Acting Guilty
I checked my phone, almost dropping it when I saw who the sender was.
It was a text from Royce from my blind date.
I could not help but feel like I was cheating on him.
In his text, Royce mentioned that he had not contacted me because he had been away on a business
trip. He followed that up with an invitation to chat the next day.
Chat? About what? Dominic’s warning remained at the forefront of my mind. If he knew about Royce’s
existence, I would be dead meat.
I stared at the doorway guiltily as if expecting Dominic to materialize at any moment. I tapped out a reply
to Royce hastily.
I’m sorry, but we shouldn’t keep in touch anymore. I’ve got a boyfriend now.
After I sent out the text, I sighed in relief.
Royce merely replied, Alright.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the bedroom. I quickly erased Royce’s conversation history and
buried my phone under my pillow. To complete my act of innocence, I pretended to be absorbed in
drawing.
Dominic’s senses were, however, razor-sharp.
The minute he got on the bed, he pulled me into his arms and gazed at me inquisitively. “You seem
nervous. Feeling guilty about something?”
My heart was about to leap out of my throat at that point. Still, I thought I put on a rather convincing act of
nonchalance as I replied, “You’re the one who is guilty.”
He began toying with a strand of my hair as he commented, “That’d better be the case. Liliana, you know
the consequences.”
My eyelids twitched before I could muster a brownnosing smile. “Of course not. There’s nothing for you
to discover.”
Dominic pressed me into the bed and got down to business.
I did not know if the frequency of our lovemaking had made a difference, but I had grown more and more
sensitive to his touch. A few teases were all it took to turn me into a quivering ball of lust.
At the same time, Dominic had become more wicked in bed. He would tease me until I was burning with
desire and immediately stop his movements, waiting for me to beg for relief.
I had tried a few times to resist begging him, but that only resulted in more punishing teases.
Since I could not outlast him, I learned my lesson and played along. It would eventually work out in my
favor anyway.
Dominic’s energy was a thing of mystery to him. Even after making love through the wee hours of the
night, I was the one who felt utterly spent while he managed to get himself to work early every morning.
That afternoon, I had been shopping at a supermarket when Dominic called me. I almost screamed out
of glee at the news he told me. At last, he was no longer staying at my place.
Thank God! The heavens must’ve heard my prayers!
Every night Dominic spent in my house meant another day of walking around on sore legs. I had been
dreaming of the day he would finally leave.
I could finally sleep peacefully and alone tonight.
My shopping speed increased exponentially with my glee.
I even tossed some extra bags of snacks into my shopping cart for good measure. As I reveled in my
mini-celebration, I heard someone call my name.
Turning around, I realized that it was Royce. Wow, what a coincidence.
“Ms. Zanetti, I see you’re doing grocery shopping as well.”
Royce did not seem stilted or awkward as he greeted me. I returned his greeting and replied, “Yes. I’m
running out of groceries.”
We fell into awkward silence soon after.
Royce broke the tension first by saying, “I’m busy, so I’ll make a move. Enjoy your shopping.”
I nodded hastily and waved goodbye at him.
His departure filled me with relief. Dominic’s constant threats were nothing if not effective at instilling fear
in me.
Why am I worrying so much? I bumped into Royce out of coincidence, and Dominic’s not here either. I
should hurry home after shopping.
Without Dominic around, I slept like a log.
His absence lasted about a week.
He must be busy with Camille; after all, she’s his fiancée. He should be spending more time with her
after rendezvousing with me. Though how he manages to keep the fiancée satisfied with a lover in tow, I
will never know.
Shannon came knocking bright and early on Sunday morning, dragging me out of my bed.
I yawned in exhaustion, struggling to open my eyes after rushing a manuscript last night.
“Shannon, don’t disturb me. All I want is to veg out in bed. Go have fun yourself.”
“It’s so boring to go alone. You should come with me! You can catch up on your sleep once we arrive,”
Shannon whined and shook my elbow.
I stopped her and wailed, “Stop shaking me. I’m so dizzy. Wait, why are you going there again?”
She giggled. “Do you remember the man I met on my blind date? He invited me along, and I want you to
go with me.”
My brain pounded as I stared at her. “Oh, do you like him? Are you trying to take things further?”
“Maybe, maybe not. Hey, you should invite Royce too. We’re going to a resort anyway. The more, the
merrier, right? You can get to know him a little better as well.”
At the mention of Royce, I waved my arms in protest. “No thanks. Royce and I are old news.”
Confusion flashed through Shannon’s features. “Why not? Didn’t you get along well at the blind date?”
“We only talked once at the blind date; why would you call that getting along well?”
She seemed to have more questions, and I cut in hastily, “Stop digging into my business if you still want
a traveling partner to that resort or whatever it is.”
Shannon immediately lifted her arms in surrender and said, “Ok, I zip my lips.”
And that was how Shannon single-handedly destroyed my dream of sleeping in on the weekend.
I slept the entire journey to the resort, only waking up after Shannon poked me once we arrived.
Stretching lazily, I asked, “How many people are there?”
“I didn’t ask, but there should be a small crowd.”
I could not help but roll my eyes at her. “How trusting of you. What if this was all a front for a trafficking
scheme?”
At my sarcasm, Shannon clung to my elbow and said, “Stop being so melodramatic; come on, let’s
explore this place.”
I allowed Shannon to drag me into the resort. We had barely taken a few steps when I heard a familiar
voice behind me.
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