Ruby evaluated his face and prompted lazily after guessing the time, "I'm not sure if you know it's my sleeping time. And I can't have a sound sleep if I'm a minute late. So, just go."
Tasher roved his gaze from her bare calves to her heaving chest protected by a soft, white linen nighty falling right above her knees along with the long cape made of lace.
"I must say, you surely are one of a kind. I mean if you were to only sleep the whole night, then why did you waste your five hours traveling from the heart of the city to this heaven-like place? There is life outside of this room." He bumped his one shoulder at the door frame.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Can I borrow your five minutes?"
Ruby said with a serious face, glimpsing at the electric clock on the wall behind her. "Four minutes and fifty-five seconds."
As he entered inside, he sat on the chair across from her and a wicked smile stretched on his face. "I've come here to ask you only two questions. Each question comes with four options. And you have to tell me the right answer, not according to you. But according to the unattractive truth." There was silence. He added, "Don't be ashamed of it. Everyone has secrets."
She pressed her lips in a firm line, before reading, "Three minutes and fifty-two seconds."
He hurried up, shifting in his seat. "Tell me what thing makes poor people lose their minds? And your options are a) greed to have more money b) desire to become pompous and breathe the same air as a rich person does c) Or, to avail the benefits of hanging around with wealthy and good-looking guys.
Ruby rolled her eyes.
"Tough cookie. Gotcha. The next one will be relatively easier. I bet even if your mouth doesn't speak a word on this, your eyes will tell me everything."
Ruby raised her eyebrows and closed her lids, clutching the edge of the bed.
"How do you prefer people calling you? And your options are, a) Ruby b) Ruby c) Or, Ruby."
She swallowed hard and lifted from her chair, pretending to fold her clothes that lay on one side of the bed. "What new drug have you consumed this time? Go, talk a walk."
"Don't you miss your old friends, Ruby? Or should I say, don't you miss, Emily, your BFF?" Tasher pronounced her name with extra clarity and crossed one leg over the other with stunningly riling satisfaction. "Shall we take a walk down the memory lane?"
Ruby trembled as she closed the distance between the suitcase and herself. It was fear screaming on her face. Her fingers had already given in, so she used the side of her palm to press the buttons.
"How silly of you, Tash! Why would she recall living in the deepest bowels of hell? That sardine can of a building - that stupid job of singing at the parties - nights without a loving bed partner . . . et cetera . . . et cetera." He irked her more and began clapping weakly.
Tasher took her lack of words state as her defeat. "Ey! I hope the crash wasn't too harsh." Next, his tone grappled with wildness, "What should we be doing about it?"
Ruby sat there as still as water. Hardly, did he know a little disturbance caused in the high seas could result in powerful tides of tsunami.
"Don't tell me you hid your hearing problem as well? What are you ─ a machine of problems?" He resumed his laugh that ended into a zoophagous gnarl.
Her feet met the fur carpet unfurled on the floor and she grabbed a jacket intending to leave this room as early as possible. When she ended up keeping her fingers on the phone. He leapt forward and took possession of it. "At first those features really blew me away. I was stunned, more like fucking horrified to see if she survived the accident. Like how can she be the real Elizabeth? Where did she go after this?" He pretended to sound astounded.
"Give it back."
"What is all this attitude for, huh? What are you pretending to be? How can you say no to me? White trash!" He clutched her arms in his hands while Ruby attempted to slide them through his tight grip.
"I said leave me," she yelled.
"I can't do this alone. Assuaging my raging libido will need two more hands." His smirk became ten times more dangerous. Seeing her blank reaction, he added casually, "And you should know the reason why we are here. Basically, we are on our rehearsal honeymoon. And a perfect wife in bed gets the highest priority in life by a man: take it from me." He folded the sleeves of his shirt neatly, angling his neck as she shoot laser rays at her.
"Don't think too highly about yourself, Tasher. You can never match my taste. So it would be better to come out of this world quickly before you fail to bear its end result."
"Very soon we'll be regarded as a married couple and you wouldn't be able to do anything to stop this. Guess what, I know many people who have studied your background deeply. You are trapped, girl." He cracked a malicious smile.
Ruby spat on his face, "Sadly, your girl is not in this room. Search elsewhere. I love Joseph. And I'll do anything to have him."
"Tell me has Joseph held your strings? A Janus-faced man, has?"
"You are wrong! Arnold Garfield wants to settle himself in Mrs Warner's place. His psychic itch to gain more wealth has completely transformed him into an evil monster. He's playing a con game without your knowledge."
She paused and relief surged through her as his hands had withdrawn. His blue eyes fixed on her reflecting disbelief.
She didn't play safe and revealed, "Your father has killed your mother and confessed that he had kept you in a shade." Ruby smirked at a close distance. "Life stinks when you are treated like a mute toy."
Anger pervaded him and he pushed her onto the bed. Ruby's body bounced and before she could make the next move, he hovered on top of her and tore apart the front of her dress. Ruby shrieked as she felt the tingling pain of his nails scratching her chest.
He sank his nails in her visible flesh and peppered purple hickeys there.
She was bucking and punching his back to put off the ginormous body out of her fragile body.
"How dare you make accusations about my Dad murdering my mother. He could never kill his own wife . . . " he groaned and bit her neck hard. "Stop making nuisances . . ."
Her proud arm reached out to grasp the lamp shed. She slammed it on his head several times and managed to get off the bed. Forgetting to take her jacket completely, she encased her phone in her hand and ran out of the room. To save her life.
Tasher rubbed his head. The short yet violent attack showed him the stars in the bright light of the room. He finally trudged to stalk her. "You can't get away from me, Ruby!"
Ruby scooted down the stairs, realizing she was in her slippers and others were wearing knee-length boots and sweaters. The receptionist's shrilled voice rang in the air in frenzy, "Ma'am! Do you nee─"
Ruby was looking everywhere, exasperated sighs often left her lips. Her eyes averted on the black trench coat sitting on the couch, and on its owner engrossed with the other receptionist.
She seized it and sprinted driftlessly.
Tasher darted his gaze around and walked onward to ask the tense receptionist biting her nails. "Excuse me. Have you seen a very beautiful girl in a white nightgown passing by?"
She backed away because his query professed obsessive disorder.
The bull-necked manager intervened with a flat pancake style. "What relationship do you share with her, gentleman?"
"Ah, she's my fiancée," he cried.
Meanwhile, one of the security guards suffering from scurvy disease informed, "Sir, I saw her going this way. Please hurry." He pointed toward the porch.
Tasher's worrisome expression changed just as he turned in the said direction. "I'm coming."
Word count 1300
a/n; everyone pray for her safety 🙏