He didn't know what had driven him to follow her; he just wanted to find her and stop her.
He spotted her blonde hair a few meters away, and without thinking, he approached and gently took her by the arm. He already knew that roughness didn't work with her-well, only if he wanted to end up arguing and nursing an injury caused by her hands.
«Truly a wild cat», he thought, smiling.
"What the hell...?" she began, then noticed it was Dominick and scrunched her nose. "Is something wrong?"
He was surprised by how calmly she asked; usually, she would have been defensive.
"No," he said, and didn't know what else to add.
"Fine." She raised her eyebrows slightly, not understanding his behavior. She spun on her heel and walked away.
Dominick cursed under his breath. He didn't know what to say. Why had he looked for her, then? he questioned himself. Nothing made sense at that moment.
He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, messing it up even more. The image of Christian walking in with Jade flashed in his mind, and immediately, anger flared inside him. He wanted Christian to feel, at least a little what he had felt at the time of his betrayal.
«She won't be yours, I promise», he spat through clenched teeth. At that moment, his rage was speaking for him. He followed the path Jade had taken and spotted her in the distance.
She was standing outside the ballroom, looking down the hallway.
"He's not coming," he whispered into her ear. She flinched. "Give it up."
She turned around.
"Don't bother me. I know he'll come," she said, hugging herself. "He promised me."
Jade's face showed impatience. She was sure he would come; she wanted to see him. She had gotten the stupid idea in her head that kissing Robinson would erase any lingering doubts she had about Dominick. She wanted to detox herself from him, she hated him of that she was absolutely certain, but for some reason she refused to acknowledge her body reacted to his touch instantly.
Jade looked forward again, and Dominick took that opportunity to step behind her, breathing in the scent of her hair, while she could feel his presence invading her personal space.
"What do you want from me?" she demanded, turning to face him. She had spun around and now only a few centimeters separated them.
"To show you that you want me as much as I want you. And don't deny it," he hurried to say when he saw she was about to argue. "Jade, we're adults... I don't understand your resistance to giving in to pleasure."
He placed his hands on her shoulders; one hand rose to her cheek, caressing it. For a few seconds, just a few seconds, he allowed himself to enjoy the subtle touch.
But reality struck her, one she wasn't willing to accept.
"I'm not going to sleep with you," she snapped, pushing his hand away. "I'm not going around sleeping with just anyone. I want a real relationship."
"That's just nonsense. A relationship?" he scoffed. "What would you even gain from that?"
"What would I gain?" she crossed her arms. "Unlike you, I have goals. I want a family, and you won't give me that." He clenched his jaw. "What did you think? That I'd be happy with just one night? That I'd be thrilled to be one of your little flings for a day?"
She pointed at him with her index finger.
"You're dead wrong, and I hope you keep your distance because I'm getting sick of your little game of kissing me every chance you get," Jade said, her eyes burning with fury, deeply angry at the whole situation.
"You strut around saying you don't want me to kiss you, but when I do, you kiss me back with the same or even greater intensity. What game are you playing?" he asked suddenly, catching her off guard. Jade blinked, bewildered.
"Don't try to turn this around. You're the one determined to ruin my life. Why don't you just leave me alone once and for all?"
Dominick's chest began to heave with heavy breathing. He stepped closer to her, his fists clenched, his voice thick with anger as he said:
"Because I like you, damn it! And I'll do whatever it takes to make you understand that you want me too... even if you deny it." He closed his eyes for a few seconds. "And I also won't let Christian think he has a chance with you, because let me assure you, Jade, that will never happen. Over my dead body."
He left, leaving her stunned and speechless.
Dominick walked quickly, his mind spinning with the stupidity of what he had just done. His words echoed in his head...
He stopped in the middle of the hallway, running his hands through his hair again, even though it was already a bit messy. He resumed walking toward the elevator. He told himself he would go to his room, have a few drinks, and then go to bed. He pulled out his phone.
I went to my room✓✓9:58
He hit send and immediately received a response.
Maxi
Are you okey?✓✓ 9:58
Do you want me to come?✓✓9:59
No. I'm good. Stay at the party. We'll talk tomorrow ✓✓10:00
He entered the elevator and pressed the button for his floor. His phone buzzed again. He saw it was Maximiliano.
Maxi
Got it✓✓ 10:01
He locked his phone and shoved it into his pocket, letting his head fall back against the elevator wall. His phone started ringing, signaling a call, and he frowned when he didn't recognize the number.
"Who is this?" he asked, sounding completely annoyed. He couldn't hide his irritation.
"When are you going to change that attitude?" his friend Marcus asked. Dominick huffed, making Marcus laugh on the other end of the line.
"Marc, how are you? Is the grump around?" he asked, sounding a little more animated. He tried not to take out his frustration on them.
The elevator doors opened and he stepped out.
"Dominick," Ketlan growled, he hated being called a grump, and Dom enjoyed messing with him. "Hello to you too."
"Don't talk about grumps, because you'd win that title. You've got such a bad mood," Marcus exclaimed, laughing.
He reached his door, pulled out his key, and opened it without hanging up the call.
"It's because of a maid," he muttered with a sigh.
"Did you say a maid?" Marcus started laughing uncontrollably.
"What's so funny?" Dominick asked, frowning.
"A maid has turned my world upside down," Dominick could hear the happiness in Marcus' voice, "and another maiden just hit Ketlan."
"Are you kidding me?" he asked.
"Have I ever joked with you about something like that?" Marcus laughed again.
"And what's with your maid? Why are you so stressed out?" Marcus asked.
"That woman," he sighed, running his hand through his hair as he dropped onto an armchair. "She doesn't listen to me, she gives me dirty looks, she's slapped me several times, she's a damn headache."
"In other words, she doesn't want to sleep with you," Marcus stated.
"That's what's frustrating me the most. And the worst part is, the damn woman is flirting with one of the bellboys. I heard her say she likes him! She'd rather go for some raggedy bellboy than me!"
Dominick blurted out without thinking... He knew calling him "raggedy" was wrong, but at that moment he was too angry to care.
He got up and went for the whiskey bottle.
"It's not a big deal," Ketlan, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.
"You don't understand, Ketlan, you never will. And I won't rest until that insolent girl is mine, end of story."
"You're obsessed," Ketlan concluded.
"You know that if she doesn't want you, and from what you've said, she hates you, you won't be able to have her in your bed. You can't force her." A heavy silence fell. "Dominick, what the hell are you going to do? You know if you take her by force..."
"Dammit, Marc, I'd never force a woman," he exclaimed. "I'm not that kind of bastard."
Dominick took a swig straight from the bottle, the bitter flavor burning slowly down his throat.
"I don't see how you're going to sleep with her if she despises you, and I'm sure she does, because this is all happening just because for the first time a woman said no to you," Ketlan stated.
"There's an option," Dominick murmured.
"Yeah? Care to enlighten me? What kind of stupidity are you about to suggest?" Marcus spat.
"I'll buy her," Dom declared with determination.
"Have you lost your damn mind?" Dominick could hear the disapproval in Marcus' voice.
"Maybe. But I want her. One night will be enough to show her she's not immune to my charms and that she's nothing special," he exclaimed. "Besides, everyone has a price."
"This is insane, and I'm sure you're hiding something. What is it about this girl that's so different from the others, aside from being the first to reject you?"
He sighed and stayed silent for a few seconds before whispering:
"It's about Christian. He's in love with her, and I..."
"You want revenge," Ketlan said flatly. "This is stupid. How old are you, three? Grow up already."
"Ketlan, you're the last person who should talk about letting go. You still can't move on. Better if we drop this conversation."
"I'll be there when you realize you're acting like a damn idiot, when you hit your head against the wall, just wait," Ketlan said.
"Yeah, whatever," Dominick rolled his eyes.
He hung up more annoyed than before. He hated his friends' lectures and was sick of their judgment.
"You'll be mine, Jade. No matter the cost," he muttered as he kept drinking late into the night. Eventually, when he couldn't even hold the bottle anymore, he passed out on the floor.
[...]
Tuesday, January 31st
11:45 am
"Shit", he muttered, clutching his head.
He opened one eye, then the other, trying to focus on where he was. He pressed his palms against the floor to push himself up, but his first attempt failed, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground. Two attempts later, with great difficulty, he was stumbling toward the bathroom.
He threw up everything he had eaten the night before. He felt dizzy, and his head was pounding horribly. After making sure there was nothing left in his stomach to expel, he stood up. Slowly, he stripped off his clothes, started filling the bathtub, and waited a few minutes.
While he waited, he searched for some headache pills, he was sure he had some... but he couldn't find any.
He gave up and turned off the faucet once the bathtub was full. He moved with extreme care, trying not to make even the slightest sound that could worsen the throbbing in his head.
Completely naked, he stepped into the bathtub, and the warm water began to caress his skin.
He sank into the tub and finally relaxed completely. He stayed there for a long time…
Jade
"Why did you let me drink?" she asked, holding a hand to her head.
"Me? Are you blaming me?" Nerea raised her voice slightly, immediately regretting it.
"Shit, Nerea," Jade gave her a disapproving look. "Could you... do you think you could keep it down a little?"
The brunette gave her friend a weak smile and followed her down the hallway, pushing the cleaning cart at a slow pace.
"Girls!" a cheerful Robinson called out, walking toward them.
"For God's sake, Robinson," Nerea groaned, shooting daggers at him with her eyes. "Turn the volume down a notch."
"Sorry," he said, embarrassed. "Did you have fun last night? You look like something out of a horror movie," he teased, chuckling.
"Robinson, now's not the time," Nerea growled under her breath.
"Why didn't you come to the party?" Jade asked, catching his attention.
"I had to leave unexpectedly," he said with a grimace. "My sister had a problem."
"But she's okay, right?" Jade asked, concerned.
"Let's say she is," he murmured gloomily. "Nothing that can't be fixed," he added, clearly ending the topic there.
"I hope everything gets better. You'll see it will," Jade assured him, letting go of the cart and stepping closer to Robinson, taking his hands in hers.
"Thank you for your kind words, Jade," Robinson said, pulling her into a hug.
She rested her head against his chest.
"I'll get ahead," Nerea whispered quietly, pushing the cart down the hall at a slow pace.
Jade lifted her head. Robinson was looking at her. She stared into his eyes, then at his lips. She wanted to kiss him, needed to kiss him. She had to be sure of what she already knew: she liked him. A lot.
"Can I kiss you?" he asked, his face inches from hers.
"Yes, Robinson. I'm dying for you to," she whispered.
Robinson leaned in closer, and when he was just about to brush his lips against hers... a rough voice exclaimed:
"Over my dead body will you put your filthy lips on hers."
Dominick stood just a few meters away from them, and they instantly pulled apart.