TWENTY EIGHT

DAMON

Without uttering a word, I followed Lucius. I followed him until we ended up in front of a room that was shielded by heavy curtains.

As the curtains were drawn apart, a large couch was revealed. Seated on the couch was a woman who maintained a very seductive pose.

As her playful eyes followed Lucius's and I movements, she said, "Welcome boys. Would you like a dance?"

While I made sure I had a respectful look on my face, I had my seat quite far from her. For a second, I grazed my sight through her body which was shielded by a simple robe that contradicted the bold make-up on her face.

Her hair danced as she sharply turned in my direction after Lucius walked out of the room.

"A dance?" she asked as I threw a gentle smile in her direction.

"No," my hands quickly gestured, "thank you. You don't have to."

"I have to get paid either way. Even if I don't give you a dance," she got up and began to walk toward me, "I have to get paid."

"Oh." A slight chuckle escaped my lips. "Is that so?" I could hardly maintain eye contact with her as she moved even closer. Soon, she was leaning close. So close that I could see the cleavage of her breasts.

"If you don't want a dance, what do you want?" Her eyes wore a demanding look. It was almost as though she was telling me I would regret it if I refuse to give her what she wanted.

And, that was money.

As I tapped the pocket area of my trousers, I soon realized that I didn't take my wallet.

Well, it's not like I have that much money in it anyway.

"Hmm... I don't have-"

"Benita," a voice called from the entrance and it was no doubt Selena's voice. That was a voice I have not heard for days. "That's enough." I felt my jaws clench as her stone voice filled the room and introduced some sort of dread into its space.

Selena did not contact me once since that day. During my office hours, I found myself glancing at my phone with faint anticipation.

But, no. Not once did she call.

Even when I swallowed my pride and gave her a call, I was ignored.

And, that drove me crazy.

Yes, I was able to ignore certain parts of my feelings and forget for a moment that Selena refused to acknowledge me ever since that day. But, I could not forget that day. Every night, the way I felt as my shaft went in and out of her crept into my mind.

I failed to forget how much of her touch I felt that evening. How she danced erotically in my arms, how her pupils dilated when I commanded her to lie on cold tile...

I failed to forget it all.

She was on my mind even when I didn't want it to be so.

As the lady called Benita quietly walked away from me, she tiptoed to a corner and sat still. I was trying to make sure I wouldn't disappoint myself and give in to the desperation to continue what we left unfinished that day, so I maintained my gaze on Benita.

My ears caught the sound of a person clearing that throat. It was from Lucius.

"It is ready, boss," he said as the music in the room reduced significantly.

Tapping the edge of the couch with my fingers, I contemplated moving closer to Benita to strike a conversation with her.

Well, anything to make sure I don't give in to the feeling coursing through my entire being.

Soon, I did just that. Without sparing a glance in Selena's direction, I swiftly moved toward Benita.

"Uh..." I rubbed my palms as I turned my attention to the woman whose lips shined brightly thanks to the red lipstick she had on. "I don't have cash on me but if you don't mind, I will like to talk."

Benita's playful eyes wore a smile that made her look prettier. Her eyes which were a deep shade of the colour green danced with excitement as she said, "I love talking to handsome men. Don't mind what I said earlier." I looked down at my arm on which placed her hands with enthusiasm. "I would love to talk."

"Do you have any questions for me?"

"What do you do for a living?" That question was quick and it was the first time I would be hearing it in a while.

And, for some reason, contrary to how gloomy such questions made me feel in the past, I felt glad to reply to her.

"Uh... I am a photographer."

"Really?" Her eyes shined even more. "That's such a fun job."

I chuckled. "Is it?"

"Would you like to take a picture of me? Now that I think about it," her smile reduced, "I have spent years in this place and I hardly have a documented memory to show for the years I have spent here."

Our eyes met and I could tell she wanted to say more.

She did. "I know most people see what I do as a dirty job, but it is what I can do best. Yes, at first, I did it as a quick means of earning money but the funny thing was, I hardly earned anything in my first three months." She laughed dismissively.

"The more I grew in this industry, the more I loved it. Unless I meet a customer that is rude and oddly demanding, I always love dancing for strangers. I love making them feel good about themselves. I like to think that I am some sort of hero."

"Benita..." My brows twitched as I reached for her hands and caged them gently between mine. "Truthfully, I have never given much thought to this line of work. I have always found myself acting like it is a part of our society that needs to remain invisible. But, hearing you speak right now had made me realize something.

You are all human like every other person. Just like how I struggle to make ends meet, you do the same. The same way I feel a thrill whenever I do something I like must be the same way you feel in such a situation. Even for criminals, it is the same."

Benita wore a smirk before she leaned her lips toward my right ear and whispered, "Was that a jab at Miss Selena?"

A surprised look flashed through my face. I quickly whispered into her ears, "You know who she is?"

Benita's nodded. "I know she is the leader of the Damish Gang. I have helped her so many times and she has repaid my favours abundantly."

My brows lifted significantly as I tried to fight the urge to look in Selena's direction.

"She talked about you a lot," Benita further said. "She likes you a lot."

Benita nodded as I questioned her statement with my eyes. Quickly, I lost the fight to my desperation.

I looked in Selena's direction and as our eyes met, she seemed to dare me to look away.

Silently, we stared at each other. It was insane. As she exchanged words with Lucius at the entrance, she continued to stare at me and that cold gaze in her eyes became something I found warm.

In addition to Benita's words, the simple gaze we exchanged quickly displaced whatever form of hesitation I had.

Instantly, I wanted to rush toward Selena and pull her to a corner and finish what we failed to complete.

I wanted to feel her again. Holding her against my bare chest, tracing my fingers over her small tattoo, feeling the wetness between her legs... I wanted to do those things.

Selena has successfully turned me into a man who is hungry for a woman's touch.

And, not just any woman... Selena Danniman. The Dangerous Dame of Población.

"You should take my picture sometime, Damon," Benita spoke and I finally tore my eyes off Selena.

"I would love to. We should-"

"Damon." Selena's sudden utterance of my voice started me gently. Slowly, I looked up at the woman who had found her way to where I was seated and the hard gaze on her small face quickly made me smile.

I didn't bother to fight it. Neither did I call myself insane for finding her angry gaze cute.

I knew how I felt. I was more than certain to the point that I knew it would be useless to hold debates in my head.

"Selena," I returned her call as I got up.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "We have a mission."

"Oh right." My voice came out softer than intended. As my gaze cautiously met hers, I wished to do as I wanted and pull her to a hidden corner to kiss her in ways I intend to.

Man, I guess attractions can get deadly. It can go from thinking that a woman is pretty to imagining what she would look like while eating out her pussy. Linda will be surprised to find out how much I have changed.

"Let's go," she ordered and, Lucius and I followed her swiftly.

Soon, we were outside the building after we walked past so many rooms before our steps led us to the back of the building.

Waiting in the large space was a large truck whose doors were opened to expose the truck's emptiness.

As I looked up at the dark light of the sky, I asked, "What are we doing here?"

Something was dropped in my hold in response.

As I stared at the camera in my hold, I found myself gasping. I instantly felt like I was holding a treasure. With caution, I studied the device in my hands and I further confirmed that it was indeed one of the rare camera designs a few get to use.

"We are here to get the gold consignment. The details in Basiton's documents led us here."

I raised my head instantly. "The file I risked my life for was a map?"

"It contained other details that don't concern you." Lucius gestured at the camera in my hold. "Focus on taking pictures when the consignment gets here. Our men should have hijacked the truck and captured Basiton by now."

"Why would you capture Basiton? You have gotten what you want from him."

"He has to become our prisoner." Any other question I had could not be asked as the sound of a revving engine filled the air and a truck similar to the one beside me rushed toward us. "Focus on what I asked you to do."

I began to work my way with the camera after releasing a deep sigh.

Soon, the truck was positioned well and we all walked toward the back of the vehicle. As the men who sat in the front rushed to greet Selena, they opened the door, and the sight that greeted me almost blinded me.

Trays of gold bars arranged neatly were soon pulled out and with haste, they were transported to the empty truck we met in the park.

As I took pictures of the scene in front of me, I noticed how my heart couldn't help but race. I was staring at billions of dollars in the form of gold bars.

While I wondered what they would be used for, I could not help but stare at them a bit too hard.

I still took pictures as the trays were gently pulled out but my hands stopped their magic when I noticed that two men were seated in the depth of the truck.

"Boo!" A jovial voice greeted all of us and Basiton was helped out of the truck by the men who were handling the swift transportation of the gold bars. "It is so good to get some air. We meet again, pretty boy," he said as our eyes met.

Selena and I looked at each other and she smirked. "Nice to see you, Basiton."

"I could say the same, but," the man yawned loudly as his tied hands managed to stretch, "I can not help but feel betrayed."

"Why? Because you were deceived?" Selena sounded smug.

As I looked away from Basiton, my sight was trained on the other person in the truck. As the long hair of this person danced majestically, I kept my eyes on him.

Once his feet hit the ground, my eyes bulged with surprise as I whispered loudly into the night, a deep frown on my face, "Ethan?"