THE TEMPTRESS

I mention you when I say my prayers.
I wrap you around all of my thoughts.
Boy you're my temporary high.

***

CHAPTER XXII

*****

I WASN'T SURE how long I had been passed out for, but by the time I regained my consciousness, I was surrounded by vast fields and an empty silence where a pin dropping could be heard. I wasn't too sure where we were, but it was clear to see that we had put some distance between us and where he had been attacked. The fact that I couldn't find the car that I had crashed only proved this further.

The car was pulled over to the side of the road and apart from a single guard in the driver's seat staring out the window like he had more important places to be at, I seemed to be alone. I couldn't help but wonder why we were pulled over and where everyone else was, but my answer came in the form of three other black SUVs that surrounded us on every side.

There was one in front of us, stopping us from inching forward. There was another one right beside us which probably had been the car to force us into the side of the road and there was another one behind us.

We had been ambushed! I thought I made it out of the attack, but I was only coming to realise that it wasn't over.

I sat up in my seat, ready to make a run for it when the throbbing in my head eased up just enough for my brain to make a vital realisation.

I wasn't in any imminent danger.

If I was, there would be no reason for the guard in front of me to be sitting there looking as bored as he was looking. Even if he had no possible means of escaping, at least he would look a little scared and upset like I did. That was, unless he was working with the people who attacked me but I doubted that.

Peering out the window, I saw more of my guards talking to men that looked familiar to me. Men that I was sure worked for Daniel. We hadn't been ambushed. They were just helping us.

I slumped back into my seat, letting my heart rate return back to normal as I fluttered my eyes shut. Although my headache had eased up in the last couple minutes, it still felt like there was a marching band in my head, it felt so bad. As if that wasn't enough, I became aware of the many cuts I had acquired from the shattered glass all over my right arm which stung me whenever I moved.

The blood from the cuts were only beginning to dry, leaving me with the icky feeling you get whenever something wet doesn't dry completely. There was a huge throbbing bruise on my forehead too. I couldn't see it, but I knew it was there with the way it ached and when I brought my fingers up to brush over it, they returned covered in blood.

I let out a small groan and let my eyes flutter closed as the exhaustion from the earlier events hit me. Apparently, worrying for your life took a heavy toll on you. I knew that I was being the slightest bit overdramatic since I could have injuries that posed much bugger threats, but I couldn't help the immense urge to just pass out until my body figured itself out and all the pain faded away.

Before I could lose myself to sleep, the sound of the side door opening hit my ears and I found myself becoming alert. My eyes flew open at the feel of strong arms wrapping around me and pulling me out of the backseat. I let out a surprised squeak and grabbed onto my captors arms only to relax at the sight of Daniel.

“Daniel?” he only grunted in acknowledgement as he carried me out of the car, one arm supporting my back and the other under my knees. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared up at him for a couple seconds before resting my head on his chest. I could feel him physically tense, but I didn't comment on it. “I didn't think you would come.”

In all honesty, I truly didn't believe Daniel would show up because I didn't think he would care. Why should he anyway? As long as the guards told him I was alive, what else did he have to do with the matter? I didn't think I meant anything to him for him to show up. I didn't think I ever did.

He only gave me a weird look. One that consisted of confusion and a look I knew was asking me if I was stupid, but said nothing as he walked us further away from the car. I wasn't sure I knew where we were going, but I didn't care because I knew it had to be somewhere safe.

As much as I hated to admitted, I trusted Daniel with my life. I had to because I had no idea how his underground empire worked. I didn't know who to trust and who to stay clear of, but he did. And when he was with me, he kept me safe. Every decision he made was always calculated and precise; he never acted impulsively. He was my best bet at survival and he had gotten me into this world. Only he could get me out.

Despite that, there was also something about seeing a familiar face that put me at ease.

He brought us to the car that was in front and gently kicked the passenger door that was already slightly ajar further open. Then he carefully placed me into the passenger seat, helping me get comfortable as he crouched in front of me. He took his time to inspect my appearance, his eyes running up from the cuts and bruises on my arm to the gash on my forehead before letting out a low exhale.

“Where's Mateo?” I asked as soon as I noticed his mouth open to most likely ask me a question.

He narrowed his eyes at me, but answered nonetheless. “I left him with Pablo. It's too dangerous to bring him here.”

After what had happened, all I wanted was to see Teo and hug him because he was my comfort, but I understood why Daniel hadn't brought him. It was too dangerous. The people that had attacked me could still be following me and if Teo happens to be in the car the next time they start firing...

I gulped and closed my eyes shut. I didn't want to think about that right now.

“It hurts?” he asked, making me nod my head slowly. Sudden movements only posed the risk of worsening my pain. The frown on his lips deepened and gently he brought his hand to me cheek and softly rubbed it, bringing an uncharacteristic smile to my face as I leaned into his touch. “There are painkillers in the back.”

He didn't have to tell me twice. Without another word to him, I turned in my seat pushing one knee onto the chair as I reached around the back for the plastic bag in my view. It required a hard stretch, but just before I could wrap my fingers around the handles, Daniel grabbed my hips with a low groan and pushed me back onto the seat.

I turned to him in confusion only to realise that with the position we were in, he must have had an eyeful of my ass. Especially since the dress I was wearing was notorious for hitching up and exposing more than needed to be seen.

I still wore it anyway because boy did it make my figure look good.

“I'll get it,” he said, his voice coming out lower and huskier.

He grabbed the seat belt at my side and pulled it over my body to click it into its holder before standing up straight and slamming the door shut.

I adjusted the seat belt so it wasn't so uncomfortable then peered into the rearview in time to see him pull open the back door and grab the plastic bag with not much effort. I continued to watch him as he shut the door and made his way around the back of the car to the driver's side. Once he got in, the first thing he did was hand me the bag.

“Thank you,” I muttered to which he nodded while starting the car.

Ignoring his lack of a response, I peeled the bag open only to see more than I had expected. Inside was a bottle of water, the unopened pack of pills and a takeaway plate of pasta. I wasn't sure what it said about me when I became overjoyed at the sight of food, but I didn't care because God knew I was starving. I hadn't eaten breakfast before I left the house and I was finding out that just escaping death built up a mean appetite.

“Can I eat this?” I asked, looking over to him as he drove quietly down the road.

“Unless you plan on breathing it in or something—”

“Shut up,” I cut him off, rolling my eyes. At this stage, I didn't believe it was ever at all possible to get a straight answer out of him. “Where are we going?” I asked, glancing at him again before returning my focus immediately to the pasta and digging in.

“I'm bringing you to a safe house until I figure out what to do.” I couldn't help but glance up worriedly at him. It sounded like he was going to dump me there and then leave, but I didn't want to be alone.

“And is Mateo there?”

“I left him with Pablo,” he said nonchalantly, unaware of the way my heart sank. “It's dangerous to bring him here. They could be...” As if catching himself, he stopped himself from speaking and turned to look at the crestfallen expression on my face.

“Following me,” I finished for him.

As much as I wanted to see Mateo and give him the tightest hug he would probably ever receive, I knew Daniel's point was valid. This whole altercation wasn't over and just because I made it out alive this time didn't mean I would be so lucky if my attackers were to strike again. These people were clearly out to kill me.

We drove in a tense silence for a while where Daniel drove occasionally checking the rearview and I tossed my pasta around in the plate. I hadn't tasted it, but it smelt delicious and was still warm which made my stomach grumble, but it was as if my appetite had disappeared. No matter how hungry I was, I couldn't get the thought of having my funeral out of my head and it made it hard for me to eat.

“You want good news?” He placed his hand on my knee gently, making me stare at it for a couple seconds before looking up at him. “Unless you have a new enemy, which is unlikely, we know who's behind this.”

My brows furrowed and I found myself leaning closer to not miss a single detail. “You know? How? Who is it?”

“The Ivanovs.” My blood went cold at the sound of their name. “They're the only people that want you dead and once I get rid of them, you won't have to worry about a thing.”

I frowned and turned to look out the windshield. “What about the other guys?”

“They don't want you dead.” I didn't want to exaggerate, but I believed that we could almost take it a step further and claim that they didn't want me hurt either. Based on the way they treated me on the cargo ship, hurting me was the last thing on their minds. “We don't have to worry about a drive-by or some shit like that, so you're safer, but...”

I turned to glare at him because he wanted to keep something away from me. I knew he did. It was a miracle that I was getting him to speak so much and I didn't want it to end just yet. I needed to know everything.

“But...?”

“But just because they don't want you dead doesn't mean you're safe.” My stomach dropped at his words and fear consumed my every thought as I imagined the worst case scenarios. “If they ever get you, they could do anything to you.”

The implications of "anything" wasn't lost on me. I wasn't naïve and I was sure I knew what that meant. Exploiting me physically, mentally or... sexually. Knowing these people, it could even be all three.

I stared down at my lap as I imagined a world like that. I didn't want to imagine it. Hell, I didn't want to go back to that. I had experienced it for a couple months and it was hell. If I was to get taken again and nobody would save me, I didn't think I would survive in a place like that.

“Daniel.” It hadn't taken much for me to get his attention. I was sure my shaky voice startled him as much as the tears that dripped onto my dress surprised me. “Daniel, can I ask you something?”

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me, the confusion clear on his face once he took in the tears streaming down mine. “Anything.”

“If I don't make it out of this, please don't ever talk about me to Mateo.” He looked shaken at my request, but said nothing. “Don't let him know about me. Don't let him remember me. I don't want him to mourn me. I don't want him to suffer because of me. Let him forget about me and move on.”

“What are you saying? You'll survive.”

“What if I don't, though?”

“Araceli, shut up.” To my horror, he had stopped driving right in the middle of the road and set his fierce eyes on me. He grabbed my face and softly wiped the tears from my cheeks. “You're going to get through this and that's that.” He sounded so sure. I would have given anything to believe him. “Now eat your food.”

***

Much to Daniel's disappointment, the food had remained neglected. I wanted to eat. I really did, but like the sicko I was, I was morbidly planning my own funeral in my head.

I wasn't entirely sure if I was even going to have a funeral, but I allowed myself to believe I was for my own personal comfort. Maybe I could be cremated.

I had fallen asleep before I could plan out the precise details though and after an unknown amount of time, I found myself in strong arms being carried away into an unknown place. The scent surrounding me told me who's arms I was in immediately so instead of panicking like I had every mind to do, I snuggled into his chest and slung an arm around his neck.

“Daniel?” He hummed at my voice, making his chest rumble and bringing a smile to my face. I peered my eyes open only to see that we seemed to be in a different building. It was a house from what I could tell, but it didn't seem furnished or decorated. It was just bland; empty. I didn't even think the floors were done up.

It didn't take me long to realise that it must have been the safe house.

Daniel pushed a door open, ignoring the way the hinges squeaked and squealed in protest. He carried me all the way into the room before dropping me on the bed. The bed seemed to be the only thing in the room except for a single armchair left in the corner. The floors of this room were done up with light wood planks, but they were covered in a thin layer of dust that made my skin crawl.

Daniel walked away from me towards a pair of curtains which he pulled open, letting me see the pitch black sky outside. I couldn't help but wonder how long I had been asleep for. It was only midday when I was driving home and the accident happened, but after I passed out the first time, I lost complete track of time.

“Where are we?” I asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Daniel only turned and watched me with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. “Are you going to go now?”

He tilted his head to the side, a frown on his lips but his eyes glistening with humour. “Do you want me to?”

I shook my head frantically and pouted. “Please don't leave me alone here. This place gives me the creeps.”

He didn't say anything, making my heart rate sky rocket as I watched him for any sort of confirmation. Instead, he walked up to me and took my arm in his. I watched him as he inspected my injuries before he let out a sigh and took a step back.

“I'll be back soon.” I wasn't sure where he was going or even the moment when he left. All I knew was that as soon as I heard the door slam close, I was alone in the room.

From what I could see, this house was completely surrounded by darkness. There were no street lamps out or anything that let you know that there was something here. It was just pitch blackness. I didn't like being in the dark. It scared the shit out of me so the first thing I did was get up in search of a light switch.

Unfortunately, as soon as I got onto my own two feet, the blood had rushed to my head and I found myself overcome with a severe feeling of dizziness. I had always been a dizzy person, but it was only on rare occasions I would actually fall because of it.

This was one of those occasions. I hadn't even noticed I had been falling until a loud thump was heard and my butt erupted in pain. It took a couple of seconds and rapid blinking for my vision to come back to normal and for the world to stop spinning around me. During that time, Daniel had walked back into the room.

“Not even a minute and you've already got yourself into trouble.” I watched with furrowed eyebrows as he bent down and easily picked me up as if I weighed nothing. He placed me on the edge of the bed and crouched in front of me to inspect my body for any new injuries. “You didn't hit your head, right?”

“No, but my ass is on fire,” I complained, wiggling a bit as if to relieve the pain.

Daniel raised a cunning eyebrow and smirked. “I could massage it for you.”

“You're so kind and selfless.” We both snorted because we knew full and well that he was neither of those things.

I watched quietly as he reached into the box he had brought into the room with him. Looking at it now, it looked like a first aid kit and once he opened it, my guess was only confirmed.

He took out an alcohol cleansing pad and took it out of its airtight packaging then briefly glanced up at me. He brought his gaze back to my arm and began wiping it, cleaning around the cuts to make sure they didn't get infected and also to remove the blood on my skin.

The feeling of his hands on me made my skin erupt into goosebumps. Heat rushed to my face, yet Daniel didn't make a comment on it. I wasn't even sure if he had noticed. He just continued cleaning me up.

“Do you want to take a shower?” he asked after a couple minutes of silence. I glanced down at him, thinking about how the bathroom could possibly be like if the rest of the house was this bad before shaking my head.

“I'm good.”

His eyes met mine in that moment, the tip of his mouth raised in humour. “It's not that bad, if that's what you're thinking,” he said. “This is our safe house. We keep the drugs here so we don't bother furnishing it, but the bathroom is good in case anyone wants to take a shower.”

My eyes widened to the size of golf balls at his words. “You have drugs here?” I asked. “Am I breathing cocaine air right now?”

He gave me a funny look before turning to wipe the last bit of blood off my arm. “I'm expecting a shipment next week, so it's empty right now.” I visibly deflated at his words making him raise an eyebrow at me. “Why do you look unhappy?”

He didn't want an answer from me because before I could give one, he had grabbed my chin and tilted my head towards him. He took out a new towel and began cleaning away the blood from the cut on my forehead. I let out a low hiss when he put a bit too much pressure on the bruise I knew I had there, but remained quiet the whole time.

I just didn't know what to say or how to say it. Daniel's face was so close to mine that it wouldn't take much for me to lean in and we would be touching. Every little detail that made him as beautiful to me as he was was being magnified and I couldn't help but stare.

He had freckles. Very light little freckles that dusted his cheek and his nose, but they were barely noticeable with how tan his skin became in the summer. He bit the inside of his cheek whenever he was concentrating intently on something. His hair was a dark brown, but in certain places he had strands of very light brown, if not dirty blonde hair as well.

I couldn't help but smile a little at my small discoveries. Then I thought of Mateo and compared him to his father. His hair was just dark. Curly like Daniel's, but dark without any little highlights. I wondered then if Daniel's were due to genetics or if it was because of how much time he spent in the sun. Maybe he even put them there himself, how could I know?

“Did your mom have blonde hair?” I found myself asking, making him look to me with a frown. I immediately felt guilty.

I had never met his mother so I wasn't sure if she was a topic he was comfortable talking about, but from the looks of it, she wasn't. Hell, the fact that in all the years I had been working in that house, nobody had ever mentioned her should've given it away.

“I'm sorry. You don't have to—”

“Light brown,” he answered, cutting my anxious rambling off. When I looked down at his face, my breath had caught in my throat at the smallest of smiles on his face.

Maybe he did like talking about his mother? I had so many questions that I wanted to ask. Well, actually I had just one. Where was she? But I wasn't going to take the risk. He and I weren't together so if he didn't feel like it was important to tell me about her, then it wasn't important.

“You have blonde highlights,” I said, changing the subject of the conversation. I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled. “Or maybe light brown.”

“I know,” he said, letting out a breath of laughter.

He wiped off the last of the blood and dropped the towel with the other ones near his feet.

“Have you ever thought of growing your hair out?” I asked, my hand still in his hair, resting on his scalp. He gave me a weird look to which I just smiled at. I pulled out one of his curls to its full length and let it spring back into place. “I like your hair.”

“And I like yours,” he said as he stood up, making me freeze in my place.

I couldn't remember anyone besides my mom telling me that they liked my hair. My whole hair in its entirety. Maybe I'd get a few compliments on it when I styled it nice. I got the most compliments whenever I straightened it, but nobody actually actually liked my hair and everything it could be. They only liked it when it looked a certain way.

“You don't mean that,” I brushed him off, rolling my eyes at the confused look on his face.

“I do.” I stared up at him, hope filling my heart at his words. “I like your hair. Especially when it's natural.” He struggled as if looking for the word in English before finally finding it. “The afro. It looks pretty.”

I didn't think he knew just how much his words meant to me. Nobody had ever told me that they liked my afro. Whenever they did compliment my hair and not the style, it was always about the colour or how shiny or thick it was, but nobody liked it in its natural state. Nobody ever liked the afro because it wasn't white enough.

And now I knew that Daniel did.

“Thank you.”

He looked at me weird. I didn't expect him to get it anyway. To him it was just hair, but to me it was so much more than that. My hair meant everything to me because I had been through so much with it.

“You'll sleep now?” he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. He was no longer beside me and was instead by the side of the door, chucking the used towels into the trashcan there.

“I guess I'll try.” I had two long naps earlier in the day. I wasn't sure how lucky I would be falling asleep again, but I could always just lie in bed and do nothing. It would've been easier with my phone, but I figured I had to give up on that. “Can you help me with one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“Take off my bra?” I got onto my feet and turned my back to him, displaying the zipper at the back of my dress.

Under normal circumstances, I was flexible enough to pull it all the way down by myself, but I wanted to take advantage of the extra hands Daniel could lend. Plus, he looked like he was about to leave and I didn't want him to go yet.

He didn't verbally agree to help me, but the second he started walking towards me, I knew he would. The sound of his feet meeting the wood floor echoed around the room, making my heart pound in anticipation. My palms became clammy and I couldn't help but wonder what was making me so nervous.

It wasn't like Daniel was a stranger to me or like he'd be seeing something he had never seen before. There was just something about the tension in the room as he made his way over to me that made it difficult for me to breathe.

The feeling of his hands on my bare skin had sent a jolt of electricity down my spine, startling me and making me jump away from him. Not letting me get far, he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me back into his chest, sending my heart into overdrive.

“You're always jumping,” he commented, a breathy laugh escaping his throat as he snaked his hand around my throat and squeezed a slight bit. The other hand made its way to the zipper of my dress and very slowly, almost in a teasing fashion, began pulling it down. “What's scaring you?”

His lips were right beside my ear, his breath feathering against my skin as I let out a shaky breath.

“M-Maybe it's the fact that you have your hand around my throat,” I tried to say, but ended up wanting to slap myself at the sound of my stutter.

Why was I stuttering? There was nothing to stutter about. Sure, Daniel was intimidating and radiated sex appeal everywhere he went and sure I was soaking my underwear, but were they valid reasons to stutter?

“I thought you liked it,” he said before slowly loosening his hold on my throat until his hands were barely touching me.

I did like it, so when I began to miss the feeling, it came as no surprise. Thankfully, I wasn't missing it long because Daniel decided to take his help a step further and tugged the dress from my shoulders for me. He pushed the thin straps off my shoulders and trailed a small line down the length of my arm until he reached my hands.

He gently took them in his own and interlocked our fingers before letting go.

“Do you want to wear my shirt?” he asked, making me gulp down violently and nod my head. All I knew was that I wanted him between my legs and I couldn't trust my voice to not tell him that.

He unclasped my bra from behind and pushed the straps down my arms. As soon as the cold air hit my exposed nipples, they hardened immediately and I found myself bringing my hands up to cover them even though I had no shame in him seeing them a couple days ago.

Daniel took a step back, finally allowing me to breathe normally and took his time unbuttoning his shirt. I couldn't lie and say that I wasn't happy to get it. His clothes were comfortable on me even though they didn't fit and they smelt just like him.

I loved the way he smelt, but he didn't have to know that.

“Arm,” he said, drawing me out of my thoughts. I didn't know what he was talking about until he pried my arm away from my chest and slipped the sleeve onto me. I didn't wait for him to ask for the other arm before I presented it to him. He slipped that sleeve on as well and then fixed the collar before reaching around me for the buttons.

I was encased between his arms, his chest pressed firmly to my back and his scent completely engulfing me. I felt like I was in heaven.

He began buttoning from the collar and working his way down until he reached the last button and yet after that, he did nothing. His hands were dangerously close to my center and as we stood there in silent contemplation, I began to wish that he would do it.

I wanted him to take control and give me exactly what I had been missing for so long, yet it didn't seem like he was going to. It seemed like he needed a signal from me.

“Daniel,” I muttered, my voice coming out as a breathy whisper as I squirmed in his hold.

As if waking up from a trance, he brought his hand away from my center to my waist instead.

“Tentación,” he muttered into my ear, bringing a small smile to my face at his words. Softly, he placed a small kiss on my cheek before pulling away from me completely. “Goodnight, Araceli.”

This time, it was my turn to not respond.

*****

I'm not even gonna lie, I almost didn't update today. It took me a whole week to finish writing this stupid chapter 🙄

Anyways, I know some of yall prepared yourself and then read this and are kind of like "wtf is this shit this isn't smut tf" and now you feel robbed but I can explain.

So, when I asked for smut ideas (and boy did I get A LOT of ideas. Some of yall got really into it) I forgot to mention the fact that the smut wasn't happening in this chapter.

Hehe, yeah. Haha. Isn't that hilarious...

...

Okay, but it's gonna happen soon. I promise like very soon. I don't want to tell yall exactly which chapter, but I mean very very soon like you can even see how much sexual tension there is between them just gimme a minute.

Anyways, I've taken most of your suggestions into consideration and I haven't really taken from any of them, but the comment that's most like what happens I'll probably shout out.

That's all for now. Thank you for reading. The next update is most likely going to be this week, but I'm always working on updating earlier so keep your fingers crossed and pray that I continue to have my priorities straight for the rest of this coming week.

Bye guys ♥️