Pinned in his embrace

Pinned in his embrace
Getting to the mansion, it was quieter than usual, and I tiptoed through the dark corridor, hoping I wouldn't run into anyone, but before I could take another step, I caught a familiar scent that immediately made me stop, Diego.

Unlike the other days when he usually looked cold and ruthless, tonight he looked different, there was anger written all over his face, and the expression in his blue eyes was colder and more intimidating than anything I had seen from him before.

"Where are you coming from at this hour?" he asked coldly, and for some reason, his voice sent a shiver down my spine.

I cleared my throat and looked away, trying not to let him notice how nervous I suddenly felt.

"Well, it's from my personal business," I replied, hoping my voice didn't sound as shaky as I felt.

His eyes narrowed as he took a step toward me, his gaze remaining fixed on my face.

"You don't come home late at night in my house," he said, his voice becoming sharper.

I frowned.

What exactly was his problem?

I understood that this was his house, but I was an adult, and I could decide where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do with my time, especially since I wasn't doing anything wrong.

"I'm an adult, and I know where I can go and what I want," I replied, my voice calm but the irritation obvious.

I turned around, intending to leave before the argument became worse, but before I could take another step, I suddenly felt his hand close around my wrist.

He pulled me back, and I stumbled slightly, my body coming close to his chest.

"What..." A small gasp escaped my lips.

The familiar scent of his cologne immediately surrounded me, and for a moment, I forgot what I was about to say.

He was standing far too close.

I could feel the warmth coming from him, and my heart immediately began beating faster.

I lifted my eyes and found his blue gaze already fixed on mine.

There was something about the way he looked at me that made it difficult to breathe normally.

I tried to pull my wrist free, but his grip remained firm.

"Diego..."

My voice came out softer than I intended.

He stepped closer, leaving almost no space between us, and my back eventually met the wall behind me.

I swallowed hard.

His face was only inches from mine, and I could feel his breath against my cheek.

I tried to look away, but somehow, I couldn't.

His eyes held mine, and the longer I stared into them, the more aware I became of how close we were.

My heart hammered against my chest.

I didn't understand why being this close to him made me so nervous.

I tried to move my face away, but he gently lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him again.

"You cannot come home this late without telling anyone," he said, his voice low and firm.

I blinked at him.

"Am I understood?"

His words were stern, but something about the closeness of his voice made my cheeks burn.

"Y-Yes," I whispered.

He held my gaze for another moment before finally releasing my chin and stepping away.

The moment the distance returned between us, I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

I quickly touched my cheeks, embarrassed by how warm they felt.

What was wrong with me?

This was Diego. My boss. My sister's husband.

I shouldn't be reacting this way simply because he stood close to me.

Although Ellie had asked me to seduce him, I couldn't bring myself to do it or feel comfortable with the idea, especially after everything she had done and the way she kept manipulating me, deep down, I knew that bitch didn't mean well.

So it was better for me to keep my distance from Diego and avoid giving her any reason to use me against him.

He turned away from me, adjusting the sleeve of his shirt as though nothing unusual had just happened.

"Next time, let someone know where you're going."

I nodded quickly. "Okay, sir."

I walked past him, trying to act normal, but my heart was still beating far too quickly.

As I climbed the stairs toward my room, I couldn't stop thinking about how close he had been.

His blue eyes, his voice, the scent of his cologne...

I shook my head and tried to push the thoughts away. I had enough problems already.

When I got to my room, I pushed the door open and immediately stopped.

Ellie was sitting on my couch.

She was dressed in a long nightdress, her legs crossed as she leaned back comfortably, as though she had been waiting for me for quite some time. Her hair fell loosely over one shoulder, and the moment our eyes met, a strange smile appeared on her face.

It wasn't exactly a friendly smile.

There was something almost murderous about it, yet somehow, there was warmth hidden beneath it too.

I nearly asked what she was doing in my room, but then I remembered whose house this was.

Apparently, privacy wasn't something I could expect here.

"Wow, wow, wow."

Ellie slowly stood up and walked toward me, circling around me with an amused expression.

"How did it feel getting pinned in Diego's embrace?" she asked. "And how did it feel being that close to him? Did you notice his scent?"

My jaw nearly dropped, she saw that? Of course she did.

That woman was a complete sneak.
I tightened my grip on my jacket as my stomach churned. I still couldn't believe she had witnessed everything. The last thing I needed was for her to turn the whole situation into another one of her schemes.

"I didn't m-mean t-to—"

Before I could finish, Ellie placed a finger against my lips.

"Shh." She lowered her hand and gave me a satisfied smile.

"This is exactly what I wanted."

I frowned. "What?"

"I want him to panic whenever you're not around. I want him to become restless when you're near him. I want him to start questioning himself every time he sees you naked."

Her voice was calm, but there was something strange behind her words.

She wasn't simply teasing me.

There was a purpose behind all of this.

Ellie turned away from me, and for a brief moment, I noticed something in her expression that didn't match her smile, anger and Pain.

It disappeared almost immediately, replaced by the same confident look she had been wearing since I walked through the door.

But I had seen it. I couldn't understand it.

Why was she so angry? And why did she seem almost hurt by whatever was happening between Diego and me?

"Don't get this wrong, Ellie," I said, finally breaking the silence. "He cornered me. I wasn't the one who went looking for him."

She turned around.

"Yes," she replied. "Because he cares about you."

My eyes widened. "Cares?"

The word sounded ridiculous. No. Diego didn't care about me.

He was only concerned because I had somehow become involved in a situation that affected him. Whatever had happened between us meant nothing. At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

And the idea that he could actually have feelings for me was even more impossible.

Why would someone like him a prostitute like me?

The sex was just his fun time.

"Stop making assumptions," I said quickly. "Your husband doesn't like me."

Ellie stared at me for a few seconds before I added, "And why are you even here?"

She rolled her eyes as though I had finally asked the question she had been waiting for. "There's a box on your bed."

I glanced toward the bed. I hadn't noticed it when I came in. "What's inside?"

"Clothes."

"For what?"

"Tomorrow's party."

She walked past me and pointed toward the box. "You're wearing what's inside."

I looked at her suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because I said so." She snapped.

"Ellie—"

"And don't you dare decide to wear something else." Her tone had changed completely.

The playful expression was gone. She sounded serious now, almost cold.

Before I could ask another question, she turned around and walked toward the door.
"Wait."

She stopped but didn't look back.

"What exactly are you planning?"

For a moment, she said nothing. Then she glanced over her shoulder, and that strange smile returned.

"You'll find out tomorrow." With that, she walked out and closed the door behind her.

I stared at the door for several seconds. Then I slowly turned toward the box sitting on my bed.

Whatever Ellie had planned for that party, I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it.

And jud
ging from the way she had spoken to me, wearing anything other than what she had chosen wasn't even an option.

I walked toward the bed and reached for the box.

"What's going on with you, Ellie?" I muttered.