Chapter 2 Help

Nina reluctantly pulled the seat belt across her. She bit her lips as she tried to digest the words that echoed in her mind. "You're mine!"

She stole a glance at the driver. Bobby Teng continued to drive with an angry expression on his face. She seriously doubted if he had hit his head from the accident earlier.

Bobby Teng had been a media character she had seen across different platforms for several years now. His life was something she had always dreamed of having. What he said earlier was something out of a dream, too. She couldn't believe he would say that to her!

But with her circumstances, she had no choice but to accept Daisy's idea. If she thought about it, it was probably so much better that it was Bobby who was at the other end of the deal and not some stranger. He was handsome and gorgeous. Surely, someone famous like him would be better than some random guy. Her only worry was that she would look funny and ugly in front of her idol. She really wasn't expecting this plot twist.

When she made this decision, she thought she would only have to see the person once in her life. She didn't expect it would be someone she would see often and her idol, no less.

'No way! I can't do this!'

her inner voice said. Outwardly, she turned to look at him. "Mr. Teng. About the thing you said earlier…"

"What? Are you worried I couldn't afford your price?" Bobby asked coldly, still looking ahead. His handsome profile made Nina dizzy. She bit her lips and encouraged herself again, 'No, you shouldn't let him get the better of you! Do you want to remember this scene in the future with regrets? Of course not!'

"I made this appointment with someone else. I don't think it's a good idea to break a promise." It was a lame excuse and she knew it. Finally, Bobby turned to face her with anger in his eyes. "You're really pulling the professionalism card right now?"

"What?" Nina answered back. She was stunned. She wanted to wave her hand to take it back but before she could, a buzzing sound filled the mostly silent car. She realized he raised his hand before her vision clouded and turned dark.

Before long, she succumbed to the darkness. Her seatbelt was the only thing that was keeping her upright.

Bobby placed a hand on her neck before tilting it to rest against the headrest. With her eyes closed, she looked meek and timid.

He withdrew his hand and pressed his earphone. "Go ahead."

Nina was startled as she felt water wash over her. The sound of water flooding her ears was enough to wake her up from her deep slumber. She opened her eyes, only to close them again from the onslaught of water.

"Help! Help!" Nina shouted instinctively. She waved her hand in front of her, as if that could stop the burst of water targeted at her face. When she calmed down, she found a smirking man standing beside the bathtub.

"Help you? Are you afraid I will eat you?"

His deep voice sounded magnetic as it usually did. His past interviews flashed across her mind. At the moment, the usually soothing voice did nothing to ease the rising anger in her chest. She tried to remember how she got into the bathtub but she came up with nothing. And now she was soaking wet!

Unconsciously, Nina covered her chest and shrank back under his intense stare. Her sparkly white gown had grown transparent as it soaked with water. She could feel Bobby's heated stare burn through her damp and clammy skin.

"Catch!" Bobby threw the showerhead at Nina. "Wash yourself before you come out. I'll wait for you outside." He turned and went to lie down on the bed. There was only a translucent wall that separated the bathroom from the bedroom. She could see him clearly through it.

Her heart was pounding hard against her chest. She tried to swallow the ball of nerves on her throat and looked away. 'How can I wash myself when he could see me from the bedroom?'

She had never felt as helpless as she did at that moment.

Thinking back, she had been through a lot. Typically, she could boast her endurance and resilience. And she should consider herself lucky. It was a handsome man who would spend the night with her, not someone ugly and sleazy. It was just… the see-through bathroom was making it difficult to gather her courage.

"What are you thinking about? Do you want me to help you clean yourself?" Bobby's voice broke through Nina's thoughts. She was startled and twisted the showerhead. Immediately, it rained hard on her body. Her tears immediately welled up on her eyes as she felt like the minor inconvenience was the last straw.

Bobby's eyelids trembled, and then he used the TV remote control to change channels.

From his periphery, he could see that Nina was sitting in the tub, looking like a wet kitten. The corners of his mouth twitched. "Still wearing that dress? You impressed me."

Hearing his words, something fired up inside Nina. She stood up and took off her wet clothes. She took several calming breaths, bracing herself for the night.

Bobby's fingers tapped aggressively on the buttons of the remote control. Finally unable to control his desire, he threw away the remote control and went to the bar counter in the room. He took out a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses.

He walked towards the French window with his own glass in hand. The city skyline looked like glittering diamonds from his view. It all looked beautiful from his cold, unfeeling eyes.

Finally, Bobby heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. He turned his head slightly to see Nina all wrapped up in fluffy towels as if they were her armor for the night.

Something in Bobby's eyes flickered before he asked. "Is this your first time?"

Nina blushed and nodded in embarrassment.

Pointing at the wine glass on the bar counter, Bobby said, "The wine helps with the nerves. Drink some."

Nina followed his hand and saw the wine. "I don't really drink alcohol."

Bobby smiled at her innocence. He took a sip from his own glass before putting it down. He strode towards her and pulled off the towel wrapped around her head.

Nina was scared shitless. It felt like her facial muscles were twitching uncontrollable. One more twitch and she was about to burst into tears.

"Do you dislike me that much? Why are you feeling so aggrieved?" She felt the wind knock out of her at his words. "No, not at all! I'm just…"

"What?"

"I'm not ready…"

Nina saw Bobby's body stiffen in surprise. Before she knew it, a pair of hands framed her face. He moved away some errant strands of hair from her face and gently wiped her tears. He was looking at her with greyish-green eyes. "You want me to let you go, right?"

His voice sounded full of tenderness. She wanted to nod but she had to remember why she was here in the first place. She tried to swallow her fears.

Something shifted behind her eyes. And with a trembling voice, she said, "No. I just want to ask you to be gentle with me."