With that, Rebecca started to relax. Her strained muscles, a little stiff from forcing herself not to move, came back to life.

It wasn't the first time the man had held Rebecca, so she wasn't averse to his touch. It was, however, the first time the man held her like this – unhurried and gentle.

Usually, they just rip their clothes off and do the deed, so Rebecca never minded it. It was, after all, what she wanted. It was the reason why she agreed to continue seeing him. He was good in bed, and Rebecca knew he wasn't the man who likes commitment, and neither was he a man who would ask her for a long-term relationship.

They were bed partners—nothing more, nothing less.

Rebecca should have run away, but she slowly relaxed in the man's gentle embrace.

"But I'll bite you if you ask me nicely," the man suddenly said.

Rebecca's eyes went wide.

Annoyed with herself rather than the man, she shoved him hard and quickly backed away toward the door. Cornered, she switched the lights, and the room lit up, revealing the man looking at her with hungry eyes.

"Forget it then. I'm leaving!" Rebecca stated and quickly opened the door.

"Wait!" Yet again, the man was beside Rebecca without her even knowing.

'How does he move like that?' Rebecca thought with annoyance.

"Stay! Promise I won't do anything you don't like," the man said with his utmost innocently-sounding voice, but he couldn't fool Rebecca. Something in his eyes told her she should run away. Fast!

The three knocks on the door stopped the man from talking as the man from the outside called and announced, "Sir, your dinner is here!"

"Leave it at the door!" The man answered the man.

"Were you expecting I'd come here?" Rebecca asked the man who dragged the food cart inside the room.

The man shrugged. "I had a feeling."

"I'm not hungry," Rebecca said firmly. It unnerved her that the man was being considerate of her. They were never like this.

"Then at least take a bite," the man was smiling, but something in his voice made Rebecca stop refusing the second time.

Rebecca had a feeling that the man could and would think of other ways for her to do his bidding. The thought scared her, but her body humming at the anticipation of the man's wicked ways betrayed her.

Afraid that the man could read her thoughts, Rebecca took the spoon he offered, scooped a spoonful of the beef stew, and ate it.

Then, she didn't talk afterward. The taste of the food filled her senses, and it sated the hunger she didn't know she had. Before Rebecca took another bite, she saw the man beside him hiding a smile by taking a spoonful of his food.

Rebecca didn't care. The food in front of her was too delicious for her to care about anything else.

...

"Would you like to take a bath?" The man asked Rebecca who was fixing the plates on the table. Before the latter could nod in agreement which he was sure she would, he added, "We can go together if you want."

Rebecca froze and looked at him with murderous eyes. "Please, go ahead," she answered through gritted teeth. "I'll go after you're done."

The man shrugged, not letting Rebecca's refusal let him down. He deliberately passed by her on his way to the bathroom while slowly unbuttoning his shirt collar, revealing his collarbone and large chiseled chest. It made him smile inwardly when he noticed Rebecca's cheek flushed red.

"You won't run away, won't you?" he asked when he was close enough for her to hear him.

"N-No!"

"Then wait for me, alright?" He said before leaning over and brushing his lips against the corner of Rebecca's lips.

The latter stared at the bathroom door as it closed. Suddenly, how she met the man flashed before her eyes.

Rebecca once had this crazy idea. She wanted to get herself wasted for the first time in her life and dared to do so. Exactly thirty days from her and Benson's divorce, she picked out the "quietest" bar she found online in the city and went there to get drunk.

When she woke up in a hotel the morning after, Rebecca found out she had grabbed a man at the bar. Apparently, she forced the man into joining her in her crazy escapade, continuing her drinking spree at a hotel.

But then, the man, a certified gentleman, was kind enough to let her sleep the rest of the night. When the morning came, and Rebecca woke up, she tried to leave as fast as she could in embarrassment. However, she failed to escape unnoticed.

...

When the man got out of the bathroom, he saw Rebecca walking back and forth in the living room. Unable to help it, a mischievous grin flashed on his lips. He liked teasing Rebecca and loved it more when she screamed and writhed under him with pleasure.

"The bath is ready," he said to get the woman's attention.

He wasn't the most handsome man, but he was confident in his physique and witty charm. So he paraded it in front of the woman, his robe tightly loose around his waist, showing off his chiseled chest.

It pleased him when Rebecca flushed and looked everywhere but him.

"R–Right, I–I should…." Rebecca stuttered as she scrambled to get her bag and walk past him. That almost made him chuckle, but he reeled it in. He thought it wouldn't be good for Rebecca to run away, which would most likely happen if he teased her too much.

So, he contented himself with offering an alternative. "I can help you wash your back if you—"

"No, thank you!" the woman almost shouted before shutting the door in his face.

Alone in the living room, the man laughed in rich amusement. He would not have stopped earlier had he not heard the woman's phone vibrating on the coffee table. With a slight smile, he stepped closer to the coffee table where the phone was and peeked.

When he saw the name on Rebecca's phone, his smile faded at once.

Rebecca took a deep breath, held it in, then exhaled while the cold water from the shower head above her beat down her already tired body. Then, she pressed her forehead on the tiled wall and asked herself, "What are you doing, Rebecca?"

Rash decisions were, after all, seeds of mistakes. Rebecca never intended for their relationship to go this far, but after that morning, when they agreed to exchange numbers, she asked the man to meet her again.

The man, on the other hand, didn't even hesitate and decided to meet with her the weekend after they met.

That one time happened again and again and again until Rebecca found herself having a bed partner in the face of the man.

While Rebecca let herself drown in her thoughts in the bathroom, the man suddenly knocked from outside. She listened and heard the man shouting, "You still alive in there?"

Rebecca laughed bitterly, then turned off the water and shouted back, "I'll come out in a minute!"

...

Rebecca immediately saw the man sitting on the couch, smoking a cigarette as she entered the living room.

He looked so serious, looking as though he had been waiting for her to come out and take a seat. Once she did, the man leaned closer and caressed her cheek.

'He smells like cigarettes,' was Rebecca's last thought before the man took her lips in a not-so-gentle kiss. As their kiss deepened, the man grabbed and squeezed Rebecca's right breast through her robe, causing her to break their kiss with her surprised gasp.

As if unsatisfied, the man took out her right breast, squeezed it, and planted kisses on it.

Because of that, Rebecca could only let out a long groan. Her breathing accelerated more when the man started teasing her nipple next, prompting her to slide her fingers into his hair and push his head to her breast.

"Don't stop!" Rebecca protested when the man stopped but gasped, moaned, and writhed again when the man adjusted their position to have better access to Rebecca's left breast this time.

Fast as a flash, Rebecca pushed the man onto the couch and sat on top of him, her legs spread wide open on either side of his closed legs. She tried to keep afloat to avoid pressing on his cock through his robe, but the man pulled her waist and pressed her most sensitive and wet part to him.

With that, pleasure shot through Rebecca's body. She didn't care if it would hurt, but she pulled the man's hair and initiated a deep kiss while her waist swayed with the rhythm the man had set.

The man teased Rebecca's tongue out, licked, and played with it before nipping at her bottom lip, which made Rebecca tremble in pleasure.

"Stop teasing me!"

Rebecca knew she was starting to sound desperate, but she didn't care. All she wanted was for him to put his big throbbing thing inside her, but he kept playing with her. So when he gripped Rebecca's waist harder, pressing his aching cock harder on her clothed body, she gritted her teeth and pleaded, "Please… Mmmm. Put it in!"

Rebecca felt the man smile when he kissed her exposed neck before lifting her and laying her spread wide on the sofa.

After untying his robe and revealing all his maleness for her eyes to see, the man slammed his cock inside her.

As soon as he did that, Rebecca's back bowed as he thrust in and out of her.

"Tell me what you want," the man groaned as he pushed deeper inside her to get better access to her lips.

"Tell me!" he demanded again, pulling his cock halfway from her pussy and then banging it back in her.

Rebecca gasped and grabbed at the man's shoulders. "Faster!" she managed to groan out. "I want you to go faster! Please!"

...

The smell of food woke Rebecca up the following day. Sluggish with her night activity with the man, she slowly got down from the bed and looked for him. After looking around, she found him preparing another set of food on the dining table — no doubt it was something he had ordered from the hotel restaurant.

"Good morning!" he greeted.

Rebecca thought the man must have woken up early because he looked even more refreshed. He was wearing a striped polo shirt and black slacks, paired with black leather shoes, and his hair, almost always mused when they were together, looked unusually styled this morning.

Rebecca had noticed it before, but the man didn't seem to be an ordinary man. He spoke of class and wealth. And although she couldn't confirm it, the clothes he was wearing looked to be custom-made for his build and physique.

Rebecca might not be well-off, but she had met many people just like him in her line of business to know that the man was no ordinary man.

"Morning," Rebecca mumbled while she watched him.

"Breakfast?" he invited.

"Yes, please," Rebecca said excitedly. She was famished, and her stomach grumbled in agreement.

Rebecca sat across from him and started eating, her eyes glued to her phone. She was sending a message to Sophia when her mobile phone suddenly disappeared from her sight.

When Rebecca looked up, she saw that the man had snatched her phone away.

"I was just –"

The man didn't bother to hear Rebecca out and insisted, "No phones while you're eating."

...

Before leaving, Rebecca grabbed the man's arm and pushed the room card into his palm. "I'm giving it back," Rebecca said when the man looked at him in question.

However, the man only stared at the room card for a full minute before looking back at Rebecca.

"Keep it. I reserved the room for three months," he answered when Rebecca looked at him in question. "You can use it anytime."

"Three months?" Rebecca repeated, surprised that the man would go so far as to reserve this expensive room for their little rendezvous. "I didn't realize we agreed to a three-month relationship. Isn't that a little too long?"

"Long?" The man quirked an eyebrow, his lips curling in a smirk. "You must have had quite a few relationships in the past. How many have you had?"

"N–No. I only meant…." Rebecca couldn't see her face, but she was sure she was as red as an apple. She was no player, and it was her first time proposing a one-night stand with the man in front of her. She wanted to explain herself but stopped herself from doing so.

'We're not in a relationship,' she scolded herself. 'I don't have to tell him anything. It's best,' Rebecca decided, 'that we keep secrets from each other.'

"I was just teasing you." The man laughed, but Rebecca didn't mind. But she narrowed her eyes at him when he said the craziest thing she'd ever heard. "But if you don't want to be in a hotel, you can go to my house ins—"

"I didn't say that!" Rebecca hastily rebutted.

Even though she and the man had met quite a few times, Rebecca made a rule for herself. She promised herself not to step into his life completely, so going as far as staying at his house was breaking that rule.

"We're fine the way we are right now," Rebecca added, scared that the man would try to persuade her to agree.

So, it was almost a relief when the man only shrugged at Rebecca. "Ah, well. Maybe I'll ask another time."

Rebecca flinched. "Y-You don't have to. I won't change—" Rebecca's heart jumped in surprise when the man stepped closer.

He was so close. Close enough that Rebecca could feel his breath on her right ear. He gently grabbed her hand and placed the room card in her palm. "Keep this with you," the man said while gently touching the delicate skin of her wrist with his fingers. "So we can meet whenever you want."

Rebecca wanted to convince herself that she wasn't expecting the man to kiss her then, but the disappointment in her eyes when he stepped away was enough to tell her otherwise.

"Do you have plans for today?" the man asked as if nothing had happened. "I'll take you there."

"I'm fine!" Rebecca didn't mean to sound annoyed. She coughed. "I mean… it's faster for me to take the subway, but thanks for the offer."

Not waiting for the man to respond, Rebecca left and headed directly to Southwood High School.

...

Once the first bell rang, Otis quickly ran toward the concealed corner of the school ground and hid there. He stood in front of the wall and contemplated how to climb over the wall.

Otis was planning to skip school and spend his valuable time more productively, like playing at the Internet Cafe near his school!

The moment he flung his bag over his shoulder to prepare himself for jumping, someone called his name.

"Otis!"

Frowning, Otis looked at the teenage boy who was running toward him. "What is it?" He asked when the boy got closer.

"You're…" the boy gasped. "Your mom is here!"

Otis glared at the boy, and the latter quickly raised his hands in defense. "I didn't say anything!"

That annoyed Otis. 'Why is she here then?' he wondered.

'Mom couldn't have heard I was skipping class, right?' he thought.

"Where is she?" Otis asked.

"She's right behind me…."

Otis looked in the direction his classmate indicated, but the person he saw turned his frown into anger.

"Hi, Otis!" The woman stepped closer and greeted Otis.

"You're not my mother!" Otis screamed. He looked in the other boy's direction, intending to shout at him too, but his classmate had already fled. 'Traitor!'

"What the hell do you want?" Otis asked the woman in front of him. If he remembered it right, her name was Rebecca, and she was Raynor's older sister.

"You know, for an injured person, you look very healthy," Rebecca said while she pointed out his forehead.

Otis almost gasped. He had forgotten to put back the bandage on his forehead this morning! 'Otis, you fool!' he screamed at himself.

"I–I don't need it anymore." It was a weak answer, but it was the first thing that came to Otis's mind.

"Hmmm…" Rebecca came closer, close enough to peer at Otis's forehead.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Otis stuttered when Rebecca scrutinized the wound he didn't have in his head. Only a few people could intimidate Otis into a stuttering mess, and Rebecca wasn't one of them. But somehow, at that moment, he felt wildly scared at the hint of animosity in the woman's eyes. "G–Get away from me! I–I'm warning — "

Rebecca turned her head sideways, glanced at the surveillance camera at the school gate, stepped back two steps, leaned against the wall, and gestured for Otis to come.

When he did, Rebecca didn't let him finish his words. She had no time to listen to the little boy's ramblings. She was there for one reason and one reason only.

Quick as lightning, Rebecca grabbed Otis's arm, held him, and threw him over her shoulder and onto the ground.

When the kid started cursing, Rebecca didn't care. It was music to her ears.

"You bitch! You crazy woman!"

"That's only a warning, Otis," Rebecca loomed at the teenage boy writhing on the ground. "If I hear you are bullying Raynor, I won't hold myself back. Whatever pain you give him, I'll make sure it's tripled!"

The boy's eyes widened in anger, shock, and humiliation.

"Y–You'll regret this! I'll make sure you and Raynor…" the boy screamed even louder, but Rebecca was no longer listening. She left the boy screaming on the ground and walked away.

Nicole booked a four pm rehearsal meeting with Rebecca that afternoon to check if the latter was doing her job right. However, it was now five twenty in the afternoon, and Rebecca had not seen a single hair of the woman.

Rebecca waited, annoyed that Nicole had not even messaged her that she would be late.

"I could have finished a few more works at the office!" Rebecca grumbled to herself.

Alas, when Nicole finally appeared with a man in tow at five thirty, Rebecca wiped out any personal emotions and greeted the two with a professional smile.

Nicole introduced the man to Rebecca, "This is Derick, as you've seen in the pictures I showed you. He'll be the star of the party!"

Rebecca didn't break her smile as she shook the man's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Derick. I'm glad you two got here safe. Shall we get started on the tour at the venue?"

"I'm good. I'll stay here," Nicole announced as she took a seat in the corner seat of the room. Though Nicole was full of smiles, Rebecca knew the woman was bored with the event planning and only came today to be with Derick.

Rebecca would have rolled her eyes because of that. But then she reminded herself, ‘A client is a client, Rebecca. So don't mess this up!'