=-Bethany's POV=-
No matter how much I tried to stop thinking about it, I couldn’t. It kept on flashing back into my mind, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get it out of my head. An expletive curse escaped from my mouth while scolding myself. Jacob Summers may possess the most beautiful body in the entire universe but he was a walking red flag. Therefore, I should be careful around him.
While lying in my bed, I wished I have some friends with whom I could be completely honest. Then, I forced myself to sleep, but a loud sigh escaped from my lips when I closed my eyes. However, I recalled that I should set the alarm clock first.
I tossed and turned on my bed because sleep remained elusive after several attempts. I decided to get up, opened the drapes of the windows, and looked outside. The night was dark, and there was no sign of the moon showing up in the sky anytime soon. However, while it was a dark night, the number of stars twinkling above was a beautiful thing to watch. I have been staring at them for a long time, but then, the pain of being not together with my daughter gripped my heart tightly. I have been trying to be cool about it while working but at night, I would miss her a lot.
Unknowingly, tears rolled down my cheeks as I wished to see her very soon. She was just a newborn but my situation made it difficult to be with her all the time. I needed to earn for her needs, and hopefully, I would be able to see her in the next few days.
I had no idea what time I went to bed, but by the time I hit on the soft covers, I immediately fall asleep. However, the loud sound of the alarm clock woke me up around five in the morning. Regardless of the lack of sleep, I had to keep moving or risk termination from my employment.
After taking a quick shower, I hurried up to the kitchen to prepare his breakfast. After preparing his food, I went to clean the entire place, and the chore almost used up all of my energy. In fact, I almost forgot to eat my meals because of my hectic schedule.
Later in the afternoon, I heard a commotion outside, and I was tempted to look out of the window. I saw a truck unloading several boxes of personal effects in front of the Victorian house nearby. A new resident? I was about to go to my room, to take a rest or to do something else during my free time, when I heard the sound of a doorbell from the outside.
Was it Dale or Jacob? I just assumed they must have forgotten their keys, and strolled towards the main door. From the main house, I had to walk a few feet to reach the gate, and my eyes narrowed at the stranger who stood there.
“Excuse me, do you need help?” I asked, and he immediately shook his head, and then he called unto someone else, and I immediately became speechless when an extremely handsome man with shoulder-length hair, strutted towards me. I was instantly captivated by the stranger’s smile when he smiled at me, and I believed he looked like an angel with a devilish smirk.
"I just moved in today and wanted to introduce myself to my next-door neighbor,” he said while smiling.
“I see. Nice to meet you sir, but I am not the homeowner,” I told him, and he raised an eyebrow at my statement.
“Oh really? Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We are neighbors now. My name is Pedro Lassiter,” he introduced himself.
I studied his face for a few seconds, and he seemed to be a fine young man. “You may call me, Bethany. Bethany Middleton,” I told him my real name for a change.
“A Middleton? Hmmm by any chance, do you know anyone whose name is Roger Middleton?”
When I heard him mention my father’s name, I gaped in shock! It was scary to think that he might know my father. Still, I couldn’t ask him for further details and decided to lie. “No, I don’t know anyone by the name of Roger Middleton. Why do you ask?”
“Never mind, Miss Beautiful. Hmmm nice to meet you, Bethany,” he said, and then he winked at me before leaving. “Oh, by the way, I think you will like the cake that my mother baked earlier. Please wait here.”
My gaze followed him as he entered his house, and I waited for him to emerge with the cake he had promised to give me. Even from a distance, I could tell it was freshly baked and delicious. When he handed it to me, I said, "Thank you."
"Don't forget to share it with your family," Pedro said before returning to his unit, and I felt like a schoolgirl having a crush on him. I was overjoyed as I shut the door and began eating the cake Pedro had given me.
When Jacob came home, I was on my second slice, and he had a scowl on his face as if he dreaded coming home and seeing me. I wasn't usually a grumpy person, but I needed to learn for my own survival.
“Where did you get the cake? Did you go out to get one?” He asked his voice was full of malice, and I immediately shook my head to dismiss his inquiry.
“The new neighbor gave it to me earlier. If you want to try it, please sit down,” I teased him, but he ignored me as he walked upstairs. Shrugging my shoulders, I hurriedly finished the cake, and after his dinner was set on the table, I returned to my room, not leaving until the next day.
I was surprised to see a bag containing my essentials outside the door in the morning. I hugged the bags before returning inside to see if the dresses he bought would fit me, and I was surprised to find underwear as well. How humiliating that the man had to buy those things for me!
Nonetheless, I was flattered!
I hummed to my favorite song while making his breakfast, and then I went to the bathroom and took my time in the shower. It was now fully stocked with hair conditioners, shower gels, and everything else a woman would need while showering, and I was grateful that he had decided to be considerate of my needs.
One morning, I was having a friendly conversation with Pedro at the gate when he suddenly showed up and grabbed my wrists as if he owned me! I glared at him for doing so, and when I glanced at Pedro, he seemed to understand that I needed to settle my issues with Jacob Summers.
"Didn't I say you should stay inside all the time?"
His angry voice startled me, and I was embarrassed to be reprimanded in front of Pedro. I bit my lower lip as my eyes begged him to be considerate even once, but he didn't understand and dragged me inside.
“I warned you, Bethany!”
"Did you have to humiliate me in front of Pedro?"
“Pedro? Who is Pedro?" He inquired, and despite the fact that it was still early, he appeared menacing.
"The one I was talking with earlier, and he recently moved in and was gracious enough to share the cake his mother baked the day before." Speaking of cake, I considered having just cake and coffee for breakfast.
“Give me the cake,” he ordered, and I narrowed my eyes in confusion.
I thought he didn’t like sweets and unhealthy food but he insisted on having the cake. I had no choice but to retrieve it, and as soon as I gave it to him, he ate it with so much appetite. I was really amazed that he could eat a large portion of the cake in just a few minutes.
“I don’t know why you are doing this, Mr. Summers,” I told him, and he just looked at me with a confused reaction. He appeared to be fine but then he started scratching his neck. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I…I am allergic to cake, and this is your fault,” he said before losing consciousness in front of me.
“Jacob!” I screamed in fear and immediately went to help him.
Several hours have passed since we got home from the hospital, and I kept on glaring at Jacob. He knew he was allergic to the chocolate cake, but he went on eating the entire damn thing just to make me feel guilty. I couldn’t read what was inside his head, but I could tell there were a lot of nasty things inside it. What happened to him? Every single day, he became worse, and as time passed by, the memory of him during that night, when he used to be gentle and kind to me, faded slowly.
Late in the afternoon, Pedro came by and invited me for a coffee break. He said there was a small coffee shop about two blocks away from our homes. I agreed, but I had to return to the house to change my outfit. A few minutes later, I was ready to go, but I found Jacob leisurely lounging in the living room, and as soon as he saw me, he immediately frowned.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He inquired.
“Pedro invited me for a coffee break,” I replied.
“Did you ask for my permission to go out?”
“I am going to,” I said.
“You can’t go,” he declared.
“It’s just for a few minutes and I will be back immediately,” I reasoned out but then he narrowed his eyes at me, and then he seemed to be judging my entire appearance.
“In that dress?”
He was repulsed by my outfit, despite the fact that he gave it to me. So, I asked him. “What’s wrong with my outfit? It is comfortable!”
"It's a mini dress, and it shows a lot of skin!”
My nostrils flared, but I bit my tongue and shook my head, amazed that he could be so nosy for a man. "Is there an ankle-length mini dress?"
“Look, if you really want to go out, you have to change your outfit. Follow me,” he ordered.
I had no choice but to follow him upstairs, and then he brought me into a room. It wasn’t Dale’s room if I would judge it through the decors. It’s a room that obviously belonged to a woman. “I don’t know why you brought me here. This is obviously not your room,” I told him.
“Are you saying that you followed me without complaints because you assumed I would take you to my bedroom? What are you thinking, Bethany?” He asked angrily, but then his expression softened a little bit, and sighed. “The wardrobe is on the left, you can choose whatever you want to wear, but don’t wear anything so revealing. Understand?”
“Is this your wife’s room?”
“No. My sister’s room,” he replied.
I frowned upon hearing it because I didn’t hear anything about his sister. Our packs could be rivals and not on good terms but I only heard about him, and not his sister. I wanted to inquire for further details but he was already gone.
So, I went to check the wardrobe, and my eyes widened upon seeing a whole closet of women’s clothes. They were new and fashionable, and I liked the colors! My hands shook uncontrollably as I picked one of the clothes and smelled it before trying it on.
“Gorgeous.”
“Jacob! I thought that you already left!” I exclaimed my surprise and immediately covered myself from his observant eyes.
“I changed my mind,” he said while staring at me.
I was terrified when I recognized the lust in his eyes so I stormed past him as fast as I could. He called my name several times but I had no plan of acknowledging it. I went straight to my room and stayed there for the time being.
Later on, I had no choice but to get out of the room in order to cook his dinner. Fortunately, he was nowhere in the house, and I was relieved. I was able to prepare his food in a timely manner, and once I was done, I decided to eat ahead of him. Then, I returned to my room. Seeing him so worked up whenever I was around has terrified me. He was the kind of a man that I should avoid at all costs, and I should have known better before flirting with him that night. Well, it already happened and I could no longer change it, however, I didn’t want to have another intimate encounter with the man. Lately, he has been trying my patience, and the more he would irritate me, the more I noticed him.
If only Dale would come back home as soon as possible, then maybe, I would have fewer interactions with Jacob. Dale was a sensible man while Jacob was aggressive, and I could tell he wanted to do things his way. He was so domineering and arrogant,
Another sigh escaped from my lips when boredom struck me. I wanted to go out to the garden, to get some fresh air, and have close contact with nature, but I was worried to bump into him. On a second note, there was a chance he was not home, or I would have noticed him earlier. When I glanced at the clock on the wall, it was already ten in the evening, and I believed he was already asleep. Slowly, I strolled towards the door and opened it.
The living room was dark when I went down, so I went towards the light switch and screamed upon seeing him lounging on the sofa. “I thought you are not home,” I exclaimed. Regardless of what happened, or no matter how awkward our situation was, he was my employer and I couldn’t ignore him forever. “Good evening, Mr. Summers.”
“I don’t feel well today but you didn’t even bother to check on me,” he complained.
“I feel bad for you but I think it’s karma,” I replied and when I realized the impact of the words coming out of my mouth, it was already late. He was already infuriated and stared daggers at me.
"Be careful with your language, Madame." He forewarned me, but who cares?
I was still angry at him, and there was nothing he could do to make me happy! I knew it was late but I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Pedro Lassiter. So, I went to the door to see if Pedro was outside his house because I needed to see him very badly. I was about to open the door when he grabbed my wrist. "What on earth do you think you're doing?"
“Are you crazy? Can’t you see it’s already late and you still want to go out? For what? For the neighbor who looked like an old maggot?”
When he told me why I couldn't go out, I felt a flash of annoyance. “With due respect, Mr. Summers, he doesn’t look like a maggot. For me, he is the most handsome man I have ever seen!”
“Are you telling me this to make me angry?”
“No, sir. I have no intention to do such a thing,” I told him. "Why are you being so cruel to me?"
"I'm not being cruel by asking you to say put Bethany. When I said, I wasn’t feeling well, should you offer to take care of me? After all, it’s part of your job to be mindful of me!”
“I just wanted to apologize to him because I stood up to him earlier,” I continued to reason out.
“So, his feelings are more valuable to you compared to mine. Did I guess that right?”
“I’m sorry, but I hope you will not make me feel uneasy,” I admitted.
“You are feeling that way because you expected something to happen between us. What’s inside your head, my dear?”
When he stared into my eyes while asking me such a ridiculous question, I became nervous. I shouldn’t be bothered by the intensity of his stares, but he looked at me as if he was trying to look into my soul. “J-Jacob…,” I stammered while pushing him away from me.
Jacob made the decision to be rude to me, and I was baffled as to why he felt it necessary to go to such great lengths to aggravate me. Since he treated me in all honesty as his slave, I had no right to complain. I didn't question it; I just obeyed his order and went with the flow.
I did the cleaning while Jacob ate his meal, and by the time I was done, it was almost time for me to start preparing his supper. Despite the fact that I was completely spent, I couldn't suppress the excitement that I felt. He promised I could have a day off, and I planned to spend it with my daughter.
One evening, my insatiable appetite for knowledge won out, and I made up my mind to investigate the location where Jacob kept his mistresses. Because the glass door was left open, I was able to hear the women in the room perfectly as they discussed various beauty tips and techniques. Suddenly, one of the girls got to her feet and made preparations to leave. Her peers cheered for her as though she were competing for a championship.
"Hey, did he ask for you?" When one of the other girls asked, the brunette who had a curvaceous figure responded in the affirmative.
I was able to identify the woman's opulent fragrance as she passed by my hiding spot and I knew it to be an expensive fragrance. I had no idea what possessed me to follow her around in such a stealthy manner, but I did so as the echo of her high-heeled shoes reverberated through the corridor.
She approached Jacob's bedroom with assurance, and I couldn't help but widen my eyes in shock when, after at least three knocks on the door, Jacob emerged from the room without anything on to cover his body. Excitement could be felt in the space that separated his muscular thighs.
The woman let out a shrill squeal of delight when Jacob grabbed her thin waist and allowed her to enter the room. The images of him naked, while they were engaging in incomprehensible behavior inside his room, continued to torment me.
I was aware that some men were just more naturally gifted in that department. On the other hand, I had no idea that it could be so enormous, and I shook with fear as I imagined it trying to break through my body. Although he already did, it happened a long time ago, and I barely had any recollection of that night. When I finally realized what I was thinking, I literally had to catch my breath! But holy cow, did I seriously picture myself lying on his bed while he tore me to shreds? Oh no!
In the days that followed, I underwent a complete transformation into a nervous wreck. I completed my duties, but I had to keep my pace up whenever Jacob was in the vicinity. In any case, I was only his maid, so it's highly unlikely that he'll miss having me around.
One morning, I was surprised to find him in the kitchen, and when I looked at the clock, I realized that it was only five in the morning. I knew he would usually wake at four in the morning to meditate, but he wasn't able to trick me into believing that he did so.
“Coffee?” I went up to him and inquired as to whether or not he would like a cup of coffee. When he didn't respond and instead just stared at me, I wrinkled my brow and pondered what could have possibly possessed him to behave in such a manner.
"Bethany, why are you making this experience so painful for me?"
“Huh? Just exactly what do you mean by that? Jacob, I didn't do anything."
"Are you certain? I was wondering how much time has passed since the last time we communicated. Even though we live in the same house, you have managed to make me feel isolated." The man screamed.
"While we didn't talk, you were never alone." I brought up his sexual activities by pointing out that he had women staying with him and saying, "You had your women visit you at night."
"Why have you gone so long without addressing me?"
"Keeping my distance from you, Jacob is the prudent choice for me," I told him. I finally admitted it to him and said, "I can tell you have an unusual appetite for women, and I was concerned for my safety. You are still my boss, and while I will do my job for you, you need to put some distance between yourself and me."
"Oh, for the love of God, I'm not a rapist!" He became enraged and began to yell at me.
I responded, "I know, but I hope you understand that this is how I prefer it! Please, just ignore me, or don’t even think about me. Don’t worry though, I will do my best in doing all the household chores.”
"I wish I could."
I was puzzled over why he couldn't just ignore me and raised an eyebrow to express my confusion. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“Never mind,” he said. "Would you mind if I helped you in the kitchen?"
"Thank you, but I’d rather work alone,” I told him.
He said, "You don't want me here," and left the room.
As he let out a heavy sigh, I started to get a bad feeling, and then I realized what he was up to. I explained it to him, and when I saw the sparkle in his eye, I knew he was acting! When I doused him with water and drenched him, he let out a piercing scream. “Oh sorry, it’s an accident. Now, you have to go back to your room and changed your clothes,” I said without apologizing and he glared at me in response.