COMPLICATED – Episode 37

COMPLICATED

Written by Princess Juliet

Episode 37

Abducted.

Not edited……

The music playing in Jayden�s Range Rover was so loud and raw. Try as she might, Atarah couldn�t make out who the rapper was. She sank back into her seat, exhausted and cast a sidelong glance at him.

Jayden seemed so hyped as he nodded his head along to the lyrics. He was definitely a fan. This was just one of the many things that intrigued her about him. His taste in music was diverse and he was a lover of nature too. A handsome genius, It had been fun living with him and getting to know him. His likes, dislikes, his little quirks; she was starting to understand what made him almost perfect.

Feeling bored, she decided to push and tease him a little

�What exactly is this mess we are listening to?� There was silent laughter in her voice and this made Jayden smile, unconsciously.

�I don�t know.� He said with a deep sigh and that was the truth. Ever since the incident in his office and at her school, he hadn�t been himself. His mind was in complete disarray and he was deeply worried about her safety, worried about their safety, for he didn’t trust Mary one bit. He knew she meant everything she�d written down on that note and he knew she was bent on destroying them.

Atarah stared at him with an amused expression and the corners of her eyes crinkled. �What does he mean by he doesn�t know, it is his music right?� Opening her mouth, she wanted to query him but stopped when she noticed they�d gotten to the mansion. �Well, I will just ask him some other time.� Reluctantly, she shrugged off her sombre mood and smiled to herself demurely as she stared out of the window.

Jayden glanced at her but said nothing. With a weary sigh, he drove in through the gate and pulled into the garage.

Atarah jumped out of the car almost before he cut the engine. �I�ll go in first.� She grinned at him and ran off, hopping and skipping as she went.

Jayden watched her disappear around the corner and the only emotions that swelled within him were happiness and love. His love for her was getting deeper, and he was so glad that she didn’t leave him hanging. She reciprocated his feelings and loved him too much to let their differences stand in their way. �My sweet girl!�

A smile broke out on his face as he stepped out of his car and slammed the door shut. He was feeling a bit tired so he went straight to his room, completely ignoring his father who was laying idly on the sofa. He was in no mood to argue with him.

When he barged in through the door, he found Atarah standing in front of the mirror and his dark eyebrows jerked up in surprise.

�Do you mean to tell me that you left the car in a hurry just to come in here and stare at your reflection?� The sudden sound of his voice startled her to the point that she squealed. �Oh my goodness, Jayden!� Clutching at her chest, she glanced back over her shoulder at him. He was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

She let out a quiet sigh. �I�m having really bad cramps.�

�Oh,� He nodded his head slowly, finally understanding her. �Your menses has started right?� He couldn’t restrain a smile as he moved closer and held her waist from behind.

Blushing, She swallowed hard and shook her head. �I�d thought it was it, in fact, I�ve been expecting it since last week but……� Suddenly she stopped talking and gnawed on her lower lip.

Jayden raised a questioning eyebrow and tilted his head back, blankly looking at her image in the mirror as he waited for an answer.

Atarah looked troubled and hesitated a moment before answering. �B-But there is no blood.� Her voice was so low Jayden had to strain his ears to catch the words.

But before he could ask questions, his phone beeped indicating a text message. �One second, please.�He took an excuse before fishing it out of his pocket. Judging by the way he had left the office in a hurry, he�d expected it to be one of his colleagues but his guess was wrong. It was his best friend and gist mate�Nancy.

�I�m out partying at our favourite place, care to join me?� Her message brought a faint smile to his lips and he pondered for a moment before replying.

�I�m with my girlfriend.�

�I know,� Nancy’s message came almost immediately. �Feel free to bring her along.�

Jayden sighed tremendously and ran his fingers through his hair. �I�ll have to ask her first.�With tired eyes, he looked up at Atarah and saw she was glaring daggers at him.

�Who was that?� She demanded

�Nancy.� He answered truthfully.

A stab of sheer, primitive jealousy slashed through her and she asked with a sneer in her voice. �What does she want?�

�She wants us to come and have some fun with her.� Jayden calmly replied, much to Atarah�s annoyance. �Why is he so cool with her stupid request?�

She frowned and stubbornly folded her arms across her chest. �I don’t want us to go.�

His smile turned into a smirk, for the briefest of fleeting moments, before he nodded his head, and began to draft a message to Nancy.

�You�ll agree with me just like that.� Atarah�s voice stopped him and he gazed up at her. She was peering into his phone and shaking her head in disbelief. �Like you seriously want to turn her down?�

Jayden was confused at the change in her words. �You asked me to do that, right?� He cocked his head to one side with a slight frown.

�But she is your best friend,� Atarah whispered and looked up at him with eager eyes. When he didn’t reply at once, she knew he was working on a tactful answer to give her. One that wouldn�t upset or annoy her.

Jayden leaned over her and gazed into her eyes tenderly. �You are worth more than a thousand best friends, Tarah.�

And that was true. He added to himself. He�d never ever choose anyone over her. Nancy might be his best friend but she was his world.

Atarah smiled sweetly at him. That were the exact words she�d wanted to hear. �Then I�ll go.� She muttered somewhat and he looked at her, confused at first, unsure of what she was saying. �Go where?�

�To the clubhouse, Dr Jayden.�She winked at him with a taunting provocating smile that sent a glow of lust into his eyes.

�Oh! Alright then.�He coughed and cleared his throat before slowly looking her up and down. His eyes lingered on her curves, her almost perfect shape and he cringed at the thought of another man checking her out. Dammit! He was a jealous freak and he knew that too well. �But I want you to change into something longer first.� On an impulse, he laid down an order that she willingly accepted.

�Sure.� She walked past him to the closet and quickly stripped off her gown.

His eyes swept over her lacy ivory chemise and matching bikini panties. His mouth went dry as he noticed how much sexier and fuller she had become.

Atarah felt his eyes on her but pretended not to notice and care. She calmly pulled a jumpsuit of butterscotch cotton from a hanger. She wasn�t about to shriek like a hormonal teenager and run into the bathroom, blushing hard. No way! With a secret inward smile, she stepped into the jumpsuit, pulling it over her hips, thrusting her brea$t forward as she slipped it over her shoulders. And then she began to button it, slowly, carefully, one by one, starting from the last button and working her way up.

Jayden watched her every move, making no attempt to conceal his surprise. �You�re putting on weight, Princess.� He observed, taking in her seemingly rounder shape and her delicate features.

�Am I?� Atarah stared at her reflection in the mirror but saw nothing wrong with her figure. As a matter of fact, she was still the same slender and fit girl.

�Well,� Jayden half nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders. �You are still my beautiful princess.�

Atarah merely laughed and slipped her feet into white low sandals. When she buckle its straps, she picked up her handbag and said softly to him. �Let�s go.� And with that, she walked ahead of him out of the room, down the stairs and outside to his car.

Jayden�s mind was blank as he slid into the driver�s seat. Out of habit, he glanced at her to make sure she was settled before starting the car and driving down the road leading to the clubhouse.
~~~

By the time they arrived there, it was late evening.

The sun was beginning to set and its golden rays shone directly on Atarah�s face, painting her hair an orange hue.
Adjusting in her seat, she squinted and stared out of the window at the white building flashing with disco lights. She cringed. The loud music pouring out of the jam-box speakers was a big turn-off for her as she hated noise.

Jayden saw her hesitation and knew for a fact that she was uncomfortable with the surrounding. �Should we return home?� Despite feeling tired, he was ready to do anything to please her.

She turned her head around. When she saw the deep concern in his eyes, she shook her head slightly as she didn�t want to worry him at all. �No, I will manage.� With a smile, she assured him and teetered when she stepped out of the car.

Jayden wanted to laugh, but then he met her intent gaze and swallowed hard. �Sorry.� Briskly, he alighted and slammed the door shut. Together, they walked into the club holding hands. Dammit!

The beats were vibrating off the walls and the whole place was jam-packed and rowdy. The smell of liquor was everywhere and the dancehall was filled with sweaty bodies. �Yuck!�

Atarah held onto her boyfriend�s hand tightly to relay her fears. He let out a deep sigh and muttered only to her hearing. �Let’s go meet Nancy.�

Although she didn’t like the sound of that, she knew she had no other option but to follow his lead, so pensively, she walked beside him to the table where Nancy sat smiling at them and sipping wine. A young man who looked to be in his early twenties was sitting beside her and Jayden raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

She chuckled softly. �This is my coursemate and friend, Hilton. When he didn�t respond, she added. �He is a huge fan of yours.�

Slowly, Jayden shifted his attention to the young man and returned his smile. �Hey, Hilton.�He greeted him cheerfully as he slid into the chair across from Nancy.

The young man, Hilton’s smile widened. �Hi, Dr Jayden.� He tried to hide his excitement, but his voice was shaking. Meeting the renowned doctor was a dream come true for him. For a moment, he forgot that he was paid to distract him and just smiled sheepishly at him.

Nancy cleared her throat, reminding him of their deal and only then did he come to his senses. He quickly composed himself and laughed softly to clear the tension in the air. �Pardon me for staring too much. I�m a huge fan of your work and would like it if you can share some experiences with me.

Stunned, Jayden was speechless for a brief moment and then he nodded his head slowly and tapped the seat beside him. �Sit, princess.�He didn’t like the way she was standing and staring at them gloomily.

Feeling stupid, Atarah mumbled a quick thank you but before she could sit down, Nancy sprang to her feet and put her hand around her. Atarah looked at her in surprise. �Let’s leave the boys to themselves.�

�Why?� She whispered back

�I want to show you something.� Nancy’s voice sounded like an echo in her ear and she battled her eyelashes at her. �Why is she acting so nice to me all of a sudden?� Confused and bemused, she wanted to decline, but then she saw that Jayden was busy with his new friend. �Oh yeah!� She rolled her eyes in mock exasperation and Nancy laughed loudly.

�Let’s go, girl,� Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her hand and led her out of the clubhouse to a secluded corner where a red sport car was parked.

Atarah must have sensed the danger that lay ahead because she yanked her arm free and glared at her. �Why did you bring me out here?�

�To show you my surprise.� Nancy stepped back and pushed her towards the car.

Atarah’s heart froze and her stomach turned icy as she noticed the not-too-familiar eyes staring at her through the window. �M-Mrs Hobsons.� Her chest tightening, she tried to run but it was too late. A strong hand grabbed her firmly and injected her with a whitish substance before throwing her into the back seat of the car. Slowly she began to see stars and then everything went blank.

A satisfied smirk flickered at the corner of Mary’s mouth and she couldn�t be more pleased with herself. �Let�s get out of here, Connor.� She called out from the passenger seat. At that moment, Nancy knew she had been played and began to panic

�But I thought you�d just wanted to warn her.�Gosh! How could she have been so stupid to fall for the witch�s trick?

Mary smiled coldly at her. �This is your punishment for placing another man over my son and also for siding with me, so deal with it, my accomplice.� She openly sneered at her.

�No, please don’t do this to me.� With a tightness in her throat, Nancy collapsed on the floor and watched helplessly as the car sped down the paved road

TBC