Chapter 3

"Eeew!" She silently wanted to puke when that slimeball put a hand on her thigh. What was she thinking about meeting up with this man?

She was desperate, but not this desperate. 

She did not want to sleep with him, not for his money or this deal. She could still find another way. She did not have to stoop this low.

However, she found herself trapped.

"Stupid!" That was what she was, ignoring all the warning bells and even disregarding what Xavier said about him when she knew he was right.

"Stubborn, stupid girl!" That was what she thought of herself now as she lay on the seat, paralyzed, unable to do anything but moan.

She should have suspected that Mr. Osborne would do some dirty trick. But again, she was not thinking straight. Now, she was under his mercy.

"Damnit!" She did not like it as tiny spiders crawled underneath her skin at the thought of his hands or his lips all over her body.

But that was not the worst of all, as her thoughts explored the horrible things that he could do to her if she did not do anything about this.

But what could she do when her body succumbed to whatever drug the vile man had placed on her drink? She knew she should not have drunk that wine. But regret could not help her now.

"Somebody help me." She wanted to shout, but even if she could form a word, she doubted anybody would hear her from the noise that deafened the entire place.

She guessed only a miracle could save her now from her impending doom. Hopefully, her body would surrender to the full effects of the drug and make her lose consciousness.

At least she would not need to relive the painful and horrible ordeal that she was about to go through as the last memory of a man flashed before her eyes.

"Wait, that could not be right?" She questioned. But she could not stop her consciousness from falling into the abyss until there was nothing but his beautiful face.

She guessed that was her little miracle if she could call him that. But in fairness, he had been good to her. They had many great memories together before the breakup.

But, of course, that was not enough to make up for her broken heart. Nonetheless, the current images in her mind were much better than the alternative.

"Xavier." She mumbled as she snuggled closer to his image, savoring the warmth he offered and the wonderful scent his body emitted. 

His entire presence was calming and relaxing her. It made her forget about the ordeal she was in. She could not even remember the other man anymore.

It was just him and her in this fucking universe, just like before and just like what it should have been. It was as if her nightmares never happened as she savored this moment.

"I am here. You are safe." Finally, his voice echoed in her ears, reminding her of their long conversations, the sweet nothings he used to whisper, and the intense declarations of his love and desires.

Damn!

She could not agree with him more. She was right back where she belonged, back in his arms, safe, happy, and content.

She wanted to stay in this instant forever. There was no past and no future. But just this enchanting and incredible moment.

"Xavier." She called his name again, loving the sound that left her lips. 

"Yes, Saige." She heard his lovely response as she snuggled closer to his firm and masculine chest.

His body was like she remembered it. Perhaps, better. She believed his chest had increased its body mass. His arms were firmer than she remembered it. 

He had changed, but only for the better. 

But as her hands began to explore, moving her fingers along the sinewy muscles and curly hairs that covered his chest, she realized something.

"I am not dreaming." She told herself. Abruptly, she opened her eyes to the image of the man that she did not expect to see.

But that was not all, as she found herself entwined with him on a bed, naked underneath the blankets. That could not be right.

"What is this?" She angrily panicked as she snatched her hands away from his delectable body.

She could not lie, seeing that he had so much to offer as she looked at his bare upper body displayed before her. She remembered it ripped before, but now, it was much more mouthwatering.

"Get a grip, Saige. You are way out of line." She silently reminded herself that she should not salivate after this man. Instead, she should despise him.

"Unfortunately, you are not dreaming." The man beside her finally clarified as he suddenly stood up, not bothering to cover his naked body, as he walked to a table on the corner.

"By the way, you are in my apartment. This space is my room, and that is my bed." He pointed out before turning his back on her, appearing to be busy looking at some papers.

"I already figured that out." She stubbornly said as she gathered the blanket to cover herself up before running to the privacy of the other room. 

"But what am I doing here?" She questioned, her voice full of suspicion. What did this man do? Why could she not remember?

Damn! How did she end up in his bed?

"I will fill you in with the details later, but now, I am hungry. So, if you hurry up, we can discuss it after breakfast." He hollered from the other room while she locked herself in his high-tech, spacious bathroom.

"I will hurry up once I figure out how to turn these damn things on." She yelled back, slightly frustrated as she started punching buttons to set the lights on and the shower.

"Do you need help?" He offered, but she did not miss the amusement in his voice. "Or do you want me to join you in there? That would save us time." He mischievously suggested.

"No!" She panicky responded. "I got it." Of course, she did not want him to come into the room while she was naked. "No!" Answering his last question.

She realized he had seen everything, touched every inch of her body, and claimed it as his, but that was in the past. Whatever happened last night was over and done with. She did not need to relive it.

Finally, the lights lit up the room, and with more push of the buttons, the shower worked just as she wanted. Then, she let the fast water droplets cleanse her of whatever happened the other night.

"Damn!" She cursed once she stepped out of the shower cubicle. 

She looked around the room but only found a small towel that barely covered her private parts. Moreover, she had no idea where her clothes were. 

With no choice, she picked up the blanket she had thrown earlier on the tiled floor and wrapped it around her body. She had no intention of parading her body before her ex with nothing but her skin.

"That will have to do." She thought as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. At least she felt refreshed.

She saw a few more products on the counter, but it was all for men. She already smelt of his shampoo and soap. She did not want to add more that would remind her of him. 

Therefore, she opened the door and stepped back into the room, hoping to find her clothes. But the first thing she noticed was her ex sitting on a chair, staring directly at her with a smug smile on that handsome face.

"If you are looking for those skimpy clothes, I sent them to the cleaners. But you are welcome to use mine." He pointed to a room she had not noticed earlier, guessing that would be his walk-in closet. 

Hurriedly, she tiptoed toward the room, hoping to escape his presence. She did not want to admit it, but it was still too intense and overwhelming.

Thankfully, her ex finally put on a towel to cover his lower half. Then, he disappeared to the bathroom to take his turn in the shower.

"How could he wear all these clothes?" She asked, seeing the size of his closet and the vast selections of his clothes from one cabinet to another.

But money was never an issue with him as far as she could remember. His family had always been wealthy. He could salvage her company from bankruptcy if she could forget what he did to her and accept his help.

If only she could.

But she could not.

"This will do." She quickly picked a pair of sweatpants. She tightened the pants' waist bond so it would not slip off her hips. Then, she wore the oversized sweater that went with it.

Again, she tiptoed into the bedroom, remembering the papers on his desk. She planned to sneak out of the room while he was in the shower but thought to leave him a note.

She should at least thank him for saving her from that creep. Nonetheless, she did not need to know what happened last night. She was just glad that she did not remember much.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

She could not help but swear when she turned around after writing her note.

"Damn it!" She stared at the wall before her, more like the mirror earlier. But instead of finding the reflection of her or the room. Shockingly, she saw something else.

Suddenly, she fell on the chair where her ex had been sitting earlier. Then, her jaw dropped, and her eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the scene before her. 

Privacy was not exactly the word she would use to describe the other room as she discovered that the partition was an unusual mirror.

"Xavier, you prick!" She furiously gritted her teeth while her hands angrily crumpled her thank you letter.

All the while she was in the bathroom, he watched her take a bath, the same way she ogled at his glorious naked body at that moment.

"Aah!"