When she woke up, well…she didn't know what to expect when she woke up. Maybe to the feeling of being gagged, drowsy and drugged, slipping in and out of consciousness, a large pain in her periphery. Feeling sore and bruised and scared. But no.
When she woke up she felt comfortable. A soft bed. Warmth. At home. Wait, this is not supposed to feel right. I was abducted.
She sat up straight. Wait, this doesn't feel right? Not one bit.
Sienna's heart thudded dully in her chest as she stared out of the window and saw the pillar of tees surrounding the building throughout.
From her window to the horizon, as far out as her eyes could see, were trees. Where the hell am I?
.is this some kind of psychological trick, make me feel comfortable while I'm on my deathbed.
Her door clicked open and she shrunk into the wall trying to hide, thinking that it would be an armed man coming for her.
It was a bodyguard. "My master requires that you be bathed, taken care of and brought down to him."
She was quiet as she showered, staring at her reflection in the mirror, not understanding what the hell was going on. She remembered being in a basement before, kicked roughly out of sleep and forced to speak with Major.
Creams, skincare and makeup lines the dressing table. This was just too good to be true. Maybe she likes it here. It would be a few days away from Major, his antics, the crazy thoughts of him getting off in that woman's bed.
The bodyguards took her to him. Their master.
***
The sun beamed down gently over the Amalfi Coast.
Turquoise waves lapped lazily at the edges of the private villa's infinity pool. Palm fronds rustled in the warm breeze.
He leaned back in a lounge, the Master. Cigar in hand, hat over head, smoke curling out into the afternoon sun. She thought that figure looked dangerously familiar.
"Reese.?"
He took the hat off.
Her mouth fell. "Reese, what? You would have your friend and my father looking for you all over Italy."
"But there is no way that they would know it's me" a cunning smile whipped through his features. Sienna burned. "What did you plan to achieve by all this?"
He stood up from the lounge and walked towards her. He took her hand. She still wasn't smiling. Kidnapping her was not funny. "I had to spend time with you, and this was the only idea I had to get you away from Major."
It was like she hadn't heard whatever she said. "So, when are you going to let me go. -
"Till you've had your fill and you want to go"
She screwed her eye at him," this is a dangerous game you're playing—"
"I've had it all planned out."
"My father has the ability to track down anyone as long as he walks this planet."
Reese turned around, hands up, scanning the area. "Look around, do you see any civilization here?
"This looks like one of those remote islands in the Pacific." She affirmed. "Air security is tight, so yes you're safe."
He could see the emotions warring in her eyes as she surveyed the idyllic beauty of the island. Her eyes finally regarded him, a soft emotion swimming underneath. "Reese," she murmured, like she couldn't make up her mind. Stay as long as she liked in this peace and quiet, with a man who loved her, or go back to Major.
"What would I tell them if I go back?"
"We'll keep up with the 'you were kidnapped charade', and like I said I'd be the last person that they'll ever suspect."
She could finally lean back in a lounger, wearing a satin robe over a black bikini. Her hair was loose, damp from the sea, and her skin glowed under a layer of tanning oil.
She brought the champagne flute to her lips.
"Your husband must be tearing Venice apart by now," Reese said, stepping out from the pool, water sliding off his chiseled frame. He looked amused, barely containing his pride.
Sienna stretched, yawned.
"I could stay here forever."
His eyes twinkled. "And I do not want to let you go." A servant dropped trays of fruit salad on the table. "I'm famished. I Feel like I haven't eaten for decades." She picked up an apple slice. "Oh, wait, I actually haven't. Lost my appetite for a very long time."
"How did it feel? Having pictures of Major and that woman pop up in every notification ping."
"Devastated. Then this sudden urge to strangle him and watch him bleed from the inside out." But she said it so casually as she plopped the apple in her mouth.
She looked at him, as he dried the water of his sculpted body. "What do you gain from all of this?"
He lazily flicked his gaze to her. "I saw you when you were in that alley. Simply Stunning. I thought, why not have you all to myself for a few days. You needed a break." A laughter bubbled from his mouth. But there was no humor. It was dry, chapped. "Didn't even think of the consequences of what I was about to do."
Sienna trailed her gaze from him to the brilliant afternoon sky. "He'll pay. He always does."
"You sounded very convincing on the phone," he said, smirking.
She grinned. "You liked that little cry I did? I even added the quiver in my voice. Thought about our wedding day. The way he looks at me like I'm a mistake. It worked like magic."
Ruiz chuckled and tossed her a fresh towel. "You're something else."
She shrugged playfully. "I'm bored of being his perfect little wife. Always second to business deals and stock prices. This way… I get a vacation and I bleed him dry."
Ruiz came closer, tilting her chin. "and do you know the next best thing? He wouldn't find out"
She leaned into his touch.
"He won't."
---
Later that night, the sky glowing with stars, her phone buzzed again. They were in the dining room, overlooking the forest below, eating the best food she has ever seen.
His phone loudly rang. Major.
She glanced at Reese. He nodded.
She inhaled deeply and summoned the tears again.
She picked up.
"Major?" she whispered.
"Sienna! Are you okay? Tell me where you are. I'll get you out—"
Not Major. Her dad. Her hand trembled.
"I… I don't know where they moved me. I can't see anything. There's no windows. I'm cold. They said they'd hurt me if you don't pay—"
He was already shouting for his accountant in the background.
Sienna closed her eyes, not smiling. She has forgotten about her dad. About the trauma this was going to put him in. She was the only one he got in the world. Oh gawd. This was getting hard. She just wanted a little excuse from their stiff world.
Reese lit a cigar and handed her another glass.
As the call ended, he leaned over, kissing the spot just beneath her ear.
"To freedom," he murmured.
Sienna raised her glass and whispered, her voice unsure.
"To Fooling a billionaire."