She didn't know how she was able to walk herself inside the house, she knew if she stayed longer than a minute in that car nothing could stop them from rushing back to that hotel. She practically ran out of the car and she heard the sound of his resonating laughter. She didn't care, he could think of whatever be wanted to. She had told him already, he had won, she was deeply affected by him.
She leaned onto her door after she had closed it and put her hand on her chest. What happened? She felt the way the wild desire Jack had awakened in her rustled and nearly made her lose all her control, she didn't know what she was going to do now. It took a while before she was able to set everything right in her brain and she walked up to her bed and slumped down. She rested her head on the head and closed her eyes, still trying to liberate her breathing.
She had to take her bathe, she reasoned with herself and it was a hell lot of work before she was able to peel herself up from the sofa. She striped her clothes off and sighed as she wrapped het towel around her petite frame. She tried to push away the thoughts of Jack from her mind but each time she tried that, all she could feel was his wet lips all over her neck and his erected length.
She walked to the bathroom and stood in front of the shower as she released the water on herself. She didn't know what she was going to do. She took her bathe and when she walked out of the bathroom, she met her Mother seated on her bed. "Hey, Mom." She said as casually as she could and tried to walk to her mirror, aware of the intense gaze she was flashing at her.
"Anna, I need to speak to you about something," Mom began, and when Anna sat down on her vanity stool, she turned to look at her Mother as she began to apply the lotion on her legs.
"I'm sorry I came back home without informing you, Mom. I got tired of staying there and I know what it is like for you to go shopping." She apologized, still avoiding her gaze.
"This isn't my Anna, are you alright?" She asked with a warm and loving voice and Anna smiled softly before she nodded her head at her.
"I'm fine, Mom. Just a little bit tired and exhausted. I'll be going to bed now." She stood up after she had sprayed a few of her perfumes dismissively gazed at her mother. "If you don't have anything to discuss with me, I'm so sleepy, Mom."
Daphne was aware of the way Anna kept on avoiding her gaze and she knew Anna hardly ever do that unless she had something heavy on her mind. She sighed, letting go of what she wanted to discuss with her because she knew if she tried to talk to her about that, they would get into a fist of fight and she wouldn't want to add more pain to her wounds. She stood up and tried to smile at her, but Anna was already on her bed with the duvet wrapped over to her neck. "We should talk tomorrow then when you're not tired. Maybe during dinner." She walked out of the room and Anna jerked upright on the bed.
She did that purposely to chase her out of the room and it seemed to work. She took her phone and immediately dialed Maya's number because she knew if she didn't get that out of her chest she could never be able to get some sleep. Not that she was certain about getting one even if she had spoken to Maya about it.
"Maya, I'm in a very hot soup." She whined in a dramatic voice even though she knew Maya might be asleep already, considering the time difference between them.
"What is it? Make sure it's worth my sleep, Anna." She groaned and Anna heard the shuffling sound she made before she spoke again. "You seem excited, Anna, tell me what is it?"
Anna lifted her face up in a whiny gesture and cried dramatically, "I hate him, but he's so hot! Maya, I can't control myself anymore." She giggled at the loud hiss that had escaped Maya's lips and she smiled. If only Maya had known what she had felt, she would have been saying sorry to her endlessly.
After she had groaned, she giggled aimlessly. "You seem so excited about something that I'm wondering if you're safe, Anna. I thought you're done with men?"
"I'm done with them," she nodded her head as though trying so hard to make herself believe that she was really done with them. "But he's so hot that I can barely resist him, Maya." She whined and ducked her head into her palms. She had never yearned for a man like she did today, and it was all because of Jack.
"I've heard you, he's so hot, now tell me what has happened and who it was this time. Who's the lucky guy that got Anna Brayden swooning in the middle of the night?" She giggled excitedly. She was happy that Anna could finally be back to her old self like just when they all thought she could never open up again.
"I have a rule before I tell you who it is. Promise me first, you won't insult me. And I can assure you that I hate him so much..." she whined dramatically and laughed at the pitch of her chest when Maya insulted her even before she was done. "But he's so hot Maya!"
"Are you going to tell me the full gist or not? Because I can easily go back to my precious sleep, Anna. You can swoon about how hot he is for all I care. Who is it?" She knew so well not to rile Maya to this point unless she wanted her to end the call like she threatened she would.
"Okay, I'm sorry. It's Jack Roberts..." she knew she would get an earful from Maya, that was why she had to stop to take a breather and when Maya only hummed to wait for the whole gist, Anna didn't hesitate in telling her everything.
❦
He was walking furiously to his room while his Mom followed behind him as she called his name endlessly, but he didn't want to hear anything from her. "Jack, won't you please listen to me?!"
He didn't even turn to look at her when he shook his head, "Mom! I don't want to hear anything from you again, please! I need to be alone."
She reached up to him and when he tried to close his door, she placed her hand, and he knew he can never shut a door on her face. He let it open and walked inside the room and when she walked inside, he turned to beg her. "Mom, please leave me alone!"
"I won't leave you alone, Jack. You have to get married before he can employ you in his company. Your license will be held for five years, how can you stay unemployed for five years? He doesn't give you any monthly allowances, Jack. Just get married for the sake of your future, okay?" Tears were already pooling the brink of her eyes and Jack had never felt annoyed with the way she cried a lot until today.
He chuckled humorlessly and shook his head, "Mom, are you even alright? How can I get married now?" He lifted his hands in surrender and held a very serious face on his face, "I don't have a girlfriend, Mom. I can't get married without a wife, can I? He should go to hell together with his damn company, I don't mind whether he gives me the job or not. I'll find a way out for myself."
She stared at him as though she could not believe what he was saying, "You don't have a girlfriend, Jack?" She asked, needing more assurance from him that he meant what he had said.
He rolled his eyes exasperatedly and nodded his head again as he slumped down on the sofa next to him, "I don't have a girlfriend, I'm not getting married anytime soon, I'm not ready yet."
She stared at him and nodded her head at him, "I'll find a wife for you..." he was about to argue with her when she lifted her hands up in a pleading gesture and her tears rolled down her cheeks. He slipped down from the sofa.
"Mom! What are you doing?" He bulged his eyes out and she nodded her head at him. She was trying to kneel down in front of him when he held her whole body and pulled her to his chest, his heart thumping rapidly as all the anger he had in his heart had turned to panic for what was happening in front of him.
He wrapped his hands firmly around her body and no matter how much she wanted to pull her body away from his, she couldn't. "'Mom, please. Can you stop doing all this for this man? Please Mom, you can't kneel in front of me, oh god! Mom, please!" His voice was trembling as he had imagined the intensity of what she had nearly done all for that man.
She was crying terribly, "I'm not doing this for him, Jack. I'm doing this for you, I want you to have a good future, Jack. You're only going to work under him for just five years, after that you'd be as independent as you've always wanted to be."
He thought that this was the right time to tell her everything between him and Clara. Now that they were both emotional and teary. But he remembered the conversation they had with Clara yesterday night, she went back the village to take care of her grandfather and she was crying when she called him. Telling him how she wanted to be done with her studies and get a better job so she can support her Mother who stood for her and her grandparents.
He couldn't do this for her, he couldn't ruin what she had lived her whole life trying as much as she could to secure. He sighed and felt as his Mother lifted her head from her chest and her teary-eyed face stared back at him, "Are you sure that you don't have a girlfriend?" She asked again, and he pictured the beautiful face of Clara before he nodded his head, feeling a chord of bitterness. "I'll fine a wife for you, will you accept?" He nodded his head again, feeling cloudy with sadness.
What was he going to do now? How would he explain everything to Clara? He knew that if Mom set her mind into something she would have to do everything in her power until she finally achieved it. He knew he wasn't going to love whoever it was she was getting him married to, but what bothered him was how Clara was going to take everything. He would have to explain everything to her as soon as he could. He didn't want her to think that he had betrayed her.
Mom took a few steps back from him and she pulled him with his shirt until she was able to cup his face with her hands. "I'll make sure that you don't regret this decision you made, Jack. She'd be a good wife to you."
He watched as she left the room with an excited smile on her face and he was certain that she was already thinking of the wife to hook him with. What kind of life was he living now? He slumped back on the sofa and palmed his face into his hands. He didn't know what he was feeling yet or how he would react if he got to see the wife Mom had gotten for him.
He abruptly stood up, he had to call Clara as soon as possible even though he wasn't sure if he had the courage to tell her about everything that was going on now. Should he let her until she was back home? Whatever it was, he had to talk to someone so he can be able to make his decision. And all he could think about was Willa.