Annabelle gasped as David took a step towards her and she took a step backward.

"W-what do you think you're doing?"

She asked breathlessly.

"Stopping you from leaving." He said with a smirk as he came closer to her.

She stood her ground and didn't move backwards anymore, trying her utmost best not to cower in front of him.

"You can't stop me from leaving!"

"I'm about to do just that." He replied huskily.

She took another step backward as he was an inch close to her.

"Stay away from me!"

"I won't allow you to leave this house, Annabelle."

He grounded lowly.

"Why?"

"Because," he sighed. "goddammit Annabelle, you're a married woman for fuck's sake!"

"And you are a married man!" She exclaimed. "A married man and yet you hardly stay at your matrimonial home, a married man and you're still philandering with other women...!"

David cursed under his breath. "Enough!"

"No it's not enough!" She snapped. "I am going to leave this house tonight and you are not going to stop me!"

"We'll see who's stronger between the two of us."

He said lowly, clearly amused.

Annabelle released an angry sigh.

"All I want to do right now is stab you with a nice sharp dagger."

"And all I want to do right now is kiss you senseless until you forget about going out tonight."

He drawled sexily.

Her breath caught when he said that and she stared up at him, speechless.

"And I will do it," he continued. "If you try to leave this house tonight."

She was half tempted to prove stubborn, so that he would do what he had threatened but chose not to.

"Kathy is waiting for me, I can't..."

"Call her and cancel." He drawled nonchalantly.

Annabelle scoffed. "Really? Did you just hear yourself? I am not..."

David's phone rang and he hesitated when he glanced at the caller, but made up his mind after a few seconds as he picked.

"Hello? If I remember vividly, we just spoke few minutes ago...I don't think that'll be possible tonight..."

Annabelle narrowed her eyes at him as she discovered he was talking to Chanel.

"...Come on, don't start..." He sighed in resignation, and Annabelle took it as her clue.

"...Alright, I'm coming..."

She walked past him avoiding his hand that reached for her. She locked the door and took off the key, sliding it deep into her bra, then crossed her hands across her chest, unaware of the rise of the smooth curves of her breasts, a sight his eyes didn't miss.

After he hung up, he stared at her with amusement all over his face.

"Okay, what was the meaning of that?"

"Exactly what it seemed." She replied curtly. "You think you can stop me from going where I intended to go to and then leave whenever you like?"

He smirked. "Oh, so 'that' is what this is about."

"You haven't seen nothing yet." She snapped, then walked to the bed and half laid on it comfortably. "If I ain't going nowhere, you ain't going nowhere either."

David's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You make quite a seductive picture lying on the bed like that."

He drawled huskily.

Annabelle blushed deeply at his comment, but she gave a comeback anyway.

"And you make quite an annoying picture standing there and moping at me like I'm some porn movie."

He smirked sexily. "Oh you could be right. But to make this setting more like a porn movie will require some dirty actions on that bed."

Annabelle gasped as she blushed.

"Why you dirty-minded..."

"You started it." He said smoothly and she glared at him.

"You know that I can take that key from you if I choose."

She gasped. "You wouldn't dare."

"You're suppose to know by now that I'm a dare devil."

He drawled as he walked towards her.

"Stay away from me, David Maxwell."

She scrambled far away into the bed as he got to the edge.

"Since we've both prevented each other from going out," he drawled. "We can as well make do with each other."

"You're crazy," she snapped as she slid further out of the bed. "Don't you dare put your hands on me."

He smirked. "I assure you, you'll like my hands."

Annabelle saw that he wasn't joking, then she quickly dug her hand into her bra and fetched out the key.

"Alright, alright, you win!" She screamed breathlessly and tossed the key at him.

He grinned. "That's my girl. But...I changed my mind."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"I think staying here with you tonight wouldn't be bad at all." He said huskily and came close to her.

She made to flee but he caged her between the wall and himself, his hands on both sides beside her head.

"Let me go David!" She tried to move his hands but he wouldn't budge.

"Not happening." He said in amusement.

She saw him glance down at her lips.

Ohmigod, he's going to kiss me! No! If he does I'm going to give in. I'm going to melt into him. I can't allow him use me as a substitute because he couldn't see Chanel.

"You can't kiss me! Only Dominic can!"

She blurted out and immediately regretted it when the playful smirk disappeared from his face and was replaced by a frown.

He curtly took his hands off the wall and a step away from her as if she had suddenly gotten a disease.

He stared at her with that expression. An expression that showed anger and disappointment.

Without a word, he grabbed the keys from the bed, opened the door, then slammed it with a loud bang on his way out.

Annabelle just stood there, still reflecting on what she had just said.

How could she have been so stupid? She, who was trying to make her marriage with David work had now taken them back to level one because of idiocy!

What had made her blurt that out?

She sighed heavily and sat on the bed, then she noticed he forgot his phone on the bed when it rang.

Probably the bitch Chanel. She checked out of curiosity, but it wasn't Chanel, it was his mum. She contemplated whether to pick the call or not, Anita might be her mother in law but she was one frightening tigress.

She took a deep breath and picked up the call.

"Hello son, where the heck are you?" Anita's authoritative voice came online. "I thought you said you're coming right away, the last time I called? Everyone is waiting for you!"

It was his mother that had called earlier? She was the one he wanted to go and meet?

"Uhm, mum it's me." She said calmly. "David's not here. He...he's already on his way."

There was a pause on the line and she thought the woman might have hung up on her.

"Oh, it's you." She said drily. "And why the heck are you with his phone?"

"He uh, he forgot it in the bedroom."

Annabelle replied.

"Oh, now I know the reason for the delay." Anita said calmly but scathingly. "You were seducing my son, trying to stop him from honouring my call."

"What? No! I didn't do anything like that."

"You better." Anita said curtly and hung up arrogantly.

Annabelle shrugged.

Arrogance ran in the family. Apart from the senior Maxwell though. Aaron was nothing like other members of his family.

She looked at his mobile phone and sighed again.

She was a fool. A big fat idiot. By now, she probably would have been, she'll admit it, enjoying the kiss she had been craving from him especially after that night they had almost kissed.

How was she going to explain to him that she didn't mean what she said?

❤❤❤

As expected, David didn't return home that night. But the punk head had made sure she hadn't gone out because a big muscular man sat at the stairs and didn't even allow her go outside for some fresh air.

"Boss's orders." He had said.

Now she was walking to his office the next day to apologize to him for what she said. But when she got there, his secretary wouldn't allow her in.

"I'm sorry madam but he doesn't want to see anyone at the moment. Even I, haven't seen him since I came but he ordered through the intercom, that he didn't want to be disturbed. Maybe you should come back later."

She said nonchalantly.

Annabelle looked down on her condescendingly, the woman was getting on her nerves.

"You are supposed to know by now that I do not take such orders from either you nor him."

She spat and left the woman who immediately came after her but Annabelle entered the office, closed the door on her face and shut it.

She smiled to herself then turned around to face David, but the sight before her made her heart beat painfully.

He was flopped on the fine white couch in his office. His jacket was off and his tie loosened. On the floor beside him was a half-finished bottle of a very strong alcohol, with a glass beside it and he looked like he was sleeping.

Annabelle slowly made her way towards him.

Why was he drinking? She thought.

She gently sat near him, then slowly reached out her hand to touch him.

She ran her fingers lightly over his forehead and he stirred.

He opened his eyes and stared directly at her like he didn't recognize her.

"David, are...are you okay?" She asked softly.

He didn't reply but sat up and winced slightly.

"Do you need me to get you anything?" She asked. "Coffee?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked drily.

"I uhm, well I...I came to check on you." She answered awkwardly.

"Leave."

Annabelle blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me," he said calmly but coldly. "Leave."

"But I..."

He got up sharply and walked to the door, then pulled it open and gestured to her to leave.

Annabelle recovered from her shock and stood up. She walked towards him and stopped when she got to the door. She turned to him, wanting to apologize for the previous night but the look on his eyes discouraged her and she turned away and left his office.

She heard the door slam shut in her wake and she sighed.

Walking past the secretary, she could swear she saw a smirk on the woman's face as she passed by but she paid her no heed.

She went back to her office and tried to bury herself in work.

She tried. God knew she tried.

Annabelle sat alone in the restaurant, slowly eating her meal. She didn't even tell Katherine that she was leaving for lunch and she felt bad for the other girl. She had not properly apologized to her for not keeping up with their outing plans last night.

But for now, she just wanted to be alone.

Scenes of David throwing her out of his office kept playing in her head and she groaned. It wasn't his fault though. She started it.

"Annabelle?"

A familiar voice called.

Great! Just when she wanted to be alone.

"May I sit?" Dominic asked presenting himself to her view. He was looking good in a dark suit.

"Uh, sure."

She replied but immediately had a bad feeling about that.

"Why are you alone?" He asked as he sat, looking around. "Where is Maxwell?"

"Dominic can you please, let's not talk about my - him?"

He nodded. "Didn't know you still eat here."

She shrugged. "Has always been my favourite restaurant."

Dominic smiled. "Yeah, but I thought your been married would change everything."

"Not this one." She replied lowly.

Dominic noticed her sudden closed off expression and reached across the table to hold her hand.

"Are you alright, Ann?"

She was about to respond when her eyes went to the two tall and handsome men that just entered through the glass door drawing longing and admirable glances and stares from the ladies. And they were both achingly familiar. But before she could slid her hand off Dominic, David's eyes strayed to their direction and she froze as he stopped in his track almost causing his friend to bump into him. Her breath seized as his eyes dropped to their entangled hands and she quickly took her hand off Dominic's who had also turned to look at him.

David quickly turned back to face Derek who almost caught what he was looking at and said something to him, he nodded in confusion and they both turned and left the restaurant.

Annabelle buried her face in her hands.

"Oh god."