Chapter 43 - Calm Before The Storm

Chapter 43 - Calm Before The Storm
~ Daniella ~

Nikola, if he somehow survived the mansion’s explosion and fire, must have been bidding his time. For five consecutive days, not one news of him or Iopata arrived. It was as if the man never existed. Karl had been constantly on surveillance with Iopata’s associates, but nothing significant came to the Club’s attention. With Sergio Svaneti gone, it was possible that Iopata had gone down too, six feet below the ground with its evil and destructive ways.

But amidst the lack of threat, Erik’s recent possessive attention on me had quadrupled. Well, he was already one before but since the events in the Iopata Mansion, he had not let his guard down.

Just as he said, he made me stay in his underground office, which by the way was an understatement. The office looked like a bachelor’s pad complete with everything a normal house needed. There was a kitchen equipped with the necessary materials and appliances for cooking. There were two bedrooms that housed two huge bathrooms. The room that I am in that had four stacked big flat-screen monitors is Erik’s bedroom slash work space. Work space that was Iopata related to be exact.

We had made love a couple of times in there and in other places of the underground hideout. A good routine to help us momentarily forget the issues of reality - one of them being Rohan’s death.

Aside from our intimate interactions, Erik and I underwent constant kickboxing spars. Vincent told me once that if it was karate, I would have been a red belter now, enough for me to defend myself from robbers and/or kidnappers. The mafia however was another story and so Erik had taken it upon himself to teach me more.

Learning all of these, I guess, comes from being a Club member and Erik’s lover. I am not complaining though and I even imposed it on myself especially the handling of a gun.

Bang.

In one hand, I pointed the glock to the right.

Bang.

And then pointed it to the left.

Bang. Bang.

All bullets hit dead center in both targets - the dummy head.

A swell of pride coursed through me. This would be my fifth night in gun training here in the chateau underground hideout of the Club. Erik had been a very good trainer that my confidence in holding the gun and shooting needed only four days. I had a couple of misses from time to time but on this very day, I felt the kicks of aiming right.

“Excellent,” I heard Erik say behind me. I turned to look at him, grinning.

Standing up from his chair, he strode towards where I stood and took the heavy glock out of my grasp.

“But ’tis enough for now. You’ll strain your elbow.”

“Okay,” I agreed, feeling the slight burn of the said body part from almost two hours of shooting, “but wait.”

I snatched the gun back, adjusted the safety lever, and pulled the magazine out almost like a pro. Erik observed me the whole time, looking proud leaning against the cubicle’s glass wall.

“Like you said, the shooter must see to it that everything is in place after practice,” I stated and then placed everything down in the desk.

“Such a diligent student you are,” he remarked and cupped my chin.

I anticipated his kiss by tilting my head up and closing my eyes.

His other hand pulled me in and after that, our mouths molded.

I could never get enough of this intimacy of ours and I believe, Erik feels the same way judging from his actions. When we are in public, he always steals a kiss from me or two, and if when we are alone, he’d turn me into jelly through love making.

And speaking of jelly, my knees are turning into one right now.

Erik left my lips and peppered kisses in my neck. I opened up by angling my head to the side, raking his hair and making pleased soft moans.

“Looking at you for two hours was a torture you know,” he murmured near my ear. “You look like a temptress with a gun.”

A small smile grew on my lips. Of course I would look like one since I am clothed in a black mini skirt, striped grey long-sleeve blouse and a matching black ankle boots. I hadn’t really thought of wearing this to tempt him, but if this does the trick, then so be it.

“I bet this is one of your crazy sexual fantasies Erik,” I managed to say whilst feeling his hot mouth on my skin.

“Maybe,” he breathed into my neck, “or maybe not, but I sure am tempted by you.”

In one move, he shoved the gun and its magazine to the right side of the desk and lifted me by the waist to sit there.

My breath hitched.

“What are you doing?” I feigned ignorance, arching one brow.

But I already knew he would attempt to seduce me after failing it this morning. I woke up early because of a phone call from my mother. She was checking the status of the birthday party that my supposed client, Mr. Startsev, had sponsored. It was supposed to be held tomorrow evening, but since unexpected circumstances happened, I postponed it. I didn’t want my team leave the chateau with less experience so I had set them up with another client, a friend of Alec’s, who will be having a bridal shower on a five-star hotel outside Beverly Hills.

What I failed to do was to inform my mother about the postponed event. Rohan’s death, my mourning and other Erik-related conditions stopped me from doing so.

Since she didn’t know anything about the Club, Iopata and who Mr. Startsev really was, I gave her a good alibi saying that he cancelled it. She understood but only after a few more questions about the expenses. Apparently, the amount that my mother had swiped in Mr. Startsev’s gold credit card had been suspended which was of no surprise to me.

This is exactly the reason why no one should enter in a business deal with the mafia. Their blood money, whether in credit or in cold, hard cash, disappears without a trace.

When we ended the call, Erik was already on his black suit, ready for a Club update meeting. Before he left, he kissed me and promised to accompany me in my shooting practice later.

Which would lead us to the now.

“Seducing you,” he replied in a sultry voice, positioning himself in between my parted legs and grazing his hands on my shoulder blades.

I held myself from flushing even further. My palms landed on his chest and felt the quickness of his heartbeat the same as mine. “Then I am all yours my fiancé, but aren’t we going to get caught?”

He grinned. “No, we will not, but on second thought, let them. In that way, they will know you are mine.” And then launched himself down to meet me lips to lips.

My anxiety on his statement came flying out of the door.

It would be the first time that we would be making out in this area of the chateau. I felt kinda nervous, but it was all erased and replaced with thrill and excitement when he started his foreplay - pulling up my blouse and exposing one of my breasts from its confines all for his ravishment.

In response, I spread my legs wider. He groaned, no doubt pleased with it, and pushed his groin closer to my center. I felt the tight bulge under his black slacks then.

“Daniella, I want you now,” he murmured against my nipple.

Consciously, I glanced at the hallway leading to our bedroom. It was a short walking distance - a very short walking distance - but with how our bodies craved for release now, it would be a long, taxing thing to do, so with that in mind, I nodded at him. “Then take me Erik,” I urged; my mind reduced into a dizzying haze of desire.

After cracking a grin, he caressed me, kissed me, and made me into a wet mess for minutes before he freed his erection from his zipper and shove my damp underwear to the side.

I gasped and held his neck for support when he penetrated deep inside me. My back was pressed against the glass wall so hard that I thought we would shatter it.

“Ahh, so tight,” he groaned.

I opened my mouth to reply but all I could make out were incoherent sounds of pleasure from the majestic, electric sensations shooting up inside my core.

With our clothes still on, he pounded and drove hard inside me many, many times; my senses turning upside down with each glorious invasion. My voice came out hoarse and weak after moaning too much.

After what seemed like forever, swirls and swirls enveloped my head when I reached my tidal wave of orgasm. I flung my hands to the side; palms pressed against the cubicle glass wall like in the Titanic movie, while my legs greedily hooked his waist.

Erik groaned, dropping his head on my shoulder heaving and concentrating on his own heaven when he followed me with his raw and powerful climax. I felt his seed flow inside. No boundaries, no nothing but only skin against skin and liquid mixing against liquid.

All was deposited, including the little spurts from his junior that he freed with the help of his short, quick hip thrusts.

Panting, I pressed my nose against the collar of his suit; the tip of it moistened with the little sweat that escaped from his forehead.

We stayed still for a moment just embracing each other until I felt his erratic heartbeat and breathing turning to normal like mine. It is in serene moments like this that I wanted to tell him how much I love him... to tell him the three overflowing words but damn, Erik beat me to it.

“I love you,” he whispered out-of-the-blue, but saying it with so much passion it made the butterflies in my stomach fly wildly.

But as much as I like hearing it though, I cringed my nose. “I love you too Erik, but there you are again, giving me this foreboding feeling.”

In reply, he squeezed my chest with his arms. “I apologize. Trust in me that I will never leave you.”

I smiled. “Apology accepted and yes, I trust you.”

I felt him reach for his pants pocket and pull out something from there. He raised it in between us with a tiny mischievous smirk on his face; our little debate instantly all forgotten.

I blinked many times. “You sneaky fox,” I expressed, narrowing my eyes.

In his right hand was a black piece of cloth of some sort - well, an underwear specifically.

“Let’s get you changed, Sweet Rose.” Slowly, he pulled his semi-erect member from me and I whimpered a little from the sudden absence of it.

“Gods, Erik.”

“I know,” he lifted my chin up, half-lidded with desire too. “This is just the start of our night together. I’ll fill you up more and more.”

I bit my bottom lip. “With you holding that, it makes me think you are planning this from the very start,” I eyed him incredulously.

He helped me down the desk whilst chuckling, “You know me, I am very good with tactical operations.”

“Oh really?” With a playful hum, I swiped the underwear from his hand and sashayed out of the cubicle into the path of the ladies room.

Amidst the wonderful night with Erik, the next day felt like me choked tightly by a neck brace. Why? Because on this very day, Rohan’s body will be laid to rest, cremated and tossed into the ocean.

Every club member had an advance directive instructing as to how they will be buried when they come to pass. It was Rohan’s request to cremate his body but only after six days have passed. In his will, he reasoned it was because he wanted his clients to get a good view of his handsome features in a casket.

Really, even when he was thinking of death that time, he still had the silliness to joke.

As instructed, Rohan’s body stayed in his own residence guarded by two Hindu priests. Erik and I, and the rest of the club members visit there every single day and stayed as long as we could if not occupied with Club matters. Suri, since she was still recuperating in the hospital of her gunshot wound, had Amano setup a Skype live stream.

I remembered we had a therapeutic sisterly cry when I first visited her the next day after our escape in the mansion. She was really relieved that I was safe, sad at the same time after discovering of Rohan’s untimely demise. She, just like Erik, comforted me, saying it wasn’t my fault. It was Luca and his traitorous actions.

Clad in an elegant knee-length black dress with a low cut back and a matching black blazer to cover my low neckline, I rode together with Erik in his Ferrari to Rohan’s residence.

“You okay?” he asked as he clasped my left hand with his right, mindful of my saddened state.

I nodded once and gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah, don’t worry about me Erik.”

He drew back his focus on the road but didn’t release my hand. “Together, you and me, and the rest of the members, we will get through this,” he stated.

“Yes, we will.” This time I gave him a genuine smile.

“Do you want to go somewhere after this?”

“Huh?” I raised a brow.

“Bahamas, the Mediterranean, Hawaii, anywhere. What do you say? Just to unwind and take a break from all this-”

“But Iopata?” I interjected, feeling like he was trying too much on making me feel at ease.

“Will be dealt with by Vincent and the others if they are still functioning,” he answered directly.

“And Nikola?” I had no intention to, but the thought of him still alive somehow made me tremble, but Erik didn’t notice this because he shifted to look at me with a dead-set frown.

“Why do you ask for him? He is dead,” was his cold answer.

“You can’t be sure,” I rebutted, shaking my head.

Then, he let go of my hand.

“Stop it Daniella,” he lashed and stepped on the breaks abruptly. We were in the middle of the city road, in the middle of a go signal yet Erik wasn’t worried at all of breaking road rules. He looked too angry to even care but I threw him a look of worry.

“Erik, move!” I ordered and luckily, after narrowing his eyes at me, he ran the car again.

“It makes me think that you care for my twin,” he murmured, tone dark and with a hint of jealousy. I realized that the subject of his twin brother made him like this.

“What?! No!” I immediately answered, straining my voice. “Erik, there’s no care I feel for your brother. I loathe him, you know that. I just think that going in a vacation won’t be a good time for now.”

“It is a good time,” he cut in just as he steered the wheel to the right where the road led to the gates of Rohan’s residence. “I want to unshackle you from your involvement with the Club, Daniella. Refresh you, if that’s the right word. I don’t want you drawn deeper into our dealings as that would only endanger you more.”

“I am already into deep Erik, you are aware of that yourself. I am tied up with you. No amount of resurfacing, refreshing or unshackling could be done to save me from the danger. I am already involved. Nikola has made that clear when he abducted me.”

“And I am making it clear that you will take a break from all this,” he grounded, set on putting a period in our conversation. It is not like we haven’t argued before over the course of my stay in the chateau, but this would be the first time ever in our relationship as lovers.

Love isn’t just a bed of roses, I know that, and ours, though special, is expected to experience it too.

“It wouldn’t be fair for the others Erik,” I quietly added; my thoughts settling on Vincent and the others, especially Suri and Amano who are set to marry soon.

I drew my gaze on my feet, clasped my hands and waited for him to speak, but in my peripheral vision, I saw him sigh deeply and clench his jaw seemingly in a mental torture.

“I don’t want to keep you forever in the chateau Daniella. You have a life of your own. Heck, if it wasn’t for me, you would have lived it safely without thinking of possible threats lurking in every corner. I just want you to unwind, let your mourning of Rohan pass, let yourself enjoy life without any Club-related issues, or any worries about Iopata.”

As oppose to his earlier scowl, his profile had softened when I regarded him. If it wasn’t for the fact that we were inside a car and him driving, I would have placed kisses on this precious man’s face.

In the end, I just smiled and calmed myself down.

“You would be coming with me if I go on vacation?” I touched his lap.

He responded by engulfing my hand with his again. “I had made that clear awhile ago. Of course, I will come with you. I don’t want to lose you. I will protect you Daniella. Tell me once you decide a place. I will wait. I will be patient.”

He looked at me briefly, eyes full of warm emotion, and squeezed my hand. I smiled at him whilst blushing in different shades of red because of his statement.

“Erik, thank you for thinking about my welfare.”

I drew our clasped hands near my lips and kissed the tip of his fingers.

“Anything for you, my Sweet Rose,” he answered.

I didn’t notice that we have already arrived in the Ambani residence if not for the complete stop of the Ferrari.

He kissed my hand the similar way I did before letting go and said, “Now let’s go. The others are waiting for us.”

I nodded and then slipped out of the car myself.

Though I have exhausted my tears days ago, as I stood some distance away from Rohan’s casket, my eyes started to water again. Still I could not accept that he was gone for good. Still, it squeezed my heart thinking of his last moments with me.

Luckily, Erik was present to support my shoulder. He had a stern look on his face. His lips were pressed together in a hard line and his jaw tightly clenched. Those who didn’t know him would have thought that he was scowling but I knew better. I knew that deep inside, he was hurting too. I knew that deep inside, he was praying for Rohan’s peaceful rest.

Maybe a vacation would do him good too. Not just me.

Well, actually, all members of the Club should take a break. They deserved it, needed it even.

The last prayers of the priests ended and so was the rite of passing. The casket was placed inside a white van while we waited in the main foyer.

As the van drove out of the premises, Erik and I, the other Club members and Rohan’s clients convoyed going to the cremation building some few blocks away from the residence.

It was a peaceful ceremony all the way. I still had a few tears here and there together with Suri, but at least my heart wasn’t as heavy as before.

The place the Club chose to scatter Rohan’s ashes was near a cliff that faced the vast blue ocean of California. It was in high noon when we did it; the sun glaring at us like it was expected to.

Erik and Vincent did the honors of tossing the ashes since apparently Rohan had no family or relatives left. The other members - Alec, Karl and Enrique - were busy with assisting in the ritual, while Amano and Suri had gone back to the hospital since she was given only a two-hour pass from her attending doctor. Alone by myself, I watched in the sidelines together with the other attendees, silent and stifling a sob.

However, never had it crossed my mind that in this very moment my safety would once again be tested.

“I missed you mishka,” Nikola’s voice emerged from behind me, clear as the bright noon day.

I gasped and stiffened.

“Silently step back and follow me else I will rain bullets in your precious Fancy Pants Club members on the spot.”

I felt the familiar mouth of his gun discreetly pressed against the small of my back. It was a threat that he would likely do happily if I refuse so I had no other choice left but to do as he told.