Clarissa ended up giving in before they even left the house.
“Alright, alright… I’ll get down.”
She then slowly slid down his back, hugging him tightly as she did so he could clearly feel the curves of her body.
Matthew clenched his teeth. This woman must be doing it on purpose!
She tried to play it off with an innocent smile when he turned around, but the blush on her cheeks gave her away.
Feeling uncomfortable with his penetrating gaze, Clarissa tried to distract herself by asking, “Come on, tell me. What are you mad about, Uncle Matthew?”
The look in his eyes grew cold upon hearing that, and she felt that change instantly.
He’s not mad again, is he?
Matthew pursed his lips and was about to say something when his phone rang.
It was Donnie calling to inform him he had already arrived and was waiting downstairs.
Matthew hung up on him and stepped forward, lifting Clarissa’s chin as he leaned in closer.
“Think about it Tell me when I get back tonight.”
With that, he walked out of the house while Clarissa slumped against the sofa with a deep frown on her face.
“Was it because I left without saying goodbye?”
She made him dinner again that night. This time, Matthew didn’t stand her up.
As he came in through the door, Clarissa ran up to him with her apron on like a typical housewife.
“Welcome home!” she said with a smile while hanging up his coat.
She then followed him into his room and stood there while he changed, much to his amusement.
Her eyes were filled with curiosity and admiration as she watched him undo his shirt buttons with his long and slender fingers.
Man, those fingers look so good… I never knew a man could look this hot unbuttoning his shirt!
She snapped out of her trance when he suddenly stopped and walked up to her.
“You want to help me change or what?”
“Huh?”
Realizing what she was doing, Clarissa quickly bolted out of the bedroom and made her way into the kitchen.
She then gave herself a few pats on the cheek to clear her head before serving up the food at the table.
It had been a long time since they sat down at the table like this. She found herself spacing out a lot while eating.
After dinner, Clarissa cautiously approached him and sat down beside him.
“Are you mad at me for leaving without saying goodbye?”
Matthew turned towards her and looked her in the eye, prompting her to explain herself nervously.
“I forgot to tell you at the time because I felt so terrible. I just wanted to go home so badly…”
Matthew lit a cigarette quietly, the smoke forming a veil of mystery around his face.
“You have no idea how much fear and panic I was in at the time! I never thought they’d do that to me, and it made me lose my faith in humanity. Even now, I’m still traumatized by it… How could they say such nasty things to me? I don’t even know them, and yet they…”
After rambling about her feelings back then, she was feeling uneasy when she saw no change in his facial expression.
“I… You…”
She didn’t know what else to say anymore. Does this man have no sense of sympathy at all?
“Clarissa, that’s not the reason I’m mad at you.”
“What is it, then?”
“What am I to you?”
“Um… My boyfriend, I guess?”
“Do you mean that?”
Clarissa nodded profusely. “Of course I do!”
“Do you care about me, then?”
“Yes.”
“No, you don’t!”
Matthew snorted and let out a wry smile.
“To you, I’m just a nobody! Big, strong Clarissa doesn’t need anybody, right? You can handle everything all by yourself, and shrug off whatever disappointment and harm that comes your way! Isn’t that right?”
Clarissa kept quiet and waited for him to continue, but Matthew simply put out his cigarette and stared at her in silence.
I… I never expected the reason to be something like this…
She opened her mouth, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat. The surprised look in her eyes gradually turned calm.
Feeling somewhat frustrated at not getting the answer and reaction that he wanted, Matthew upped and leave before losing his temper again.
“Don’t go…” Clarissa called out to him.
It was a whisper. Nevertheless, Matthew heard her.
He turned around and saw her smiling, but her eyes were filled with tears.
“I really didn’t want to cry like this, but… I couldn’t hold it in any longer… Y-You won’t laugh at me, right?”
He frowned as he watched her tears roll down her cheeks and fall to the floor.
Every tear she shed was a stab in his heart; it made him very uncomfortable.
After a long pause, he walked up to her and pulled her into a comforting embrace.
“Why are you crying?”
Although he sounded a little annoyed, he was stroking her back and her hair.
“It’s all because of you… You made me cry!” she said, playfully blaming it all on him.
“Oh, so it’s my fault now…” Matthew mumbled as he wiped her tears with his finger.
Clarissa ignored him.
She tightened her hug as she whispered in his ear, “Mom abandoned me after Dad died. I’ve hardly ever cried since then. Well, okay, I have cried happy tears, but rarely sad ones. I cried when I was attacked online, but I did it in secret so as to not make Grandma sad. The reason I kept my pain and sadness to myself is because I know crying wouldn’t solve my problems. People aren’t just going to magically appear and take care of things, you see. Besides, Grandma’s really old now. I don’t want her worrying about me.”
“So?”
Despite what he said, Matthew understood the reason behind her tears.
Clarissa looked up and met his gaze with her reddened eyes.
“If you don’t mind how ugly I look when I cry, I’ll come crying to you whenever I feel the need to. It’ll take me some time to get used to it though… Will that be okay?”
Of course, she wasn’t just talking about crying.
She meant having a man in her life who would allow her to cry in the comfort of his embrace and be a part of each other’s lives. Now that she had found one, she realized how difficult it was for her to get used to it, let alone allow Matthew into her life completely.
She needed time. Most of all, she needed his patience and understanding.
Matthew caressed her cheek with his thumb. “Can I refuse?”
“Nope!”
Amused by her response, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips.
“I’ll punish you if you do that again, you hear?”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
It wasn’t the first time he had threatened her, so it didn’t seem to scare her that much anymore.
Unaware of the fact that he always kept his word, Clarissa let her guard down and flashed him a sweet smile.
“So, we’re good again?”
Matthew reached out and held her by the chin. “Yesterday in my office, you said you’d let me do anything I want with you, right?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.
Clarissa’s eyes darted around nervously.
“I don’t think so… Maybe you’ve misheard me?”
“Oh, is that so?” Matthew broke into a menacing grin.
“Uh… L-Let’s talk things out, Uncle Matthew! You just promised to give me time, remember? Same goes for punishments! You can’t expect me to just keep up with your pace…”
Matthew let out a chuckle. “That’s fine. You can take your time in getting used to it. Now then, let’s get you started with a little appetizer…”
“Ah! No!”
“You don’t get to say no!”
He carried her into the bedroom and carried out the first phase of her “acclimatization”.
A few hours later, Clarissa had regret written all over her face as she lay weakly in his arms, completely exhausted.
She wasn’t one to shy away from sex scenes in her novels, but she had always been vague about them as she preferred to leave the details to the readers’ imagination instead.
She thought she knew everything about sex, at least until Matthew proved her completely wrong with all the crazy moves he had.
He kissed her on the shoulder and ran his hand through her hair as he asked, “So, how do you feel about it so far? Getting used to it yet?”
“Could you please not ask me that?”
Matthew let out a chuckle, his deep voice sounding extraordinarily sexy in bed. “Nope!”
“Well, I have the right to not answer!”
“How will I know if you like it or not, then? Well, judging by the look on your face, I’d say you did. Still, we could try out new positions next time. I’m sure we’ll find something you like!”
Clarissa shot him a defiant glare in response, but succumbed to the charm of his alluring eyes.
Eventually, she gave in and covered her eyes with her hands as she said, “Hmph! Fine, I’m not afraid of you!”
Just you wait, Matthew… Once I get better at this, you’ll be the one begging me for mercy!
