T. N - Chapter 5

I awoke much later, how much later I don’t know. Probably well into the afternoon. I sat up and stretched, then rubbed my eyes of the sleep. I placed my glasses (which had fallen off in the middle of my nap) back onto my nose. Then I noticed the Tiger was sitting on the desk watching me.

I couldn’t help but give a little yelp. I mean, having some guy sneak in and watch you sleep is a little on the creepy side. Besides, I was tired, and when I’m tired, I freak out more easily.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” I asked, trying to hide just how freaked out I was.

“You know, you’re cute when you sleep,” he smirked.

“You didn’t answer my question! What the hell are you doing watching me sleep, you creep?”

“Ah, such harsh words coming from such a pretty mouth. Is it because you’re embarrassed?”

“No! I’m not embarrassed by the likes of you!”

“Aw, come on now, is that the way to speak to your future fiancé?”

I took a deep breath in, trying to calm myself. “At first, I thought you were just an idiotic zoophyte. Now, you’ve proven yourself to be even more acerebral than I originally thought. Whoever said I was marrying you?”

“Because no one else has ever captured my heart like you.” He got off of the desk and came over. He bent over, took my hand, and planted a sound kiss on it. “I intend to make you mine, even if it takes years.”

I ripped my hand away from his. “You intend to keep me here for years? You don’t think I’m that helpless, do you?”

“Take a look,” he said, and motioned to the window. I looked at him warily, then stood up and walked to the dust-coated window.

I saw the two men that had brought me up here standing at the bottom of the stairs. A few other men loitered about in the giant warehouse, playing cards or chatting. What unnerved me was that their pistols were in plain view on their belts, gleaming in the light.

“You see, I’m not such a small fish. I have lots of men, and when I want something, I get it,” said the Tiger behind me, and he caught my wrists in his hands. I tried to shake him off, but he had them too tightly in his grip. I couldn’t turn around without twisting my arms, so I was stuck looking out the window.

“My father…you might’ve known him as the Dragon. He was quite well known, no?” he whispered close into my ear.

“The Dragon? I didn’t hear anything about him dying,” I replied, quite shocked. “And I didn’t know he had a son.” I was so shocked at the moment that I didn’t realize how uncomfortably close the Tiger was to my face.

“Well, I decided to keep it all quiet. He might’ve liked being flashy, but me? I prefer being in the shadows. It makes business a lot easier.”

“Impressive. But what if someone realizes I’m gone? And then they try looking for me?”

“Well someone already checked out your hotel room, so your Grandfather won’t notice. Your family is all occupied, and your friends are…too busy, I shall say.”

My family being occupied isn’t anything new. Grandfather worked at the company, and my oldest brother Kyle usually accompanied him. Father died a few years back of cancer, leaving Kyle as the sole heir. My other brother Dennis is usually busy at his own company, which was booming thanks to Grandfather’s donations. Mother was usually out with her friends, out into the wee hours of the morning going who-knows-where.

But I do wonder who was able to check out my room. It wasn’t even a few hours ago that I was supposed to be there, so they shouldn’t have cancelled the reservation yet. Knowing Grandfather, he probably got it made just for me (and probably went overboard while he was at it), and put it under my name. Is there someone else named North out there? I know that the North family name isn’t that well known (Grandfather had made it so that the company was not named after him, so that any attention could be drawn away), so it would be understandable if no one recognized my name. It makes it harder for people to recognize my name especially since I’ve made it sound like it belongs to a boy. But I’ve never heard of a North outside of the family.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of something near my face. I whipped my head towards it, and came literally nose-to-nose with the Tiger. In my surprise, I tried moving my head back, which resulted in me hitting my head against the window. Now I was really stuck. The Tiger swiftly leaned in and without warning, placed a kiss on my lips.

For a moment, I had no idea what to do. My suitors have tried to do this to me before, but I’ve always managed to prevent it. But now… something snapped, and I kicked the Tiger as hard as I could in the shin.

“Ow!” he yelled, and grabbed his leg, finally letting go of me. I stepped away from him and towards the desk.

“What. On. Earth. Was. That. For?!” I nearly screamed at him.

“That kick really hurt, but honestly it was worth it. It was your first kiss, wasn’t it?” He grinned at me. I was too mad to even respond.

I heard people running up the stairs, and a few of the men burst into the room with their pistols out. “Are you alright, boss?” asked one of the men. “She didn’t do anything, did she? If she did, we’ll—“

“It’s nothing I didn’t deserve,” replied the Tiger. “What are you doing out of your posts. Shoo!” He waved them away.

The men looked relieved, but some of them looked over at me and gave me suspicious glances. Great. Now the guards are going to be watching me even more carefully than ever. The men went out the door, and the Tiger started walking out as well. Then he stopped.

“I’ll be up again to bring you some food.” Then he winked at me. “And possibly to steal a few more kisses.”

Before I could throw something at him, he exited without another word. I sat down on the couch and buried my head in my hands. I really need to get out of here!