Chapter 39 {Consent}

Alisha gazed at him with weary eyes, yearning for an explanation, yet unable to trust him. Not after the abduction and the loss of her beloved dog at his hands.

She never imagined encountering someone as ruthless as Alice, who lacked even a shred of mercy towards animals.

“What if I choose not to explain?” Alice's eyes sparkled with curiosity as his hand encircled Alisha's waist.

“Then I won't be eating anything,” Alisha retorted, her shoulders shrugging, devoid of fear in her gaze.

She regarded him as if his question were foolish, mirroring his character. Why would she dine with him when her inquiries remained unanswered?

“Are you certain? I could force-feed you,” Alice warned, his tone laced with menace, yet eerily calm.

“Then I won't open my mouth, obviously,” Alisha replied, unfazed.

Alice wasn't surprised; he was accustomed to her sharp tongue. However, her nonchalant demeanour left him at a loss.

Despite the ordeal she endured, her tears, and the pain in her feet, she still wielded her wit boldly. She used her voice to challenge him, to assert herself, not solely to antagonise him.

“And you think I can't make you open it?” Alice countered, a hint of threat underlying his words. His free hand traced her cheek, gripping it gently as his thumb caressed her jawline.

“I could vomit. You can't force-feed me; if you could, then maybe we could do things your way,” Alisha's eyes remained devoid of emotion as she spoke.

“Are you trying to test me, Angel? Because challenges aren't my thing, and who knows, it might push me over the edge more than you can handle,” Alice said with a hint of seduction, his finger gently caressing Alisha's cheek, her eyes still swollen from crying.

If only he could soothe something else, but he's determined to resist the urges his mind is urging him to follow.

Alisha gave him a puzzled look, not quite grasping his words. “We're not in a competition to overcome any challenges,” she replied.

“I like your feistiness, just like when you called me daddy. But I also enjoy it when you're a bit dumb,” Alice remarked.

Whether it was an act or not, she had a knack for playing dumb, but he adored her wild side, driving him crazy with her antics.

Now, she looked so innocent; he wanted to devour her whole, but that innocent look halted him in his tracks.

“What, Daddy?” Alisha's confusion furrowed her brow. She couldn't recall ever calling him that.

“Yes, Angel,”

“Why would I call you daddy? You're not my father. You might need hearing aids, with all due respect,” Alisha retorted.

“You wanted me to explain, but every time I try, you can't grasp it. So how am I supposed to get the job done?” Alice chuckled.

He couldn't expect anything less from her; she had a knack for twisting things with her baffling responses.

And he wasn't about to let the moment they shared be tainted by thoughts of her father or Daddy being the same.

After all, there's quite a difference between a father and a daddy.

Of course, he could never be turned on by the thought of being called a father. But being called a daddy? That got him hard as hell.

“Go on, keep going,” Alisha nodded, urging him to continue so she could piece together what had just happened and how she had fallen asleep.

“So you called me Daddy, and we shared a passionate kiss,” Alice licked his lips, savouring the memory of the kiss.

She tasted so sweet, and the hickey on her collarbone, with a hint of dried blood, was evidence of the undone deed they had indulged in.

“Huh?” Alisha gasped, her eyes widening at his words.

‘A kiss? When did that happen? And why would I kiss him? That's not something I should be doing,’ Alisha thought, recalling Mary's words about not kissing anyone on the lips, no matter how much they insist.

“Yes, sweetheart, why the grimace? I can give you a demonstration of what happened,” Alice's eyes trailed from her face to her lips.

Alisha immediately covered her lips with her hands. “It's unsanitary. How could you kiss me? That's just wrong,” she exclaimed.

Unsanitary?

Alice felt a twinge of annoyance as she referred to their kiss in such a manner. Considering her perspective, he could understand how she might view it as unclean. But how could she? He was a clean freak.

He had never even touched anything or anyone dirty in his entire life. With his OCD, he was meticulous about cleanliness.

Being labelled as dirty was a first in his 25 years of life—an unexpected turn of events.

“Dirty? If that's what you think, how about I show you just how dirty I can get?” Alice's grip on Alisha's cheek tightened, his composure slipping.

He stared into her eyes with simmering anger, feeling the urge to snap her jaw in two. If only it were someone else, he wouldn't hesitate.

Whether they were men or women, he couldn't care less; they would face the consequences in the dirtiest way possible.

But this is Alisha. That's why she was still in his lap, breathing and looking so docile.

“I don't want to see it. How could you kiss me? It's just spreading germs, it's so disgusting. And even if you did, how did I faint?” Alisha kept her hands on her lips, shivering slightly, feeling pain in her jaw and fear spreading throughout her body.

Alice chuckled lightly. “You fainted because the kiss was so passionate.”

“It wasn't passion; I fainted because you passed your germs to me,” Alisha stated matter-of-factly.

Alice drew her face closer to his, his breath gently caressing her skin. “Alisha, my sweetheart, my Angel, I can take back all the germs if that's what you want.”

‘He can take back the germs,’ Alisha contemplated. ‘If he can give them to me, then surely he can take them back too, right?’ she reasoned silently to herself.

“What are you thinking, my Angel? Tell me if you want me to take them back. I have no issue. I feel like you don't deserve my germs,” Alice waited for her response, curious to see how she would react to his offer.

The notion of taking back germs seemed rather absurd, even for him.

But if it meant playing by her rules to resolve the situation, he was willing to go along with it.

If acting and speaking foolishly could get him what he desired, he had no objection to doing so.

After all, manipulation was second nature to him—it was either his way or another way.

“Do it, take your germs back,” Alisha replied with a hint of hesitation.

Alice's heart raced as she responded, almost as if she were inviting the devil himself—him.

‘You're manipulating her,’ his conscience reminded him.

‘Better than forcing, which isn't difficult for me anyway. At least she's giving permission. Doesn't that mean I'm being a good guy?,’Alice silenced his conscience.

In his eyes, she was giving her consent, and what was wrong with that? There was nothing wrong with her wanting him to kiss her, and he was more than capable of fulfilling that desire.

He couldn't deny when such a beauty asked him something so innocently.

“Are you sure? Didn't you say it's unsanitary to kiss?” Alice asked again, wanting to confirm.

“It is, but you're taking your germs back. It's not a kiss; it's just taking the germs back,” Alisha replied confidently.

“Alright then, but you need to open your mouth for that, and I need to suck your tongue, or else I can't take germs from inside,” Alice said, sliding his thumb along Alisha's lower lip and nibbling on it seductively, looking at her as if he was completely immersed in her beauty.