Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 117: Chapter 117

Suddenly, the motion sensor light at the entrance went out, plunging the room into darkness once more. All Elara could hear was Adrian's hot breath right in her ear.
His scorching lips pressed against hers before she could react, catching her completely off guard. A soft, protesting hum escaped her throat. But that only made his desire burn even hotter.
Elara turned her face away. "Adrian, you're crossing the line again."
"You agreed to the dare, so don't regret it now," he said.
"What do you want? Trying to use this dare as an excuse to sleep with me?" Elara said, her voice full of annoyance.
Adrian was completely at a loss in front of her. She'd just been laughing so happily with Noah in the car, and now she was acting so distant toward him.
Adrian struggled to hold back his anger, his breath coming out sharp and bitter. "Elara, if that's really how you see me, then why shouldn't I just play the part you want me to?"
His breath faded away, but then the warmth of his hand settled on her thigh. She heard the unmistakable sound of her stockings tearing, and in the next moment, one of her feet was lifted off the floor.
The motion sensor light flickered on and off, and she caught a blurry glimpse of him kneeling down on one knee. She couldn't stop herself from trembling. In the darkness, she couldn't see a thing. But every touch was magnified a hundred times over.
When what she felt finally matched the faint images her eyes could catch, the whole scene played out vividly in her mind. In that instant, it was like every cell in her body exploded, her blood roaring through her veins like a wild tide.
"Are you crazy, Adrian?" Elara's voice trembled with urgency. But Adrian didn't stop. Instead, he only grew bolder. He kept pushing his limits, taking things even further.
"Don't..." Elara pleaded, her voice barely more than a trembling whisper, panic rising in her chest. "No!" Elara cried out, her whole body tense with fear and resistance.
After a few seconds, that strange sensation faded for a moment, and his voice came from somewhere below. "Who looks better, me or him?"
Elara's mind went completely blank. Right now, she couldn't possibly think of anything.
Feeling how torn she was, Adrian gave her a punishing bite.
"You dog, Adrian!" Elara blurted out, her voice sharp with shock and anger. "Stop it..." she pleaded, her voice trembling. Elara's weak protest was muffled as he pulled her close again. "Ah..." she gasped, her body betraying her.
It was past midnight, and Elara was slumped weakly against the wall by the entrance, completely spent.
When Adrian got up, his movement set off the motion sensor light once more.
In the faint light, her face was still flushed from pleasure, looking every bit as tempting as she had that night in the bathtub of the presidential suite.
He reached out and brushed aside the messy hair on her cheek. "Behaving yourself now?"
Her eyes were half-open, her body so limp she had to lean on Adrian for support. Her lips were a bit dry, and she looked like she still hadn't had enough. "Mr. Hartley, you really are slick with that tongue of yours. Quite impressive."
Adrian's low, muffled laugh rumbled in Elara's ear. "Thanks for the praise. If you like it, there's always more where that came from."
Elara's voice was soft and sweet, but her words were cold and merciless. "Why don't you save that for Josie?"
Most of the heat and intimacy from just moments ago faded away. "Can we not talk about her?" Adrian said, his voice tight.
"Didn't you just get into her car? Why can't we talk about her?" Elara shot back, her tone sharp.
Adrian picked up on her irritation. "Are you jealous?"
Once she'd caught her breath, Elara pushed him away and smoothed down her skirt that had ridden up around her waist. "Mr. Hartley, it's past midnight. You shouldn't be talking about jealousy with your secretary."
Elara hit the light switch on the wall, and the room was instantly bathed in bright light. Her expression was icy, as if everything that had happened in the darkness just now had never even existed.
She'd been ready to send him packing the moment they were done, but then she accidentally caught sight of the situation in his dress pants. She quickly averted her gaze, a little flustered. "Do you, uh, need to handle that in the bathroom?"
Adrian glanced further inside, as if checking where the bathroom was.
Elara pointed in that direction. "It's over there."
But Adrian didn't go to the bathroom. Instead, he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and smoked in silence.
Since Adrian didn't go, Elara went instead. She closed the bathroom door, slipped off her ripped stockings, and used a few tissues to clean herself up. Her mind was replaying every heated moment from just now.
When she realized the tissues weren't enough, she just gave up and stepped into the shower, hoping to wash away all the lingering traces and memories.
The shower poured over Elara's still-burning face. This was her first time experiencing the real thing, and just getting a taste of it had her mind practically exploding. She couldn't imagine what would happen if she actually went all the way.
To her own surprise, she was actually kind of looking forward to it. Her brain felt like it was overheating, and there was just no way to cool it down. So she turned the water temperature down a bit.
The cool water splashed over her, but it still couldn't calm the electric buzz running wild through her whole body. She couldn't bring herself to believe that Adrian would do that for her. She thought maybe it was because he was drunk.
Even though she was still surprised, she couldn't help the way the corners of her mouth curled up into a grin. She didn't even realize she was actually into it. And he definitely knew it, too.
After about twenty minutes in the shower, she finally managed to cool off, both physically and mentally. Once she regained her composure, Elara realized that things between her and Adrian had definitely crossed the line this time.
This wasn't how things were supposed to be between them. She took off her makeup with some remover, then splashed her face with water, hoping she could rinse the mess out of her mind while she was at it.
When she finally stepped out, Adrian was already on his third cigarette. Seeing he still hadn't left, Elara started shooing him out. "Do you want me to call you a ride?"
Adrian shot her a tired look, taking in the sight of her in a white silk nightgown, modest enough in style, but the skirt was seriously short.
Her long, fair legs were almost blinding under the living room lights, and as the hem of her dress swayed, Adrian couldn't help but recall how she'd felt in the darkness earlier. His mouth suddenly went dry. "Got any water?"
Elara grabbed a bottle of water from the open kitchen and handed it to him. "Drink up and then go home."
Adrian looked up at the petite woman standing in front of him, her hair still damp from the shower, her bare face soft and innocent. She looked like someone easy to bully, if only she weren't giving him that cold look.
He unscrewed the cap and took a sip of water. "Don't you have a guest room here?"
"I do, but it's definitely not big enough for a big shot like you, Mr. Hartley," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Am I really that big?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not in size, but you sure have a big presence," she shot back, her voice sharp.
Adrian sat up a little and pulled Elara into his arms, the two of them tumbling together onto the soft leather couch. The scent of her body wash hit him all at once, sweet and intoxicating.
All the tiredness faded from Adrian as he pressed his face against the back of her neck, his tone finally giving in a little. "I just put in all that effort to make it up to you, and you're still acting so cold to me?"
Elara tried to pry his arm off, but he wouldn't budge. "Mr. Hartley, you actually owe me four rounds of payback, three left to go. But since you upgraded your service tonight, let's call it even. Debt cleared."
Adrian chuckled, emotion lacing his voice as he gave her tender skin a playful bite. "You really know how to keep track, huh? Did you come back with Noah?"
Elara paused for a few seconds, caught off guard. "How do you know that?"
"I follow you on Twitter," he replied.
"Oh, it was just on the way," Elara replied offhandedly.
"Yeah, he lives right across the way," Adrian said, tilting her chin up so she'd look toward the balcony. "See the balcony over there with the lights on?" he asked. "That's your idol's place," he added with a smirk.
"How do you even know that?" Elara blinked in surprise, not expecting him to be so well-informed.
"Back in high school, I used to hang around Flowery Apartments all the time. After they rebuilt the old neighborhood a couple of years ago, I dropped by once or twice just to check it out," Adrian replied casually.
The buildings weren't that far apart, so Elara could easily make out a figure moving on the balcony across from hers. Adrian noticed it too. "Looks like your idol can't sleep tonight," he said with a smirk.
"Back to what I asked you earlier, who looks better, me or him?" Adrian pressed, his tone half-joking but clearly wanting an answer.
Elara hadn't expected him to still be stuck on this. "Mr. Hartley, didn't I already say? You both look good."
"That's not an option," he insisted.
"Then I guess there's no answer," she shot back, just as stubborn.
Adrian, a little irritated, pressed his burning lips against her freshly showered, cool, sharply defined shoulder, sending Elara's nerves into a restless frenzy. "Don't go lighting fires you can't put out."
"You've got more self-control than I expected, Elara," Adrian pressed on, still wanting an answer. "Answer me."
Elara frowned. "You and he aren't even the same type, Mr. Hartley. There's just no way to compare."
"Why not? You can always compare two things, just depending on which one weighs more in your heart," Adrian pressed.
Elara felt like words were useless here. It was like asking her to pick between a dress and a badass leather jacket. It all depended on the vibe and the occasion.
But she knew that if she didn't spell it out for him today, Adrian would just keep harping on about it.
"You two are both ridiculously good-looking, but your personalities are totally different. He is warm, but honestly, that warmth is just on the surface. Deep down, he's pretty cold. The kind you'd want as a friend, but nothing more."
Adrian pressed, barely able to hold back. "What about me?"
Elara felt like she was coaxing a child. She let out a sigh, but just told it like it was. "You're bossy, overbearing, unreasonable, stubborn, arrogant, super petty, and jealous."
Adrian's temper flared, and he was about to snap.
"But deep down, you've got a soft spot. Your words can sting, but your heart's actually pretty gentle. You're not the most caring guy, but when you really care about someone, you give it your all. You're fit to be a friend for life."
Adrian wanted to hear more, but Elara just left it at that. "That's it?" he asked, a little disappointed.
"That's it," she said simply.
"So, do I make boyfriend material?" Adrian asked, a hint of hope in his voice.
Elara shook her head. "Nope, not a chance. Maybe if someone could just stitch your lips together, you'd be a little more tolerable."
Adrian fell silent.
"So honestly, if you want me to pick, it's really not that simple," Elara said, a helpless look on her face. Anyway, she had no intention of getting seriously involved with either of them.
But Adrian didn't see it that way. He spun Elara around so she was facing him. The two of them locked eyes. Her face was mirrored in his eyes, his lips twitching ever so slightly.
"Elara, listen up. Between you and Josie, I choose you. Between you and my car, I choose you. Between you and my coffee, I choose you. Between you and Hartley Group, I choose you.
"No matter what it's up against, I'll always choose you."