Ch 10: A Fearsome Adversary

Recap:

"Wuh uh oh uh uh oh oh uh oh uh uh oh! Wuh uh oh uh uh oh oh uh oh uh uh OH!!!" They finished, collapsing against each other, laughing with exhilaration.

The sudden cool breeze hit Cecilia first, along with the unnatural silence. She turned to face the door along with Sophia and froze immediately.

There, by the open door, along with three older men behind him, stood Nicolas Freire.

And he did not look pleased.

------------------------

The silence was formidable. Nobody dared breathe, let alone move.

Cecilia could feel her lungs beginning to burn after her intense dance session, but she denied her body even the smallest burst of oxygen; it was preferable to her to withstand that pain compared to risking inciting further wrath from the man stood before her. For the first time in a long time, Cecilia was genuinely immobile with terror, eyes locked on a pair of ice cold sapphire irides across the room. Although she knew, subconsciously, that there were others present, she was unaware of anything besides those piercing irides.

The entire room felt like a freeze frame, a moment frozen in time: one, Cecilia knew, she would remember for a long time to come. It seemed the more still she became on the outside, the stronger the tumultuous storm became on the inside. Shock... no, embarrassment... no, fear... no, distress... no, humiliation... no, terror... Her emotions seemed to be on a continuous loop as her mind blanked in horror, her usual talkative mouth speechless.

And then, almost abruptly, the heavy atmosphere was shattered by the sound of deep panting. For a moment, Cecilia panicked, wondering if the sound had come from her, only to realize it had burst forth from the petite woman still leaning against her. Almost all at once, everyone seemed to let out the breaths they had been holding, as if they had finally been given permission now that someone else had done it first. Cecilia's tense shoulders slumped as she, too, took in a quick breath to appease her lungs - only to find it freeze in her throat as the glacial gaze directed at her hardened imperceptibly.

Cess swallowed uncomfortably, unease crawling through her. That look was not one she was especially familiar with, since she was usually a favourite with people she met, but she knew with a dreadful certainty that the aftermath of it wasn't going to be a pleasant one.

"Soph," Nic's voice was almost alarmingly soft, as he directed his speech towards his P.A., gaze still resolutely fixed on Cecelia's. "Please go back to your office."

"Yes, of course." Sophia jumped into action, scurrying around the room for her belongings, before shooting a sympathetic glance back at Cess and hastily leaving the room.

A slight flick of the wrist on their boss' upraised arm  caused the remaining onlookers to scramble out of the room, shutting the door shut with a click. The room was suddenly void of any living barriers, leaving Cecilia in an appalling state of vulnerability.

Cess sucked in a sharp breath and took a step back, wanting as much space as she could get between them. Nic didn't move an inch, instead crossing his arms and surveying her as a predator does its prey. The unsaid words were suffocating her as she let her own imagination ignite and slowly fan her growing fear.

The sudden thought that he might be doing this on purpose to toy with her, caused her to break out of her terrified daze.

"Well, say something, then!"

Silence was her only response.

"What, do you think I'm scared of you? Not bloody likely!" She scoffed, bluffing. "I think you're forgetting who exactly I am. Cecilia Rose Knight! I'm not going to be afraid of someone like you! Ha! As if! It's your fault this happened, anyway, because you didn't turn up..." she rambled, gesticulating wildly. "So, don't blame me! But, just so you know, I'm not afraid of y-"

She cut herself off abruptly as Nic took a sudden step towards her. Alarmed, she hurriedly took a step back.

"W-what do you t-think you're doing?"

Another step forward. Another step back.

"S-stay back! I-I'm warning you!"

He refused to acknowledge her as he continued to prowl forward, forcing her to retreat like a cowed animal.

"H-hey! S-stop there! D-don't come any further!"

Cecilia's back crashed into a wall, preventing further retreat, as Nic continued to move closer. Searching frantically for an escape route, Cess' eyes suddenly fell on the only viable option: the door. Unfortunately, it was situated directly behind the man she wanted to escape from. Hastily judging the distance, she made a quick dart sideways for it.

Just as she felt her fingers closing around the handle, triumph flooding through her, she was wrenched away from it and spun around. Her back now pressed against the very thing she'd been trying to open, she felt a helpless sensation of being caged as Nic's arms came up, his hands pressed on the door either side of her. Panicking, trapped, Cecilia tried to push against his chest with all her might - only to fail miserably as he easily overcame her efforts by bending his arms, pushing his hard body against hers.

At her wits end, she felt her survival instincts take over: she only knew she needed to get away from him - at any cost - and that being in this man's presence would inevitably cause her pain. She needed to get away! Beating his chest violently with her fists, she thrashed her entire body, determined to escape. Suddenly, both her wrists were caught hold of by two hands and twisted behind her body at an awkward angle, making her release a cry of pain. Cecilia felt tears gather at the corners of her eyes as she clenched them shut, gritting her teeth as her body lifted against the agony.

But, almost as soon as it came, the pain disappeared as the hold on her wrists softened.  Collapsing with relief, Cess couldn't even come up with a token struggle as she felt both her wrists being transferred to one hand behind her back, suddenly too exhausted to continue fighting. She fought back the tears that had gathered, eyes still shut.

Opening her eyes once she was confident the tears were gone, she started upon finding Nic's eyes boring into her, his face inscrutable. Her breath caught in her throat at his proximity, eyes locked on his, immediately forgetting all about her hurt arms. Slowly, Nicolas brought his free hand up to her face, hovering there, making Cecilia breathless with anticipation. His fingers seemed to whisper over her cheekbones, before following the curve of her face down to her throat, sending shivers over her skin.

Cecilia found it difficult to breathe, adrenaline coursing through her as her heart pounded a new, faster rhythm. Her chest rose and fell faster to compensate the higher oxygen uptake, cheeks flushing red. She suddenly felt incredibly hot, sweat beads forming on her neck and clavicle, dampening them. Highly self-conscious, Cecilia tried to free a hand to wipe at her neck, only to have the grip on her wrists tighten.

Nic's eyes followed the trail of his ghostly fingers, observing silently. His fingers skimmed down the side of her neck, pausing slightly as he felt the dampness before continuing down. Suddenly, his forefinger and index pressed against the base of her throat, making full contact with her skin. Cecilia gasped out loud, unable to stifle her natural reaction, causing his eyes to fly up to hers.

Their eyes remained locked on each other, as Nic brought his face ever closer, fingers still pressing against her skin. They were eye level before Nic spoke.

"I thought you said you weren't afraid of me?"

It took Cecilia a moment to register his words, gradually emerging from the stupor she always fell into at his near presence. Once she understood what he said, her hackles rose immediately.

"I'm not!" She spat, defiantly, writhing her body again.

"No?"

"No!"

"Then why is your heart beating so fast?"

Cecilia stopped moving abruptly and fumbled, lost for words.

"W-well... w-well, that's because... b-because..."

Nic straightened but didn't remove his hold on her wrists or his fingers from the base of her throat.

"Tell me. I'm really curious." He drawled.

"Oh, that!" Cess chuckled, nervously. "Well, you know I was dancing earlier, and then just now because I was running, trying to get away from you..."

"Really?" He stared at her thoughtfully. "Then, I suppose you also start stuttering while doing such strenuous activities?"

"W-what? I'm not stuttering!"

Nic just raised a brow imperiously.

Cecilia blushed bright red as she realized that she had in fact been stuttering. She, who had never had any sort of problem speaking in her life! Just what had this man reduced her to?!

"Stuttering," he repeated, daring with eyes for her to deny it again. She decided it would be best to remain silent. "Is that a common affliction for you whilst exercising?"

"Umm, well, not as such..."

"Speaking of which, why were you trying to run from me? You are not afraid of me, as you so clearly reiterated several times. So, why did you run?"

Cecilia kept her mouth shut, well aware that she had no reasonable excuse. That damned man was saying all of this on purpose! He knew that she had been frightened of him (only momentarily of course!), and he was trying to embarrass her!

"Your heart is still pounding," Nic observed dispassionately, fingers still digging to feel her pulse. "But you aren't doing anything physically strenuous right now. So, why then?"

Cecilia suddenly ripped her arms away from his hold, pushing him away as she panted roughly. He moved back calmly, not a hair out of place, as she stood glaring at him.

"Because I don't like you! I can't stand your presence! You can just get rid of the misconception that you scare me! The only thing you make feel towards you is anger and disgust!" She shouted at him. "How DARE you use my father to try and manipulate me into doing your bidding?! I'm not your servant! You can't just order me around! If you wanted me here by a certain time, you should have discussed it with me! Instead, you went behind my back to my father! Ok, fine, I even tolerated that, and I came here at the time you told me to, despite the fact that it was highly inconvenient for me. But, what do I find when I get here?! Oh, look at that, no Mr. Nicolas! He's absent!" She said sarcastically. "I understand you are a busy man, so I was even willing to wait a reasonable amount of time. But over two-and-a-half hours later, and you still haven't come to even greet me? Now, that's plain rudeness! Even so, I didn't leave - which to be frank, I should've done - and instead chose to take my frustration out by dancing! Big deal! Ok, I get that this is your office, but I was doing this behind closed doors with a friend. It's not my fault you came in that exact point! So, I am NOT going to apologise!" She finished, crossing her arms.

Silence reigned once again.

"Are you quite finished?" Nic enquired coldly. At Cess' angry nod, he grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her to the desk, pushing her down onto the chair.

"Ugh! What do you think you are do-"

Cecilia found her voice muffled as a folder was shoved into her face.

"What is this?"

"Open it."

Reluctantly, Cess opened the file that been at the top of the pile, containing all the details for the charity ball schedule. Just as she began flicking through, a small note page fluttered out to land on the desk before her.

'Dear Ms Knight,

Regrettably, I have been called away for an urgent meeting. I had wished to greet you myself and start planning the ball immediately, but since that has not been possible, I am sending my personal secretary, Sophia, in my stead. She is lovely, and I am sure she will see to your comfort.

If you would be so kind, please look through the displayed files. These contain my personal preferences for the Charity Ball, so please let me know your thoughts.

I will most likely be back around 11.30am, so if you would like some breakfast or any refreshments in the meantime, please do not hesitate to ask any of my staff. You can choose to go down to the breakfast bar or alternatively ask to have it brought to you.

If you are so inclined, you can ask Sophia to give you a tour of the offices.

My sincerest apologies,

Nicolas.'

Shock didn't even begin to describe how Cecilia felt in that moment. She couldn't believe that Nicolas Freire had written this. Was this the same man who had repeatedly insulted her just two days ago? Who had made her feel so uncomfortable just now?

Clearing her throat, Cess glanced up uncomfortably, only to find a laptop screen shoved in her face. Upon reading, she realised the same message had also been sent to her email address. An email she would have read, had she heard the sound of the notification over the music playing from her iPod...

Shame flooded through her. For once, Nicolas hadn't deserved any of the abuse she had sent his way. She looked up at him, hesitantly, guilt written across her face.

"Nic..."

But he didn't stay to listen to her explanations or apologies, as he turned on his heels and left the room, closing the door shut behind him soundly.

----------------------------------

AN: Hey guys! What did you think of the chapter? Let me know! Any of you feeling a little sorry for Nic?

The next chapter update will either be tonight or tomorrow. So, stay tuned! Vote, share, comment! 😘😘

ALSO, please remember to vote for 'A Tormented Heart' on twitter for the Wattys.

All you have to tweet is:

'I nominate A Tormented Heart for #MyWattysChoice #Wattys2016 @del_frasier '

Please tweet and retweet this as many times as possible, and get your friends to join in too! Thanks! ❤❤