The Taste of Seduction

As soon as she stepped into her house and shut the door, she leaned against the door and shut her eyes.

The stranger is living next door.

Her mind was more muddled than elated as she began to recall every encounter she'd had with him. Each of them had unlocked something she thought had gone numb.

Her heart rate increased each time their gazes locked and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

The meeting at the office was different. There was something else other than frustration. Desire, raw, potent desire that somehow made its way to her depths, and made her heart bloom like a night lily. It was too much emotion all at once. And it confused her which one she should allow to dominate.

Desire was not one to let out, because she had a boyfriend. That sudden reminder made her open her eyes swiftly. Her boyfriend, Cole, was standing, and staring at her – as she daydreamed about her new neighbor.

"C - Cole," She whispered his name, stammering slightly. That had been a mistake, because whether she liked it or not, it gave off a kind of idea that she was hiding something, whereas there was nothing, hopefully.

"How long have you been standing there?" She added with a nervous laugh that seemed to come from her already parched throat, strained and forced.

"Long enough," Cole replied. His voice was gruff and laid back like someone who'd just witnessed a crime and decided to remain indifferent about it.

"But that's not the point now, is it?" His voice had risen a tad bit higher now.

"What do you mean?" Her voice remained steady, betraying none of the unease that churned within her. She knew what was coming, but she had to stay calm. She had to.

What if she had unwittingly triggered this reaction in him? Ignorance seemed like the safer path to follow. She did nothing wrong. She won't let her guilt expose itself for something she had not done.

She pushed against the door and reached her hand out towards him as she spoke, "Come on baby, let's go have breakfast –" But Cole's movement was swift and decisive. He seized her forearm, yanking her back towards him. His arm locked tightly around her neck, trapping her within the vise of his elbow.

As her air supply dwindled, she struggled to form coherent words. His unyielding grip constricted her throat, making breathing an arduous task. In the midst of her suffocation, he spoke, his words dripping with accusation. "You waved at the neighbor, didn't you, Diana? And don't lie to me."

Silenced and gasping for air, Diana found herself unable to manage a reply. The vice-like hold on her neck suppressed her voice, leaving her with only the desperate struggle for air.

"Answer me goddamn it!" Cole's voice reverberated with anger, accompanied by a merciless tightening of his grip around her neck. In a desperate attempt to draw his attention, she tapped his arm frantically, struggling to draw in shallow breaths.

Her other arm flailed helplessly, searching for any form of escape amidst the pressure. Finally sensing her distress, he made the decision to release his hold.

He unfurled his arm from her neck and forcefully pushed her forward, causing her to lose her balance and crash to the ground. She offered no resistance to shield herself as her body succumbed to the impact.

Collapsed on the floor, she reached for her neck, gently soothing the lingering pain with delicate strokes of her fingers. With her other hand, she pulled herself away from him, creating a safe distance between them.

She leaned against a nearby wall and locked her gaze with his, determination burning in her eyes even as she struggled to regain her breath.

"I swear, Cole, I did not wave," she choked out her reply. Her voice was strained but resolute. Cole lowered himself to a crouch in front of her, and proceeded to question her. His suspicion was evident in his eyes as he probed further, "Then why were you looking at him? Have you seen him somewhere before?"

Unflinching, she revealed the truth, her voice laced with defiance. "He came to my office for an apartment, and we had an encounter –"

"Well, well, an encounter, you say? Spill the beans then, tell me all the details."

With her deadliest gaze locked onto him, and her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, she made her final move. "He was the reason why I lost the contract!"

In that moment, her resolve was unyielding. Despite the raw emotions that threatened to overwhelm her, she refused to let her gaze waver. If Cole intended to unleash his worst, she would meet it head-on; there would be no backing out.

The room was engulfed in an eerie silence as Cole's intense gaze bore into her eyes. The unspoken challenge lingering between them made it clear that she had just spoken the truth.

A glimmer of a smile tugged at his lips as he tenderly adjusted the strands of her hair, a fleeting gesture that contrasted with the recent violence.

"Alright baby, let's go have breakfast," he said, his voice laced with an unsettling mix of warmth and underlying control.

She forced a smile tinged with bitterness as she gathered her strength and rose to her feet, maintaining the unwavering connection of their locked gazes.

With a whispered "Thank you baby," she cautiously distanced herself from him, her every movement marked by caution.

Just as she thought she had escaped his grip, his voice cut through the air once more, freezing her in her tracks.

"Diana,"

The sound of his call resonated like a foreboding toll, a reminder of the power he held over her existence within these walls.

Slowly, she turned, her head bowed, avoiding direct eye contact. Her tear-filled eyes threatened to betray her fragile emotional state, and she knew all too well the disdain he held for such vulnerability.

"Yes, Cole," She murmured, her voice a fragile whisper, strained with the effort to suppress a whimper.

"Do you like him?" The air hung heavy with tension as his question pierced the silence, his voice had a dangerous mix of possessiveness and insecurity.

"Of course not, baby. I only love you." Her response was swift and desperate, her words tumbling out in a flurry, betraying her eagerness to appease him.

Cole hissed through clenched teeth, his patience waning as he dismissed her words as meaningless babble.