Bound by Desire

Punishment

He was angry, wasn't he?

He must be, she thought to herself.

She hadn't given him a proper answer to his question, and she even lied to him.

Yet, Grace felt lost, unsure of what to do next, so all she could manage was to say sorry once again.

"I don't need your apologies," his words were firm, tinged with frustration. "When you mess up, you have to face the consequences. If you refuse, then we don't need to keep in touch. If you accept, it means you're ready to face the consequences."

Grace felt a prickling sensation on her scalp, her cheeks flushed with shame.

Without thinking, she uttered, "I accept the consequences."

An overwhelming sense of pressure washed over her, along with an inexplicable feeling of strength.

Even though this was only their first conversation, some things didn't need grand declarations.

He had a certain charm, the kind that made her willingly obey, even from a distance, the kind that made Sara risk sending her own photo.

Sara wanted to keep him, and so did Grace.

"Buy your boss a cup of coffee," he instructed.

"What kind of punishment is that?" Grace furrowed her brow, but soon realized that, for her, it was indeed a punishment.

Her gaze shifted to Alexander, and she suddenly felt weak in the knees.

She wasn't Alexander's secretary, so she wasn't obligated to buy him coffee. And she didn't feel particularly close to any of Alexander's colleagues, if he had any at all.

Alexander was relatively new here. His arrival wasn't smooth sailing, especially considering the respect everyone had for the previous manager who had dedicated eight years to the Ferrari team. And now, sponsors had pushed Alexander into the position.

He wasn't young either, Grace had heard he was in his early thirties, but compared to the previous manager and others in the team, Alexander's arrival felt like a slap in the face to the veteran members.

Plus, he was of mixed heritage, with rumors swirling around the team like a small community.

"His mother was his father's second wife, and they divorced shortly after Alexander was born."

"Why?"

"Because his mother had an affair."

"Why?"

"Because his mother cheated."

People let rumors spread, essentially letting contempt for the subjects of the rumors spread as well.

"He's nothing special."

And Alexander wasn't the kind of person to lower himself to please his colleagues; he was fully committed to building the team, which inadvertently intensified the team's "resentment".

Did he have any colleagues who were friendly enough to invite him for coffee?

Grace asserted: At least not now.

She could almost imagine his expression when that cup of coffee was handed to him.

He was a very polite person, at least on the surface.

Those deep blue eyes would gaze at you, he would say "thank you," and then say, "but your report was terrible."

The familiar, not yet completely dissipated fear of being dominated by Alexander surged back into Grace's mind in an instant, making her scalp tingle.

And when she finally remembered that she hadn't replied to the message yet, A had already ended the conversation.

A: No need for photo proof. What time are you available tomorrow night?

A: I have something else to do, so let's stick with eight o'clock.

Grace quickly replied: Okay.

But there was no response from the other end.

With her phone in her hand, Grace sank heavily into the sofa.

Alexander was on the phone with someone, and James was nowhere to be seen.

It was half past eight, and the plane was taking off in half an hour.

There were various self-service snacks and drinks on the nearby bar.

Grace felt empty and itchy in her heart, thinking, why not just do it now.

With that in mind, she stood up from her seat. But Grace didn't choose the self-service coffee; she remembered that there was a chain coffee shop at the entrance of the lounge.

She didn't want to give Alexander free coffee.

Pushing open the door of the coffee shop, there weren't many people inside.

Grace didn't wear a coat, only took her phone out.

She walked to the counter and said, "Please give me an Espresso."

Waiter: "Name?"

Grace: "Grace."

After paying, Grace stepped aside and waited.

In the quiet coffee shop, people came and went from time to time. There was a wind chime at the door, occasionally making a crisp sound.

With her back against the low cabinet, Grace lowered her head and pondered how to deliver this cup of coffee.

It was at this moment that Alexander walked in.

The lighting in the coffee shop was not bright, perhaps to create a relaxed and gentle atmosphere.

And then, he saw the woman leaning against the low cabinet at first glance.

Her tight-fitting sweater outlined her figure well, and the tight skirt smoothly displayed her hips and legs, her straight calves were fair and bright, like soft and bright moonlight.

At this moment, her head was lowered, her reddened lower lip was bitten by her white teeth.

It was almost invisible.

Because her softly curled long hair, like lively green algae, softly hung on her face

—like his mother.

Alexander quickly looked away and walked to the counter.

"An Espresso, thank you."

"Name?"

"Alexander."

Grace's gaze flicked over in an instant.

In the dimly lit coffee shop, Alexander also turned his gaze. He nodded gently towards Grace, but did not come over.

Grace's heart was pinched as if by a hand.

He bought coffee himself.

Fortunately, the name she left just now wasn't Alexander, but Grace.

"Alexander." Grace's mind suddenly echoed his voice again.

She found that he liked to use his last name.

In daily life, most people use their first names. But he liked to use his last name.

And surnames usually represent families, using surnames represents pride in the family.

Grace's thoughts were easily led away by his surname, until her name was called out by Alexander's mouth.

"Grace, your coffee is ready."

The waiter was also craning his neck at the counter, and Grace was a little distracted.

"Yes, sorry." She responded and apologized at the same time, then quickly walked to the counter.

She seemed to know that Alexander was watching her at the moment, so Grace dared not lift her head to look at him.

But she clearly hadn't done anything wrong, she hadn't even delivered the coffee yet.

But the guilty feeling of "secretly plotting" kept Grace's gaze firmly on the ground. She quickly picked up the coffee, said "thank you," and prepared to turn around and leave.

She was too hasty and too flustered.

She didn't hear the waiter call Alexander's name quickly, so when she turned her head, the cup of coffee hit Alexander's chest heavily.

A too common "little accident".

The waiter quickly brought tissues.

Most of the coffee splashed on Alexander's chest, and his white shirt and waistcoat were not spared.

Grace took the tissue and began to wipe him quickly.

But Alexander took a step back.

Grace's nose tingled instantly.

"Sorry, Alexander, I—" But before she could finish her sentence, Alexander reached for a stack of clean tissues from the side.

When he bent down, his eyes were level with hers.

In the dimly lit coffee shop, his deep blue eyes turned into misty London, and his voice was still gentle and steady.

"No need to apologize, it's not your fault," Alexander said.

His fingertips brought a stable and cold fragrance from his body, his index finger and thumb gently pressed the tissue against her jaw and cheek.

She was so flustered that she didn't even notice that there was coffee splashed on her face too.

Her body froze in this moment.

Alexander's movements were devoid of any hint of sensuality, he carefully wiped away the coffee stains on her face.

Finally, he came to her slightly parted lips, which were slightly damp from her breath.

She had a pair of soft, water-glistening lips, not the thin type, but the kind with contours that made people want to gently press on them.

Alexander's thumb lightly pressed the coffee stain on her lips, and Grace's body trembled silently.

She restrained the impulse to hold his thumb in her mouth and stepped back.

"Thank you," she said.

After Grace spoke, she intended to turn and leave. But Alexander called her back again.

"Have you considered resigning?" he said.

He straightened up, and Grace looked up at him.

The ambiguous atmosphere just now shattered with this sentence.

"I haven't found a better job than this one," Grace said.

"But obviously, you can't breathe properly when you're around me," Alexander remarked.

"No, I can," Grace blurted out. It was about her job; she couldn't give in like this.

"But your performance just now says otherwise."

Alexander's voice had been calm from start to finish, but Grace felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

She liked this job, and she needed it too.

Interning at the Ferrari team was something she had achieved with her top-ranking professionalism. She couldn't just give it up like this.

"This cup of coffee is for you," Grace gave up resisting completely.

Alexander looked at her quietly for a second.

"Why?" he asked.

Grace took a deep breath and looked up at him again.

"Because you said my report was good, so I wanted to thank you," she said.

Alexander looked at her quietly.

Grace forced herself to breathe.

"Breathe, Grace."

"Breathe, Grace."

"Breathe, Grace."

She told herself in her mind.

"So," Alexander's voice was deep, "were you nervous just now because I also came to buy coffee?"

Grace's nose tingled slightly, her tone was a bit frustrated and a bit reckless.

"Yes."

"I see," Alexander said.

"Sorry, I just wanted to say, I have no problem working beside you," Grace said in one breath, then added, "What about your shirt...?"

"There are spare clothes on the plane."

"Then... shall we go back? It's almost nine o'clock."

Alexander said, "Wait."

He then turned and went back to the counter.

Grace stood at the door and saw Alexander quickly walking towards her with two cups of coffee in his hand.

"The new one is on you for inviting me, but since I misunderstood you, I'll pay for it. The one I bought before will count as my treat for you."

Alexander said as he handed a cup of coffee to Grace.

Grace's heart and hand were "scalded" by this cup of coffee.

The two of them walked towards the coffee shop door not far away.

Alexander pushed open the door, and Grace walked out first.

He was tall, and when Grace passed by him, it was like being enveloped by him. She couldn't help but hold her breath, wanting to walk past quickly, but suddenly heard him say:

—"My bad, Grace."

The man's voice was very low, as if speaking in her ear.

Grace looked up and bumped into his deep blue eyes——

Polite Alexander, even in bed!

"Swollen, my bad, Grace."