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My CEO Stepbrother Kissed Me
NovelShort
Completed
Jeffery took the room card and said to the girl next to him, "Follow me." Melinda grabbed her bags and nodded her head. As soon as the door closed, she was pressed on the wall and kissed by him. The smell of tobacco was full of male flavor, especially charming. Melinda felt dizzy and he pushed her into bed. In fact, they just met each other today. He is the son of her mother's boyfriend...
Chapters (7)
Chapter 1
The receptionist was scrupulously eyeing the man wearing a two-piece black suit. She was silently checking him out as she looked for his designated room card. True enough, who could resist a guy like him: a walking temptation and embodiment of virility?
He was—or more like—he was with a woman in the lobby of the Romantic Hotel. Too bad he was with someone that the woman in the concierge couldn't strut her ass.
As she handed him the key, she plastered a smile. "Enjoy your stay, Mr. Sterling."
Without even attempting to answer, Jeffery took the room card.
"Let's go," he said to the woman beside her.
She wore a blue dress and a pair of white shoes with two braids tucked up at her side, making her look like a child. Her height was short, barely reaching his shoulder as he towered over her. Too small for a woman.
When Jeffery noticed she wasn't moving, he said, "Follow me."
The girl's eyes broadened at his voice.
His fist clenched. He didn't like it when her caramel-doe eyes stared at him. "Are you deaf? Did you not hear me?"
Then, he turned his back to her and went on, secretly looking behind his back to check whether she was following him.
Melinda held her one shoulder bag strap, lowered her head, and dumbly followed him to the room like a minute quail.
Until now, she did not know what went to her mind and went after Jeffery.
His strides were long and powerful. Jeffery walked confidently like a king while she? She looked like his servant waiting for his orders.
They stepped into the elevator, and he pressed some numbers, closing the door. Trapped in a small space with a man, Melinda felt her throat parched, sensing the tension between the tiny gap separating them.
Jeffery did not initiate a conversation, and she did the same. When the elevator finally stopped in front of them, the doors opened. He went to look for their room, and as soon as he found their hotel number, they stood in front of room 808. Using the room card, Jeffery opened the room, and they both entered.
As soon as the door closed, he kissed Melinda as if they were in some kind of relationship despite their blank history. He grabbed her hands, held her, and pinned her against the wall.
Melinda's heart hammered against her chest as raw emotions went to her.
"Jeffery…" was all she could say.
The moment she took her breath, she inhaled his breath, fanning against her cheeks. She smelled a mixture of the faint smell of tobacco. His scent was riveting, and her body seemed drawn to his mint tobacco scent.
She should be afraid, but she was not. There was no question that she was charmed very much by his looks. This man, her soon-to-be stepbrother, was sexy as hell. He awakened the desires in her body.
Melinda felt her head spin as she was pushed into the bed by him. Her body jumped at the impact, quivering in delight as she awaited her next step.
Gradually, Jeffery unbuckled his belt and slipped his pants out. On his knees, his upper body stood aloft while looking at her with so much hunger. He removed his coat along with his long sleeves.
'Oh my God, Mindy.' Melinda lurked into his moss-green eyes and recognized his lust for devouring her completely. Her eyes flickered at the taut of his chest, his arms' hard brass, and his shoulders' broadness.
He looked like the God of destruction, who came for her reckoning. His windswept black hair was down the aquiline shape of his nose and the elegant, delicate edge of his jawline. Jeffery Sterling was divine.
"Your timid look charmed me," he whispered against her ears, distracting her as he used his hand to look for the zipper on her dress to undress her. Losing his patience, he instantly destroyed the zipper when he found it.
"Wait, I don't have anything to wear," Melinda responded breathily.
"I can always buy you a new one," he whispered.
Having his weight on top of her was delicious. She liked it so much. "What will I wear after?"
"Use my shirt," he rasped, throwing his dress on the floor.
'Oh, boy. He had the loveliest voice ever.' Melinda thought.
Her body shivered all over when her dress was removed. While in her undies, Jeffery slid his hand on the lock of her bra and unfastened it. In just a second, her bare breast was in full show.
"Ah, much better, darling." Jeffery licked his lips, pervading her with a ravenous stare as his fingers traveled down to her undies.
"Jeffery…" she bit her lower lips, huffing a moanful sigh.
"You're so soft…." He barely whispered as he kissed the mound of her bosoms, trailing his lips down to her hips until he reached her nether region. "Let's get you unwrapped." Jeffery slipped his left hand behind her leg and pulled down her underwear.
"Oh, Jeff!" Melinda gripped the bed sheets as she felt his skin on her wet slit. The man had done nothing to her, but her insides were already melting. How much more if he was inside of her?
They just met today, but it turned out they clicked instantly. He was Jeffery Sterling, John Sterling's son, who happened to be her mom's new boyfriend. Two hours ago, the two families officially met for the first time for a brief introduction. She thought it was a usual meet-up and was against it, but she was wrong.
"Fuck, you're lovely, Melinda." He pinched a kiss on the sensitive spot of her hips. "The way you coyly grabbed that fork from my lap made me lose control at that minute." Jeffery shifted back to her face while sliding his hands up and down on the curvature of her body. She was thick compared to the other women he had bedded, but he uncannily loved it.
During their meal, Melinda's fork accidentally dropped on his lap. Jeffery cocked an eyebrow while their parents were lost in their world. When she bent down to pick it up from his lap, her nose accidentally rubbed his belt buckle. And there, there seemed like some sort of electricity as their eyes met for half a minute.
"I'm sorry! I was nervous," Melinda murmured.
Jeffery leveled his gaze at her and said, "Sorry about what, honey? For making me arouse?" He locked his eyes on her, and as her cheeks flushed, he pummeled his two fingers inside her. "You're already wet, Melinda."
"Jeff!" Melinda whimpered as her hand gripped the back of his neck.
"And so tight, too. I want my cock to be sheathed in this sweet pussy of yours." He rammed her lips with his mouth and teased her with his tongue. As he delved into her tongue, he devoured her luscious saccharine-honey scent.
When he let go of her mouth, an airy gasp escaped from her lips. "Agh, please, Jeff!"
Melinda recalled what had happened a while goo. Once the meal was over, Jeffery offered her to leave their parents inside. She naively agreed to dump their parents and meet downstairs. And here they were now at the Romantic Hotel. They were enjoying each other's company. She couldn't help but wonder what her mother would think of her meeting Jeffery secretly like this.
He deviously smirked at her while shifting his legs on her side. Then, he held her hips in the center and took off his last undergarment. "You ready for me?" he hoarsely asked her as he wrapped his hand around the wide girth of his member.
Melinda gulped at the size of his cock. She wasn't expecting him to be—so fat and long. Like his towering heights, the size of his shaft was incomparable.
"You seemed taken aback?" He leaned forward and pressed his lips on her, nipping the bud of her nipples and caressing the soft rounds of her breast.
She exhaled and said, "You're—big. It might not fit…."
Jeffery chuckled. "Fucking hell, Melinda! My naive little sister." He gently grabbed her chin and pecked a searing kiss. "Let me show you how I could fit myself inside you."
And with that, Jeffery had consumed her body before she could even react. His lips and hands were all over her body, stroking every corner and curve of her breast and waist. While his tongue sucked the teats of her bosoms, Melinda's mind was brimming with the burning sensation that the moment she felt his fingers return inside her core, she was on the verge of rupture.
The man continued slamming his fingers inside her, fondling it until it was swollen and ready for his cock. He pushed against her more, and by the time he was stashed inside her, his fingertips jerked into her warm flash, rotating them in circles until her core spasmed from the titillating furor.
"Jeffery, please! It's too much!" Melinda writhed, her body domed in stimulating ecstasy as she felt her slit wetter from his subverting ministrations.
Taking his damp fingers out, he licked her juices. "Stay still."
Melinda squirmed. Her pussy was throbbing in heat that she couldn't think in the right mind at the moment. She arched her back, leaning closer to him and begging for his mercy, "Please, Jeff!"
"Do you want me, Melinda?" He groaned after nibbling her lips.
"Yes…I want you." She purred like a kitten. Melinda widened her thighs in front of him, causing her inflamed slits to open freely.
Jeffery's eyes went pitch-black at the lewd woman in front of him, inviting him to ruin her wholly. He pitched closer to her, marked her shoulders with kisses, and pounded his lips back to her. Caressing her clit, he whispered between the gaps of their smooches, "Good girl, darling."
Then, his hand landed on her hips, looming over her body with his overcasting frame. Jeffery held her in place and rubbed his cock's wet-covered rind into the slit folds of her labia. As he rubbed his tip on her clit, Jeffery plunged his entirety inside her, taking her hole altogether and possessing her body and mind inside out.
The next thing happened, her moans were heard all over the room's four corners.
...
After Melinda and Jeffery's passionate session, Melinda went to the bathroom, took a shower, and got out when she was done. She felt sticky after having sex and decided to take a bath. By the time she was done, she had found Jeffery smoking on the bed. He sat in a casual pose with one leg leaning on the floor.
Melinda secured the towel wrapped around her body as she stared with disapproval at Jeffery. She loathed the smell of the cigarette but found it rather enthralling when his lips were devouring her.
"Did you not read the warning? You are forbidden to smoke. And smoking destroys your lungs," she said.
Hearing that, Jeffery chuckled but continued inhaling the smoke. "Why is a woman seven years younger than me giving me a lecture?"
She gave him a bored look. "Because I am your soon-to-be step-sister? Your little sister, to be precise."
Jeffery killed the fire, put the cigarette butt in the garbage bin, and returned to Melinda.
He squinted at her and asked, "Your name is Melinda Green? And your mom calls you Mindy?"
Melinda responded with a nod and looked down to pick up her clothes.
Her face wrinkled in aggravation when she saw the broken zipper of her dress. She stared at it with disbelief, put it in front of her face, and showed it to Jeffery. "Look at my dress. You ruined it. How would I leave when I have no more to wear?"
Her eyes watered as she looked at the blue dress. This was only bought by her mom yesterday and cost nearly her monthly living expenses. The dress was too expensive. She told her mother about that but shrugged it off, saying today was a special event, and she had to look good.
The corner of Jeffery's face lifted, showing his devilish and handsome face. "I will buy you a new one or any dress you want," he said, his voice low, lazy, and sexy.
She scowled and placed one of her hands on her hips, facing him. "That's not BUY for me. That is what you call compensation," she corrected him with her soft voice. "Never mind. I will just put it on." She slipped the dress into her body. She looked around, found Jeffery's coat, and put it on to cover up the unzipped zipper.
She rarely said much, and her voice was delicate. Although she looked very well-behaved, she had quite a lot of guts.
When she was done, Jeffery followed and put on his clothes.
He was all muscles. She remembered how she licked his stomach and blushed because of that.
Jeffery raised his eyebrows when he noticed she was watching him. "Like what you see?"
"Definitely. But what about my dress?" Melinda asked, using her soft voice. "Will you take responsibility?"
He stared at her in disbelief. "Do you think I am a liar?"
Melinda looked away, blushing. "It's not like that. It's just this dress is expensive."
"Regardless of how much it cost, I could easily replace it."
Jeffery took his phone and slipped it into his pants pocket. "Are you done? Let's go outside."
"Where?"
"To the mall. You said you wanted a new dress."
Melinda stared at him as if she was her savior. "Really? Will you do that for me?"
"As you said, it's my responsibility, Mindy." He wryly smirked.
Melinda's cheeks flustered as her gaze cast on his damp, lush lips.
...
Jeffery took Melinda to a nearby mall for shopping, belonging to the Sterling Family. The latter, however, might or might not know that it belonged to them.
The manager personally entertained them when they stepped inside the women's clothing center. However, her lips parted when she saw Melinda standing next to the heir of the Sterling Corporation. Her surprise was only brief, and she hid it as soon as Jeffery eyed him with a warning look.
Taking that into account, she beamed at the two of them and cordially asked, "Good day, Ma'am. What type of clothes do you want?"
Melinda did not answer. Instead, she looked back at Jeffery as if she wanted to back her up. "Whatever I want?"
The man nodded. "Even if you want this clothing store, I'll give it to you."
Melinda chuckled, thinking why the heck would he do that when, in fact, they had only met now. And being siblings by the quasi-legal process was not a valid reason.
"You have an odd sense of humor."
"I'll be waiting for you here," Jeffery said and sat on the sofa.
Meanwhile, one of their staff went to ask him something. Adamantly, he shook his head and focused on her.
Folding his leg across the other, Jeffery casually replied, "If you like them all, you can have them. Money is not an issue."
'Was he testing me to see if I was kidding or not?' she pondered.
But she knew that she had to strike while the iron was hot. Bearing that in mind, she lifted her chin. "If you say so, I like them all."
Everyone in the store gawked at her as if she had uttered a joke. She did not. Jeffery had a dazed look in his eyes.
"What?" Melinda asked. "You asked me what I want. I'll give you the answer. Don't tell me you want to take your words back?"
Jeffery's eyes danced, and he snapped his fingers at them. "Manager, what are you waiting for? Wrap all the clothes in this store."
It was only then that the manager recovered from the shock. "Yes, of course, Mr. Sterling. And to which address should I deliver these clothes?"
Jeffery played with the unlit cigarette in his hand and looked at Melinda. "The address. Give her."
Melinda told the address and her contact information to the counter manager.
It was an address of a poor block in Jellyford. The manager noted her home address, announced to the other customers that the store was closed, and started packing clothes for Melinda.
Out of all the clothes, Melinda picked a lotus pink dress and was about to put it on. She failed to sense the man's presence behind her, and before she could react, he snatched the pink dress away from her hands and exchanged it with a red halter dress.
"This dress best suited you." He scanned his eyes around her body and nodded. "You have a well-developed body. Try that dress, and you'll see I am telling the truth."
Melinda raised an eyebrow at him but obliged and put it in front of her body. Jeffery looked at her with fascination as he looked hungrily at her body.
With the help of the mirror, she saw the high knee-length flower hem dress over her body. It barely wrapped around her chest area, and the fabric was so short that she could almost see her thighs. Her long curls draped over her shoulder, and the dress's low neck emphasized her boney collarbone.
Melinda was not used to the dress and wanted to change to another one. "I'm not into this dress," she said. "Perhaps the pink dress is better." When he stopped her, she was on the verge of returning to the fitting room.
"I like this one. It's better."
She gasped. Melinda couldn't say no when Jeffery looked at her with such tantalizing eyes.
Left with no choice, she nodded. It was just a dress, anyway.
Jeffery had the black card between his two fingers and handed it to the counter manager.
She stood beside him and stiffened when his hands suddenly snaked around her waist. Leaning in her ears, he kissed her shoulders. "Follow me."
Then, he encircled his arms around her waist and took her to the fitting room.
Chapter 2
Dulcet-laced moans steam out of the tight four corners of the room as Jeffery and Melinda's bodies rasped into a rough rhythmic halcyon sound while their skins melded accord in a reeling pulsation. His hands held firmly of her thews as he ravaged her inside into disparaging insanity.
Melinda couldn't take it. Her body was at war with her, craving the roughness of his succor and hungry to taste his sweet corruption.
If there was such a thing as nirvana in the inferno, she thought this must be it. Jeffery—the man who made her heart and insides weak, became her temptation to abandon heaven for the bliss of hell. He was the caveat to her pristine yet boring life.
"Jeffery! I-I can't hold it anymore." A writhing mewl escaped from her mouth, blood streaming out of her lip's skin.
Melinda felt she was about to burst out. His cock inside her flesh waddled ceaselessly, breaking her apart—possessing every part of her body as though he owned her. She lifted her arm and pressed onto the wall for support while Jeffery continued to plunge his wide, long girth.
"Raise your hips to me, baby," he whispered behind her ears as the wisp of his breath filled her in a trance.
In response, Melinda elevated her derriere to him, exposing the vulnerable part of her. Jeffery brushed the insides of her thighs in a circular motion as his fingers proceeded to the nub of her clit. As he pinched it, he mounted her left legs and hooked them in his arms.
The new position allowed his shaft to sink its full member into her swollen, wet folds. Thrilled, he pushed himself slowly onto her and crudely plunged into her hilt, causing her to sing in pleasure.
"Don't make any sound, darling," Jeffery hushed her, moving his hand upward as he slipped it inside her shirt, squeezing her stiff nipples. "Or they'll hear us fucking." He licked his lips, lowering them on the back of her shoulders and grazing his teeth on her skin. "We don't want that, right, Mindy?"
Still delirious, Melinda shook her head, "Oh, God! No—Jeff.." She tilted her head down, panting as she felt the inside of her flesh constricting around his thickness.
"Good girl…." Jeffery pecked her earlobes and pushed his knob further. He moved his hips back and forth while his fingers grounded the tiny slit of her clit. Trailing his fingers up one more time, he caressed her plump bosoms.
"Jeff, I'm coming…" she whispered behind, turning her chin to him.
Jeffery carried down her legs, receded his cock from her cunt, and settled his hand on her waist. He rotated her body to face him, pushed Melinda closer to his chest, and pounded his mouth into hers.
"Hold on to me, darling," he cooed in between their mellifluous sighs as he dug his large hands underneath her bum for support.
Melinda arched her chest to him, squeezing the plush of her breast to his sturdy chest and rubbing her slick folds onto the thick skin of his cock. Damn, she couldn't express how it felt astounding the way her throbbing labia sizzled just by brushing against the tip of his cock.
"Please, Jeff!" she whimpered, pleading to the man in front of her to ruin her soul. Melinda tipped her toes and wrapped her arms around him. She nipped his lips, imploring, "I-I need—I can't take it anymore, Jeff."
In an instant, Jeffery's eyes hearkened with darkness. He pushed her into the wall, shoved her waist closer, and assaulted her mouth with his dereliction.
While their mouths delved into a chimeric of voracity, Jeffery rammed into her core, moving his cock in a jolting manner until he found the summit of his revelry. He pushed out again, and at his last pummel, he poured out all his essence inside her. In turn, Melinda drew a satiated heave. Her body went into a scintillating sensation as the combustion of quavering pleasure spurred out of her flesh. Feeling the swirl of their juices inside her, she couldn't be more satiable than before as she rested her head into the broad expanse of his shoulders.
"I'm not done with you yet, young lady." Jeffery dipped his lips onto her, dragged her lower lip into his, and slithered his tongue inside her.
Along with their tongues twirling in a rage of zeal, he thrust into Melinda once more while the seed in her nub driveled out of her damp folds.
...
Melinda and Jeffery came out from the fitting room an hour later. She followed him, with her cheeks tinted in deep, scarlet red. Her head was down, embarrassed and mortified from their promiscuous actives. She tried to look away from their evading gaze as she feigned a nonchalant expression when the sales lady was trying to get her attention.
Good thing that all personnel was in a tacit understanding. The counter manager respectfully returned the black card to Jeffery.
"Mr. Sterling, the clothes will be packed up later, and we will deliver them to Miss Green's home later."
Jeffery nodded, grabbing Melinda's small hand as they took off the mall.
During their ride home, Jeffery drove with one hand and asked Melinda, sitting beside him, who was quiet. He kept on glancing at her, noticing how reticent she was. He did not like it as he felt her reservation toward him.
"Aren't you afraid I am going to sell you out?"
She glanced at him and shook her head. Her amber eyes were full of devoid and confusion. "Sell me out? Why? Do you think I am some sort of good?" she asked.
Sensing his penetrating gaze towards her, she looked away. Her ears flushed, and her fingers clasped the clothes of her dress. She then asked in a low voice, intending to divert their topic, "Are we going somewhere?"
Jeffery lit a cigarette. "It's too late to ask. We will meet a couple of people and then go back home."
Hearing that, Melinda kept her mouth shut. Many would think she was so well-behaved that she seemed to have extraordinary trust in Jeffery.
After a couple of minutes of driving, Jeffery brought her to a party. The area was filled with ray lights and smoke while the centerfold brimmed with sticky bodies scouring into the pumping beat of the music. As they walked inside the club, the people acknowledged Jeffery's presence. It seemed everyone was from his circle or group of friends.
Meanwhile, Melinda had seen these people only on the screen of her mobile phone or television. His circle consisted of personalities and social media celebrities among the high-class socialites.
Of course, no one asked about her identity, and Jeffery didn't take their attention to introduce her to anyone. After all, she was a nobody to them and a commoner who lived below their economic means.
Realizing where they were, this modern soiree was the reason why Jeffery chose a fitted yet sophisticated dress. People gathered around him, and her presence was easily forgotten despite her expensive attire. She felt so small and degraded while gazing at each of their affluent gestures. Moreover, Jeffery seemed to forget her presence beside him. He smiled, talked, and conversed with the others while she waited for him in the corner.
After a long night of enduring the painstaking inaptness, Melinda was thankful the party was over. Jeffery took her back to his residence downtown instead of their family mansion.
"Make yourself at home."
…
It was already ten o'clock in the evening, and Melinda was lying on her bed. Her phone beeped on the table. Blankly, she grabbed her phone and read a notification. In shock, Melinda bolted upright.
"Five hundred dollars?" she asked.
Another notification popped into her phone's screen. She then read the message.
[Happy birthday! Do whatever you want with the money. You deserved it since you've been a good daughter to me.]
It was her mom.
A bit guilty, Melinda wondered if her mother would still say she was a good daughter if she found out something had already happened to her daughter and stepson.
She was in the middle of sending a reply when another notification came. Mom: [Go to bed now. Don't wait for me.] And she thought she was safely tucked in the vicinity of their ancestral house.
She sighed.
Her mother, Serena, was always beside John Sterling. She was happy for her happiness, but there were times when she felt down.
'It did not matter now, Mindy.' She shook her head. She was already mature and should stop asking for her mother's time.
With that, Melinda texted back to her mom to thank her, still lying in bed. Her face was still red, a hint of what she and Jeffery had done.
Then, she checked her online bank account. 'Holy cow. Four-figure sums!' She laughed. It was already a considerable amount to buy anything she wanted.
Rosie, her best friend, called this class upgrading. She had more than five thousand in her bank account in one day. Melinda felt over the moon that she hardly believed it until now!
"What are you laughing at?"
Melinda raised her head, and she met Jeffery's deep eyes. He just showered, and the only thing he wore was a towel. Damn, the man was tempting her.
She pursed her lips and showed him the transfer message. "Mom had transferred some money to wish me a happy birthday."
He gave her a curt nod. "Do you want me to transfer some money to you, too?"
Melinda thought about it, then answered, "If you want to."
"Wait for it. Done."
In a minute, Jeffery had transferred eight thousand to her just now.
Melinda was thrilled with over ten thousand in income in one day.
She had never had so much money before.
Jeffery gave her so much money.
"That was a lot," she commented. "Do you like me that much?"
Melinda sat up, folded her arms around his neck, and kissed the deep hollow of his cheeks. Blushing coyly, she thanked him. "I like you too, even if we only just met."
Jeffery's deep forest-green eyes narrowed ambiguously. His long fingers pinched her using his free finger while the other was used to holding the cigarette. He snorted and murmured, "You foolish girl."
Melinda did not hear him. "What? I beg your pardon?"
Jeffery was not delighted, but she didn't know what part she said was wrong. Confused, her doe-eyes gawked at him.
Her face, which was very tender and pretty, looked helpless to him. His chest felt punched into the veins, making his breathing stop. The woman was disturbingly attractive that he couldn't help his impulse to drag and claim her again.
Shoving the depraved thoughts out of his mind, he cleared his throat. "I'm complimenting you."
Jeffery snuffed out the smoke and tossed the cigarette's butt in the ashtray. He took the girl into his arm and ordered, "Go to sleep, darling."
Using his broad shoulder, Melinda used it to serve as her pillow. She faced him and gazed at him in wonder.
In the meantime, Jeffery was not pleased. His eyebrows sloped up, and he asked, "What do you want?"
She was quite niggling to him. Despite understanding the gap in their age and her level of maturity, Jeffery was still quite annoyed by her naivety.
Melinda pouted. "You haven't said happy birthday to me. I have been waiting for you to utter those words." Melinda stopped talking, pressing her lips tight close.
He could feel her breath in his chest. And he could see her molten eyes looking at him with expectation.
For a moment, Jeffery shut his eyes. Sighing in defeat, he muffled in a grisly tone. "Happy birthday. There. Happy?"
He then patted her buttocks slightly to let her honestly sleep. Besides, he needed to wake up early for the construction site since there would be media visiting them.
Conversely, finally hearing what she wanted, Melinda felt satisfied. She thanked Jeffery softly and went to sleep in his arms. And in her sleep, Melinda had the most fantastic dream with her lover.
…
When morning arrived, Melinda realized she was alone in bed, and Jeffery was nowhere in sight. Disappointed, she gathered all her clothes, fixed herself, and went directly to her home.
It was Sunday, and she had no classes. So she could return to bed and relax the entire day while waiting for him.
Thinking about him, Melinda barely helped herself to mull over. 'Where could Jeffery be? Is he in the office or a meeting?'
More so, she didn't receive any text informing him of his whereabouts.
Shrugging that notion out of her mind, she reminded herself that she was not the clingy type of girl. Because of that, she decided to return to her home and stayed there while waiting for Jeffery's text.
Melinda's house was an old building. It consisted of two floors and only covered an area of one yard. Her house was not spacious, and the outside was already ramshackle. Even more, she couldn't afford to renovate it with no extra money in her pocket.
As much as possible, she wanted to retain the cultural value of the house since she inherited it from their ancestors. And since her mother would marry John Sterling, it would automatically be given to her.
When she entered the door, she saw the room piled with a stack of clothes. With that, she remembered the logos of each bag from yesterday.
Melinda looked at the scene contentedly. She now had an annual supply of clothes. At this moment, her best friend, Rosalyn Strock—who grew up with her—returned from her part-time work.
Still shocked, Rose blurted out, "Mindy, did you go robbing? Where did you get those? And all of them are designer clothes!"
Chapter 3
Rosalyn was the one who received the package because Melinda wasn't at home when the store delivered it. However, Rosalyn was utterly unaware of what had happened until now.
"...My brother bought it for me," Melina spoke with her low voice as she tried not to stare directly into Rosalyn's eyes.
"Your brother?" Rosalyn exclaimed with a surprised look on her face and was about to ask Melinda who her brother was. Many questions ran through Rosalyn's head. Who wouldn't? What the store delivered was plenty of clothes that Melina wouldn't be able to wear until she aged. Melinda saw what was in Rosalyn's head, so she volunteered to explain everything to her friend—except what she and her step-brother had done.
Once everything sunk in Rosalyn's head, she knocked Melinda on her forehead and scolded, "What the hell were you thinking, Melinda?! Your brother was just being polite. He was just kind enough to treat you, but could you have some guts to take advantage of that? How could you even ask him to buy you so many clothes? I can't believe this!" Rosalyn struggled with having a dilemma in her mind, unable to understand why Melinda would do such a thing to her step-brother.
On the other hand, Melina clearly understood where Rosalyn's rage was coming from. Sure enough, this kind of request would be too unreasonable. Not to mention, Jeff wasn't her blooded brother and was only a future step-brother.
Although Melinda knew that, she still shrugged off her shoulder at Rosalyn and ignored her nasty glare, which had been dead set on Melinda since earlier. "Anyway, take and choose whatever clothes you like. I will put the rest online to sell."
Rosalyn looked at her in disbelief, "You want to sell them, for real? Mindy, why do you want money so badly, huh?"
Melinda plastered a soft yet conniving smile at Rosalyn, "Since I won't wear them, why not sell them out and keep all the money to myself?" Melinda talked with nothing but utter seriousness in her tone, so Rosalyn couldn't find any words to refute it. What Melinda said was true. The clothes were so many, and all of them were high-quality. Since Melinda won't wear them, not that she was even interested in the first place why she bought them, they would only rot in her wardrobe. Thus, it's better to sell the clothes than let them rot so that they wouldn't be wasted.
Apart from that, Melinda didn't know much about online selling. Rosalyn, on the contrary, was the complete opposite of her when it came to these things, so Melinda was confident that she would do a better job selling the clothes. With that decision in her mind, she offered Rosalyn a deal that wouldn't make her disagree. "Rosie, let's make a deal. Sell this all, and I'll give you thirty percent of the income. How does that sound?"
Having heard that, Rosalyn admitted that thirty percent was a large sum, but she was thinking twice about whether she would agree or not. Given the fact that she wasn't sure about this idea, she suggested to Melinda that they should just return all the clothes rather than sell them online, out of consideration for Melinda's step-brother.
Unhappiness, of course, was evident on Melinda's face until Rosalyn finished talking. "If you don't want to help me, I'll just call for Lora's help." Melinda coldly said.
Rosalyn was stunned when she heard that ugly name. Hearing the name Lora Mill, an evil woman to her, immediately fired her up, eventually prompting her to agree to Melinda. Rosalyn couldn't care any less about everything now. In her head, she must not lose to the woman named Lora. No matter what.
Melinda was ecstatic about Rosalyn's promise. Since the two had already formed an alliance and a secret, Melinda asked Rosalyn to pick some clothes as gifts. They were accustomed to living in poverty and had never worn such good clothes. So, how could a girl their age not be willing to have pretty dresses?
Rosalyn picked sophisticated clothes that suited her type and style. Melinda, of course, also chose all the clothes she wanted. When they finished choosing clothes for themselves, they took the rest to Rosalyn's house to sell.
Melinda didn't want her mother to see the clothes and find out where they all came from. If her mother learned that all of these piled-up clothes were from Jeffery, Melinda knew she would undoubtedly be angry. So, leaving the rest of the clothes in Rosalyn's house would be the best decision. Of course, Melinda didn't forget to remind Rosalyn. She told her not to tell her mom, or else both of them would surely be dead.
Still, Melinda couldn't help but feel a profound sense of nervousness in the back of her head. She was used to being an obedient child, and never in her life did she oppose her mother. But then, for the first time, she had a little secret behind her mother's back— a rebellion that she found nerve-wracking yet exciting.
Jeffery Sterling was a VIP customer of the store where he bought these clothes. Well, the dresses he purchased were not only high-quality but also limited edition which a lot of people wouldn't have a chance to buy. With that information in her head, the two decided to lower the original prices of the clothes by ten percent. Melinda thought they wouldn't suffer much loss even by doing that, considering that she didn't use her money to buy everything. They also did that so people could buy the clothes they wanted at a lower price, ending with fast selling.
After three days of selling online, Melinda figured they had made the right decision. Fast as a flash, and they managed to sell two-thirds of their goods.
Fascinatingly, it only took a week before Melinda's five-digit savings became seven digits, which stunned her. She wasn't expecting this large sum of her money in her account. Melinda settled herself down first before she sent a message to Jeffery. She simply asked him if he had some free time so they could meet and she could treat him to dinner. Well, it was because of her guilty conscience that she couldn't feel at ease, even for a little bit.
Melinda stared at her phone, and after thirty minutes, she still didn't get any reply from him. 'He might be too busy,' she concluded in her mind.
At this time, a classmate asked her a random question, "Melinda, we are going to a club. Do you want to come with us?"
Melinda flashed a soft smile and politely refused the invitation. It had been a month since she had gone to university, and she must say, her classmates were getting closer to her, and it was common for them to hang out together. However, Melinda would always refuse whenever they would invite her to an event or whatever.
Melinda also heard the news that Edison York, from the philosophy department, would host a party at Fog City Club. He said he would pay the bill for everyone under one condition: Melinda Green had to come to the party. But then, Melinda never planned to attend.
At Fog City, the minimum consumption of the nightclub was at least five figures to start. That must be why a few students wanted to take this opportunity to go and started to please and persuade her by doing some small things that a chaperone would do.
Melinda was shocked and horrified when three people went inside her classroom; one of them took her backpack, and the other two dragged her out of the room. Melinda then just found herself stuffed into the copilot of a sports car. She was fuming mad as she clenched her fists while looking at the people who did such a thing without her permission.
"I won't go. Stop the car and let me go, or else I'll have to call the teacher and report that you guys are bullying me." Melinda swallowed her saliva and refrained from raising her voice. She wanted to remain calm, but her patience started running out.
Edison, who was driving the car, was annoyed. "You call this bullying? Melinda Green, if you dare say any bullshit one more time, I will let you know what real bullying is." Edison declared with a threatening voice.
And because of that, Melinda fell into a deep silence. She had already heard a lot of nasty things regarding Edison York. He was a troublemaker and would constantly fight on the school grounds. Some rumors even had it that his brother, one of the trustees of their school, was rich and powerful, so more students were afraid of making a simple mistake with him or offending him.
Realizing all that at once, Melinda turned pale as white as paper. Helpless, she clutched onto her backpack and huddled in the corner of the seat like a rabbit, not daring to make any noise. She was now afraid to offend Edison and was only swallowing her anger in silence.
Time ticked forward, and they arrived at Fog City in no time. There were seven people invited to the party; three girls and four boys, so they asked for a larger room that could fit all of them. The party started within a short period, and everyone was trying to crowd Melinda, anxious that the latter would leave the ongoing party. They offered her different cocktails and alcohol, but Melinda declined their offer straight away.
Melinda never took a sip of any alcohol in her entire life and was never interested in drinking, so she wanted to go home early—which made everyone in the room unpleased.
Edison was the one who decided to cut the chase and put a half bottle of red wine in front of Melinda. "Drink this all, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, you won't go anywhere except my bedroom tonight." Edison provoked her with a smirk on his lip.
Melinda was frightened by this sudden challenge. She wasn't confident about what would happen to her if she drank that bottle of red wine. "I… I don't really drink."
Edison arrogantly crossed his legs and leaned his body on the sofa, "If you don't drink, you should sit tight and behave yourself. If you dare to cry or run away, I'll ravish you here in front of everybody. Believe me or not."
Edison's threats made Melinda's whole body tremble in fear. She knew this man would never joke around. So, Melinda gulped down and unconsciously clutched at her bag. She bit her lower lip and hesitated a bit to tell what was on her mind.
"If I drink that thing, will you let me go?"
Chapter 4
"I'm a man of my word," Edison replied shortly, shrugging off his shoulder.
Melinda stared at Edison, utterly unconvinced. She thought the latter wouldn't obediently agree to her condition unless there was a hidden agenda behind it. So, she firmly demanded, "Swear that you mean it."
Edison watched as Melinda's body trembled with horror. He placed his hand on his chin, and a hidden smile crept into his mouth. It was futile: Edison never believed that Melinda would dare to drink, and he thought that even if she did drink the wine, she would certainly pass out. So, she would not be able to leave anyway. Therefore, this bet ultimately favored Edison's side. In the end, he recklessly swore.
The others also stopped crowding Melinda and sat on the couch to watch the show. They also believed Melinda would never take the bottle and gulp it down unless she went crazy. Contrary to those thoughts, they still pushed Melinda to drink and coaxed her with some sweet words.
Melinda saw their ill intentions, and fury started to bloom in her heart. She didn't want to stay any longer with these bastards, and to do that, she had no choice but to drink.
And so Melinda gulped down before she took the bottle of wine to her mouth, slowly swallowing it down without breathing. Exaggerated as it might sound, she almost felt like drowning as the wine started flowing down from her lip to her chin and neck. She looked so hot that she made the boys drool over her sexiness in an instant. Melinda, however, wasn't aware of that. She couldn't even feel the piercing gazes of those around her and was focused on drinking instead.
Melinda, as her schoolmates said, was the definition of natural beauty. She was so pretty that she got the title of the hottest girl in the school just a month after the semester started. However, almost everyone could tell that she wasn't clever and outgoing. She was alone most of the time, if not all the time.
But because of her inexplainable charm, Edison adored her. Since nobody wanted to mess with Edison, people started to avoid her even more. Not that Melinda cared about those trivial things.
Edison's lip parted a bit, and he was stunned in his seat. To see Melinda's innocent yet charming look rendered him speechless. Inwardly pleased, Edison subconsciously licked his lip and stared more at Melinda with awe in his eyes. He wanted to talk to her so badly and wanted to see how she would look in bed, naked.
After a couple of seconds, Melinda finished drinking the bottle of wine. Proud yet disgusted, she slammed the empty bottle on the table. She knew she was about to lose consciousness at any second, so she gathered all the remaining ounces of courage she had and verbalized her mind. "Done! I did it, Edison. Keep your word, and let me go." Her face flushed red, and her voice grew hoarse. She couldn't even keep the balance of her body.
When Edison didn't answer, Melinda spoke again. "You swore, didn't you? Now, man up and keep your promise if you still have a string of dignity in your body." After finishing her words, Melinda took a deep breath and tightly held her bag in her arms, utterly ready to rush outside and get out of this goddamn place.
However, just when she was about to get out of the room, her waist was suddenly pulled by Edison, who immediately went after her. "Mindy, let me give you a ride," Edison said— the menacing attitude he had earlier was long gone now.
Melinda, who was a bit drunk, abruptly slapped away his hand in disgust. "I don't need you to drive me home, Edison! And please! Get your filthy hands off me." She glared at him and tried to push him, but it was useless because of the man's unimaginable strength. Edison didn't even waver and pulled her closer, resulting in her falling into his arms.
Melinda wanted to complain, but no words escaped her mouth. But despite being unable to stand straight, she tried to break free from Edison, who kept touching her body. Thinking that depending on her strength alone wouldn't do much, Melinda roamed her eyes around the place to get help. And, just in time, she saw a familiar build of a man not far away from where she stood.
'Is that Jeff?' she inwardly asked, then later confirmed, 'It's really Jeff!'
"Jeff! Help, please! Help Me!" Melinda yelled at the top of her lungs. Since she was still on the brink of her tipsiness, she didn't mind whether she would get all the attention of the people around her. At this point, all she wanted was for Jeffery to hear her plea for help and for him to get her out of this mess.
Even though Jeffery didn't hear Melinda's voice, the man beside him did. Because of that, the latter poked Jeffery's arm, pointed in Melinda's direction, and asked, "Dude, do you know that girl? I think he's calling you."
Puzzled and confused, the man narrowed his eyes and observed the situation. Since he saw the woman, Melinda, crying, he figured she wanted to run away from the man beside her. If anything, it seemed to him that he was forcing her to do something she didn't like.
Desperate, Melinda twisted and turned her body as she called for Jeffery's help. She looked so pitiful, and she later on wailed in distress.
Jeffery, who finally heard Melinda's pleas, frowned as she stared at her. When he realized it was indeed the little crybaby he knew, he almost pounced at the man who made her cry.
Edison was so focused on Melinda that he didn't notice that Jeffery had already set his deadly gaze on him. He had no idea how much the latter had been wishing him dead in his mind as he continued threatening Melinda. "Behave yourself, Melinda," he warned. "My patience is already running out hearing your loud cries. Don't blame me if I suddenly snapped."
Melinda's continuous plea for help was like a broken record that gradually annoyed him. However, what infuriated him more was her direct rejection. He felt so low as a man seeing a woman almost puke on his presence.
Edison was about to drag Melinda away from them when the person in his arms was forcibly taken away by another man. Startled, Edison stood frozen in his spot until he realized Melinda was gone in his arms. "What the… What the hell? Who would do such a thing to me?!" Edison furiously exclaimed and turned his head to see who it was. "Huh? Mr. Jeffery? What are you doing here?" he asked, instantly transitioning from a furious tiger to a tamed cat.
Edison subconsciously gulped down his saliva upon meeting Jeffery's gaze. His expression was void of emotion, but it sent him an indescribable feeling of danger. Apart from that, seeing how Melinda casually hid behind Jeffery's back fanned Edison's anxiousness even more.
'What's... with them?' he inwardly asked, shocked by the two's closeness.
"D-Do you know—" Edison stuttered before Jeffery cut him off.
"Never lay your hands on her again," the latter warned before he left the club with Melinda in his arms.
Once they were outside, Jeffery turned to Melinda, who was still crying nonstop. Worried, he asked, "He's gone. Why are you still crying?"
"He's a bad person. He's a liar. And he was bullying me, Jeff." Melinda proclaimed as she sobbed. She doesn't usually complain about many things, but the influence of alcohol probably prompted her to vent.
"You know he's a bad person and still dared come with him?" Jeffery asked.
Melinda was aware of Edison's ill intentions, which was why she didn't want to come. But then, what could she do if he forced her with a threat of raping her? What could she do if the only way to save herself was to obey him?
Melinda knew Edison wouldn't keep his promise of letting her go if she did what he asked, but she still went for it, silently hoping he would.
Unsurprisingly, he didn't.
"He forced me to come. I didn't want to come either." Melinda sniffed.
Jeffery took a deep breath as he realized questioning a drunken woman would be pointless. Then, he led Melinda to his car and immediately took a tissue to wipe her tears. But then, Melinda wouldn't stop crying.
So, Jeffery raised his eyebrow. "Why are you crying again?"
Melinda sniffed and tugged her hand on the hem of his polo shirt. Then, she said, "I'm hungry… Let's eat dinner. It's my treat." Melinda's tummy was rumbling for real. If it had a mouth, it would scold her for not being considerate enough not to eat anything but alcohol all day.
Jeffery softly chuckled, "You're drunk and still remember to eat dinner?"
Melinda rubbed her tummy and pouted her lips, saying, "Well, I'm hungry. I can't do anything about that."
Jeffery showed her a faint smile and asked her what she wanted to eat. Melinda told him that she wanted to eat pizza, but she fell asleep in the car on the way to the pizza store. Amused, Jeffery shook his head, and a smile slipped his mouth. Then, he decided to take her back to his neighborhood, the Royal Garden. When they arrived, he carried the drunk woman in his arms, but she suddenly threw up at him when he was about to enter the house.
Fueling his patience, Jeffery took a deep breath to calm his nerves and put Melinda at the side to clean her mess. It took him half an hour to finish cleaning, and then he changed his smelly clothes to new ones. After that, he sat on the same sofa where Melinda was and started smoking.
Melinda sat up and apologetically looked at Jeffery. She woke up because of her uncomfortable dress and found out Jeff was cleaning her grime on the floor. She was in her right mind now, and she could see that Jeffery was displeased. "I'm sorry about that… My mind is clear now. Please don't be mad at me."
Melinda's face was still as bright as a tomato because of the effect of the wine on her skin. Her dress and hair were a bit wet, making her look disorganized and messy. Still, it made her more attractive.
Jeffery then gulped down his saliva. How could he get mad at her if she could take his breath away with a simple puppy look on her face? Sighing, Jeffery lifted Melinda and placed her on his lap. She was still wearing a guilty expression on her face.
"Are you still hungry?" Jeffery calmly asked, to which Melinda timidly nodded. Because of that, Jeffery started to make a call to make an order.
Melinda's eyes lit up when she heard the call but seeing her happy expression made Jeffery feel something. So, he gently massaged her leg using his hand.
Melinda felt a weird sensation, so she pushed Jeffery through his chest, "Don't…." she warned.
"Make me happy, and I'll feed you," Jeffery casually replied with an intense gaze.
Melinda felt so wrong, but she didn't resist anymore. She likes Jeffery's warmth on her skin.
Thrilled, Jeffery grabbed Melinda's waist and pinned her down on the sofa, panting hard as he started kissing her earlobe down to her neck. Inwardly pleased, Melinda could only moan his name out loud as she felt the hot sensation engulfing her whole body.
Jeffery started undressing Melinda hurriedly and kissed her deeply. Their tongues were playing, and the moment Jeffery's mouth sucked out Melinda's nipples, she immediately felt wet between her legs.
"Jeff… Fuck!" she moaned, which Jeffery ignored. Instead, he faintly smiled and left marks on her breast. Melinda could see the lust in Jeffery's eyes, and she found it fucking hot.
"You like this so much, huh?" Jeffery smirked and continued playing with her nipples— teasing her a little.
"Keep doing that... Ohh!" Melinda screamed in pleasure, and her eyes were disoriented. Jeffery's mouth— took her to heaven.
But then, Jeffery wasn't done yet. Once he had enough with her breast, his fingertips started to play with her clitoris. As he did that, Melinda almost lost all her marbles. Now, she couldn't help but raise her voice while calling his name and didn't care if anyone would hear them. She just focused on the pleasure Jeffery could give her and started to want more from him.
Shortly after, the two started to run out of breath, but no one wanted to stop. Elevating the night's peak, even more, Jeffery positioned himself in front of Melinda while wearing a big smile. He was teasing Melinda's entrance with his manhood, making her crazy even more.
Slowly, Jeffery started to enter Melinda. At first, he wanted to tease her more but seeing her tears from the pleasure he caused and her sweet voice moaning his name made him forget that. Instead, he just went crazy and started pumping his manhood in and out, harder and faster. He thrust at a pace just enough for Melinda to cry and plead for more. That's right. He wants Melinda to call for him– in bed.
Melinda kept moaning in pleasure until she felt something building up inside her. She's coming. "Jeff! I'm coming. Oh, god!"
After almost a split second, Melinda's lips parted, and her eyes rolled back in pleasure. They both cum together. She ignored the sticky wet feeling between her legs and let Jeffery take out all his juices.
"I want you to beg for more," Jeffery whispered, catching his breath and panting hard.
Melinda ignored him because her throat went dry, and she couldn't speak. She felt so weak when she orgasmed that her whole body trembled. She wanted to complain, but the pleasure he gave her was ineffable. Exhausted, she succumbed to sleep not long after.
Melinda woke up with pain all over her body. But then, she ignored those and checked her phone first. There, she found a text message from her mother, asking why she hadn't come home yet. Nervous, Melinda replied and said she hung out with her friends last night and slept over in their house.
After that, she scrolled down and saw her message to Jeffery. Melinda frowned when she saw no reply from him. She then looked at the man beside her, who was smoking as he was staring at her intently.
"Why did you not reply to my message?" she asked.
Chapter 5
"Why would I?" Jeffery was busy all day yesterday, so that might be the reason why he didn't reply. Or perhaps, he just didn't bother to reply. To him, responding to something about a mere dinner was a waste of time.
"Because I sent you a message? I mean, isn't it already given to reply to the person who texted you once you received it as an act of politeness?" Melinda said seriously and aggressively as she stared intently at Jeffery with her big, round eyes. However, even if Melinda wanted to show that she was sulking and was acting mad through her innocent eyes, she only looked like a whimpering puppy in Jeffery's eyes.
"It's not a big deal, so I won't." Jeffery firmly refuted.
With that, Melinda bit her lower lip. It was apparent that she would lose in this fight, but she didn't want to back down. "You should," she persisted as she pouted her lips and lowered her gaze. Sadness swarmed in her heart.
"Do you treat me like how you treat everybody?" Jeffery asked in a stern tone.
Melinda obediently shook her head, "No way. I only treat you this way."
Jeffery couldn't help but pinch her soft, reddish cheeks and flicked Melinda's forehead. They just met two days ago; yesterday was the second time they met. How could they've gone to bed within that short period? Jeffery was noncommittal with Melinda's answer but still wrapped his arms around her body, "Do you like me?" he whispered as he buried his head in her neck.
"Yes, of course." Melinda directly answered with no hints of hesitation evident in her voice. "If I don't like you, do you think I will stay by your side?"
If anything, she would rather go with him than end up in Edison's bed last night. Melinda never wished to see that person's face. If she could only erase everything about Edison in her head and forget everything that happened yesterday, she would certainly do so.
Jeffery moved his body to snatch a cigarette from the bedside table and started to smoke. He wasn't so sure whether he would believe Melinda or ignore her feelings whatsoever. He admitted he saw Melinda's message around four sharp in the afternoon yesterday, where she asked him if he had free time so she could treat him to dinner. Uninterested, Jeffery ignored that. "What do you want from me, then?"
"I told you I wanted to invite you to dinner."
Jeffery didn't understand why Melinda wanted to invite him to dinner, so he stared at her, wondering. Melinda's answer was visible in her eyes, but she hesitated to tell him. She thought Jeffery would no way sit still if he found out that she had resold all of the clothes he had bought for her.
"I…" Melinda's hands felt cold all of a sudden. "I mean…"
Then, she stopped midway when someone suddenly barged in from the door. Her eyes grew expansive as she watched another woman calmly walk inside the room, disinterested in them. It turned out Jeffery's secretary brought them take-out food from a famous pizza store in the city.
The pizza appeared very delicious, and the smell of it made her tummy rumble, rendering Melinda speechless for a second.
After a few minutes of overcoming her shock, Melinda stood up butt-naked and went to pick up a slice of pizza. It was a ham and mushroom pizza she had wanted to eat for a while.
Melinda was about to eat it; however, she stopped because Jeffery's stares were poking her conscience. It's as if he was mad that she didn't offer him any pizza at all!
"Do you want some, Jeff?" Melinda looked down at the plate in her hand and decided to hand it over to Jeff. "Here…"
Although she was craving to taste the pizza already, she didn't dare to eat yet because Jeffery didn't say anything. She was afraid she might offend him in any way and also, and Melinda couldn't comprehend whether Jeffery was unhappy about something or not. He was just looking at her with an unreadable expression.
"Go ahead. I'm good."
With Jeffery's permission, Melinda happily took a bite of the pizza. Its sauce was Mexican-flavored, which she had always loved because of the spiciness it possessed. But then, Melinda didn't dare eat much. Though she loved the spice, her stomach was utterly sensitive to it. Ironic, wasn't it? Before eating it whole, Melinda picked out all the mushrooms and broccoli and set them aside. She doesn't like them, not even a bit.
Melinda fanned herself using her hand as she felt the kick of spice the pizza had. Still, she continued eating. Hungry, Melinda ate as if she hadn't eaten anything for the past years. Well, what could she do? She loved pizzas so much that she couldn't even stop herself from getting another slice.
Seeing her struggling expression, Jeffery voluntarily opened a bottle of milk and handed it to her. Then, he raised his eyebrow and asked her gently, "Too spicy?"
Melinda innocently glanced at him as she nodded her head in agreement. She was a naive young girl who was as pure as white and wasn't experienced in bed nor sophisticated in everything. She was a simple yet attractive woman, slightly making Jeffery afraid she would become a dangerous woman later on.
Unlike other provocative and bold girls, Melinda was lowkey and behaved. It was good and, at the same time, bad. Jeffery thought that while those attributes made her adorable, they also could put her in a difficult situation in the future where she could be easily taken advantage of.
Melinda felt Jeffery thought she was too filthy because of the sauce around her mouth and how she ate, so she instantly explained, "Don't worry, I'll take a bath later."
"Don't be silly," Jeffery gently smiled and took a tissue to wipe the chili oil in the corner of her mouth. "You can take your time."
Jeffery didn't usually eat spicy foods, thinking it was too bland. But then, he was afraid that Melinda would feel bad if he didn't eat even a slice, so he took a few bites then the rest were finished alone by Melinda.
It was unbelievable. Melinda was a petite woman. She was short, and her body was slim, but she ate a lot. Her tummy had been so stuffed that she had to stay in the bathroom for an hour just to flush all the food out of her body.
When she got out, Jeffery immediately went inside the bathroom to shower while Melinda went back to bed to sleep. She didn't want to move anymore and wanted to have a nice sleep. Once Jeffery got out of the bathroom, Melinda moved a little to give him space. She patted the bed, inviting him to join her. The two people were both tired, so they fell asleep right away.
When the following day came, Melinda had classes, so Jeffery decided to send her to school after breakfast. Once they arrived at the university, Melinda instantly got out of the car and was ready to walk away when she remembered something. She stepped back and knocked on the window, which immediately slid down. "If I ever sent you a message, please reply." Jeffery didn't answer, so Melinda waited for his response.
She looked so pitiful, and Jeffery didn't know if she was actually silly or just acting like a fool. They only slept a few times, so he couldn't understand why she kept behaving like they were together.
To satisfy Melinda, Jeffery deliberately answered with his low-pitched voice, "I will if I'm free."
Melinda wanted to speak more, but the man had already closed back the window and driven away. She stared blankly at his car, eating all the dust he had left behind. When her senses came back, Melinda immediately went to her class before she got late.
While she sat down and took out her textbooks, a student came to wreck her morning. It was Edison. He was about to take the chair next to Melinda, but she grabbed it and glared at Edison, "You can't take this seat."
Melinda didn't want Edison near her or meet him again, but Edison overpowered her and snatched the chair back from her before he tauntingly sat at it. "You don't own this university. I can sit whenever I want; you hear that?"
Melinda wanted to refute, but she noticed that everyone's attention in the room was now directed at them. Embarrassed, she bit her lower lip and looked down, avoiding the people's gazes. Edison didn't belong in the foreign language department in the first place, but because of Melinda, he chose to take classes here constantly.
Melinda never felt good when people's eyes were following her every move. It made her nervous, so she chose to stay silent and let Edison run his mouth. Melinda exhaled a sigh of relief when the professor came in, making everyone focus on their world. But not Edison.
He stroked his chin as if examining Melinda, then asked her, "Yesterday, you called Mr. Jeffery 'Jeff'. Why did you call his name so intimately?"
Chapter 6
Both the Yorks and the Sterlings have known each other for quite some time. They've actually had a history of getting along quite well with one another.
Because of that, Edison was no stranger to Jeffery. Though the latter was a few years older than him, his brother, Andrew York, was good friends with Jeffery.
It was common knowledge that Jeffery was a cold and unapproachable person. Only a few weren't afraid of him, and Edison definitely wasn't one of them. He had seen how terrifying Jeffery could be, so he didn't dare to mess with him. So when Melinda mentioned Jeffery's name, he had no choice but to step back.
Melinda noticed Edison's sudden change of expression and took a hint of what it meant. Nonetheless, she didn't want to tell anyone that Jeffery was his soon-to-be stepbrother.
So, she stuck out her tongue to tease him, saying, "I don't want to tell you."
Edison scowled as he realized something, narrowing his eyes at her to ask, "You didn't go home last night, did you?" He said it upon noticing Melinda was wearing the same dress she had worn the day before.
Curious, he leaned out to ruffle her long, free hair to see if it confirmed his suspicion. Melinda, however, swatted his hand away angrily and refused to let him touch her.
"I will tell Jeff about it if you bully me again."
Melinda didn't know how close Edison was to Jeffery, but she suspected that he was terrified of him.
Assuming she was right, Melinda straightened her posture and felt more assured. Then, she lifted her chin confidently, not showing any signs of fear.
A mixture of anger and embarrassment filled Edison's chest as he talked to her. "Why are you acting like you're still a high school student? You've made it to college, but you're still a snitch."
Though ridiculed, Melinda ignored Edison and stopped talking. Uninterested in his remarks, she began paying close attention to the class and pretended he didn't exist. Edison was terrified of Jeffery, so he didn't dare to go too far.
At the end of class, just as Melinda left the room, Edison approached her and asked for her phone number. Melinda, however, paid no attention to him. Because of that, Edison felt a little embarrassed. So, he stood in the hall and blocked Melinda from passing.
His pupils constricted, and a menacing expression crossed his face. "Melinda, are you acting tough now, thinking Jeffery has your back? Well, he might be a big shot, but let me burst your bubbles for a sec. A man like him doesn't have time to deal with your concerns because he's so busy with everything else. So, be a good girl now and give me your number. Otherwise, I'll fuck you right now. I don't care if Jeff will come and teach me a lesson; it won't change the fact that I already slept with you."
"No!" Melinda reacted like a furious bunny. She sent him a piercing look and yelled, "You can't do that! I'm not going to get pregnant, and I'm not going to have a baby with you."
Melinda's response left Edison speechless. 'What baby? What pregnancy?' he thought to himself.
"Who said I was going to get you pregnant?"
Clearly, Edison was not in a friendly mood. Seeing her face redden, he threatened her even more harshly. "But if you don't give me your number, I'll get you pregnant now."
Edison solidly positioned his long, lean frame in front of her. Then, he clicked the Add Contact button on his phone and handed it to her.
He arched his eyebrows and threateningly said, "Quickly, give me your number."
Melinda huffed at his command, clearly defiant.
However, Edison drew forward and said, "You don't want to give me your number, but you are okay with starting a family? You've only recently started college, Melinda. It's probably not a good idea to show up to class with a bump, right? Well..."
"You're making no sense, so shut up! Stop threatening me!" Melinda viciously bit his arm.
Edison grimaced in apparent pain. As soon as he let go, Melinda bolted to the opposite end of the hall. She ran so fast that Edison was left speechless. Even though she was attractive, Edison realized how challenging she could be.
After successfully escaping Edison, Melinda left the school premise and headed home. Thanks to her enormous savings, she was no longer forced to ride the bus in a crowded aisle. She decided to take a taxi instead.
As soon as she arrived at her house, Melinda was a little taken aback to find her mother at home.
"Why did you stay at home today, mom? Don't you have anything to do?" she greeted her.
Melinda's mother, Serena Green, worked as a law company partner. In her spare time, she was either with her lover, John Sterling, or at work. She hardly ever came home, let alone cooked.
"I haven't been too busy recently, so I'm checking in on you."
Serena wore a simple dress made of cotton and linen. It appeared that she had just finished cooking, as she was still wearing her apron. There were already salad, lasagna, and mushroom soup on the table. So, it seemed like Serena took her time to prepare each one of them.
"Put your bag down and wash your hands. Join me for dinner, okay?" she told Melinda.
There was a striking resemblance between Melinda and Serena. However, Melinda was gentler and sweeter than her mother, who resembled a gardenia. Just like a peach, she was incredibly likable.
As Serena served Melinda the soup, she asked, "Your aunt told me that you didn't return home last night, Mindy. Where did you go, and why didn't you tell me?"
Chapter 7
Melinda batted her eyelashes and rubbed her palm together as she said, "I went to my classmate's house."
"Which classmate?" her mom questioned. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
"Mom, it's a girl. You haven't met her yet," she continued, sipping her soup. "This mushroom soup is delicious. "I like it," she said, attempting to change the subject.
Serena, thankfully, had no idea anything was amiss. It was never a concern of hers that her daughter would act out of character because she was constantly aware of how well-behaved she was. Therefore, it didn't even cross her mind that her daughter would be out with a guy last night.
"Mindy, I know I haven't been home for quite a few days now, which might have been hard for you. You're not saying anything, and it's making me anxious. Are you upset with me?" Serena asked.
"Mom, I'm not a child anymore. I'm already in college. So, there's no need to worry about me; I can handle myself. And I can understand your situation, so you don't have to explain anything," Melinda replied, her tone serious.
However, she couldn't help but feel bad about lying to her mother. To shrug off the guilt, she handed Serena a salad bowl and said, "How have you been lately, Mom? How's work?"
"Wow, Mindy, you've matured a lot. Thank you for asking about me. Everything is well." Feeling both guilty and relieved, Serena ran her fingers through Melinda's hair.
Being a single parent certainly had its difficulties. Serena had to work hard and look after Melinda simultaneously. She was constantly worried about many issues, and as a result, she frequently made mistakes in the past. Like when she had to rush Melinda to the hospital when she was just five years old because her carelessness as a parent caused Melinda to suffer a high fever.
Serena felt like a terrible mother whenever the memory of that day came up. This was also one of the main reasons she had always wished to marry again. She believed that by giving Melinda a whole family, she could give her a safer and more secure home environment. However, instead of improving things, she and Melinda's time together shrank as time went on. Fortunately, Melinda had always been a reasonable and considerate child.
After supper, Serena thawed a watermelon from the freezer and sliced it in half. She carefully plated the food and carried it to the living room. Making most of the time her mother was home, they ate while watching the television.
Halfway through the movie, Serena suddenly turned to Melinda and randomly asked, "Mindy, do you like John?"
"Mom, I'll like him if you like him," Melinda replied as she picked up a watermelon.
Serena had already dated a wide variety of men. Despite Serena's repeated attempts to follow Melinda's relationship advice, she consistently ended herself in broken relationships. As time progressed, Melinda became accustomed to Serena's romantic relationships and subsequent breakups.
"Well, I'm thinking of marrying him," Serena broke the news to her.
Melinda had a spoon and was busy scraping the inside of the watermelon as Serena spoke. But after hearing her mother's words, she stopped what she was doing and looked up at Serena, who had been admiring the night sky from the window.
"A month from now, we'll be moving into his home," she announced.
Serena swiveled on her heel and stared at Melinda. Then, she continued softly, saying, "John has a son, and he's seven years older than you. I know you never grew accustomed to living with a man but worry less. Jeffery rarely stayed at their house, so we shouldn't stress about him. Treat him like a brother. I heard he's kind, but don't test his patience. Don't push the wrong button. He'll leave you alone if you let him alone."
Melinda thought for a bit, then nodded and said softly, "I'll be good."
She didn't tell Serena that Jeffery liked her and was nice to her. She knew that he certainly wouldn't harass her.
Serena continued chatting with Melinda until her phone rang, so she kissed her on the cheek and told her to finish the fruit. After that, Serena returned to her room and bid her good night.
After Melinda finished her watermelon, she went back to her room and sat on her bed for some time. She stared at her phone and wondered if she should contact Jeffery.
She missed him already.
At long last, after contemplating, she decided to send him a message. She patiently waited for him to reply. However, after long waiting, she started to feel irritated that he hadn't responded to her.
Slowly, her hand moved to the video call button on her screen. She hesitated again.
"1…2…3," she counted, then pressed the button.
Melinda's heart was racing as the connection prompt sounded. Even though she was about to hang up, something made her reconsider. Melinda waited for Jeffery to answer the phone as she sat on her bed.
The video call, however, went unanswered. Because of that, Melinda grimaced, but she still couldn't help contacting him. After three attempts, he finally answered the call.
"Jeff, why aren't you responding to my messages?" Melinda asked, holding the phone to her face.
Jeffery and Melinda both agreed they'd respond to each other's messages last night, so Melinda wondered why it took some time before Jeffery returned her messages and calls.
Jeffery adjusted his phone to level his face, and it appeared as though he had gone outside. The screen's dark background, however, made it difficult to discern where he was. But it was apparent that he wasn't at his home or workplace.
A few of the top buttons on his white shirt were undone, displaying tantalizing swaths of skin. The tops of his eyebrows were obscured by a few stray strands of hair that dropped from his short haircut. He looked introverted yet naughty and wild at the same time.
Jeffery squinted at her while leaning on the railing. He exuded an icy bad attitude as he spoke in a low tone. "Why are you looking for me? Do you miss me already?"
