Accidental Desire

Chapter 3:A weird date.

Bethany stepped out of her car, smoothed down her black, mid-thigh-length corset dress, and looked down at her heels. Cute, but definitely not what she would have worn for this occasion willingly.

What if she had to run after finding out the man her mother threw her at was not as nice as her mum made him seem?

Ever since her breakup with Philemon 4 years ago, her mother wouldn't stop sending her on unplanned blind dates with these men that she simply couldn't refuse, and here she was for another one.

She let out another tiring sigh.

She squared her shoulders and walked straight into the hotel where her supposed date was waiting. She was able to find her way into the public lounge, but soon felt lost. Her eyes scanned the faces of strangers, trying to place someone who looked remotely familiar. Nothing. It wasn't like she was going to magically get a signal about who her date was.

“I should have asked for a picture before coming for this blind date.” She muttered under her breath before pulling out her phone to see if she could get one from her mother. But she refused to send her a picture.

Instead, she said it was a surprise and only gave her the name for the reservation.

“Are you alright, ma’am? Do you need help? Do you have a reservation, miss?” The woman at the host’s desk didn’t even bother hiding the once-over she gave Bethany. Her perfectly penciled brows rose just enough to be insulting. But Bethany decided to ignore it. Her phone dinged, and she glanced at the notification before responding,

“Reservation for Hayes,” She smiled tightly. That was a weird name, but she did not care.

The hostess looked mildly surprised but quickly rearranged her face. “Right this way, miss.” Another server took over, leading Bethany past elegant tables and finely dressed guests into another section she assumed to be a private one.

Lovely. At least, her date knew exactly how to present himself.

The hostess stepped aside, gesticulating with her hand for her to enter the reserved area, and Bethany smiled at her in appreciation. She stepped in.

She saw a man standing with his back against her, speaking to a waiter.

If his frame from behind was anything to go by, her blind date must be someone who worked out a lot.

She kept her eyes fixed on the man for a while as he seemed to be really into whatever he was saying. Just as she was about to take a step further, he angled his face slightly towards her, and she froze dead in her tracks.

“The f**k?” She whispered.

“Is that…Carter?” She recognized that face and memories from four years ago flooded her head. Unable to bear the heat, she turned around abruptly and took a step out quickly.

“This cannot be happening,” Bethany whispered shakily, stepping out and taking another route, which amazed the hostess, who was yet to take her leave.

“Miss your reservation? Was it a wrong lounge perhaps?” She stopped Bethany on her way, wondering why she was going the other way round.

“Right, that. Not really. It’s just that…” Bethany sighed, wondering exactly what she had managed to get herself into.

How was she supposed to face her mum and grandmother without appearing like a total failure? Then an idea struck her. She pulled the young lady aside and looked at her helplessly as she made a request.

“May I get a nose mask?” If she could hide herself well enough, Carter might not even recognize her. Hopefully.

The attendant stood, her eyes darting around as a crease formed around her brows. Bethany faked a cough into her elbow. “I just remembered that I have a cold, I don't want it to spread.” The hostess wasn’t convinced, judging from her reaction.

"Okay, I will get one for you." She came back and handed Bethany a face mask after urgently getting one for her. She hastily wore it over her face.

Seemingly, not satisfied with her mini disguise, she added her sunglasses over it and hoped it would help. She fixed her disguise and walked in again.

This time around, he was done talking and was only sipping a glass of champagne. He glanced at his wristwatch.

Bethany never expected to meet him again after all these years. She was shaking from the inside as she approached him.

Carter turned around when he heard the clicking of her heels against the floor from behind him.

Bethany almost broke a leg when their eyes met. His face hadn’t changed much. Still the same sharp jawline, same dark eyes.

He blinked once, then twice, as if trying to make sense of the woman standing in front of him, face mask, oversized sunglasses, and all. Why would she wear glasses when it was already nighttime? That was strange.

However, her disguise wasn't sufficient to hide how attractive her appearance was. She knew how to dress well.

"Hello, you must be Carter." Her voice came off muffled more than she intended when she arrived.

“Yeah, and you must be Bethany,” he replied and drank his remaining champagne before putting down the glass.

"And my date for tonight, I believe," he added.

Bethany nodded, “That’s right.” She noticed how intense his gaze was on her, and she knew it had to be because of the way she had appeared. Bethany cleared her throat. "Before you ask, I got a very aggressive cold on my way here." His mouth twitched.

“And how does that include the sunglasses? It’s nighttime.”

“Something entered my eyes, and I am worried that you might be infected.”

Damn it, Bethany. You are so bad at lying, but he should not think about it too much.

She had to be ready to take care of this disaster before it went out of control.