CHAPTER 18

" Let me drive you home, you must be tired, find time and inform me so that we can have coffee together, I really need to talk to you." Damon said as he inched closer. He took Ria from Flora's arms and carried her to the car. She let her lay at the back seat and secured her with a safety belt.

Flora was still mad and didn't want to talk to Damon anymore, she got into the passenger's seat while Damon drives.

" How has it been for you while I was away?" Damon asked.

" I'd rather not talk about it!" Flora said.

As Damon kept on driving, he couldn't keep his eyes off Flora's exposed thigh. He unknowingly placed his hand on her thigh caressing it slowly.

Flora felt it and slowly put the hand away.

After a while Damon placed it again and Flora glared at him. At that moment Damon was also staring at her. 

" What are you doing?" Flora questioned him. The reason she is angry is not really because he placed his hand there but how it affects her. She still can't believe that after so many years, his touch would still mess up with her head.

" Please don't remove it, I know that you're still mad at me but I can't help it. It's the dress that you're wearing that is messing up my head." Damon admitted and Flora stared at him surprised.

" You know this is not appropriate, we haven't reconciled yet!" Flora reminded him.

" I know, and I'm sure we are going to patch things up soon." Damon said.

" And what makes you think that we would reconcile!" Flora asked amused.

" I can tell that you still have feelings for me, deny it!" Damon said with a smirk and Flora pursed her lips looking out of the window. After a while she turned back to him.

" I have got no more feelings for you Damon, you're just making up your own assumptions in your head!" Flora said.

" Really! You think so?" Damon asked.

" I know so! Now get your hand off my thigh!" Flora said with a serious expression and Damon let out a soft chuckle.

" Don't be too hard on yourself. Enjoy the moment when it last, who know where tomorrow we would be." Damon said getting his hand off her.

" So, you mean to tell me that we make fun of ourselves because tomorrow is not promised?" Flora asked rolling her eyes towards him.

Damon chuckled at her gesture," you know that's not what I meant!"

" Then what did you mean?" Flora asked curiously.

" I meant...!" Damon started then stepped on the breaks to stop the car.

" Why did you stop!" Flora asked confused.

Damon inched closer to her and Flora's heartbeat accelerated. Her chest heaved high.

" What are you doing?" Flora asked her lips trembling.

" I don't want to regret it when you're gone again, I just want to kiss you right now!" Damon said moving his lips closer.

" Ria is sleeping at the back!" Flora quickly said as she placed a finger against his lips.

" As you said, she's sleeping!" Damon said holding her finger and kissing it.

Flora trembled when his lips touched her finger.

" Do you feel it too?" Damon asked kissing her knuckles.

" Feeling what!" Flora asked.

" The chemistry...!" Damon spoke slowly.

" I'm sorry to disappoint you Damon Rays, I don't feel anything between us, just some unknown anxiety, you should sit back and drive!" Flora said and Damon chuckled.

" Are you sure of your words, Flora?" Damon asked raising his brows.

" Yes, I am a hundred percent sure of my words, Damon Rays. And oh, it's Irene Mars, I'm no longer Flora!" Flora said.

" I doubt that, Irene Mars, I can still feel Flora in you! Let's find out!" With that, Damon pressed his lips against her and everything else didn't matter anymore, it's like everything stopped. Both of them were losing their minds, they were both hungry for each other, they both suddenly stopped when there was a knock on the side mirror.

Damon lowered his side mirror to see a police officer.

" Is everything okay sir?" The officer inquired.

" Yes, everything is okay, I was just taking a short break!" Damon explained.

" If you say so! I was just concerned you stopped your car on a high way at this hour, it's not safe around here!" The officer added.

" Thank you for your concern officer, I'll keep that in mind!" Damon said fastening his seatbelt once more and drives away.

The patrolling officer also got into his car and drove away.

There was now awkward silence in the car, Flora felt embarrassed, her body betrayed her. Does that mean that she still has feelings for him. No, it cannot be! She thought.

" Don't think too hard about what happened. You don't need to feel shy about it, I was just proving a point here. Flora, I believe we can still make it up. Let's give us a chance!" Damon said and Flora didn't respond.

After a few more minutes they arrived at Flora's place. Damon helped Flora carry Ria into the house and as they walked in, Flora switched the lights on. They stood on the spot when they found Nathan in the living room drinking.

" What are you doing here?" Flora questioned him.

" This is also my home, why can't I come? You're my fiancee remember?" Nathan spoke unbothered.

" I'll take Ria to her room first!" Damon said.

" It's the first room on your left, upstairs." Flora directed Damon who left.

" I see you're already making up with your old lover!" Nathan said standing up.

" What do you want!" Flora asked keeping a safe distance between them.

" You've made my life miserable Irene! Do you think I'm going to let you get away with it? My name has been tainted, I'm already losing important clients because of you and your stupid boyfriend! You... You are a very miserable woman that is why you were an escort before, you became a surrogate just for money! You're jinxed Irene that is why you would never be happy with anyone!" Nathan said.

" Get out of my house, Nathan Gorgia!" Flora shouted.

" I'm going to expose you Irene! The whole would would know that you are Flora Mars, an escort! You have just distinguished yourself as Irene Mars because you are ashamed of your doings!" Nathan shouted in his drunken state.

" And where would I be while you do all that, bastard! Flora is mine, my woman, I know her better than anyone and I know her worth. Unlike you, whatever she did in her past that you regard as dirty and shameless, she did all that to survive while you, what would everyone say when they know what you did in the past? Huh? You raped your own sister, you slept with your cousin, you killed your nephew because you liked her woman, Bertha, right? You're such a filthy, miserable man who is unworthy to even exist!" Damon said spitting on his shoes.

Nathan abruptly took out a gun and pointed it at Flora. Flora panicked while Damon stood on the spot.

 Nathan smirked as he looked at their shocked expressions.

" Nathan please calm down, I know Damon wouldn't do that." Flora tried to persuade him.

Nathan laughed evily.

Damon tried to move ahead and Nathan grabbed Flora by the neck holding her as coverage.

" Don't you dare move or I'm gonna shoot!" Nathan warned.

" Okay, let's talk about this, man to man!" Damon said raising his hand in surrender.

" No, I am not going to trust you even for a little bit! Stay where you are!" Nathan said.

" Mommy!" A small voice came though upstairs. Ria was descending the stairs.

" Ria, go back to your room!" Flora shouted with tears in her eyes. 

Nathan smirked.

" Come here baby, daddy has brought you yorghut!" Nathan lured little Ria who is obsessed with yorghut.

Ria's eyes twinkled in the mention of yorghut. Damon couldn't even dare make the mistake of moving, Nathan wasn't in his right mind and one foolish move he may either harm Flora or Ria.

Ria ran towards Nathan and hugs his leg.

" Where is the yorghut!" Ria asked expectantly.

" Put your hands on your head and turn around, one small mistake I'm shooting your baby!" Nathan whispered in Flora's ear. Loud enough for Damon to hear. Ria being so dumb and sleepy at the same time, didn't understand what was going on, her mind was too engrossed in the yorghut Nathan mentioned.

Nathan carried Ria with one hand, as he held the gun with the other as he moved towards the door.

" You don't have to worry about her, I'll just get her yorghut as I clear my name, one small mistake, you'll never see her again!" Nathan warned and rushed out of the house locking the door for the couple as he went into his car with Ria and drives away.