Contract Marriage: Mr. CEO, Please Love Me Tender

The Deal (II)

'i guess he was trying to tell me how he felt at that time, but...'

sofia's mind was closed to forget her forbidden feelings for him without knowing that she was in love with him too.

"i don't want to be a hindrance to your happiness so i let you think i like cindy," said arsenio, "you said that you saw me and cindy out of the hotel, actually we were tired after a wild race to go home, so we booked a hotel nearby."

"you're in a wild race?" sofia asked sharply. even though he had promised never to go racing again because the last time he had an accident.

"it's a hard habit to break," arsenio replied awkwardly, "but yeah, i made cindy a shoulder to lean on after you were busy with dominic."

"you haven't changed."

"you're right," arsenio didn't deny his bad habit, "cindy and i enjoy each other's company, but i have no intention of having more relationships because i'm still having a hard time forgetting you."

sofia averted her gaze when her eyes fell on him. he didn't want to see her regretful expression for not being honest with him all this time.

i don't know what would have happened if he was honest.

maybe they...

maybe they are actually married for real now.

sofia hastily erased her thoughts.

"only when cindy helped me who was having a hard time with eva's pregnancy, i realized how sincerely she loves me," arsenio continued, "i decided to try to deepen our relationship, but it ended in disaster because i actually moaned your name."

sofia was taken aback, before looking down awkwardly.

"and once again i stopped again because i have great respect for cindy. i wanted me to be really ready before being with her," said arsenio, "but she kept on cornering me, saying it's okay i moaned your name, it made me want no more from a friend. and finally i went to indonesia."

sofia was at a loss for words. all this time he had seen them looking happy, he didn't think their relationship was actually more complicated than he thought, and that was because he was still at the stage of forgetting it, "then why now?" he asked sadly.

"i told you i had a deal with dominic, if he hadn't told you about eva, i wouldn't hesitate anymore," arsenio repeated, "and your bickering has only made my decision."

"my mistakes are meaningless," sofia said hesitantly.

"sofia ..." arsenio tightened their grip on their hands, "things like that must have meaning. i wonder, have you ever felt like what i felt...?"

yes. in her deepest mind answered, but sofia's lips were tight not to complicate the situation.

"sofia..." arsenio called out followed by a careful caress on her cheek.

sofia seemed to be hypnotized in his intense yet hopeless gaze.

desperate for not being able to have it?

the same as before when he noticed his intimacy with cindy.

despair because he wished he could be in cindy's position at that time.

"arsenio..." sofia muttered before moving forward to claim her lips.

arsenio was not prepared for what happened and immediately fell onto the bed. he doesn't protest but replies with a soft kiss that soothes her aggressive move on his sore lips.

unfortunately it didn't work.

sofia seemed to be carried away by the atmosphere until she forgot what happened.

arsenio tried to caress his back which was tense under his touch, but in the middle he groaned in pain feeling his lower lip being bitten hard.

the moan brought consciousness back quickly to sofia's head. he ended the kiss so he could see who his partner was, and gasped in horror it was arsenio.

no.

this happened again.

sofia quickly got up from above him to sit on the edge of the bed looking down in thought of his forbidden act.

"sofia, it's okay."

sophia shook her head. this isn't something that's easy to brush it off, she's already done three kisses to him in less than three days! i don't know what will happen during the month.

"sofia, she won't know this."

"what's the point of your words? you want me to be a cheater?" sofia asked sharply. he didn't expect to be in the same position as his mother, "i'm engaged. i shouldn't have done this to you ..." he took a deep breath.

he doesn't know anymore.

"i'm sure it's not a momentary lust," arsenio mumbled, "you know what we were talking about before this happened."

sofia realized she did it because she used to be jealous every time she saw her and cindy's closeness because even though she was dominic's lover, her heart still loved arsenio, because their friendship turned cold after he ended everything that happened between them.

he even let down dominic every time, he always hoped that dominic could treat him like a queen like he felt with arsenio.

'but i've been through it all. so what ...?'

her feelings for the lost arsenio as if trying to crawl out?

"sofia..."

"please don't pressure me," sofia pleaded sadly, "this is all nonsense."

"why not try to think simpler?" arsenio suggested, "what do you see me like?"

sofia bit her lower lip at the question. he saw arsenio as such an attractive man that he wanted to jump—he looked down deeper into his thoughts.

"i'm starting to understand how cindy felt at that moment for me," arsenio mumbled, "because i'm in her position now."

"you're going to force me to sleep with you?" sofia guesses bitterly remembering what she said about cindy.

"certainly not." arsenio smiled slightly, "i just thought i was fighting for the heart of a woman who was in love with the wrong man."

sofia moved her body slightly enough to point her chest in anger, "who do you think you are to judge dominic the wrong man? you are the wrong man. you are a sin."

"i don't admit i'm a good man, you are free to think of me whatever, but at least you know the truth, that's all," arsenio said sincerely through his soft brown eyes, "it's late, i want to sleep."

sofia watched arsenio move from the bed to the nearest sofa. pity flashed because he looked uncomfortable, but he failed to remember what he said about dominic. he lay down, pulling the blanket up to his neck.

"i'm going to ask dominic about eva tomorrow."

sofia hopes that tomorrow dominic is not angry anymore, and wants to talk to him.

***

the next morning, sofia was happy that her mother really decided not to live with her anymore.

"arsenio, do you remember what i said last night?" before actually leaving, mia emphasized her words. he put great trust, though not completely satisfied.

"i understand your worries, mia. again, please believe me i don't want anything other than my wife's love," arsenio said while stroking sofia's hips.

that little touch was able to send a shiver down her spine.

sofia put her hand behind her back to pinch her naughty hand stroking her sensually like that.

arsenio clear his throat to cover the painful moans caused by him.

sofia chuckled with satisfaction, "mom, don't you want to wait for dad to come here?"

"instead of talking about me, how about you, sofia?"

"i?" sofia put on an innocent face confused with what her mother meant.

"have you thought about leaving arsenio's mother's restaurant to work at my restaurant?" mia asked.