I didn't step out of my room yesterday, I stayed inside even though I was extremely hungry but still I didn't step outside of this bedroom door. There were no locks or bolts over it but the fear that has been engraved in my mind was too raw. I couldn't shake it off, even if I tried.

It was still early in the morning, and Nikolai or Scott hadn't come to my room. I brushed my teeth, showered, and dressed up in clean clothes. My stomach growled with hunger but I wrapped my arms around it, suppressing the sounds.

The door opened slightly and I got off my bed in a flash, my eyes tearing up again. I needed a list of rules, I needed to know what I can or can not do. Nikolai can't just expect me to know the rules of his house. He needs to tell me first, he needs to explain them to me.

If he had told me not to get out of my room, I would have never done it. I wasn't a brat, I would have listened to him.

I dropped my gaze to my feet, I didn't care if it angers him that I didn't look him in the eyes as I talked to him. "You can't punish me for that!" I snapped. "I didn't know, no one told me anything. No one said anything to me about staying in my room. If you want me to follow your rules, Nikolai, then give me a list! So, I would know what I am allowed to do or what I am not allowed to do. You can't just expect me to know all these things by myself!"

I finally looked up to see Scott instead of Nikolai, "Are you done?"

I breathed out and crossed my arms over my chest. I remembered how he treated me yesterday. How he dragged me around like an object and pushed me onto my bed.

"Did it make you feel good about yourself?" I asked.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked dryly.

"Pushing a girl around that is half your size!"

His lips twisted into a sinister smile. "It did," he nodded as if he was proud of himself.

I squinted my eyes at him. "I would love to see you getting tossed around the way you did to me!"

The playfulness fell from his face and got replaced by a dark and dangerous look. "If one more word came out of your mouth, I'm gonna bend you over my knee and I swear to god, I will spank you so fucking hard that you won't be able to sit for weeks"

The color drained from my face. The look on his face told me that he meant every single word he just said to me. But I won't give him the satisfaction that I got scared by his threat, I stuck my nose in the air.

"Why are you here?"

"Niko wants to see you, princess"

I don't know what got over me as I said. "What? I'm not sweet cheeks anymore?"

The corner of his lips tugged upwards like he wants to smile but he was trying hard to hide it.

"Come on, I don't have all day..."

I twisted my lips and walked out of the bedroom while he followed behind. I halted as I felt a harsh stinging sensation on my butt. I jumped almost tumbling down the stairs. I turned to look at Scott with wide eyes as I rubbed my butt.

Did he just slap my butt?

"What is wrong with you?"

He smirked in return. "That's for talking back to me"

Hesitantly, I turned back and speedily raced down the stairs before he could hit my butt again. I think I heard him laugh as he followed me.

I stopped outside Nikolai's study and heaved a sigh. I knocked on the door but Scott came behind me, he pushed open the door like a madman without any manners and pinched my butt as he made his way inside.

I yelped and jumped up again, rubbing the stinging area. I glared at him as I entered Nikolai's study. I pointed at Scott. "He pinched me!" I snapped as I turned to Nikolai.

Nikolai sat behind his desk, he was smoking a cigar. His hair was combed back neatly, he was wearing a black suit and the entire office was filled with his mysteriously mind-blowing scent. I could smell him all day long.

"What?" Nikolai tilted his head a little to the side.

"He yelled at me yesterday and threw me on the bed, my elbow still hurts, and right now, just outside your door, he pinched my butt..." I whispered the last part, my cheeks warming up.

He turned to Scott, eyes narrowed. "Did you?"

Scott shrugged nonchalantly.

"He's always bothering me!"

Nikolai looked amused for some reason, it only made me more annoyed. Why doesn't anyone here takes me seriously?

"Are you making fun of me too?" I asked in a low voice.

He gave his head a gentle shake and ran a hand down his tie. "Scott won't do it again, I'll make sure of it"

I stuck my nose in the air. "Tell him to apologize to me."

"Scott..." Nikolai just said and Scott understood because he laughed shaking his head.

"You gotta be kidding me!"

Nikolai sighed, glancing at his watch. "Just fucking do it, Scott"

Scott laughingly turned to me. "I'm sorry, Evangeline"

How can someone like Scott can be Nikolai's friend, Nikolai is so nice, sweet, and handsome and Scott was... I wanted to blow a raspberry.

Nikolai raised an eyebrow at me. "Happy?"

"Thank you..." I smiled at him, and for some reason, Scott found it funny because he laughed again.

My smile fell and I rolled my eyes at him. 

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" Nikolai's deep voice filled the room, before settling in my stomach.

What's with his voice having this effect on me?

I shook my head. "Not at you... I rolled my eyes at him" I pointed towards Scott.

"Come here, Evangeline," Nikolai said and my body immediately listened to his commanding voice.

I walked around his desk and stood by his side, my hands intertwined before me as I waited for him to say something.

He opened up a drawer, and my breath hitched as I saw a gun resting in his drawer. I swallowed uneasily, Nikolai pushed the gun aside as if it was nothing and pulled out a box before handing it to me. I took it from his hand and looked between him and the box.

"Open it" he ordered.

I unwrapped it and saw a cell phone printed over the box. Nikolai brought me a phone. I grinned as I excitedly opened the box and took out the cell phone.

"It's a phone!" I squealed.

I never had a phone, my parents had them but I wasn't allowed, dad sometimes let me play games on it but that was just it.

Nikolai gave me a slight smile like he found my reaction funny or stupid but I was too happy to care. He stood up and I took a step back.

"Come on, I'm taking you to college."

Suddenly words had abandoned me, I watched him stunned. I had a cellphone and now he was taking me to college.

Where has this man been my entire life?

I couldn't help the scream that left my lips with excitement, I threw myself in Nikolai's arms. I wrapped both of my arms around his neck as if my life depended on it.

At first, he didn't hug me back, disappointment filled my chest, as I thought that I crossed a line. Biting my lower lip, I began to pull away but then I felt his large, warm hand on my lower back holding me in place, not letting me take a step back.

His touch made something flutter in my stomach, my skin burned from where his hand was resting on my back, and my inside melted. I have no idea what is it that I felt whenever I was near him.

Reluctantly, I stepped back, I didn't want to but I gave him a big smile letting him know how thankful I was. He picked up his keys and some stuff from his desk. He strode out of his study and I excitedly followed behind.

His driver had already parked the car out front, he walked straight to it but my entire body jerked to a standstill.

I suddenly realized it was the first time in my life that I was ever going out of the house. I don't remember the car ride when Bianca brought me to Nikolai's house because I was still reeling from my parents' murder.

A mixture of excitement and fear ran through my veins. It was a big moment for me, I pinched myself to make myself believe that it was happening, it wasn't a dream or a fantasy.

I had a cell phone, I was going to college, and I will finally step out of the house. All this... all this was too much to handle. I wanted to scream with excitement but I also wanted to cry, I wanted to cry my eyes out.

When Nikolai noticed that I hadn't followed him, he turned and raised an eyebrow. I smiled at him and maneuvered straight to the passenger side. I got into the car and after a second Nikolai settled in.

"It's the first time, I'll go out..."

Nikolai cast a sideway glance at me and then revved the car engine. He didn't say anything, he just drove out of the mansion.

I noticed a trail of black cars following us. They were his bodyguards, I think.

Everything felt odd, sitting in a car, watching trees pass me by, and then people... they were everywhere, all them of were busy with some kind of work or were just sitting somewhere. I wanted to roll down my window and let my hair flow freely in the wind.

The world wasn't so bad... then why did my parents make me believe otherwise?

The car came to a halt and I finally looked at Nikolai. My breath hitched instantly when I saw him already staring at me with those eyes.

His suit didn't even have a single crinkle over it, he was reclining back in his seat leisurely, his one arm going behind my headrest while the other lazily rested over the steering wheel.

He nodded his head towards a woman, standing outside the gates of the colleges. "See her?" he questioned, "Go to her and tell her that you are Evangeline Bolton, and she'll take care of the rest. Whatever you want to study or anything that needed to be done, she'll take care of it" he explained in his toe-curlingly deep voice.

I nodded. "Okay..."

We stared at each other, and a thick and suffocating tension filled the car. For some reason, I kept seated and staring at him. I pressed my head back on the headrest behind which his arm was resting. I was just feeling so grateful and happy and I didn't know how to tell him how thankful I am. I smiled at him and a dry breath of amusement escaped him.

God! He was so handsome...

I bit my lower lip as I gazed at him, I kept thinking about what I can do for him. Nikolai was the first one to break the staring contest, he looked ahead and shook his head.

"You did all this for me. I want to do something nice for you too" I told him.

He cast me a sideways glance and then breathed out a laugh. "Jesus fucking Christ..." he mumbled under his breath.

I smiled. "What do you want the most in the world?"

He turned his face to me again and then trailed his eyes slowly down my body. He wasn't subtle about it, it was like he wanted me to know what he was looking at. His eyes traveled to my neck, then to my chest, then to my stomach before drifting down to my legs.

My mind drifted back to that damned video again. I wanted to know what it felt like to be touched like that. And just the idea that Nikolai might touch me in that way sent every nerve ending in my back tingling with anticipation.

"No boyfriends, Evangeline" he voiced.

I frowned. "What?"

His gaze darkened again, amusement long gone. "No boyfriends, it's my one rule for college."

My lips parted but I didn't know what to say. Boyfriend? It didn't even cross my mind.

"Is that what you want from me?"

Would it make him happy if I don't have a boyfriend? Not that I wanted one in the first place...

"Yes..." he said before glancing at his wristwatch. "You're getting late..."

I sighed and nodded. "Okay... no boyfriends"

"Good girl..." the way he said or maybe it was because of his voice, a warmth spread out my whole body. I smiled widely at him before I stepped out of the car. I waved at him but he didn't wave back, he kept staring at me until I disappeared into the huge gates.

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