C9 What Do You Want From Me

The moment I got into the room, I dropped my bag and flopped down on the bed. I was so tired, but it wasn’t physical. My emotions and mental health were on a bumpy ride. I didn’t want it to get to me, so I decided to bury myself in something that was quite straightforward: schoolwork.

I went ahead to dial my classmate. With what they were telling me, I was also behind in some schoolwork. I asked that they send me some materials. So I sat down and went straight to work. Engrossed in studying, I didn’t know when it was getting darker. I only checked the time when I went to pee. I was alarmed to find out that it was 11 pm. I yawned, and that was my body’s way of saying I had had enough for the day. I rounded up and kept my books aside. It was then I remembered that I had not taken a shower.

I dragged myself into the bathroom, taking my bath in double time, and I was out immediately. I put on the first nightwear I could find in my drawer. It was a short gown that had my figure on full display. It had a little robe, but I was too lazy to look for it underneath my drawer.

Just as I was about to plug in the hair dryer, I heard a knock on my door. I stopped what I was doing and listened again to be sure that I was hearing well and I wasn’t. The knock came again, and I froze. Was it Mark again? I made up my mind that if it was he, I wouldn’t even open the door.

I wanted to pretend that I had gone to bed, but I remembered that my light was still on. The knock came again. It was a soft knock, and I thought that maybe it wasn’t Mark.

“Who’s there!” I shouted.

“Annabella, it's me, Rosie,” came the reply. I immediately dropped my hair dryer and went to answer the door. I was feeling bad that I had left her waiting. I also didn’t get the robe because I didn’t particularly have anything to hide from Rosie.

She bade the both of goodnight and left us both there. When I turned my attention back to Mark, I found out that he had been staring at me. All the hairs on my body were on attention as I was not prepared for what was to come. Well, that wasn’t the only thing that made me worried about being in an enclosed space with Mark. For a while now, whenever he came close to me, my body sang. There was a low buzz in that place, down my legs. He looked at me, smiling. It was as if he could hear my thoughts, but I wasn't bothered, as long as it did not come out of my mouth.

“What do you want from me?” I said as I tried to form a strong voice, but it came out low. He didn’t say a word; he had a smirk on his face. It was then that I realized the reason for his smile. I was wearing a short, cleavage-showing nightwear. I felt like the ground should open up, because it had a visitor. I ducked my head and immediately became shy. Only Mark had the power to make me feel like a sixteen-year-old all over again. As his eyes devoured my body, I suddenly lost the power of speech. His gaze made me feel like I was naked. The moment I raised my head back up, Mark had a wicked smile playing on his lips. I wondered what he had up his sleeves. Just as I was about to speak to end my utter embarrassment, Mark went ahead with his usual demeanor.

He took me by the hand, and we started heading somewhere, I had not even a single idea about. I thought of being scared, but I didn’t think he would kill me just like that.

“Where are you taking me to?” I resisted the urge to call him by his name as I remembered his rules. It was enough that he had me. He still didn’t say a word, and if I say that didn’t bother me, I would be lying to myself.

I didn’t know where he was taking me, but somehow the place looked familiar. I kind of remembered it from the house tour Rosie had given me the time I came to the penthouse. We went into a room that had quite a number of seats. It looked like a cinema. It was when I saw the projector; I knew we were in the cinema room. Mark took me to the second row, and then he pulled me to a seat with him. It all happened so fast that I didn’t know that when I almost bumped heads with him, which could have led to us kissing. I backed away immediately, and I turned to look at him. I wanted to slap that smirk that was on his face, but I couldn’t because for once, it would be one of those times I was so close to him, and I could see that he was a great work of art. He smiled at me, and I melted.