Forbidden Desire

She feigned a half smile, and I returned it.

“The jet is already waiting for us,” he informed.

“Then let’s go!”

We went to the jet, and for me, it was a novelty. My first trip had been to Korea, and I had come in economy class, with so many people beside me that I didn’t even count. He guided me, and we entered it together, sitting side by side, while the blonde sat in a seat in front of us, crossing her toned legs. As the plane took off, I was a bit nervous, and noticing this, Jason held my hand tightly. I could feel my heart racing with every sway of the plane, and Jason smiled.

“Are you afraid?” He interlaced our fingers and brought our faces closer, kissing the tip of my nose and then giving me a calm kiss on the lips. I took a deep breath and felt secure.

“Not anymore…”

He smiled at me, and as soon as the pilot allowed us to move around the plane, Jason removed our seat belts and pulled me close, cuddling me in his arms so we could admire the Seoul skyline, which looked even more amazing from above. The colors painting the sky were inspiring, and I found myself imagining how I would illustrate that moment.

“Did you bring your sketchbook?” He asked.

I grinned playfully and nodded along.

“You’re itching to draw, aren’t you?”

I laughed, surprised at how well he knew me.

“Yep!”

“If you want, you can draw.”

“I’ll do it later. For now, I just want to enjoy this moment with you.”

He smiled at me, locking eyes, and gave me another kiss. He called the flight attendant, who was very friendly, and ordered something I didn’t understand until she returned with a bottle of champagne and three glasses. Jason opened the bottle with a flourish, and I laughed as the flight attendant served us, while the blonde downed her glass of liquid in one go. Jason lightly clinked our glasses together and said with a sparkle in his eyes.

“A toast to our first trip, the first of many to come.”

I smiled and took a sip, making a slight face that made him laugh and the blonde in front of us scoff.

“You didn’t like it?”

“I found it a bit strong.”

“Champagne isn’t for every palate.”

Jason seemed like he was going to glare at her with his eyes, and soon she seemed to regret what she had said. He turned his gaze back to me and caressed my hand.

“It’s okay not to like it. You don’t have to pretend to like something just to seem fancy. Most people do that, but not you. That’s why I…”

He paused his words for a moment, as if realizing what he was about to say.

“That’s why I adore you!”

He pulled me close and hugged me, and we stayed there admiring the skyline. After a while, he took out his phone and took some pictures of us. Despite the occasional mocking glances the blonde shot my way, I felt good in the arms of the man I love. After some time, he excused himself to go to the bathroom, and I grabbed my sketchbook. As I began to draw, I heard the blonde’s voice invading the space.

“Are you enjoying the trip?”

Her tone of voice was showing a friendliness that I knew was fake, but even so, I responded with a smile on my face.

“Yes, the scenery is very beautiful.”

“Yeah, this is the first time I’ve paid attention to the scenery. Mr. Park usually keeps me quite busy during our trips, if you know what I mean…”

A mischievous smile appeared on her face, and I knew exactly what she was insinuating, so I decided to just ignore it.

“On our last trip, he couldn’t even wait to get to the hotel and we made love right here in this seat.”

She pointed to the seat next to me, and I swallowed hard, trying to control myself from crying in front of her. She smiled satisfactorily as she took a sip of her champagne glass, and for a moment, my blood boiled.

“Yeah, sluts can eat anywhere, I mean, he built a custom room where we make love every day until dawn, you know… But oh, you must know that, right…”

She swallowed hard, and her smile faded.

“No, I… I didn’t know.”

“Oh, you didn’t know? Well, now you know.”

Jason returned, and I think he noticed something, because the glare the blonde directed at me made me wonder.

“What happened?”

“Nothing, I was just telling her about the room you built for me.”

He smiled and asked.

“Your studio?”

“No, darling, our room.”

“Oh, yeah… You always deserve the best!”

He gave me a kiss, and I reciprocated eagerly, since she wanted to rub in my face that she had slept with him, I would show her who his woman was. When we separated our kiss due to lack of air, the blonde was staring fixedly out the window in a failed attempt not to look at us. He took out his phone and read some work-related email, and I went back to drawing.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Did you manage to change the reservation as I asked you?”

He asked, and the blonde didn’t take long to respond, rolling her eyes slightly without him noticing because he wasn’t even looking at her.

“Yes, sir.”

He hugged me, and I snuggled into him as I continued to draw.

“I booked the presidential suite for us, facing the sea with a very beautiful view.”

I smiled at him, and he kissed my neck.

“You didn’t need to do all this, love. You know that anywhere we are together makes me happy.”

“You deserve it! Only the best for you, my girl!”

I could see the happiness in his eyes, and as much as Scarlet tried to ruin our trip, I wouldn’t let that happen. He showed in every way that with me it was different, if she had the poison, his behavior was the antidote I needed. The rest of the trip was smooth, and when we arrived in Thailand, I felt like a child. I was enchanted by the view, the colors, the smell of the sea breeze, the friendly people; here was totally different from Korea, and I felt like I was in my Brazil. People sold handicrafts, clothes, sarongs, bags, as well as exotic foods that, despite being exotic, seemed very appetizing. An elderly lady stopped us near the airport exit and put a hand-embroidered shawl with incredible colors around me, she was so friendly, and I smiled seeing her showing it to Jason and saying how beautiful I looked. He smiled and bought the shawl while the older woman thanked him. As soon as we left the airport, a limousine was waiting for us, and we got in, heading to the hotel, which was a resort; everything was beautiful, and as soon as we arrived, we were offered a delicious drink adorned with kiwi that I loved right away. Jason had fun while I seemed to make friends with everyone I passed. After checking in, we went to the room where I ran straight to the balcony, completely ecstatic with the view.

“Wow, what a beautiful view!”

He came to me smiling and hugged me from behind.

“I knew you would like it! The last time I was in Thailand I looked out at the ocean and thought about how much I wished you were here.”

I kissed him, feeling my smile grow even wider.

“Back then, I couldn’t bear to be away from you.”

“And neither could I!”

We kissed, and I jumped onto his lap, crossing my legs around his hips. He smiled and carried me to the huge bed in the room, laying me down there.

“I can’t wait to make love in every part of this room, but I have a meeting in a little while. Will you be okay?”

He caressed my face, and I closed my eyes, enjoying his touch.

“I’ll be fine. I brought my painting materials, and I need to paint some new pieces for my portfolio. I need at least three more paintings for the exhibition, and so far, I’ve only painted you.”

He smiled, and I kissed him intensely.

“Alright, then. I’ll leave my card with you. The hotel is all-inclusive, so you can order whatever you want. I’ll probably be out all day, so don’t stay locked up here. Enjoy the pool, buy whatever you want, and if you need anything, just call me, okay? I’ll be back before 6 p. m. for dinner together, alright?”

“Okay!”

I agreed, and he gave me several kisses before leaving. I decided to put on a bikini and go enjoy the pool. I wore a white kimono with fringes at the hem, made of a thin, flowing fabric that reached my knees, and I really liked how it looked on me. I grabbed my painting supplies and headed to the pool, lying down on one of the loungers with a beautiful view of the beach. I tried various drinks, made friends with half the waitresses, and I confess I was getting a little “happy” from the drinks. When lunchtime came, I tried the Pad Thai at the recommendation of the hotel staff, and I rolled my eyes with how delicious it was. The dish had noodles sauteed with shrimp, tofu, and some vegetables, and it was slightly spicy, but nothing compared to the exaggerated spiciness of Korean food. For dessert, I tried the Mango Sticky Rice, which was a sweet rice with mango that was also delicious. After lunch, I decided to take a walk along the beach, and it was impossible not to feel inspired in a place like that. I painted several paintings and even met a group of Brazilians who were backpacking through Asia. Before I knew it, I had made several friends, and one of the girls named Marcela stood out for being the most talkative in the group. She was a brunette with a contagious smile and long curly hair.

“Are you going to the lantern festival later?”

“Ah, I don’t think so. My boyfriend is in a meeting and will probably arrive tired.”

“No! You can’t miss this party! It’s a unique experience, and I’m sure it would make an incredible painting!”

“Ah, I imagine it must be beautiful!”

“Take my word for it! There’s no better experience. I’ve seen it three times already, and each time feels like the first. If you want to go with us, we’ll meet here at 9 p. m.”

“Alright! Count me in!”

I really wanted to go, but I knew Jason would be tired when he arrived, so I wouldn’t even mention it to him; I’d just stay in the room and enjoy every moment with him. I went back to the hotel pool, and I noticed I was quite tanned. Jason had been texting me all day, asking if I was okay, and I found it cute how he cared about my well-being. Marcela stayed at the pool with me, and we started drinking those fruity drinks that were making me slightly tipsy. I was having so much fun that I didn’t realize how late it was getting, and I only noticed when I saw Jason in the distance. He hadn’t seen me yet, and he seemed to be having a serious conversation with Scarlet; she touched his arm a few times as she spoke, and they were just passing by here because it was on the way to the rooms. Marcela saw where my gaze was directed and let out a Wow as she observed Jason, who looked handsome in a suit.

“Wow, what a handsome man!”

I smiled, convinced, and laughed a little too much because of the drink.

“Yeah, he is! And he’s mine!”

“Look at you, you lucky little vixen! But who’s that woman touching him?”

I rolled my eyes, and she laughed.

“That’s the ‘secretary’.”

“Wow, I can see you love her!”

I laughed out loud, and he heard me, looking at me, his serious expression turning into a beautiful smile. Scarlet, upon seeing me, rolled her eyes, and I could sense Marcela’s indignation in her tone of voice.

“Scarlet. What a disgusting girl! Go over there and plant a kiss on your man so that girl stops being rude.”

I wouldn’t normally do that, but I was slightly drunk, so I got up, and when he came towards me, I ran to him, jumping into his arms and crossing my legs around him, he held me, smiling, and then kissed me. I could hear the sound of the blonde’s heels banging angrily against the floor, and she had already left. When we separated our kiss, he had a smile from ear to ear.

“Have you been drinking?”

“Ah, I had a drink or eight.”

He gave a beautiful smile, tilting his head back, and I was still in his lap.

“Did you have fun?”

“I had a lot of fun. I drank those fruity drinks that are so sweet that I thought they wouldn’t get me drunk, but look at those treacherous drinks.”

“Very!”

He was having fun, and I loved seeing how he paid attention to every detail of me.

“I went to the beach, had lunch, made Brazilian friends, and they even invited me to the lantern festival later.”

He pouted cutely, and I smiled.

“The lantern festival, huh?”

I nodded, and he seemed slightly disappointed.

“But we don’t have to go; I know you’re tired.”

“It’s not that… It’s just that I was going to take you, but I wanted it to be a surprise.”