Chapter 94: Caught off-guard

Third Person POV

As Mavis pondered over the latest news in the media, an idea struck him. He thought to himself, what if he went to the new Mall in San Francisco with Estelle, took some pictures, and flaunted them on Instagram?

Perhaps that would serve as a reminder to Isabel of what she had lost. Perhaps seeing him with Estelle would ignite feelings of nostalgia and desire for him within her. After all, Estelle was just a stand-in, a pawn in his grand scheme to win back Isabel's affection.

With his mind set on his strategy, he picked up his car keys and began the drive to Estelle’s house. As luck would have it, she was already dressed in a beautiful gown and making her way downstairs as he arrived.

"Looks like someone missed me," she purred with a seductive smile.

Attempting to maintain an air of nonchalance, Mavis replied with a lighthearted quip, "And, looks like someone's busy with something else. Some other time perhaps?" He made to turn on his heel, only to feel her delicate hand grasp his.

"No way, I'm not busy." She admitted. "I was about to step out to give you a phone call,"

Despite his doubts, he decided to play along with her pretense and brushed it off with a smile. "A visit to San Francisco, are you in?" He asked, extending an invitation to the impromptu outing.

Her face lit up with enthusiasm as she responded, "Yeah sure! Let's go!"

Gathering his composure and masking any lingering doubts, he responded with a calm, "Great, shall we?" before escorting Estelle to the car.

The recent opening of the new Mall attracted media attention, with reporters eager to promote the shopping center and turn it into a must-visit destination.

Mavis knew that Isabel, with her finger on the pulse of local news, would inevitably become aware of the Mall's existence.

He couldn’t help but grin at the thought of her stumbling across carefully staged photos of Estelle and himself, which he hoped would stir up long-dormant feelings in Isabel’s heart.

Meanwhile, Isabel couldn't believe that Eric, sometimes during the night, when their emotions overtook them, they'd crossed boundaries and he had made love to her.

Despite knowing it was a mistake, she couldn't help but relive those moments in her mind, still struggling to reconcile her former admiration for Mavis and her desire for Eric

She sat there, lost in the memories and her turbulent emotions, unaware of Mavis' plot.

Eric stood in the kitchen, his hands busy with cooking. Yet, his mind was fraught with conflicted emotions.

Isabel had been quiet since in the morning as she couldn't say a single thing about the night with Eric. She equally hoped that he would pretend not to remember anything.

"About last night," he started, his words hanging heavy in the air. She didn't believe that he had such courage to discuss it with her. It felt sexy though, she felt him differently, he wasn't the opposite of what she thought.

It was a really fun night for them both but it was all sweet because it happened in the dark, and the guilt began to pour in in the morning. "Isabel, I must say I'm sorry. I just couldn't keep...,"

“No, we just couldn't keep off each other." She caught him halfway. She didn't want him to put the blame in himself alone. "It's fine, that was what we wanted. You didn't rape me, did you?" Isabel asked.

Eric, turning around to her, shook his head. "No, but I feel you weren't ready for that yet.” His words were gentle, indicating his concern for her. “The truth is, I’d love you to belong to me unless you haven't moved on from your ex yet.”

His statement did a while lot to her. She hated to discuss Mavis for some reason, even if she wanted to discuss him, not with Eric.

Ex? Was Mavis her ex already? She thought, facing another direction in the kitchen since Eric was staring at her as though doing so would make her speak the truth about her feelings.

"She's silent, I think I was right." He said, turning back to the cooker.

"No, stop. I was thinking about something else,"

She interjected

About your Mom? She must be awake by now, and the cook has served her food."

Eric’s laughter filled the room as Isabel expressed surprise. “Oh, woah. A cook at the hospital, free food?” she teased.

“Yes, the cook at the hospital. It's not free food, I paid money to the cashier for it.” Eric replied matter-of-factly.

“You never told me about paying money to anyone, why?” Isabel asked, feeling a bit off guard.

“Did you expect me to tell you I paid money for her upkeep? It's nothing, what were you thinking?"

Isabel smiled, "A free health center, of course, we have one back in Los Angeles. You only need to buy a ticket and that's all."

Eric’s eyes danced with warmth and affection as he gently lifted Isabel onto the kitchen counter. His body nestled between her legs, he leaned in, the heat of their bodies mingling, “I wish I had a mother, I would have taken you to her,” he murmured.

Isabel blushed, feeling the sensation of his firmness pressing against her legs. The tension in the air was thick and electrifying. He trailed his fingers up her thighs, leaving trails of goosebumps in her body.

"You're as sweet as you appear," Eric whispered, his voice low and seductive. She could feel herself dripping already at his words. He caressed her face, his fingers tracing the curve of her jawline as he brought her mouth closer to his.

Their lips met, and the kiss was like a blaze igniting in the darkness. She wanted him and he wanted her, their bodies couldn't deny that but the ringing of Eric's alarm brought them back to the human world.

Isabel reluctantly disentangled herself from Eric’s embrace, her lips still tingling from the kiss.

"It's already 9 am, there's no time for this until we're back." Eric's statement was accompanied by a wink at Isabel who equally gave him a small smile. "Let's hurry with the food so you can get to your house and have your clothes on." Eric brought her down to the floor, taking the tray of food in one hand to the dining room.

After the morning meal, Isabel had to return to her house and get dressed for the hospital.

"I need to go back home and get ready for the hospital visit," she muttered wiping her mouth with a serviette.

Eric’s eyes locked onto hers, his heart quickening at the thought of being separated from her. “Sure, I'll have a bath swiftly and get dressed so I can drive you there,” He offered.

Isabel stepped out of Eric's house, the early rays of sunlight kissing her skin as she made her way towards her own home. Her mind swirled with thoughts of the morning's intimacy and the tasks ahead of her. A visit to the hospital and then to her Mall; would be a busy day indeed.

As she strolled through the neighborhood, she spotted a car that drove and stopped at intervals.

Needing to save time, she unlocked the gate and dashed inside without worrying about locking it behind her.