The dramatic shift in Matthew’s mood immediately occurred to Clarissa that she had misspoken.
She was quietly frustrated that her attempt to appease him had yielded the opposite effect.
Me and my big mouth!
But before Matthew could blow his top, Clarissa promptly pouted her lips and took the initiative to plant it upon his. That ought to alleviate his anger, at least for the time being.
Matthew was not mad.
Well, perhaps a little dispirited.
Though it may be true that he was older than this young woman by ten years, that was not something he would freely admit to in front of her.
Did her unintended remarks reveal that she unconsciously thought him a little old?
Should he hold back, or should he not?
What should he do if he couldn’t hold back?
Cause right now, that thing was not happening.
Matthew rubbed his large mitts over her body before he finally patted her rear in ruefulness. He then turned his back to the woman and paid no more attention to her.
Clarissa blushed as she pretended to not have noticed the bulge between his legs. She quietly adjusted her own body to create some separation, and also made sure to clarify her previous comments.
“I was really just concerned for your health, Matthew.”
She thought it best to say no more than was necessary to convey her sentiments in order to avoid further complications.
Matthew held his silence and kept his thoughts to himself. Clarissa’s heart thumped against her chest when she prodded at the man’s shoulder with her petite finger. Once. Twice. Thrice.
“Are you upset, Matt?”
He did not respond.
Matthew then decided that there was no point in holding back.
The man suddenly grabbed ahold of her fingers and guided them onto his throbbing hardness.
“No, no, no. I don’t want to. Argh.”
Matthew hushed the overreacting woman with a hand over her mouth. It was just a matter of getting reacquainted. They could totally go this route whenever the primary option was not convenient for her from here on out.
It may not be as gratifying as the real thing, but beggars cannot be choosers. He figured that they could always use some variety to spice things up a little from time to time.
After a while, Clarrisa’s hands are sore and she gritted her teeth while her face was buried in the pillow.
Next to her, Matthew leaned in closer, smiling. His body is still in heat after that pulsating sequence. “What are you doing?”
Boo…hoo…
“Huh?”
Clarissa started to bawl her eyes out.
“Come on. It’s not like you haven’t done it before.”
He waited to see how she might respond.
Clarissa sat up suddenly and glared at Matthew. “Go away!”
Matthew smiled slightly. He pulled her back in and refused to relinquish his grasp. Once she had stopped squirming, he proceeded to kiss and comfort her.
“I misspoke, alright? Consider us even?” Clarissa snorted before she gave Matthew peck on his lips in return.
“That’s why there’s nothing at all to worry about, Clare. I foresee that I can continue to make you a happy camper even when I turn eighty…”
Clarissa’s eyes widened.
She rolled her eye at that. “Tsk. Really. You’d still be thinking about that kind of stuff at that age, you horny geezer!”
Matthew replied with a laugh, “Horny, yes, but only for you!”
“To heck with it. I don’t want that.”
She tried to keep him at bay with her hands while he would cozy up to her. The two ended up engaged in a playful tussle in bed.
Clarissa wondered if the man deliberately behaved in an infantile manner just to show that he was not old.
Tike Tyson!
Elsewhere.
After the last time, Shermaine no longer held Sienna in esteem.
That did not stop her from being worried though, as Sienna’s superior family background and academic achievements made her a formidable rival.
Over the two-day break, all she could think about was how to resolve this issue.
Before she left, Shermaine intentionally engineered a chance encounter with Sienna and asked to chat over coffee.
Sienna did not decline. Shermaine’s invitation left her in no doubt of her intelligence.
As Shermaine was a prominent star, her presence in the café drew no small amount of attention. Requests for autographs and photos followed, reducing Sienna to an afterthought. It took a while before Shermaine returned to her company with a sheepish smile.
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. You’re a big name in the entertainment business, so it can’t be helped.”
The pair chose a secluded booth where they could speak, away from prying eyes and undisturbed.
Sienna was not perturbed by Shermaine’s little stunt either.
When they both settled down, they respectively held their silence. They kept their own emotions in check despite being aware that it was for the same man that they have convened.
“How long have you known Matt, Ms. Grande?”
“Haven’t known him for very long. I’ve met him previously, and also heard things.”
“Is that so? Matt’s a great guy. I suppose that you’ve taken an instant liking to him since?”
“You could put it that way!”
“Not good. I’ve actually heard many women who thought the same, picturing Matt as the ideal husband and the perfect man. However, there’s only one of him to go around. I’ve grown up alongside him and seen many women, not unlike yourself, all doomed for disappointment because he won’t end up with anyone of you.”
Sienna smiled staidly and was stoic in her response against Shermaine’s provocations. “Neither does he belong to you either. What makes you so sure that he doesn’t have anyone else?”
Shermaine was stumped.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Not that I’m suggesting anything, but I do feel that it would be improbable that a man of his qualities isn’t seeing anyone on the side. To him, we are both merely options for marriage. Since neither of us has clearly won his heart, what would be the point of your posturing? Who knows which woman he may be canoodling with as we speak?”
“Impossible! Matt isn’t that kind of guy.”
Shermaine was sure Matthew was not the type to fool around.
Sienna responded with a smirk. “We can’t know for sure, Ms. Smallwood. Should I be wedded to him, I’d probably let him have his fun. Can’t say if you’d be able to do the same as well.”
“In your dreams, Sienna. The only woman Matt will be marrying is me.”
“Ha.”
Sienna laughed mockingly. “You’re a natural, Ms. Smallwood, as your portrayal of wishful thinking was spot on. Rather than waste your time on me, it might be more helpful for you to worry for yourself. You’re welcome to come back around after I’ve won Matt over.”
Having made her case, she got up and left. If Shermaine wised up, she would have gone and looked into it herself.
However, she had serious doubts about that.
As expected, Shermaine had not fully understood Sienna’s insinuations. Were she not concerned about her own public image, she would have smashed up everything within reach.
It took some time for her to collect herself before she started outside.
Someone accidentally knocked her over when she reached the door.
The physical contact saw her already foul mood take a turn for the worse as she shot the offending party a look.
“Isn’t this Shermaine? Well, hello. Do you remember us, Ms. Smallwood? We’ve run into each other at lunch previously.”
Shermaine’s hostility was instantly compounded by a hint of disgust.
Deciding against getting into conflict, she merely furrowed before she departed.
Hilary watched on before she turned to Zach who came up afterward. “I’ve just bumped into Shermaine Smallwood. She’s very pretty, but kind of unfriendly.”
Mason behind them overheard her. “Shermaine’s my cousin, Mrs. Garrett. I could help ask for an autograph if you like.”
“Could you, Mason? That’s really sweet of you, but why haven’t I heard you mention her before? Why wasn’t she invited to your engagement?”
Yvonne was equally puzzled by this, and too awaited his answer.
“Kayla, who is my aunt, ran away with Shermaine’s father. It was only until their return to D City this year that our family reconciled with her. However, we didn’t extend an invitation because my grandfather disapproved of them,” Mason explained.
“Goodness me. They’d ran away?”
Everyone wanted in on this juicy tidbit. When they entered the restaurant, Yvonne continued to probe as she had never expected there to be something this scandalous within a family as prominent as theirs.
Mason explained as concisely as he could. “I’m not exactly sure about the details as Grandpa had only mentioned this in passing. It would seem that Aunt Kayla fell for a man called Smallwood. Their relationship was frowned upon because he was a poor chap at that time, so she ran away with him instead. She did come back and visited a couple of times over the years, but the family was not over it. Maybe it was because Grandma was getting older and the guy has done well enough for himself to expand his business interests into D City that my Grandma was finally willing to reconcile.”
“A businessman by the name of Smallwood?”
“That’s right. Do you know him, Dad?
Zach smiled. “Could it be James Smallwood we’re talking about here?”
“Yeah…”
Clang!
The shattering of glass came out of nowhere and drew everyone’s attention toward its source. Yvonne’s furrowed her brows but made no comment.
Zach appeared concerned. “Are you alright, Hilary? Did you hurt yourself?”
Hilary looked a little pallid but smiled as she shook her head. “It’s nothing. I was just a little careless. Please excuse me.”
It would not be an exaggeration to describe Hilary as half-fleeing the scene. The conversation continued as no one saw anything else to the incident.
