“I’ll give it to you after I get the photos back,” Waylen says casually.
Waylen stretches his long legs and reaches out to grab her hand. Just as she’s getting up he tugs her arm. Surprised by his sudden movement, she trips and falls into his arms.
“It’s rather large at the moment,” Waylen says obscenely.
He reaches out and takes her waist, steadily pulling her onto his lap. As if she’s just sat down on a nail, Leilani leaps up and tries to get away, but he presses her back down to his lap.
“Do you have secrets the phone?” he asks, “Why are you so nervous?”
“I’m not nervous.”
“Are you sure?” he pulls her closer against his chest.
“Fine, I promise I’ll take more photos. Now give me my phone back.”
“Why did you delete the photos?” he asks.
“It made me happy to delete them,” she says, “I could imagine deleting you from my life.”
“Hmm,” he says, “Maybe one day when I’m happy I’ll consider giving you your phone back.”
“What does your happiness have to do with me? Let me go already!”
He wants to force her to obey him, and he knows he has various methods to make her submit. She craned her neck to look at him and sees him smile cruelly. She’s so angry, her lungs feel like they might explode. Seeing the outrage on her face gives him a shameless sense of pride.
“Why does he like to pick on me so much?” Leilani wonders.
Leilani lowers her head and smiles devilishly, then she bites his arm as hard as she can.
“Mm, I love your mouth,” Waylen says, “Do you want to bite me again?”
Despite the teeth marks on his arm he smiles and pinches her chin between his fingers. He roughly bites her rosy lips.
“You’re sick,” Leilani hisses.
“If I’m sick so are you,” he murmured, “Think about it: you hit and bite me regularly. Are you going to bind and whip me next?”
“I knew you were bad, but I never knew you were this twisted. Do you even have a sense of shame?”
“You pretend to be innocent, but I think you’re rather twisted too,” he says, “Now remember, you’re going to take photos of me and upload a new one every day.”
Robert knocks on the door, “Mr. Bamford, the restaurant is ready.”
Surprised by the intrusion, Waylen loosens his grip around Leilani’s waist and she jumps off his lap. Her face is pale as if physical contact with him has made her ill. Leilani heads for the door, but Waylen stops her, grabbing her around the waist again. He presses her into his arms and runs his hands through her hair.
“What does he want to do?” she wonders, “Is he trying to dispel the rumors? Is that why he brought me here—for some shameless PDA?”
She inhales the fragrance of his laundry detergent and the faint but distinct musk from his body, and her mind goes blank. His hands wander over her body, and she forgets to push him away. When he pulls away from her, he smiles at her with a satisfied smirk.
She looks at him, slightly dazed. He wears a white shirt and a black overcoat, and she thinks he looks classic and elegant. Above the collar of the shirt, a pale pink lip print marks the skin of his neck. She rarely wears lipstick, but today she put on a subtle, tinted pink lip balm. He sees her staring.
“I’m giving you the opportunity to showcase your position as my wife,” he says, “Not every woman is lucky enough to mark me like this—it’s kind of an honor.”
She can’t stand his smug tone, and she doesn’t want to be involved in whatever game he’s playing.
“Thanks, but I’m not interested in this opportunity,” she says, her voice thick with disdain, “If you give my phone back, I’ll be very grateful to you.”
“Maybe I’ll consider it later if you make me happy,” he says.
The lip print is so obvious on his neck, and most of the employees have never seen Mrs. Bamford before. Everyone stares at them as they leave the office and head to the lobby. Numerous gossiping eyes look onto their faces and follow them as they walk. The employees whisper behind their hands.
“How come Mrs. Bamford looks so angry? Isn’t she happy to be with Mr. Bamford?”
“Of course she’s unhappy. Do you see what’s on Mr. Bamford’s neck?”
“Oh my God, it looks like lipstick. Do you think it’s from another woman?”
“No wonder she came here to see him—she wanted to catch him in the act. Now the evidence is conclusive. I wonder which woman has been visiting the CEO in his office?”
Leilani can’t hear their words, but she can guess what they’re saying from their expressions. Robert knows that Waylen hates feeling surrounded by crowds and he asks the employees to disperse. Waylen stops Robert and whispers, “Let them see.” Robert nods, guessing that Waylen is attempting to publicly prove that his marriage is fine, hoping that his grandfather will hear the rumors.
A man in front of Leilani stops suddenly. Lost in her thoughts, Leilani walks into his back and bumps her head hard on his bony shoulders. The skin on her forehead begins to redden.
“Her skin is so tender,” Waylen thinks, frowning.
He pulled her to him and gently touches her forehead with his fingertips. The employee’s gasp, unable to believe that Mr. Bamford is being so affectionate with his wife.
“Get your hands off me,” Leilani hisses, “I can take care of myself.”
Waylen raises his eyebrows coldly, “I gave you a very generous opportunity, and this is how you respond?”
He leans toward her and picks her up bridal style.
“What are you doing now? Let me down,” she screams.
Dozens of eyes are glued to the scene. Concerned that Waylen will become angry about the attention, Robert rushes over to him.
“Don’t worry about these gossips, Mr. Bamford,” he whispers, “I’ll make sure that any reports say that Mrs. Bamford is pregnant and you’re taking care of her. If you don’t like the crowds, I’ll send everyone out now.”
“I can’t believe what a liar this man is,” Leilani thinks, “First he invents a story that I want to be pregnant, now he says I am pregnant—what’s next, I give birth to a fake baby?”
A few days ago, Waylen declared that they were trying to conceive a child. If she goes to the hospital, the media will seize on the story. With Waylen’s PR team’s help, they’ll probably turn the visit into a neonatal exam.
“Who knew you liked such PDA?” Waylen whispers to Leilani.
Leilani rolls her eyes. She struggles against him, hoping she’ll fall or he’ll drop her, but he’s strong and tall and holds her effortlessly. It seems almost easy for him to keep her in his arms. She grits her teeth and hides her face against his shoulder.
“If I could die from the humiliation of engaging in PDA with you, I would show love every day,” she hisses.
Waylen smiles slightly. Suddenly and mischievously, he loosens his hold on her. Terrified by the thought of a sudden fall, she instinctively throws her arms around his neck. He smiles again and effortlessly tightens his grasp. She realizes she’s been tricked into a false display of affection.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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