9:00 PM
Alexis returned to her apartment, carrying two large paper bags along with her purse. However, her steps slowed the moment she saw Greyson sitting on the sofa. His piercing blue eyes, filled with seriousness, instantly stirred a mix of curiosity and fear within her.
"I thought he wouldn't come here. And why is he looking at me like that? Is he mad because I left and came back so late?"
"Did you go shopping?" Greyson rose from the sofa, approaching Alexis, who stood frozen in place. "What did you buy? I thought you'd be at the hospital taking care of your father… But instead, you chose to—"
"Is it wrong for me to go shopping?" she cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "I have my own life too. I can't just spend all my time taking care of my father. And just so you know, shopping doesn't mean I was having fun—besides, I didn't use your money!" she stated firmly before quickly walking toward her room.
"Miss Reed!"
Greyson immediately followed Alexis into her room. He watched as she placed the two large paper bags on the table near the sofa before hurrying into the bathroom. Letting out a deep sigh, he allowed her to go while his attention shifted to the bags.
He walked over and checked their contents—a sketchbook and a box of colored pencils, complete with an eraser. The other bag contained a jewelry magazine.
"What's this? Is she trying to fill her emptiness by drawing? But why does she have a jewelry magazine?" He frowned, flipping through the pages. "Is she planning to take advantage of our relationship and ask me for money to buy jewelry?"
He glanced at the bathroom door, where the sound of running water filled the room. His mind instantly conjured an image of Alexis showering, water cascading over her naked, sexy body.
"Is she a gold digger?"
Clenching his jaw, he strode toward the bathroom, unbuttoning his white shirt and tossing it onto the floor before pushing the door open.
Alexis gasped and immediately turned around.
"What the—" She glared at Greyson, who had started undoing his pants. "What are you doing here? Mr Whitmore.."
Greyson said nothing, dropping his pants before suddenly pressing himself against her and claiming her lips.
"Mmhh…" She gasped, trying to pull away, but he seized her wrists, pinning them above her head against the wall.
"This is what you want," he whispered before hungrily kissing her lips again, his right hand trailing down to explore her wet, slick core.
Her eyes fluttered shut. Alexis couldn't deny that Greyson's touch was pulling her into overwhelming pleasure. She could do nothing but surrender, allowing him to dominate her.
Back in the bedroom, Greyson watched as Alexis dried her hair with a hairdryer. Wearing only a white towel around his waist, he approached her and took the hairdryer from her hands.
"Let me do it," he said.
Alexis remained silent, letting him dry her hair. She gazed at their reflection in the mirror, unable to suppress a small smile as memories of what had happened in the bathroom resurfaced in her mind.
"Do you need money?" he suddenly broke the silence.
She frowned. "Why would you ask that? Do I look like I'm always in need of money to you?"
"I was just asking."
She let out a sigh. "I don't need it. You've helped me a lot already—covering my father's medical expenses and letting me stay here. That's more than enough. I don't need anything else," she said, pouting.
"I thought you wanted jewelry."
"What?"
She immediately turned to Greyson, looking up at him slightly. "How could you think that? Buying jewelry… That was never my plan. Not even once!" she clarified before looking back at the mirror.
Greyson remained silent, continuing to dry her hair, but his eyes lingered on her reflection, noticing the sadness on her face.
"Don't pout like that, or I'll…"
"Or you'll what?" Alexis interrupted.
Instead of answering, Greyson smirked.
"You're weird!"
"Don't you get it? You're so cute when you're mad, when you pout… And I know exactly how to win you over—just like what we did in the bathroom," Greyson teased with a smirk, leaning down to whisper near her ear. "Women always love to be recharged."
Alexis blushed, averting her gaze from the mirror, while Greyson continued drying her hair until it was done. Afterward, she changed into maroon pajamas and took out the items she had bought from the paper bag while he lounged on the sofa.
"I plan to apply for a job at a jewelry company, but I need to create a sample first," she said.
"A sample?" Greyson raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Alexis lifted her eyebrows slightly, picking up the magazine and sketchbook. "I'm going to design jewelry, and this magazine will help… I mean, I need to make sure my designs don't already exist in here," she explained.
Greyson sat in silence, watching as Alexis settled beside him, flipping through the magazine.
"So, she's not trying to buy jewelry… She wants to be a jewelry designer," he thought with a small smile. "Of course, she's not a gold digger… She's a good girl."
"Hey…" Alexis turned to him, noticing the strange way he was staring at her. "Is there something wrong with me?"
Instead of answering, Greyson suddenly kissed her lips briefly.
"Eh…" She blinked in surprise, while he effortlessly pulled her onto his lap.
"What's wrong with you? I mean…"
"Nothing's wrong. I'm just mesmerized by you," Greyson murmured, his gaze warm as he gently caressed her cheek. "You know what? I don't want to be anywhere else but here, spending time with you."
She blushed, biting her lower lip.
"Can I?"
"I don't think that would be appropriate," Alexis whispered, tracing her fingers over his bare chest—he was still only wearing a towel around his waist. "You have a wife… I mean, even though you plan to divorce her, you still need to maintain your image as a good husband. And a good husband doesn't spend the night at another woman's place."
"Not spending the night, but sleeping together." He smirked teasingly.
She immediately pinched his nipple. "That's not what I meant! Don't twist my words!"
He chuckled.
"Listen… I—I want you to focus on ending things with her first. Besides, I can't always be here to entertain you, to be affectionate all the time…" She glanced at the sketchbook on the table. "I need to focus on creating good designs so I can get accepted as a jewelry designer. I really need this job…"
"That means you do need money."
"No… Um…" Alexis climbed off his lap and sat beside him, picking up the magazine. "Like I said, I don't desperately need money because you've already provided for me. But I also need to earn money on my own—through my hard work. Besides, this is so my father won't get suspicious about where I'm getting the money for his treatment."
"I have to have a job… I already told him that I could cover his medical expenses because I got a job at a jewelry company. And that idea just slipped out spontaneously…" She shrugged. "Maybe… Maybe it's because drawing is my skill. I need to start learning now—focusing on jewelry design."
"I understand." Greyson took her right hand and held it gently. "I know you can do it."
Alexis smiled before hugging him. "I don't know what would've happened to me and my father without your help, Mr. Whitmore."
Greyson simply smiled until she pulled away.
"Call me Grey," he said.
"Grey?" Alexis frowned.
"Yes. And I'll call you Alexis."
"Um… Okay, Grey… Mr. Grey. But I hope this Mr. Grey doesn't have a red room," she teased, blushing.
"Oh… You're reminding me of Fifty Shades of Grey," Greyson smirked, gazing at her. "Maybe I should do what he did to Anastasia Steele. You are my Anastasia."
Alexis immediately frowned, stepping back. "You're scaring me!"
Greyson remained silent, biting his lower lip, his eyes locked onto her as his thoughts started running wild, imagining taking her in a different, more sensual way.