Chapter 126 Familiar Scent
Alison quickly grabbed the bedsheet to cover herself, sitting up cautiously and avoiding Jack like he was a dangerous predator.
Her bare feet touched the soft carpet, but she felt no warmth, only a coldness in her heart.
In front of Jack, she always felt so insignificant.
Last time it was because of another woman, and now, was it because he remembered Emily again?
She didn't have time to think; she just wanted to get out of his sight as quickly as possible, the farther the better.
She walked briskly, but suddenly, a deep voice from behind commanded, "Don't leave the city, and keep your phone on."
He was letting her go for now, needing time to sort out his thoughts. He couldn't keep being unsettled by this woman.
Alison had an idea, thinking of the scar on her chest, and responded softly, "Okay, but Jack, I need to take care of the kids for a few days. Just a few days, okay?" She needed time to deal with the scar on her chest.
Jack stared coldly at her slender back, the familiar feeling making him always want her.
"A few days?" he pressed.
"A week. I need to take care of the kids." She thought, after the surgery, she could be out of the hospital in a week. She just needed a small operation to remove the scar. Enduring these two days with the scar in front of him was already the limit; she didn't want to be on edge any longer.
"Come here," he called to her back.
Alison, dazed, turned around and reluctantly walked back to the bed. The bedsheet hung loosely around her, and in the dim light, her short hair clung to her cheeks with sweat, adding a touch of allure that made one feel tender.
She stood quietly in front of Jack like a sprite, unsure of what he wanted to do next. The air still carried the scent of their recent intimacy, making her uncomfortable.
Jack stared intensely at Alison in the dark. Though he couldn't see her face clearly, he could sense her reluctance to return.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "What, you don't want to?"
"No... it's not that." She knew she had borrowed money from him and had promised to be at his beck and call for three months. The $120,000 was like interest, but she owed him much more.
He had helped her with a $10,000 hospital bill, and the remaining $8,000, along with the money she saved from working at a restaurant, allowed her to open her little flower shop. She remembered all of this, telling herself she would repay him one day.
She wasn't shameless or after his money; she was just desperate.
As she was lost in thought, the man suddenly pulled her down onto the bed, her head resting against his chest. Alison could hear Jack's steady, strong heartbeat, making her heart race.
Her body stiffened; she didn't know what he wanted. He had just let her go, but now he called her back.
With a wave of his hand, the bedsheet slipped off her, revealing her smooth skin, marked with his scent and traces.
He held her tightly, trying not to think of the woman in his memories—the sweet, gentle woman. Maybe she wasn't Emily, really didn't seem like her. The more he thought about it, the less she seemed like her.
This sudden realization was driving him crazy.
He shook his head, not daring to think further.
Coldly, he said, "Fine, I'll give you a week off, but tonight you have to serve me again, until I'm satisfied."
Would that help him stop associating Alison with that woman?
He really didn't want to.
Alison's body trembled; from his tone, she knew she couldn't escape tonight.
"Jack, can I call work to ask for time off?" She looked up at him, humble but knowing she had to do what needed to be done.
She didn't want Jackson to worry. She knew he was probably waiting for her somewhere at Rebel.
Jack let go of her, letting her lean against him. He picked up a cigarette and lighter from the table, took a deep drag, and then handed her the phone. "Here, make it quick."
A hint of relief flashed in her eyes; maybe he still had some humanity left. Alison quickly called Liam, telling him she had to take care of the kids and couldn't come to work tonight. Liam agreed without question to inform Eva, the manager.
She said a few brief words and hung up, the phone feeling heavy in her hand. She pictured Jackson possibly rushing to her house, and she wouldn't be there...
She didn't want to think about it anymore.
The air was thick with smoke and Jack's unique scent. He leaned comfortably against the headboard, the cigarette glowing in the dark, sparking imagination.
He said, as long as he was satisfied, he would give her a week's leave.
For those seven days, to remove the scar on her chest that felt like a ticking bomb, Alison moved closer to him.
...
But no matter how close she got to him, he would never belong to her. That was a luxury she could never attain.
Her fingers traced his skin on his back; at this moment, her world was only him.
They soared together, landing in places where flowers bloomed and withered. If she could, she would watch the sunrise and sunset with him, hand in hand, enjoying each other's warmth and company.
Would that be a dream?
When the truth came out, when everything was clear, she would tell him she was the woman who had waited for him those three months.
But when would the truth come out?
She had to go to Rebel.
Tears fell, one by one, and at some point, his fingers touched the wet drops. The tears made Jack's heart sink.
He didn't know why Alison was crying, but her tears made him feel immense pain.
He said nothing more, just tried to bring her pleasure, immersing them both in the beauty of their passion.
In the night, the air was filled with the scent of love.
It seemed like you could hear the flowers blooming, but the true blossoming happened when his deep roar echoed.
That night, he gave himself to her completely for the second time.
Maybe it was her tears, or maybe he didn't think of the past again.
That night, he forgot to make her take the post-coital contraceptive he always gave women.
When she got up, tired and sore, he was still breathing heavily, unable to describe the extreme pleasure she had just given him.
Fine, he would give her seven days. The wait would make the next experience even more thrilling and full of anticipation.
She left, disappearing into the night, out of his sight.
He didn't see her off, just watched her back disappear at the apartment door, his gaze never leaving that direction, staring quietly through the open bedroom door.
He smoked one cigarette after another, memories flooding back.
Suddenly, he thought of the scar.
But when his fingers had brushed over her there earlier, he had forgotten to feel it.
Seven days, in seven days he would check her there. For some reason, after this night, he increasingly overlapped Alison with that woman.
In both speech and behavior, they were so similar.
She was gentle, even more tender.
That was exactly the type of woman he liked.
Right, hadn't he always suspected that Emily had changed too quickly back then?
After finishing the last cigarette, he fell asleep, the air still filled with the woman's scent, lingering.
Alison left, stumbling into a cab and returning to her small house. Seeing the darkened windows, she knew the kids must be sleeping soundly. She longed to kiss their little faces.
She pressed the code on the front door, and just as she lifted her leg to step inside, an arm suddenly wrapped around her. The familiar scent behind her made Alison gasp...