Chapter 4
1647 Words
Tiana's pointy heels made as minimal noise as possible as she walked briskly but quietly along the corridor, her heart beating loudly against her ribcage.
She didn't want Ashton to see her. He was a very dangerous man. She might not live to tell Natalie all about her findings.
She saw a door in front of her, and without thinking twice, she pushed it open and hurried inside just before Ashton made it out of his office. Thankfully, he was half naked, so he was obviously trying to pull up his pants before stepping out to see who the intruder was. It gave her enough time to find a hiding place.
Tiana gently closed the door to the office she had entered as she let out a loud sigh of relief, her palm trying to calm her racing heart.
"Can I help you?" A man's deep, baritone voice startled her as she let out a loud gasp.
"Oh, my God!" She quickly turned around to see a young, suited man in his mid-thirties sitting behind a huge table, his forest green eyes quizically looking at her, waiting for answers from her.
"I... Uhm..." She cleared her throat as she looked for the right words to say, "I think I am in the wrong office," she finally said, regaining her composure.
"You think?" He asked with a smirk, "You just barged into my office unannounced. Were you being chased by someone?" He regarded her.
"N... Not at all. I was just in a hurry to meet someone. I guess this is the wrong office. I'll just take my leave," She turned around to leave.
The young man seemed friendly compared to the stoic look on his face. He stood up and walked towards her with admiration in his eyes.
"Bryan," he stretched out his hand for a handshake.
"Chloe," Tiana lied, flashing him a smile.
"Dare I ask to buy you lunch today?" His baritone voice, which sounded a bit intimidating earlier, sounded more friendly this time around.
"I don't know about that..." She smiled again and made to leave.
"I'd be damned to see such a beauty and let her go easily. Can I at least have your card? I can be very persuasive, Chloe," He winked at her.
Tiana knew that she had to do what he had said in order to be able to leave his office; otherwise, he might not stop. Giving him her card doesn't guarantee anything at all, she smirked inwardly.
"Sure. Here is it." She pulled her card from her handbag and handed it to him.
"I'll call you," Bryan said as she gave her another handshake.
"Good luck with that," she winked at him and walked out of his office, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
***
"It might be nothing," Katherina said as she looked at Ashton's expression.
"I could swear I saw someone, Kath," He replied, running his fingers through his short, disheveled hair, "I thought you locked the door when you came in?" He turned to face her.
"I thought I did. I am sorry." She said with an eye roll.
"Just leave," His icy tone ordered, earning him a frown from her.
He was an upright man in the eyes of many. He hated it when any scandal was attached to his name or image. What if someone had seen him f*****g a woman in his office? Knowing that he was a married man.
"Are you being serious? You only seem sane whenever you are between my legs! You obviously don't care about me!" Her voice held a hint of anger and sadness as she spoke, putting on her dress.
"Leave, Katherina," His tone was controlled but with an angry edge, "You have work to do."
Katherina shot him one last glare before angrily leaving his office.
Ashton picked up his phone and saw several missed calls from his wife. He felt a pang of guilt hit him. He'd been f*****g another woman while his wife called him severally. Perhaps she needed his assistance or something.
He also felt bad about how he abandoned her that morning in tears. As usual, he'd make it up to her that evening.
***
Natalie felt stupid for even attempting to call her husband. She should have known better than to try calling him after such an argument that morning.
Her heart ached. She had forgotten what it felt like to be loved. She yearned to be loved, cherished, touched, and adorned like the woman she was. But all she got was expensive gifts every single time to make up for her husband's unavailability.
She held back the tears that threatened to spill as she ascended the stairs. The entire mansion was quiet. They had no live-in maids. All the maids left every morning after their chores. And Roan must have obviously gone to work, too.
She scanned the entire corridor, but she couldn't find the papers she had come back for. She was sure she had brought them out of her room that morning. But it wasn't a bad idea to be double sure, so she went straight to her room, hoping to see them there somewhere.
After several minutes of searching the entire room, there was still no luck. She hastily walked out of the room, her fingers dialing a number as she placed the phone to her ear, but the receiver wasn't picking up calls.
She stopped in front of the scene where she had bumped into Roan, carefully scanning around the entire area again, but there was still no luck.
Then a thought hit her... She recalled Roan bending down to help her gather the documents when they fell that morning. 'Gosh!'
Maybe Roan had picked them up, and she had forgotten to collect them from him. But where could he have kept them?
She looked ahead and saw his room just a few feet away. She walked over to his door and stood still for a while, her heart beating really fast.
She knew he wasn't at home, but she just had to be very sure. So, she knocked gently on the door, but there was no response. She knocked again, just to be very sure, but there was still no response.
Heaving a sigh of relief, she twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, revealing the empty room, which was neatly arranged. She slowly walked in, closed the door behind her, and made her way to the table beside the large bed.
"There you are," she whispered with a sigh of relief as she picked up the papers from the table, checking them to ensure they were complete.
"You came for something?" A throaty voice dripping with all things forbidden sounded behind her, making her drop the papers in fright as she turned around to see who it was.
Natalie felt her limbs weaken when her gaze fell on the man before her. She felt her heart pumping more blood than it should as her eyes widened in terror, making her hands tremble.
His chiseled chest, broad and intimidating, glistened with drops of water that fell from his sleek, almost skin-cut hair. His strong arm, covered with a tattoo, held onto the white towel, which was tied loosely around his waist, exposing a mouth-watering part of his V, leaving a lot to the imagination.
"Roan... I thought..." She felt her cheek burning up under his hungry stare as his perfectly pink lips curled into a devilish smile. He seemed to enjoy the way he made her feel.
"I could let you stare some more, you know?" He smirked, taking slow, predatory strides toward her, and she instinctively stepped back until her legs hit the table behind her, making her stop.
"I came for these. I'll be on my way now," she said, trying to scurry away, but he held her by her arm, gently pulling her back to face him.
"Why are you in a hurry, Nat?" He leaned down and whispered into her ear, making her shudder as she felt his hot breath fanning her ear.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Roan, I have to go," she held back her breath as she tried to free herself from his firm grip.
"Why, Nat..." His tone was dangerously low as he tilted her chin to meet his gaze.
Natalie saw the burning desire in his eyes and it made her scared. She struggled against his firm grip, but it was all futile, "Let me go, Roan!" She said through gritted teeth.
"I can't let you go, Natalie! Can't you see what you are doing to me?" He asked, his eyes briefly glanced at the huge bulge protruding from underneath the towel wrapped around his waist.
Natalie's gaze instinctively followed his gaze, and she felt a dizzying sensation that left her hungry to see exactly how that bulge looked with the towel off. But she shook it all off.
"If you don't stop, I'll tell my husband about this!" She was ready to put up a fight, her fierce gaze shooting daggers at him.
"I'd make sure to tell him how sweet his lovely wife is in bed," he smirked, satisfied with the look of terror on her face.
"Why are you doing this, Roan?" Her voice broke as her eyes became teary, "I thought we agreed on letting it all go away with the night? We were both drunk. It was nothing but a mistake," her tone sounded pleading as she searched his eyes for any form of understanding.
"It was never nothing, Nat. I can't let it all go away. It was never a one-night stand. A beast was let out of its cage last night, and I am unable to tame it... You alone can tame that beast, Natalie," he closed the small space between them, making Natalie panic.
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