Surrender To Me

Corina smiles and nods. I wonder if Vera would be as friendly if she knew who Corina is and why she is here. I have a feeling she would make those pancakes with a huge dose of sand instead of flour.

Ignoring the entire situation and my conflicting feelings that are souring my breakfast, I make quick work of it. After I’m done, I wipe my mouth and stand up. Colin and Rob note the cue and straighten it. “Are you done?” I say to Corina. “We need to go.”

She looks like she’s about to throw a retort, but stuffs the rest of her food and chugs it down with juice. Vera is looking at me like I’ve committed some grave sin while Colin and Rob are already making their way out.

“Let me go get my keys.”

“Really?”

“How do you expect me to get in? Or do you want me to ask Tiny?”

“Be quick.” Instead of rushing, she struts back to her room, deliberately meant to antagonize me. When she had

gone, Vera said, “Your new girlfriend is lovely.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Oh. Who is she?”

“A liability and an asset.”

“That explains a lot. Here I was thinking you’ve finally found someone you would want sleeping over.”

“She’s nothing of the sort, and she has her room. You should watch her. She’s not supposed to leave the penthouse unless it’s under my direction. What do you mean, ‘it explains a lot?'”

“The way you are treating her. What is she guilty of?”

“A lot. You wouldn’t like her if you knew.”

“Then don’t tell me. She’s such a sweet girl.”

“You’ve only known her for five minutes.”

“I have an intuition about these things. You and her…”

She never gets to finish her sentence because Corina comes in, dangling her keys and holding a purse. We leave, making use of the private elevator, which sends us straight to the basement and bypasses the hotel and casino. Corina’s look of awe as she gazes out of the glass window that overlooks the entire city is fascinating. “What are you looking at?”

“The city.”

“You should see it at night. It’s more beautiful.”

“I don’t know. Something is fascinating about the strip in the morning.” I take a second look. She’s right. The unlit neon signs, the concrete buildings, and the way the morning sun hits the windows give it a sort of glow that is poetic. It’s like the night’s sin washed anew by the warm rays.

The city disappears as the elevator descends into the basement, where it comes to a stop. Colin and Rob have already brought the car in front of the elevator, and Rob is holding the door while Colin is at the wheel. We get in and the drive to her apartment takes a little longer than I expected. Itexpecteddle out of town, on the cheaper end of the city. The building looks good, but not what I expected from someone who’s working two jobs and has been stealing from me. A tiny nab of doubt niggles at me. Maybe she is putting her money elsewhere. Saving up so she can get out of town. That way, she won’t bring attention to herself as well as have enough to live on when she bails. That’s what a smart person would do. Too bad she wasn’t smart enough not to get caught. We enter her apartment building and she glances behind her when she sees me following her. “You could wait in the car,” she waves her hand in the air, the one with the bracelet. “It’s not like you can’t catch me if I go anywhere.”

“I don’t know, I have a hankering to see where you live.”

She shakes her head and continues upstairs. We stop at her apartment door and once more she glances back at me. “Don’t expect much.” She unlocks the door and opens it. The place is small, but quaint and tidy. The kitchen and living room have an open plan structure that’s supposed to make it feel bigger but somehow fails. Most of the furniture is eclectic and feels cozy. I almost want to sink into the stuffed loveseat and watch her as she moves around.

“You can take a seat while I go fetch it.” I’m tempted to do so until I remember who I’m with.

“I don’t know. I want to see where you sleep.” That comes out more erotic than I intend, but she seems not to notice.

“Sure whatever.”NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

We head down the small corridor and into a room. Hers, I assume. It’s less eclectic and more organized. Everything is a version of yellow, white, and blue. She moves around the room, first looking under her bed, then opening the chest of drawers, which I note is empty.

“Do you need help?”

“No, but if you’re going to stand there like a scarecrow, it’s going to increase my anxiety.” If she expects me to fall for whatever trick she’s trying to pull, she’s got another thing coming. Corina gets back to looking for the doll in her closet. She has to climb onto a stool to get on the top shelf, and that’s when she whips out a beige and brown teddy bear. It looks worn but well-kept. One eye is missing and a similar-looking button is sown on instead, and the hairs on the doll are matted. It looks like something an adult would have had since they were a child. So, I guess she wasn’t lying about the doll. Go figure.

“Right. Let’s go.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.” Even though she was telling the truth, there’s something about the way she replies that makes my hair rise. Something is off, and I don’t know what.

“Give me the doll.”

“Why?”

“I just want to check something.”

“What do you think-” I snatch the doll from her. “Hey!”

I ignore her as I inspect it. It feels heavy for a plush toy and when I shake it; I hear nothing. She raises her arms in exasperation. “What are you looking for? It’s not like there are any drugs in it.”

“Let me be the judge of that?”

“Oh. My. God. You think there are drugs in it.”

“Where’s the zipper?”

“There isn’t any.”

“Why is it heavy?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because when my grandmother made it, she used cheap stuffing?”

I almost want to rip it apart to make sure. However, when I glance at her, she seems almost teary-eyed, and I stop myself. This ugly thing holds some sentimental value to her, and I would not be like every Mafia caricature that rips dolls apart. I hand it back to her. She grabs it and places it under her arm while a small teardrop makes me feel like a route. What’s up with me? It’s only been a day of interacting with Corina and she’s already twice brushed against my sleek exterior and exposed the animal within.

“Grab anything else you want and let’s go. You won’t be returning here.”

Her eyes widen. “What does that mean?”

I do not know what it meant. It slipped out and my intention, which she must think, isn’t because I will kill you, but rather, you don’t deserve to live in a place like this. As if part of my desire is to put her up in an upscale apartment as… as what? My girlfriend? My mistress?

Another tear falls and I close the space between us just as it reaches her cheeks. I brush it off with my thumb. Her silky soft skin feels amazing under it. I wonder what it would taste like and without thinking; I do just that. I kiss her cheek. Then the other cheek. I trail down until my lips meet hers. My tongue coaxes them open and when they do, I triumph, delving inside. Our tongues dance with each other as I pull her closer. Not only does she taste like heaven, she smells like heaven. Feels like heaven.

Heaven comes crashing down when I feel hardownteel against my stomach. I hear the cock of a trigger. When I pull away from her slowly, I see the teddy bear on the floor and a pistol pointing at me. The bear did have a secret compartment, after all. When I look up at her, the fear is gone. She has murder in her eyes.