Delaney held his cold gaze as the air around her suddenly became suffocating. Her hands trembled in fear, and she could hear her own heart pounding.
Blaine stared in confusion, desperately trying to decipher what was happening. "Was his boss lusting after Delaney?" he asked himself, noticing that the look in Adonis' eyes was different from his usual unreadable expression. It held something more.
"You?" His baritone voice finally broke the long silence that hung in the air, his riveting stare penetrating her eyes.
Delaney had a thousand questions racing through her mind. What had she done wrong? Was her attire inappropriate? Did she say something offensive? Perhaps he didn't like how she addressed him when she entered? Could she have put Blaine in trouble?
"I'm sorry, sir, but have I done something wrong?" Delaney finally mustered up the courage to speak, confusion and concern evident on her face.
"You... You really don't..." Adonis stuttered, feeling a pang in his heart as realization slowly crept in. "You don't know me?"
"Delaney? You've met with..." Blaine attempted to question his fiancée, but Adonis silenced him with a raised finger. This wasn't a moment for interruptions. The only voice Adonis wanted to hear was that of the woman before him.
"It's not every day I get lucky enough to meet one of the big shots, you know?" She nervously chuckled. "But I can't remember ever seeing you before now. It's my first time here." She politely explained, feeling somewhat relieved.
Initially, she was scared that she had done something wrong, but now she felt better knowing that he had mistaken her for someone else.
"I see..." He briefly glanced at his phone before meeting their puzzled gazes. "Sorry about that. Obviously, there was a mix-up." He calmly explained to them, his eyes still fixed on her.
"I'll just hand this over and be on my way immediately." Impatience had taken hold of her. She couldn't stand in there for another second. Everything she had heard about him was true. One could possibly have a heart attack in his presence.
"Sure. Thanks." Adonis received the file from her outstretched hand.
Blaine was beyond shocked. He had never seen his boss act so softly, nor had he ever heard him utter the words 'thank you' to anyone. It didn't make sense.
"I'll walk you out," she informed Blaine, who promptly stood up to accompany her.
"May I leave, sir?"
Adonis responded with a nod. The pair made their way out of his office.
He immediately picked up his phone and texted Taylor, one of his aides stationed on the ground floor, keeping an eye on the surroundings.
"Watch out for a woman - red dress, a black clutch, chestnut brown hair styled up in a bun. I need detailed information about her by the end of today."
***
As soon as they stepped out of the discomfort of Adonis' office, Delaney heaved a silent sigh, knowing her troubles weren't over yet. They exchanged no words until they were outside the premises.
Suddenly, Blaine grabbed her arm, pulling her harshly into a secluded corner just beyond the premises. His eyes burned with anger, and his voice was tight with disgust.
"What the hell are you hiding, bitch?" His irate voice seethed through clenched teeth.
"Blaine, you're hurting me. Stop it," Delaney pleaded in a tender voice, attempting to free herself from his grip.
"You've met him before, haven't you?" he demanded. "I see... Is that why you had to dress like a slut, huh?"
"I've never met him before, Blaine, I swear to you," her voice quivered, tears welling up in her eyes. Just then, she noticed a muscular man in a black suit staring at them intently.
"Blaine, someone's watching. You're attracting attention. Please," she turned to face Blaine, but when she looked back in the man's direction, he had vanished. It seemed suspicious, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as Blaine's throaty voice interrupted her thoughts.
"We'll talk about this when I get home. Get yourself ready," he threatened before walking away, not sparing her another glance until he disappeared from sight.
Delaney took a deep breath, composed herself, and walked towards the busy road, desperately trying to mask her emotions. She needed to get home as quickly as possible.
In less than 20 minutes, Delaney found herself in the comfort of her bed, crying her eyes out. She knew tonight would be one of those agonizingly long nights. Regrets consumed her. Maybe she shouldn't have dressed so provocatively. She was only trying to please Blaine, but instead, she had upset him.
If she had her way, she would run away from all the troubles, but where could she go? She had no friends, no other relatives apart from Greta and her daughters, who had also been a thorn in her flesh.
At just 24, Delaney had experienced enough misery and hatred to last a lifetime. Blaine had loved her when they first met, but now he was a complete stranger, unrecognizable. Yet, in her eyes, he was still the better option.
Lost in her thoughts, Delaney surrendered to the embrace of sleep, drifting into a deep slumber that offered a momentary escape from her painful reality.
***
"Delaney..." Adonis repeated her name in his head, his eyes closed as the cold water from his luxurious bathtub caressed his skin. He lay still, lost in his own thoughts.
He had left the office immediately after Delaney departed. He couldn't focus on anything else; he simply needed to be alone with his thoughts.
His mind was consumed with thoughts of her beautiful face and her temptingly seductive body, causing a slight throb in his member. Even after three years, she still had the power to stir such desire within him, unaware of her effect on him.
Adonis was aware of how drunk she had been that night, yet he had hoped she wouldn't forget him. But he had been mistaken. On another train of thought, could she be pretending not to know him? But why would she do that? He had countless questions, and he yearned for answers.
He sank deeper into the water, savoring the coolness that enveloped his body, allowing his mind to wander back to the night they first crossed paths.
Every single day for the past three years, he relived that night in his memories. They were moments he could never let go of.
*
'Just a little feel won't kill,' he had mumbled to himself on that fateful night as his thoughts were consumed by an overwhelming desire, one he couldn't seem to control. The sight of the young woman's alluring beauty was too potent to resist. His rational mind attempted to suppress the urge, but his primal instincts took hold, urging him to indulge in a small touch.
He walked over to the edge of the bed, and leaned towards her, his fingers gently tracing the soft skin of her exposed thighs. Her skin was soft and smooth, like satin beneath his fingertips, causing him to let out a low exhale.
The lady's eyes jerked open, her heart racing in her chest, as she turned around to meet Adonis' lustful gaze peering at her with a hungry glow, her face etched with mixed emotions, and her head still buzzy, making it difficult to lift herself off the bed.
"What are you..." She tried to protest, still a little bit confused by his actions.
"Hey, don't be scared... I'm just trying to make you relax better, okay?" His monotone voice low and husky, holding the weight of his carnal desire. "A little distraction might help you relax better, don't you think?" His flirty intoned whisper to her ears made her whole body tremble, as his hot breath grazed the skin of her neck.
"But, I... No, do-" Her words were caught in her throat as she felt Adonis' hungry lips crash down on hers with a needy intensity.
For the first time in his life, he found himself overcome by an overwhelming surge of emotions he had never experienced before. It puzzled him that this alluring stranger had elicited such intense feelings within him, stirring a deep yearning he had never known.
'Why her?'
He remembered the tremors that rippled through her, causing her heart to quake as she felt his soft lips trying so hard to possess hers. She tried to resist him, her lips clamped shut in a futile effort to withstand his passionate assault, her feeble attempt to resist the invasion of his lips. But despite her tightly sealed lips, her attempts to fend him off proved futile against the relentless advance of his desires. His arm, strong yet gentle, cradled the back of her head gently but assertively, lifting her to meet his seated position. Meanwhile, his other hand remained clasped around her tantalizingly exposed thigh, anchoring her to him.
Adonis was a seasoned player in this game of desire. He recognized her resistance and futile attempts to deny the heat brewing between them. He was no stranger to such resistance. His experienced mind immediately crafted a strategy to coax her into surrender.
With a predatory swiftness, his hand journeyed upwards, traveling the expanse of her thigh, edging dangerously close to her core. Her gasp was his cue, a surrendering sound that gave him the permission he needed. The gasp that escaped her lips was music to his ears, a sweet surrender that signified his victory. Seizing the opportunity, he delved his tongue into her mouth, claiming every inch of it with savage desperation.
"Hey... Please don't fight it... Don't..." His voice was a husky whisper, laced with a raw need that sent shivers down her spine. "I'm not doing this deliberately, I swear, but you're just so damn irresistible," he confessed, his breath ghosting over her ear, his voice heavy with naked desire. "It's just a kiss, I promise, nothing more," he tried to reassure her, though his body screamed otherwise.
Her eyes, wide with fear, bore into his, her hands shaking slightly as she grappled with her spinning world. "Please, don't hurt me," she pleaded, her voice a whispery echo. Adonis found an intoxicating thrill in her fear. It was a dark pleasure that aroused him even further.
"You taste like fucking candy," he groaned, the words seeping with raw pleasure. He claimed her lips once more, his kiss marked by a fervor that burned with an insatiable hunger, an intensity that mirrored his uncontrolled desire. To his surprise, she reciprocated, her lips moving against his with a tentative curiosity. It felt strangely exhilarating that Adonis, the man feared by many, was trembling with lust and desire for a woman he barely knew.
Soon, he found himself on the expansive bed, his muscular frame dominating her beneath him. His body, a contrasting landscape of hard muscle against her softness, hovered over her, his heated gaze drinking in the sight of her naked form. The feel of her supple skin against his hardened body, her mesmerizing emerald eyes gazing drowsily at him with a mixture of fear and curiosity, and the blush that painted her flawless face painted a picture of vulnerability that fueled the intoxicating rush of sensations coursing through him, pushing him to the precipice of sweet madness.