Nelissa stumbled backwards. Panicked, she almost fell down.
What if Sophie just came straight in? She was her girlfriend and how would she react if she saw Nelissa in her boyfriend's house?
Nelissa thought for a while and looked up the stairs. Maybe there was a guest room she could hide in.
The doorbell kept on ringing. Sophie was still outside. That was weird. How could Edward's legitimate girlfriend not have access to the house when his housekeeper, Eliza did?
Nelissa came to a realization about Edward and Sophie's relationship.
Nelissa tiptoed her way up the stairs while Edward had just finished his cigar. He looked out the room and saw Nelissa; he let out a slight giggle. He was amused.
He wasn't surprised after all. Nelissa didn't have any way to leave the house.
Nelissa peeked her head through the door and said, "Your girlfriend's here."
"So?" Edward replied.
He didn't seem to care. It didn't matter to him at all. There was something particularly ravishing about an aloof and indifferent man; and, it was completely embodied by Edward.
What?
Why was she the only one that was panicking about this? What was Edward doing?
"Don't let her in."
Nelissa knew it was out of her place to make such a request but she had to do it; for the sake of her twins. Sophie was their headmistress; who knew what she would do to the twins in school if she found out their mother was sleeping with her boyfriend!
"Sure," Edward replied casually. Truth be told, Edward couldn't care less. Sophie wasn't his genuine girlfriend anyway; he had no interest in that woman whatsoever.
Nelissa was pleasantly surprised. She didn't expect that Edward would be so cooperative. She thought that Edward would certainly try to blackmail her for a kiss or something.
The doorbell stopped ringing. There was a brief moment of silence when suddenly, Edward's phone started ringing.
It was Sophie.
"Don't pick that up!" Nelissa flustered and shouted out the first thing she thought of.
"Okay." Edward put down the phone and slowly strolled towards Nelissa. He switched on the light to the room.
Nelissa could tell what Edward was trying to do. That was a bad idea! What if Sophie saw the lights and knew that someone was home!
She tried to stop Edward but it was futile. Her strength was no match for his might.
To her surprise, Edward's hand paused in mid air. Instead, he grabbed her hand and sniffed it. The erotic smell of feminine lusciousness filled up his nostrils as he slowly ran his lips across her hands.
Nelissa felt the tingling sensations crawling down her arm like goosebumps. Her legs almost went limp and she felt ticklish behind her neck.
"Can I turn on the light? I need to change." Edward asked, unusually gently.
That man was such a mystery. Suddenly, he was a cold, unforgiving and domineering man and the next moment, he was a charming, kind and chivalrous gentleman.
"Can you do it with the lights off?" Nelissa didn't want to risk it. What if Sophie was still waiting outside the house. That would be catastrophic!
Oh goodness, what did she get herself into?
Edward was clearly enjoying himself. "Okay. Fine."
Edward knew his room from memory as he made his way around in the dark. He undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. His abs slowly came into vision range and enticed one to come closer.
Nelissa immediately shut her eyes. She didn't want to make things weird between them. She held her breath as the room grew silent around her. The sound of buttons being undone became deafening to Nelissa.
Edward changed into his pajamas and walked out the room. His shirt barely covered his chest as he turned around. "Come here."
Nelissa obediently followed like a naive puppy. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and led her downstairs in the dark. Nelissa was left in a trance at that moment. He was worried that she might fall or trip, was he?
His thoughtfulness warmed her blood up instantly.
With a sudden click, the entire house was lit.
Nelissa assumed Sophie was gone. It had been quite some time.
"I need to go now. Can you please open the door for me?"
Edward refused. He stood by the door and said, "I'm not sure if she left. I wouldn't be surprised if she waited out there all night. It wasn't the first time anyway. You might run into her if you leave now."
Nelissa was sceptical. Were they really a couple?
"I'm hungry. You haven't had dinner, right? Go make dinner now," Edward commanded.
Nelissa was positively vexed. Who did he think he was?
Nelissa removed her heels and entered the kitchen. Her feet were killing her and she knew if she screwed the meal up, she wouldn't hear the end of it from Edward.
That man was an unreasonable, egoistic maniac!
Edward couldn't stand Nelissa being barefooted around him. He remembered how Eliza used to prepare sandals for his guests. He found a pair in the nearby shoe rack.
At that point, Nelissa was rummaging through the fridge to find some ingredients.
Edward came into the kitchen and said, "There's a pair of sandals for you outside. I'm going to take a shower first. Call me when dinner is ready."
With that, he disappeared up the stairs. Nelissa found the sandals; it was designed for males and its sizing was too big. But it was far better than barefooted.
Nelissa planned to whip up a couple of simple dishes and be done with it. How did the night turn out like this? Come to think of it, every time she met Edward, things always took a drastic turn and she was never in control.
Edward entered his room and found that his phone was vibrating on the bed; it was Sean. It had been so long since he last called. However, Edward obeyed Nelissa's request to not answer any calls.
He stared at the vibrating phone for a while and went straight into the bathroom after placing it down. He was swamped for the night.
Thirty minutes later, Nelissa went upstairs to get Edward but he was still in the shower. Hence, she prepared the cutleries and got the table ready.
After some time, Nelissa got tired of waiting. Edward finally came down. His hair was still dripping and he wrapped a bathrobe around him. Nelissa could see his pecs in all its glory and got a slight peek at his rock hard abs too.
Was he wearing anything underneath? Nelissa thought to herself and her face turned scarlet red immediately.
"What took you so long?" Nelissa was in distress. She had gone through so much that day and her patience was running out.
Edward ignored her and went straight to the living room. He found a first aid kit. Normally he didn't know where the thing was but he gave Eliza a call earlier.
Edward put the first aid kit on the table and began taking out some medical supplies.
"How did you hurt your hand?"
Edward gently wrapped a bandage around Nelissa's wrist and poured some ointment on it. He then gave it a slight rub.
"Does it hurt?"
"No." Nelissa shook her head.
Edward put the things away and began eating.
Nelissa ate as she looked at Edward. She couldn't grasp that man. What was he thinking? What did he really want?
Nelissa washed up after the meal and wanted to leave.
Edward slouched on the chair, rested his head against his arm and said, "It's almost eleven thirty. The nearest station is about a half an hour's walk away. But there are probably no more buses at this hour. You can't get a cab here too. Stay here for the night. I'll send you back tomorrow morning."
Nelissa replied softly, "And if I say I want to walk to home?"
Edward was slightly angered. "Nelissa, I really like you but that stubbornness of you is a real turn-off. You are mine and I can't stand my woman asking for help from another man. If you need help, you can come to me."
Edward continued, "Tomorrow morning at ten, come over to the Hales Group with your colleagues. We will talk about the project."
He leaned in closer and said,"If you need money, don't worry, I have loads of it. And if you willingly submit to me, I will definitely treat you well too."
"That's it?" Nelissa was delighted.
If she secured that big project for her company, she would be able to get her bonus and win Marcel's favor at work too.
"On one condition," Edward tapped on the table and said, "If I catch you with Zayden or any other man, I will make you regret. Remember this, I am not a saint."
That wasn't just a simple warning. Nelissa realized at that point. She really underestimated Edward all this time. That was a true manifestation of Edward's domineering personality.
"Is that a nod?" Edward only needed Nelissa's verbal consent.
Nelissa regretted it now. She had gotten herself entangled into the life of Edward Hales!
She nodded her head. She could only comply with his demands.
In Nelissa's defence, Edward's conditions were way more flexible than Zayden's. If she really had to choose, Edward was the lesser evil of the two.
That was the plan for now. She could only plan as she went along. Perhaps, she might strike it big and win the lottery someday!
"Good. Go shower and get to bed. By the way, I liked the pancakes that you made. I want you to make it for me again."
With that, Edward went back to his room.
Nelissa was dumbstruck. Did Edward really mean that or was he just messing with her?
She turned the living room lights off and went into a guest room. Now that she had the room all to herself, she couldn't help wondering what her relationship with Edward was.
Were they partners? Friends with benefits? Or, lovers perhaps?
Okay. They probably weren't lovers but they certainly had something between them.
Nelissa didn't want to think about it any further. She had a lot more other things to worry about.
She would just play it by ear for the time being...