When he received the call, Marshall was still in his office. He had amassed a long to-do list since he
hadn’t been paying much attention at work for the past few days. In addition, he hung around in the
office because he didn’t really feel like going home, not having much to do there.
Marshall was surprised to receive a call from his uncle Carson, because it was distinctly
uncharacteristic of Carson to call him.
Relationship between the Khalid branch and the Carson branch of the Grant family became somewhat
strained back in the days when old Mr. Grant, Marshall’s grandfather, looked for a groom for Katherine.
The tension had ebbed after Carson’s birthday party, but the relationship between the two branches
grew complicated once more after Marshall and Katherine’s divorce.
Marshall stared at his phone for some time before he picked up. “Uncle.”
“Hey,” said Carson, “Where are you right now? Are you busy?”
Marshall replied truthfully that he was in the office and not busy currently.
Sighing, Carson told Marshall the address of the bar before saying that he had run into Katherine there,
alone and drunk.
Marshall instantly stood up from his chair. “Did you say she’s drunk and alone? Are you sure she’s not
with anyone?”
Carson looked around with his phone in his hand. There were truly no familiar faces to be found.
“I’m pretty sure she’s out here by herself. Look, I have to get back to my own thing so I can’t take care
of her. Do you want to come over?”
Marshall said yes without even thinking about it. “Ask the waiters to take her to a break room. I’ll be
there in a second.” And then he rushed out the door with the car key in his hand, neglecting to take an
overcoat.
He didn’t run into a single red light as he drove from the company building to the bar. When he arrived,
a waiter was already waiting for him at the door, informing him that Katherine was quite difficult to
handle and that they were all so glad that Marshall made it.
A drunk-crazy Katherine had been acting up in the bar, so the waiters didn’t keep her in the business
area where the guests were. Instead, they took her to the employee breakroom in the far back of the
bar.
When Marshall went over, Katherine was asking some guy for more alcohol and throwing a tantrum
when he denied her, stomping around and yelling. The employees, not daring to offend a valued
customer, were trying to coddle her feelings like baby.
Marshall walked to her and grabbed her hand. “Who is here with you?” he asked.
Katherine watched him for quite some time before replying, “Who are you?”
Marshall rolled his eyes resignedly as he bent down to lift Katherine up. He then proceeded to walk out
with her in his arms.
With her entire body in the air, Katherine was reasonably meek. Looping an arm around Marshall’s
neck, she said, “Be careful not to drop me, man.”
Marshall walked out of the bar and sat Katherine down in his car. As soon as she settled into the seat,
Katherine fell asleep.
Towering over her, Marshall said, “Did you come here with Kyle?”
Because without that guy, there was no way Katherine would come to a place like this and get royally
drunk – the day they finalized the divorce, of course, being the only exception.
But Katherine had long dozed off, hence unable to answer his question.
Marshall took out his phone, but couldn’t stare at it long enough before looking back at Katherine. So
he put the phone away, walked towards the driver’s seat, and started the car.
Katherine hadn’t taken her phone with her. How convenient.
Marshall drove to Katherine’s place and carried her to the front door, unlocking it with her fingerprint.
When he was climbing the stairs, Katherine made a gagging sound in his arms. Hence, with hurried
footsteps, Marshall carried Katherine into the bathroom in her bedroom.
As soon as Katherine’s feet touched the ground, she started to puke.
Marshall closed his eyes. Katherine puked directly on him, a lifelong hygiene-obsessed germophobe.
Icky, icky, icky.
Marshall craned his neck up and took several deep breaths, while his hands remained on Katherine’s
back, gently patting it.
But Katherine wasn’t done. After this, she turned around and proceeded to vomit into the toilet.
Eyes closed, Marshall took off his clothes and threw them in the trash can. With his pants dirty with the
vomit, too, he took of the pants as well.
After Katherine cleared out the contents of her stomach, she rose slowly and massaged her hair.
Marshall walked over, flushed the toilet, and went directly to take a shower.
Katherine seemed to have forgotten his presence until she heard water coming down the shower head.
She stopped walking out and turned around, and Marshall’s entire naked body presented itself in her
eyes.
Marshall didn’t try to hide, but he kept his eyes decidedly away from her.
After staring at him for a while, Katherine looked down at herself to find vomit on her as well. After only
a second of hesitation, she took off her dress and threw it in the trash can, before she headed towards
Marshall.
What a familiar sight.
Some time ago, at the hotel room in Asela, Katherine was like this too when she got drunk.
Marshall didn’t want to remember what happened on Asela Island, but with this insanely familiar scene,
he simply couldn’t help himself.
The sex had been stimulating but also exhausting for him that time. And sensation-wise, it had been
gratifying.
Marshall hastily turned around to face away from Katherine as he tried his best to cool himself down.
Katherine, on the other hand, stood under the water stream and cleaned herself up carefully before she
leaned in and held Marshall in her arms from behind.
Startled, Marshall stood extremely still, not daring to move at all.
Katherine wasn’t doing anything sensual to him. She was simply holding him in her arms and touching
her cheek on his back. But a movement like this was stimulation enough for him.
He could already feel the string of reason snapping in his head.
He knew that it was rather shameful of him. Him taking Katherine out of the bar like that could be
explained away by innocent motives, but when he was taking a shower right in front Katherine, nobody
would believe that he wasn’t trying to do the dirty with her.
After holding him in place for a while, Katherine said, “Marshall.”
Marshall froze. “I thought you didn’t know who I was.”
Katherine didn’t follow up on that topic. Instead, she said, “How can you be so annoying?”
That instantly made Marshall shut up. Turning around, he pinched on Katherine’s shoulder as he
asked, “Am I annoying?”
Katherine stared at him through squinted eyes before she hummed a “yes” half-seriously. The sound
she made was rather nasal, and it got Marshall aroused.
No longer trying to hold back, he asked, “So, do you like Hector or me?”
Katherine didn’t answer, but further strengthened her arms wrapped around his waist. It was obvious
that she was sleepy and was trying to find a point of support so that she could nod off.
Marshall bent down his head and kissed Katherine on the forehead. No reaction from her.
He then traced his kisses down to her cheeks and the corners of her mouth.
And Katherine slowly lifted up her head.
That was such a signal of encouragement.
Marshall instantly turned off the shower and carried Katherine out of the bathroom.
Just as he was about to put her down on the bed, the phone which he had tossed away carelessly as
he entered the room started to ring.
It was from Kyle, and Marshall didn’t have to pick up to know what it was about.
Marshall grabbed hold of the phone, hung up, and turned it off, all while he continued to plant kisses on
Katherine.
On the other end of the line, Kyle, also drunk himself, took a while to process what had happened.
Taking a look at Hector, Margaret, and the waiter in turn, Kyle said, “Marshall hung up on me.”
The waiter looked serious. “It really was Mr. Grant who took her away. She was here alone and drunk,
and we couldn’t possibly take care of her.”
Kyle ruffled his hair as he said, “Well then, there’s no need to worry, is there, since Marshall came to
take care of her? They used to be married, so I don’t think anything’s going to happen.”
Hector had had a lot to drink throughout the night, but he had immediately sobered up when he
realized that Katherine was missing from the crowd. He debated with himself for a while before rushing
out the door.
Kyle shouted after him, trying to get him back. When that failed, Kyle mumbled to himself, “I don’t really
think anything’s going to happen. If something happens, that’d be normal.”
Hector hailed a cab outside the bar and gave the driver Katherine’s place. He sobered up completely
during the cab ride.
When the car stopped before Katherine’s front gate, he saw the lights on the second floor off, but a car
was parked in the front yard. It was Marshall’s car
He was really here.
Hector immediately got off the cab.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda