The Lotus And The Billionaire

Chapter 15: Bed Dilemma

The highway was rowdy, even late at night. It’s as if the busy streets of the city could never find peace, no matter the time of the day. Still, it’s as pretty as always…with all the lights coming from buildings and shops.

How I love just driving around the city this late at night…alone. Except I can no longer do that in this married life. I find it boring, of course, but I can’t ask Alvarez to drive me around. Besides, there’s no point if I don’t do it alone.

Oh, to be able to feel that freedom again…

“I heard my employees saying you were with a man earlier,” he finally spoke after getting dinner.

That took longer than I had expected!

“And what did you hear? That I’m already committing adultery so early in this marriage?”

“No, of course not. What i***t would dare speak ill of you within my premises?”

I sighed and shot him a glance. “Then, what did you hear?”

“They were simply wondering who you were with,” he replied, refusing to look at me.

“They were? Are you sure you’re not the one who’s curious about who I was with?” I asked, smirking.

Sometimes, it can be quite easy to read Alvarez, especially when it’s about what he thinks he owns. This is the only time he can be quite predictable, so I try to make the most out of it.

“Why would I be curious?” he asked, his face becoming more pensive every second.

“Then, there’s no point in talking about it.”

Silence followed afterwards, quite a deafening one at that. I figured I should turn the stereo on as the atmosphere had gotten awkward after what I said.

Ah, what a proud man. Of course, he’s not going to ask lest I could use it against him! That’s very typical of him, but it doesn’t matter as I’m not going to speak unless he actually asks. He can die not knowing the answer for all I care.

Even after we arrived at his penthouse, he remained quiet. Oh, did I offend him or…hurt his ego in some way? If that’s the case…serves him right.

“f**k, my feet hurt…” I muttered as I placed my heels on the shoe rack.

“Were you with your bodyguard?” he finally asked after closing the door.

Oh, was he contemplating that earlier…?

“Yeah, why?”

“What did he do there?”

“Nothing much,” I replied without taking my eyes off him.

Is he suspicious of us or is he just afraid he’d get his possession stolen from him? Hmm, it’s quite difficult to figure out from here. It could be both, though.

Sometimes, I get the impression that both Alvarez and I are trying to take possession of the other. It’s like a battle of dominance over the other where one of us gets the better of the other one moment, and then is pinned down on the ground the next.

It’s fun, to be honest. And this moment…is one of those.

I am trying to pull Alvarez towards me, and he holds his ground. Even then, he’s trying to approach me so he could take me down. The tension between us is proof of our little fights.

“Diaz, you two didn’t do anything back there, right?” he asked as he swiftly removed his tie.

I flashed a sheepish smile just to push his buttons. “What if we did?”

“Don’t f**k with me right now. Tell me what happened.”

Alvarez is one territorial man, and that’s something I can confirm after being with him for a few days. But I fully understand what’s causing him to become like this. It’s fine, I’ve known the reason for the past few years already.

A sigh escaped from my lips as I took the bag of food from him so I could take it to the kitchen. I can’t argue with him on an empty stomach. I’ll piss him off more later, once I’m no longer starving.

“Let’s eat in peace first, hmm?”

“f**k off,” he told me as he followed me to the kitchen. “What did you two do?”

“Shut up. I want to eat first.”

“You’re just going to tell me what you two did. Why are you stalling? Is there something I need to–”

I crashed my lips against him, shutting him up. He was surprised by what I did, but I don’t think that’ll be enough for him to actually close his mouth. Well, at least I can speak up a little. I don’t think I can push his buttons further.

“Nothing happened. I was just teasing you,” I told him as I tapped his cheek. “If you say you don’t believe me, I’m going to punch you in the face.”

“f**k that horrible attitude of yours,” he grumbled as he sat in front of me.

I chuckled. “I had fun watching you throw a tantrum, though.”

“I was not throwing a tantrum,” he firmly said, stressing every word as if he wanted me to fully understand.

“You were.”

“Was not.”

I allowed silence to engulf us for a while, making him think there was peace at last, before speaking again. “You were.”

Alvarez let out a loud sigh, making me chuckle. He was getting stressed every second he spent with me, and I couldn’t help but keep at it. Tiring him out works well for me, anyway. This way, we won’t end up in bed, buck naked.

When he chose silence, I thought I should just hurry and eat. I had to get to the bedroom first, so he’d have to stay in his little office upstairs.

“Is that guy really your lover?” he asked all of a sudden.

Fuck, I almost spat my food in his face! And he has the audacity to laugh at me while I choke to death here?! He didn’t even give me a glass of water! Damn, karma really knew when to strike.

“Serves you right,” he said as he finally offered a glass of water to me.

“f**k you…” I muttered as I took a deep breath. “Wait, what lover are you talking about?”

“Your bodyguard.”

“No– Oh…” I trailed off, a plan of mischief slowly forming inside my head. “Hmm, why do you care?”

“I already told you, I don’t give two f***s–”

“Then, why do you ask?”

“Because we have to watch out for the media if you really are dating him.”

He always says that, but his tone was laced with sarcasm. It’s like he’s hinting that he wants to separate me from Vin with that doubting tone of his. Although it’s not new to me, I feel as though it’s more intense this time around.

A smile crept upon my lips as I cleaned up before Alvarez could even finish eating. He watched me like a hawk as I did that, but obviously, he was too proud to clarify whether his hunch was true. Oh, it really feels nice to have him wrapped around my palm.

As I was leaving the kitchen, I decided to tell him the truth. I enjoyed tormenting him, but I figured it’s about time I clarified it. I don’t want him to keep bugging me about this anyway.

“I’m not dating Vin. I never did.”

“Then, why do you keep on giving me vague answers?”

Because toying with you is amusing…

I only showed him a smile as I made my way to the bedroom. Alvarez was confused by my actions, that’s for sure. He’s not one to ponder about things too much, but I’d definitely appreciate it if he did…as a way of cooperating with my plan more.

For as long as possible, I have to keep him distracted so he doesn’t realize what I’m actually doing here. Because if I’m at ease that he’ll trust me, it’ll be difficult to defend against him.

As I closed the door to his room, my smile dropped. “So exhausting…” I muttered as I dropped on the bed.

One of the few things I noticed is that he leaves his things unattended despite being organized and meticulous. Sometimes, he even leaves important documents or flash drives all around the house. Although I haven’t gotten the chance to check those out as I’m afraid that they’d be mere traps, I’ll be sure to do so once Alvarez is less vigilant.

Either way, this is exhausting. Trying to play with him is equivalent to playing with fire, one that burns too strongly that it’s likely to cause bruises. It’s frightening, but I must not back down at all costs. I’m not letting him take full control over me…

I slowly made my way to the shower, mindlessly removing my clothes. It’s fine because that guy knocks first before entering. He’s not scared of me, that’s for sure. I studied taekwondo, but he also did. Maybe it’s just him being a gentleman, nothing new.

“Diaz?” he called as he knocked a few times.

“What?”

“Are you done yet?”

“No.”

“Alright. I’ll be in the office if you need me.”

I waited for him to say more, but all I heard were his footsteps. Oh, right. That guy must be tired by now. He has a bed in his office, but I’m not sure if that’ll be comfortable enough for him.

Whatever. I’ll just enjoy my bath and get him when it’s his turn. There’s no way I’d invite him to shower with me. Although I’m sure he’d love the idea, I think it’d be too much, considering we’re both tired from work.

If anything, he needs a good night’s sleep just like me. He should sleep in the bedroom tonight, then I can sleep in his office. Oh. If he agrees, then that would bode well for me!

Once I had finished my nightly routine, I went to his office to check on him. He was sitting on the bed, wearing his glasses as he read through a paper. Oh, he’s still working at this hour?

I leaned against the door frame and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m done taking a bath. You should, too.”

He looked up at me, his eyes slightly hooded. “Yeah, sure.”

“Still working?”

“Yeah. You can go ahead.”

I sighed. “Sleep in the bedroom.”

“Why?”

“It’s more comfortable there.”

He raised a brow as he placed the paper down, amused. “I figured you wouldn’t want to sleep beside me, so I stayed here.”

“Yeah, I don’t. I’m sleeping here.”

The smile on his face immediately dropped, so I smiled at him. Did he really think I would be fine sleeping beside him after I teased him like that earlier? This man would not let me sleep even if I wanted to.

Alvarez sighed and stood up. “You’re not sleeping here.”

“Couch it is,” I replied as I walked away, but he immediately caught my arm. “What?”

“Go sleep in my bed. I’m fine in the office.”

“But–”

“It’s either that or I’m sleeping beside you.”

I sighed and nodded, pouting as I made my way back to the bedroom. I wasn’t sleepy yet, so I decided to play online games while he was inside the toilet.

I’ve finished a few rounds of the game already, but Alvarez was still inside. What’s taking him so long? Normally, it just takes him a few minutes to shower, but he’s been in there for almost an hour already. He’s not dead, right?

A few more minutes and I couldn’t take it anymore. I stood up to check up on him, but the door immediately opened, and now I’m face to face with…his bare chest. My mouth went agape as I looked up at him, surprised.

“What are you doing there?” he asked, raising one brow at me.

“Oh, I was going to ask if you were okay since you were taking so long in there.”

“I’m fine. Now, go back to bed.”

I quietly made my way to bed, pouting. What’s wrong with him? He’s acting cold and is not even trying to tease me for being outside the toilet like a dumbass.

Oh, right. I don’t want to, but...

“Sleep beside me,” I told him as I tapped the space beside me.

He turned to me while he was drying his hair. “Sure?”

“Yeah.” I feel guilty making him sleep in the office when it’s his home. I guess I just have to resist.