"Hello!" Jaden glanced at Jenny and quickly moved aside to answer the call. If it weren't for the awkward woman in the room, he might have lashed out at Sherry.
"See, it's your fault. You kept calling, and my phone died," Sherry explained first.
"Yeah! Where are you now?" Jaden was anxious but didn't dare to ask too directly. With Jenny in the room, he feared she'd pick up on something.
"Still out. Why? Are you mad?" Sherry asked, hearing the coldness in his voice.
"No, just worried. How are things now?" Jaden took a deep breath, his mind filled with questions he didn't dare to ask.
"What else? Heading to the hotel to rest. What about you? Are you home?" Sherry replied casually.
"Yeah, are you alone?" Jaden asked nervously, glancing at Jenny. His main concern was whether Sherry was with someone else, especially a man.
"Oh, you still don't trust me? Your voice is so cold. You must be mad. I was with colleagues, of course, there were many people. This trip isn't just me," Sherry explained.
"Really? I just found it strange. Who are you with?" Jaden felt frustrated, wanting to ask directly but only able to hint.
"Colleagues, don't worry. It's a woman. The man's voice you heard was a passerby. He happened to be talking when you called," Sherry gave a reasonable explanation.
"Really? Maybe I overthought. Just worried. Can I talk to her?" Jaden hesitated but made the request. Though he didn't hear clearly, the man's voice unsettled him. Plus, he couldn't let Jenny know what he was doing.
"You're really suspicious. Fine, I'll give the phone to my colleague. Emily, my boyfriend wants to check on me!" Sherry handed the phone over.
Soon, a stranger's voice came through, "Hello, you're Sherry's boyfriend?"
"Yes, hello!" Jaden replied, feeling something was off but couldn't pinpoint it.
"Don't worry. I'm with Sherry on this trip. I'll take care of her!" Emily said cheerfully.
"Thanks. When you return, I'll treat you to dinner," Jaden replied politely.
"Sure, here's Sherry again." The phone returned to Sherry.
"See? Believe me now?"
"Yeah, sorry. I wasn't doubting you, just worried!" Jaden quickly reassured her, hearing her annoyance.
"Hmph, I don't want to talk to you now. We'll settle this when I get back. There's a lot to do on this trip, and we might move to another place in a couple of days!" Sherry said playfully.
"Okay, take care and rest well. It's late, head back soon!" Jaden prepared to hang up.
"Alright, bye!" Sherry hung up before he could respond.
Jaden looked at his phone, then pocketed it, apologizing to Jenny with a smile, "Sorry, had to arrange some overtime. Glad it's sorted."
Jaden's careful wording made explaining easier.
"Haha, you must be a strict boss, making employees work late. I'd quit," Jenny joked, not sensing anything unusual.
"No choice. It's my company, so I have to be dedicated. I pay them well, with overtime and bonuses. Naturally, I expect high standards," Jaden explained.
Though Sherry's explanation eased his mind, he still had doubts. The figure he saw at the resort lingered in his thoughts.
"Alright, you have a point. Don't you want someone to share the load or relax with when tired?" Jenny asked, crossing her long legs, her skirt revealing a glimpse of her thighs. She rested her chin on her hand, looking at him with sparkling eyes.
"Uh... just joking. Haven't met the right person yet. Where were we?" Jaden quickly changed the subject.
"Where were we? Let me think. Oh, you scared me earlier. We were talking about compensation. How will you make it up to me?" Jenny asked, her eyes hinting at something.
"Didn't I peel an apple for you? Oh, you want it cut into pieces and fed to you?" Jaden asked dumbly.
"Idiot, that's not comforting. I don't care about that..." Jenny pouted.
"What do you want? I didn't mean to scare you. You bumped into me," Jaden shrugged.
"You're really clueless. Are you a robot, or do you really not know? Or do you have no interest in me?" Jenny stood up, looking closely at him with her beautiful eyes.
"Uh... maybe I'm just reserved," Jaden said awkwardly, understanding her hint but not interested.
"Reserved? Are you saying I'm a slut?" Jenny frowned.
"No, no, I didn't mean that. I just... sometimes don't know how to interact with beautiful women," Jaden quickly explained, not wanting to anger her.
"Don't know how to interact with women? That's a good excuse. What about your employees? No beauties? Don't you need pretty women for foreign trade? How do you interact with them?" Jenny asked curiously.
"It's different. That's work. I'm the boss, so I handle it professionally. Besides, they're not as pretty as you. I don't have such thoughts," Jaden made an excuse, subtly complimenting her.
"Really? You're a rare creature. Let me teach you..." Jenny said, pulling him to the sofa. She stretched, showing off her curves, then lay down.
With half-closed eyes, she beckoned him with a finger, biting her lip, looking inviting.