chapter 6

Bethy Hillstorm*

And of course, it's the pervert demon I was thinking about not just long ago.

The corner of his lips lift in a cunning smile as he hands me back my can of bean.

"Need a hand?"

As usual, he didn't let me say a thing as he grabbed one of the paper bag out of my hand,

"No, Mr Mendez I can handle it" I protested but he never listened, he already had my shopping bag in his grasps.

He started walking ahead of me like we came together and I had no choice than to follow him with my head buried to the ground.

What if someone recognize him and me? What if his wife?

God! God! God!

I raised my head a little to take a peak and noticed he was wearing a simple dark blue shirt paired with a black jean but even when he tried his best to look simple he looked way more out of place in this big mall.

But why is he even here? Does this mean he does his own shopping? He lives in the richest villa for christ sake!

He suddenly stopped and I walked to his side.

He turned around abruptly, looked me up and down as if he would reprimand me any minute.

"Where would you like to eat?"

"What!?" I blurted out before I can stop myself.

"I said.."

I immediately interrupt him while stuttering.

"Do you...I mean..mean..like you do...oh heaven." I let out a long sigh scolding myself for always struggling with words when am in his presence but he just stared at me amused.

"What I meant Ms Bethy is that we could find a place for us to eat, I bet you haven't had lunch yet" he replied in a casual tone.

"But Mr Mendez..."

"Ssssh it's Emilio remember?"

Yes he did asked me to call him by his first name on our fourth meet up but I wasn't still use to that.

"Uhmmm, okay Emilio, having lunch with you was not in any of the contract" I almost whispered the last sentence afraid he would call off the contract if it annoy him.

To my surprise my eyes met his still gaze, it bore into me sending shivers all over my body.

"I know" he said and throws me a small smile, "but I won't touch you, we will only have lunch together and I will pay for your time"

"Why would you do that? I mean why waste money?" I asked suspicious of his offer.

"Because I want to Ms Bethy and I can, I do what pleases me" he quickly answered and Lucas appeared out of nowhere. Emilio hand him my shopping bag of groceries.

"Take this to the car and be there when I come" he ordered Lucas smoothly while I stand uncomfortably not believing the fact that I just agreed to have lunch with Emilio.

Lucas obediently takes my bag and Emilio whisked us to a suitable place for lunch.

Not long after, we entered a simple but elegant looking diner and a hot red haired looking waitress with a black skirt and white blouse greets us before gladly walking us to the table.

I noticed she kept on stealing glances at Emilio, not that I'm jealous or something but I really felt uncomfortable.

I awkwardly sit and Emilio does the same, sitting across me, the waiter couldn't find anywhere else to stand but the spot very close to Emilio.

I caught her staring dreamily at him and I rolled my eyes feeling my cheeks burn because Emilio only had his eyes on me.

Why do I feel so hot all of a sudden?

"What would you love to eat Bethy?" Emilio asked, ignoring the overly announced presence of the waitress besides him.

"Fried chicken and chips, extra salad and a little spicy sauce please"

I glanced at Emilio and caught him staring at me with a grin playing on his lips.

I frowned, my face flustered. "What? Did I got something on my face?" I said rubbing my cheeks in an instant.

"Were you that hungry?" He grins at me.

I almost fell backward from my chair as I couldn't believe he is smiling at me and grinning at me like a carefree teenager. Usually he always had this impassive look on his face that could make anyone uncomfortable, including me.

"Was what I ordered too much?" I worriedly asked twisting my thumb nervously and laugh.

He put up a hand over his mouth and shook his head, "No Bethy that wasn't what I meant, I just cannot simply believe you could eat that much and still look this God-damn hot."

His compliment made my body tremble but I pretentiously rolled my eyes, if I wasn't this sexy would he had offered me the deal.

All thanks to this sexiness.

I laughed bitterly and glanced at the waitress still looking down at Emilio with dreamy eyes, oh I pitied her thoughts, she's dreamily staring at jerk, no, the devil himself.

Just that moment, Emilio looked up at the waitress and make his order.

I watch how she admired him, she slowly wrote out Emilio's order so she can get to stare at his handsome face for a while longer.

She smiled widely at him when he's done before she swayed her hips effortlessly away.

"So why lunch?" I asked him curiously, I really was hoping not to see him today, was hoping I could have the day to myself and I can't believe I'm sitting here having lunch with him.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Nothing, I was just passing by when I saw you and I thought we could have lunch together since it's almost past it time"

I narrowed my eyes at him unbelievable, "get straight with me Mr Mendez, what's the catch?"

Seems I caught him off guard because he stared open eyes at me for some seconds before composing himself, "what? So you don't believe me?"

I gulped, swallowing hard. Who knows what he's cooking in that head of his.

I do not want him to use this lunch in caging me into doing something for him later.

"Oh Bethy, it's nothing. I promise you this is just a simple lunch and nothing else" he regards me with his eyes and I could see the sincerity in them.

Maybe you're over reacting, give the man some air Bethy, "okay, okay, just...just lunch"

A few minutes later the food arrived, I quickly forgot about my worries and doubt at the sight of the delicious savory dish before me.

I even clasped my hand in delight at the mere sight of it.

I murmured my short prayers of thanks before digging in the food eagerly.

We started eating our separate food in silent when he spoke first.

"So Bethy, tell me some of the things I need to know about you,"

I furrowed my brow questioning, "so this was just to interrogate me?"

He went mute staring down at his plate of food then placed his spoon beside the bowl and sigh.

"You seemed too tensed, do you feel that uncomfortable around me? Do you...." He took a long pause before staring back at me with those icy cold blue eyes. "Hate me?" I saw some flickers of emotions wash through his eye and disappear as soon as it came, he did well to hide his anxiousness as silence rained between us.

"You haven't answered me Ms Bethy" he pick his spoon and began eating again.

"I do not hate you, how would one hate a fellow being"

I could tell he was not comfortable with my answer or maybe I'm the one imagining things, but he nodded his head anyway, "fair enough, so tell me about you"

"You stalked me on our first meeting Mr Mendez and I'm sure you already know everything about me" I tore off a chunk of meat from the fried chicken drumstick.

He stopped eating again and fumbled with his necktie before leaning forward placing his elbow on the table.

"I want to hear it from you"

"There's nothing much to know, you already did your search, besides my life circle around work"

He eyes me intently waiting for me to speak further but I ignored him and he picked his untensils and began eating again.

"How often do you tutor your student?" He asked as soon as the intense air dissipated.

I sighed, tired of his bugging question.

He won't even let me eat in peace, he's really acting all weird today. He never seem to pick interest in what I do aside our deal, what's his plan?

"Four times a week, the rest of the day are off" I replied while digging into my chips and licking my lips.

He put down his spoon and I heard him gulp loudly, "what do you teach?"

"Pure Calculus and organic chemistry"

"Really! You really tutor those subject?" He looked at me wide eyed and it's really amused me.

"Yeap!" Because he asked I went on giving him details of how fun calculus and chemistry are, and how people think those subjects are hard to learn but to me they're the easiest.

In between my gist he would also say something and give off his experience of how he really hates those numbers and alphabets with them.

How then did he become the best successful business man in the country.

"It's annoys the hell out of me, I can't really understand how people would love working with numbers added with alphabet, like WTF! those are definitely not for me" he rolls his eyes and for that moment he looks so cute that I almost complimented him, I never thought that a rich bastard like him who have a lot of zeros in his account would hate numbers, how then does he calculate his money? Income and loss?

"Doesn't it get bored with those numbers and symbol..oh you said it's fun already. God I hate them, why were they made in the first place" he added and I couldn't help but laughed lightly at his frustration, I guess he truly hates maths.

I quickly compose myself as I realized I just chuckled in front of him as if we were best duo and we are comfortable with each other.

I looked at him and immediately regretted it because he was staring back at me with untold emotions dancing in his blue eyes.

"I stopped breathing the moment I witnessed your laugh, good God Bethy, you're so beautiful" he leans forward and instantly brush some strands of hair covering my left eyes, he tucked them behind my ear almost brushing his fingers on my skin, unwanted tingles washed over me, "looking forward to seeing you laugh this beautiful every day"

I pressed my lips together, half shy and half flustered, with no idea of what to say.

Seeing how uncomfortable I became, he pulls back putting a significant distance between us and I suddenly felt empty.

I clear my throat and took a glass of water, "it's just doesn't get bored when you are doing the things that you're passionate about, the best job I enjoy doing amongst all is my tutoring job"

He looks at me astonished, "I will definitely agree with your words Bethy. you're such an interesting person"

"What did you say?" Of course I heard him, but it's won't hurt to hear a compliment twice.

But to my disappointment, he just smiled and shook his head.

He signaled for the bill and again the attention seeker rushed to him almost loosing her footing.

"Oh my good lord" I mumbled under my breath.