Tempting Situation

"Give me your phone!" 

Vincent commanded all of a sudden.

"My phone got wrecked when I jump with it in the pool."

He added when April didn't react.

April stared at him in disbelief for his manner of speaking to her. However, she was feeling tremendously exhausted from her struggles in the pool water, so, without further words, she rummaged for her phone from inside her backpack. Then, she gave it to Vincent, while being careful not to touch him at all. Afterward, she wrapped her arms around herself. She was truly chilly by now.

Vincent punched numbers on the phone so quickly then held it up to his ear.

"Hey, I am at the public pool. Bring me some clothes quickly, and two large towels."

April heard Vincent's commanding tone once more. She didn't bother to listen to the rest of his words. She carried her backpack on a separate pool bench. Slowly, she sat and checked on her backpack pocket again where the money she earned remained intact.

"What are you inspecting there?"

April got startled by Vincent's inquiring tone. She didn't realize he was already done with his call.

He was staring at her curiously, in his hand, still clutching April's phone. At this point, Vincent was eyeing April in her wet state.

When April looked up, she was intent on giving Vincent an annoyed expression but when he saw Vincent's concerned face, but still half-naked body, it brought a certain warmth inside her. She got distracted and just stared at him blankly. She was unsure what was the expression on her face then.

"Do you have extra clothes in there?"

Vincent followed up with another question. This time around, his tone was a little softer too.

"Um, I have an extra shirt dress here."

April heard herself reply shyly, losing all the bitching bravado she had planned to showcase towards this man.

All of sudden, two men in gray suits arrived with towels and clothes for Vincent. Without a word, both men placed these on the table beside the pool chair he had sat on earlier. They picked up Vincent's wet clothes from the pool chair.

"Leave!"

Vincent uttered in his usual commanding tone. 

The men in suits left as they were told to do.

Seeing these men brought extra shivers down April's spine. It was like a dark memory had been triggered by their appearance. To shake off the feeling, she pulled out her extra dress. Then, she stood up to go change in the pool locker area. 

"Bring this!"

Vincent's voice startled April again. 

When she turned to check on what Vincent was shouting about, she didn't realize, he had walked up to her already. So, she ended up face-to-face with him.

"Towel?"

Vincent said in a casual tone. But what struck April was the fact that Vincent was now wrapped with one of the towels, but truly naked underneath it.

Another kind of chill came in April.

"Why, do you have a habit of undressing in public places?"

April blurted out to cover up her shock, and uncomfortable feeling seeing Vincent in that tempting way.

"Not really, but I value my health. You better too! However, if you like what you see, we could always change together later."

Vincent replied with an amused tone. He even moved his hands to attempt on removing the towel covering his manliness.

"Oh, no you don't, you pervert!"

April retaliated, grabbing the extra towel that Vincent offered. She immediately started to walk away before she even truly lost her senses because of whatever stunt Vincent was intending to pull up.

Going to the locker room to change clothes, April thought about the past, the very distant past.

When she was little, and newly adopted by the Johnson family, she was withdrawn and Vincent would try to be nice to her.

As April was combing her wet hair with her fingers, she recalled that Vincent would help her blow her hair dry. Although the technique was not good, it was sweet. She used to tease him that he behaved like the ladies in beauty salons as she watched on television. Vincent merely laughed at her teasing and continued blowing her hair.

But that was a long time ago. Right now, her heart was cold. There was no turning back to those days.

After changing her clothes, April thought of sneaking away. She didn't have to suffer Vincent's presence, which gave her confused emotions. But she realized that Vincent still had her phone and she had also left her backpack there with him at the poolside.

So, with a deep sigh, she returned to the pool. What she saw made her flare up automatically.

April caught Vincent flipping through her backpack! Therefore, she was definitely furious. 

"How dare you touch my stuff! What the hell?!"

April shouted in anger, as she attempted to grab her backpack from him. But Vincent held on to it.

Vincent had already changed into the clean clothes brought by his men earlier. He had worn his shoes as well.

He stared at April from head to foot. In contrast to him, April was wearing her shirt dress, which was above her knees. Underneath, she didn't have a bra or underwear. It took Vincent a few moments to reply. He got distracted by his imagery of what's underneath April's shirt dress.

"What are you so upset about? I have touched your stuff but there's nothing interesting there. Besides, you left the wrong size for me earlier in the club."

Vincent finally reacted. He took out a box of condoms from the backpack. 

"Don't you remember that the largest model is my size?"

He said, waving one sample with his hand.

"Also, you would not be allowed to sell condoms in the future, too."

Vincent added, his tone commanding again. 

"Oh yeah? You are not the boss of me! It's a shame too because I will not be ordered around like that!"

April declared as she pulled hard to retrieve her backpack from his hands.

"I was making an honest living out of it. So, you cannot stop me!"

April exclaimed in finality.

"Oh, you will do as I say!"

Vincent's declaration sounded too controlling and powerful.

"You are here now and you shall go back with me!"

Vincent said, his voice filled with power.

"Everything had nothing to do with you! I shall live my own life the way I choose to!"

April screamed back. 

"As far as I am concerned, I don't know you anymore!"

April said, spitefully.

They were now face-to-face again. April saw how her words made Vincent's eyes cold again. However, she was not going to back down. She was not scared of him!

They stood there, throwing daggers at each other with their sharp stares.