Love’n’Lust

“No, I didn’t.” Belle folded her hands as she opposed.”I told you that I would think about it and I did today. I’m done, Ben.” She heard herself say something she didn’t plan on saying. At first, she just wanted a break from him but she just told him that she was ‘done’.

As her last three words resounded in her ears, she saw a reaction from him for the first time since she started talking. It was a smile, a scary one.

“No, you are not.” He told her and came to her. She tried to control her breathing when he came back in front of her.

“It’s my body, I get to decide when I don’t want…”

“Your body belongs to me, Belle.” He grabbed her by the waist and made the little space between the vanish. Belle gasped when he suddenly pulled her by the waist.

Her breathing could not be controlled now when he brought his lips to her right ear. She heard his magnetic voice tell her;

“Think again about your decision, Belle, but this time know that stopping what we have already started is not an option.” He said and let go of her.

He wasn’t going to let her stop him from herself. This was why he wanted her to sign a contract back then, he pre-calculated that this could happen.

She turned to see him walk out the front door after he left her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she didn’t know how to feel.

*****

“Now you see that I was right, don’t you?” Brie told Belle as they sat on the same bed. Belle had just told her all that had happened with her and Ben; Brie was the only one she could return to talk to.

“Come on Brie, you really are going to say that right now?” They both heard Cherry and turned to see her. They didn’t know she had been listening all the while.

“I warned her about him, she didn’t listen and now he is threatening to hurt others because of her.” Brie shook her head as she spoke.”I know what to do,” she made Belle look at her with wonder at what she had in mind.

“Avoid him, don’t take his calls, just forget about him, he would forget about you too. That’s how they are, if you stop caring, they also wouldn’t bother.” Cherry hissed at Brie’s idea after listening with interest.

“Do you realize that Ben isn’t your ex? He isn’t Carl, the fact that Carl forgot about you when you tried to cut him off to have him apologize doesn’t mean Ben would also do the same.” Cherry made her point.

“Look, I don’t know what to tell you Belle, but if you ask me, I would say you continue with what you already started with him, after all you do enjoy him, plus he is willing to spend on you and take care of you financially… just continue, stay if he wants you to stay,” Cherry told Belle this time.

“What are you saying, Cherry?” Brie looked at her with disapproval.”Don’t continue, Belle, this is the perfect time to escape from him.”

“Escape from him? It’s not like he is a monster.” Belle had to mention.

“I didn’t say he is, but being with someone like him has a lot of mental and emotional stress attached to it. Belle, just listen to me this time okay? Do this for your good.”

“The way he said those words of his, he meant it, I could tell. What if your plan doesn’t work?” Belle sighed and looked again at her sister.

“It would,” Brie assured her, meanwhile, Cherry stood there with her hands folded and a face to show that she thought Brie’s plan was useless.

******

The next morning.

Belle came down the cab that just stopped in front of the Crisp-tv media house. She put her palms over her face, trying to shake off the worry she had on her mind.

“Belle?” She turned and it was Nathan.

“Good morning,” she just greeted.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think so.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“You think so?” He raised a brow as he questioned.”Do you want to talk about what’s on your mind?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks.” She just shook her head and started towards the entrance of the building, ready to start her first day with her new boss.

****

Ben sat in his office, typing roughly on the keyboard beneath his fingers. He wasn’t livid with rage but rather it was a feeling he couldn’t describe. He had never felt such and didn’t know how to deal with it.

He normally tortured someone he thought deserving of it, whenever he was furious but this wasn’t that. He couldn’t even explain what he felt after yesterday with Belle.

He wanted to be angry at her but he couldn’t be. He hated that she went out to late lunch with Nathan and wanted to punish her but it was ‘her’, it was Belle, and he couldn’t harm her.

He couldn’t imagine his free time without her around. When she said she was done yesterday, it triggered a part of him to smile because there was no way she was. He wouldn’t allow that.

His assistant’s heels made quiet noises as she approached his desk. She had a file in hand.

“Sir, I made the marketers’ reviews into a summarized file like you requested.” She said and kept the file on his desk as quietly as she could because he didn’t look up from what he was typing after she spoke.

She stood in front of him for some seconds to know if he would say something but he said nothing, so she turned to leave but he stopped her.

“As you leave, cancel all my meetings for today… and I don’t want any disturbances.” He gave orders, still without looking up from what he was typing.

“Okay, sir.” She continued walking but stopped again at the door to ask him;

“Sir, what about the appointments you have? You have a scheduled appointment with nine different…” Her tongue stopped working when he finally looked up. Far as she was, she could see how dark his eyes were. She immediately knew she should stop talking and just leave.