Chapter 14

14 Rules

ABBY

“Are you always this bossy?”

“I want an answer, Abby,” he demands.

“Does it matter?” I find my voice, and I feel confident in my words.

“That’s not an answer, Abby. I need you to be honest with me. If I’m closer to you, do you feel something? If you look at me in the eye, do you see me? When I touch you like this, do you feel warmth deep inside?” He holds my hand while his thumb traces my skin in a feathery touch. “Do your heart beat fast? Do you feel a butterfly in your stomach? Are you attracted to me?” It feels so good, and I’m melting inside. I feel limp, and when I open my mouth, no words are coming, and I have to close back.

“Don’t. You answered them already.”

All I can do is look at his beautiful face. I want to cup his head and kiss him senselessly and bury my fingers in his thick hair. God, I want to taste and bite those lips.

I clear my throat. “I didn’t answer you yet. I haven’t said anything.”

“You don’t have to. I can see how reacted when I ask you. I’m not blind, Abbygail, and I’m certainly not dumb. You can’t fight it. It will just make you more miserable. Do you have a thing for Andrew?”

“What?” My eyes widen “No. I don’t have a thing for Drew. He’s my best friend. He’s like a brother to me. And you’re so overconfident and cocky. And you know nothing about me. Yeah. Maybe, I’m attracted to you, but everyone does, and who won’t? You look perfect, and you can have every woman you want. And you’re used to getting attention from women. They treat you like a god, but as soon as I leave this place, I will forget you, and I will never see you again. My life will be back to normal.”

“You just admitted you’re attracted to me. Why fight it, Abby?” God, he’s infuriating. Can’t he just drop this conversation since he got what he wanted?

“If you don’t have a thing for Andrew. Do you like someone there? Do you have a boyfriend? Why are you doing this? Because I’m a man-whore? Are you ashamed of me? And you are miss perfect?”

I can’t anymore take it. I stand up and face him. “Stop saying that to yourself, Sebastian. I already apologized. You’re the one who told me to stop looking so little at myself, and you should do the same.” I glare at him. “And are seriously asking me right now? When we’re getting married tomorrow. Why not ask me first if I have a boyfriend before you proposed?”

“I did what I did, Abby, and I’m not proud of them. It made me who I am. I can’t change them anymore. It’s already part of me and a part of my past. I’m more than a manwhore. I’m an asshole too. A bad boy, a playboy, and merciless. I have so many flaws, and I’m certainly far from perfect.”

“I’m not ashamed of you, Seb. I just don’t know you. I know you can’t change your past, and I don’t want you to change any of it. I like the way you are. People respected you and like you the way you are. It’s part of being a Seb Hughes, of what people see in you. If you change them, then you are not you anymore. You’re beautiful just the way you are. And you don’t know anything about me, and I can assure you that I’m far from perfect too. I’m not the goody-two-shoe girl you think I am. I have so many flaws that you might never stomach when you find out.”

“I am beautiful?” He smirks and raises his brow.

I roll my eyes. “You’re—you are beyond handsome or hot or sexy.” I smile and look at my hands.

“You’re still perfect in my eyes, Abbygail. You’re pure, innocent, smart, beautiful, intelligent, and I don’t want to taint you. I did a lot of things that I’m not proud of. I had sex with many women, and I even made my own rules.”

“Like Christian Grey? You practice BDSM?”

“Hell no.” He wrinkles his nose, and he looks cute. “Did you read those books? Come here, please?”

He takes my hand, and just his touch alone makes my face flush and my pulse throb. He let me sit on his lap with his arms wrapped around me. It feels good, and I want to stay like this forever.

“I don’t tie women. Anyway, one of my rules: fuck in fuck out.”

“What does it mean? It sounds dirty.” I snap but listen and face him. He looks so beautiful, and his pupils are dilated, and I can even see the lust brewing in his eyes.

“Let me explain, and it’s up to you if you’d like to judge me. So, no name, no foreplay, no kissing, no touching, and no oral. They can do me if they wanted to, No round two, no second fuck, and no riding with me in my car. I give them the hotel room after I’m done, I leave. An hour top, so I don’t call it a one-night stand. I never did it in any of my places, in my car, or in my office. I don’t screw the employees or fuck my friends’ relatives. If they got wild, I made sure my lawyers handle the situation and prepare NDA to shut them up. I don’t date, and I’ve never been in a relationship. I don’t dine and wine with women. Never.”

My mouth hangs open and shuts it again. I swallow hard after he’s done telling me.

“Wow. I don’t know what to say.” Shock is an understatement. “You sleep with all those women who were linked to you. Those models and actresses?”

“I knew you would ask. No, I didn’t. They just come to take a picture with me during parties, then the media would take advantage of it and make it a big deal. Those women were happy too, but I am not amused. They used me. The last one was a starlet who jumped on my lap and took a picture because she wanted publicity, I guess. She paid the waitress to get into my VIP room. I didn’t even know her that night until the board meeting. Dad was beyond pissed.” He stares at me, and I almost squirm in his lap. “Tell me something about you, Abby. How many men should I kick asses?”

“Nobody. I don’t go out on a date. I never had a boyfriend.”

“Why have you never gone out on a date? Don’t tell me nobody asked you because that’s bullshit. Or daddy dear won’t let you?”

“They asked, but I turned them down. I have a lot of things to do than date, make out, or have sex.”

“Hmm. I’m with you on that.” He seems amused as he runs his nose on my arm. God, I have to press my thighs together.

I groan. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“Rubbing your nose on me.”

“It turns you on, isn’t it?”

“What are you trying to do? Seduce me? Fuck me? Then leave me?”

He looks taken aback. “Abby, baby, no. I’m sorry. I’m a man, and you’re gorgeous, sitting on my lap, and I can’t hold on anymore. Do you feel it? I’m so fucking turned-on just by your smell.”

I already felt it when I sat on his lap earlier, but I tried hard to ignore it. He’s just a man, and he’s affected too. At least he’s as affected as I am. His huge bulge in his pants is poking my thighs, and I want to grind to relieve the ache in my core, and because I’m definitely wet right now.

“Then why you let me sit here if you’re fucking so turned on?” I roll my eyes. I look at him, and when our eyes met, all I see is pure lust, and the longer I look right into his eyes, the hardened the bulge in his pants is getting. I look away. I will be embarrassed if it will leak out from my shorts.

“Stop saying the word fuck. You’re so beautiful to say that word. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Then stop saying to my face.”

“I want you so badly, but I can’t touch you. You made it clear that no sex—no intimacies. And if I touch you right now, I’m sure I can never control myself. You’re killing me, you know. I always get what I want, and now God is punishing me. You’re a forbidden fruit that I would never be going to have.”

“I’m turned on too.” I stiffen. Oh, my god. Did I just admit it? I swear my mouth can’t just shut it. I bury my face in my hands, and I’m sure I’m red as a tomato.

He chuckles. “Abby, baby. I know, and I can even smell your arousal. I’m glad I’m not the only one.”

God, I even love it when he calls me Abby baby. He genuinely smiles when he takes off my hands on my face.

“It’s not funny, and it’s embarrassing.”

“Don’t be, baby. We have to be honest with each other. I would never lie to you. When you’re back in Boston, you can always call me if you wanna talk. Promise me that you will take care of yourself?” Why do I feel that this is goodbye?

“I promise.”

He kisses my hand with my engagement ring.

“Good. Now go freshen up so we can have dinner.”

I stand up and walk to my room, and I hear the door close. I guess he goes down. I check myself in the mirror. My pupils are dilated, and my skin is warm and glowing, and my cheeks are flushed. I’ve never been so turned on like this before. I go to a bathroom and freshen up. I change my panties, and it’s truly embarrassing that he is aware of my arousal, but at least, he’s also turned on as I am.

We have dinner and steal glances a few times. After the uneventful dinner, he decides to go, and I send him to the door. We say goodbye, and he kisses me on my nose and forehead.

I head to bed early for my big day tomorrow. I lie down in bed, and I can’t keep my mind not recalling what happened on my couch. I badly want to kiss him and make love to him, but he doesn’t do such things. And I promised myself that I would remain untouched until we finalize the divorce. I can’t cheat on him. The marriage will be legal, after all, despite it being arranged. He can cheat on me, but I will remain loyal and faithful. I close my eyes, and hopefully, I will dream about him.

***

“Don’t do this, please? “ I beg.

“Please, leave him alone. Stop it, please?”

I shout to cry for him to stop, but he keeps punching his face, and blood is everywhere.

“Don’t you dare touch him again, or I swear to god—”

He walks toward me and pulls my hair “You swear to god, and do what? You little bitch? You can’t even kill a fly. You’re broken and useless, and even your money can’t help him right now.”

I look at him, and all I see is a silhouette.