101 Ways To Tame The Emperor

Chapter 9: The Kiss That Started It All

(Malik)

IT’S BEEN over ten minutes and Catherine hasn’t come out of the comfort room yet. I knew something was amiss when I saw her struggling to walk a while ago. I stood up and grabbed the paper bag and decided to follow the woman to the comfort room. I was not able to approach her earlier because I had to order my soldier to buy her a dress to the nearest shop.

What Catherine was wearing right now would cause temptation to all the opposite s*x she would come across with. The soldier went to the store along with one of Catherine’s newest fan, the female daughter of the noble who also witnessed what happened in the tavern. She happily volunteered to assist the soldier in buying the right dress.

I knocked at the ladies’ room three times before calling out to her. “Lady Catherine, are you inside? Are you all right? If there is something wrong, you can tell me about it. I can help you. I am Malik Montebello, Morven’s Army General. If you like, I can show you my badge and my ID as proofs of identification.”

I did not have to wait long. The door opened and just when I thought that Catherine’s surprises for today was over, she proved me wrong once again. My whole body went rigid when she came to me wearing only her underwear! There were droplets of water dripping from her face down to her… breasts.

“Holy mackerel! What the hell happened to you?” I immediately look around and was relieved that no one else was around to see her like this or else I would have thrown a huge fit already. “Why are you-“

“Help me. I feel so hot. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

I forgot what I had to say when she grabbed my collar and pushed me inside the ladies’ room. I immediately locked the door before someone else comes in. Before I could even utter a word again, she put her arms around my neck and wildly kissed me on the lips. The second I felt her soft body and her warm lips over me, I lost it.

I have seen plenty of naked bodies in the past. I have met most of the prettiest faces in and out of Morven. I have kissed and had s*x with plenty of them that I’d lost count. But no matter who they are or where they come from, they are just a one-time thing in my life. I don’t let the same woman climb up on my bed twice.

I was also never attracted to any of them. I never gave a damn about what they look like since I won’t be seeing them for the second time anyway. It was always just s*x, nothing more, nothing less. I only needed them for release before and after I would go to the battlefield. I believe they needed me for the same thing, too. And of course, for the money I give them after the deed is done.

Today is the first time I have ever found a woman’s face and body beautiful. Aside from my mother and for the head maid who raised me, today was the first time I have ever admired a woman. Today was also my first time actually taking an interest over the opposite s*x.

The desire to claim Catherine all for myself was too intense that it overwhelms me. And now seeing and feeling her like this tripled that desire. She looked delectable from head to toe. Now that I got to hold her and had a taste of her lips, I knew right away that I would crave for more.

And she had the softest and the most delicious lips I have ever tasted. When I kissed her back, a soft moan escaped from her lips. Even the sound of it was so sexy and so sinful in my ears. It turned me on all the more. Before I knew it, I pushed my tongue inside her mouth and tasted more of her. Our tongues met and collided as her naughty hands found my belt.

But Catherine pulled away before I could enjoy the kiss any further. What a tease. Her hands were now busy unbuckling my belt. It gave me a chance to appreciate her body. I was dying to kiss her more, to taste every inch of her but this is wrong. This is not the same person who fearlessly fought the men with the loose screws a while ago. I leaned closer and grazed my teeth lightly over her earlobe. I was amused when it made her shiver.

I stopped her hands before she could reach for my zipper. Hell, this was testing my self-control. I want her, all of her. I wanted her so badly that it was making me rock hard right now. Any sane man would not let go of this chance but I don’t want to have her like this.

“We’re going down a dangerous route here, darling,” I said in a throaty voice after a while. “We have to stop now otherwise, I won’t be able to stop myself with just a kiss.” I cupped her face. “Hey, look at me. Tell me exactly what you’re feeling right now. I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.”

Instead of answering, she planted wet kisses on my neck and began rocking her hips between my legs. She was wet down there, damn it! I gritted my teeth and lifted her. I put her on top of the marbled counter to put a distance between us. Before I could take away my hands, she put them on her breasts. They were so perfect and so soft. It was the sweetest torture. But that instant, it became clear to me.

This happened when she started eating. It was possible that she had been drugged. It must be her drinks. Her face was red. I heard that Lancelot’s friends use the same trick to the other taverns before whenever they wanted a woman they could not have. They would force themselves in the woman instead by administering drugs.

My jaw clenched. What would have happened if I didn’t find her first? “Whoever did this to you, I will make sure that they will suffer.”

If Catherine found out that I gave in while she was being like this, with the kind of character she showed earlier, I’m sure she would never forgive me. She would probably attempt to beat the hell out of me and would refuse to see me afterwards. And I can’t allow that to happen.

As much as I am tempted to touch her the way she wanted me to, I stopped myself. I kissed her forehead instead. I have pride. I don’t take women this way. “Later, Catherine. We will do this again later. We will do so much more, I promise.” I grinned when I saw the look on her face. It was like she had been betrayed. “Don’t worry; you can have me all for yourself when you’re feeling better.”

This time, I put pressure in her hands to stop her from reaching out to me again. Those wicked hands are making me lose my resolve. “Wait for me here. I will go get a bucket of cold water. It will help cool you down. When I leave, lock the door and-“

“I am not like this.” Her voice broke.

She was so fierce an hour ago like there was nothing in the world that could shake her but now she look like she was about to cry. Up close, her eyelashes were so long. And her eyes were like magnets, they keep drawing me in.

“But I… I feel so hot inside and it’s killing me.”

Should I just go out and kill the man who did this to her? I breathed sharply to ease the raging anger in my chest. It has been such a long time since I last felt something like this. “Hush. I believe you, sweetheart. I know you are not this kind of woman. I will help you. I promise I will come back for you. I will be quick. Just give me five, no, three minutes.”

But just before I could even reach the door, she jumped onto me, stole the dagger on my waist pocket, and stabbed her hand with it. “Catherine!”

She was about to stab herself again when I managed to get the dagger from her. I threw it on the floor and tightly embraced her. I was used to seeing blood my whole life but seeing hers was different. My heart was beating so fast. I could even feel my body breaking in cold sweat. For the first time after so many years, I actually felt scared. I felt scared again. Not for me. But for someone else. For her.

I wanted to yell the hell out of her so she could snap out of it. But my words were unbelievably gentle when I spoke. It was something I never knew I was capable of. “What the hell did you do? Are you out of your mind? How dare you hurt yourself? Don’t you ever do that again!”

Catherine was quiet. She just leaned on my chest as her hand continued to bleed. I sat on the cold floor while still carrying her. I ripped the lower part of my shirt and used the piece of clothing to tie her hand. I could tell that she hurt herself to stop herself from making a move on me. She wanted her brain to focus on the physical pain instead. She was one heck of a strong woman until the end.

But I could not commend her this time. That was really dangerous. If she hit the wrong vein, she could have died right away.

“If you wanted to stab someone, stab the person who drugged you and not yourself. When you’re feeling better, we will stab him together.”

I know I was mumbling but I had to keep talking to release this ugly feeling of wanting to rush out the door and crush someone with my bare hands. I don’t know how long I sat there with her on my arms. I could not move. I could not leave. I was worried that she might attempt to do something crazy again if I leave her alone even for a minute.

Most of all, I was afraid that she would run straight to the first man she would see and throw herself to him. I might break all the bones of the bastard who will dare touch her. Even if she was behaving now, it does not guarantee anything. I can’t simply risk it.

“How are you feeling now, Catherine?”

Catherine. I realized I like calling her name. Again, she did not answer. When I looked at her, she was now sleeping like a baby. It seemed like she fainted out of exhaustion. Her wound was pretty deep, too. I planted a soft kiss on her eyelids. Even doing this surprised me, too. I was never like this to anyone before. But this Catherine seems to be bringing out so many things in me that I did not know I actually had in me.

“You had a long day. Sleep well for now, Catherine. We have a lot to talk about when you wake up.”