Without hesitating, Hart’s hands moved to cup her cheeks, kissing her passionately.
Please, don’t stop, she implored him in her heart.
The night breeze was chilly, making her shiver in the cold. He scooped her up in his arms, laying her on the bed before resuming his affection on her lips.
Taking his hands, she placed them on her chest. Was this… a direct invitation to touch her? He wondered, stroking her through her thin clothing. She let out a few moans, pulling him closer.
She had to be aroused, but he did not want to be a monster to her. Separating their lips, he lay down next to her and stared into her eyes. “Myra, are you sober?”
She nodded. “Hart, I only want you to think about me when we do… that.” Maybe it was a bit excessive for her to be saying this so early, but she didn’t like him thinking about Milla when he was intimate with her. She couldn’t get herself to pronounce the word intercourse. But every time he was inside her, she had only him in her mind. A surprising fact, when she thought herself to be broken-hearted by Jake then.
Myra was blushing when she made her statement, a fact that Hart found adorable about her. Undressing her carefully, he laid kiss after kiss on her bare skin. The hickeys were starting to subside now, allowing him space for new ones. She shyly helped him out of his clothes, admiring his well-built body.
“Myra, in the future, I’ll never allow you to be hurt or lonely again,” he whispered, caressing her gently. “I’ll go where you want to.”
Did this mean… he wanted to go back to her city with her? Myra thought, clinging tight to him as she felt them becoming one. However, he said nothing more as their bodies moved in sync with each other. He was blessed with so much energy that by now, Myra had already grown used to. He took her again and again, appeasing her with each stroke. For him, the greatest encouragement was hearing Myra call out his name.
“Myra, I can’t explain it, but I love you,” he whispered, finishing inside her for the final time that night. He saw her eyes were already closed, so he had no clue whether she had heard his love confession.
Three days was just too fast to fall in love with someone, but he had in fact, fallen in love with her at first sight. It was too intricate for her to understand that.
Especially when she might not be over her first quite yet. Otherwise, why had she sought his help to ‘forget him’?
Myra feigned that she was asleep, contemplating Hart’s words. Originally, she had figured that she was in love with Jake for five years, but the Jake she had once loved and the Jake that existed now seemed to be two different people. She found it hard to believe how someone could have changed so much in just five years. But maybe, it was all for the better.
In the future, she would not want anything to do with Jake or his new girlfriend.
…………………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, back in City V, Jake was dreaming of Myra, again.
“Oh, Myra.” He was moaning her name in his sleep, an action that irritated the woman sleeping beside him. Where had Myra gone?
He remembered her touch as if it had been yesterday they were lying next to each other in his bed back at Hotel Top One. He admitted to himself he had been a bit impatient when he had taken her first time because he could hardly contain his excitement.
“Jake, it’s me, Myra.” She had turned up in a hotel bathrobe, which she slyly lifted to reveal the racy lingerie she was wearing underneath.
“Myra? How did you know I was here? And how do you know my room?” He looked at her with his cold eyes. His long hair swept past his cheek and he did not smile.
“Believe me, I have my ways.” She chuckled confidently as she approached him slowly. “Jake, I’ve liked you for a long time. How could you have not told me that you were back in City V?”
“It’s an emergency conference.” He puffed on his electronic cigarette, placing it on the table. Myra continued to watch him, ignoring the tiny coloured clouds that dissipated around him.
“Jake…” she pleaded. “I’ve come all the way just to see you…”
He tried his best to remain indifferent. Deep inside him, he was bitter at how she had never written to him all these years, and now she just appeared before him in lingerie. What was she playing at?
Different assumptions clouded his judgment. Maybe she had enough fun with her suitors and wanted to have a different experience tonight. Fine, he would allow her to have her way soon enough!
“Prove it then, Myra. If you really like me like how you claim, give yourself to me. Now.”
Myra was staring at him as if she had seen a ghost. “Jake, you’ve changed…”
He took a step closer. “Myra, you’ve just sent the lamb into the wolf’s den. I’ll count to three. You can still back out now before I change my mind.”
Tears were welling in her eyes. “No, I’ll do it!” Despite her ‘pain’, she looked so determined. Jake took it as that she was desperate for a man that night. Nothing that she said earlier to him registered in his mind. In his opinion, this was the girl who had cruelly allowed him to wait for her for three years without allowing him to know how she was doing.
He had spent another two years in China after completing his further studies because he had not heard from her. It infuriated him to see her just come to him so casually, strip and claim that she liked him for five years. If she had liked him, why didn’t she write?
She cried throughout the whole ordeal. It was only when he noticed the stains on the sheets, that cast light on the fact she had kept her first time for him. He had been a total jerk, but he was unwilling to admit the fact. That night, Jake continued to remain silent, without even a word to console her. It was natural that she would have been hurt by his harsh treatment towards her.
When she woke up the next morning, he asked her if she would be a willing participant at the conference. He didn’t have an assistant due to the last-minute decision to attend. Again, he was being negative.
“It’s fine if you can’t. I’ll go on my own.”
“No, Jake. I just don’t have a suitable attire to attend.”
“We’ll head over to the tailor and have one customised for you.”
She said nothing after that. The conference that afternoon turned out to have few female attendees. With her pleasant smiles at the conference, it, unfortunately, vexed him further and he found himself jealous. He treated her as coldly as he could, never allowing her to explain.
All because of his so-called pride and how he had been hurt by her when he was abroad. This had led him to get into so many relationships, none of whom lasted more than a month. The only exception had been Yuna, who would not leave even after he had threatened to end their relationship repeatedly.
“Myra, where are you?” he murmured again, this time meeting with a scream from the woman next to him.
Yuna was livid. A few pillows met their mark, landing unceremoniously on Jake’s face.
“JAKE YU, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?” she yelled.
Had this unacceptable behaviour been in the last three months when they were a couple, Jake would have not tolerated her doing. However, as she was three months pregnant from the sonography report she had produced, he did what he had to do.
“Calm down, Yuna. This isn’t good for your pregnancy.”
She howled. “Jake, we’re together, and you’re still thinking about her? She ignored you when you were in China! I’m the one who accompanied you all this while! I helped you out so many times!”
“Yuna,” he soothed her with a hug. “I’m sorry. Just give me some time, okay?”
He dried her tears with his sleeves. “No matter what, I’ll take care of you and the baby. I’ll not let you suffer. I’ll take responsibility.”
That was what he had in mind. He was just taking responsibility. Since they were a couple back in China, he had never loved Yuna. If not for the fact she was an expert at satisfying his desires, he probably would have ended their relationship in a month like the other women. But how could he have allowed her to fall pregnant?
“Are you sure, Jake?”
“I mean my words. I promise to be a good father.”
Jake sighed as he watched Yuna return to sleep, but a sudden beep from his cellphone alerted him. Recognising who was the sender of the message, he jolted up from the bed in shock.
[Back at Hart’s hideout]“Morning,” Myra yawned, rubbing her face against what turned out to be Hart’s chest. Daylight was streaming through the pale curtains. She was exactly where she wanted to be.If only, she didn’t have to wake up from the dream. Every moment with Hart had been so delightful and not hurtful.“Slept well last night?” Hart ran his hair through her hair, which was now probably a mess from their adventure last night. Her forehead throbbed with pain, reminding her of how much she had drunk last night.They had both called each other’s name last night. He had even taken her in
“Will everything be okay?” Myra said as Hart unlocked a decent-looking black Atoz hatchback. She breathed a sigh of relief to notice that there were no signs of the men chasing them earlier. The bustling crowds of shoppers and vendors fended them off from the rest of the bazaar, giving her a confirmation that they were safe, for now.“I’m the king of the bazaar,” Hart announced with a smile. “They wouldn’t be able to find us easily through the crowd. Particularly when they are not from the area.”He started the car, and they were on their way. Compared to his usual casual speed, he was driving fast. The car whizzed off into the distance, passing down the highway into the streets. Hart almost didn’t stop, until he finally reached a red light.Myra found her stress
Myra led Hart, still hand in hand, into the suite where their friends awaited. It was not a big suite, with a master room, two shared bathrooms and a kitchen which the rich girls barely used and a smaller room where Lesley slept. Hart put down his duffel bag carefully, observing the room as thoroughly as he could. This would work for a temporary hideout, but he would have to go forward with his plan.“You’ll be sharing with Lesley,” she said, hoping he would not be disappointed that they would not be sharing a bad. Sierra smiled with a hand over her mouth, anticipating what her sister shared with the divine man that she had just brought back to the hotel. Between them, they had the habit of calling the hotel ‘home’, as they did on several occasions. The home was where Myra was with Sierra, although now, it was where she hid with Hart. Hart had presented her with such a special
“I suggest we leave for your city as soon as possible,” Hart said solemnly after they finished eating. Under the table, his hand was warm on Myra’s thigh, sending electrical volts down her back and inciting her arousal.“Back to City V?” Myra gasped, pulling her legs together to contain her desire. Stop it, Hart, she uttered mentally. Fortunately, after a long silence, Hart moved his hand away, to her relief.He stood up and made an enormous bow before the others.“I’m deeply sorry for the inconvenience.”Sierra’s eyes followed Hart’s hand gestures as he explained about his situation and how he had indirectly caused Myra to be entangled in his family affairs. His excellent body language would make anyone s
Myra placed her head down on Hart’s shoulder as the plane took off.Goodbye, Bali, she told herself reluctantly. Knowing Jake was in City V along with that girl he was hugging in the party, she didn’t feel keen to go home. While she missed her overbearing daddy, she wasn’t sure how to face him after she had just left without a word, without his golden permission. But no news was good news. Surely he would have taken Sierra’s words.From now on, it would be her and Hart. She hadn’t expected so much from him when she had taken his car in the first place, and now he was going to her country with her, to be her dutiful boyfriend. It sounded so fairytale-like.In the aisle behind her, Sierra behaved intimately with the man she had met in Bali. Teos, the person who had stepped up
The following weeks had flown by like a breeze. The holidays ended, and it was back to university. As usual, Myra and Sierra would dine together between lectures, ignoring the handsome men that passed them.“Jake Yu is here, and he’s in a discussion with the Dean,” some girls chattered amongst themselves as they strolled by carrying trays of their food orders. The cafeteria, while having the most affordable meals the average university student could afford, was known for its variety. Of course, as wealthy as they were, the sisters didn’t need to subject themselves to inferior quality dishes.“How are you and your guy?” Sierra asked, seeing how distracted Myra was.“I guess, good.”Sierra noticed how Myra wasn’t paying attention to what she was asking, waving two fingers in front of her eyes repeatedly.“Jake Yu inherited his father’s conglomerate. Shall w
Jake stopped the moving car just outside a convenience store before returning with a plastic bag filled with cans of beer. It was a sea of silence between them as he sped in his brand-new luxury car towards a destination where only the two of them knew to have existed.The old house in Myra’s memories stayed preserved beautifully, cleaned and devoid of cobwebs or dust. Myra allowed Hart to unbuckle her seat belt and lead her into the place.The pain of her father’s alleged demise hurt her even more than Jake and the other girl. Mustering her courage, she decided to put the past behind her for once and moved around the house, running her fingers over the old furniture.She needed a break from everything.Once, she had been a silly little girl, and she and Jake
When Myra woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, the first thing she recognised was the familiar light wall of her bedroom. The pain in her head obliterated her from attempting to recall where she was the night before. She felt soreness in her lower abdomen and back, which she fathomed was the aftermath of being active. But the question was, what happened last night? She woke up with no remembrance of what happened or why she had drunk so much. She looked around her room for any signs of Hart having spent the night with her, but there were none. But if it wasn’t Hart, who else could it be, she gasped, rubbing her face. No, she, Myra Yang, wasn’t that shallow of a person! Other than Hart, she couldn’t imagine having someone else in her bed. Then she heard a knock on the door. Sierra invited herself, still sleepy early in the morning, into the room