I stood in front of the mirror in the master's bedroom, slipping into a gown that clung to my body in all the right places. It was deep red, a color that demanded attention, with thin straps that barely held it up. The neckline plunged just enough to tease without being too revealing, but the thigh-high slit on the side left no room for modesty. It was silky, soft against my skin, flowing down to my ankles but offering a tantalizing glimpse of my legs when I moved. I paired it with my highest heels, black with thin straps that wrapped around my ankles, adding a few inches to my height.
I took my time with my makeup, darkening my eyes with smoky shadow, painting my lips a deep crimson to match the gown. The woman staring back at me in the mirror looked confident, but underneath the façade, my heart was still racing from the encounter with Dante, my butt still sore and tingling. The tension between us wasn't something I could easily shake off.
"Okay Helena, you can do this, you can be around him and be absolutely normal. It's just a fake marriage Helena, entirely fake" I said to myself, trying to shake off the nervousness that consumed me when I was around Dante.
When I stepped out of the room, Dante was waiting for me. He was dressed in a dark suit, perfectly tailored to his muscular frame, his tie slightly loose like he'd just finished handling something intense. His eyes, dark and smoldering, locked on me the moment I appeared, and I could feel the heat in his gaze. There was something dangerous about him tonight, a raw energy that matched the tension hanging between us.
"Where are we going?" I asked, breaking the silence, and pulling my eyes away from him before he trapped me in his treacherous gaze.
"To the club, and like I said I don't trust you to leave you alone here by yourself so you're coming with me" he said, drinking me up from head to toe and his lips twitching like he had more to say but didn't, instead he walked ahead of me and I followed sheepishly behind him.
When we arrived at the club, the neon lights flashed brightly above us, casting an electric glow over the entrance. Music pulsed from inside, vibrating through the walls. It wasn't news that most of the Dons in Algreen Cove owned midnight clubs or exclusive bars which was really just a front to clean illegal money.
As we walked toward the door, I noticed one of the strippers standing by the entrance. She was dressed in barely-there lingerie, her body on full display, with thigh-high boots and a sly, seductive smile. Her body gyrating to the beat of the music that was coming from within. Her gaze flicked to Dante and her body language slowly shifted from welcoming to a 'come fuck me now' gaze, it was dark so I couldn't really decipher the look on Dante's face but I didn't want to care but at least I expected him to me that respect of being his wife. But when the stripper who looked like someone that could be called Candy looked at me, there was sneer leering at the corner of her lips, her eyes narrowing as if wondering what I was doing with him.
I felt an odd, sudden need to prove something, so I linked my hand with Dante's, holding onto him like I belonged at his side. For a moment, I thought he would pull away, but instead, his grip tightened, and he led me inside without a word. The stripper's sneer deepened as we passed her, but I didn't care. I had made my statement.
Inside the club was a totally different chaos to that of the outside world, colorful lights flashed overhead, casting everything in shades of purple, blue, and red. People danced in a sea of movement, bodies pressed together, while others hung around the bar or disappeared into shadowed corners. I could smell alcohol, sweat, and something else-drugs. In one corner, I saw people passing around small baggies, their eyes glazed over as they slipped into their own worlds. But I kept my hands linked with Dante not wanting to be apart from him just until he led me to a quieter part of the club
"Stay here, don't talk to anyone and I'll be back soon, I have some business to take care of"
As Dante disappeared into the crowd, I shifted awkwardly on my heels and walked towards the bar trying to blend into the shadows and the throng of reckless people flailing about. I ordered a drink, something non-alcoholic, knowing that Dante would definitely not approve of me drinking. I couldn't handle another punishment like the one from earlier because I didn't trust myself to stay put.
I sipped the drink slowly, my eyes scanning the room. The music was loud, the lights dizzying, and I felt completely out of place. But at least I wasn't drawing any attention. I kept my head down, focusing on the cool drink in my hand.
Just then, someone approached me. A young guy who seemed to be in his late twenties, really tall, dressed in a suit and sporting a buzz cut. His eyes twinkled under the dim dancing lights and he smiled at me while I shifted awkwardly in my seat, hoping he would go away if I ignored him but he didn't, he fixed his smiling eyes on me, his eyes inspecting my body in a way I thought would seem odd but instead felt oddly refreshing.
"I haven't seen you around here before?" he said amidst the loud music, moving closer to me so I could hear him.
"I don't come here at all, and if you don't mind you might want to step away from me" I knew if Dante saw him talking to me, Dante would kill him and I didn't want blood on my hands.
"Then what's your name, you can call me Nicola" he said
"Helena" I managed to answer back, taking a sip of my drink and hoping he would go away this time but he didn't.
"You're very beautiful Helena, do you perhaps want to dance with me – I don't bite"
"Yea you don't but my fiancé does" I bit at him
"Well, I don't see him around now do I? And besides why would your fiancée leave a beautiful girl like yourself all by herself, I guess he doesn't really value what he has" he moved even closer to me.
I took another sip of my drink and with each second that passed, Nicola seemed more arrogant with each second that passed and I was beginning to get agitated. Where was Dante?
But just then, something felt off. I felt a strange feeling overwhelm that it was difficult to explain or ascertain why. My vision started to blur around the edges, and the room began to spin. A heat washed over me, starting at the back of my neck and spreading through my body, leaving me flushed and disoriented. My skin felt too tight, my breath quickened, and an unfamiliar hunger stirred deep inside me. It was overwhelming, suffocating. I stared at my drink, it was non – alcoholic, why did it feel like it was laced with something, did he –
"What's the matter?" I heard him ask and even in my haziness, I could sense no sincerity in his voice. I tried to walk away but I stumbled in my heels and he caught me by my waist trying to steady me and I tried to push him off, but I wasn't strong enough.
"Did you – did you put something in my drink?"
"Why would I do that?" I heard him say but there was a hint of mockery in his voice.
"You don't seem well Helena, we could go somewhere and you could relax, you could get more comfortable, maybe take those clothes off"
"No – no - I can't" I tried to say, but he was already leading me out.
"Come on sweet heart, your fiancé's not going to mind if he truly exist – you're going to have so much fun, only a few minutes before you begin to feel the full effects"
We moved through a dark hallway, away from the noise of the club, and it wasn't until the door clicked shut behind me that the realization hit me like a cold wave. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
I'd been drugged.