Beg Me

The dejected tone in his voice caused my body to freeze, but as his words began to sink in, the shock subsided. 

My lips twitched upward into a smile, but I quickly wiped away the slight emotion I had been feeling. I ignored my enthusiasm and refused to get my hopes up. While still too sensitive to meet his look, I turned on my heels, cleared my throat, and set my eyes on his chin.

"What are you you’re trying to tell me is?" I asked, unsure of what he is suggesting.

I dragged my eyes up to his as I heard a torrent of insults being uttered and looked up to see him peering over my shoulder.

"I'll do it," he continued to look into my eyes.

My lips practically curled upward as I trembled. I instantly centered my face and chose a half-smile that hardly counted as one.

When I made a terrible attempt to express thanks, Ethan's brows knit together. He probably thought I was incapable of even smiling normally.

I spoke after clearing my throat, "Thank you for agreeing to do this-"

"Hold on their cupcake, don't thank me just yet," he interrupted my sentence.

I asked, crossing my arms across my chest, "I'm confused, didn't you just state that you would do it?"

He leaned on the counter, giving a wicked nod, crossing one lean leg over the other, and smiling faintly.

"Beg me," he said.

I screeched in response to his demand, "What?" while dropping my arms to my sides.

"Beg me to help you…” he repeated,

“…on your knees," he continued, his voice laced with humor as if he was entertained with my nightmare of a situation.

I started to say, "You're crazy if you think I'm going to beg yo-“ but as my mother called out for us to join them, I stopped.

Ethan raised an eyebrow at me and grinned slyly, as if to say that I had no other option, which I didn't. The more sensible part of me advised me to just go through with it and move on, but the more obstinate part of me yelled for me to slam the wine bottle over his head and tell him to go suck a lemon. Oh, how I wished I could do just that.

It didn't take me long to realize that if I didn't want my tragic secret to be revealed, I had to comply with the scum's demands. Even if it meant having to face a small moment of embarrassment, it was preferable than having to endure weeks of family reunions and newspapers mocking my desperation.

I only had to temporarily swallow my pride. I knelt down and, while gazing up at Ethan, pulled the dress down from the back where it had ridden up. When I noticed the wry sparkle in his eyes, I almost got to my feet.

Despite the screaming voice within my brain telling me to get up, I mumbled, "Please help me, Ethan." He took a step forward after correctly standing up, putting me at his feet.

He proceeded with another malicious grin, "You can do better than that sexy, come on compliment me. 

Compliment him! This boy wants me to praise him?

If my mother weren't in the other room, I would choke this conceited asshole. I took a deep breath and reminded myself of why I was clenching my teeth. I forced myself to speak while taking a breath.

I uttered "Oh Ethan you're so handsome please help me" all at once, but it was still agonizing.

He waved his palm in the air and muttered, "More." 

I huffed and got ready to rise up, saying, "Your-this is so ridiculous I'm not doing this." 

He put his hand on my shoulder and whispered, "Come on cupcake, I'll help you."

Nodding, I made an effort to avoid twisting or snapping his arm, as I had been taught in self-defense training.

He chuckled as he added, "Repeat after me, Ethan you’re so hot no other man will do please, please help me you hot piece of man meat."

As I do this, I can just imagine the magazines all over the world mock me. Sophia McAdams' sad attempt to cover up her sad life. Stacy will continue to tease you till the day you pass away from the embarrassment, with articles peeping into your personal life. I needed a push to get through this, and they were the thoughts that gave me that.

"Ethan.." I say his name.

"You're so…hot no other man will do please…" I paused and sent him a dark glare "…please help me you hot piece-"

"Almost there," he reminds me as if I needed a reminder.

"Of man meat.” I added the final sentence, just as he gave out a low chuckle that increased the embarrassment.

I grunted in frustration and stood up without the cocky jerk's assistance—not that I had expected him to—because if he had, then that would indicate he was a gentleman. Ethan was most definitely not a gentleman.

"Now get in there, act pleasant and in ten minutes come up with an excuse to leave," I stared at him while brushing my knees.

When he looked up, his laughter stopped and asked, "Why?" I took out four wine glasses and set them on a tray with the wine and the bottle opener.

I said, "Because we need to discuss what our story is before my mom pries farther into this...thing." 

I motioned for him to follow me as I lifted the tray to my chest, but he remained still.

"Alright, but you need to hold your end of the deal," he tells me.

Stacy and my mother could see us when we stopped by the door frame. 

“Huh?” I peered over my shoulder. “Wasn’t me on my knees enough?” I asked.

He smirks at my response, clearly thinking of it in a filthy way.

His mouth lifted to one side as he walked sluggishly up to me and bent his head to my ear, brushing my bare neck with his hot breath. I held my shoulders back while suppressing a shiver in an effort to hide the uncomfortable posture I was in.

"You said you'll do anything and I plan to use that to my advantage," he said in a low voice before pulling back.

My face forced another smile before I recovered from the moment of shock that caused my eyes to widen.

I'll deal with anything he has in mind as long as this worked. As I moved forward, I started to speak when a hand smacked my butt. I gasped and turned to see Ethan walking in front of me with a mischievous grin. 

What have I done to myself?