Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 85: Chapter 85

'This man is just thinking with his lower body?' Elara thought. Then she threw back the line he loved to use to shut her down. "Mr. Hartley, you're crossing the line."
Adrian fell silent.
"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Elara asked, deliberately changing the subject.
"I'll eat you."
Elara was speechless. Adrian kept his hands braced on either side of her, his predatory stare boring into her as if he might devour her right then and there. But, out of nowhere, she let out a soft laugh.
Adrian frowned, "What's so funny?"
"Adrian, you're too easy to fool," Elara grinned, deciding to stop teasing him.
Adrian's expression relaxed a bit. "What did I do?"
Elara said, "Just now on the boat, I was actually video calling my mom. She was worried about me and only relaxed after she saw Mirror Lake on the call."
Adrian's voice turned serious. "Not with Alex?"
"Nope."
"You haven't called Alex today? Not even once?"
"Have I been out of your sight since I opened my eyes today? Where would I find the time?"
Adrian leaned in close. "So you're saying I interrupted your catch-up with Alex?"
Elara was annoyed by his words but still patiently reasoned with him, "If I wanted to contact him, would I even bother hiding it from you? We're not even in a relationship—since when do you get to dictate who I call?"
She paused for a moment and added, "Adrian, you're becoming such a jealous guy."
"Me?" Adrian let out a low chuckle. "You're reading too much into it."
Elara couldn't be bothered to argue. She sighed, "Fine, I was overthinking. As long as you're not mad."
Adrian just couldn't resist. "Me? Angry about what?"
"Alright, alright, you're not mad."
Adrian saw right through Elara's half-hearted response. "Elara," he said, "I know what you're waiting for."
Elara frowned, "What do you mean?"
"You're just waiting for Alex's engagement to be finalized and to see if Dylan gets out safely. And if he does, you're planning to cut ties with me, aren't you?"
Elara opened her mouth, but no words came out. 'How does he always know everything?' she wondered.
Adrian continued, "Mark my words—Dylan won't be getting out today."
"Why?"
"Wanna know?"
Elara didn't answer directly, but the urgent look in her eyes said it all.
Adrian smirked, "If I tell you, will you sleep with me for Dylan's sake."
Elara was stunned. "I..."
Adrian shot her a sharp look. "Don't you realize you're selling yourself short? Last time, Alex let you take the blame and bow to his psycho fiancée. Yet now, you're willing to sleep with me for him.
"Look, I'd rather you're doing it for the cash or the name—at least that's for you. But Alex? Please. He's not even half a man."
Elara lowered her eyes and said softly, "He had no choice; I don't blame him. Besides, he's never asked anything of me."
"Still defending him, huh?" Adrian sneered. "You think someone as smart as Alex wouldn't know why you're with me?"
Elara didn't deny it. "So what if he knows? My history with his family can't fit in a sound bite, and the debts all three of us owe them aren't so easily dismissed.
"Yeah, I came after you for a reason, but I never hid it. As for the 'sleeping with you' part, I haven't thought that far ahead."
Maybe she'd end up in his bed, maybe not. Either way, she'd play it by ear.
"So if Dylan didn't get out today, you still wouldn't crawl into my bed to keep me happy?" Adrian asked.
Elara looked up, meeting his intense gaze. "You think I did that thing with you just for Alex?"
She took a deep breath. "If that were the case, I would've set terms with you and bargained for benefits long ago."
After all, there was nothing pure left between them. But she never tried to get anything out of him; somehow, she kept finding herself in these reckless, intimate moments with Adrian.
She couldn't quite put into words why—not even to herself. But one thing she knew for sure: whatever was between them now had nothing to do with Dylan.
Adrian pressed, "Then why?"
Elara lowered her head. "I don't know."
Adrian's heart skipped a beat, as if he'd guessed something. "So, you have feelings for me, don't you?"
Elara pressed her lips together. "Whether I'm doing this for Alex or because I have feelings for you, I'm screwed. You've got a fiancée, and I still slept with you. Do you think liking you makes me any less cheap?"
She paused, feeling a pang in her chest. "Either way, I'm damned."
Adrian replied, "Then follow your heart."
Elara looked up at gum. "Even if what my heart truly wants is immoral?"
Adrian reached out and gently caressed her cheek. "I don't have to marry Josie. It's just an engagement—not like we've actually tied the knot. I can call it off anytime."
Elara let out a bitter chuckle. "Honestly, Adrian, I have every reason to think you're just making that up so you could get me into bed."
Adrian scoffed, "Do you really think I'd need to lie to get you?"
Elara pushed him away. "Don't waste your breath. I'm not sleeping with you tonight."
Unexpectedly, Adrian leaned in closer, gently pinning her. "If you won't sleep with me," he murmured, "then we'll just do what we usually do."
His lips crushed against hers in a hungry, almost savage kiss as he pressed her hard against the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, a soft breeze and light rain tapped gently on the glass, while inside, their passion burned white-hot.
He let his emotions run wild, heedless of her fragile frame, consuming her with an all-encompassing, possessive intensity.
Elara's tongue tingled with numbness, and her body went weak and boneless. Soon, she couldn't even stand.
Adrian scooped her up, sat down on the sofa with her in his arms, and left a prominent hickey on her neck. In a low, hoarse voice laced with dark, possessive desire, he murmured, "Forget him."
Elara replied with a resigned sigh, "I'm working on it."
"How long until he's completely out of your system?"
"The more you bring him up, the harder it is for me to forget."
Adrian fell silent, devoting his full attention to her.
After nearly two hours of passionate entanglement, they had long since tumbled into bed. As night descended, their ragged breaths intertwined, the air inside growing noticeably hotter. Adrian was already stark naked—yet Elara remained fully clothed.
When it came to intimacy, Elara had firm boundaries—aside from letting Adrian touch her slender waist, she wouldn't allow him to go any further. Even Adrian himself didn't know how he managed to rein in his desire; all he could do was keep kissing her, his hands never leaving that delicate waist...
Elara lay on her side facing Adrian, her flushed cheeks pressed against his firm chest, her exhausted body glistening with a light sheen of sweat.
Suddenly, her phone on the pillow behind her started ringing. Adrian glanced at the screen—it was Alex again. He reached for the phone, and the ringing stopped.
Elara thought Adrian had ended the call for her and was about to continue their intimate moment, when suddenly he bit the side of her neck. "Outch! Adrian, that hurts," she winced.
Adrian's low, husky laugh rumbled. "Mmm, good girl."
'Good girl, my foot!' Elara thought angrily.
Then, Adrian brought the phone to his ear and said, "Talk."
Adrian could practically hear the furious, ragged breathing on the other end—he knew he'd gotten under Alex's skin.
"If it's not urgent, I'm hanging up. We're... occupied," Adrian said pointedly. Then he ended the call and tossed the phone onto the pillow.
Elara paused what she was doing and glanced at Adrian. "Who was that?"
Knowing her mood would be gone, Adrian got up, pulled on his robe, and said flatly, "Alex."
Elara indeed lost her cool. "Adrian, you're such a jerk," she snapped. She got off the bed, grabbed her phone, slipped on her slippers, and marched straight back to her bedroom.
She went to the bathroom to freshen up. Catching sight of the glaring hickey on her neck in the mirror, a wave of irritation washed over her—how childish this guy was.
She gently dabbed at the mark with a damp cotton pad. Just then, her phone buzzed with a message from Alex.
It read: [When you're done, call me ASAP. Julian caused a scene at the engagement party. The Hartleys are detaining Ruby and Julian and are about to call the police. I'm holding them off.]
Elara's heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, she called Alex.
Ten minutes later, she came out, hurriedly packing her things while still on the phone. "Okay, Alex, could you please ask Sadie to hold off on pressing charges for now? I'll catch the earliest flight back. Alright, see you soon."
Adrian sat on the living room sofa, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. He heard Elara call out to Alex on the phone and say they'd meet up later. Then she frantically packed her suitcase, clearly preparing to leave.
Soon, she turned to Afrian, face tense with worry. "Mr. Hartley, something's wrong with Julian and Ruby. I need to get back to Veritasiton right away."
"Don't you dare."