Published: Aug. 20, 2019----Sept.30, 2020

Katelyn woke up wincing as she felt the soreness in her body as she moved. Slowly she opened her eyes, adjusting to the room's lights, and upon seeing Jared naked chest beside her, she looked down on her nakedness.

She bites on her lower lips as she realized that she spend the whole night making love to Jared and let her emotion reign over her head again.

"Will she be able to control herself only once she got pregnant or thrown out by Charlize?"

The enormity of the impact of what she had done made her think that her strategies in avoiding any intimate occurrence between them were useless.

"Why can she not dictate her body not to respond? Maybe she should hate his face or focus on his negatives attributes; perhaps it can help.

Her phone's ringing made her immediately leave Jared's arm to reach out on it, to see Nicole's missed call. She wondered what had prompted Nicole to call on her so early in the morning.

She panicked when it dawned on her that they were supposed to meet at noon, and it's already thirty-five minutes past eight.

She immediately gets up from the bed as she still needs to prepare their breakfast.

"Where are you going so early in the morning?' Jared asked her while pulling her, and she landed on his chest.

"Jared, I still need to prepare our breakfast," she tried to reason out while wriggling to be free from his arms but it seems like his hold just getting tighter than loosening.

"I am not hungry for food," Jared told her that made her looked up to see his eyes filled with longing, and she can feel the telltale of his arousal already.

"Oh no, she must resist this no matter what." She pushed on his chest and protested," Jared, I need to go out with my friends today, so I need to get up to prepare everything."

Jared loosens his hold on her upon hearing what she said, "It is weekend Tori," he reminded her.

"I know that, but can I go out with them?" she asked with a pleading look.

Jared then looked at her face and then softly pinched it and answered," But I have a problem right now that needs your attention," His words made her worried and asked." What is it?" He then holds her hands and lets it touched his crotch.

"Jared, you're becoming naughty," she told him more of teasing than scolding while hastily withdrawing her hands and moved away from him, making sure that the bedsheet still covers her naked body.

Her response made the room filled with laughter and sounded like a carefree child who had seen something to make fun. It even accelerated upon seeing her fanning her face with one hand.

Katelyn looked at his boyish face, so different from the person that she first met. The Jared that had made her behave like a statue, too scared to make a wrong move. If anyone who said that he is arrogant and cold-hearted can see him now, they will be shocked.

"Hey, come here beside me," Jared coaxed her, but she did not move an inch towards him, but instead, she asked." Can I go out with my friends?"

The laughter in his face was gone as he saw the seriousness on her face. He took a deep breath before answering," Okay, you can go with them."

His answer sounded forced, but then he got up from the bed and walked to their bathroom naked, leaving her admiring his statuesque body.

After a minute or two, she also gets up from her bed, still covering her body with the bedsheet, and followed Jared to the door that leads to their dressing room to get a dress.

She heard the water's sound as it splashes on the floor as she passed on the bath area's door, going to their closet. She directly went to her wardrobe, took out what she needed to wear, and then hurriedly walked back to their bedroom to arrange the bed before going to the kitchen and prepare their breakfast.

It was already fifty minutes past eleven when Jared dropped her in the mall's parking lot.

"Yes, she was dropped by him."

Earlier, her first thought upon seeing him dressed in casual attire when he went out of their bedroom was, " Is he going somewhere?" His mentioning that he will drop her to the mall almost made her choke on the food she was eating.

Scared of being seen by Tess and Nicole had made her object, but his scowling face made her smile sweetly at him; else, he would change his mind and make excuses for her not to go out.

She expressed her gratitude but then added a little request to where he will drop her.

Telling her of him being available to pick her up once she finished shopping with her friends brought worries on her mind once she got out of the car. It is because he did not mention where his destination will be. But judging from his casual pants of navy chino and stripe shirt that will bedazzle ladies to see him added the aura of being approachable; it should be with his friends or Charlize.

Thought of her flanking in him made Katelyn stopped her stride and had the urge to run back inside his car, but reason prevails as she realized she should not possess him. He is an entity and knows what he wanted; besides, if he meets Charlize, whom he loves, she cannot stop it as a person sold to have no freedom to voice her opinion.

She hurriedly walked to where her friends await her, only to find out that she was the first to arrive.

Tess arrived after five minutes past twelve, then after three minutes, Nicole came. They immediately went inside and directly walked to the lingerie stores, where Nicole bought two pairs of knickers and bra. She also wanted to buy a pair of short pajamas, but the thought of being gone in her closet the next day stopped her.

Then they went to Channel shops for a bag and went out with Tess's purchase of its classic flap bag.

The Balenciaga Mini city bag in pink color almost tempted her to buy it, but thoughts of the money she will spend stopped her. She needed to save every penny that she has.

After four hours of shopping, a bit tired and hungry, they decided to eat, but it was also the time that Nicole's phone rings.

Michael is inviting them to eat dinner with him in the hotel; Nicole informed them that Katelyn wanted to refuse because of the expenses, but then Tess reminded her that they still didn't use the dinner voucher given to them by the company. That stopped Katelyn from further arguing and yielded.

Good thing that Jared up until now didn't ask on her whereabouts, especially that when they arrived inside the restaurant of the hotel owned by the Steele Groups of Companies, Michael is not alone sitting on the table. He is with David and another guy named Thomas.

Awkwardness is what Katelyn felt at first because of what had happened when they first met her being in disguise, but it seemed like Michael had already explained; hence David was not so surprised to see her face.

He even voices out his admiration of her golden blonde hair to her embarrassment.

To the onlookers, they looked like three pairs of lovers having dinner.

Jared entered the restaurant without Katelyn's knowledge at the time when David point his fingers into her mouth.

Though he saw that Katelyn tried to avoid the man's touched, the thought that she went out to dinner with men made him so angry that he made a hissing sound.

"What happened to you?" Blake asked.

"Tori, she is with her friends."

"Hey, you're jealous again that there are men with her?" Blake asked him after looking around to where his wife was seated. She is on the far end of the room, in a round table for six.

"Of course not, I was just surprised as she told me they were only going to be in the mall." He tried to explain, but the truth is he is boiling with anger. He felt betrayed at that moment.

A lot of questions now are formed on his head. Like, is she dating that guy beside her? Where did they meet, or are her friends always doing this every time they went out?

"So you can be appeased, let us go to their table and say hi."

"What for do we have to do that?" he asked.

"So, your wife can sit with us, and you will not scowl like an angry lion ready to punch on his prey."

"I don't need to go there; she knows the consequences of her action." While sitting down in their table, he told Blake, took the menu, and checked on the food he wanted.

But thoughts of Tori being close to other men made him lost appetite enough that all the dishes available are not tempting. In the end, it was Blake who ordered the food for him upon hearing him asking for a bottle of wine.

His eyes never left the table where Tori sat.

As if she felt his stare, Katelyn looked around, and then her eyes met Jared's. To see him looking at her like his eyes have arrows ready to pierce her made, Katelyn realized that he had misunderstood her being there with men. Suddenly it hit on her what it means; she has to pay the consequences of her action.

She gets up on the table, not caring what her friends will say, only the thoughts of explaining to Jared matters, but Charlize's arrival with her friend stopped her.

"Katelyn, where are you going?" Tess asked her.

"Oh, I am so sorry, but I think I have an urgent need to go to the loo," she excused herself, and hurriedly went to the toilet direction.

Once inside, all she did was to walk to and fro while thinking. She then realized that the best thing for her to do is to be honest. Besides, she didn't know that Nicole's boyfriend will be with his male friends or that it is the day that Nicole had chosen to play matchmaker.

She washed her hands simultaneously and checked on her face before going out of the toilet.

To her surprise, Blake was outside of the hallway leading to the dining area, fidgeting. Upon seeing her walking to his direction, he walked to her to stand face-to-face in the hallway.

"Tori, you did not listen to what I told you before. Now, your husband is fuming with anger."

"But I was just eating dinner with my friend's boyfriend and his friends." She reasoned, but Blake's expression of disbelief as if her answer was enough to appease Jared made her remember that he had seen her before eating with David and Michael on a disguise.

She realized that like Jared, Blake also thinks that she is on a date with David.

"Do you want me to explain to him while Charlize is there?" She decided to ask, letting him know that she is aware of what is going on with Jared and the woman in their table.

Her question made Blake stopped from saying anything.

His silence made Katelyn realize that Blake had just remembered that Charlize has no idea about her, and he too doesn't want to be the cause that Jared's secret marriage will come out from him.

His reaction has given her reason to leave him and go back to her chair, abandoning the thought to talk to Jared.

"Are you okay, Kate?' Tess asked with concern in her voice as she sat beside her.

"I am alright, thank you."

"Kate, I think Mr. Steele has recognized you, it is rude if you do not go and greet him," Nicole advise her and then turned to Michael and explained about her temporary job as a substitute to one of the assistant secretary.

"Yes, Kate, just go there and say hello," Tess added.

But then Katelyn turned to Tess and softly just for her ears to hear said. "You see that Charlize and her friend are there."

"No matter what, his eyes are here again. If you want, I will go there with you." Tess declared.

Katelyn was going to say that she will do it alone but then remembered Blake. She knows the reason that Tess wanted to accompany her, that is, to greet him.

If her mind is not in chaos now, she will play cupid to the both of them. But then Blake is a playboy; she doesn't want to push her friend to someone who will only hurt her in the end.

They both stand up and make their excuses to the men who were now busy talking about some company they were negotiating to get their firm an auditing contract.

Once they are in his table, Jared indifference attitude had almost made Katelyn turned back to their table if not for the arm that is softly pushing her to say something.

"Darling, isn't this your new temp?" Charlize asked Jared with her eyes on Katelyn while her hand caress Jared's on the top of the table, letting them know the intimacy between them.

Jared's lack of acknowledgment of her presence as he just took a sip on his glass made Katelyn felt humiliated that she tagged on to Tess but as if she did not understand what she meant or just pretending not to care, continued her greeting.

Katelyn then looked at Jared, whose hands were still on the glass but looking at her blankly, the stare he used when a woman tried to gain his attention while for him, she doesn't exist. At this moment, even if she wanted to explain, Jared will never understand her as he already put a wall between them.

"Oh, isn't this the new secretary that you have, Jared?" The arrival of Blake diverted Katelyn's minds as well as the attention of everyone in the table to him.

But the silence on Jared's end made Blake said," Why don't you sit down with us, Ladies?' he then turned to the waiter to arrange another table for them on which Tess stopped him.

"We only wanted to greet you and Mr. Steele. We are with our friends, but all the same, thank you for the invitation." Tess told him while she looked at the other three in the table as if telling them, "they were only there as a courtesy not because they wanted to share a table.

Katelyn saw Charlize raised eyebrows as if she didn't believe Tess. It made her almost say something, but when her eyes looked at Jared's direction, looking at his glass without caring about what's happening, she spoke, " We need to go back now to our friends. It is nice meeting you all here, and enjoy your meal." She then pulled Tess to go.

"Miss Darcy, why don't you and your friend sit with us?" Jared's authoritative voice made her stopped from totally turning her back on them. She again faces them with Tess following her action.

"Thank you, Mr. Steele, but we don't want to intrude more than we are doing already. Besides, we had finished eating already."

"Common Miss Darcy, I'm sure Miss..."

"Powell," supplied Tess.

"Yes, Miss Powell, will you not mind sitting with us?" Blake asked Tess, who immediately nods and smiles at him.

"So it's settled now," he then turned to call the waiter again.

Katelyn pulled Tess and whispered. "What are we going to do about Nicole and Michael's friends?"

"Is there a problem, Miss Darcy?" Charlize inquired.

"I was just asking Miss Powell regarding our friends."

Charlize then looked at Nicole's table and turned to Jared, "Darling, maybe they are on a date, and you are depriving those men of their beautiful presence?"

"No, we are not, it just so happened when our friend's boyfriend invited us for dinner, he did not mention that he is with his male friends," Tess informed them, and Nicole's worries of being misunderstood ebbed but thoughts of offending Nicole if they will not go back to them made her worried.

As if Blake understands her hesitation, he said." If you are worried about your friends, don't worry, I will talk to them." He told them while standing up and leaving their table and walked to where Nicole is.

His actions brought a mesmerizing smile on Tess's face, and she finally realized how deep her friend's admiration on the man.

The waiter arranged the table. She sat beside the friend of Charlize on her left and Tess at her right.

Katelyn then turned to look at Jared's direction to see him looking at her as if the sun rises after stormy days in the way his brilliant eyes stared at her.

"Was Jared jealous earlier and only become alright after he heard Tess's explanation?" Katelyn almost giggled on what she found out because it means that Jared is not only sexually attracted to her but has feelings on her.

But her happiness was short-lived as she heard the friend of Charlize asked in a soft voice," Did you think Mr. Steele is attracted to you because he asked you to dine with us?"

Surprised on the other woman's question made her only answer," No, of course not, why will I be?"

"Your smug look betrayed you." Her comment made Katelyn conscious of her action, especially that her opponent is a friend of Charlize and a possible spy.

"You're kidding me, I am only a lowly employee on his company, and I don't dream that high."

"Just be sure you know where your feet should land and don't blame anyone that you have not been warned not to mess around him." She told her with a smile on her face, pretending to those around them as if only exchanging pleasantries.

Katelyn then just looked at Jared, listening to what Charlize was talking on things she can't hear as she spoke softly to him. It was also at that moment that Blake comes back to their table, and he told them that their friends would join them after a few minutes.

Katelyn was alarmed because David is so attentive to her during their dinner and she's afraid he will do something that will make Jared misunderstood her again.

END OF PART 18

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