maid."

I trembled, feeling invaded and disgusted, as his lips suddenly moved to my cheek and gave it a gentle kiss. This man didn't appeal to me at all.

Mr. Daniels' brief moment of panic seemed to vanish as he stared up at Sebastian challengingly.

Sebastian scowled at Mr. Daniels, his jaw seeming to clench and unclench as he said simply, "Leave."

Mr. Daniels gave Toby a short tip of his head and walked away, grinning at him.

I was glad he was gone, even though that man was weird.

While keeping my head down, I wiped the kiss from my cheek.

As I looked up and turned to face Toby, he said, "Miss Jafarova, I'm sorry about that, but Mr. Riccardo is officially buying you now instead."

I swallowed and blinked because I was too scared to say anything while Sebastian was there. He hadn't even spoken to me yet.

Still a little apprehensive, Toby gestured for us to join him and stated, "If you'd both like to follow me to officially confirm this buy."

I was ready to start walking when I was grabbed by the shoulder and dragged back a little.

I felt him lean into me from behind, just like Mr. Daniels had done, and he spoke in my ear, but I didn't bother turning around since I knew precisely who had grabbed me back.

Sebastian continued in a husky voice, "I saw you watching me, and I decided I wanted you ragazza timida." At the conclusion, he said something I didn't understand.

I heard him laugh softly and realized he wasn't finished when I felt my breath catch in my throat.

Even though he couldn't see me, I raised my eyebrows in perplexity as he said in Italian, "E quello che voglio è ciò che ottengo."

"W-what?" I asked gently and softly, but I knew he had heard, and I felt a wave of courage wash over me.

He started to exhale, and I felt it on my neck, warming my entire body as I readied myself for his next words. "I said, Miss Jafarova..." he said.

Sebastian concluded, "...that what I want, is what I get." Suddenly, I felt him return to his normal position. Although I was unable to see his face, I had a hunch that he was grinning because of the assured tone of his voice.

After a moment of standing there together, I felt him move around me and saw him boldly stroll out the door without giving me another look.

I could tell by the words he spoke that this man was telling the truth and wasn't playing around.

And that terrified me to no end. as well as him.