Sinful Affairs

She was still at work when she received a call from her landlord. Raising an eyebrow, she picked up the call. “Hello?” “Hi. Is this Ariella on Unit 2?” “Yes, I am. What’s the matter?” “I don’t know. You might want to come home this instant. Your unit has plumbing issues. A pipe burst. There’s water everywhere and the plumbers are on their way. Everything’s wet. I’ve turned off the main and the electricity just to be safe. I don’t want to move anything. You might want to hurry.” “Oh, no. How bad was it?” “Real bad. I didn’t know you have carpets. They’re all soaked.” “Shit.” Ariella couldn’t help cursing. She loved those carpets. She liked the feel of them on her bare feet. “I’ll be there soon.” She hung up quickly and went to find her boss. The woman wasn’t impressed. “I really had to go. All my belongings are probably ruined. I’ll catch up on my work tomorrow, I promise.” She hailed a taxi and was worried all the way to her apartment. It was worse than she expected. “What’s that smell? Wasn’t it tap water? Why does it smell like street sewer?” “I’m not sure. My worst guess is it’s bathroom water. It must have been clogged or something.” “It smells like s**t in here.” She was horrified. “Yes, I can smell it, too.” “Damn. What am I going to do? Everything’s ruined!” She began to panic as she looked around her unit. The bed looked awful and there were gray matters on the floor. She felt like retching. Overall, it was a terrible day. She only managed to grab the essentials. Thankfully, her clothes in the cabinet were relatively safe, along with a couple of footwear. Majority were near the door and all soaked. “This is a nightmare. I don’t want to live here anymore. This situation will always haunt me. I want to terminate my lease.” She immediately demanded from the landlord. “I figured you would say that.” “I’m not paying for damages. That’s not my fault.” She immediately stated, daring the man to contradict her. “Right. I’ll give you your deposit back.” Thankfully, he was easy to deal with. She actually liked staying there because there’s not much stress with the management. But damn, where would she find a place to stay in such short notice? With a bag and a luggage in hand, she went to find a place with good food. She’s starving. Letting go of most of her possessions was such a stressful moment. That’s a lot of money! Her carpets alone were expensive as f**k. The bed, the shoes . . . She sighed in defeat as she sat in a booth. s**t. Does she smell? She hoped not. She tried sniffing herself but she couldn’t be sure. It was as if the odor was already stuck on her nostrils and it certainly made its impression on her brain. s**t. She quickly ordered and ate in record time. She sat outside on a bench as she tried looking for a place on various website listings. After an hour, she gave up. She couldn’t find anything nice. There’s always an issue or two that she couldn’t compromise on. As she browsed through her feed, she saw a post made by her best friend. Huh. She looked at the location tag and raised an eyebrow. She’s out of the country? Since when? Damn. Vanessa has a nice apartment, but it’s a good thirty minutes away from her workplace. Her lip twitched. If it’s only temporary, she could probably live there. She would need to wake up earlier, though, to avoid arriving late for work. She tried sending her friend a message, not expecting a swift response but she did reply within a minute. She was quite direct with her inquiry and her friend was the same. “Sure. The code’s my dad’s birthday. You remember, right?” Ariella was relieved. “Yeah. I do. Thank you! You’re such a lifesaver!” “Tell me about your apartment. What happened to it?” Vanessa was curious. Her earlier text insinuated something horrible. And so, they ended up chatting while she’s on her way to her friend’s place. “I really need a shower. I feel like the smell clung to me. Can I chat you later?” “Of course. Go ahead. I’ll take a nap. I haven’t adjusted to the time difference yet. It’s such a headache. Feel at home, Rye.” “Thank you, love. Hope you feel better soon. Enjoy your trip.” She went straight to the bathroom and took a warm shower. Ugh. That feels great. She’s feeling better now, but she’s tired as f**k. She went straight to bed and slept. The next day, she was late for work. Damn. Their boss was very particular about punctuality. She wouldn’t listen to their “excuses”. She’s not wrong, but still . . . she hoped she would be a little considerate of the situation. She tried focusing on her job and finishing her tasks for the week. The snide remarks didn’t help. If anything, she was considering if she should just resign. She worked hard and endured a slight headache for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow’s the weekend and she would surely sleep in. As soon as she returned to Vanessa’s place, she changed into comfy clothes and crashed on the bed. She needed sleep more than food. A couple of hours later, she was awakened by a constant ringing of the doorbell. Ugh. She got up groggily and went to the door. She stupidly opened it without looking, but as soon as she did, she realized her mistake. Thankfully, it was someone she’s familiar with. Vanessa’s dad, Grant. The guy raised an eyebrow. “Ah, it’s you. I haven’t seen you in a while, Rye.” He suddenly smiled and she was floored by how gorgeous he looked despite his age. He’s not that old, anyway. If she remembers correctly, he was still a teenager when his ex-wife birthed Van. “Grant. Hello. Come in, come in. I’m staying here temporarily.” She quickly ushered him in. “I was just dropping by. I knew Van’s out of town and a neighbor told me the lights were on.” He stood there by the door, unsure if he should stay or just go. His daughter’s not here, only her friend. Ariella noticed his awkward movements and blushed. She remembered how this man was essentially her point of reference for her ideal man. She liked someone handsome and mature-looking, with a well-built body, not too skinny, not too bulky, broad shoulders and hard muscles. She had a crush on him for a long time. She even told Vanessa and her friend used to tease her about it. “Do you want something to drink? I’m not sure what’s on the fridge.” She walked towards the kitchen and bent down to see what’s inside the fridge. Grant’s gaze followed her and focused on her shapely body. Her butt was emphasized when she bent over. He swallowed hard and tried to ignore the rising desire within him. He hasn’t seen Ariella in years. The last time he properly interacted with her was during their college graduation. She has already grown to be a beautiful young woman back then and he was definitely attracted. When she gave him a hug that time, his body had a reaction. He tried to ignore it, feeling guilty. His daughter would be disgusted if she knew he was lusting after her best friend. Rye used to be shy and timid, only able to be herself around his daughter. He’d seen her a few times afterwards, but those were short greetings. “I just got here yesterday. Van’s out of the country. A terrible thing happened in my apartment yesterday, it was awful, so I asked her if I could stay here for a while.” She tried to act natural, but she sounded like a spoiled brat. She inwardly grimaced. “What happened?” He got curious of her situation and walked towards the dining area, seating himself. “You drink, right? I only found beer in the fridge.” She brought them over and sat opposite him. “Beer is fine.” He grabbed one and opened the can. She wondered if it’s fine to tell him. He must have seen and heard a lot of things already. Still, it was so fresh in her mind that she launched into the story quite quickly. Grant was a good listener, reacting with his expressions and asking about the little details. Her crush on him was making a comeback. She remembered all the things she liked about him. He was such a caring person and very considerate. He could be a voice of authority when he wanted to. A responsible and dependable man. He’s usually dressed decently, but she caught him shirtless a few times in the past. He’s sexy and hot, complete with toned muscles. She hated fantasizing about him, especially when she tried dating guys in college. They were nowhere near his standards and they couldn’t turn her on. s**t. Just imagining him shirtless was enough to make her damp. Not good when the man was only a meter away from her. “I see. So, you’re hunting for a new apartment?” “Yes, preferably closer to the company I work in. Or maybe not. I’m not sure. I was late this morning and my boss was so mad about it. She gave me a headache. I actually thought I might as well resign.” “You’re not feeling well? Maybe I should leave and let you rest.” See? Considerate. Rye smiled at him. “Oh, no. I’m fine already. I’ve slept, though I haven’t eaten yet. I was planning to order takeout. Have you had dinner?” She hopped from her seat, having a good excuse to be away from him. Quickly, she searched for her phone. She found it on the bedside and opened the food delivery app. “You want me to join you? Van rarely has time to have a meal with me. That girl is too focused on her career at the moment.” “Don’t we all?” Rye muttered as she picked a number of dishes. She read them to him. “What would you like to have?” It’s only upon looking at him did she realize she sat with her feet up on the chair. She’s really acting like she’s at her own place. “Those are fine. I’m not picky.” He wasn’t sure if he should be glad of the opportunity or alarmed by the thoughts he’s having as he looked at her fair and long legs. Her shorts were really too short. Rye finished ordering. When she noticed where his gaze was, her core clenched. s**t. Her panties must be soaked already. Her breathing began to deepen and she tried not to show how much his presence was affecting her. She grabbed the beer can and swallowed its contents. She might be wrong on that one. Grant did the same and finished the beer, looking elsewhere and searching his mind for something to say.