9) You look better with your sweatshirt on, Charlie

"I understand." - the voice of Matthew's cousin spreads in my office, while the bastard

grabs the root of my neck between his teeth, making me

sigh heavily, not for the pleasure but for the anger that I accumulate inside

my body until the redhead incinerates me with her eyes, and then slams the door with

so much violence that I jump for fear, taking a grimace of pain when

Matthew bites my skin again, but this time harder than before.

"You pervert bastard!" - I scream through the locks of his hair that tickle

my chin, then place both hands on his mighty shoulders and try to

push him away with a force I didn't even know I had:

"How dare you!" - I bring a hand to my neck to caress the

sore spot, but I make a face again when at my touch my skin starts

suddenly to burn, then I cast a murderous look at the man in front of me.

His expression is so neutral that I don't understand if he is amused by the situation or is on the

point of explaining and apologize, but again I get disappointed when he gives a look to my body again, then pass the tongue on the lower lip, now very red for the

kiss that he wanted to shamelessly give me on my neck, and slowly turn his back on me:

«You look better with your sweatshirt on, Charlie.» - his voice reaches my ears, even if it takes me a couple of seconds to realize he just hit me in the face that I have an awful body, but as soon as I prepare to answer him in a very bad way, the words stop

in my throat and I can't make a sound to defend myself, just looking at him

leave my office with his usual and unbearable arrogance.

That whoremonger!

I should have exposed him in front of his cousin, rather than playing his game,

even though I bet I wouldn't have been able to push him away regardless.

I shiver as I caress my neck gently, then turn my back to the door and

go straight to the table to put on that damn sweatshirt again.

'You look better with your sweatshirt on, Charlie .'- the indifference with which he pronounced those words makes me

get nervous, so much that I mentally hope not seeing him tonight, even if I'm afraid it's difficult, being his father's birthday.

When I remember that William is celebrating his birthday this evening, I begin to understand why his daughter has appeared

today, but I also wonder where is she now, as she surely won't have found her brother

at the office.

I slam the door behind me as soon as I put on my heavy and uncomfortable sweatshirt, which

apparently Matthew prefers rather than see me half naked, even if he didn't look like he thought that way while his lips were on my skin.

If I was calm with his father's attitude as a boss because I knew that after all he was just joking, about Matthew I have to start worrying and I can't let him get close to me again

that way.

"Here's my baby doll." - Hardin leaves a kiss on my cheek as soon as I get close to

him and his client, letting the latter punch in bursts at a few punching bags three meters away.

"Where were you?" - he asks immediately, leaving a kiss on my cheek, but I try to

hide the guilt and avoid telling him the truth, getting straight to the point:

«I'll return home earlier.» - I just mumble, without stopping to look at the guy in front of

me, who jumps several times and then pulls another shot at the bag.

«As you want.» - he says as soon as I turn my back to him to hurry to get out of this

suffocating gym, without giving Hardin time to leave another kiss on my cheek.

"Charlotte!" - I stop suddenly at the exact moment I get outside the structure,

while my heart rises in my throat to hear my name pronounced with that accent.

'(memories)

"Charlotte!" - the voice of my big brother tries to bring me back to reality, but I don't stop

staring at the nasty girl who kissed him on his mouth.

Her name is Tessa, but her name is so bad that I'd prefer calling her 'frog', to,

if my brother didn't scold me every time I do it.

'(end of memories)

I start breathing again and shake my head when I realize it's just Ian, holding up one

hand from afar to get noticed, but the slight smile that forms on my lips turns into a grimace when I notice he's close to Matthew's car, in

company of that bastard and his sister Ashley.

Instead of walking towards them I wait for Ian to approach, but when I understand that

he has no intention of doing that I just raise my chin in greeting:

"I have to go home." - I explain quickly, unable to bear the presence

of William's son at his side, even if he isn't even looking at me in this moment, so I decide to return on my way and start walking alone, but once again Ian's voice stops me:

"I'll accompain you." - he suddenly says, making me frown, while Matthew at

his side jerks his head up, then his eyes move from Ian to my figure, but instead

of refusing his company I shrug with feigned indifference and wait for him to approach

my body.

I don't understand what this man wants, but there is something about him that intrigues me, besides the

fact that he wears sunglasses.

I don't know if he gets offended if I tell him they are horrible, even if I begin to like them and I'm trying to get used to it.

I take one last look at Ashley when I see her spread her lips in a smile, then

turn my back to both of them when Ian is finally at my side:

"Do I have a funny face?" - I mumble to myself, while the man next to me frowns his eyebrows for confusion.

"Ashley looks at me and laughs every time." - I point out, walking beside him as if we

have known each other for years.

«She's sweet.» - he defends her as he puts his hands in his pockets, but I can't help nodding and admitting he's right.

"That's why I don't trust her." - I whisper in a low voice, so much that I'm not sure he heard.

In fact he remains silent and I almost have the impression that he is staring at me right now,

but before meeting his eyes he anticipates me, almost wanting to change the subject:

"Have you lived in Seattle for long?" - he clears his throat after a couple of seconds of silence and

if he were an ordinary person I would have answered him badly by probably insulting him, but I hold back and limit myself to a:

"I was born here."

The silence that follows makes me realize that my tone was so cold that perhaps Ian has

understood that it is better not to ask me about my private life, but once again I open my nostrils

when he insists:

"Your family must be really love this place." - his voice fades when I sigh heavily to let him know that I don't like talking about myself at all, but I decide to shamelessly lie to him and nod at his words as he looks at me

out of the corner of his eye to study my expression.

«Thanks for the company.» - I press my lips, bending the corners of my mouth upwards to

thank him sincerely.

I know he lives nearby, but I clearly noticed the way he left his friend and Ashley to cross the streets of Seattle with me.

"Anytime." - he tilts his head, approaching my face to leave a tender kiss on

my cheek, as I try to hide the blush and hurry to take a step back

when he starts to move away from my body, but I wait for him to go away from me before I

walk towards the entrance of the condominium.

He's so... different!

Before I met him, I was sure that there were three types of men in this world. Pedophiles

like William, perverts like Paul and ... the ones like Matthew, that are the bastard assholes that

can do nothing but piss you off and make you nervous.

Perhaps, if I had had a father by my side, I might have even thought that there exist

protective men.

Like those in 'Wbnovel' books, even if I haven't read many books in my life,

despite having a full library.

Books depress me because they always have a happy ending, whereas my life everyday becomes more disgusting than the day before.

"I saw you more rarely when we worked under the same roof." - the words come out

spontaneously from my mouth as soon as I see William with the usual shopping bags in his hands, while waiting for the elevator doors to open.

It seems that since Matthew moved into his house he is shopping every day, I can't help making fun of him as his eyes fall on my figure:

«Is it a new hobby as an old man?» - I point to the shopping bags with my finger, getting close to him in the exact moment he enters the elevator, but he's so quiet and serious that I decide not continue to comment.

I know William pretty well by now and I know that every time he pokes his nose his ex

wife had something to do with it or he had a fight with the woman that lives in the apartment next to him, although I never have

stopped believing that there is something between them.

"She refused my invitation for tonight." - he says between his teeth when the elevator finally starts moving,

after a strange noise that makes my heart rise in my throat, but I understand that William refers

to his neighbor when he clicks his tongue on the palate with anger.

"Of course." - I roll my eyes and wait anxiously for the lift to reach its destination as soon as possible.

"What do you mean?" - he jerks his head in my direction, but I just raise an eyebrow

when I realize that he is offended by my attitude.

"I kindly invited her to dinner tonight." - he justifies himself, pointing his finger at me:

"And she called me a pervert!" - he continues with an almost desperate tone, but this time I get up

both my eyebrows.

"You always treat her like a whore." - I make him understand as I hurry to leave

the elevator behind, and then continue without mincing words:

"What did you expect from her? To come into your house and give you right?"

He doesn't seem to want to agree with me and continues to justify himself as if he doesn't understand that he's the problem:

«I don't know why women have always treated me like this.» - he swears in a low voice, but

I try to distract him outright:

"For the penis envy."

I hold back a laugh as he makes a confused grimace, this time looking me in my eye:

"Penis envy?" - he asks skeptically, but I don't let him finish that I repeat firmly:

"Penis envy." - I say firmly, and then assure him that I'm not saying anything stupid:

"Freud said so."

He indulges in a light laugh, albeit when he realizes I'm serious he assumes a thoughtful expression, at the exact moment when I turn my back to him and leave him alone, but before I can say goodbye to enter my apartment, he hastens to anticipate me with an alarmed voice:

"Where are you going? I need your help." - he points with his chin at the envelopes in his hands, but when I understand his intentions I frown and try to remember him:

«Last time I helped you cook I set your mosquito killer on fire.» - I bite

the inside of my cheek not to laugh at the memory of his expression, but at my words

I see him shrug and look at me with indifference:

"You have to feed ten bowls tonight." - he makes me understand with an almost pleading tone, to which

I slowly nod my head and follow him to his apartment.

If I had better things to do I wouldn't have thought twice about refusing, but the alternative would be to spend the rest of the afternoon on the couch, probably in front of a marathon

of Fresh Off The Boat.

There's a reason why they call me a coach potato.

"I also explained her that we would not be alone." - I hear him stammering after a couple of

seconds, realizing that he is still thinking about that woman, but now I really begin

to feel pity for William, so much that I stop at my steps and frown at seeing him

enter the apartment.

"I'll be back soon." - I explain, making a thoughtful grimace and leaving William

confused behind me as my feet head to the apartment next door before I think about it twice and go back to the old man.

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