Inferno Anthology

by Gow, Kailin

  “Thirsty?” he remarked.

  “You have no idea.”

  Chapter 3

  I spent nearly two days shut inside my room, trying to resist my desire to talk to Drew. He continued to bring exquisite meals to my room even though I had insisted I didn’t need him to cook for me. I wanted to hear Chase’s voice. Every time I touched myself I thought of Chase, but this morning Drew’s face had flashed in my mind. I decided then that I would hold off until I saw Chase in three or four days—if I saw Chase in three or four days.

  I sat cross-legged on the floor of the bedroom, just inside the doors leading to the balcony and watched the sunset. The polls had been open for a few hours on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. I should be watching the news coverage on my phone, but I couldn’t stand seeing all the interspersed clips of my interview with Diane Sawyer and Heather Rodin’s venomous reaction. I had destroyed Heather Rodin’s career. Actually, she had done that on her own when she fabricated her sources, but it didn’t make me feel any less awful.

  A knock came at the door and Drew entered. “I brought you the laptop in case you want to watch the coverage on something bigger than a four-inch screen.”

  “Thanks. You can set it down on the bed.”

  He laid the computer on the bed and stared at me for a moment. “I was senior class president in high school.”

  I smiled. “Is that supposed to impress me?”

  “Of course,” he replied, as he joined me on the carpet. “I was embroiled in a big scandal just before that election. I’d been caught ditching home economics two days in a row.”

  “Quite the scandal. How did you ever manage to recover from that one?”

  “I paid off my Home Ec teacher to dispute the findings.”

  I looked at him questioningly and he grinned.

  “Okay, the truth is I won because I was extremely good looking. No one cared if I ditched class. There weren’t enough goody-goodies in the school to outweigh those who wanted to bask in the glow of my popularity.”

  I chuckled weakly. “I get what you’re trying to say, Drew, but this is a whole other level of deception going on here. I just wish I could be honest. I wish everyone knew that Chase and Katherine’s relationship is a sham. I wish they knew that Chase and I are in love. That’s what I wish the most. I hate the secrecy more than the scandal.”

  “Are you afraid he’s going to leave you if he loses?”

  “What do you mean? Do you know something I don’t know?”

  “No, no, I was just asking,” he replied, shaking his head emphatically. “It’s just… I’d hate to see you get hurt after all of this.”

  “Well, I would really hate to get hurt after all of this. This is definitely the most complicated relationship I’ve ever been in.”

  “To be fair, what did you expect? He’s Chase ‘Fucking’ Underwood.”

  I shrugged. “I guess I didn’t expect to be hidden away in some remote corner of Europe, staring out a window at the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen, alone.”

  “Hey,” he said, as he nudged my shoulder. “You’re not alone.”

  I turned to him and his smile made my stomach flip. The hair on my arms prickled as I thought of what I had been doing in the shower this morning when Drew’s face flashed in my mind. Suddenly, his face was just inches away. His boyish features and round blue eyes were getting closer; so close I could feel the warmth of his breath.

  I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him back. “I’m sorry, Drew. I can’t do that.”

  He placed his hands on the floor behind him and leaned back. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I find you very attractive and I think you deserve to be with someone who can give you everything you want; someone who can give every part of themselves to you.”

  I stood from the floor and went to the bed where I scooped up the laptop. “Let’s watch some exit poll coverage.”

  Ten hours later, at five o’clock in the morning Italy time, the call was made and Chase was declared the next President of the United States of America. The deciding factor was the narrow victory he eked out in North Carolina, a state that he had called home for nearly five years after college. It seemed his former neighbors felt more betrayed by his alleged affair than anyone else, though not enough to overrule his popularity.

  I closed the laptop and stood from the floor.

  “Don’t you want to see the victory speech?” Drew asked, as he stood.

  “Not really.” I didn’t want to listen in vain for a thank you that would never come. As I approached the bed, my phone rang.

  “Larissa,” Chase whispered. “I’ll see you in two weeks.”

  Before I could open my mouth to respond, the line went dead.

  I placed the phone on my nightstand as Drew made his way to the door. “Are you hungry or are you going to hit the sack?” he asked.

  I stared at the phone for a moment. Two weeks? What had changed since we spoke two days ago? I opened the nightstand, tossed the phone into the drawer, and slammed it shut. “I’m starving.”

  I didn’t hear from Chase at all for three days, which I opted to spend walking through the vineyard behind the villa rather than cooped up in the bedroom. My phone rang as I passed the infinity pool next to the tennis courts.

  “You’ve been busy,” I said, as I answered.

  “Of course, I’ve been busy. Honey, are you okay? Are you upset with me?”

  He sounded exhausted, and for that simple fact I decided not to chew him out for leaving me waiting for three days without a single word.

  “I’m fine, just lonely. I thought you were supposed to be here today or tomorrow. What happened?”

  “I know I was supposed to be there, but Teddy couldn’t clear a large enough chunk of time for me to fly out there.”

  I sat on a cushioned deck chair and, for a brief moment, considered jumping into the sparkling pool, phone and all. Maybe the chlorinated water could wash away all this uncertainty.

  “I miss you,” I whispered, as I wiped away the first tears. “I don’t have anyone to talk to here except for Drew and I think he wants to do more than talk so every time I see him I feel awk—”

  “What did you say?”

  I paused a moment. “I said I don’t have anyone to talk to here.”

  “Did you say Drew has been hitting on you?”

  The anger in his voice made my heart stutter, but something about it also got me hot.

  “No, I didn’t say that. He didn’t hit on me.”

  “Then why did you say you think he wants to do more than talk?”

  “It’s not like that. I just get the feeling he’s got a bit of a crush on me. He hasn’t acted on it, I swear.”

  “He has a crush on you? Larissa, this is a grown man. Men don’t have crushes; they have urges. I’m coming over there.”

  “No! You don’t have to do that. Everything’s fine. Do what you need to do. I swear. Everything is just fine.”

  Chase let out a chuckle. “Larissa, I’m not going to kill the man. I’m just going to have a chat with him, man to man. That’s all. I’ll see you in twelve hours.”

  Chapter 4

  This was not the kind of visit from Chase I had been fantasizing about. If he scared Drew off, I might not have anyone to talk to for the next three to four months. Or, worse, what if he fired him?

  I showered and shaved every inch of my body then I spread the pineapple-flavored lotion Chase loved so much all over me. I paid extra attention to my crotch and before I knew it I was nearing orgasm. I yanked my hand back before I could climax. It had been four days since the incident in the shower where Drew’s face flashed in my mind. I wanted to save this pent up energy pulsating throughout my entire body for Chase.

  A knock came at the bedroom door just as I was attempting to zip up my little black dress. “The president just arrived,” Mike shouted through the door.

  The president? Just the phrase got me hot and bothered.

  I raced to the do
or and opened it wide. “Mike, can you zip me up?”

  Mike’s eyebrows scrunched together as he backed away from me.

  Drew smiled. “I’ll do it.”

  “No!” I shrieked. “No, that’s all right. I’ll do it myself. I was just… kidding. I don’t need help. See?”

  Drew eyed me suspiciously as I struggled to zip myself up. With a shake of his head, he and Mike set off to greet Chase. I followed behind them, attempting to yank my zipper up as I walked. I finally got it up when we were halfway down the staircase, just as Chase entered through the enormous double doors.

  There was something different about him since the last time we were together five days ago. It wasn’t a physical change in appearance. It was something else. Maybe it was just my perception of him, but he appeared more… commanding. Way more sexy, if that were possible. I wanted to jump on top of him and make love to him right on the marble floor, but he wasn’t even looking at me. He only had eyes for Drew.

  “Chase,” I called to him as I descended the last few steps, but he continued to glare at Drew. “Honey, look at me.”

  Chase turned to me and his eyes softened. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my body against his as he returned my kiss with more passion than I had ever felt from him before. I wanted to rip his clothes off right here, but he soon pulled away.

  “What’s this?” he asked, as he looked over my shoulder at my back. “Your dress is unzipped.”

  “Is it? Oh, geez, I guess I was having trouble reaching it.”

  “I offered to zip it up for her, but she refused my help.”

  Chase glared at Drew and I latched onto his arm then twirled around so my back was to him. “I wanted you to do it,” I said. “Please zip me up.”

  My skin prickled as his fingers grazed my bare back. He pulled the zipper up and laid a soft kiss on my neck, as if he were trying to send Drew a message that I was his. Something about that idea made me nervous and I turned around to face him.

  “Come upstairs with me,” I whispered, putting on my best come-hither expression.

  He kissed my forehead before he stepped away. “You go ahead and I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

  I panicked as he strode toward Drew and beckoned him into the dining room. If he fired Drew it would be my fault. I had to go after him.

  “Wait!” I called out, as I chased after them.

  I entered the dining room and Chase glared at me as if I was intruding. Drew stared at the floor like a child waiting to be chastised.

  “Larissa, can I please have a moment alone with Drew? I’ll be up in just a moment.”

  “No, I can’t wait. I need you upstairs now.”

  I didn’t blink as Chase narrowed his eyes at me. “Fine,” he finally relented before he turned to Drew. “We’ll talk later.”

  I held out my hand to him and he brought it to his lips. “I can’t resist the princess who convinced the nation to elect me, can I?”

  “You’re not getting off that easily,” I replied. “You and I have some things to discuss.”

  He smiled as he followed me out of the dining room then up to the bedroom. He closed the door behind him and we stared at each other in silence. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I was thinking about the next three to four months.

  “Why do I have to stay here if you’ve already won the election? I feel like a fucking pris—”

  “You don’t.”

  “I don’t—? What?”

  “You don’t have to stay here anymore, at least, not for three or four months as we had originally planned.”

  My mouth dropped wide open. “What? Are you going to tell me now I only have to stay for two months? Ugh! You make me so mad sometimes! Why are you laughing? This isn’t funny!” He grabbed my hand as he attempted to stifle his laughter, but I yanked my hand back. “I can’t do this anymore, Chase. I don’t want to be here. Do you understand me? You can’t keep me here. I swear to you I will find a way to escape.”

  He finally composed himself, though he was still smiling. “Larissa, I’m not leaving you here for two months. I’m not even leaving you here for two days. I have a plane coming to pick you up tomorrow morning to fly you back to L.A.”

  Suddenly, the walls began to pulsate as I realized he was finally through with me. He was sending me back where I came from and he was going off to Washington D.C. to find someone better; someone who wasn’t tainted by this scandal.

  “So that’s it? You got what you wanted; now I’m getting tossed aside like yesterday’s news? Is that what’s going on here?”

  “What? No, that’s not what’s going on here.”

  He stepped toward me and I stepped backward until the back of my legs bumped into the side of the bed, but he kept coming at me.

  “Then what’s going on here? Huh? Why did you fly all the way out here to tell Drew to back off if you were just planning to dump me in L.A.?”

  He stopped in front of me so our noses were inches apart. “I’m here to tell you that I’m quitting.”

  “You’re… quitting? Quitting what?”

  “I have a meeting with the Speaker of the House tomorrow to discuss my resignation as president-elect. I’m quitting politics… for you.”

  “You can’t do that. You’ve worked too hard for this. What are you thinking?”

  He placed his strong hands on either side of my waist and pulled my body against his. “I’m thinking a spring wedding in L.A.”

  “What? You’re talking crazy. Have you even slept?”

  “When you told me Drew had a crush on you I realized that this façade I’m asking you to put on has put me in danger of losing you, and that’s when I realized I’d rather lose the presidency than live the rest of my life without you. It’s just as simple as that.”

  “Oh, my god. You’re serious.”

  “As a fucking heart attack. I’ve never met anyone as fiercely loyal and trusting and beautiful as you, Larissa. I want the world to know not just that I love you but that you love me, because that’s what makes me the luckiest bastard in the world.”

  “After what happened on Tuesday, I think everyone already knows that.”

  He smiled as he scooped me up in his arms and laid me on the bed. He gazed at me for a moment, taking in the curve of my breasts and hips, before he lay next to me. He traced his finger over the bridge of my nose, over my lips, into the hollow of my neck, and between my breasts. I sighed as his fingers lightly caressed my belly. I had been craving his touch and here he was, giving me everything I craved and more.

  His lips fell on mine tasting like the sweetest candy. His tongue explored my mouth the way it had explored my body so many times before. I felt as if I was falling into the bed, sinking deeper and deeper into this dream that wasn’t a dream.

  I reached down to undo his belt and he pushed my hand away.

  “That will have to wait,” he said, as he sat up. “I have a plane to catch if I want to make that meeting tomorrow.”

  “That’s it?” I muttered, unable to hide the disappointment of my unfulfilled need. I wanted him inside me. I wanted to feel the weight of him on top of me.

  He chuckled as he rose from the bed. “That is definitely not it. I have big plans for you when we get back to L.A. I already had your old roommate deliver your things to my house in Pacific Palisades. We’re going to have plenty of time to execute those plans once I join you there tomorrow evening.” He planted a soft kiss on my lips then made for the door. “I take it I can leave Drew to his schoolboy fantasies. I don’t have anything to worry about there, do I?”

  “Of course not, but what about all the people who threatened to lynch me back home?”

  “I already hired a private security team. You have nothing to fear. I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh—wear that pink dress you wore to the AMA benefit.”

  As he left the room, I collapsed onto the bed and stared at the vaulted ceiling above me. My crotch throbbed with un
fulfilled desire. I slid the hem of my dress up a few inches then stopped. I could wait until tomorrow night.

  Chapter 5

  The plane landed in Los Angeles at five p.m. local time. As soon as I debarked, a helicopter was already on standby outside Chase’s private hangar. Drew carried my luggage across the tarmac and heaved it into the helicopter where two enormous fellows in crisp black suits, my private guards, awaited me.

  “I guess you won’t be needing my services anymore,” he shouted over the thumping of the rotors.

  “Thanks for not treating me like a prisoner,” I shouted back before we hugged.

  He held on longer than I would have allowed him to otherwise, but I had to cut the guy some slack after the wrath I almost unleashed on him yesterday. He finally let go and I climbed inside the helicopter. As the chopper lifted off then banked toward the ocean, I breathed a deep sigh of relief to finally be home. The skyscrapers and the smog were my security blanket and these months on the road had taken their toll on me. I was exhausted. All I wanted was to get home, to my new home with Chase, and fall asleep in his arms.

  The helicopter approached the hills of Pacific Palisades and one of the burly bodyguards turned to me. “Miss Jacobs, can you please put this on? Boss’s orders.”

  He handed me a black satin blindfold. “What is this for?” I asked, as I took it from his hand.

  “I’m sorry. Mr. Underwood didn’t share that information with me. Please put it on.”

  I slipped the blindfold over my head and an anxious feeling settled into the pit of my belly as I felt the helicopter descend. The chopper soon landed and I unbuckled my seatbelt.

  “I’m going to take your arm to help you get out,” the guard said, as he grasped the crook of my arm and guided me out of the helicopter onto what felt like cool sand.

  He led me forward and I listened for sounds of humans, but all I heard was the sound of waves crashing on my left. I trudged through the sand, trying to ignore the grittiness of the sand in my heels. We walked a few more yards before he stopped.