Chapter 181: Tempted
After leaving Shai behind, Lisa quickly made her way to a waiting car. She was anxious and confused. At first, she had found Shai interesting, maybe even a bit handsome, but she did not think much else about the man. Now Lisa found herself wondering what it would feel like to be with him. She was tempted.
"Drive," Lisa instructed the chauffeur. She did not know what had come over her back there. She knew she was sexually frustrated, but it had been that way since she cut things off with Cylus, and despite the numerous advances from every type of man she could think of, she had never given in before.
Lisa liked the feeling of having a powerful man beg her, but more than that, she relished in the fact that Shai seemed to be infatuated with her. It was different from Cylus' respectful love and Ian's indifference. There was something distinct in Shai's eyes when he looked at her and although the trembling in his voice when he confessed his desire, could have been faked, the way he shuddered at her touch made her believe him. Lisa found herself wondering why Ian could not have been the one to want her so badly and for half a second, she wondered if being Mrs. Lisa Lee was worth the effort. 'Of course, it is,' Lisa thought to herself. Only she was worthy of that title and she would not give it up because of lust.
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Shai picked up his phone and dialed a number. He wanted to know everything about Lisa Anders from her friends to her enemies. He had forgotten all about Luna, and what he wanted now was to make that cold woman his. When his assistant called back Shai was irritated when he found out who Lisa was thought to be dating.
President Ian Lee was a powerful man who was very well known for doing whatever he wanted. He once heard a story about the man shutting down an entire school because one of his staff was treated unfairly. Shai's eyes narrowed, he vaguely remembered Luna Lee referring to Adir Staton, his old college mate, as her cousin. It was without question that even if he exposed what happened between himself and Lisa, there was a good chance that President Lee would not believe him. It was an adult case of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'.
That did not mean that Shai had no chance of getting what he wanted. He knew from Lisa's words that she was not opposed to him, but she wanted something from him. Something she said she needed him to do at the grand opening of their film studio. He had not even asked who the person was before he agreed. All he knew was that Lisa had asked him to do it, and so he would.
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Charlotte was no film expert, but she had been interested in film design while she was studying, and she was excited for the chance to put her small knowledge bank to use. She would have been able to get much more done if the big ball at her abdomen did not get in her way. She gently caressed her belly, whispering something to the growing life. Her doctor's appointment in the morning was meant to be a bonding experience between herself and her sister-in-law, but the woman opted to head straight to the failing property, instead of accompanying Charlotte to find out about her future niece or nephew.
The woman did not dare tell her husband. Kace was very protective over her and Charlotte knew he would have been livid at the thought of her attending a doctor's appointment alone. She resolved to cover for Lisa, no matter who was asking.
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Luna sat at the breakfast table and felt lonely, for the third day in a row, Mina was not planning to join them. Ian was not one for mindless chatter and she found herself missing the girl. There was something about the way Mina spoke that made anything she said interesting and Luna desperately wanted to continue her discussion about Tavin with her.
Mina may have been dense when it came to her own love life, but she had a way of looking at situations and putting them into an odd perspective that somehow, always made sense. But since the night she had come home from the hospital, Mina had been sending word with Carmen that she wished to be left alone.
Many times, Luna wanted to go and ask her why, but Ian had encouraged her to give Mina some space. According to Ian, Mina had also told him that she did not want to move out, so long as she could do whatever she wanted. Luna knew there had to be more to the story, but she also wanted to respect Mina's request for solitude.
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Mina sat in her room and flipped through one of the books Carmen had brought for her. She had asked the woman if she could get her something to help occupy her time and the girl brought her a ton of romance novels. Not wanting to offend the woman, who was clearly as annoyed with her as she was, Mina graciously accepted them. What she really wanted was a newspaper or magazine, but anything was better than nothing.
Mina did not know if it was because she was bored out of her mind, or if the books were good, but she found herself flipping through page after page at a rapid pace. She was so engrossed in the stories that she even shed a tear or two while reading.
After finishing one particularly depressing novel, where the main character suffers and eventually dies, Mina found herself bawling out of control. Her mood was so sour that she could not even eat her lunch.
That evening, when Carmen came to bring Mina her dinner, the woman's face was flushed red. Mina glared at Carmen accusingly and for a second, Carmen thought she had finally broken Mina, but the girl simply handed her back the stack of books and told her that they were too addictive. Carmen reported the incident to Lisa, but she did not know that Mina was only upset because the main character of the book she had read, died without getting her revenge.
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Soon after, the pain in Mina's ankle had nearly disappeared and the bottoms of her feet, although tender, only hurt if she stood for a long period or jumped. Mina prayed that her upcoming job would not involve either of the two tasks.