SMITTEN OR NOT?-E

Abigail observed at Ace dragging Astrid away before their mother could say anything. He cares for her!

`Mom, we have a puppy smitten with a cat', she ate her dessert leisurely.

`Ace has never bought a girl here, let alone to his room nor his garden. And now where is he dragging her to?' Mrs Wagner was astonished. Both mother and daughter tilted their head towards the direction of Ace spriting upstairs.

Ace was not someone who would bring a girl to his house and flaunt them to his parents. He is very reserved and always ends up rejecting his mother's idea of a date. After the last date disaster, Mrs Wagner stopped looking for a girl. She figured he was too busy with work.

Hadwin on the other hand had to be stopped from bringing in too many girls into their mansion. When Mrs Wagner caught Hadwin making out with a girl on the kitchen countertop, she screamed her head off and kicked both her son and the girl out of the house.

`Aww, mom, sweet puppy love'. Abigail cooed. Both of them finished their dinner in peace and left for their respective rooms.

As soon as Astrid settled in the washroom, Ace rushed down the staircase and gave a set of instructions to Butler Lionel who nodded his head and hurried to the kitchen. Butler Lionel was more than happy to oblige with Ace's order of food for Astrid. He always liked her. But how did she meet him?

Astrid pushed the door to the bathroom and a lingering peppermint smell hit her nostril. So, they are using my products. She saw a huge Jacuzzi in the middle of the bathroom and a rain shower in a glass cubicle. The bathroom was in jet black Italian marble. The sink alone could fit her entire arm!

She stripped herself and had a quick shower. She moaned at the heat and the power of water splashing, massaging her body.

Ace looked at his watch and noticed she was in the shower for 30 minutes now. He knocked on the door.

Astrid heard a soft knock on the bathroom door and hastily closed the shower. `Coming' she shouted.

She wore the grey robe and tightly closed the robe. She opened to door and saw Ace on the phone talking to someone. She looked for a hairdryer and started drying her hair.

Ace walked towards her and spoke `I am sorry for the incident earlier. We did not intend to embarrass you or humiliate you for the matter', Ace bends his face to her level and spoke sincerely to her. He doesn't know why but he apologized again.

`It's ok. If `we' know it was unintentional, I accept your apology', she gave a small smile. Ace felt a burden lifted off him. At least she is not mad at us.

`I will be taking a quick shower. You can get dressed in my walk-in closet', and he left for the bathroom.

Astrid went to his walk-in wardrobe and saw an assortment of clothes all-in high-end brands. It was arranged from the lightest colour to the darkest almost like a man-made rainbow. She chuckled. His ties and shoes were arranged in the same way. She could not help but think of him as a tip-top metrosexual man.

She imagined all the stuff he could do with a tie and her face flushed. How did I get there? Yikes, my mind is wandering. She focused on her breathing and changed into the red shirt he gave her completing it with her jeans. She folded her dress and walked to the balcony to get some fresh air. She was getting hungry and her stress of being here was gnawing her insides.

Astrid's brain was on overdrive. She knew the cotton dress is stained for life. Luckily, she managed to save the ballerinas. She was thinking of ways to apologize and make it up to Matilda when she caught sight of Ace in a towel with his tattooed chest in full glory. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of him. She blushed and willed her face to turn, but her body and eyes betrayed her. Damn, he looks so hot! Ace walked to his closet and closed the door. Shit, I couldn't see his chest clearly!

Ace wore a maroon V neck cotton shirt with sleeves reaching his elbow and dark brown pants.

`Astrid?'

`Hey', she walked closer to him and stopped a few feet away.

`Shall we'?

`Shall we what'?

`Continue dinner in peace?'

`Okay',

`Were you thinking of something else?', he teased.

`No. What made you say that?', she asked coyly.

Ace did not answer but merely glanced at her.