The Groom

Qing Chen was awakened by the sudden bright lights that attacked his eyes. He immediately pulled up a hand and covered his face before turning the other way. His fingers grabbed the nearest pillow and he pulled it to his chest.

He was just about to get back to his deep slumber when he felt something—or rather someone snaking their hand on his back. "Wake up, sleepyhead," a sultry voice crooned.

"Tsk," left Qing Chen's lips. "Go away."

The woman laughed. That could only be Li Zongying, the woman who had access to his penthouse. He had replaced his key passes a lot but it did'nt really help as if he had forgotten something in his room, it was his secretary that he sends.

"Do you really want me to?"

Qing Chen felt the woman's heat starting to envelope him and it was making him sleepier. But the woman's hand seemed to have other plans as it continued to trail to his chest and down to his— "Or do you want me to wake up the dragon?"

Qing Chen immediately snatched the woman's hand away from his body and gently pushed her off his back as he lied on it. "It's early morning, Li Zongying. Go home."

This had happened once that a sudden consciousness forced Qing Chen to check if he was still wearing his pants. He was. He could go back to sleep peacefully. It had been weeks since it happened with Li Zongying. He honestly didn't understand why she was still trying. It was a one-time thing.

"Aw, come on!" Li Zongying shouted in exasperation. "How long are you going to resist me?"

Qing Chen rubbed his head. It felt like his mind had just been awaken entirely. No more going back to sleep. He sat up and looked at the clock. It was barely noon. "We've had this conversation already," he said to the woman with his eyes still trying to get used to the light. "I told you, it was a mistake. It's not going to happen again."

"Did you really mean that?!" the woman sat up too, looking all sad and Qing Chen had to close his eyes because he hated it when women looked at him like that. It was like getting cornered into saying yes.

Qing Chen found his shirt by the end of the bed and crawled towards it. "Li Zongying, you have to go home. It's a Saturday. Get some rest. A lot of things are to happen come Monday. I need you fully functional."

Qing Chen definitely fell for that cliche wherein the boss slept with his secretary. Him and Li Zongying had been a great team when it came to work. He could even say that he treated her as a friend whom he could share some of his problems regarding the running of the business. But one night after work, while he was drinking his night away with a bottle of whiskey in his office, Li Zongying came and tried to listen to his problem. He had been so drunk he told her everything about it.

He had a girlfriend for four years. However, she decided to pursue her career in Italy and left Qing Chen in Chengshi. He had offered to come with her but she refused. He had told her he would get on a plane every weekend to come visit her, but she shrugged him away. She said he would be a distraction for her, that she would be filled with longing and would not be able to focus on her work. Qing Chen let her go and accepted the fate of their relationship. But then, after just about a month, a tabloid magazine posted a picture of his ex-girlfriend cozying up with a French model.

He wasn't saying he was blaming it on the alcohol. But he was a free man already then. He could do very well what he wanted to do--just like his ex-girlfriend did. He had just wanted a release of some form out of that relationship. Qing Chen had that couch burned and when the morning came, there was a new one in his office.

"How can I be fully functional? When I see you all I want to do is rip your clothes off." Li Zongying's fingers trailed on his leg. "It's the hormones. They want you, Qing Chen."

Qing Chen pulled himself from the bed, away from her touch and made his way towards the restroom and relieved himself at the toilet. He heard Li Zongying's footsteps before hearing her voice again behind him. "Are you saying you don't want this relationship anymore?"

Qing Chen pushed the flush button and moved towards the sink to wash his mouth. "We're not in a relationship, Li Zongying. That night," he turned to her, "it was a mistake. How many times do I have to say that?"

"What?! Did I do something wrong, Qing Chen?" the girl said as he sidestepped away from her by the bathroom's door.

"You didn't."

"Are you going to fire me?"

Finally, a reasonable question, Qing Chen thought. "No," he told her, grabbing a water bottle from the nightstand. "You're really good at doing your job. I am not going to take that away from you."

Li Zongying smiled, "But I am also good at other things. And you're so lucky because I don't charge extra for it."

Qing Chen almost choked. "Li Zongying," he warned. "Stop this nonsense. Or I'll be forced to really fire you."

The girl's hands found her way to Qing Chen's chest once more. "Don't you need me anymore?"

Qing Chen scratched the back of his neck. Could this just be all over? "I just needed you for one night. You fully consented to that. I told you that when it was over, it's all over and that we're going to go back to normal. You said yes. Honestly, I expected you to be more professional about it because we had an agreement."

"Did you find someone new?" the woman pulled him to face her. She was so short that she just reached his shoulders. She had almond-shaped eyes and a pretty nose. Her lips are thin and her face a small circle. Her eyes shone with tears. "Someone better than me?"

"No," he answered, walking away from her. "Tsk, enough with the questions. I really need you to leave, Li Zongying. Go get some rest. I have somewhere to be."

He made a move to the bathroom but not without catching the last question the woman asked him. "You don't have any appointments today! Where are you going?!"

And before he closed the door, a smile started to appear on his face. "I am going to see my wife."