Addictive Love

Lilian walked down the busy streets of New York. It was raining and she was already soaked all the way through. Nights like this weren't strange to her. It was on nights like this that business was always booming. Lots of people standing in clusters, to get out of the chilling rain.

She headed into a bar. The music blared loud to an almost deafening pitch. Perfect! The business was in session. She sat at a table, hoodie up, eyes sharp, looking for a perfect target. While she searched around, she ordered.

"One dirty martini"

"Dirty martini. You want that with lime or on the rocks?"

"On the rocks."

The bartender got to work. She peered through the crowd and finally found her target: a rich, unsuspecting lady, probably in her mid-thirties, dancing at the far corner of the club.

"You're martini, ma'am"

She took the glass and downed the contents in one gulp. She paid the bartender and proceeded to make her move. As soon as she got up from the seat, she was pestered by a drunk fuckboy.

"Hey there beautiful. How bout me and you blow this joint, ay?"

"How bout you fuck off", said Lilian. She was not in the mood for games

"Oooh, you're a feisty one, aren't ya? I love it"

Lilian was losing her patience. She rolled her eyes and checked to see if her target was still where she was.

"Go fuck yourself! Now piss off!", she hissed. And with that, she went away. She cautiously approached the lady and spotted her bag in her hand. Bingo! Now it was time for a distraction. She pulled out a rubber snake from her pocket and surreptitiously dropped it near the lady.

"Ahhhh! Snake! Snake!!", cried Lilian, and in an instant, the whole place was in disarray. The lady jumped up in utter fright, almost pale. Under the cover of confusion, Lilian made for the bag and in a flash disappeared through the front door. She picked up the pace and ran through the streets, taking complex turns and routes to make sure no one was tailing her.

After a lot of zigzagging, she stopped to catch her breath. She turned and saw all was quiet. She found an empty route and headed home. This was her job, this was how she survived, and this was how she paid her bills. It wasn't pretty but it was lucrative and besides, those rich folks had more than enough to spare.

Lilian made it home and opened the door. She looked around behind her before she entered. You could never be too careful. She headed straight to the dining table to check her loot. It was risky opening it on the way. The bag felt heavy. Had she hit the jackpot?

"Yes! This is such a score!", she cried. In the bag was $100,000 in bills of 50 and 100 as well as a new phone and jewelry worth millions. This was more than enough to pay her rent for the year. She sat back, relaxed. In her mind, she made her expenses. Immediately, she made for the phone. She deleted all means of tracing and contact to cover her tracks. She wasn't ready to go be a jailbird.

Life had been tough on her so she had to be tough on life. And tough meant doing everything possible to survive. She had some cheap champagne and got ready for bed. She tucked the money safely away. She would pay the landlord in the morning for a year's rent and get back to work tomorrow. One score was never enough. Soon the alcohol began to take effect and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Honestly Adam, how daft can you be!? What do you mean that my flight to New York has been canceled?"

"I'm sorry Sir. The airport said that first class seats were full but private flights were still available"

Damian was losing his patience. He had no time for incompetence let alone shitty airports and canceled flights. He strode, emotionlessly towards Adam who dared not to move. Damian looks at Adam from head to toe in disgust.

"Well then", he said in a dangerously smooth voice. "Go get me booked for a private flight out of this pathetic country or else..."

"Yes Sir, right away." And with that, Adam left. He was Damian Richards' personal assistant and working for him was a nightmare.

Damian didn't enjoy his holiday in Saudi Arabia. The weather was hot and uncomfortable and the women weren't pleasing enough. They were too well-mannered. It bored him. He couldn't wait to get back to New York. He had tons of work on the table and this terrible holiday was a waste of his time. He strode to his wine cabinet and poured himself a shot of Tequila Ley. He looked around the room and saw the girl he had for the night still naked in bed. It was seven in the morning and Damian was an early riser. He sat on the comfortable armchair facing the bed and continued to drink. Soon enough, the lady stirred and woke up. She had a stellar night but it was now over–forever.

Damian didn't move a muscle till she turned and saw him looking at her.

"Great, you're awake." He then threw a fat wad of cash at her. She stared at him, then at the cash, and then back at him in disbelief. "Now get dressed and get the hell out of my room"

And with that, he turned his back to her. She didn't utter a word. She dressed up, grabbed the cash, and took her to leave. Damian didn't even look back as she closed the door. Businessmen like him had no time for–attachments. It was distracting and created unnecessary ties. His life was money first and sex, for pleasure only, after. To him, women were nothing more than tools for pleasure at his disposal. He stood at the window, looking downstairs. He had seen the woman leave yet.

After a while, Adam came back.

"I have scheduled a private flight for you to New York, by 2 pm, Sir"

"Good. Next time, don't you wait for me to tell you the proper thing to do. Now, get out!"

"Yes Sir"

"And find the lady and show her out. I presume she has lost her way." And with that, Adam left.

Damian was now alone. He thought about his meeting in New York and the gala he had to attend the following week. He didn't like publicity but he as well couldn't avoid it. Was one of the downsides of being rich. He also hated galas. Being nice and courteous to people wasn't his thing. He wondered why people needed compliments to be self-assured. He continued to sip his drink as thoughts filled his mind and the time flew by.

The afternoon soon came and he headed to the airport. The staff all politely greeted him but he said nothing. He wasn't the type to waste his breath on pleasantries and compliments. He got on the plane and sat down in his seat. His bodyguards all took their places and soon enough they took off. Damian checked his watch. It was 2:10 pm. It was a thirteen-hour flight. He brought out a book to read and pass the time. He had quite a lot he could do to make thirteen hours feel like three.

After he had covered 5 chapters, he brought out his laptop and began writing up some memos and letters. Money never took a break and neither did he.

Lilian woke up the next day. She decided to take it easy today. Went down for breakfast and as she ate, she properly personalized the phone. It was leagues ahead of her old one. She had transferred all her vital information and decided to put her old phone up for sale. Soon after she finished eating, her landlord came knocking at her door.

"Hello, there Steve. Lovely morning don't you think?" she said in an airy mocking voice. She loved messing with him anytime she got the chance

"Screw the pleasantries, Lily. I've come for my..."

"Your rent, I know", interrupted Lilian. "Gimme a sec. I've got it right here."

She brought out an envelope and handed it over to Steve. He counted it and looked at her bewildered.

"But this is..."

"It's the month's rent," interrupted Lilian again. "I got a job recently that pays well"

"Well thank heavens! Anyway, I'd better be going now." And with that, Steve took his leave.

"Don't squander it all at once!" Lilian called after him. She closed the door and went to the living room for some well-deserved TV time. She thought about the night before and wondered how long it took for the people at the bar to realize that the snake was fake. It was a classic con. She watched some news. A popular celebrity was trending. She never really cared about the elites, unless she was stealing from them. She continued listening with zero attention until she heard a blurt about an upcoming gala. She listened carefully. This would be an amazing score.

"All those rich people in one place," she thought. If she could pull this off she'd never have to steal for a week or more. She spent the rest of the morning planning and scheming. She wasn't going to lose this job. But after a while, something began to tug at her thoughts.

"Don't you think this is risky? You just hit a big score and the place would be loaded with security. You could be arrested," said one voice in her head

"When have you ever been caught? It will just be a quick job. In then out. It's not like your robbing a bank or anything," said the other voice in her head.

Lilian wasn't a professional, but she was good at making quick steals and fast exits. She had taken a free parkour class once but never really needed any of those skills. Seems they were going to come in handy if she decided to pull this off.

After a while, she opted to go, but, what to wear? She went upstairs to see if she had any fancy enough clothes for the occasion. She pulled out a sleek red dress and held it against herself. It would look nice on her. She was very beautiful, and curvy in all the right places but looked a bit scruffy. She wasn't bothered. Alas, where would beauty get her? On a pole dancing for drunk losers? Nope. She wasn't going to be anyone's plaything. She didn't believe in love anymore. Her last boyfriend called her around to watch him have a threesome and then broke up with her. Men, to her, were a waste of time. If she needed sex, she could get it but it was important to keep aside feelings. They weren't worth it. After hemming and hawing over different dresses, she opted to blend in with the common folk to attract less attention to herself. She decided to get dressed and go have a lot at the venue for the gala. She wanted to be armed to the teeth. Jobs like this required much attention to detail. It wasn't like petty stealing from a bar or shoplifting. She headed out and took a cab. She tried to keep her head cool and calm. She would do groceries after, she needed a proper meal. The cab drove smoothly along as she took in the unfamiliar scent of New York City.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Damian's plane didn't land till about 8:30 am, New York time. There was already a car waiting to pick him up. He felt right at home in bustling New York. He first stopped by the office. As usual, he was greeted with smiles and pleasantries and as usual, he waved them off. His relationship with them was business only. Things like this, to him, were unnecessary.

He sat down in his office and got some work done. He sent all these earlier typed memos and letters and gave orders for new stocks to be brought in. It was Friday but the way he ran his business, every day was Monday. Everyone was hot on their toes. After he had made sure things were running perfectly, he called for the driver to get the car ready for him to go home. Before long he reached his home. A stunning mansion, with a beautiful compound. It was furnished with everything. Swimming pool, fountain, green grass, the works. It was anyone's dream home. He got inside and saw that the place was spotless, as usual. It smelled of his favorite scent, "expensive dark chocolate" and almost everything was in his favorite colors of dark red and black. The chandelier was bright, as he made his way upstairs to his room. The maids had freshly changed the sheets and bedding. He ordered dinner and closed the door. Nothing felt better than being in your territory. He sprawled on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. The pattern work and engravings were masterfully done. The room was cool and he could see a new moon beginning to rise. He gave a deep breath and proceeded to take a shower. As he got dressed, he admire himself in the mirror.

His beard was always neatly trimmed, he was tall and muscular with broad shoulders and chest. He had breathtaking abs and was seriously packing down below. He was every lady's dream and that was all they would get, dreams of him and nothing more. Just as he finished he heard a knock at his door.

"Excuse me Sir, but dinner is ready."

"Tell the maid to bring it up."

"Right away Sir."

Damian ate in silence. He never admitted he liked the meals but he knew his chef always did a great job. Of course, he would never tell his chef that. It was unbefitting of someone like him. He finished up and decided to prepare for his meeting the next day. He got his suits in order–they were always well laundered–and prepared his presentation, not that he needed to but for formalities sake. He went to the balcony and looked up at the gleaming moon. He rarely called anything beautiful, but the moon was just exquisite. The breeze was cool and refreshing, his guards were on duty, and he was alone and relaxed and this called for a drink. He went to his cabinet and took out a bottle of Billionaire Vodka. He took a sip and let the warm feeling envelop him. This was better than any holiday. As he listened to the sounds of New York, he let his thoughts wander far. Thoughts of the gala did hit him of course. He would discuss that with Adam the next morning, he thought. But right now, the silence was what he needed.

Saturday morning, came. Damian was dressed and ready, as always. He had a quick breakfast and headed out. He always drove to work in his Chrysler. As he arrived, he took a minute to make sure he looked professional. Not that he cared about his looks, but thought it necessary to indulge in some necessary vanity. He walked out majestically and headed for the building. We went straight to the conference room and the meeting started almost immediately. He didn't like waiting around. After about 2 hours, it was all done. Nothing particularly interesting. The business wasn't supposed to be interesting.

He had a coffee and talked about the gala with Adam.

"I honestly, don't want to go. I see it as unnecessary. I'd rather be at home, fucking–hard."

"Sir, don't you think the press would be..."

"Do I look like I give a damn about the press? They can write whatever makes them happy and besides, there are other rich people there they can write juicy gossip columns about. Anyway, I'll go. I might find a girl there that intrigues me."

The conversation ended. Adam dared not to speak. He got Damian's schedule and added the gala to it. Adam disliked Damian. He was a sour personality but he ran his business well. And good business meant he got his paycheck. The day dragged on and Damian attended to other matters.

The day for the gala finally came. It was a luxurious event. Lilian watched as the elites of society trooped in. They were surely loaded. She was able to nick a press pass from an unsuspecting journalist and brought a camera and a notebook. She had to look at the part. She entered the hall and was almost blown away by how glorious it looked. Her folks would never have dreamed of being here. Everything was beautiful. The drinks were expensive, the food was made by the best chefs and the decorations looked like gold. It was all bling. She found a corner settled herself in and kept watch.

Rich people were always careless. A drink was offered to her and she drank in silence, peering through the crowds for an unsuspecting target. Security was tight but there were a few loose ends here and there. Soon enough, important personalities were being called. Grace Adams, the fashion icon; Bryan Bailey, the owner of a multi-million dollar tech company and Damian Richards, the multi-billionaire businessman. According to Cosmopolitan, Damian was the hottest thing since Carlos Vince. He was a god. Sexy body and a lot of money. Lilian didn't care of course. She barely had time for men, let alone stuck up, morons like him. She looked at him with disgust. He walked like he was the freaking god of Olympus.

The gala dragged on, music blared but there was order. Once in a while, she'd take a snapshot or scribble something in her note to make sure she blended in with the press. The party went on and she wasn't able to get anything, not even loose change. She felt she had wasted her time coming and was about to go home when suddenly, something caught her eye. She noticed Damian put a large wad of cash in his left coat pocket. Stealing from coat pockets was hard but she could pull it off. She took another glass of champagne and made her move. She walked up to him, with her back facing him, and bumped into him.

"You should watch where you're going Miss," he said.

"I'm sorry Sir, I got carried away taking shots of Chris Evans. I didn't see you there."

In those split seconds, she had taken the cash. It was all too easy. Now it was time to make a banana and split it. She headed for the exit but was cut off by two bodyguards who refused to let her through.

"Excuse me, I'd like to leave."

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that. You have to come with us, Miss."

Lilian was terrified. She had been screwed. There was no way she'd be able to fight them. She looked behind the bodyguard and saw a clear path if she could find a way past them. She thought hard and fast and slowly backed away from the bodyguards. Instinctively, they made a grab for her but she was able to evade and bolted past them in a flash. She could hear their footsteps solidly behind her but she dared not to look back. She made a turn for an alleyway and quickly climbed over a metal fence. Her parkour came in handy. She was about to make a sharp right when something hit her in the head. The next thing she knew, she was engulfed in blackness.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lilian woke with a splitting headache. Everything was fuzzy. Where was she? She looked around and found herself tied to a chair in a large office. She tried to slip out of the ropes but the knots were too tight. She desperately wanted to rub her aching head. She kept trying to free herself but soon gave up. It was never going to work. She was alone in the large office contemplating her fate. Was she going to die? Was she going to prison? Had she been kidnapped? Theories popped in and out of her head, each one, scarier than the last. Lilian had never felt fear in her life and now that she felt it, she hated it. Why didn't she just leave the idea of going to the gala? If she hadn't been so greedy, she wouldn't have been in this mess.

Finally, someone came in. She couldn't see who it was but she felt a menacing presence. Soon she heard a voice.

"You, my dear, have a lot of nerve. I like it. What's your name?" the voice asked. It was both smooth and menacing.

"My name isn't important to you. Let me go!" she said loudly. She didn't want the fear in her voice to be detected.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You thought it wise to steal from me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Lilian was desperate now. She wanted, more than anything, to be back at home counting and recounting her previous loot.

"Well, since the hit to the head gave you temporary amnesia, allow me to jog your memory a bit."

Lilian heard a loud thud and saw the wad of cash she had stolen, lying on the table in front of her. She was completely screwed now. The money had her fingerprints on it and everything, of course, the police could trace the theft to her. She had met the end of the road.

Soon she heard footsteps and the person took a seat on the chair opposite the table. It was Damian. She looked breathtakingly handsome. His tight white shirt accentuated his well-built chest and abs. He was so handsome that he would certainly give Aphrodite a run for her money.

"What are you going to do with me," she asked back fearlessly. She wasn't going to let her fear show.

"That is a very good question. But I think the question is... What is a pretty thing like you doing picking pockets?" He put his finger under her chin and tilted her face upwards. She pulled her face away and looked Damian threateningly in the eye.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Lilian. Lilian Mendez." She kept her tone harsh. She wasn't going to show any signs of weakness

"Well, Miss Mendez. I'd like to make a deal with you. You see, I recently fired one of my maids and her slot needs to be replaced. If you agree to that position, I'll forget that this whole fiasco ever happened. If not, I could call the chief of police here and have a lawsuit filed against you. So Miss Mendez or should I say, Lilian, the choice is yours."

Lilian was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She didn't want to go to jail and she certainly didn't want to be anyone's maid.

"Time is ticking Lilian. Tick, tock, tick, tock." Damian was enjoying every second of it. The confusion on her face, the tension in her body, he savored them all.

"Well, it seems you can't make a decision. I'll call the chief of police right away."

And with that, Damian got up and made to leave the room. In as much as this was fun, he wasn't going to waste his time with her.

"Wait!," she called out after him.

He stopped and waited for her to say more.

"I'll do it."

"Excuse me?" he said, pretending he had not heard her

"I said I'll do it." Lilian felt her stomach clench tightly.

"You'll do what?"

"I'll...I'll be your maid," said Lilian with a sigh of defeat.

Damian grinned. He loved having his way.

"Alright then. In that case, sign this."

Damian produced a document from the table and put it in front of her.

"What's this?" asked Lilian confused.

"A contract binding you here as a maid. If you go against any of these terms and conditions, you will be handed over to the police and your pretty little face will rot in jail."

This man was not playing around. Lilian was in deep. There was no going back now.

"Well, I can't sign anything if I'm all tied up."

Damian was hesitant to bring a knife to cut her loose. Something about this woman was dangerous. She wasn't an open book like all the other women he had encountered.

"Fine." And with that, he cut her loose.

Lilian massaged her wrists and stared hatefully at Damian. He was a devil. A sexy devil but still a devil.

She took a pen and signed the document and that was that.

Damian took the document and called one of the maids to take Lilian to her room. The other maids came from home but Lilian would be staying with Damian. Her room was large and comfortable. She was left alone to rest. In the wardrobe, several maid uniforms were hanging. Lilian lay sadly on the bed. She had made a deal with the devil and soon, her hell would begin. What had she gotten herself into?