Chapter 2 Man Behind The Mask

The man led Isabella into the dance floor slowly. She was feeling uncomfortable since she never danced with any man before. The last time, she danced with her father when they celebrated her little sister's birthday party last year.

As if she was his sole interest among all the staffs around, the man never teared his dark eyes from her. The feeling of being intensely watched made her uncomfortable.

When she dewelled on how to initiate their first step together, the man extended his right hand towards her like a gentleman. Lips curving up a little, he asked like a gentleman,

" May I ?"

Snapping out from her thoughts, Isabella nodded her head numbly, placed her hand into his palm clumsily. The coldness of his skin again shocked her sanity. She had a feeling of placing her palm into ice water.

The man groped her hand tightly, gave it a hard pull untill they were face to face joined together. His smile broadened behind his mask as he voiced fanning shallow breathing on her skin,

" You are so easily frightened. What do you think of me? A devil?"

Isabella badly wanted to run away but it would seem improper. Shutting her eyes one time to stable her messy thoughts, she replied stammering on her words,

" I..I..am..not used to it...I mean..I don't like to interact.. with.. unknown people.."

Surprisingly, the man didn't make a fun of her comment unlike others who usually laughed at her after hearing her weird personality. It's not a crime to be introvert.

His words came out soothingly, gentle as breeze of midnight,

" We are going to take it slow. Relax! Just a dance and I don't dare to harm you in front of so many people."

His words relaxed her tensed nerves and magically she felt a little more comfortable around him. Inhaling a deep breath of encouragement, Isabella stepped closer bravely and placed her trembling hand on his shoulder lightly.

Forming into an awkward smile, she suggested breaking the barrier of her introvert personality,

" Let's do it then."

"Love Me Like You Do By Ellie Goulding" played in the background. High pitched music and an entire dance floor full of couples had enriched the environment of the party.

They matched their steps perfectly, swayed their hips rhythmatically holding onto each others. Her earlier uneasiness started to fade away as the man gave her a comfortable environment.

He spoke streching out one of her arm to follow the step,

" What's your name?"

She stiffened a little and breathed out shyly,

" Isabella.. Isabella Adams.."

He hummed softly, arched her arm up to hang in air before proceeded towards the next question,

" You live here?"

Isabella shook her head lightly and replied in a hesitant voice,

" No..It's my best friend's house. I come to join her."

The music had almost come to end. As the last beat of music buzzed across the hallway, Isabella boldly asked, curious about the face behind his dark pitch black mask,

" You didn't give me your name."

The man paused as the music died down in background. Isabella could see that a smile flashed across his lips when she spoke to him voluntarily as if he was waiting for it.

The man jammed his palms back into his pockets. Staring deep into her questioning eyes, he replied compherensively,

" It's Lucien."

Isabella felt a little weird since he didn't give his surname. Her words came out invoulantarily,

" You didn't mention your surname."

His smile broadened into a mysterious one. One step closer to her feet, he replied an amusing voice,

" May be I am reserving this for our next meeting."

A little surprised by her words, Isabella parted her lips to interrogation him further but she heard the loud drunkard voice from her back,

" Isabella.."

Turning around to look at the resource of voice, she found Caroline and Mia waving at her. Eager to go back on their side, Isabella swiftly turned around to give him an apology but the man named Lucien was gone.

Strange!

She wandered her eyes around but didn't find anyone as if he had never been here ever. Thinking that he might had gone amidst the crowd, Isabella walked back to her friends who were very pleased that she had a dance with stranger.

It was already 12 a.m at night but the party hadn't ended yet. Isabella promised her mother that she would return home before 12. So she had no other choice but saying goodbye to her friends.

Caroline wanted to offer her a ride but she was already dead drink even Mia who couldn't stand on her feet. Isabella didn't ask them to send her since she was familiar in this area. Her father would have come to take her home but he was on duty at night.

Thus she had no other way than leaving for her room all alone. Coming out of the party, she waited for any cab or taxi outside. It was already late and no empty vehicles were available at that moment.

The residential area that she lived was only fifteen minutes away from Caroline's house. Considering the fact that it was getting late, Isabella thought of starting to walk on the way of her house.

Fixing the shining gown in her body, she started walking until she was far away from the house and there wasn't any second person left on the street.

Starting to get afraid, she picked up her pace and trotted on her high heels as fast as possible. A car from the opposite side of road stopped beside her with a screeze halting her track. Her body froze when she heard few voices that resounded drunk and incoherent,

" Hello beautiful lady..Come! We will send you home."

" Why are you alone in this street? Waiting for us to take you home?"

" Let's go together."

Isabella's body broke out in cold sweat. Encountering these stalkers had only one outcome at this hour.

Either getting raped or abused!