Chapter 22
* You⦠You⦠âShe started, searching for the perfect insult to haul at him.
He cut her off Careful Bella, I donât take kindly to insults
She went quiet and he nodded in satisfaction.
âGood girl! Now, should we eat out or should I order some food here?â He asked, his hands already on his phone.
She set her jaw stubbornly and crossed her arms under her breasts in an unyielding way âCount me out, Iâm not eating âShe looked straight ahead as she
said it
He smirked âOh you will, I can assure you that. I only gave you a choice to make when I asked but trust me, youâll eatâ
She glared at him âMake me then â
He grinned wickedly âIâm gonna make you then âHe mimicked her words and in few quick strides, went over to her. She looked a bit surprised at his agility but before she could utter a word, he scooped her in his arms effortlessly. She really needed to gain some weight for she was too frail and fragile, he thought
Her eyes widened in shock âWhat⦠What are you doing?! Put me down right now!â
But Liam ignored her and walked to the door.
*Put me down! She repeated, more louder this time.
I
*You jerk. She shouted, her legs dangling helplessly from his hold.
He shut her up when his lips slammed down on hers. Her eyes widened in shock as the kiss was unexpected. He coaxed her to give him access into her mouth and she slowly responded to the kiss. Her hands went around his neck involuntarily and she pulled him closer to her, the action made Liam smile against her lips. She felt it and that jolted her back into reality. She pushed him away, which almost led him to lose his balance.
âGet away from me!â She shouted but he just grinned wolfishly.
âI wonât, you have to eat anyways âHe said, shrugging his wide shoulders.
âPleaseâ She said quietly and he laughed..
His eyes widened slightly in mocking surprise âI didnât know the mighty Carla Reeds could come off her high chair and beg
She managed to control the urge to roll her eyes again Iâll eat so please let me go, people canât see us like thisâ She begged.
His hand was on the door handle and he was on the verge of pulling it open Who cares? Youâll be my wife soon so they better get used to itâ
She frownedâ I thought you said I donât get to work here once we get married?â
His eyes twinkled with mischief and he tilted his head to a side âI didnât say you canât come here once in a while for a visit, did I?*
She did roll her eyes at that âIâll think about itâ
He laughed Who said it was your choice to make?â
âAnd who said itâs yours?â She fired back.
âI get to decide that, not you, Liam Blake âShe added.
âImagine how good my name sounds together with yours, future Mrs Carla Blake âHe said out of the blue with a wink
She blushed, it did sound good but she would never admit itâ Just let me go, pleaseâ
He looked at her for a full minute before he grudgingly set her down on her feet.
She heaved a sigh of reliefâ Thank youâ She said quietly.
He humored her by nodding âYouâre welcome, Iâm good at it you know and there will be more of it in the futureâ
She raised her eyebrows quizzicallyâ Good at what?â
He feigned innocence âDidnât you just thanked me for the kiss?â
He watched her happily as color rushed up her cheeks in embarrassment.
âNo I didnât!â She exclaimed in exasperation.
His eyes widened slightly in fake surprise âOh you didnât? I thought thatâs what you thanked me for âHe pouted.
She rolled her eyes âNo sir, now shall we go?â She didnât wait for him and she opened the door. He followed her immediately after the locking the door.
âWhere are we going anyway?â She asked, glancing sideways at him.
âOutâ He said plainly and reached out to take her hand in his.
âWhat are you doing? She whispered harshly, trying to remove her hand from his but he had intertwined her fingers in his tightly so she found it difficult to break from his grip. She finally relented and tried not to mind the curious stares they were receiving from the other employees. She looked over to Liam but he didnât seem to mind as he walked confidently without a care in the world
In minutes, they got to the restaurant he talked about and she almost turned back as she had never been to such an expensive restaurant before. But Liam drew her back with a glare
âAre you trying to run away now, Bella?â He narrowed his eyes at her.
She shook her head quickly No. No thatâs not true, letâs go to a less expensive restaurant pleaseâ
âWhy?â He asked, looking confused.
âItâs not my place to be here, this is a restaurant for the high class people, not people like me. I canât afford to eat in a restaurant like this âShe whined, begging him to let go of her
He sighed Carla, youâre eating with me here and thatâs finalâ
âLiam please, I canât afford to eat in a place like this âShe begged.
He raised one eyebrow And who said youâll pay for your meal? Come on Carla, donât be ridiculousâ
She placed her hands on her hips and stared at him from under her long lashes Even if youâre paying, this is too much Liam. Iâm not going in, you can go on without meâ
His eyes darkened and she saw anger clouding his eyes âDo you want me to drag you in? He asked softly.
Her eyes widened at that and she looked over his shoulders. Sure enough, the place was filled and she would only embarrass herself if she refused.
*Fine!â She huffed and started walking but stopped as though she remembered something
*Iâll go in on one conditionâ She said with a raised finger.
His eyebrows went up and he grimaced âYouâre almost in anyway but spit it out, whatâs the condition?â
âYou better keep your hands to yourself or elseâ¦!â She warned threateningly and left her sentence hanging.
To her surprise, he bursted into laughter Thatâs hilarious! I canât do that, anything else?â
Carla sighed, she knew she couldnât win against him but gave it a try one last time âIf you so much touch the hem of my shirt, Iâll screamâ
He laughed harder âI would like to see you try, kitten âHe drawled, reaching out to brush a strand of her hair away from her face.
She slapped his hands away âUgh, just keep your hands to yourself! I meant what I said Liam, Iâll scream if you touch me in thereâ
His eyes gleamed and he smirked And what did I say to that? I would like to see you try. Besides, almost everyone in there know me so they would just think youâre trying to blackmail me or something âHe scrunched up his nose in thought.
He continued with a shrug âIâm not sure what theyâll think, all I know is, those people will definitely be on my side, Iâm popular you know âHe added with a
wink.
She huffed âOh! Donât be full of yourself! Youâre not so popular! At least I didnât know who Liam Blake was until I came to apply for a job in your company
He looked annoyed Thatâs not true, what about the day we met at the bar?â
She looked away âI donât want to talk about that but believe me, I didnât know who you are back then too and even if I knew, it wouldnât have changed a thing as I would still haul insults at you over and over againâ
His annoyed look disappeared and she saw raw hunger in them. He reached out and caressed her cheeks âYou really are a spitfire, arenât you?â
She blushed and looked down at fingers. For once, he had finally succeeded in making her speechless.
âJust hold your head high and youâll be fine baby, this is where you belong all along, trust me âHe said softly and for once, Carla decided to take to his
words.
Together with their hands intertwined, they went in. Immediately, the place fell into silence as she felt all eyes on them. Unconsciously, she gripped his hands tightly and squeezed them to reassure her that everything was okay. She glanced at him and he gave her a half smile. So he knew she was anxious, she thought.
A short middle aged woman rushed over to them âHi Liam, itâs been a while. How have you been?â She asked, smiling up at him brightly. She looked rich, Carla thought as she took in her appearance.
Liam smiled back âIâm fine Marvel, how have you been too?â He pushed her forward as he spoke. She had cowered behind his large frame when the woman arrived
Marvel looked at her curiously as she answered âIâve been doing pretty good, sweetheartâ
âMarvel, meet my fiancee, Carla. Carla, meet my friend, Marvelâ He made the introduction with a charming smile.
Marvel clapped her hands in delight âWow! Liam, youâre getting married?!â She whispered in surprise, her eyes huge.
He nodded and glared at her playfully âI thought thatâs what youâve always wantedâ
She slapped him on the arm playfully âOf course! Iâm just surprised you didnât tell me this beforehand, itâs cool anyway. Now I have just one more person to work on, I must see him get married tooâ
Liamâs eyes twinkled as he laughed âWho? Alex?*
âOf course! That boy is something else, reallyâ She said, shaking her head.
*You know Alex enjoy bachelorâs life more than anything else âLiam said in a light tone
Marvel sighed âI know, right? And she turned to Carla Hi there, Iâm Marvel, a very close friend of Liam, sorry he forgot to add that She threw him a playful glare and he returned it with a roll of his eyes.
Carla smiled âIâm Carla, itâs a pleasure to meet you hereâ
Marvel smiled back âSame here darling, come on âHe placed a hand on her back and led her to Liamâs usual table.
âSo nice to see you guys have forgotten meâ Liam muttered and pouted.