I stood there, hands on my hips, watching her for a bit. As I started to cool down, I went back to the door, grabbed my scattered clothes, and put them on.
While slipping on my shoes, I noticed Mia still sprawled on the carpet, looking unsatisfied. "Hey, I'm heading out. Don't forget to clean up the carpet so your fiancé doesn't notice," I reminded her.
Mia finally snapped out of her daze, sat up, and asked, "You're not staying for dinner?"
"Nah, it's Sunday. I gotta head home. Plus, I have a part-time job tonight," I replied, already halfway out the door.
By the time I hit the street, it was around 5:30 PM. The roads were pretty empty, so I quickly flagged down a taxi and gave the driver Scarlett's villa address.
I figured getting there early would be better, and planned to run if we hit rush hour.
Sure enough, as we neared Scarlett's place, we got stuck in traffic on a bridge. It was already 5:45 PM.
"Hey, is there a shortcut we can take?" I asked the driver, checking the time on my phone and peeking out the window.
The driver shook his head. "No shortcuts around here, and seriously, even if there were, we couldn't take it because we're on the bridge now."
"Damn it," I muttered, giving up on that idea.
It was already 5:50 PM. If I waited any longer, I'd definitely be late.
"Screw it, I'll just run. How much is it?" I asked impatiently.
"Twenty bucks," the driver replied, glancing at the meter.
I handed him a twenty, jumped out of the car, and started weaving through traffic to the sidewalk. Then, I picked up the pace and sprinted towards Scarlett's villa, constantly checking the time on my phone.
Finally, at 5:59 PM, I reached the doorstep.
With a loud sound, I burst through the door. "Scarlett, I'm back!" I shouted.
In the huge villa, Scarlett was the only one there. She had just set the dishes on the dining table and jumped at the sudden noise.
"You didn't have to make such a racket," she said, patting her chest to calm down.
"I didn't want to miss your delicious meal," I said with a grin, changing my shoes and walking towards her.
I didn't see Ryan's car outside or his shoes by the door, so he must not be home.
Taking advantage of the moment, I pulled Scarlett into a tight hug and planted a firm kiss on her lips.
"You've got some nerve. You said you'd be home for lunch, but you show up when it's almost dark. Were you out fooling around?" Scarlett pointed to the window behind me.
Sure enough, the sun had set, leaving a faint purple glow in the sky.
I had run so fast, I hadn't even noticed.
I quickly explained, "I'm innocent, babe. I rushed home right after hanging up, but that customer's place was way out in the sticks. It took me almost an hour just to get a cab after leaving her house." Actually, I only walked for half an hour, but I exaggerated to make myself seem more pitiful.
Scarlett gave me a skeptical look like she wasn't buying it.
So I kept going, "You don't know, that customer built a fancy mansion in the suburbs for some peace and quiet. After I got to the city, it took me almost an hour to hail a cab. The first driver refused to take me because it was too far and would mess up his commute home. I had to ask him to drop me off partway."
I wiped my face and continued, "The second cab driver agreed to take me, but we hit rush hour traffic and got stuck for hours, barely moving near the bridge by our house. I was worried you'd be waiting too long and get anxious, so I got out and ran back. Look at the sweat on my head, it's all from running."
I pointed to the sweat-soaked ends of my hair, with beads of sweat dripping down, a few drops rolling from my temples to my jawline, and soaking into my clothes.
There was already a wet spot on my shirt from the sweat.
Scarlett looked at me, seeing the sincerity in my sweaty, slightly out-of-breath face, and finally believed me.
"Alright, go take a shower, then come down for dinner." Scarlett gently wiped the sweat off my face with the back of her hand, speaking softly.
"What about Ryan? Isn't he coming back for dinner?" I asked.
"He's not back yet. Let's eat first, no need to wait for him," Scarlett answered.
"Okay." I nodded, and before leaving, I hugged Scarlett again, kissing her for a few minutes until her lips were swollen before letting her go.
"Then I'll go?" I hesitated, looking at her for a few more moments. She had been kissed until her legs were weak, and she could barely stand.
Scarlett looked at me with a hint of reproach, "Go on, the food will get cold!"
"Got it." I smiled and ran upstairs, grabbed a towel and bathrobe from the bedroom, then headed to the bathroom.
While Ryan hadn't returned yet, I needed to hurry up, take a shower, then go downstairs to have dinner with Scarlett, and maybe get a little touchy-feely with her.
But when I came down after showering, Ryan was already back, sitting in his usual seat with his hands folded on the table, looking a bit lonely.
This time, Scarlett was sitting across from him in the seat I usually sat in. Her eyes were fixed on him without moving, and she looked somewhat serious.
Thinking back to Scarlett mentioning at noon that Ryan was going to a company meeting for the promotion results, I suddenly had a bad feeling.
Could it be that Ryan lost the promotion?
For a moment, I stood at the top of the stairs, unsure whether to go to the dining table.
If I went, where should I sit? Next to Scarlett or next to Ryan?
While I hesitated, Scarlett had already noticed me, and when she saw the muscles bulging at my neckline, her shy eyes dodged for a moment.
Then she adjusted her tone and said, "David, come over for dinner."