to the mansion. It was obvious they were there to serve one purpose - to screen visitors and to keep unwanted guests out. There was no doubt that by the looks of them, accomplishing their mission would be no problem and one wrong move by a person and the two guards would squash them like a bug.
The limo driver brought the car to a smooth stop in front of the canopy and jumped out of the vehicle. Without saying a word, he opened the door for Emily and held out his hand to assist her. She made her way out of the limo attempting to hold her short skirt in place in order to not expose herself to the men. Emily felt a shiver ride up her spine as she approached the two guards. Their presence made her feel intimidated and it didn't help that the pitch black sunglasses they wore made it impossible to see their eyes.
"Your name, Ma'am?" asked one of the men. His deep monotone voice matched his large stature.
"Emily Vant. I was invited by Brad Barker."
"Yes, Ma'am. And did he tell you anything else?" he asked without looking up as he flipped open a black leather folder containing a guest list. Emily paused for a moment wondering what he was implying.
"Did he mention anything else, Ma'am?" asked the other guard.
"Oh yes! I almost forgot." Emily remembered the card she was given and she thumbed through her small fake Louis Vuitton hand bag.
"Ebay," she said with an embarrassed smirk. Both guards looked at her without a hint of emotion indicating their disinterest in where she does her online shopping.
"Oh! Here we go," she said pulling out the business-size card and reading the phrase. "Puggy likes blue," she replied like she just answered the bonus round question. "Cute, huh?" she added.
With the same disinterested look on his face, the guard turned and opened one of the mammoth sized wooden doors with metal decorative bars. She imagined they must have been eight to nine feet tall and weighing a couple hundred pounds each. "You may enter, Ma'am."
"Uh, thanks...I guess," she remarked as she stepped inside.
Chapter 2
Standing in the enormous foyer, Emily was taken aback by the size and beauty of the walls surrounding her. The floor was made of dark wood planks and just had that look of being heavy. The walls were a mix of hand carved wood and plaster with hints of stone accents here and there. Thick wooden beams were fixed across the ceiling and a large rustic chandelier hung from the center.
Whoever built the place sure had some dough, she thought. She could hear the beat of drums coming from a room further inside, but she couldn't quite make out the origin.
That must be where the festivities are taking place, she assured herself.
"First time here, malady?" said the voice over her shoulder.
Startled, Emily managed to swing herself around teetering on the tips of her high heels.
"Heyyy, I know you," she remarked when seeing the familiar face.
"You do?" replied the familiar stranger.
"Yes. Remember? At Brad's place... In the kitchen?"
"Oh, wait," he replied. His voice had a slight accent. Emily felt it must have been some type of Latin descent. "I must apologize. You must be thinking about my brother, Arias."
"Your... brother? "
"Twin brother, to be exact."
"TWIN brother?"
The man let out a light laugh. His bright white teeth were perfectly straight and his cheeks dimpled in when he smiled. He stood close enough that Emily could smell the light scent of mint.
"Yes, my twin brother Arias." He paused for a moment giving Emily the once over. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luciano. Luciano Balabis, but most people just call me Lucian." He reached for Emily's hand and held it out to kiss her trembling fingers. His lips felt soft against the back of her hand and his eyes looked up to meet hers the moment his mouth touched her skin. Her familiar nerve rattling began to speed up and her heart fluttered.
"I can see that you may need a drink to calm the nerves. May I ask what your
The limo driver brought the car to a smooth stop in front of the canopy and jumped out of the vehicle. Without saying a word, he opened the door for Emily and held out his hand to assist her. She made her way out of the limo attempting to hold her short skirt in place in order to not expose herself to the men. Emily felt a shiver ride up her spine as she approached the two guards. Their presence made her feel intimidated and it didn't help that the pitch black sunglasses they wore made it impossible to see their eyes.
"Your name, Ma'am?" asked one of the men. His deep monotone voice matched his large stature.
"Emily Vant. I was invited by Brad Barker."
"Yes, Ma'am. And did he tell you anything else?" he asked without looking up as he flipped open a black leather folder containing a guest list. Emily paused for a moment wondering what he was implying.
"Did he mention anything else, Ma'am?" asked the other guard.
"Oh yes! I almost forgot." Emily remembered the card she was given and she thumbed through her small fake Louis Vuitton hand bag.
"Ebay," she said with an embarrassed smirk. Both guards looked at her without a hint of emotion indicating their disinterest in where she does her online shopping.
"Oh! Here we go," she said pulling out the business-size card and reading the phrase. "Puggy likes blue," she replied like she just answered the bonus round question. "Cute, huh?" she added.
With the same disinterested look on his face, the guard turned and opened one of the mammoth sized wooden doors with metal decorative bars. She imagined they must have been eight to nine feet tall and weighing a couple hundred pounds each. "You may enter, Ma'am."
"Uh, thanks...I guess," she remarked as she stepped inside.
Chapter 2
Standing in the enormous foyer, Emily was taken aback by the size and beauty of the walls surrounding her. The floor was made of dark wood planks and just had that look of being heavy. The walls were a mix of hand carved wood and plaster with hints of stone accents here and there. Thick wooden beams were fixed across the ceiling and a large rustic chandelier hung from the center.
Whoever built the place sure had some dough, she thought. She could hear the beat of drums coming from a room further inside, but she couldn't quite make out the origin.
That must be where the festivities are taking place, she assured herself.
"First time here, malady?" said the voice over her shoulder.
Startled, Emily managed to swing herself around teetering on the tips of her high heels.
"Heyyy, I know you," she remarked when seeing the familiar face.
"You do?" replied the familiar stranger.
"Yes. Remember? At Brad's place... In the kitchen?"
"Oh, wait," he replied. His voice had a slight accent. Emily felt it must have been some type of Latin descent. "I must apologize. You must be thinking about my brother, Arias."
"Your... brother? "
"Twin brother, to be exact."
"TWIN brother?"
The man let out a light laugh. His bright white teeth were perfectly straight and his cheeks dimpled in when he smiled. He stood close enough that Emily could smell the light scent of mint.
"Yes, my twin brother Arias." He paused for a moment giving Emily the once over. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luciano. Luciano Balabis, but most people just call me Lucian." He reached for Emily's hand and held it out to kiss her trembling fingers. His lips felt soft against the back of her hand and his eyes looked up to meet hers the moment his mouth touched her skin. Her familiar nerve rattling began to speed up and her heart fluttered.
"I can see that you may need a drink to calm the nerves. May I ask what your
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