Chapter 14: Dangerous Temptation

Meanwhile, Brad was at his own Christmas party with his mother and daughter, and being a cultural night, everyone brought their own family traditional food to this Christmas dinner. This was a less formal event, being a Christmas party for nurses and doctors alike.

"Brad, long time no see" Brad's old high school girlfriend said to him, "Layla, how are you?" Brad said in a friendly manner to Layla, "Yeah good, I am married now and have two children" she said cheery. "Good for you, I am glad" Brad said softly. Layla looked at Brad's daughter, "Is this your daughter?" she asked excitedly. "Yeah, this is Rachel" he said introducing his little girl. "Hello Rachel" Layla said softly holding Rachel in her arms. Suddenly in the distance, someone caught Brad's attention, and it was Rachel's surrogate mother, who also happened to be a nurse. "Could you, look after Rachel for me?" he asked Layla as he walked over to Rachel's biological mother, her name was Annett. "Annett… What are you doing here?" Brad asked her. "Well, I am here for the Christmas party after all" she said. "I see…" Brad responded awkwardly. "Where is she…." Annett asked, referring to their daughter. Brad swallowed a breath for a moment and glanced at Layla holding Rachel. Annett's eyes welled up with tears, seeing her baby biological daughter who is now six years old. "Brad… she looks like you…." Annett said, as she walked over and held Rachel in her hands.

"Who are you?" Rachel asked Annett innocently. Annett held back tears, "I am your aunty…. Call me Aunt Annett" she said smiling holding back tears. "Ok aunty" Rachel smiled at Annett. This just broke Annett's heart, handing back Rachel to Brad, "Look after her" Annett said wiping her tears and left the Christmas party. Brad's mother came up next to him, "you should go talk to her son… she's always calling asking about Rachel and I have to tell her she is doing fine…." His mother said. "If she's that worried she can call me" Brad said in pride, as they went to the table and ate together with their work colleagues. "you should have married Annette, son, she is the daughter of the biggest bank manager in the country" his mother told him. "But she still works" Brad said. "So? She could have helped you….. in many areas" his mother told him. He went quiet for a moment as he thought about what his mother said.

Meanwhile….

"Well, that's enough for me. Policy states maximum two drinks, right?" Evan smirked in sarcasm. Rayla laughed softly. "Of course…" She said kindly. He walks close to her and hands her a piece of paper, winked at her and left the Christmas party early. Rayla swallowed a breath as she watched him walk off, then she read the note, "Meet me at my apartment…. There will be no prying eyes there…." Evan said in the note, so she put it in her pocket and decided to say her goodbyes and went to Evan's apartment, being 10:00pm at night. "Why not? It is just for a late-night coffee and company then I will head home…besides, prick won't be home till late anyways…" she thought to herself referring to her husband.

She put on a coat and caught a taxi and asked to go the long way, not to be spotted going to his apartment. As she was in the taxi, she took off her coat, and put on a hooded jumper so that no one would recognize her. As she arrived at his apartment, she gets out of the taxi and goes up to his apartment on the 30th Floor, which overlooked the whole view of the city. As she arrives at his apartment, standing outside his door, "This was a bad idea…. What am I doing….?" She thought anxiously to herself. She was just about to leave when suddenly, Evan opened the door. "Rayla…." He said. "Mr. Blade…. I am sorry, I shouldn't have come…." She said and was just about to walk off, when he took hold of her hand, "Wait, it's alright, stay…." He said kindly and softly. She nodded alright and walked in his apartment. She looked around as there were a few lights on and a candle lit dinner, with a city view overlooking the city in his living room. "Oh wow…." She said in amazement. "I hope you like Italian food…." He said showing her a candle lit dinner, with a rose in the middle of the table for the two of them to eat. Her eyes lit up as she saw the food. "Do I love Italian food?" She questioned in herself, as she loved the stuff. "Yes, I do…" She said softly, as she saw the Lasagne and pizza and chips. "you are a laid-back kind of person, aren't you?" She said, as he seated her at the table. "You could tell?" He said to her as he sat across from her, pouring them some drinks. "Yes… they say you could tell a man by his shoes, but the same could be said by what they eat, however I am not judging. " She said kindly. "No offence taken… " He smiled at her charmingly as they ate together.

"Why… are you doing this….?" Rayla asked out of curiosity. Evan stopped eating for a moment. As he looked to the side, "Well, truth is, I…." When suddenly, her phone rang, "It's my husband… I should take this…" She said. "yeah, sure…" He motioned, "Hello, Brad…" She said and got up from the table. "… are you home?" He asked her. "No, not yet, I am… still out…. Celebrating with colleagues from work, so I will be home late…." She said as she glanced at Evan, as he looked at her with a serious look on his face, as he swallowed a breath. "And you, are you still out?" She asked him, "Yeah… call me when you get home…" He said on the phone. "ok…." She said and they both hang up the phone. Rayla was just about to smash the phone however kept her cool in front of her host. "Is… everything alright…?" Evan asked her softly. She turned around and looked at him, "Yeah, everything's fine…" She said sadly, when suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes as she sat there at the table. "I am sorry…." She said as she wiped her tears. "Does your husband…. Hurt you?" Evan said in an evil and vengeful tone of voice. "No, nothing like that… it is just… ummm nevermind…." Rayla laughed to hide the fact that she was hurt.

" dance with me…" He said charmingly. "You are taking advantage!" She grunted. "Maybe…" He smirked. He put on a song to set the mood, being "wicked game" by Ursine Vulpin. He took her by the hand, and danced with her in his living room, with candlelight on the table and low dimmed lights around. "Won't people see us through the windows?" Rayla asked, as she danced in his arms, "the windows are tinted on the outside…no one can see in here…." He whispered to her charmingly. As they danced, they never said a word to each other, just being in each other's embrace as they danced together slowly. As he embraced her face tenderly, looking into her tender eyes, looking at her kissable lips, embracing them with his fingers and kissed her gently, "you know... since that night at the conference, I have'nt been able to stop thinking about you...." Evan said to Rayla....

"What.... why?" Rayla asked him. "I don't know.... I can't seem to stop thinking about you.... there's just something about you that.... I can't explain it... and I think you think about me too..." he said looking into her eyes. She swallowed a breath for a moment as they stopped dancing. He leaned in towards her and feeling her warm breath against his, as she gave in to his charm and seduction, wrapping her arms around him as he kissed her passionately.

As they danced, they kissed, and was just about to lead to the bedroom, when Rayla thought of her husband…"Wait… stop…I can't go ahead with this…" She said trembling, "You still think about him even though he hurt your feelings?" He questioned her.

"I...I can't go ahead with this…even though.... I just can't" She said wiping her tears. "Spend one night with me…." He said seductively in a low husky tone of voice, as he embraced her face. "Besides, this is the holidays after all?" He grinned.

Rayla fought her conflicting feelings as she felt a little overwhelmed, she wasn't going to go through with it, but…"what I am about to do…. Is it wrong?" she thought to herself.

Rayla closed her eyes as he loomed in and kissed her tenderly as she accepted his kiss, this was the second time now that Evan had kissed Rayla.

The years of neglecting her needs and not giving her enough attention led to this moment. From years of threatening to leave and divorce whenever they would fight and argue would bring Rayla so low to shut up at every argument, had led to this point. "For once… I will just forget about him for a moment…Brad… I…am sorry….am I.... too far gone now....?" Rayla thought within herself as Evan slowly embraced her tenderly yet passionately.