Just another day………
"So, you are saying that, even though you have been living in Miami for almost your entire life, you never made it your home? You never felt like you belonged here?" Lilly was walking next to Verone showing her around the property. They were just crossing over the way too perfect trimmed green lawn being surrounded by beautiful beds of flowers. Orchids in all variations had caught Lilly's attention, just as well as the lilies the brunette had pointed out at. Afterwards, a five minute monologue had followed………..about the memories he connected to them.
The blonde had wondered about this due to Verone having given her the impression that he actually was an ordinary human being with emotions like everybody else. He had talked about his mother and his home, Argentina. In that moment, Lilly would have almost forgotten that Carter Verone was a dangerous murderer, almost, because then, he had mentioned the tiger lilies reminding him of her: beautiful and wild, yet, so fragile…………….and Lilly did not like being called fragile due to it forcing her to recall having failed so often in life thus not having been strong enough. However, tiger lilies were the reason her friends called her Tiger. They had already had several dogs and a Mouse, so they had needed a cat – a tiger. Most of her friends worked in the X, therefore, they had once been dubbed dogs, or more precisely, Diamond Dogs.
The X was owned by Madame Rigot, an originally French woman having come to the States because of her having married an American business man who had, about fifteen years after a perfectly happy marriage, died in an accident with an airplane. So, Madame Rigot – the people close to her were allowed to call her Nathalie – had been left alone thus to the couple never having felt the need to become parents. Eventually, it had been in her husband's will that she should receive an old building within Miami and the money to do with it whatever she wanted. Nathalie, having always had the dream of creating a second Moulin Rouge, had spent lots of time dealing with the administrations, the architects and her feelings of loss, but she had succeeded. She had turned the old building into a club – the X.
The location had been changed in 2002 into an exact rebuilt of the one from the movie with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor after Nathalie having seen it. Lilly had once been shown pictures of what the X had looked like before 2002 and she preferred the new look much better. The "X" had been mind to remind people of the wings of a windmill. There was a giant red "X" in front of the building, turning slowly – it had also been added in 2002. Of course, while developing her concept for her baby, Nathalie had given second thought to her wish of creating another Moulin Rouge. She had not wanted to give people the impression that the X was a brothel of some kind – another reason for her eventually naming the club X. And, ever since people having seen the movie Moulin Rouge, the dancers and bartenders had been called Diamond Dogs. This was the highest title in Miami a dancer or a bartender could ever achive because to certain abilities being connected to it. Abilities everybody wished to have, yet, only few did. Diamond Dogs were like Miami's royals, even though at times not obvious to everyone.
There were many special rules to be respected when one wanted to get into the hottest clubs in Miami and her friends had taught Lilly each single one. At first, Lilly had been shocked by how superficial they actually were, but, as Thomas had once explained it to her: "I know. You don't have to tell me twice. It's just like that: when you want to reach a certain status, you have to draw lines. If people are drunk and act like it, let's say, they become aggressive or vormit or behave like complete morons, we're gonna throw them out and they're never gonna be let in again. If people look like they wanna go to some freak show, we're not gonna let them in. You only become exclusive by excluding others. That's how it works."
And there were lots of reasons why one could be excluded. In Miami, there were six, maybe eight, clubs considered hot. X, Falls, V.I.P.e, Boca, Nisca and Vida. Tissla and Siempre had not made it yet into the upper league but they were about to. Another favourite club of Lilly's, the Phoenix, was not considered high class because of it being a HipHop underground club, nonetheless, she loved battling, so she went there rather often, although being a white girl reduced her to a minority.
The hot clubs of Miami had strict rules: no sneakers! That was why Brian would never see her dancing. He would just not be let in with his Converse Allstars. No women on heels under 5"10 would be let in. No guy under 6 feet would be let in. No people wearing denim or leather chaps would be let in. No people with a horrible make-up would be let in. No one under the age of twenty-one would be let in – of course, there was special treatment with certain people. On her sixteenth birthday, Lilly had gotten a fake ID from her friends which said that she was twenty-one. There were so many rules, the girl had lost track of them, yet, when seeing a person, she would always be able to say: "That one, no, that one, yes."
"Miss O'Conner? Are you listening?" Verone sounded………..hurt? The blonde wondered just how much of his talk she had missed because of her day-dreaming.
"I'm sorry. I did not sleep all too well. I guess I am still a little bit tired",she told him while looking at him and supressed a frown. She was taller than Verone, something she had not been noticing until now. She was on heels and she was taller than him. Strange. Very strange. Lilly thought that Verone was a little smaller than Brian – although everybody except Marco and Mouse was smaller than Brian; him being damn 6"3 and a half. Verone had to be about 6 feet, so why was she a good two inches taller than he was?!
C'mon, girl, worry later on about this, she told herself, there must be a reasonable explanation. Now, you better listen before he's talking you into something you don't want to happen at all.
"Is your bed not comfortable enough? Would you prefer another one?" The brunette raised his eyebrows in a way other females would have considered seducively, however, it made Lilly want to throw up.
"Thank you very much, Mister Verone, but I would not prefer yours."
"Please excuse me. I did not mean to appear this impolite",they walked through an arch covered in red and pink roses. Behind it was the little building Lilly had seen from out of the window of her guest room.
"Here we are",Verone told her while laying his right arm around her waist to guide her towards the gates of the building. As though he had been giving a secret sign, two men were coming from another part of the yard to open the gates and then, left to return to………….whatever they were doing Lilly did not really care after having taken a look at what had been hidden in the building.
"This is a fucking 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish!" The girl exclaimed and immediately went to have a closer look at this treasure. Behind her, she heard Verone chuckling in amusement, but she did not care, there was an Aston Martin waiting for her.
"I wanted to save the best for last",the man told her, "you like it?"
"This is an 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish!" Lilly repeated, not understanding why he even bothered to ask her. Was it not enough proof enouhg to him that she was already squatting down to take a look at the rims and tires?!
"I bought it last month and employed a garage to customize it a little",he said as he stood next to her, looking down her back. Everything he wished to do right now was to run his hands through her long golden locks and show her the back seat of the car. He had not tested it, yet.
"I've already noticed that much",the girl answered while standing up, "ceramic breaks, Fusion ZRX tyres, customized rims – you don't find any like these in a catalogue. The fenders are a little wider because of the tyres. You had the vehicle lowered, as well. This is not the original body kit, either. A new front bumper, new grille, some side-skirts, a low rear wing",she walked around the car, "new tail lights and a different exhaust. Hm, chrome, nice choice. The way the trunk is shaped is also different. The Vanquish coupe standard costs about 210.000 dollars and with all of these changes on the exterior and, from what I can see through the window, on the interior as well, I'd say, plus fifty, maybe sixty, these noble garages always cheat on their customers. So, eventually, you paid like what? Two sixty, two seventy?"
Verone just regarded the girl in amazement. He had never seen anybody checking a car like that: in such time and with such a casuality!
"I paid 265.000 dollars",he informed her after some gaping.
"Tej would have done it for way less and at a higher quality."
"Who?"The man frowned.
"Tej. Tej Parker. He's my employer",Lilly shrugged, asking herself how Carter Verone could not know Tej. Although, like I know Tej, he would not want to spend time with anybody like Verone.
"Your skills are extremely impressive, Miss O'Conner. I am speechless."
Well good. That way, I'll no longer have to listen to this bastard's really flattering compliments.
Suddenly, a phone rang. Obviously Verone's mobile phone. He quickly took it out of the pocket of his trousers and answered it.
"Yes?"
Lilly just stood there, trying to figure out what the call was about by reagarding the emotions reflected on Verone's face. Now, he looked as casual as always.
"Really?"
Some concern washed over him, expressed by his slightly clenched jaw.
"Did you……….?"
He became tense. The fingers of his left hand started to drum against his left upper thigh.
"Alright, yes."
And then, there he was again, the arrogant bastard.
"I'll be right there." He hung up, put the phone back into his pocket and then turned to address Lilly.
"I am very sorry that I don't have the time to show you the Ferrari as well",he pointed at the second car within the garage that was separated in to parts by something that seemed to be Verone's personal gas station – a single column full of gas right next to two cars and several gas bottles. Lilly smiled innerly. Her plan had a great chance to succeed.
"I don't mind. I'm still here until tomorrow evening six o'clock."
"Let me take you back inside, then",he offered her his arm which she decided to ignore and just walked past him.
After having a door leading inside opened by the brunette, Lilly was greeted by the sight of her favourite guys ever: the jerks having brought her to the compound this very early morning. If she had just left the Club together with Will or anybody else………hell, Will had even offered to drive her home, yet, Lilly had refused it because she really like going by bus. Going by bus always gave her the time to reflect on things, to think about them, to relax, to lean back and to watch the world outside passing by, although she was the one in motion. It was exactly the same with her way to school. She walked it each day, using the time to breath through, to prepare herself mentally for the upcoming horror of highschool……………nah, it's not that bad. Most of the lessons suck, but the people are all great, except for Anders and the other three idiots he calls his friends.
Lilly was actually quite popular at school. She got along well with many different people due to her not judging anybody beforehand. Bias were something she did not like all too much because of them disabling people. Guys liked her due to her working at Tej's – that news had gone around school like a spreat fire – knowing about cars, sports and such types of music like Rock and Metal…………….she had literally grwon up with them due to Brian. She knew about the Choppers, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, the Ramones, Motörhead, Damageplan, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Guns 'n Roses and so many more…………the girl loved Linkin Park as well, she had already spent hours listening to Meteora right after having bought it – Brian did not like them that much. He preferred the groups he had grown up with. Still, although liking some of what those bands had produced, her true passion was HipHop. Hip Hop just made her want to move, to shake each part of her body so mad as though there was no such thing like gravity. It was like a fire burning underneath her skin, demanding to be let out. Hip Hop was life, dancing was life, it was everything to her. The blonde loved the motion so much. Actually, each type of music, except for rock and metal, gave her this certain itching: classic music always woke within her the urge to stand on her toes, to do pirouettes and leap through the air, pop made her want to repeat the latest choreography she had learnt at the Club, yet, Hip Hop, that was soemthing else. She would start to use everything she had ever learnt and put it into the dance: ballet, break dance, salsa, tango, belly dance, even acrobatics such as somersaults backwards and forwards, cords, flic flacs which she had learnt and tried to get them to perfection over the last years.
Girls liked her because she was one to talk to, one to listen and to help others………..and she would show them some of her moves every now and then. The captain of the volleyball team had already asked her several times to join, just like the captain of the cheerleaders, who happened to be Mike Anders sister, yet, Melissa Anders was really a great person – the Queen of Miami Jefferson High. MJ High. Of course, Lilly had been kind of confused when Melissa had asked her, but this was understandable. The blonde did not think of herself as one being able to cheer the whole time, she preferred smashing balls and causing bleeding noses. It had happened during her first practise at MJ High after not having played volleyball for over a year. She had started doing it together with Cathy and when Cathy had died………….so, Lilly's body had gone through some physical changes over the year, she was stronger now and had underestimated herself. She remembered everybody else's reaction: "Can you do that again? But this time, like, not to one of our team-mates but, like, to an opponent?"
"I'll be leaving with Enrique and Roberto",Verone said,"Federico here",he pointed at a guy standing in a far corner of the wide room, "leads you upstairs. You're going to spend the evening with me."He smiled at her, his eyes glinting in a way that made Lilly feel threatened. She watched Verone and the guys leave before her personal security guard indicated her to walk in front of him.
Inside of her room, she heard the door being locked from the outside and sat down on the bed, a sigh of frustration escaping her throat.
Lilly just let her upper body fall onto the soft covers and inhaled deeply several times to calm herself down before opening the little silver buckles of her high heels.
She then took one of the shoes into her right hand and regarded it thoroughly.
The heel's about three inches……….I was about two inches taller then Verone who's about six feet. 6"2 on heels……….this would mean I was 5"11. I ain't that tall, am I? Okay, the last time I was measured properly has been in February, but it is impossible that I've grown that much since then, isn't it? I would have noticed, right? Well, there is such thing like a "final shot" but almost four inches?! I was 5"7 and a half back in February. As for the clothing……...well, I dance almost each day and I work at Tej's, so, of course, I gained some muscles and some weight. I weighed, like, 125 before we came here. Now, I weigh about 140. If I had grwon, this would definitely explain why I gained so much. Fifteen pounds within five months………although Brian's happy about it. He always fears that I might get bulimic…………again. Last year was really shit. Cathy dies. Brian cheats on Lisa and she breaks up with him. I guess I would have done the same. They've been together for almost three years and he risks it all by getting drunk at his friend's bachelor party and afterwards laying the stripper having jumped out of the cake. Hell, I was so mad at him back then. He was so mad at himself…………..and at everybody else, even me, although it was definitely not my fault. It was summer, I had turned fifteen a couple of months ago………….finally, my curves started growing. Some ass, some hips, from some waist to tiny waist, some b-cups that are now c-cups. I also got my cheekbones and my lips. I was happy about it, yet sad that Cathy could not see it………..though, maybe she does. I was worried about Brian. He was so down. Did not shower, did not shave, did not go to work for a while………..he barely ate and when I told him I was worried and that he should at least eat, he yelled at me. He yelled that someone would have to eat less because I would have gained enough weight two. It hurt so much. There's this one person meaning everything to you and he's saying something like that. He was not even sorry, at least not for some time. Not until he noticed how thin I had suddenly gotten. Back then, I still believed he was everything I had and that he could not be wrong because he had once told me that, when somebody was mad, he would always say the truth – what he was really thinking. They use this knowledge when interrogating people. This one day, he embraced me and told me that he was sorry for having been so down and that he would now try to go back to normal. He then lifted me off the ground like he usually does it when hugging me tight. I felt his arms around me tighten, as though being frozen to ice. He put me back down onto the floor and looked at me in shock. I was wearing wide clothes. I did not like being so thin, I was ashamed of showing it. Brian laid his hands around what had once been my waist and felt nothing but my ribs underneath the thin layer of skin. "How much you weigh?" He asked me in shock, still not taking his widened eyes off of me. "Dunno",I answered. It was true. I did not know because I did not want to know. It would just make me cry. He took me to the bathroom and made me step on the scales. They were cold under my feet. Brian and I never bother to wear shoes within our home. He made me stay backwards as well, so that I would not see how much I weighed, but I could judge by his whispered "Oh my….." that it had not been all too much. I had to spend the summer in a clinic. There, I was told that I weighed about 95 pounds at my arrival. I left after three months with 110 pounds. Afterwards, I always had to go to therapy two times a week, Brian made sure that he saw me eating and controlled my weight as well. I've never seen him like that. So sorry. He was blaming himself like I've never witnessed it before. Then, at the end of the year, he got the job with Dom and his team. The year ended soon. We chose Dom over our life in L.A. and came to Miami. Brian's still eager to see me stepping on the scales once a week to control my weight. At first, I was shocked when I had gone over 125 but I never saw it. I could look into the mirror and always wondered where the hell I had gained the weight. I could never see it. So, maybe I grew without actually noticing. When we go shopping, it's usually Sugar, Will, Ray, Anthony, Lola and V who come up with clothes for me to try on. Marisa doesn't. She always tells me that I am old enough to know what I want to wear, nonetheless, she still has this dream of me wearing nice dresses with spaghetti straps and flower patterns. I prefer my Dolce and Gabbana leather pants and boots, topped with the red leather corsage Anthony tailored for me. People are staring at me every time I wear this outfit – with the proper make-up, of course. The securities of the clubs already know me so well that, when they see me walking up, they sometimes even bow to me…………..to watch my ass, like they say. It's fun. Lola says they're only doing it to tease us dancers, but she doesn't mind either. "Having the securitiy as your friend, can only be helpful",and Lola was right on that one. I know that it's not right, but hell, I just love seeing those skanks' faces when I even get the security to bow for me while they ain't let inside. So, I've grown. Of course, I must have grown. I usually dance with Will, who's 6"2 and when I'm on heels, I can, depending on the shoes I'm wearing, look him straight into the eye. Why did this never occure to me before? Ha, I'm as tall as Sugar then! Damn model, 5"11 tall, legs without an end! Although, she's wearing heels non-stop, so that she's actually 6"2 or 6"3. Hey! This means that, on heels, I'm as tall as Brian! Cool! And, of course, on toe shoes, I'll be even taller. Let's say seven inches, give or take, so that I'd be 6"6. I'd be taller than my big bro! But he doesn't know me doing ballet………….shit! If he has noticed that I've grown? Maybe, but why hasn't he told me, then?
A sudden knock on the door followed by the sound of a key being turned around in the lock made the girl literally jump up from her thoughts. The person coming in was the woman she had seen earlier at the pool. The agent Brian wants to lay, her traitorous mind added.
"Hey",the brunette with blonde dyed strands said while rushing over to the bed, "you okay? Did he do anything to you?"
"No, I'm fine. As fine as I can be, considering the circumstances",the girl answered and stuck out her hand – she had been raised to politeness, "I'm Lilly. Lilliana O'Conner."
"Hi, I'm Monica Fuentes",the woman laughed at the blonde's calmness. She truly was Brian's sister. "You and your brother really look alike",she said out loud. It was astonishing how much the siblings resembled each other.
"Yeah, we get that a lot. I don't see it, maybe the eyes and the curly hair, but, I dunno", she shrugged and grinned at the older female being completely amazed by the similarities.
And the grin, Monica thought. It was the same charm that connected the siblings as well.
"We don't have much time. Carter ordered one of the guys to have an eye on me. So, you know what's going on?"
"Yeah. Brian and Rome are to bring him the money tomorrow evening. Verone's taking off for good and says that he'll let me go after having gotten his money. Yet, I would say that this is all bullshit and he'll just kill each one of us",Lilly raised her right index finger, "but I got a plan to escape, still, I need someone who knows the house to help me carry it out."
"Well good, here I am",Monica smiled. She liked the girl. This was not just some stupid cry-baby, although, with Brian as an older brother and the story she had heard about the O'Conner siblings, she could have guessed that much herself.
"It's actually quite easy. Outside, there is this garage, with cars and petrol and bottles full of gas, right?"
"Yeah, Carter does not like his babies to be standing in the rain. He also hates stopping at gas stations, so he gets his gas here."
"So, and in this wardrobe over there",Lilly pointed her finger at it, "is a pretty nice bar. All sorts of liquor. And, I got a lighter, so?"She grinned evilly.
Monica snickered. "So, you need to know how to get out of here without my help, because my room is downstairs. That's easy. Just walk down the hall to the stairs, down the stairs and then, the second door to the right. The main entrance is right in front of you and nobody's going to guard it when Carter's babies are burning out",the brunette tilted her head to the side, "but what then? We'll meet outside, run like hell and then what? How to get away from here? I can't just call the U.S. customs."
"Well, ain't there, like, four cars standing in the drive?"The girl asked slightly confused.
"Yes, why………….?"Monica's voice trailed off and she shook her head no. "You truely are his sister. By all meanings."
"I'll just hot-wire one of them and then, we'll be on our way. I do the driving and you give me directions. However, we have to do it, like, twenty or fifteen minutes before Roman's and Brian's window is open. That way, Verone is not gonna have the time to change his plans, even if we're missing."
"Their run starts at six. They have fifteen minutes. Carter will be leaving the house at six as well. It would be too dangerous for him to leave earlier",Monica already planned the scenario in mind.
"What cars does he have on the drive?"Lilly suddenly questioned and received a funny look. "What? I just wanna know, so that I can directly go for the fastest. When I arrived, I saw a Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe, a Ferrari 360 Modena and I thought that I saw the glimpse of a Lotus. There was also another car, however, it was too dark for me to see what make………",another knock on the door made the women jump.
"I'll take care of this and tell you later on. Don't worry, everything's gonna be fine",Monica quickly whispered into Lilly's ear while carressing the girl's cheek with her hand to comfort her before a tall man in a dark suit entered the room.
"Miss Fuentes",he started, "Mister Verone did not wish you to see his guest. I thought that much was clear to you."
"C'mon",the blonde said while raising from the bed, "she just wanted to see if I'm fine in here and to take care of a proper dress for me to wear it tonight. Mister Verone wants to spend the evening with me, so I have to look acceptable. Miss Fuentes just came here to get my measures."
"Exactly",Monica underlined, wondering at the rapid speed in which the girl had come up with such good a lie.
"Well, then, may I still advice you to leave the room, now that you've got what you wanted?"The guy rather demanded than asked.
"Of course",Monica walked past him, but before leaving the room, she turned around once more, "I'll be bringing you the dress and some shoes later. Do you also wish some jewelery?"
"No, thank you. I don't like it all too much",Lilly answered and watched Monica as well as the guy leave. The door was locked, again.
So, this is Brian's latest. Not bad. I've got a strange feeling about her, though. The only one I ever really trusted was Lisa. I liked Mia but I knew about the trouble she meant to us, I did not trust her. She was just somebody Brian was with, like all of the others before. The ones that were jealous of me and claimed Brian was spending too much time with me. They did not accept that there was another girl in his life, even it was just his little sister. Some of those bitches even slapped me or threatened me when Brian had spent an anfternoon or an evening with me instead of them. He doesn't know. I never told him. I wanted him to be happy, so I bit my tongue. That's why I'm usually not around when Brian has a woman at home, I don't want to lie to my brother, again. They freaked especially when he put me in his lap and cuddled with me. By now, I don't like cuddling with him anymore, simply because of my physical changes. I just don't like my chest being pressed tightly against his. That's a no-no. I don't sleep in his bed either, except for the time we stayed on Tej's boat and had to share a bed. It is definitely not a nice thing to get woken up in the middle of the night by something poking into your hip that does not belong to your boyfriend but to your older brother. Then, there were the air-heads. Nothing but air put into a body. Those were usually trying to turn me into a girly-girl. Talked with me about hairstyles and make-up and boys. They talked, I listened. I had nothing to say to them, except maybe for "what you thinkin' 'bout the current political situation within the States?" Though, I did not say this to them. I bit my tongue. Brian seemed to be happy, so there just had to be some good about the air-heads as well. Lisa was different. She was, like, less air-head and more mom. She never gave me the feeling that I was unwanted. I even heard her once talking to Brian about him spending more time with me. "Brian, she'll soon be a teenager. She needs your support, then. I'm not asking you to go and buy her some bras, however, you guys should be doing things together more often. Take her to the beach, for example. You go there each week to surf. Why don't you show her? She might like it and that way, you would share something. Teenage girls are very complicated, believe me. Give her the feeling that you'll be there when she needs you." Hell, Lisa has really been one of a kind. And Brian fucks it all up………..asshole! Although, surfing's really much fun. I'm pretty good due to me dancing. I got a great center of balance. Even won some contests back in L.A.. But after Cathy died…………..I started surfing again when we moved here, just like the volleyball. Cathy would have wanted me to do so, to go on living. Brian doesn't know. I mean……….he has more important things to deal with than that and I don't wanna give him the impression that everything's going back to normal, cos it ain't. So, I keep my mouth shut. Even when we're going to the beach and he asks me to rent a surf board as well, I just shake my head no, telling him that I don't want to. Or when we go together with the crew and they wanna play volleyball, I refuse playing. I just lie there, read a little, do some sketches – doodles – while Suki's giving me a speech about me not wearing a bikini or a swimsuit is not acceptable. And then, Brian will tell her to stop brainwashing me because it is completely okay, if I don't wear bikinis or swimsuits. And then, Diego will fantasize aloud about me wearing something so tight and bearing so much of my body. And then, Brian will chase after him, telling him that I am sixteen and still go to school. And then, we'll all laugh. I guess I ain't wearing those things because of Brian, because when I'm out with my "crazy family", I usually wear bikinis and I really enjoy the appreciative stares I get. Brian does not appreciate me looking sexy even though I like it. I like feeling sexy…………….what the hell did I talk myself into?! Wearing a dress while being with Verone? Evil!! Evil and stupid! Oh well, at least, I now know how to get outta here. Down the hall, down the stairs, second door to the right, main entrance. Hello freedom.
Lilly got up and walked, still barefoot, around the room to take a look at her reflection in the mirror that was hung up next to the left side of the wardrobe. In front of it stood a little table with a chair. It was one one those make-up tables. Lilly had learnt to love them over the last couple of months because, in the clubs, those tables belonged to the closets. The dancers would have access to the closet – to the latest designer fashion - and showers just as well as some place – the tables – to put on their make-up. That way, they would not have to go home first to change and to smell decent. Lilly was grateful for it. If Brian smelled how she reeked after having spent a night in the clubs, he would get suspicious.
Taking in her reflection, Lilly frowned.
How shall I do my hair this evening? Well, let's make it depending on the dress. And the make-up? Hmm. That depends also on the dress. A simple and elegant dress, an invisible make-up. An eye-catching dress, a visible make-up emphasizing my features.
Even though she knew exactly that she would have a date with Verone, she owned it to herself to look magnificent. Eventually, she might have the chance to cloud his mind a little from the obvious.
Lilly looked at the clock. It was now 12.16 p.m..
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
7.24 p.m.. Lilly O'Conner was standing in the bathroom in front of the full length mirror, checking herself over again for the thousandth time. She was nervous because of the date, but definitely not in a good way.
She had spent the entire day in her room. At first, she had tried to catch some sleep to make up for the one she had missed during the night and it had indeed worked. She had slept until three o'clock then, somebody had knocked on her door to bring her a little snack, something to drink and the clothes she was wearing now. It had, unfortunately, not been Monica. Lilly prayed that nothing had happened to her.
After having eaten the snack and drunk almost half of the bottle of water, she had taken a closer look to what she was supposed to be wearing. It was a black dress made out of a very thin material, not quite chiffon but close to it. It was actually cut to knee length, yet, there was a cut on the left front side around which the fabric had been cut into slight ruffles. This cut was so high that it almost revealed Lilly's entire leg, nevertheless, she could cope with it. The blonde had long, slender muscular legs, so why not showing them?
The thin fabric was literally clad to her body, showing of her every curve……………and, therefore, forbidding her to wear any underwear. The neckline was just deep enough to give people a good look at her cleavage. Neither was this a problem for Lilly. She had always taken good care of her body, especially of her breasts due to once having seen the picture of a woman's breasts which had hung down so much that they had almost touched the floor. So, she had used lotions to strengthen her skin, worked out to strengthen her muscles and the reward consisted of a perfect 36 c-cup, as perky as one could wish them to be. The others hated her because of that. It was a game to them: everybody would tell the others what he or she liked most about his or her body and all of the others would hate him or her for it. Lilly liked her three B's: breasts, belly and butt.
Nonetheless, the girl did not favour the thought of not wearing a thong or a panty, although being used to it. There just happened to be some trousers within the girl's wardrobe underneath which she could simply not wear anything………….not that Brian knew about this.
Unfortunately, the dress was cut so that it was completely revealing Lilly's back. An inch lower and people would be able to see her crack! The dress was held up by merely one single strap connecting the left and the right on the backside. It was about quarter of an inch thick and had to be laid around the neck. So, it began at the upper left on the back, went around the frontside of Lilly's neck and then ended at the upper right on the back.
It was a simple but elegant dress with a Spanish flare to it. The girl had decided to wear her hair open – to cover at least a certain amount of her back – and she had put on an invisible make-up. Black eye-liner and mascara, some bronzing powder to highlighten her cheekbones and a pearl lip-gloss. Verone had even gone so far to send her some perfumes, however, Lilly's favourite, Hugo Deep Red, had not been amongst them, so she had settled for Pleasure.
She had also done her fingernails. Lilly liked to have natural French nails, therefore, she always kept them a couple of millimetres long and then, filed them diagonal at the sides. She had painted her nails over with a clear nail polish, just like her toe nails.
The high heels the blonde had received were about four inches high and consisted of three straps: two crossing over her toes and one with a little gold buckle around her angle.
She looked like sex on legs. She knew it, even though she did not want to look like that for Verone, but for herself. Looking like sex and feeling like it gave her confidance. Confidance she might need later on this night.
7.28 p.m..
A knock on the door. Lilly quickly straightened the fabric once more by running her fingers down her body before walking into the main room where the guy, Federico, was already waiting. His eyes widened when seeing her and he swallowed. Afterwards, he tried to form some words, obviously to tell her that it was time for her to leave, but he did not quite succeed in doing so. He just stammered.
"Mmm….Mister Ver….Verone's…….w…..waiting."
"I'm coming",Lilly smiled at him, while pitying on him at the same time. She grabbed the little black purse that had as well been sent to her and then walked past Federico into the hall. The man closed the door and she knew exactly that he was staring at her ass, therefore, she decided to shake her hips wider than she usually did.
Playing with them can be so much fun, she thought and suppressed an evil smile while descending the stairs.
Downstairs, Verone was standing with several other men, evidently members of his security, and gave them orders………….at least, until he heard her heels clacking on the stone stairs. All of them turned their heads around……………and gaped or gasped, eyes widened as though in shock.
"Mister Verone",Lilly tilted her head slightly to the left as a sign of greeting the man who just kept on staring.
"Miss O…..O'Conner. I am……..I am…….you see me speechless",he finally brought out, a surprised and appreciating look on his face.
"Well, that would be the second time today then, right?"The blonde closed the distance between them with smooth elegant steps to give Verone and the others some time to get adjusted to her good looks. Another thing Brian and she had in common. Both of them could cause this effect on people.
"It seems like…….like it",Verone cleared his throat, appearently to regain his employees' attention. "That would be everything. I presume we will stay out at least until midnight. Miss O'Conner",he offered her his arm which she, this time, accepted, "I am not able to find any words which could describe your looks. I guess perfect or irresistible are just not enough."
"Thank you very much",Lilly smiled slightly, happy about the fact that she was indeed turning his head around. This could be of great use to her.
Outside, a long black limousine was standing. The brunette opened her the door and she slit inside. Verone sat down as well, closed the door and gave the driver the order to start the engine.
"So",the blonde looked at the man, "where are you taking me?"
"Surprise",he smiled, "but, until we arrive, may I offer you something to drink? Wine? Vodka? Champagne?"
"I thought you would save the best for last?"She leaned against the backrest, brushing her bangs out of her face and over her shoulder.
"I guess you are right. The drive is not going to last longer than twenty minutes. It would be foolish."
"Indeed".
For the next ten minutes, neither of them was talking to the other one due to Verone's phone ringing again. Lilly used the time to regard the world outside, desperately trying to figure out where they were possibly going to, yet, a highway was a highway was a highway………….at dusk. The sun would be setting in an hour or so.
The driver turned the limousine to the right and a short amount of time later to the left. The outside was changing every minute now. Lilly guessed they had entered the upper side of Miami, where all the celebrities used to spend their time.
And my "family" and me when we're on a shopping tour, she smiled, remembering the last blast they had had, although, the stars and wanna-bes are also coming to the clubs. Some of them even invite us every now and then to dance at their parties. But, for dancers, it was not allowed to accept such offerings. "We are not some brothel!"Thomas had said.
The car stopped. Lilly could hear how the driver got out and ran around the car to open Verone's door. The brunette just ended his call.
"I am sorry for this interruption",he told her while getting out and afterwards offering her his hand.
"Thank you",the blonde slit over the leather seats, took his hand and stepped out onto a red carpet covering the sidewalk. They walked inside.
Lilly read the name "Dias" above the entrance which made an inner bell ring. The "Dias" was one of the top restaurants in Miami.
Inside, everything was rather high class. The floors, the carpets, the furniture, the deco, even the guests. She gained many eyes looking at her, following her every move. The couple was led to a table in the back of the restaurant. The blonde wondered whether or not this was kind of a V.I.P. lounge. The thought of a V.I.P. lounge within high class restaurants and clubs had confused her at first, but she had soon gotten accustomed to it, when her family had shown her around the V.I.P. lounges of the clubs.
Their table was already neatly set with expensive crystal and polished silver. They were seated opposite to each other. To Lilly's left, they could look over the other people in the restaurant and to her right, they had a giant window giving them the panorama of the harbour where the yachts were moving slightly up and down because of the motion of the water.
"They're all regarding you",Verone suddenly stated.
"They're just wondering where to get the plastic surgery they think I have had."
"Have you ever been on a boat?"The man asked while letting his eyes wander over the yachts in the far distance.
"The house boat excluded, no",Lilly smiled. It had been fun to live there with Brian, at least for most of the time.
"A house boat? When did you have to stay on a house boat?"
"A few months ago, after my brother and I moved here",the girl raised her eyebrows at the term "moved".
"Horrible",Verone chuckled, "didn't you complain about it?"
"I complained less than I did when we moved into the apartment",she grinned at the memory, "appearantly, my brother and I had very different opinions about pretty much everything."
"Really?"
"Oh, yeah. We shared views concerning walls, floors and which room would be used what for, but that was pretty much it. I wanted a normal TV, he just had to have a fourty inches plasma TV………with dolby surround sound, of course. I wanted a normal bed, it had to be bigger than a normal bed. Fortunately, there was no arguing about the kitchen and the bathroom."
"How's that?"The brunette was evidently amused by her stories.
"I said: 'Either you let me decide what to do with the kitchen and the bathroom, or you don't get to have the Playstation 2 and the stereo you want so much'."
Carter Verone had to laugh. It was a deep laugh, coming from the depths of his stomach.
"What's so funny?"Lilly wanted to know.
"Nothing, just",the man breathed in deeply, "I have met your brother. The image of him being told what to do and what not to do by you is somehow hilarious and amazing at the same time."
"That's nothing. I've got other stories to tell",the blonde smiled.
"I am looking forward to an evening of magnificent entertainment, then."
Two waiters came to their table, one filling their glasses with water and red wine, the other bringing their food.
"I already ordered when I reserved the table",the man told the girl.
"Oh, well",she raised her glass filled with wine.
"Cheers",Verone said and they clacked their glasses together. He watched the girl taking a sip of the red liquid, content about the fact that she had not noticed that the wine she had received had not been taken from the bottle the wine in his glass was out of.
When reserving the table, Carter Verone had made sure that his special requests concerning the girl's food and drinks would be taken care of.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"You're kidding me, right? Please, Carter, tell me that you're kidding me,"Lilly laughed about the story the man in front of her was just telling.
"No, I swear, it happened exactly like that. I was staying there, at this party, in the middle of the crowd and this old woman, so drunk that she's mistaking me for one of her ex-husbands, started insulting me. She called me a bastard for cheating on her and using her and so on. It was the most embarrassing moment in my entire life",he laughed as well. They had arrived at the "Dias" three hours ago and the drugs he had wanted the staff to mix under Lilly's food and into her drinks worked very well. She was now way more willing to accept him rather as a man than as an enemy…………she was even willing to call him by his surname and allowed him to call her Lilly, too.
"I wished I would have been there",the girl giggled.
"No, you don't",Carter affirmed sternly.
"Now why so grumpy? You have to smile. Otherwise people may think I've kidnapped you."
"How could I not smile in your company?"And he flashed her a bright smile while looking deep into her blue eyes. He had wondered about those. Sometimes, they seemed to be a dark saphire blue but once light hit them, they turned into the most beautiful ice blue.
"How late is it?"Lilly suddenly asked him.
"It's, oh no. It's already 11.12.."
"What is so bad about it being 11.12 ? The night is still young",she told him with a raised index finger.
"Yes, but do you remember the phone call I received on our way here? It was one of my partners. He wished to see me at one o'clock in a club for a meeting. Unfortunately, I can't take you there with me",he covered the girl's hand lying on the table with his, "don't be sad. We have to go now."
"One should never put his business above his private life",she answered but got up from her chair nonetheless.
"Believe me, I am sorry",he said while they walked out of the "Dias". The limousine was already waiting in front of it, the driver having opened the door.
Lilly and Carter got in and were soon on their way back to the compound which they spent with Carter continuing his story.
Back at the mansion, everything was quiet, merely a light breeze made the leaves rustle.
Carter laid his arm around the blonde's waist and led her inside where they were greeted by the sight of several security guards. Climbing up the stairs to the first floor, Lilly suddenly felt Carter embracing her from behind and kissing her neck.
"Carter, please",she tried to move aside but his arms prevented it.
"Just relax. The perfect ending of a perfect evening",he whispered against her skin and continued his lips way up to her ear.
"Oh, Carter",Lilly's body felt the strong urge to give in, however, in her mind, wheels began to turn. When had she actually started calling him by his surname? Why had she started doing so? Why was she allowing him to touch her like that? Where were they?
The blonde opened her suddenly heavy eyelids and saw the hall leading to her room within the mansion. Several feet before they would have reached the door, though, the man behind her turned her around and pressed her with his body against the wall, kissing her deeply.
This is wrong, Lilly's mind told her, this is no good. But why was her body giving in to it, then? Why did she not contradict? What was happening with her?
All of the sudden, Lilly's heartbeat sped up. She was scared. Her mind told her what to do, yet, her body did not react to its commands. What was going on?!
She felt Verone's hands roaming over her body.
"Please, no",she whispered, but he just kept on doing these things: kissing her collarbone, carressing her butt.
"No, stop it, please",she could not do anything. She was helpless. Her body was not reacting to what her mind wanted to do. She wanted to beat the shit out of Verone………she could not. She could just lean against this wall behind her and feel him doing to her whatever he desired.
I have to do something, I have to, Lilly kept on telling herself while feeling hot tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Oh, gorgeous. If you only knew what you're demanding. You're beautiful", Verone told her while licking her cleavage. He then let his hands run over her butt and began to lift up the skirt of the dress.
That moment, Lilly panicked and the panic seemed to free some hidden strength inside of her.
"No!"She pushed the man away from her as far as she could and tried to look at him as good as possible.
"What did you do to me?"She asked him.
"It's nothing bad, just a mild drug to relax you a little",he responded, "don't be scared of this.You will enjoy it."He was about to reach for her again, this time, the girl still managed to move aside.
"You bastard",the blonde whispered. Her body was too weak to allow her to yell.
"I am not a bastard, Lilly. I am a man. A very generous man, but nonetheless a man",Verone eyed the girl in front of him. She was scared, tears were running over her cheeks. This was not the woman he had wanted to conquer, this was just a desperated little girl and even Carter Verone knew what dignity meant, "still, my mother did teach me some manners and we still have some time left until tomorrow evening. I expect you to answer my question during the day."He grabbed her arm gently and walked her into her room where he made her sit down on the bed.
"What question?"The girl piped.
"If you wish to die or", he kissed her long and hard, "to survive."Then, the brunette left, locking the door behind his back.
Lilly literally collapsed onto the bed.
This night, she cried herself to sleep………………….like she had already done it so many times before in her life.