TWENTY SEVEN. First Kiss
Riley pretended to take a walk around Logan's spacious and beautiful yard to find the mysterious man who secretly called someone under the maple tree last night. She fidgeted in her room all day. She kept thinking about the man, and she wanted to see the man in person to identify whether he was really dangerous or not.
But this afternoon she didn't see anyone in Logan's spacious yard. The house was very quiet. The burly men she saw when she first set foot in Logan's house were nowhere to be seen. She then walked to Jacob's place. She might be able to ask him a few things.
"Hi."
When she looked into the small room where Jacob worked, he was listening to music on his phone. His fingers moved in the air to the beat of the music. Jacob didn't notice her presence there. Riley tapped his shoulder lightly, and suddenly he grabbed her wrist and was about to slam her to the floor.
"Ms. Riley?"
Riley gasped and was shocked. She didn't expect that Jacob's reflexes were really terrible.
"What are you doing here, Ms Riley?"
"Call me Riley."
"OK. Riley, what are you doing here?"
Jacob helped Riley to stand up straight and let Riley breathe for a while. He was worried seeing Riley's pale face.
"Did I hurt you?" Jacob asked worriedly.
Riley massaged her slightly sore wrist, and she winced at Jacob.
"No, I'm fine. Just surprised. You have fast and great reflexes.”
Jacob smiled faintly. "It's a habit. As a gatekeeper, I have to be ready and alert at all times. Sometimes Mr. Hatcher has troublesome guests."
"What do you mean troublesome?"
“Well, sometimes they don't come for anything good. My job is to make sure there's no chaos in this house. Mr. Hatcher doesn't like chaos."
"Now I understand why he has those big men in his house."
"Mr. Hatcher has many enemies because of business rivalries. He must be wary of his enemies."
"Like the shooting incident that happened to him a while ago?"
Riley noticed that Jacob didn't seem too comfortable with the topic of the shooting. Why? She wondered. Even Logan didn't want to discuss it with her. That was weird.
“The incident happened because of our negligence. We let down our guard because we thought everything was safe. One of Mr. Hatcher's enemies sent a group of robbers into one of Mr. Hatcher's clubs while he was having an important meeting with one of his colleagues. It had never happened before. Mr. Hatcher was shot in the chest."
"Thank God he didn't get a fatal wound."
“Honestly, he almost died. The bullet missed only inches from his heart. Had the man shot accurately, Mr. Hatcher will surely die."
Now, she understood why Logan had chosen not to talk about the incident. He must have been traumatized or something. The shock from that incident probably made him feel bad and defeated.
“By the way, what are you doing here? You're not trying to run away, are you?"
Jacob narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He had removed the headset from his ear. And he stood towering over Riley's body, blocking her from the view beyond the silent and quiete giant gate.
“Why do you think so? If I was going to run away, I couldn't possibly pat you on the shoulder.”
Jacob grinned widely. "I'm just kidding. You're taking it too seriously."
"Your face doesn't show that you're joking," Riley snorted.
“Ok ok, so what are you doing here? You need something?”
"Oh yeah, I need something."
Riley looked back, trying to make sure once again that the burly man wasn't around Logan's house.
“Where are the burly men who always have gun belts around their waists? I don’t see them today.”
"They are not here. They have different jobs. But they're watching you."
"How are they going to keep an eye on me if they're not even here?"
“That’s classified. I can't say that to you. But they'll know if you try to run away or something bad happens to you. They're rarely here if Mr. Hatcher doesn't ask them to come here.”
He wondered why Riley suddenly asked about those burly men.
“You need help? I can help you if you need help or something.”
"Oh no, I'm fine. This house just feels lonely and quiet. I thought those guys were always here.”
"The house is always quiet. Especially when Mr. Hatcher is on a business trip for a few days. He's rarely home. But since you've been here, Mr. Hatcher has been home more often and the house has been lively."
Riley didn't know whether to be impressed by Jacob's words or sad that Logan was keeping a close eye on her at home. Logan always made sure that she never took the chance to run away.
"Okay, I understand. I had better go inside now. Good luck on your work today. Sorry for interrupting your time.”
"Never mind. I'm happy to talk with you. You're cute and sweet, Riley."
Her cheeks flushed, but she couldn't be proud of her current position. Actually, she felt sorry for herself because she was Logan's prisoner in his magnificent house.
\-00-
"I'm ready. We can leave now."
Logan looked up from his phone screen filled with disgusting emails and looked at Riley. Her heels clicked softly on the marble as she walked down the stairs. He was mesmerized by her beauty tonight. She looked elegant in a gold satin dress adorned with Swarovski stones. He had chosen the perfect dress for Riley. It made her shine even brighter tonight. It was like she was a star that brightened up his dreary life.
"You are very beautiful tonight. That dress suits you very well.”
"Thank you for giving me this dress. But isn't this dress too much for me?"
"Absolutely not. You're beautiful in that dress."
Logan grabbed Riley's slender waist and pulled her close to him. Riley looked unbelievably sexy, just like his erotic image when he chose the dress for her yesterday. She was perfect. He knew that the dress was only made for Riley.
"Oh, thanks for the chocolates and roses too."
"You deserve it. I owe you an apology for the raw fish you ate.”
"I'm fine and I've forgotten about it."
They exchanged smiles. Riley looked into Logan's eyes intensely, and vice versa. Logan noticed every beauty that Riley emitted tonight. The makeup on her face fits perfectly. The makeup highlighted Riley's natural beauty. Especially her full and sexy lips. Her lips looked even sexier with bold red lipstick. He was curious to taste them.
"May I?"
"Wh-what?" asked Riley nervously.
She reflexively turned her head away when Logan grabbed her chin, but Logan reassured her that everything would be fine. He wasn't going to hurt her, and he just wanted to kiss her damn hot red lips.
"I will be the first man to kiss you."
Riley hesitated. But after all the gifts Logan had given her, she felt like he deserved a gift. There was nothing wrong with him kissing her. Even if it was just once, she wanted to feel someone kiss her on the lips.
“My pleasure. I may not be as great as all your lovers.”
"To hell with them. You're special, Riley. Your lips were only made for me.”
She gave in when Logan pressed his soft lips to hers. Logan's lips were very soft and supple. It was so different from what she had imagined so far. She thought Logan's lips were hard and rough because Logan looked so tough from the outside. But Logan's lips were very soft. He licked her lips lightly, unhurriedly. She enjoyed every stroke of Logan's tongue on her lips. It felt like she was sucking a lollipop. Every touch was precious. Every grind and suck was a miracle.
"How does it feel?"
"Awesome. I think it's really great for a first kiss."
Logan grinned with satisfaction. He kissed the corner of Riley's lips gently, then took Riley's hand to walk towards his car. He would show off his new toys to everyone. And look what happened to his rivals. Was Cooper Smillow going to keep quiet seeing him holding a new woman and having forgotten his daughter completely? Brittany Smillow.
"Who's throwing a party tonight?"
“Me.”
"You? Are you celebrating something?"
Logan took her hand and led her to a sleek black car waiting in front of the main door. A man stood beside the wide open passenger door. Riley's breath hitched as she saw the man who would be driving her and Logan to the party.
“This is a party to celebrate my success and to introduce you to all my business colleagues. What's wrong, Riley?"
Logan noticed something odd in Riley's face. Her calm and cheerful face suddenly turned fearful, as if she had just seen a ghost before her eyes. He followed Riley's gaze, and he felt Riley stiffen beside him when she saw Alan.
"You've met Alan before. He will be driving us to my casino tonight.”
Alan nodded faintly. His face didn't show any emotion as he looked at Riley, who looked scared beside Logan.
"Did you bring all your men to the party tonight?"
“Yeah. Just in case something goes wrong. But don’t worry. Everything will be fine. We’re going to have a great time at my casino tonight. Right, Alan?” Alan nodded slowly. He stood firm next to the car door as Logan pushed Riley’s shoulder to get into the car. Riley’s eyes never left Alan’s figure as Logan forced her into the passenger seat. She tried to convince herself that the man she saw under the maple tree was Alan. He was a traitor! Logan should have known that.
"Let's go, Alan."
Riley's heart sank as her gaze met Alan's in the rearview mirror. He could feel her fear and he was enjoying it. Alan looked satisfied behind his cold face because he had succeeded in sending terror into her tonight.
"Everything will be fine. You're safe as long as you're with me."
Logan gripped her hand tightly. She really wanted to believe Logan's words that she would be fine as long as she was around him. But what if the traitor was his own guard? Would she be safe when she was around him?