Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine
Elizabeth’s POV
I could feel Zen trembling above me after what I assumed was his orgasm. I was still coming down from my own high when I heard the clattering of something in the corner of the room. What was that? Before I could investigate it, there was a muffled banging on my bedroom door that nearly made me jump from my skin.
Zen leapt from the bed, quickly donning his clothes. I tried to hide my disappointment with his quick retreat, but I couldn’t keep my brows from furrowing as I watched his freshly mussed hair fall in front of his blue-green eyes. I just wanted to hold him a little bit longer.
“Elizabeth! Elizabeth, are you alright?!” I heard Tom calling from the door. What’s his problem?
“Yea, just a second, Tom!” I shouted back. “Zen?”
Zen wouldn’t look at me. He pulled his shirt over his head, covering his toned torso and thus putting an end to the delicious eye candy I had been blessed with.
“Elizabeth, I’d better go.” The tone of his voice worried me. His hands were already fumbling to pull his cigarettes out of his back pocket. Something wasn’t right. I could feel panic rising in my aching chest.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked, insecurity rushing through me. He’s running from me. He’s leaving. What if I never see him again? I didn’t think I could handle that after what we did. He turned, clasping my face in his hands. He was finally looking at me, but his eyes looked frightened.
“Don’t you ever think that, Princess.” He said sternly, a dark authority shining through that only made me want to hide under my covers. We heard another knock on the door. His eyes dropped for a moment before meeting mine again. “I’ll see you soon. I promise.” Just like that, hope replaced my fears. He wanted to see me again? But how would that even happen? He gave me a quick kiss on the lips before standing upright and walking to my patio door. I didn’t have a chance to tell him that he could use the front door. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. How?
Snapping back to reality, I threw myself off the bed, quickly gathering all of my clothes. I dressed clumsily, trying to flatten my crazed hair in the process. It wouldn’t be smart to keep Tom waiting when he was worked up like this. Once finished I glanced around the room. The scent of menthol and Zen’s cologne were my only reminders that he had been there at all, along with the subtle ache between my legs. I reached for the door right as Tom was going to knock again.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked casually, leaning against the door in an attempt to catch my breath. Tom ignored me, pushing through the doorway and searching the room with his eyes.
“Where’s your friend?” He asked, his voice cold. He meant business. I managed to let out a small laugh.
“Oh, he’s gone. He left a couple of minutes ago. I told him he could just leave through the balcony.” He turned to me, obvious frustration on his face. “He said you scared him. Maybe if you didn’t look like you wanted to kill someone all the time, I wouldn’t have to sneak my friends out the back door.”
I was talking through my teeth, but I hoped I sounded convincing enough. He seemed to relax at my words, still eyeing me with suspicion. Not like I had to hide the fact that I had sex from him. He wasn’t actually my dad. Even if he was, I was an adult. If I wanted to sleep with strangers I met in the park then I could. I just didn’t want him thinking poorly of Zen. For some reason, I felt the urge to defend him. He was nothing but kind to me, and the way he led me through my first time was better than I could ever have imagined. He didn’t deserve to be painted like a criminal.
“Next time, just tell your friends to use the door. It’s less alarming that way.”
“Why were you banging on the door anyway?” I asked, suddenly aware of his previous behavior.
“I got reports that a suspicious person was seen matching your friend’s description in Brinnley Park.” I froze, quickly recovering to deter his suspicions. Someone saw Zen in the park? Was it when I was there? Was it while he was meeting someone for work? How was he suspicious? I swallowed my questions and continued to the kitchen.
“What, white with dark hair and blue eyes. Dressed casually. Sounds like you need better sources, Tom.” I laughed. I was thankful for Zen’s average description, even though he was far from average himself. Tom sighed in frustration, following me to the kitchen and running his fingers over his bald head.
“Come on, Liz. You know your dad would have my balls if I let anything happen to you. I have to take those things seriously.” I giggled, handing the first glass of water I filled to him. He accepted it graciously, chugging half of it in one go. Looks like he needed a drink, too. I wished I could have something stronger.
“I get it, I’m only teasing. Next time I have someone over, I’ll have them bring a background check along with them.” I teased, earning an eye roll. He downed the rest of his glass, placing it in the dishwasher and crossing to the control room. “Where you going?” I asked, his determine gaze piquing my curiosity. He stopped with one hand resting on the handle to the security room.
“I just need to make some calls.” He mumbled, obviously trying to hide something from me. I could tell he was warring within himself. After a few seconds his shoulders fell. “You should be more careful, Elizabeth. Something isn’t right with that boy.” With one last glance in my direction, he opened the door. Once I finished my water, I went back to my bedroom to shower.
Something’s not right? Did Tom sense the same darkness I did, or does he have information that I don’t?
I couldn’t make sense of Zen’s strange behavior, no matter how much I thought about it. He seemed so upset after we made love. Made love? Is that the right term for what we did? It seemed strange to call it that since it wasn’t with someone that I loved. I had just met Zen. By all accounts, I didn’t even know him. Certainly, I should feel ashamed of sleeping with someone I didn’t know, right?
But I didn’t. Something about him made me feel at ease with it. Like, even if I didn’t love him, he was someone I could grow to love with time. If what he said was true, then we had time. But what if he just didn’t want to upset me? What if he isn’t planning on seeing me ever again? I couldn’t accept that fate. Whatever it was that we had was special, I was sure of it. Even though I had never been with a man before him, I couldn’t imagine that a connection like that was a common occurrence. Maybe that was still my hormones talking. It felt like my hormones were the only things keeping me from sobbing my eyes out.
Losing my virginity was incredibly special. Each touch Zen placed on my body, even the frantic ones towards the end, made me feel complete and at peace. I think that’s why it hurt so bad that he vanished from the balcony so quickly afterwards. Why was he running? Was he actually afraid of Tom? I remembered how he was trembling before we ever heard the knock. At first I assumed that was normal, but I was beginning to think otherwise. He was frightened, I saw it in his eyes.
I cringed when I saw the small accumulation of blood on my crème colored sheets. Great, just what I needed. I stripped the fitted sheet from the bed, one corner at a time, but I paused when something caught my eye. Not far from the stain was a small tear in the fabric. I furrowed my brows as I took it in, holding it closer to my face to get a better look. What on earth did that? Following where it lay on the mattress, I discovered that the puncture went clean through about an inch and a half. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, but it still made no sense, so I decided to bury the questions I had for the thousandth time that day.
By nine o’ clock, I was utterly exhausted. I lay under my covers, curled up in a snug ball. My mind was still on Zen. My heart fluttered as images of our time together overwhelmed my thoughts, and I wanted nothing more but to see him again, maybe pick up where we left off. He could kiss me, that soft and gentle way he did before, and I could rest my head on his beautiful bare torso. I could trace all of those tiny scars on his abdomen, maybe even ask where they came from. Then we could fall asleep together, listening to nothing but the sound of each other’s breathing as I breathed in the intoxicating scent that was Zen.
A sudden clicking noise broke me of my fantasies.
My heart stopped beating entirely when I heard the subtle sliding of my patio door. I was facing away from it, so I probably looked like I was sleeping. Quiet creaking of the floorboards told me that whoever opened my door was now approaching me. I looked over at my panic button. I didn’t believe I could reach it before the intruder reached me. My eyes began to fill with tears as I panicked. If they were sneaking into my bedroom, it was safe to say that their intentions weren’t good. Maybe if I screamed loud enough, Tom would hear me from the other room.
I clamped my eyes shut, ready to let out the loudest scream I could muster, when I felt a gloved hand slide around my mouth. My eyes shot back open in horror.
“Shh. Quiet, Elizabeth.”