Chapter 646: Emotionally Invested

Ian wrapped his arms around Mina in a way that was meant to comfort her. He knew he had messed up, and he had already made her regret being with him only an hour after promising her that he would not. Pulling off his shirt, Ian slid it over Mina's head, and guided her out of the washroom and into his bedroom, where he drew back the covers of his bed, and gestured for her to lay down. Her own bed linen was wet from their clothing and stained with their fluids, and he did not want her sleeping in it until everything could be washed and replaced.

"Mina, please believe me when I say that I didn't know your skin blemishes so easily. I wouldn't have done anything to bring you back to a place of uncertainty; not when we just got where we are." Mina nodded, settling into the bed and feeling the man settle in behind her. She knew he was feeling guilty, and while it was true that none of the marks hurt, they reminded her of a dark past she wanted to forget. "I have good news."

Ian told Mina the information relayed to him by his mother, successfully distracting the woman, who turned to face him as he spoke. She listened quietly as he went into detail describing what he had only been vague about in the past, not wanting her to feel responsible if something went wrong, but now that his father was awake, he felt like recovery was inevitable. He told Mina that he wanted her to meet his parents, not really seeing a need to keep them apart anymore, but the woman rejected the idea.

"President Lee, I'm not ready for that meeting yet. I need a little more time, is that okay?" Ian nodded, it was fine with him, in fact he had not meant for it to seem like he was rushing the introduction, but in a way, he felt as though he was working against time.

Ian did not bring women home, and after Mina, the closest he came to having sex was Lisa. Aside from that, there were women he allowed to do things to keep him sane, but he had not had sex with anyone else. Since his bed was empty, he did not buy condoms, which was why he was forced to use the damaged protection that had survived because it had mostly been forgotten.

Now, Ian was in a situation where he had kept something important from Mina, something that he knew he should tell her, but he was afraid of her reaction, and his sister told him that she had taken the contraceptive she was given without question, something Ian was not sure he would be willing to allow her to do again. He had already tormented himself wondering if Mina would have allowed a child created between them to live, and he did not want to revisit those emotions.

----

Mina awoke from one of the most pleasant sleeps she had in an extremely long time. It helped that she was tired, but the best part of the night was the bed she was in. It was perfect in a way that she had not thought was possible, and she wondered how much money the man poured into the mattress, which was probably custom, judging solely by its size. She stretched her arms widely, slightly knocking into President Lee and she tensed. She expected him to react violently, but he also stretched before opening his eyes to smile at her. She had fallen asleep in the man's arms, so he had probably gone to bed knowing that she was near, but he had a violent reaction in her family home, and he knew she was next to him at that time too.

"Good morning beautiful." Mina blushed, and President Lee pushed her down into his mattress, where he laid on her chest. "Are you still upset?" Mina shook her head, but when she realized the man was not looking at her, she responded aloud. "Good, I have to go into the office today, but I'll be home on time." The man lifted his head and kissed her, making Mina's already red face turn crimson. "Dom will be with you all day today; It's nonnegotiable." Mina had no problems with President Lee's words, and the man gave her another kiss before standing to get ready.

Mina stayed laying in the bed as she watched the man move around his room. He had given her his shirt the night before and had not put on another, so his broad back was on full display, and she could see faint scratches on the otherwise unblemished skin. While she was staring, the man picked up his phone, and started to make calls, and Mina wondered how stressful it must be for President Lee, who could not enjoy his waking moments without interruption.

"You know, if you keep staring at me like that, I may have to cancel my day," Mina gasped, and pulled the covers over her head. She had been staring so hard that she did not even realize the man was looking back at her.

When Mina heard his restroom door close, she rushed into her own room using the adjourning door, and felt embarrassment overtake her again. Their clothing from the night before was still scattered on the floor, and the bed showed obvious signs of intimacy, making Mina feel like the mattress was reminding her that she had broken a promise to herself.

Composing her thoughts, Mina collected the clothing, putting hers where she kept her dirty laundry, and folding the man's clothes and placing them at the foot of his bed. She changed, pulled off the bed sheets, and brought them down to the laundry room where she started them in the wash cycle. She was friendly enough with President Lee's butler to ask the man to transfer the laundry while she was at work, and so she found the man and did just that.

After getting ready to start her day, Mina left the Lee mansion, escorted by Dom, who she was afraid would guess that she had been intimate the night before, but he said nothing. In fact, he looked a little stressed, and when Mina questioned him about it, he said that he had gotten into a fight with a close friend over a misunderstanding. Mina could tell Dom was being vague on purpose, so she changed the subject, something she could tell that he appreciated.

"Have you spoken to Olivia recently?"

"I have, her due date changed again."

"What?" Dom nodded, producing his phone and handing it to Mina, who scrolled through the message thread. She was not trying to be nosey, but she read more of the conversation than was necessary before settling her eyes on the one that told Dom to make sure he was available around a specific set of dates. Apparently, Peter paid more attention to Olivia's body than she did, because he was able to give her new doctor more accurate information. "Do you think she is really happy with him?" Mina asked. In her mind, Olivia's happiness despite the bitterness meant that she too could find peace with President Lee.

"In the beginning, I wasn't sure. I visited her several times, wanting to help her get away if necessary, but now she is coming around to things. Peter seems to be treating her well, which is all that matters to me." Mina already knew that from Director Porter, but she liked hearing it from Dom, who knew firsthand what Olivia had been through.

"And what about you? How do you feel?" Mina was aware that Dom and Olivia had some sort of connection, and while they had, as far as she knew, never acted on their attraction, she was sure that the feelings were there.

"In the beginning I was angry, but now I'm happy. I guess when you genuinely care about a person, their happiness can influence yours." Mina frowned and Dom chuckled.

"Please don't pity me. Olivia shot me down before she went back to Peter." Mina sighed heavily because she was confused.

"How can you care deeply for a person and just watch them walk away from you?" she asked, feeling as though it were a mystery that there was no answer to, but Dom responded.

"Mina, I think you put too much weight on relationships. For most people, especially men, there is little emotion involved. Olivia and I were friends, but if she hadn't been physically attractive to me, things would have been different." Mina tilted her head as she took in the information. Dom was unaware, but he had made her put her night with President Lee into a different perspective.

Mina had originally believed that President Lee was emotionally invested in being with her; she had even told herself that she could feel it, but she had also believed that Dom had strong feelings for Olivia, and now that she considered things, he would not have slept with Doctor Rebecca if he did.

"How would someone know the difference?" Mina asked, genuinely wanting to know so she could guard her heart. Dom did not notice Mina's change in demeanor, so he replied honestly.

"I guess that you have to look at the quality of the relationship. I have not had a problem, but some men invest a lot into trying to sleep with a woman when they really don't have long term intentions. I have even known men to introduce women to their family. I guess it's the nature of our country, all women want to believe they are special, and eventually they find out that they aren't." Mina felt her heart burn, but she was glad she had been forewarned before she allowed herself to feel anything more than attraction to President Lee.

----

Ian sat in his office, where he had called Drax for advice. He figured that the woman would likely tell at least one of her friends about their night, and since Mills was the only person she had open lines of communication with, he chose to confide in Drax, who he assumed would find out by default. Of course, he did not tell the man he was talking about Mina, he wanted to respect the woman's privacy as much as possible, but he needed to talk to someone with more experience.

"How do you make a woman less tight," Ian blurted out, making Drax laugh before the man realized he was serious.

"Why would you want to ruin a perfectly good thing?" Ian raised a brow as he leaned back in his chair.

"It's interfering with what she feels." Drax made a face at his friend, who he was now certain was inexperienced.

"Then slow down," Drax advised.

"I was barely moving."

"Then the fault lies with you. She clearly was uncomfortable, and you shouldn't have continued."

"I stopped, but I want to do it again, without the discomfort." Drax told Ian things he would have tried with Mills if he had not been able to get her to relax the first time they were together, and he could see the gears turning in the man's head.

"Are you back with Lisa?" Ian ignored the question, and Drax misunderstood it as a silent confession. He felt bad for Mina, who he could tell had been letting her eyes linger on his friend for a little longer, but he understood Ian's need to move on. "Just try letting her know that she is important to you," Drax said, thinking that Lisa was probably unreceptive because she was insecure.

Ian nodded and sent word to his kitchen staff to prepare one of Mina's favorite meals for dinner. He had already planned to be home on time, but now he wanted to be back at his mansion earlier, so he could make the night perfect.