IN THE CAGE

90. SOMETHING ELSE

...NORMAL pov...

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"What do you want...?" Fawn asked again.

As though the saliva had dried up from his throat, Fawn had trouble speaking as Ace's eyes continued to scan him like a lion monitoring its prey. 

Cold room temperature due to air conditioner that lights and blows on his skin does not help at all. Fawn froze even more, the body trembling and the eyes bowed. He did not want to look at Ace because for God's sake, their closeness was now beyond the safe line. Fawn was even able to sniff out the faint scent of the man's parfume. The aroma that often makes him lose his sanity and-shit, damn it! He almost thought the non-no.

Look, how powerful that man's influence is to his sanity!

"A-Ace, I warned you, don't..." Fawn dared herself to look up. Her husband's eyes did not look defiant at all in Ace's eyes, not when she clearly looked frightened and panicked.

"I didn't do anything, Fawnia." Ace chuckled faintly at Fawn's reaction which looked amusing in his eyes. "At least, haven't done anything." Ace used his own words, adding to Fawn's annoyance.

"You won't do anything, stay away. I have to go home!" Fawn tried to shake off her nervousness and throw her face away. With one hand that seemed dismissive, he pushed Ace's shoulder. Ace-man who has more power. Fawn's efforts ended in vain then and there.

"Did I say you can go home?"

"Why do I need your permission?"

"Because you're my prisoner tonight."

"Oh." Fawn was a little gasp. "You..., you're doing this again? To me?"

"Why?" Ace raised his brow side, teasing Fawn with a witty flick. "Do you feel deja vu?"

"Fuck, Ace. That's not funny!" For a moment, Fawn forgot her nervousness and shouted in front of the handsome face of Ace Hunter who was now still looking at her fixedly. "I'm going, back off now!"

"Look," Ace welcomed Fawn's hand that was about to push him, he clasped Fawn's wrist with a tenderness that stunned Fawn for a moment. He thought Ace would twist his arm right then and there. Damn, his imagination is terrifying. Scary ace!

"This is why I kidnapped you," Ace muttered as he stared at Fawn's wrist. His fingers were gently immersed within that pale complexion, feeling Fawn's pulse beating at a rapid pace. "You can't talk well."

"Do you think I want to talk to you? I told you that day, right? I'm..."

"I know." cut Ace. "But I told you too, right? If I don't give up."

"Huh, so this is how you show you love me? Very romantic, psychopathic master!" Fawn mocked him cynically.

Ace was not offended, he looked at Fawn who was still writhing like a caterpillar in front of him, trying to find a way out of the prison Ace's arm which was really sturdy like steel.

"Listen, Fawnia.., I just want to talk to you, okay?"

Fawn did not want to put his attention on Ace, not at all. Because, hearing every word that came out of the man's lips was torture for Fawn. It won't melt, can't it, can't it?

Fawn's widened eyes were stunned as she felt a cold foreign object coiling around her wrist. Something familiar, a cursed object that has become part of the torment of his life. A handcuff hung on Fawn's right hand, and Ace hooked the other side of the handcuff to her left hand.

"Perfect, now we can be together all night." Ace was proud of his act, he smiled at Fawn who was now looking at him in wrath.

"You're really crazy, aren't you?" Fawn jerked his arm from Ace's grasp and looked at the handcuffs with horror. "Give me the key, Ace, or do you want to die tonight?"

"Don't be evil, are you sure you can live without me?"

"Don't be narcissistic!" Fawn is upset amazingly. Without waiting for Ace's approval anyway, he groped Ace here and there, looking for the key location of the handcuffs.

"Damn it, Ace.., I don't want to play around!" Fawn grumbles as in every pocket of clothes and pants that Ace wears, he finds no whereabouts of the key and whatever it is. Not even a-uh, Fawn took out something from Ace's suit pocket, her eyes narrowing in disdain to the man.

Ace carries a safety guard with him, a fucking safety box, Fawn doesn't want to think about why Ace took the thing with him.

"Why?" ask Ace a joke. "Is something wrong?"

"You and your dirty brain are a mistake." Fawn snorted. He stopped searching for Ace. There's no key. Zero, zero, none, tone!

"Ace, stop doing this, okay?" Fawn replaced her strategy with a spoiled grimace, her lips bent down, eyes made like a wounded animal. "Let's think rationally, this is all..."

"If you want to be free, how about you sit with me?"

"Damn it!" Fawn's spoiled voice turned fierce. "What the hell do you want!"

"I told you I wanted to talk to you." Ace moved from the wall and sauntered towards the velvety black sofa that encircled the corner of the room. Opposite the sofa, a large television hung on the wall.

"Ugh, what else do you want to talk about?" Fawn inevitably followed, she was bound to the man now.

Ace sat on the sofa and Fawn followed sitting next to him. "Darlingly, I'd be so happy if you were sitting on my lap." Ace spoke with incoherence.

"Haha. I'll do it if you pay me a hundred million."

"Is that serious?"

Oh, Fawn forgot her interlocutor was a billionaire. "That's bullshit, I'd rather die than obey your will."

"Does that mean your death is so near?"

"Ace!"

Ace laughed immediately. "You're funny when you're upset. I'm so happy to hear your babbling again."

"Huh, sounds like a psychopath. Is torturing people your hobby?"

"Are you feeling tormented now?"

Ace glanced at Ace and the question sank in his mind for some time. Of course, he felt annoyed at Ace's pushy actions. But.., although he did not want to admit this, deep in the bottom of his heart, he did not feel tormented at all. He, to be honest, enjoyed his chat exchange with Ace. He silently admired the presence of Ace beside him, Ace who was like a sculptured god from heaven.

But of course, Fawn would not admit that. He's still sane. Even though his heart was thrashing happily, he knew the happiness he felt now was a mistake!

"Do I need to answer that question?" Fawn leaned back on the sofa, her breathing long. His eyes rolled to his fingers that were linked to Ace's fingers.

Although he acted to hate the man, he let Ace hold his hand. He chose to pretend not to be aware of the electric shock coming from their body contact.

"Listen, Fawnia. I'll let you go if you're being nice."

"Are you going to hurt me if I fight you?"

Ace shrugged. "I don't like getting hurt."

"Huh?"

"Hearing you is like hurting me, so I won't go that far."

"What the hell," Fawn rolled her eyes wide at the temptation Ace was throwing. Why did Ace's cliche talk make butterflies fly on his stomach? She should have shivered in disgust at those poetic pretentious words, but somehow - when it was Ace who said it - Fawn felt the heat radiating all over her body. He was sweating in that air-conditioned room.

"Fawn?"

"Mh?" Fawn tried hard. Thanks to the blue room, Fawn did not have to worry about Ace who might see red on his face.

"You're cold."

Motherfucker!

"Ah, it's because of AC." Fawn gulped.

"Haah, forget my finger problem, what do you want to talk about, anyway? I really don't know what to do here? Uninspiring. I could die of boredom! At least, if you want to lock me up here, choose the theme or topic you want to talk about. We've been here a long time, but you just said something unimportant." Fawn was rummaging to shut down her nervousness. His gaze ran here and there, trying to appear keki.

"What do you want to do, then?" Ace with his free right hand, reaching into Fawn's neck. His hand gently grabbed Fawn's neck. Circled partially there while his head approached and slashed the distance between his face and Fawn until it was a short moment left.

Fawn's eyes almost popped out of her socket. The heart fell into his stomach so surprised.

Just then, when her male eyes met Ace's galaxy-like black iris, Fawn was stunned again. His lips opened thinly, about to chim for Ace. But he lost his voice, lost his words of resistance.

"Do you want to watch?" Ace whispered in front of Fawn's face. "Do you want to do something else?"

Ace's gaze descends upon Fawn's lips, then rises back up on her pair of charming brown irises.

Although the girl tried hard to show her fierce side, Ace tried to refrain from laughing hard on Fawn's face right then and there. Fawn's efforts failed miserably, to be honest. No matter how rude and sniffling a voice came out of his mouth, Ace knew how much the girl held an interest in him.

Yes, say Ace is narcissistic and egocentric, he doesn't care. Ace believed what he saw in Fawn's eyes was not hatred, it was a stifled passion. Ace swore he would tear down Fawn's defensive wall!

"I-I want to watch." Fawn was nervous.

Thanks to Vera who had told him nothing about 'strangled by master Anggara', Fawn's mind immediately ran there when Ace's hand docked to his neck. Do giggles really bring their own enjoyment while doing that?

What if Ace strangles him?

'Aaaa!!! This thought drives me crazy!!! Vera bastard, you better burn in hell!!!'

Fawn was screaming hysterically inside her head. He moved away from the range of Ace's hand and rubbed his now goosebumps neck.

"Talking about watching, isn't this a karaoke room?" Fawn was pretty sure no one went to Leviathan to watch. This place is set for VIP guests to sing and have fun. As he used to see in the drama.

"I can remodel this place into a temple if I want to." Ace responded arrogantly. "Now, I'm going to play a movie for you."

"What movie?"

"Adult."

"Aces...!"

"Jude, just watch it." Ace laughs. She leaned on the shoulder of the sofa and Fawn leaned on the side. With the remote in his right hand, Ace turned on a television set showing a romance from 2004.

Ace doesn't know the title, but this is Margot's choice.

"You came full of preparation, didn't you? Basic manipulative." Fawn criticizes Ace while staring at the TV screen. Fawn remembers watching the movie with Margot, but she didn't want to let Ace down so she pretended to be a moron.

"More like calculative" Ace said. "You have a lot to learn Fawn."

"Stop calling me a moron."

"You call yourself a fool, I don't."

"Don't deny it."

Ace glanced at Fawn with a smile, "Even if I say you're a moron, it's a form of honesty."

"Huh, yeah.., I'm moved." Fawn throbbing. He again put his attention on the screen and enjoyed the ten-minute film.

Fawn does not really remember how the plot of the story developed, not when Ace's hand continued to attract his attention. The man's fingers could not stand still and continued to rub his palms. It was very, very uncomfortable. Thrilling.

"Fawn's..." Ace said in his ear, warm his breath like a fire that burned the nape of Fawn right then and there.

"What?" Fawn. His eyes met Ace's.

"The movie is boring, want to do something else?"

"May I know if it's something else?" Fawn narrowed her eyes at Ace, suspicious.

"They say, two people in love can understand each other without talking, now..." Ace tilted his body. His attention fell intact to Fawn. "..., can you guess what I think?"

"You're a pervert." Fawn said.

"You understand me well, does this mean you love me?"

"It doesn't take love to know what's inside your head, Ace." Fawn rolled her eyes. He looked back at the TV screen, breathing long. He's bored, too, actually.

There is nothing interesting about watching the same movie over and over again.

"Ace," call Fawn, this time it's his turn that whispers in Ace's ear. The man glanced at him, waiting for the words that were about to come out of Fawn's lips right then and there.

"I don't think it's a problem" murmured Fawn.

"What?"

"Do something else."

Ace smiled witfully at Fawn's words which, despite having no other meaning than honesty, sounded like a temptation in her ear. He closed his arms to Fawn, his body tilted again. "You sure?"

Ace whispered on Fawn's cheek, his delicate lips sweeping across the pale complexion.

"Do you still need answers?" Fawn asked with her heart already racing. Fingers are cold with nervousness.

"No, there's no need..." Ace chimed in with a low voice. Followed by his words, Ace sprinkled a light kiss on Fawnia's lips.

Start something else there.

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A/N :

1,9k words in one CHAPTER that impressed the length is not it? I like to take a tick so unconscious.huhuhu, say if it stands for yes...*.*