3 Wishes

Qiao Ruo didn't know what to think any more. She felt lonesome and desolate, to the extent that she was putting herself into so much risk for the sake of an interview which she was hardly sure of the odds of success. The more she looked at Cree, the more she felt it evident that he considered her to have no dignity, or greatly disregarded her since she was in her moment of desperation, since she was willing to do anything for her job. Although she had her limits, would Cree understand why she was in such a plight? She assumed that he had been adopted at a young age, and lived with a silver spoon in his mouth. How could he ever put his feet in her shoes and feel from her perspective?

And then, there was the question of her dignity. She was tired from everything.

Firstly, what was her dignity worth when she lived life like a beggar, depriving herself of everything she had yearned for, and was troubled by gastrointestinal issues, causing her such severe discomfort that she had to consult the doctor now and then? Unknown to all in City A that envied her for being able to get to how thin she was, her starvation had been the main cause for her petite figure. But to her, considering how she had to go through each day without having enough to eat was more of a curse than a blessing.

Secondly, what was dignity worth when she was about to be dead by Cree's hands? She wasn't sure what he was going to do to her, but he either wanted to kill her or have her all to himself. Which of the two was more probable? Or maybe, he was a member of the mafia in disguise, ready to strike when need be? If she had to choose, she would choose her life, since her purity had already been tarnished. She had lived so desperately, clinging to her job as a reporter, all for the sake of not falling prey to her devious aunt's schemes to 'sell' her as a kept woman or as an old rich man's concubine, which was what her aunt had been planning all along since she had reached sixteen. Fortunately, she scored good grades during high school, which rescued her from her aunt's plans then.

Finally, she pondered on the fact that if he had wanted to kill her, he would have struck earlier. Why had he waited till this moment to kill her?

Instead, she was facing him in a large dining hall, as an elderly housekeeper served them with steak and red wine. What was just going on?

Did he want her to have a good final meal before moving on to the afterlife?

Then, a part of her believed he was not going to kill her, but yet he had this intimidating aura, like how she imagined the Grim Reaper to be. First Wang Tong, now Cree. Why was her life so tragic?

"Why aren't you eating?" Cree asked in an icy and sarcastic tone. "Is the food too rich for your taste, or do you want me to spoon the food in your mouth bit by bit?"

She hastily denied. "No, Cree, I'll eat. I'll eat." She was repeating herself so much that Cree shook his head, and her hand was trembling as she held her spoon.

"Just look how jittery you are. From the looks of it, anyone who didn't know me would have assumed I was torturing you."

Isn't that what he wanted to do to her? Or worse, kill her after he had fed her...

She pushed mouthful after mouthful of food into her mouth, and gobbled down her food vigorously. The glass of wine followed. Cree laughed in his heart, but just sneered at her.

"I've finished," she told him after some minutes has passed. His bowl was empty as well, and he stared at her grimly. "You said that you want to seduce me earlier, right? So I'm granting you your chance."  

"Not here, there's so many people standing around."

"Fine." He stood up and she followed confusedly. He dragged her into one of the rooms in the mansion, and closed the door. She shyly looked towards the floor.

"Now there's nobody here, do what you have to do."

"I..." she stammered nervously. "I don't know..."

"Do you want this interview?" he taunted her.

She performed all she had learned, from flirtatiously fluttering her eyelashes at him, smiling, talking in a seductive tone, and acting innocent and demure, but none of her gestures and actions appeared to have an effect on the stone-cold Cree.

"Are you done?" he uttered in his usual tone, devoid of emotions. 

She remained speechless, unsure of what to say. Had she failed in her mission?

Without a word, he grabbed her and carried her to the only bed in the room, flinging her gently on the soft duvet. 

"Let me teach you," he said, and threw off his blazer, revealing his sexy toned figure in a dark singlet. His figure was extremely appealing, that she forgot she was lying in a compromised position, and froze at his sexiness. In a flash, his body was pushing down on hers wildly as his tongue penetrated her mouth mercilessly, dominating her with his savoury kisses. In actuality, he was carefully maintaining his composure to avoid scaring her too much, but on the other hand, he was seducing her brilliantly and causing her to submit to him without a further thought, as she was completely lost to her own desires. Along with her sensuality, the glass of potent red wine she had earlier was messing with her mind, triggering the needy part of her. The part that was least like Qiao Ruo.

He reached over and held her hands down on the bed so strongly that she was immobilized, while his warmth seared her little body and set her aflame. She found herself responding to his kisses with her own intense kisses, and then she realized she had been so absorbed that she had forgotten her reason for being embroiled in his peculiar life. What was she doing by falling gullibly into his trap? Wake up, Qiao Ruo! She hastily stopped herself, continuously reprimanding and reminding herself, and fruitlessly struggled to push him off, but he was stronger, and she was locked firmly to the bed! Instead of seducing him, instead she was being greatly seduced by him, and he was gloating with a devilish look in his eyes at his triumph of conquering her. In their match, Cree had won this round.

Qiao Ruo fought to get Cree off her again, but her efforts were fruitless as he had emerged the victor. His hands held her hands fast to the sheets, and in the end, she succumbed to her weakness. She trembled as he deepened his kisses, and she was about to let out a moan, but was inhibited by his sudden bite on her lower lip. Immediately, he pulled away and released her, allowing her to take a few deep breaths as he distanced himself from her. She hastily straightened her clothing, blushing red like a tomato. 

"So... I succeeded. You should learn," he stated uncomfortably, reaching for a pack of gum wedged deep inside his pocket.

"Cree," she called out with a tinge of uncertainty, "Will you still do the interview?"

He spun around and gazed at her, before telling her, "I probably could, but I have a number of terms."

She pondered for a few seconds. "Name your terms."

"You have to grant me three wishes. The first, be my woman for a week."

She gulped, and then continued, "but the deadline for the article is in a few days. And I never had a boyfriend before, how would I know how to-" She blushed again before she could finish the sentence, realizing that she was thinking of how she could be his woman.

"Well, if you promise then, we can do the interview tonight. But you have to agree to grant me two wishes."

"What is the second?"

"A lunch date with my mother."

"Are you asking me to pretend to be your woman? I know, you don't have interest in women, Cree. At least, not a woman like me?" Her wit was coming back to her after her torment of being seduced by him and pinned under his hot body earlier. 

"There's a lot of definitions of one's woman, but yes, you are to pretend to be my girlfriend in front of my mother, if that is what is clear to you. As for the first wish, I'll take it in instalments. I'll see how you perform tonight."

She almost had a heart attack. "Tonight?" Was she supposed to be his real woman, or his pretend woman like she was expected to be, in front of his mother?

"You may stay here tonight, then. Otherwise, I can't say what happens if I suddenly go into seclusion, and you miss the deadline to your article when you can't find me." He tormented her further with a jeer. "After all, as I recall, you hurt your ankle, so I am providing you a place to stay."

She was more puzzled than ever, as he disappeared from the room and left her to her own devices. It would be a long night, and hopefully she could survive Cree's temptations... or could she?