Chapter 124 Third Time’s The Charm
Arabella was done playing the "dutiful wife."
She was done with seduction and whiskey. If William wanted a performance, she would give him one he would never forget.
She would use dominance this time.
William was in his study. He heard the door click shut, being locked, pumping his beats in anticipation.
He didn't look up, a confident smirk already playing on his lips.
"Back for more, Bella? Is this Attempt Number Three, or are you here to throw more glass at my head?"
"Silence," Arabella commanded.
The tone of her voice made him pause. It was cold. Absolute.
The pen slipped between his fingers, his breath hitch at the superiority in the tone which was unlike before. Baffled, he gradually lifted his head.
Only to find her in a sleek, form-fitting black leather dress and gloves. The V-neckline exposing all her cleavage, creating a perfect view with all her hair tied in a slick ponytail.
Clearing his throat, he observed the domineering woman, enhancing his heartbeat at the unforeseen sight.
“When did you-”
In one fluid motion, she kicked his chair back, forcing him to tilt his head up, the cold, unmistakable sting of steel of knife pressed against the skin of his throat.
Sharp enough to make a cut.
"Don't move," she hissed, leaning down so her lips were inches from his ear.
"One word, and I will make sure you can't laugh for a month."
William froze. His pulse drummed against the blade, a wild, frantic beat. For the first time, he wasn't the one in control.
And he loved it.
He swallowed hard, shaking under the sharp blade, "B-Bella..."
"I didn't give you permission to speak," She whispered, her free hand sliding down his chest to grip his tie, pulling it tight enough to make him gasp.
"Here are the new terms, William. We are going on this honeymoon. We are leaving on Saturday. You are going to book our tickets. Right. Now."
William looked up at her, his eyes dark with a mix of shock and intense, burning heat. He saw no hesitation in her gaze. She had finally reached her limit, and she looked magnificent.
"And if I refuse?" he challenged, a smirk playing along, indulging in the sight to the core.
Arabella smirked, a slow, dangerous curve, "If you refuse,"
She paused, rolling her tongue seductive on his earlobe before biting it.
"I will spend the entire night making you wish you hadn't. And then, tomorrow morning... I will do it all over again until you beg me."
The silence in the room was electric, thick with the scent of her perfume and the raw tension which magnified his excitement.
“My, my…” He panted, “Fulfilling my darkest fantasies, aren’t you?” He let out a ragged breath, a breathless chuckle.
“How about some negotiations? Have some mercy on this poor soul, Madam.” Playing along, he gave her innocent eyes, pleading with her politely.
“I think we are getting somewhere now,” She smirked triumphantly, placing it a few inches back, the blade still steady.
“Tell me.”
Leaning forward, his eyes stared at her exposed chest for a few seconds, his arousal becoming visible, throat drying to require more.
“I will be exactly how you want me during the honeymoon,”
His hands hovering near her waist, aching to touch but waiting for the signal as he offered in a shaky but velvety tone.
“But in exchange... you will be how I want for a month after we return.”
“One week,” She countered, her eyes narrowing.
“Not enough. Increase the price.” She glared. She smiled.
“Please.” He whined, willingly pressing his throat against the knife, tongue rolling over his lips to raise the heat between them.
“I deserve it for being such a willing captive. I promise I am very good at being a 'good boy.' Madam,” He whispered seductively.
Arabella felt the heat of his skin rising. She could feel him crumbling under the pressure of her proximity. The act was collecting lust in her body, it was burning her skin.
She gave the tie a sharp tug, leading the free hand to hold his jaw dominantly, rubbing her thumb across his jawline.
“Two weeks. That’s it,” To her strict order, he nodded hastily.
“Absoutely, Madam,”
“Great,” She grinned, back to her normal self, hugging him, throwing the knife back on the table, beaming when he finally agreed.
He let out a long, shaky breath, his hands coming up to grip her waist, pulling her flush against him, kissing the side of her face before positioning her on his lap.
"You are a terrifying woman, Arabella," A genuine, defeated laugh escaping his throat, leaning his head back.
“You almost had me,”
She giggled, poking his cheek, "Does that mean I win?"
William didn't answer with words. Instead, he reached for the laptop on his desk with one hand, his eyes never leaving hers. With a few clicks, he finalized the flight ticket.
“Florence, Italy?” Arabella questioned.
“Hmm. I booked a Villa. We will be alone. Just you and me. Away from this. Exactly how ‘you’ wanted,” He hummed, placing his attention back to her.
“Good enough for me,” She beamed, wrapping her hands around him, pressing herself firmly against him.
William paused, his eyes softened. Inducing a strange sensation in his chest with his other hand on her leg, circling slowly, snuggling to her.
“Get ready, My sweet Bella, we are going for our honeymoon,”
“Yay! I will do the packing!” She laughed, clapped and ran to their room, leaving him all alone with a strangeness brimming in his chest.
The second she was gone, William leaned back, staring into nothingness, hand curling into a rigid, powerless fist.
‘This is all meaningless. She doesn’t love me, just loves the idea of us being together to show Luke. …’ He thought wretchedly.
A dark, poisonous thought began to take root in his mind, coiling around his heart like a vine.
‘Always… doing this to me. She left me to suffer last time. Am I going to be left alone and broken this time too?’
Leaning his head back in defeat, rubbing his temples, disliking the whole scenario but had no other choice either.
Staring at the door, a cold, piercing smile spread across as he picked the knife, twirling it around his fingers.
“Why don’t you just kill me and end this for both of us?” He whispered, eyes back to the "Booking Confirmed" screen.
To Arabella, it was a victory, a chance to regain what she foolishly lost.
To him, it felt like he had just bought a month where he had to pretend to love her.