Chapter 9 The Real Him
The screen displayed a name I didn’t recognize: Cheryl. I was sure I’d never saved this number. Who was she?
I was still spacing out when a hand reached from behind and snatched the phone right out of my grip. I turned, startled. It was Charles, standing there with just a towel around his waist.
Then it hit me. This was his phone. Cheryl must be someone he knew. I’d got to change my phone and ringtone ASAP. I wasn’t copying him.
Charles walked over to the window to take the call, but his eyes never left me.
I followed his gaze downward and blushed instantly. Scrambling, I grabbed the robe from the foot of the bed and threw it on as quickly as I could. Trying to play it cool, I took a seat and pretended not to care.
He finally looked away, but there was a faint smirk on his lips–like something had put him in a good mood. His voice was surprisingly gentle as he spoke into the phone, “Okay, I’ll be right there.”
My mood sank. Cheryl… must be his first love. He was always so soft and happy when he talked to her. But all I got was sarcasm and intensity. He saved his warmth for her; I only ever got the cold.
I was still lost in thought when Charles suddenly walked up to me.
I glanced up slowly and met his intense eyes. My heart did a weird little flip.
Trying to act casual, I scratched my head and asked, “Going out?”
“Hmm,” he replied slowly, not breaking eye contact.
That look made me nervous. I quickly added, “Don’t worry, I’ll stay put today. I won’t go anywhere.”
Charles leaned down and nipped my lip, sharp enough to make me gasp. Before I could react, he pushed me back onto the bed.
“W–what are you doing now?” I managed to ask, my voice shaky.
He had just gotten out of the shower. His hair was still damp and tousled, and water droplets glistened on his bare chest. His eyes were smoldering, a faint, dangerous smirk playing on his lips.
Every inch of him oozed a raw, predatory sexiness that made my throat go dry.
He laced his fingers through mine, bringing them down beside my head as he leaned close to my ear. His voice was a low, husky rasp. “One more time?”
“What?” I was shocked by his energy, really.
He tugged my robe open without a hint of shame. “Look at you, turning me on again.”
“You are such an animal.” I glared, a flush of both anger and self–consciousness heating my cheeks.
Charles was such a fraud. He used to put on this whole act of being so proper and restrained, like he was above earthly desires. But this was who he really was. He was a beast pretending to be civilized.
And right then, he was a starving one. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him. I just couldn’t keep up with his intensity. Even if he had been frustrated before, this felt like more than just blowing off steam.
Besides, what about his precious first love? Hadn’t she been enough for him?
The thought of her sent a sharp pang straight through my heart. I was just the mistress there. I didn’t have the right to question him about her.
But trying to ignore the hurt didn’t make it go away. The truth was, I cared. And thinking about her made me want to push him away.
I pushed against his chest, my voice deliberately flat. “Was that your first love on the phone earlier?”
Charles frowned, looking genuinely confused for a second before a smirk tugged at his lips. “What’s this? Are you jealous?”
I could never admit that. To him, this was all just a game of revenge. Admitting I was jealous would mean confessing I had real feelings for him, and that would be the ultimate humiliation.
“No,” I said, tone even. “But I heard you say you’d go see her. Shouldn’t you get going? Wouldn’t want to keep her waiting. She might get upset.”
His expression darkened instantly, his brows drawing together “So you actually want me to go to her?”
Successfully unlocked!
I was left speechless. Seriously? He was asking if wanted him to go? Wasn’t that what he wanted?
Even if I begged him to stay, would he even listen? Not a chance. As the woman he supposedly despised, I had no right to say a thing.
While I was mentally kicking myself, Charles suddenly got up. He lit a cigarette, his movements sharp and irritated. “You’re
1/2
Chapter 9 The itealltim
in such a hurry to see me gone,” he said coldly. “Eager to run back to Ethan?”
“What? Not Stop making things up,” I snapped. He could always find a subtext in a blank waff
He just gave a cold snort and didn’t answer, leaning against the window to smoke in silence. The air around him turned loy
and distant.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. How could someone who just acted so possessive and warm turned so mean so fast? It was honestly insane.
When Charles finally left, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and collapsed back onto the bed.
He had become so unpredictable, so volatile. When would this punishment ever end? When would he finally just let me go? I almost couldn’t wait.
*****
Before I knew it, evening had settled in. The maids were busy preparing dinner, and I noticed Bella watching me with a hesitant look, like she had something to say but wasn’t sure she should.
Finally, I had to ask, “Is everything okay, Bella?”
She pulled me aside and lowered her voice, urging me to try and smooth things over with Charles. She’d seen him storm out earlier and was worried he’d take it out on me later.
“Men respond to soft words,” she insisted. “If you can make Mr. Bennett happy, things will be easier for you. The way you spoke to him before was… well, it wasn’t kind.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. Was I really that awful to him? Even Bella thought I’d gone too far? I let out a long sigh.
But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. If I could just calm him down, maybe his anger would fade faster, Maybe he’d finally get tired of me and tell me to get lost.
Motivated by that thought, I rolled up my sleeves and marched into the kitchen. With a little help from the staff, I managed to put together a few decent–looking dishes.
Once everything was on the table, I pulled out my phone, opened my chat with Charles, and typed: [When are you coming back?] Then I added a flattering smiley face as always.
He replied after a few minutes. [Not coming.]
I scowled at my screen. Fine. If he didn’t want to
Come back, whatever. But I couldn’t shake the image of him spending time
with his beloved, and, yeah, I’d admit jealousy prickled under my skin.
I pushed the feeling down and waved everyone over. “Everyone, come sit. Let’s eat.” It was my first time cooking, after all. No sense letting it go to waste. If nothing else, I didn’t want to be discouraged from ever trying again.
But after just one bite, Bella immediately spat it back out. She sighed and said, “Ms. Thompson, if this meal is specially for Mr. Bennett, you might want to put a little more… effort in.”
That got under my skin. “What do you mean, no effort? I got blisters making this for him,” I shot back, holding up my hand as proof.
Bella just shook her head helplessly. “You call that effort? You used sugar instead of salt.”
“Wait, what?”
“Try it yourself,” she said with another sigh,
I took a bite of the fish. Ugh, it was weirdly sweet, totally unsalted, and still kind of fishy. This was absolutely disgusting.
Bella looked at me pointedly. “It’s a good thing Mr. Bennett isn’t here tonight. He would not be happy about this.”
I let out a long sigh and stared down at what looked like perfectly decent dishes. I couldn’t help but sink into some pretty deep and defeated thoughts.
*****
Suddenly, the landline rang. The butler announced, “Ms. Thompson, you have a call.”
I stood up, confused. Who would be calling me on the landline instead of my cell?
2/2
