Boss of All Bosses

Aliyana

“This world will never offer you those comforts for very long, Aliyana. Sooner or later, your luck will run out, and all you’ll have left is yourself. You should find someone to love while you can and enjoy the beginning of that love because, if there is one thing I can guarantee you, Aliyana, is that love will end as fast as it began.”

I have never met this man before today, and our brief moment is just this moment.

But there is something in the sky at work tonight because when he stands next to me, I can sincerely say that I feel safe. And his words have more truth to it than I will confess to even myself.

I shrug, digesting his all too knowing words. 

"I should. But the one I love will be promised to my sister soon. It took me 5 minutes in his company to see, I am not the one he wants, and I have spent 5 years loving him.” 

It's the truth I had to confront today. I have known it for a while. My sister is clueless, and her innocent attraction to Marco has made it easy to turn a blind eye to the facts. 

I am good at pretending blindness, I have done it my whole life.

"I gathered as much when I saw you earlier today. My brother has never been the smartest Jack when it came to choosing anything. You might just get better. So how about that wager? And no, it isn’t sex."

“If not s*x, then prey, do tell what is this wager that has you so anxious you are practically screaming my name?”

His one side of his face pulls up into a crooked, yet utterly wicked smile as he slips his ringing phone from his pocket, silencing the call.

It rings again, and I watch his screen flash ‘Killer’ as he puts it on flight mode. All the while, I remain aware of how devastatingly evil his eyes remain as they watch me with mischievous intentions, I should know all too well.

My nerves heighten with the knowledge of how corrupt all of this is. 

Him. 

Me. 

Us. 

He walks across the room, putting a few UVA lights on.

Brightness comes from the far left of where I am standing barefoot. 

His steps are slow, as he advances closer to me, giving me no option but to glance up into his onyx orbs.

My mind is thoughtless, my body attuned to his inaudible steps. 

Black depths stare unblinking. 

But where I have seen many eyes, none as full as this man has ever held me at a standstill. Until now 

Chaos undisposed. 

A war ablaze in a fire couldn’t come close to what I see in his unspeaking irises. The roses sweeten the air as he draws closer, while I stay, remaining here. 

Memories are going through his head as I remain stuck to the ground by just knowing he is walking toward me. 

For the first time since I have met Marco Catelli, I wish to know just how far his crimes go. 

He is a killer, Aliyana, does it matter? 

My mind screams to walk away, but here I am still, gawking at a made-mad-man.

“You look at me as though you have seen all the ones I have laid to the ground.” His observation isn't far off.

“Perhaps I am just thinking how deep a hole would I need to dig, to fit them all in.”

He smiles, his mouth twitching to the left, “Or, you’ve figured it out, and now you just crave the words."

My teeth sink into the inside of my cheek, as his jaw flexes under my silent scrutiny. He is right again.