Safe Word: Rosé

Chapter 10

Narrator-

Cara blinked in astonishment and slight concern as she looked at Jason, who stared back with a calm façade, while his hands rested in his pockets. The excitement and adrenaline began to rise in Cara's veins, her heartbeat accelerating beneath the pressure of the tall man's gaze. She tried to appear calm, and silently thanked her melanin tone which hid the heat that caused her face to flush with blood due to the tension in the large hallway. Otherwise, her shame and slight fear would've painted her cheeks crimson red, and her guilt from being caught for breaking a rule would've been as scarlet as the letter A itself.

On the other hand, Jason found this situation to irk him to the bone. He knew that Cara was going to be a challenge. She showed her true colors quite early on, but now that she expressed no care for the boundaries he instilled within the walls of his home, he felt that some action would have to be taken. The thought of reprimanding Cara in a way that would get her in line caused a rumble of emotions to rise from Jason's abdomen. His palm warmed and tickled inside the fabric pocket of his slacks, and the signature tremor that signaled an imbalance in his emotions made itself known in his index finger.

Cara gulped again, while Jason's questions rang in her ear like a siren's call, signaling her doom.

At Cara's silent mental paralysis, he rose an eyebrow in sign that he wouldn't repeat himself, forcing the brown beauty to blink and finally break eye contact.

Silently telling herself to get it together, Cara replied, "I was just looking at the guests. Nothing more."

"But you know that you're not supposed to be here. Cindy wouldn't miss to tell you that." Jason answered calmly, almost too calm in Cara's opinion.

"She did," Cara agreed, "But I figured it wasn't too strict since Monique was over here earlier." Cara fired, feeling her adrenaline morph her earlier surprise into a defense mechanism.

"Miss Thompson," Jason began, his tone calm yet chiding, "need I remind you that you are nothing but a mere guest in this house, you have no authority here, and it's very inconsiderate of you to cross boundaries meant to keep everyone in line." Jason scolded.

The way Jason addressed Cara sent her up the wall and gone was the silent girl and in her place, a woman who wanted no bar of being treated like a child by a heartless businessman.

"Save the lecture my friend," Cara raised her hand, "I'm going."

Cara rolled her eyes at the end of her announcement and brushed passed Jason, with the aim of escaping the tense dialogue.

"No you're not." Jason said turning around, his voice still low, and yet the sharpness of his syllables stopped Cara in her tracks.

Cara didn't want to risk Jason following her, so she sighed audibly before turning to face Jason, not surprised to find him still appearing calmer than the ocean breeze on hot sunny day.

"Look, I'm sorry for crossing into the forbidden wing, it won't happen again." Cara provided a half-true apology.

She had no real intention of simply 'falling in line'. Cara told herself that if Jason wanted to go through with this deal, she would make it as painful as possible for him.

Jason didn't comment on Cara's words. Instead he took a step towards her, prompting her to back away. He took another step, and again Cara backed away in slight panic.

"What are you doing?" Cara asked, but Jason didn't say a word.

He moved towards Cara again and this time she held her ground. She didn't move back, especially since another step would simply land her against the wall. Jason closed the gap until Cara could note the soft warmth emitting from his skin. Cara tried her best to hold eye contact, while Jason's eyes drilled into her gaze. Cara felt the heat of this heavy stare down burn its way to her head, feeling as if the cavities of her skull was being pumped full with piping hot lava.

Cara having the strength to stare back at Jason only made him more aggravated. Jason breathed slowly, though his mind filled with all the ways he could discipline Cara if he had his way. The excitement from the fantasy of reprimanding Cara on his own terms, caused a shot of adrenaline to flow through Jason's veins, prompting him to take another step forward, forcing Cara to push herself against the wall, just to keep the distance, and in the process breaking eye contact.

Cara was now breathing with slight fear. She chanced a look at Jason, and he squinted his eyes just slightly, making his entire calm visage morph into a deadly, bitter mask. The darkness that suddenly filled Jason's face instantly sent the alarms blaring in Cara's head. She quickly remembered that no one was here to save her, not her father, not anyone. She was alone, she was in a territory where she didn't belong, and the alpha of that territory had her cornered. Cara's eyes were wide with uncertainty, while she debated on how she would get herself out of the situation.

"You have a problem following rules don't you?" Jason asked lowly, after seeing Cara's brave front melt away.

Cara frowned, Jason's words sounding more like a trap than anything else. The way he posed his questions made Cara feel like an onion, ready to be peeled apart, leaf by leaf. Cara knew that answering Jason's question would serve as nothing more than her own undoing, so she simply gulped but kept her mouth shut.

At Cara's silence, Jason continued, "now dear old Joe promised me that you were a good girl, except good girls follow the rules."

At the mention of her father, Cara felt her chest cave in and crush her heart. She felt the tears rising in her eyes even before she could control it. But Cara didn't let them spill. She swallowed the sour waves that climbed up her throat and pressed her teeth together.

"I said I was sorry. It won't happen again." Cara said stiffly.

Jason cocked his head to the side just slightly. Cara now had no choice but to look at the base of his neck. The pressure of his eyes was enough to stifle her will to fight. Jason could hurt her if he wanted to, she was afterall in his debt.

"But you don't do well with orders Miss Thompson, which is why I don't believe you." Jason admitted, his pace still calm, his tone exerting more control than a drifter on ice.

Cara gulped. Of course she wasn't being honest and didn't blame Jason for not believing her. If he was smart he'd settle in the thought that she would butt heads with him every chance she got. Jason noticed the way Cara's eyes changed at his words, the fact that she wasn't quick to convince him to believe her, and he smiled internally. It seemed that Cara thought she could take him on. This made Jason even more intrigued. He was going to break her.

"So not only did you break a rule, but you lied and thought that you could get off easy, right?" Jason baited.

Cara pursed her lips forward and performed a breath to show that she wasn't falling for Jason's bait.

Jason expected this and he nodded, "Good," he complimented her silence.

This made Cara feel on edge.

"Be ready then, for the consequences that follow from now on, whenever you think to cross a line." Jason warned.

Cara drew in a breath to fight back but didn't have the chance.

"Oh there you are." Cindy's voice suddenly sounded from the end of the hall.

"Jason, someone's asking for you downstairs." Cindy explained, taking the chance to approach and possibly break the intense staring contest between Cara and Jason.

Jason said nothing, as he finally backed away from Cara and walked away without sparing Cindy a glance. As soon as Jason disappeared from the platform and down the stairs, Cara released a pissed breath and walked away from Cindy and down the opposite wall to the room she shared with her. Cara entered the bedroom and tried to slam the door shut, but Cindy was right behind her and stopped the door from closing completely.

"Girl what is wrong with you?" Cindy asked while looking at Cara with a frown.

"Not right now Cindy, seriously, not right now." Cara raised a hand towards Cindy while pacing the floor.

"No we're gonna talk right now." Cindy replied stubbornly.

"Like one of the first things I told you was to not go to the west wing. And what's with the stare down between you and Jason? It's like you're purposely trying to get him pissed off." Cindy scolded.

"You don't know anything Cindy, so mind your business." Cara snapped, her head and skull feeling encapsulated in a ball of heat.

"My business?" Cindy echoed, "Huh, okay. Well let me tell you something, I don't know why you're here, and with that attitude, I really don't care to know. But let me make something real clear, whatever BS you tryna stir up in here, make sure it doesn't spill out and mess thing up for everyone else. Don't forget you're the new girl Cara, you already have a target on your back. Tread lightly girlfriend." Cindy pushed in return, then she scoffed and left the room closing the door after her.

Cara looked at the door then shook her fists while groaning out in anguish. She turned left and turned right, grabbing her head and crouching while released an aggravated scream between her bent legs. Cara then stood up, she reached for one of the pillows on her bed and began releasing a tornado of punches. When she was exhausted from that, she grabbed the pillow with choking fingers and smacked the pillow on the bed again and again. while sobbing out short, frustrated breaths. When Cara had no energy to lift her arms above her head, she placed her face in the pillow and screamed before breaking down in cries of frustration.

Cara didn't know for how long she stayed with her face pressed against the pillow, but at some point, a knock came from the door. Cara lifted her head, thinking she misheard, but then, the knocks came again. Rolling her eyes, Cara wiped her face and walked towards the door. She opened it, and there stood Angela, the maid who carried Cara's belongings earlier, standing at the door with clear bag holding a black dress, and Marcelle, who carried a shoe box.

"Um, yes?" Cara greeted with a croaky voice, unsure of the unexpected visit.

"Mr. Trujilo requests your presence down in the ballroom. You are to dress and report to the hall in exactly ten minutes." Marcell spoke in his robot-like tone.

Cara blinked with dead eyes, the tears creating dry streaks on her cheeks, then she simply flashed a fake smile and said, "No."

Neither Marcell nor Angela appeared phased by Cara's response. Angela simply grabbed the box from Marcell's hand, then entered the room and placed the dress on Cara's bed. Then she turned around without a word and left the bedroom.

Cara watched the entire event with a confused gaze.

"You now have nine minutes." Marcell said without emotion, then he made a show of stepping away only to stop and look back at Cara.

"Might I add, if you don't follow these orders, there will be repercussions. Those are Mr. Trujilo's words, not mine." Then Marcell stepped away.

Cara slammed the door and once again felt like screaming. Another part of her wanted to sit in a ball on the floor and hyperventilate until she passed out from the unwanted excitement. But keeping a handle on her frustration, she opted to sit down on her bed stubbornly, refusing to do anything Jason requested. The man was freaky as it was, all Cara wanted was for him to stay away. Cara pulled out her phone, and two more minutes had already elapsed. Cara looked at the dress and the shoebox and debated on what to do. A part of her wanted to sit and wait to see what Jason's repercussions would be. So, she did.

Before she knew it, Cara was pacing the room again. She pressed her thumb against her upper lip, bringing the central meaty tubercle in between her front incisors. She nipped at the small amounts of thin skin fibers, then released that only to pick at the inner lining of her cheeks by pinching the tips of her canines together. The time passed quicker than Cara expected and less than a few moments after the minutes expired, the door burst open and in walked Cindy, fuming.

Cara pursed her lips and shook her head, releasing an exasperated sigh and a roll of her eyes.

"Girl!" Cindy exclaimed, "What did I ever do to you? Why you gotta be so damn stubborn? Jason said to get your a** down there, now." Cindy snapped.

"I'm not going to the club, you know that." Cara said lifting her shoulder in a careless shrug. before crossing her arms.

"Well you shoulda thought of that before you decided to piss him off. I swear on everything girl I'm not gonna get in trouble because of your stubborn a**, seriously move it." Cindy urged.

"So what? He's punishing me because I broke one stupid rule?" Cara demanded while opening her arms, her face contorting with her question.

"It's not a stupid rule. This is his house, you're a guest." Cindy pointed.

Cara scoffed.

"How would you feel if someone came into your house and started looking through all your closets? Or maybe if I walked through the doors and decide to dig through your panty drawer?" Cindy quizzed, then she shook her head.

"I'm not wasting any more time. I hope you're not shy." Cindy added then began approaching Cara with determination.

Cindy gripped the hem of the grey shirt Cara wore and aimed to lift it above Cara's head.

"What the heck are you doing?" Cara exclaimed smacking Cindy's hand away.

"I told you I'm not getting in trouble because of you, so either you get dressed or I do it for you. Either way, I'm dragging you downstairs." Cindy said without a care, then attempted to remove Cara's clothes again, and almost revealed Cara's bra and breasts in the process.

"Alright, alright relax. I'm not a little kid. I can do it myself." Cara backed away lifting her hands up.

"Well then hurry up!" Cindy pushed, then added under her breath, "I swear girl, you're really hardheaded."

Against her better judgement, Cara ceded and quickly grabbed the dress and the box and heading to the bathroom to remove her clothing in private. When she entered the bathroom, she placed the items on the counter between the double sink and opened the bag. Surprisingly the dress was the perfect size. It was a thin-strapped black satin dress, with a draped neckline, which hugged her chest and revealed the slight figure eight outline of her petite body. The fabric ended just below her knees.

Cara then opened the box and found size nine, open-toed heels, with a black strap clasped around the ankles. Cara slipped on the heels and saw her reflection in the mirror which hung above the counter. Her hair, still in its bun from the funeral, seemed convenient and perfect for the outfit she wore.

Cara then proceeded to swipe her favorite red shade of lipstick on her mouth. She dabbed a bit of powder on her face and covered up the evidence of her dried tears by brushing the sponge below her eyes and above her nose. Cara spritz on a small amount of her perfume, just in time for another knock to sound from the door. Cara walked out of the bathroom.

"See that wasn't so hard now, was it?" Cindy said as soon as she saw Cara.

Cara didn't reply.

"And even with your stupid attitude you still look good." Cindy added before turning and opening the door, to reveal Marcell standing there, while Cara approached the door.

Marcell didn't react to Cara's appearance, and simply said "follow me."

Cindy and Cara walked out and followed Marcell down the stairs.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Cindy stopped Cara by placing her hand on Cara's arms.

Cara looked at Cindy quizzically, who in return sighed and said, "look, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. Sis you don't know how happy I am to have you as a roommate. I don't know the reason why you signed up for this job, but you gotta focus and do whatever it is you came here to do. There's no need to stir the pot. Just chill out."

Cara signed softly, if only Cindy knew. But nevertheless, it felt good knowing that she was going in there, with at least Cindy having her back.

"I'm sorry too. I just- I really didn't mean any harm by going over there, I just wanted to see the people coming in. I shouldn't have snapped like that, you've been the kindest one to me here so far, you didn't deserve that." Cara replied.

"Well, now you're gonna get a front row seat at all the action. Just don't break out the claws too soon, and don't make a scene with Jason, remember he's a dom, this is his house. You don't want to slip up in there." Cindy warned.

Marcell cleared his throat, signaling they had to go.

Cindy looked at Marcell, then at Cara, who looked down and appeared sad.

"Sis, you look good girl, walk in there like you know it." Cindy encouraged.

"If you behave, maybe he won't make you stay long."

Cara tried to smile at Cindy's words, but all she wanted was to run out of the double doors that were just a few steps away.

"Come on." Cindy invited, and linking her elbow with Cara, she began leading her down the hall towards the double doors that led into the ballroom.

With every step Cara took, she felt herself getting more and more lightheaded. There was a faint vibration following her every heartbeat, and its tremors resonated at the lowest pit of her abdomen, making it feeling like her heart itself was plummeting into an unending abyss. The clicks of her heels on the marble floor echoed in Cara's eras, while she could practically identify every breath sound her own lungs performed.

At the end of the hall, there was also a lone butler on one of the double doors, and when Marcell arrived, he took his position at the other door. Both men stood with their left arms crossed behind their back, and their right hands rested on the doorknobs, waiting on Jason's word.

It didn't help that standing outside the double doors was Jason, who stood casually with his hands in his pockets, watching as Cindy escorted Cara towards him. If he was surprised by her appearance in the outfit, he didn't show it. In fact, he appeared almost bored when Cindy and Cara finally reached them.

Jason could've commented on Cara's stubbornness and tardiness, but instead, he simply instructed, "You stay at my side at all times. You don't speak unless spoken to, and one slip up, that little modification I made in your contract for Joe's sake, will be gone. Is that clear Miss Thompson?"

Cara gulped and felt like punching Jason's smug face, but instead she sighed and said with a stiff smile, "Crystal."

Cindy, in the corner of Cara's eyes appeared to sigh in relief, then Jason turned to her and nodded. Cindy smiled and sent Cara one last encouraging glance, then she turned around, placed her shoulders down, nodding at Marcell and the other butler, and on Cindy's signal, the doors were pushed open.