(Mariana)
It was morning when I opened my eyes, trying to blink away the sleep. Memories of last night began flooding in and my face starts to heat up. The bed was soft and comfortable, and the sun was streaming through the window, casting a warm glow on the room.
I rolled over to my side and stare at Lorenzo who was still asleep. He looked so handsome in his sleep, his features were calm showing a vulnerable side of him I'd never seen before. I slowly stretch my hand out, reaching for his face.
The moment I touched him, his eyes flickered open staring back at me. I tried to retract my hand but he stopped me, he placed his hand at my back and pulled me closer. As Lorenzo pulled me close, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but I could not deny the chemistry between us.
He looked into my eyes, his gaze intense and unreadable. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression last night," he murmured, his voice low and serious. "It was just a one-night thing, nothing more." My heart dropped. All my hopes and expectations of what could be between us crumbled to dust. I tried to act calm and collected, but deep down, I was a hot mess.
He slowly let go of my hand, got up and began to dress. "Wait what" I asked, sitting up. "What do you mean? So you're trying to tell me last night meant nothing to you at all?"
He ignored me and started buttoning up his shirt. I got up in annoyance putting on my shirt to cover up. "Lorenzo! I'm talking to you." I walked up to his face. I knew I shouldn't have acted like that but his words hit me deep.
I actually thought last night would have at least meant something to him. Lorenzo finished buttoning up his shirt and stared at me so coldly. All the emotions I witnessed but a moment ago are gone.
"Mariana,what happened last night was nothing serious. It was a one night stand, I'm sure you know what that means." He picked up his car keys and phones. "You're not the first to end up in my bed and I'm pretty sure you won't be the last so suck it up and stop being such a crybaby about it. Declan would take you back to the hostel once you're fully dressed" he said and with that he left the room without sparing me another glance.
"I understand," I whispered to him but he was already gone. I began to tremble slightly, fighting back the tears that were threatening to come. I slumped down on the bed trying to grasp the situation, trying to let all what he said sink in.
"You're not the first to end up in my bed and I'm pretty sure you won't be the last." Those words echoed in my head. A knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts.
"Please get dressed quickly so we can be on our way." Declan said through the door. I slowly got up and began to get dressed. I couldn't believe I thought I meant something to Lorenzo. I should have known I was just setting myself up for heartbreak, I knew, but I just chose to ignore it all.
Tears began to slide down my cheeks,I wiped my tears and took a deep breath. I can't cry, not here, not now. I have to be strong. I walked to the bathroom and freshened up. Looking at the mirror I saw myself. A broken shell of myself. I turned on the tap and wash my face, the warm water streaming down my face. I grabbed a towel to dry my face, breathing in and out trying to compose myself.
Declan was waiting outside the room door. "Let's go" he ordered and led me out of Lorenzo's house. The drive back to the hostel was a calm one. Declan sang quietly along to the song playing on the radio while I was thinking of Lorenzo and what had happened. He used me, toyed with my feelings and when he was done, he dumped me. I was a fool for thinking otherwise.
"Mariana, where were you? You made me worried sick!" Janet exclaimed as she saw me walk through the door. I looked at her and smiled weakly. I didn't know how to tell her about Lorenzo. She sighed and looked at me in an understanding manner. She sat beside me on my bed and placed her arm over my shoulder. "You okay?" Janet asks with concern evident in her voice.
I needed this kind of comfort even though she probably thinks I spent the night with some asshole from the club. Tears were threatening to fall again but I closed my eyes pushing it back in. "I'm fine really" I said, with a forced smile. "You know how everything is, it's no big deal".
"Mariana," She says in a serious tone. "If something is bothering you, you can tell me. I hope you know that". I tried to shake off the sadness I'm feeling, but it was hard.
"It's nothing, I'm just tired," I said, trying to keep my smile in place. But Janet saw right through me. Maybe because she has been here for long, she knew what it felt like. "Mariana, you can tell me anything. I'm here for you," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I knew I could trust Janet, so I took a deep breath and tell her about what happened at Lorenzo's house. As I finished telling her, my eyes welled with tears.
She wrapped her arm around me and I cried into her shoulder "It's okay." She whispered stroking my hair. I felt a sense of relief as I finally let out all I have been holding in all morning. After a few minutes I pulled away from Janet and wiped away my tears.
"I'm sorry for falling apart like that, I'm usually not like that" I murmured with embarrassment.
"Don't be. It's okay to feel things. Especially in a place like this, you can't keep all your feelings bottled up, it hurts a whole lot more when you do" Janet said, smiling at me. "Buuut...." She began, smiling mischievously at me. "How did you manage to get the great Lorenzo McLaren in your arms for a night?"
" What"? I replied giggling. She just had to go there.
"I mean it, Marianna" She said, moving closer to me. " You've only been here for how many months and you've already had him. I've been here for years and all I could ever do was stare and daydream" She sighed dramatically, lying down on my bed. I let out a laugh when she dragged me down with her.
"Tell me your secret,you little witch" She started to tickle me. I began to laugh uncontrollably.
" I.... don't.... know!!!!, Janet!!!" I screamed, trying to hold back my tears while laughing really hard .
The room was filled with our laughter as we rolled around the bed, breathless from all the tickling. Finally, we both collapsed on the bed, catching our breath. "Wow, I haven't had this much fun in a while," Janet said with a big smile on her face.
"Me too, it feels good to let loose and have some fun." I said, smiling back at her.
We laid there for a few minutes in silence,basking in the afterglow of our laughter. My mind drifted back to Lorenzo, My thoughts drifted back to his warm embrace and soft lips, but I shook myself out of my reverie. I couldn't get attached to Lorenzo, it was just a fling, nothing more, nothing less. But I couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling in my chest. I couldn't let my heart get involved, but I also couldn't deny the attraction I felt towards him. I felt so conflicted, caught between my head and my heart.
I was snapped back to reality by Janet's voice. "Hey, get up. Don't forget we're on cleaning duty today, we have to head to the club."
"Oh no! I totally forgot about that," I groaned, sitting up quickly. "We better get a move on, we don't want to get into trouble with Margot." Janet said, standing up and stretching. I followed suit, feeling a little disoriented. We grabbed our cleaning supplies and head out to the bar.
At work, my thoughts kept drifting back to Lorenzo, no matter how hard I tried to focus.My mind kept wandering back to the night before. The feel of his lips on mine, the way his arms wrapped around me, the way he made me feel like the only person in the world. I couldn't shake what I felt for him no matter how much I tried. My thoughts were distracted by Margot who snuck up to me.
"Where's your head at? She asks me.
"Huh, I didn't hear you clearly."I replied gloomily.
"I said!" She yelled in my face. "Where's your head at, you've been on this same spot for the past thirty minutes."
I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. "I'm sorry, I was just lost in thought," I apologized, not wanting to reveal the real reason I was so distracted.
"Well, stop being such a daydreamer and get back to work," Margot sneered, turning on her heel and walking away. I sighed, knowing that the rest of my shift was going to be long and hard. I shook off thoughts of Lorenzo and tried to focus on the task at hand.
Night came and the club was packed as usual. I hardly had time to catch my breath because I was running around.
"Mariana, we have an order for table 12 upstairs, they'd like two glasses of champagne, a bottle of merlot and an order of calamari," I heard Samantha yell over the crowd. I grabbed the order pad and scribbled down the details, my mind racing as I tried to keep track of everything. I head towards the bartender.
"Hey, you got an order for table 12?" I asked, waving the order pad at him. "Yup, let me just grab the wine," he said, rushing over to the fridge. I watched him as he grabbed the champagne and the merlot, his movements quick and efficient.
He handed me the bottles and I headed upstairs, navigating through the crowd, balancing the drinks carefully. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through me, I tried to stay calm and focused. I made it to table 12, and took a deep breath before I approached the table. I placed the tray down and served the drinks. Just as I was about to leave I spotted Lorenzo, staring at me.
My heart stopped as our eyes met. I felt frozen in place, my breath caught in my throat. I couldn't look away from him, no matter how hard I tried.
I reminded myself about what happened between us and forced myself to snap out of it. Lorenzo breaks away from the gaze first and focuses his attention on the woman beside him.
The woman was beautiful, her skin perfect and her hair glossy. She was laughing at something Lorenzo said, and he was smiling at her. I felt a pang of jealousy as I watched them. I clear my throat and headed back downstairs in anger.
The rest of the night went on the same. Once my shift was over I went back to the hostel to try to get some sleep before tomorrow but I couldn't. I tossed and turned, unable to get the image of Lorenzo and that woman out of my mind. But no matter how much I tried it was no use. I sighed and sit up on the bed staring out the little window in my room wondering if Lorenzo would spend the night with the lady from the bar.
(Lorenzo) I felt a warm hand touch my face and I opened my eyes, it was Marianas'. She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. They were light brown with some specks of green that were almost not noticeable. She tried to remove her hands but I stopped her and pulled her closer towards me. She looked at me, her eyes searching mine. I knew I shouldn't pursue this any further, I knew I had to stop leading her on but I couldn't seem to stop myself. Mariana made me feel some way I could not seem to put a pin on, an emotion that felt really strange to me. But I couldn't get distracted. I had to end this here and now. I took in a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression last night,It was just a one-night thing, nothing more". I could see the shock and sadness in her face, I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. I slowly let go of her hand and get up from the bed. I needed to get dressed and leave this room, I couldn't bear to even look at her right now, and n
(Mariana) It had been two weeks. Two weeks since the incident between me and Lorenzo. A moment I was still stuck on. I was pretty sure Lorenzo had probably forgotten that I existed and had sunk his claws into another woman. I dipped the rag into a bowl of water, squeezed it and continued cleaning the tables. I guess I just had to accept the reality that there could never be anything serious between me and Lorenzo. "Let him go, Mariana," I whispered to myself. With a sigh I headed to the next table. The days at the club were becoming more dreadful as the days went by. My plan to escape has gone nowhere. My mind has been so preoccupied with Lorenzo that I forgot that I needed to escape from this hell hole. I needed to push Lorenzo out of my mind and focus all my energy into escaping so I could have my life back, get my freedom back. "Are you almost done Mariana?" Samantha called out my name from the other side of the bar. We were both cleaning the tables. Samantha was the only
(Lorenzo) I sat in my office handling some paperworks, signing off documents that I had been putting off for a while now. I picked up my cup of coffee and sipped it slowly reading through the company's financial record. It was a monthly ritual, just to make sure no one was stealing from me. It had been two weeks since Mariana. I had been with countless women after that but I still couldn't get her out of my system. Giovanni walked in with a serious look on his face. "Boss, our recent gun shipment got sabotaged." "What?" I yelled, enraged. "Who was stupid enough to do something like that?" "I've already put my men on it, and we managed to catch one of the men who was responsible." Giovanni said. "He's a member of the Blood Crust gang." "Blood Crust?" I replied, confused. The Blood Crust gang was one of the biggest gangs in South LA. Why would they do something so reckless? Were they trying to trigger a war, or were they just trying to piss me off? "Have you gotten anything out
(Mariana) The guard moved to the side letting me go into the room. I turned the knob and pushed the door open. I looked around the room and my eyes landed on Janet. I rushed over to her side.She was on a little bed by the corner,her neck was bandaged and she looked pale, almost like she was dead. I sat on the vacant seat by the bed and lightly squeezed her hand, tears welled up in my eyes. I never thought Janet would try something like this, she didn't show any signs. She was always smiling, always trying to cheer me up when I was down. It was because of this place, this toxic hellhole. The club, the hostel, Lorenzo. Yes, it was all Lorenzo's fault. He had kidnapped us and kept us here against our will, he forced us to work for him like slaves and then when he didn't find anymore use for us, he disposed of us. Lorenzo Mclaren, I hated him. I looked around the room and I spotted him at the corner staring at me. All the anger and the pain welled up inside of me. I hated him, he was
Cont'd (Marianna) Samantha laughed "Thank you very much, I cooked it myself" She takes another spoonful of soup and holds it up to my mouth. " Here, have some more."I opened my mouth and let her feed me again. "Thank you Samantha" I said, after swallowing the second spoon. " I really mean it, you've done a lot for me today."" Oh it's okay. You were going through a lot, you needed support even if it was just a little," She shrugged. "When it was me, no one cared. Everyone was going through one thing or another so no one had time for anyone but themselves. I had to deal with my shit all alone." "I'm sorry to hear that" I say to her." It's fine," she says, shaking off the thought."Enough of the sad stories, let's eat more.""Let's?" I ask, raising an eyebrow in question."Yeah, did you really think I'd make something this delicious and not eat out of it?" She said with a smirk and brought out another spoon from the tray which caused me to giggle.We continued like that, eating
(Lorenzo)I gazed out of the window of my office, the bustling streets of the city laid out before me. The sidewalks were crowded with people, like ants scurried about their business. The sun was setting, and the sky was aflame with orange and pink hues. I heard the door open behind me, and I turned to see Giovanni standing there."Boss, everything's ready," he said, his voice steady and confident. I nodded and followed him out of the office.We walked down the corridor and headed towards the elevator. My thoughts were clouded as we rode down to the parking lot.The elevator door opened with a ding, and we stepped out into the empty parking lot. The silence was deafening,and the only sound was the echo of our footsteps on the concrete floor. We made our way towards the car and I got in the backseat while Giovanni had taken the driver's seat."Let's go." I said and he started the engine taking me to the warehouse.By the time we reached the warehouse,It was dark. Giovanni pulled the car
(Mariana)It had been days since I had last seen Janet, and I couldn't help but feel worried. I had visited the basement at different times, but each time I went, I was told that I wasn't allowed inside."What's on your mind?" Theo asked, a kind smile on his face."I could use a drink," I replied, trying to keep my voice light. Theo was the bartender here. He was a friendly guy who worked part time. Theo nodded in understanding, his hands busy as he wiped the glass cups. "I wish I could serve you a drink," he said, "but you know how Margot is, she'd kill us if she found us drinking on the job""I know, I know," I said, a hint of disappointment in my voice.Theo gave me a sympathetic look. "Maybe if you'd tell me what's troubling you I could help" He said and bent forward on the counter. "A problem shared is a problem half solved." "I can't." I said with a sigh and placed my head on the counter."Poor Mariana." He said and patted my head before he went back to clean the glasses.My t
(Lorenzo)My mind flashbacked to my visit at the club the other day. I went to talk to Margot if she must have heard anything."Wait,what. You think someone's derailing you." She asked surprised by my suspicions."Yes Margot. There's something more to this. Another one of my shipments got sabotaged again, my gun shipments. It's hard to ignore now""Why don't you want to believe it is as the blood crust boys? They could be lying you know""I know but they aren't. The last man we captured at the scene of the last sabotage, he looked himself Marge, Cyanide.""Cyanide!" She exclaimed"Yup. Why would he kill himself if he wasn't trying to hide something important""You're right. It's getting really fishy. Don't worry I'll keep my ears out for anything suspicious I hear at the club""Yeah. Thanks Marge."She was just as clueless as I was. I roughened my hair in frustration, this wild goose chase was getting the better of me. I stood up and headed for the coffee machine and poured myself wha