DARANA

“Darana” he repeated as if testing the sound of my name on his lips. My hand was still trapped in his and I slowly wriggled it out which earned a slight chuckle from him.

I glanced to my side and saw Caliste watching us with genuine interest. I blushed and tucked a loose strand that was framing my face behind my ear.

From the corner of my eye, I watched the crowd. The party was in full swing now and the guests were beginning to fill the dance floor as each couple twirled left and right.

“You should join them," Caliste urged, nudging me softly.” Go dance,” she said. I shook my head. “But I don't have a dance partner” .

“Ohhh, that's easily remedied,” she said with a laugh as she grabbed her grandson's hand and placed it in mine. “Now you have one," she said with a wink and my eyes widened. This old woman had tricked me and I had fallen right into her trap.

She was gone before I could protest and I watched as she disappeared into the crowd leaving me alone with the last person I wanted to be with.

“You don't have to dance if you don't want to”. Niklaus whispered in my ear as he slowly traced the back of my fingers.

He was right. I didn't have to do this if I didn't want to. It wasn't part of the plan. The plan was to distract Caliste and nothing else.

But if I said no, Niklaus was bound to get suspicious and that could ruin the whole plan. I decided to play along. I'd have a dance or two with him and be off to find Caliste. “Yes, that's what…”

“So, what's it going to be…..” Niklaus’s deep voice said, drawing me from my thoughts.

I smiled and looked up at him. “Dancing with you wouldn't be such a bad idea” I whispered in his ear and his smile widened.

“Good choice” he replied and led me to the dance floor. I could finally see why the Titterington empire was called an empire because the dance floor could accommodate two hundred people.

Niklaus led me through the dancing guests to the center of the room and slowly placed his hands on my waist, holding firmly. The dress was cut open at the back and feeling his warm palm on my naked flesh made me hitch a breath and I shivered slightly.

“Are you cold?” Niklaus asked softly but I could see the smirk on his face and I knew he was aware I was affected by his touch. Sly bastard.

I decided to play his game and stood on my toes placing my lips just a few inches away from his. I smiled slowly. “Not at all”.

I reached behind him and cupped his ass tightly and watched as he stiffened immediately. “Maybe you are?” I teased and pulled away.

I had just gotten few feet away from him in search of Caliste when a strong hand gripped me and pulled me back and I was pressed against a hard chest with that familiar warm hand on my back.

“It's not good manners to leave a man hanging”. Niklaus said hoarsely in my ear.

He pulled me away just enough to twirl me around him and pull me back against him. I could feel his hardness at my back and I drew in a shaky breath.

His hands trailed across my neck just as I felt his warm breath against my ear. The room had faded behind us and the air buzzed with a sexual intensity so great, it had my knees weakening.

This wasn't right. I was always in control. I had always had the attention of men in my palm so what made Niklaus so different. I wasn't waiting to find out.

“Want to go somewhere quiet?" he asked as his hands found the curve of my hips and stayed there.

“What was taking Adrika so long?” She should have gotten the jewel by now. I didn't know how much longer I could keep this up.

Niklaus turned me around and slowly closed the distance between us, his lips hovering just a few distance away from mine.

I was so sure he was going to kiss me when I heard a screeching sound through the Bluetooth device.

“I've found it,” Adrika yelled and I winced from the loud sound.

“Okay good,now get out of there” Gemma hissed. “You've wasted more than enough time”.

“I'm out already” she grumbled and I heaved a breath of relief. “Rana, that's your cue. Get out of there. I don't know what's going on there but you can't stay a minute longer”.

I looked up just in time to see Niklaus close his eyes as his lips were about to make contact with mine.

I could kiss him now or bolt for the entrance. I decided to go for the latter once I saw the guards make their way upstairs possibly to the room Adrika just stole from.

My eyes darted between Niklaus and the entrance and I sighed as I gathered my dress in my hands and stylishly disappeared through the crowd of guests.

The van was parked next to a catering service vehicle and Adrika and Gemma were already waiting.

“What the hell was that all about?” I yelled to Gemma as soon as I got close enough.

“No time. Get in the car”. She ordered and I sighed and got in, pulling my heels off once I had sunk into the leather seat.

“So did you manage to distract Caliste?”Gemma asked and I shook my head.

“I was with her grandson” I replied and her eyes widened. “Her grandson? Rana, that wasn't the fucking plan” she yelled.

“Well, if you had informed me that her grandson son would be attending the party then maybe I would have stuck to the fucking plan” I yelled back.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck” she cursed as she buried her face in her hands.

“Umm, what should I do?” Reggie, our driver asked from the driver's seat.

“Fucking drive” we chorused

DARANA

“I can't believe there wasn't a single CCTV camera in that whole house”. Gemma said once we had settled in the study. The lights were dim but I could make out the thoughtful expression she had on her face.

“I would have hacked the CCTV and gained access to the whole party and see which direction the guards were coming through. It would have made Adrika’s work a whole lot easier,” she muttered.

“That just proves that the Titteringtons are into some shady kind of business," Adrika said with a shake of her head as she paced back and forth the room.

“Well, that is no longer our business because we have the jewel now” Gemma said and all six eyes landed on the jewel laying on the desk at the center of the room. It glittered softly in the dimly lit room and our eyes gleamed with greed.

“How much did you say that was worth again?” I asked, needing to confirm the value one more time.

“One million, five hundred thousand dollars” Gemma said aloud and Adrika laughed as she punched her fists in the air. “Yes!”.

“Well, it's certainly worth all the trouble we had to go through,” I whispered and Gemma nodded. “Yes, it is. We'll sell it on the black market when things cool down a bit”.

“Hmm” I nodded. “Do you think the Titteringtons would realize it's missing?” I asked and she laughed. “Of course, seeing how Caliste had showed it off during one of her live interviews, she would definitely be aware”.

Something came to my mind and I smiled before turning to face Gemma. “How did you manage to get the exact same replica of Caliste’s dress on such short notice. I wouldn't have gotten her attention any other way”.

Gemma smiled slyly and thrummed her fingers against the desk. “I got the help of a friend”.

I sensed she wasn't willing to disclose more than that so I kept my mouth shut.

“So how's the grandson like?. Is he as handsome as portrayed in the pictures?”.

“More” I found myself saying out loud before I could process it. Gemma laughed and Adrika groaned at the back of the room.

My mind strayed to the man who had occupied a portion of my thoughts since I left the party and I sighed. “Maybe I need to get laid” I muttered as I reached for the glass of champagne in front of me and downed the contents in one gulp.

“Is it that bad?” Adrika asked from the far corner of the room and I nodded. “He almost kissed me. More like he would have, if I hadn't bolted the moment he closed his eyes” I said as I imagined the look on his face once he realized I had disappeared. I closed the thought off immediately.

“Damn,” Gemma whispered. “Too bad you'll never see him again”.

“Yeah” I replied back. “Too bad”.

But even as I closed my eyes on my bed that night, I couldn't stop thinking about those gray eyes and how good it might have felt if I had stayed back to kiss Niklaus Titterington.

I guess I'd never know.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good morning Reggie” I chirped happily as I walked into the kitchen.

I plopped down on the barstool and grabbed a sandwich from the counter.

“Hey, that's mine” Reggie grumbled and I stuck my tongue out at him. “Go make another one. I'm starving”.

He shook his head and opened the cabinet, taking a bottle of ketchup and walking back to me.

“Don't you have something to do today? Maybe another jewel to steal?” He asked and I snickered.

“If I did, you wouldn't be here. You're our driver, remember?”

He muttered something under his breath and started making another sandwich. I smiled and ate the last remains of my sandwich.

“Are you and Reggie yapping again this early morning?” Gemma asked in a bored tone as she took a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Why aren't you wearing your glasses?” I asked, ignoring her question. She looked different without those professor glasses she was always putting on.

“That's because she's wearing contacts you dummy” Reggie snapped without taking his eyes off the sandwich he was making.

“Gemma, when do we get to fire Reggie?”I asked with an agitated pout on my lips and she sighed as she took a seat next to me.

“As soon as we find a mad ass driver that's faster than him” she explained and I rolled my eyes as Reggie laughed out loud.

“Trust me, you guys are never going to find a driver like me”. He boasted.

“You'll never find a driver like me” I mimicked, making a ugly face and Gemma laughed while Reggie’s expression turned sour.

“Guess what? You'll never get to eat this sandwich” I yelled as I grabbed the sandwich he had just finished making with a speed similar to a flash of lightning and bolted out of the kitchen.

I smiled to myself as I heard his strings of curses and Gemma’s booming laugh resonating through the kitchen walls.

With my sandwich in hand I hummed a happy tune as I walked through the hall in search of Adrika.

I frowned when I stepped into her room and found out she wasn't there. Where could she have gone?.

We had made it very mandatory to stay low for a few days after the heist, meaning we couldn't go out even if we wanted to, so why was Adrika breaking that rule?

Shrugging my shoulders, I hopped to my own room but stormed out few minutes later. I couldn't take it anymore. I was so bored. Maybe I could go check out the library downtown. It was quiet and low key. I wasn't going to arouse any suspicion there.

I changed into loose fitting pants and put on a beige baggy top—packing my hair in a loose bun and tying a scarf around it.

Wearing my most comfortable sneakers, I snuck out of the house and was out in the street in no time.

I smiled to myself as I walked down the few blocks that led to the library. I had just rounded a corner when a black sedan jeep pulled up in front of me causing me to halt in my tracks.

“What the hell?” I muttered to myself. I was just about to maneuver my way around it when the doors burst open revealing the last person I wanted to see.

My eyes darted back and forth seeking an escape route when his voice echoed through the driveway, chilling my spine.

“I'd suggest you get in, Miss Darana Ashcroft”.

My eyes widened at the full mention of my name.

How did he know my name?

NIKLAUS TITTERINGTON

I looked at the woman in front of me dressed in loose pants and a baggy beige top with a scarf tied around her hair holding it in a loose bun and I fought the urge to smile.

“Not so elegant and classy today?” I teased as I watched her face for a sigh of reaction.

Her blue, calculating eyes watched me for a minute before breaking into a smile. “Well, what can I say, we can't always look our best now, can we?” She replied back with an air of composure that surprised me.

“Mr Titterington, to what pleasure do I owe this visit?”she asked sweetly and I laughed.

“I believe we have some unfinished business from last night”.

“There was nothing left to finish” she replied in a clipped tone and avoided my eyes. I watched as she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat and smiled. Aha, that was the reaction I was looking for.

“Ohh, I'm not talking about that”. I drawled as I folded my arms across my chest, straining the fabric of my shirt in the process.

Not that I was exactly thrilled when I had opened my eyes to see that she was gone. I had been so stunned that I burst out into laughter right there on the dance floor at the absurdity of it all. But that wasn't what I was here for today. I was going to pay Darana here for that stunt she played but not today.

“I don't understand,” she said in genuine confusion as she peeled her eyes away from my chest and rested them on my face. “What then, are you talking about?”she asked.

I smiled and parted my lips to speak when….

“May I take your order?”a waitress asked as she stood in front of our table and I sighed when I realized we were at a Cafe. The surroundings seemed to fade away into the background when I was with Darana.

“Black coffee” I said, without taking my eyes of Darana to look at the waitress. Darana sighed and looked at the waitress. “Just water”.

She retraced her focus back to me when the waitress was gone and waited for me to speak.

I smiled and took my time to open the file on the table and slid it across the table watching as her eyes widened as she took in the details of it.

“Darana Ashcroft, twenty five years of age, blue eyes, five foot three, no parents, only a high school certificate and ohhh, a little sister tucked safely away in one of the elite boarding schools in London. A very expensive one I might add”.

She sucked in a deep breath and squeezed the file tightly in her hands. “How did you get this?”she whispered and I smiled.

“Well after a certain jewel got missing in our home last night, I connected the dots together and made my own little research as you can see there”.

“Now should we talk about your other identity? Darana of the Twilight Rose trio, or should I say the mistress of seduction and deception as people like to call you?”.

I watched as the color drained from her cheeks and my smile widened. Backing people into a corner was one thing I enjoyed doing.

“It's very funny because no one could place your true identity. They can't really say what you look like and I can't blame them seeing you were blonde last night and had a mole on your chin but today you have black hair with no mole. I'd suggest you add mistress of disguise to your other….erm, titles”.

“What do you want?” She spat venomously and I laughed.

“Getting straight to business now, are we? So you'd agree that we do have some unfinished business”.

“I wonder what your other gang members would do when they see you in the position you've put yourself in”.

Her eyes widened at my comment and she paled further. “What?”I asked. “You think I'd run only a background check on you and leave your friends out? What am I? A fool?”

“I wonder how Gemma Miller, your tech guru and Adrika Towne, your extricator as you people like to call her, would react to the men that have surrounded your hideout?”

“Or do you think Reggie Jones, your getaway driver, would be able to get them out in time?”

I was subtly dropping all the hints that I could wipe everyone off if I wanted to and she must have gotten the message because her shoulders slumped and her confidence wavered.

“What do you want?” She asked again and I nodded thoughtfully. “Good question”.

“I could report this all to the police and have this matter dealt with in a twinkling of an eye or we could come to…. an agreement”.

“What agreement?”she asked, searching me with her eyes.

“Well, you could do something for me and in exchange I'd turn a blind eye to the one million, five hundred thousand dollars jewel that was stolen from the empire last night and if I'm pleased enough I could even let you and your gang continue this heist business you have going on”.

“And what do you want me to do for you?” She asked slowly as if dreading my response and I smiled and leaned closer into her space.

“Marry me”. I said simply and her lips parted in shock.

“Are you crazy? She yelled and a few heads turned in our direction. “You have no proof that shows that we stole the jewel last night. There are no CCTV cameras in your empire”. She said with a smug smile on her face as she leaned back into her seat, putting some distance between us.

“Hmmm” I said with a defeated sigh as I reached for my phone and placed it in front of her.

“I wonder what Juniper has to say about all this” I said with a thoughtful expression and her eyes widened as she snatched the phone from the table and watched the video of her sister heading to class oblivious to the fact that someone was watching her.

“Don't panic, she's safe….for now”. I said as I retrieved the phone from her and placed it back in my pocket.

“So, are you going to consider my offer?”.