Page 12

Katie

“Ahh…. Ouch…. Oooh.” My skin burns as I get into the warm bath water.

Really wishing I had put sun cream on today, I quickly wash and get out of the water, unable to stand the pain.

The sight in the mirror is hilarious. If I wasn’t so drained, I would laugh.

My face is blotchy and puffy; my body is bright red.

Blisters have already formed on my back.

The cold after-sun lotion on my skin makes me scream.

Crash.

The bathroom door bursts opens. Leo enters with his gun drawn, searching the bathroom.

“I heard screaming.” he states.

“That was just me putting on lotion.”

“Lotion? Why does putting on lotion make you scream?” Leo's eyes roam my naked body.

I grab a hand towel to cover myself. Anger builds on his face; he turns me around to look at my back. I flinch at his touch .

“Who did this to you?!” His voice is almost a growl.

“Nobody ‘did’ it to me. I forgot to put on sun cream, so I got a little burnt.”

“This is more than a little burnt. Wait here.” He disappears out of the bathroom but is back within seconds, holding a little brown bottle.

“Turn around.” He instructs impatiently.

I do as he says and turn to face the mirror; Leo stands behind me, studying my back.

He rolls up his sleeves, then pours the bottle's contents into his hands. He gently places them on my back, his eyes darting straight to the mirror to see my reaction. I nod for him to continue. Carefully, Leo spreads the lotion over my skin. He’s so gentle.

Goosebumps spread over my body, my tiny hairs standing to attention.

The gesture doesn’t fit, coming from the dangerous man behind me.

He has me mesmerised, watching his movements. I notice myself blush as his furrowed brow scans my body. Leo must notice, too, as a smirk crosses his chiselled face. I shouldn’t feel this relaxed in the hands of the devil. My body is betraying common sense.

“Why are you doing this, Leo?”

Holding my eyes in the mirror, his mouth brushes my ear. “Kat-er-een. This body belongs to me. I look after my belongings. I do not like my things getting spoilt. In the future, you will look after yourself. Do you understand me?”

“Yes” is all I can manage. His hands leave my body, and he disappears from the bathroom, leaving me breathless.

When I enter the bedroom, he’s sat in a chair, reading something on his phone. Wrapped in my robe, I get some pjs out of my case.

“You may as well unpack properly; you’re not going anywhere.”

“Get out!” I scream.

Leo laughs at my outburst. How can he make me so relaxed one minute and the next so infuriated?

He strides over to stand right in front of me, he cups my face. His touch instantly sends me back to being a teenager. For a moment my feelings come flooding back. But it doesn’t last long. His next words bring me back to reality.

“I am going nowhere, Katherine. And neither are you.”

“Don’t touch me!” I bat away his hands.

Smirking, he releases me.

“You don’t want me to touch you? That’s not the impression I got five minutes ago. Five minutes ago, your skin tingled and pimpled at my touch; it flushed under my gaze. ”

“Don’t flatter yourself. My skin crawled at your touch and flushed through fright. I was just too scared to tell you to stop.”

His eyes hold mine for a moment. I think I see hurt, or is it anger? The moment passes, and he leaves the room, slamming the door and locking it behind him.

I curl up in bed and try to sleep. This is a nightmare.

Waking up to the sound of a message alert on my phone, I realise I’ve slept through the full night. It must be all the sun I got yesterday. I pick up my phone and read the message.

Leo: Breakfast in the dining room, 10 minutes.

I throw my phone across the bed in frustration.

∞∞∞

“You're late,” Leo states when I arrive twenty minutes later, not looking up from his breakfast.

I don’t bother to reply. I took my time showering and getting ready, not caring about pleasing him. Alga serves me my breakfast choice from the spread she has laid out on the table. Answering Alga is the only time I speak. I can feel Leo glaring into the side of my head, but I don’t look at him.

Marco enters the room.

“I need a word.”

Leo nods for him to go ahead. But Marco stares at me.

“Lei non puo capirti.” She cannot understand you. Leo waves for him to continue.

Huh, that’s what they think.

Marco reluctantly informs Leo that a large cargo they had due to be delivered today has not made it.

The cargo ship has been found in the middle of the ocean, empty with all the crew members dead.

I can see Leo is trying to keep calm in my presence, so I leave the room while Leo blames Marco for not preventing the disaster and not having found the culprit already.

Out on the patio, the morning sun is already warm on my skin.

The lotion Leo used has really helped my burns.

The garden and pool look beautiful; it’s a real paradise out here.

If only I could enjoy it. If only I wasn’t being forced to live with a dangerous criminal.

Why couldn’t he be the kind, caring, funny boy I first met?

I miss home, my friends. I miss work; I miss my life.

Leo joins me, taking a seat at my side. He lights a cigar, something I have noticed he does when he is stressed.

I make conversation. “Bad news?”

“You could say that.”

We sit in silence while I finish my coffee and he finishes his smoke.

“Tonight we are attending an opera. I have a designer arriving at 11:00; you will choose an outfit. She will alter it where needed and have it ready in time.”

I’ve always wanted to go to the opera, but I don’t let him know this.

I’m waiting in the front room when the designer arrives, pulling a long rail of dresses. Two other girls follow behind her, keeping their heads down, looking very uncomfortable. Marco closes the door behind them, then stands in front of the door with his arms folded.

The designer shows me the dresses, but I can tell she and the girls are very on edge with Marco in the room.

“Marco, please leave.” I say with as much confidence as I can.

Marco glares at me.

“Would you mind giving me some privacy?”

“My orders are to guard the door. Guard the door, I will.”

“Well, how about you guard the other side of the door? I’m sure Leo wouldn’t be happy if he heard you had been watching his fiancée undress and looking at her naked breasts?”

“I won’t—”

I cut him off before he finishes that sentence by quickly removing my vest top, revealing my breasts; he can’t help but let his eyes land on them.

Quickly remembering himself, he covers his eyes. Fumbling around with his eyes still closed, he opens the door.

“I’ll be right on the other side!” He groans.

The girls visibly relax as soon as the door closes.

“These are the dresses I have selected as per Mr. Guerra’s suggestions. Choose your favourite, and I will ensure it fits you perfectly.” The designer explains while taking each dress from the rail.

All the dresses are lovely but very conservative and not at all me.

If Leo wants to marry me, then he is going to marry the real me whether he likes it or not.

There’s only one dress that catches my eye.

It's red silk. I love bright, bold colours.

I usually have my hair a bright colour, pink was my last, but it has faded out to my natural blonde now.

Red will be the perfect statement for me.

“I want this one, but I’d like a few changes.” I say holding it against my body .

“Changes?”

“Yes. I love the halter neck, but I would like the neckline to plunge about three inches lower.”

“Okay?” The designer takes out a pen and paper.

“And the back—I’d like that to be much lower too. Just above my bottom will be perfect, and a split in one side of the skirt area up to my hip.”

She narrows her eyes at me.

“Miss, Mr. Guerra gave me strict instructions on the type of dress I was to bring here today. I’m not sure he would be happy with these types of alterations.”

“With all due respect, I am Mr. Guerra’s fiancée. Soon to be Mrs. Guerra. I’m sure my husband-to-be only wants me to be happy, do you not agree?”

The designer nods, clearly confused.

“So, can you do it or not?”

She looks to her assistants, who shrug. I feel a little bad for being so pushy, but I know I wouldn’t get what I want otherwise.

“Okay, I can do it.” She agrees.

“Fabulous.” I smile.

After having my measurements taken, the dress cut and pinned into its new style, shoes and accessories chosen, I hit the gym feeling pretty pleased with myself.