Chapter 5 Strip!

{Faith}

“Spread your legs for me, Princess,” Ace orders, his breath hot against my neck.

I do as he says. “Please be gentle.”

“Shh!” He licks his lips. “You have no idea the bad things I want to do to you.”

I tremble with need as his hand brushes against my skin. He grips my neck and captures my lips roughly. I moan, clinging to him as his weight crushes me.

“You want this don't you?”

I nod. “Yes…”

An evil smile appears on his face. He grabs my thighs and pulls me towards him with great force.

“Ah!” I scream, sitting up.

The room swirls around me. I hold my head and open my eyes again. Breathing heavily, I take it all in.

It was just a dream!

I look at my body to find my shirt pasted to my skin. I wipe the beads of sweat on my forehead. “What is wrong with me?”

I have never had such a dream. Even while going through puberty, I always had no stories to tell when my classmates talked about the sex dreams they had. How can this be happening now that I am twenty!

And about Ace!

I drag my fingers through my thick hair. “It’s sinful, Faith. Guard your mind jealously. Your body is a temple.”

A knock on the door startles me. I shift uneasily, pulling the blanket to my chest.

Oh…

I breathe a sigh of relief as a woman with gray hair walks in. She cracks a smile and holds up a tray.

“You brought me food?”

She nods. When she comes closer, I notice the wrinkles all over her face. She looks about sixty years old. Is she the cook?

I watch as she places the tray next to me on the bed. She takes out a notepad and scribbles on it.

What’s she doing?

She turns the notepad and I see a small note.

[Hi, my name is Susan. I can't speak, so I will be communicating with you like this.]

My mouth parts. No, it’s not because she's speech-impaired. I have met many like her during the church visits and missions with my father.

I just can't help but wonder if Ace hired her because she can't tell the authorities about his shady dealings.

I come to my senses. She's scribbling again.

[I know this may be hard for you, but please bear with me.”

“Not at all!” I say rather loudly. “I don't mind at all.”

She smiles again.

“I am Faith.” I put a hand to my chest. “Nice to meet you, Susan. And thank you for the food.”

[You are welcome]

The door swings open. My heart skips, but again, it’s not Ace. An average-height redhead walks in.

“Leave us,” he says to Susan.

She nods and walks out.

Unintentionally, I clutch my blanket. His eyes settle on my hands.

“Don’t be nervous. I am Jerry, Ace’s right-hand man.”

His voice is softer than Ace’s. But it doesn't make me feel at ease.

“Ace asked me to give you this.” He hands me a document.

My hand shakes as I take it. There are a few lines on the paper, but the moment I read the first line, my jaw drops.

CERTIFICATE OF ANNULMENT!

He did it!

I have heard many stories about Ace. About how he always eludes the authorities and gets whatever he set his sights on. But I didn't think he would be able to nullify my marriage to Matthew so quickly.

Did he beat Matthew up?

Thinking back to the incident at the chapel, I shake my head. Matthew took all the hits before I even knew he was after my money. Why would he give in after almost getting it?

Still…

I look at the document in my hand again. “I should thank him.”

“Where is he?” I ask the redhead in front of me.

“Down the hall. To the left.”

I walk out almost immediately. The sound of my footsteps echoes in the empty hall. Getting to the door, I knock gently.

“Come in!” His voice comes from the other side.

I take a deep breath. The doorknob is slippery as I turn it. “I just got…”

My words trail off as I step inside. It’s a bedroom. Why is it so dark in here?

I blink, adjusting to the darkness.

Suddenly, I hear a click. A dim light comes on a second later.

“What do you want?”

I finally see him.

Ace is on the bed, his back against the large headboard. His black hair is a mess and he has no shirt on and My brain short-circuits. I have never seen anything like it.

His abs are chiseled, with well-defined ridges, similar to those of the Greek god sculptures I saw at a museum when I was in 8th grade. His strong chest heaves slowly, the dim light shimmering against his olive skin.

I notice the subtle V-shaped line just above his waist, disappearing underneath the blanket. There's a slight bulge in the blanket. It stretches…

“Are you done now?”

Ace’s voice snaps me out of it. I look up to find him studying me with a smirk.

“Oh… I-I…” My tongue betrays me.

“You still haven't answered my question.” He flings the blanket off and climbs out.

I turn my face away, but not quickly enough not to see that he has only a pair of boxers on.

I hear him chuckle. “What? I thought you loved the view?”

I wish the ground would just open up and swallow me whole. Where is my head at?

“Ahem!” I cough, trying to push away the ball of saliva that just formed against my will. “I didn't know this was your bedroom. One of your men told me to come here.”

“Oh, Jerry?”

I nod.

“Look at me,” he orders.

I do not move a muscle.

“Don’t make me repeat myself!”

I jump. Trembling, I turn around and see him standing in the same spot. The full length of him!

I swallow hard again.

“I think you got my present.” His voice feels like a hug, so different from the one I heard seconds ago.

I pinch my left thigh. “Yeah. I wasn't expecting you to sort it out so fast. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.” His voice turns hard again.

The hairs on my skin abruptly stand. I notice his eyes wandering all over me.

“Strip!”