But Amber just laughed softly, leaning in until her lips were inches from his. "Go where, my tiger? To the truth?" She twisted her wrist free of his grasp and circled around him slowly, her eyes gleaming with savage delight. "Don't even delude yourself that you can handle her differently because you can never beat that beast, Ethan! No matter how hard you try to be the gentleman for her, the good, safe man... it is only a matter of time before the darkness creeps in. You will want to tie her down, too. You will want to hear her beg for you the way I do. Because that is who you really are."Ethan's chest tightened with each word. His mind flashed with images-memories of him and Amber, in those dark moments when everything was raw, primal, and overwhelming. Where the line between pleasure and pain blurred, and the control he exerted was absolute. It was a part of him that scared him. But with Amber, it had been welcomed. She had thrived on it, drawing him deeper into it, craving the int
Bariole residenceSofia's houseTime had ticked by since Sofia ran from the office. She wanted so much to stay and be with Ethan, but something else warned her against that idea. That was how she found herself running out of the office.After dinner, as usual, her stepfamily had no need for her, so she retired to her room. Sofia was now searching through her belongings in her room. Something seemed to have been missing. Something important because she was almost losing her mind searching for it."But this is where I returned it last night," she murmured to herself as she opened the drawer again, looking at the empty space. Definitely, what she was looking for had disappeared from where she thought she had kept it.The door swung open, and her stepmother walked in. As always, she looked at her with a look of disapproval. "If you are looking for the money that you were hiding, I took it!" The woman said it flatly.Sofia stopped her futile search, turning the woman. How does she take the
Sofia's fists clenched at her sides, but she forced herself to stay calm. She wasn't going to let Amber get to her, no matter how hard she pushed. She smirked, even though deep inside she felt like bursting with rage. "It is your audacity to come to my house to throw insults and insecurities at me for me. Now that you are here, I would like to ask you something just to jog your brain because it seems like your brain left for a vacation." Amber leaned back in shock. She was not expecting Sofia to fire back like that. She also didn't expect to see that carriage from Sofia. The girl seemed so brave for the weak being that she appeared to be. Sofia continued, leaning in and whispering, audible enough for Amber to hear. "For someone who holds the pedigree, wealth, and reputation that Ethan does, he must be feeling something so strong and real for him to stoop so low to my level, don't you think?" Amber shook. She furrowed her eyes, swallowing hard the bitter words. "You wish!" Sofia smi
It was a Friday, and all day long Sofia had tried her best to avoid Ethan, even though all the forbidden pulls were pulling her toward him. Amber's words kept playing in her mind the entire day. Ethan had not failed to notice that Sofia was disturbed, but she had made excuses every time he asked, avoiding the closeness every single second he made advances.When Ethan stepped out earlier that evening, Sofia felt a wave of both relief and anger wash over her. He wanted him close, just like he wanted him away. His going out meant that she wouldn't have a hard time pretending that she didn't want him, or his touch, or even his riddles."Well, aren't you done yet? Almost everyone has left already." Liz asked in a rash as she sauntered into the office.Sofia looked up from the computer, shaking her head. "Not yet. I have a few things to go over before I can leave. But it won't take long. In thirty, I will be done."Liz frowned, her expression pleading. "Sorry, bestie, I can't wait up for yo
With shaky legs, she stood and walked over to Ethan’s chair across from hers. It still carried his scent—a mix of cedarwood and secretion that only intensified her yearning. She placed her phone on the table, propelling it up so the picture was still in view. Her fingers fumbled as she climbed onto the desk, the cool surface sending a shiver through her heated body. Her skirt hiked up her thighs as she sat on her knees, leaning toward the phone. “Ethan,” she whispered, his name falling from her lips like a prayer. Her eyes remained fixed on his image, on the thick, throbbing length he had so shamelessly shown her. It was definitely intentional. He knew he would get into her. He knew what the picture would do to her, and she just could not control it.It was right there, staring right at her, tormenting her. And she imagined it—the bulge teasing her entrance, stroking her, seeking entrance. It was huge, something that was supposed to worry her, but she conformed to a moth under heat
Her face burned crimson as she backed into the edge of the desk, her hands gripping the surface for support. “I don’t know what came over me,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. Ethan tilted his head, his eyes roaming over her disheveled appearance—the undone buttons of her blouse revealing the swell of her breasts, her flushed cheeks, her trembling hands. “Really? You did not know what came over you, huh?” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “You know exactly what came over you.” His words sent a shiver down her spine, and she swallowed hard, her knees threatening to give way under his penetrating stare. Of course, her white lie sounded like a joke to Ethan. Even she almost laughed at herself for trying to sell such a cheap lie.Ethan set the phone down on the desk and leaned in, placing his hands on either side of her, caging her in. The scent of his cologne surrounded her, intoxicating and overwhelming, burning her whole.“I sent that picture for a reason,” he mur
Sofia had never been more nervous in her entire life than she was that day. After the long, nerve-wracking stare they had outside the door of Ethan’s office, he just led her out without a word, and like a confused puppy, she followed without hesitation.The ride from the familiar to the unfamiliar streets felt like an eternity. Silence was the only sound in the car, and both Amber and Liz’s words crashed into her head. One had warned her to steer clear of the man beside her, while the other encouraged her to fight for what her heart yearned for. And there was Ethan, taking her to the unknown. The thrill was strong.Night had subdued the night, yet the car greased past the sprawling Savannah and towering acacia trees, her mind still racing with the overwhelming thoughts. Ethan seemed composed, seemingly appreciating the silence as if a single word would cause a distraction he couldn’t handle.After about an hour of silent driving, they arrive at Ethan's bungalow, tucked away in the sere
Before she could respond, his lips were on hers, warm and insistent. The kiss was slow at first, a question rather than a demand. But as she responded, letting herself be swept away, it deepened. His hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer, and she felt herself melting into him.The world outside ceased to exist as their passion grew. Ethan’s lips trailed down her neck, his hands exploring her back, and Sofia felt a fire ignite within her. She had never been touched like that. Never had she felt like that before. Never experienced such fire before. And she was ready to freely let it consume her whole. It was not like she could control it anyway.“Ethan,” she breathed, her hands clutching his shirt.He pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers. “Say the word, Sofia, and I will stop,” he said, his voice husky but sincere. That was never like him either. When he started on that game, there was stopping. But for her, he was different. Maybe he wanted to be different with her? “But
I walk up the stairs with my entire body flaring with a combo of rupturing sentiments. If Ray is really innocent, what now? I am sure that will warrant him all the grounds in the world to get close to us—I mean, to his daughter. His urge will grow stronger. He will be unstoppable until he gets what he wants. Then his entire family will come after me and my daughter, most especially that blackhearted, wicked mother of his and his grossly abhorrent wife. It will be utter chaos. And him? Which side will he choose? Can he go against his entire family to protect his daughter from their evil schemes? Will he toss us aside once again, just like he did back then?I saunter into my bedroom, and I find his shoes, coat, and bottle of liquor cluttered on the floor. The guy could not even try to display some little crap of decency in my room. What a jerk! I collect them all. I was meaning to throw them out through the window, but I found myself resting them on the table at the window.I stroll bes
“What are you talking about?” I ask.She shifts in her posture, but I do not move even a muscle to showcase my involvement because I would be lying to say that I am blending in with what she is trying to do here. She is trying to make me go easy on the guy, which is not happening. It is too soon to even start mulling over the chances of his clean-handedness.“I am not forcing you into anything, Irma, but I am just looking at this whole scenario from a different perspective, okay?” She looks at me after realizing how drawn off I am.I heave a deep sigh and look at her. It does not mean I am fascinated now. No! I am just listening to her to not hurt her feelings, and if it were someone else, I wouldn’t even waste my time. But she better not take advantage of my being nice and say something that will rile me more. I don’t want to say something that will ruin what we have had for the past five years.“What perspective, Julie?” I ask.“Ray had a very good opportunity to hurt Angel, even th
We finish setting the table for dinner at around half past one, while I am still mangled with the redoubtable picture upstairs—Ray and my child—because she is not his child as far as I am concerned. My daughter finally won over my bullheadedness, and the stupid jerk won with his mental blackmail too. I had to let him stay for a while and be with his daughter, which he does not deserve at all. But the guy had the bravery to lull himself into sleep in my own house and on my bed. The gut, huh?It is stinging! It is hurting me so much. It is shattering my heart and itching my ass that my daughter is enveloped in the arms of that bastard acting like a loving daddy. I wish I had a strong heart to say no once more to my daughter and kick that jerk’s ass out, because that is what he deserved. Actually, he deserves worse than that. It is said that the judge is in heaven, but I feel like crowing myself as a judge of such crimes here on earth and making my own judgment. I would clear the faces o
He furrows his eyes. His eyes are fixed on me, but I can tell his mind is miles away. A moment passed, with him lost in thoughts, and I challenged him to dare lie to me. He finally fixes his attention on me, and I watch every single moment of his lips as they curve up to utter something.“Nothing happened! Nobody talked about you with anyone! We have never, aside from the day before yesterday, sat down to discuss you.” Shock. “The Mauricios had left when I went back to the house that day. I joined my dad in the study to discuss business. That is the truth.”Mental spank! Disbelief!“Freaking white lies, Rayson! Why is it so hard for you to tell the truth? Is your conscience eating you that much that you would rather spend your entire life cooking all sorts of lies to cover the truth?” I squeal, and the devil knows I didn’t intend to.“In the name of my precious child, and in the name of the true love that I felt for you and all those beautiful memories we shared, Irma, I swear to you
“Mr. Rayson, I am asking you to kindly leave us in peace. You know you have no right to be here. Haven’t you caused my friend enough trouble?” Julie speaks.My mind is boiling with a zillion things to say to this jerk. I want to howl all the insolences from that night to him loud and clear. Maybe that will pull him from this heap of oblivion that he is pretending to be. But my anger is so deep that I do not know where to begin. I wish I could just let it all out in a single howl.“That is what your friend keeps shouting at me since I met her days ago. I want to know why. Only then can I understand exactly what I am being crucified for to the point of being denied the right to be a father to my only child!” He spoke, looking at me and not even blinking.Crusified, huh!“Realy? Then I will rub it on your face so that you will stop disturbing my best friend, Rayson. You and …” I grab Julie’s hand, stopping her from talking.This is my own battle. I appreciate her concerns and the will to
His wife stops when she realizes she is walking alone. She turns around with a heavily confounded face and drags her flamingo legs back.Ray takes a sip of his whiskey, which I would never have recommended. He looks extremely knocked off.“I said, Let us go, Ray!” She screeches between gritted teeth, as if getting wind of her puzzling husband’s weird behavior.“I don’t remember coming here with you. Just leave! I will leave when I feel like it!”Hello! He what? He will leave when he feels like it. This is my house. He is an unwelcome guest who I just asked to leave. I thought I made it clear that they both overstayed their unwelcome visit. What makes him think that he was axed from my statement?“I don’t understand, Ray. What exactly do you mean?” Tarah asked.She is still washed up in a stupor and mental rejection. I appreciate her question, though, because I am also curious about what is going on in this guy’s mind.“I came here to talk to Irma. Well, I don’t think I actually need t
Julie and I are at a loss for words with these two hotheads. Ray is throttling his wife with his murderous gaze while this witch is trying her best to avoid me and Julie. She is probably ashamed of us catching wind of their acrimonious marriage. As if we care!I am more than aghast. The way Ray is talking to her is so baffling. Actually, it is the way they are both acting—not like some jocund couple swimming on cloud nine with love and adoration, like it was said in the news.But all that aside, I don’t care whether they are blissful or miserable. But did I hear Ray ask this witch what she was doing here? So he did not know, or is it another pretense? How did she find us, then?‘Calm yourself down, Irma! You can never be too certain with these people. This might be yet another charade. They're maybe trying to fool you again with this.’ My inner voice howls, and I think I agree with it. It is too much of a coincidence that he didn’t know his fucking wife was here. Maybe they were toget
“What will you do? Why are you so secure in her? Why? Does she have some kind of magical disease that will catch me if I mention her name? Does she have some kind of disformity or something?” She speaks with mounted mockery.I align my face perfectly with hers atop mine, making sure she reads my words perfectly because I swear I will not allow her to insult my daughter ever again, and I don’t give a fuck what happens to me after breaking her neck if she dares.“My precious daughter is a gift from the Almighty. A lot of people wished her nothing but harm when they learned of her existence in my womb. But God kept her safe and sound. She is perfectly fine. It is me who you should be wary of, Tarah, because I will kill you if you dare mention her name ever again. I swear!” I state, and she blinks a couple of times, swallowing hard as she tries to mobilize her shattered nerves.She didn’t expect that? She has seen or heard nothing. They just cannot even begin to surmise my flaming wrath.
“Why? Did you think you could hide forever? Or were you expecting someone else? Maybe my husband?"It is no longer her disconcerting, ugly-fugly visual aspect, but her anger for me. And who told this witch that I was hiding? Well, I won’t deny that I was, but that was until days ago! And how did she find my place? How did she know where I live if they were not together in all this, huh? It is only that sick bastard who knows where we stay, right? I knew it! They are all together. They are up to something. And Julie was right. They have launched a war and made their first move.“You have no right to be here! Get lost!” I say, turning to walk back into the house and concentrate on my attack, but she forces her way in, almost pushing me to the ground. I thank my strong stamina for giving me such a stable balance.This long-necked ostrich! The bitch got balls, huh! She is no different from them all! She is as rotten as them all. It is not like I expected any less from her, though. She was