Blushing violently, Clarissa’s fingers fidgeted around as her eyes darted around in a panic.
Oh no… Did he see that video just now?
But I was quick enough… He shouldn’t be able to see it, right?
“Oh, you’re back…” she chuckled pretentiously while cupping her own cheeks in both hands. “It’s so hot in here, I should go get some fresh air out there.”
Clutching her laptop tightly, she rose and walked towards the door.
But Matthew was quick to block and wouldn’t budge no matter how she tried to duck around and sneak out from underneath his long arms.
He peered into her eyes with a sharp gaze on Clarissa’s blushed face as she was all embarrassed. Then, he slowly inched his face closer towards hers.
“What were you watching just now, Clare?”
“N-nothing much… I-it’s just a random movie!” she stammered.
Raising a brow in amusement, his lips curved up into a taunting smirk.
“What movie was that? Why don’t we watch it together?”
Clarissa shook her head fervently.
“No… We’ve finished watching when you came in! Besides, you won’t even be interested…”
Before she could explain further, Matthew snatched her laptop with a swift movement. “Give it back to me!” she shouted and reached out her hands in a frenzy.
She hopped around him, extending and waving her arms in vain.
Alas, their height difference was too great. She gasped in dread as Matthew held the laptop in high in the air, far out of her reach, and began looking through her files.
“Matthew! Stop fooling around already. No, don’t open anything! Give it back…”
“Mmm…. Ah…”
Clarissa froze in horror as steamy, lecherous voices resounded from her laptop. I’m doomed…
Matthew stared for a few seconds. He then shut the laptop and flung it casually onto the bed.
He turned towards the tiny woman who stood in front of him with a pitiful, defeated look on her face.
She blinked in awkward silence, not quite sure what to make of his expression. All she could tell was that the glow in his eyes looked somewhat cold.
“Tell me, Clare. What is this about?” he questioned with a slight hint of intimidation.
Without answering, she sprinted past him and ran out of the house.
Matthew didn’t stop her this time. He pinched his brows for a second but soon let out a small burst of chuckle. Why is she even running away? Where does she think she can go?
He headed towards the door and suddenly stopped in his tracks. Realizing something, he turned back and flipped Clarissa’s laptop open once again. His finger glided on the mouse pad in a nimble movement, and deleted the video file with a quick tap.
He scrolled through the screen, wondering if there were more of those dodgy things in her computer. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he discovered the photos that Ellie had taken of her back in her studio.
It was a pleasant surprise. His eyes bored into the pictures longingly. She looked so enchanting in the various styles and poses. Some were sweet and innocent-looking; some were quite seductive…
His eyes lingered for a minute on a few photos of Clarissa in the lingerie that Ellie had gotten for her. It was obvious these photos were only meant for her eyes only.
Matthew could feel his breath getting increasingly heavy. With a few smooth taps, he quickly gathered all the photos and e-mailed them into his inbox.
Once he was sure that there was nothing else that needed to be erased, he walked out into the living room.
Clarissa was nowhere to be found. He sat on the couch, opened his mobile mailbox, and downloaded the photos onto his phone. While waiting for her to return, he began browsing through the photos again, savoring every detail.
In the meantime, Clarissa stood in the yard and took a few deep breaths. It didn’t take long before she cooled down. Besides, the air outside was cold.
A chill ran down her spine after being out for some time. She had forgotten to grab a jacket while escaping.
Unable to withstand the cold yet too embarrassed to enter the house, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Matthew.
I’ll go back inside if you promise that you won’t mention what happened earlier.
She couldn’t care less even if it wasn’t his fault to begin with.
Her phone vibrated within the next second as his reply came in almost immediately.
Okay, I won’t.
She texted back angrily: Don’t you dare try doing that with me either.
Hahahaha…
Matthew burst into laughter at her response. She really knew him after all.
Then, why did you even watch that kind of film? Isn’t it because you want to do it with me?
Clarissa’s fingers stiffened as she read his message.
Her answer came in only after a good few minutes.
Yes… But now isn’t the time yet.
Matthew straightened himself in excitement. Has she finally agreed?
With a grin on his face, he texted eagerly: Then, when will it be?
He had been dying to hear this answer from her.
It took another while before she replied: Don’t ask! It won’t be long anyway. Just don’t bring it up when I go back in. I might consider dropping that idea if you try making fun of me. Do you understand?
Matthew smiled. He didn’t need to see her facial expression to know that this was a threat from her.
Alright.
He couldn’t help but wondered how long she intended to make him wait before the day would finally come.
Soon after he succumbed to her request, the door clicked open. Clarissa stepped into the living room hesitantly.
His heart wrenched at the sight of her shivering from the cold. He quickly walked towards her and pulled her into his embrace.
“Are you stupid? Why didn’t you grab a coat or something before going outside? And of all places, why did you even have to hide outdoors?”
Despite criticizing her outwardly, he rubbed her tiny hands in between his palms in an effort to warm her up. He then lifted her off her feet and carried her upstairs.
“W-what are you doing?” she squealed and struggled in his arms. “Put me down! You promised me not to…”
“Keep screaming and I’ll do it for real,” he interrupted with a sober look.
At his threat, Clarissa held her tongue.
She stared at him with wide, glimmering eyes, like a little kitten in distress. Matthew’s couldn’t keep his stern facade up any longer. His heart melted right away at her adorably pampered act.
“I’m just getting you into the shower. You should take a hot bath after standing out there for such a long time.” He smiled affectionately and continued, “What? Do you really think I’m the kind of person who doesn’t keep my words?”
He then put her down gently at the door to the bathroom and ruffled her head.
“Alright, go warm yourself up.”
Clarissa felt somewhat guilty of her distrust against him earlier. Just as he turned to leave, she reached out and tugged on his arm.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted you,” she said softly with a pout.
Matthew chuckled softly. “That’s it?”
At that, she tiptoed and planted a light kiss on his lips. “Is this enough?”
He shook his head and gave her a playful yet tender smile.
Clarissa frowned jokingly, but was of course willing to give what he wished for.
Clinging onto his neck, she leaned in and pressed her lips deeply into his.
With a muffled chuckle, Matthew wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in tightly. He placed a hand on the back of her head and pressed in for a deeper kiss. As their kisses intensified, they could feel their hearts pounding faster and harder against each other’s chest.
Eventually, Clarissa found herself pressed against the bathroom wall. The tiles felt cold against her back, but her body felt hotter and hotter as he showered kisses upon her.
He’s going to lose control at this rate…
She jabbed a finger at his muscular waist. Matthew stiffened and pulled back a little, but his arms still enveloped around her tightly as he panted. They gazed into each other’s eyes, and Clarissa could see a faint blush across his cheeks too.
Resting his head on her shoulder, his hot breath grazed her ears as he murmured softly, “When is it going to be, Clare?”
“It’ll be soon like I said. Don’t worry, I won’t bail out,” she answered coyly.
After all, his birthday was coming up in less than two weeks’ time.
She wondered if he had thought of her promise to be sooner than she meant.
Whatever. I’ve already agreed anyway. He should try to be more patient.
She pushed him out of the bathroom and proceeded to take a hot bath. As she thought about the day, a wave of mixed feelings rose within her. Her face lit up with a silly smile as she was both excited but shy at the same time.
The next day, Ellie kept her words and came dragging Clarissa out for shopping.
As they strolled around the mall, Ellie couldn’t hold her curiosity back and bombarded her with a flurry of questions about the night before.
“So, what happened after I left last night? Did Uncle Matt get too worked up about you looking at another man’s body, and pushed you down on the bed? Did you guys end up doing it in advance?”
Clarissa rolled her eyes. “Please, Ellie… are you trying to imagine us in some cheesy Mary Sue drama?
“Come on, there isn’t that much different!” Ellie sneered. “Just tell me now. What happened after that?”
“If it was really like what you imagined, I doubt I’d even be able to get out of bed this early…”
“Oh gosh, Clare! You and Uncle Matt are really good at holding it in, huh? I can’t even imagine…” she scoffed.
What’s with this girl, seriously? Clarissa was utterly speechless at how nosy her friend was.
“Oh well, I guess I can only wait until when it finally happens…” Ellie mumbled to herself.
“Come on, Ellie. Didn’t we agree earlier that it’ll be on his birthday? I told him to wait a little longer.”
“You’re really rigid, aren’t you? Can’t you just go with the flow and enjoy the process? To think that you’re really sticking to a particular day, you are really going by the book…”
Ellie was amazed at how her friend could be so taut and adamant about something like this.
“I need to give myself some time too!” Clarissa exclaimed. “I can’t just go ahead and do that kind of thing impromptu without preparing myself mentally.”
Ellie surrendered in the end. “Alright, up to you. I’ll wait for the good news when Uncle Matt’s birthday comes.”
She paused briefly and continued, “Let’s just focus on getting your ‘armor’ today. The set I gave you last time looks good, but I think it’s lacking a little bit of… fun. You can save that for next time. We should get you something more interesting for the special occasion.”
Ellie blurted her thoughts out loud as they walked towards the shop that Louisa had recommended earlier. The moment they entered, Clarissa blushed slightly at the array of fancy lingerie on the display.
She gawked at the variety of styles and themes. What’s all this? They’re so revealing! It’s not like I’m preparing for a real war…
But then again, it does seem like they can help make things more interesting on that day, right?
She mustered her courage and began browsing through the aisles. When she finally purchased a set of outfit for herself, Ellie quickly picked out two more sets and piled them onto the payment counter. She shot a wink at Clarissa. “These are on me,” she said with a grin as she took her card out and made her payment. “For my dear Uncle Matt’s sake.”
Clarissa hence returned home with a fully loaded bag of clothes. She hurried back into her room and stowed the three sets of “battle outfits” away in the deepest part of her wardrobe before anyone could notice. She smiled cheekily to herself, imagining how they would be of use in the days to come.
