Billionaire’s pawn

CHARLIE

I wrapped my arms around myself to shelter my body from the sea breeze. The evening air was cool yet humid—the lingering smell of rain mixed with salt. A sudden flash of lightning brightened the dark sky, a beautiful sight followed by the inevitable. I placed my hands over my ears, burying my head between my legs. The crash of thunder startled me. Slowly, I raised my head and uncovered my ears, then I listened to the low rumble disappear into the night.

I hated storms, they terrified me, but here I sat, waiting patiently as I had always done.

This was our special place, but tonight, with the moon obscured behind the thick dark clouds, this no longer felt like our safe haven. Anxiously, I pulled out a weed that stood between the rocks and tore it apart until there was nothing left. The lightning struck once again, and the threat of thunder forced me to bury my head. I rocked back and forth as I hugged my knees. Unwillingly, my mind returned to the night my fear of storms began…

“He’s the most beautiful man you’ll ever see. His soul will capture you but don’t be fooled, Mi Corazon. He’ll use all his powers to draw you in when there’s nothing left to do but take the one thing you’ve been holding on to.”

It was past my bedtime, but I couldn’t sleep. A storm was rolling in, and the thunder was getting louder. I pulled the covers over me, frightened by this creature Momma spoke about. With my heart racing and my voice shaking, I dared ask the question that haunted me.

“Who is he, Momma?”

Momma paused, staring out of the large window. Fear passed over her classically beautiful face. I wasn’t sure why. Daddy would protect her. Daddy had a gun and said if anyone would ever hurt us, he’d hunt them down like hungry wolves.

“The big bad wolf,” she whispered.

The big bad wolf was scary. I didn’t understand what I’d be holding on to. I was only eight. This fairy tale was nothing like the others. Where was the happy ending? Momma told this story as if she memorized it by heart.

“Will he come for me, Momma?”

The thunder shook the house, and I clutched her arm as tight as I could. I was scared, the roar was so loud, and I didn’t want the big bad wolf to come for me. He scared me. I wanted to stay with Daddy, Momma, and Sissy. As the noise became louder, I buried my head under Momma’s arm, trying to shut out the horrible sound.

“Momma, I’m scared.”

“Sleep, Mi Corazon.”

Humming my favorite lullaby, she stroked my hair to calm me down until I fell asleep in her arms.

I never believed the myth about the big bad wolf, but for some reason, it stuck with me, and unfortunately, so did my fear of storms. Just poor timing, I kept telling myself. Frustrated, I looked down at my watch. You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s an hour late. Like I had nothing better to do than wait around for him. I could’ve finished my English assignment I had been putting off for days because he was more important. My grades were already slipping, and Principal Stephens could smell my fear of failure a mile away.

Just as I was about to get up and leave, his masculine arms wrapped around me, warming my body. Placing soft kisses along my neckline, the stale smell of some alcoholic beverage lingered on his breath. My heart sank. I knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t in the mood to be sympathetic. I was sick and tired of all this sneaking around.