4. An Unplanned Encounter

Tessa rolled on the bed. The morning sun bathed her face in a soft glow, ushering her into a new day. She must have left her windows open last night because this was rare.

She wrapped her arms around herself. She was awake, but too lazy to get out of bed. It was softer, larger, and more comfy. She slowly opened her eyes, and realization hit her that she was no longer in her house in Bally.

"Gosh." Her head throbbed as she raised her head. She had spent most of the night thinking about how to navigate her new life in Velmark. There was no clear plan yet, but she knew she'd figure something out soon.

She grabbed her phone to check for new notifications. Placing it back on the nightstand, she got out of bed, reminiscing about Maribel's words as she made her way out of the room, still clad in her nightie—a short, lacy nightgown that draped nicely on her curvy body, accentuating her full breasts and exposing her pointy nipples in the fabric. The gown barely covered her thighs.

In her defense, she was alone at home and could be comfortable being alone.

'Annie leaves for her house every night. In fact, she only comes to work on the days Dad wants her to. Rest assured, she will not come tomorrow. She has prepared everything we will need for the week. And dad?" She had smiled, looking at Tessa. 'He leaves for work very early in the morning and comes back late at night. So you have the whole house to yourself until dad gets back from work.'

Maribel had told her all this before departing in the Porsche Panamera she had gotten as a birthday gift from her dad. They were that wealthy, but she was too humble. Never showing off unless necessary.

Tessa's headache worsened. She needed to drink some water. She headed down to the kitchen and picked out a bottle of water from the fridge. She stalled beside the fridge and thought of what her life had become. How was she going to get herself out of the mess she was in?

Her eyes dropped to her nighties, and she swiftly dragged them away. She hated that she opted for lacy nighties just because she saw Dylan fucking another woman with lacy panties. He could have told her if that was what he wanted from her.

"Screw you, Dylan." She muttered loudly, taking a step forward before bumping into a hard chest. "Goodness," the bottle she was holding dropped, the cold water splashing onto her face.

She quickly jerked her head up to see Julian standing still, his eyes appraising her from head to toe, probably taking in the detail of the sinful nightgown she had decided to don the night before. She hated that this was how she was starting a new day with him.

When she noticed that he was slightly wet, she cussed, resorting to dabbing the water off his chest with her hands.  "I am so sorry, sir, I didn't mean to."

He caught her hand. For a second, Tessa forgot how to breathe. His eyes were still drinking her in. She pulled back abruptly when she sensed his lingering gaze on her.

Oh, she didn't wear that to seduce him, even though she still had in mind to do that someday. It wasn't today's intention.

"I am sorry, I didn't know you would be at home." Oh, this was even more awkward.

On a normal day, she wouldn't even wear something like that if she were alone in her house. She hated to see all that cellulite on her thighs. She wished her skin were sleek and smooth. She always hid her body even from herself, and now, there was a hot man in front of her whose eyes were darting between her imperfect body and the fridge next to him.

Fuck Maribel for lying about her father's itinerary. She would have been more decent if she had known Julian would be at home that morning.

"It's fine." He walked past her, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. "You didn't know I was there," he popped the cap, and relieved himself on the counter stool. "Did you sleep well, Tessaline?" He asked as he poured the water into a glass.

He sounded casual, as if his eyes weren't exploring her almost naked body a few moments ago. She followed the movement of his throat as he swallowed the water in large gulps.

That harmless action stirred a filthy thought inside her head, but she quickly buried it. What was wrong with her?

"I did." She sauntered away from the side of the fridge to take refuge in the part of the kitchen where the counter deterred him from seeing much of her. "Thank you, sir. How about you? Did you sleep well, too?" Shouldn't he be at work already?

"Oh, I had a short and busy night, but it's the weekend, and I have the day to myself."

Weekend? Damn.

Tessa agreed she was a fucker at that instant. She had totally forgotten she had touched down at Velmark on a Friday. It was the weekend, and Julian wouldn't be going to work. And there she stood, dressed in that flimsy, lacy nightie, looking mischievous like she was up to something.

She hoped that he wouldn't get ideas in his head because she didn't have such plans. At least, not this soon.

She nodded. "That's great."

Another strange sensation moved through her body when her eyes landed on Julian's outlined, toned abs from the wet shirt. It built up thoughts in her head. Thoughts, she didn't even know what they were about.

Silence lingered for a while. Then he smiled subtly again. "It's the weekend. What do you do for fun on weekends?"

Her life had never been fun. She always spent her weekends reading or working. Nothing else.

"I guess I will just stay back and search for more jobs. I have applied to some companies, and I am waiting for them to contact me for an interview."

Nodding, he thought of offering her a position in his company, but shunned the thought. Maribel had told him that she needed to find herself again. He should let her do that. He would only step in if she desperately needed his help.

"I hope it goes well." He was back on his feet, and he was observing her with keen eyes. They stayed fixated on her, exploring her fully, but not in an unholy way.

At forty-four, he couldn't harbor unpleasant thoughts about a twenty-three-year-old woman. Not even one like Tessa. She was sure of that.

"Thank you, sir," Tessa said, praying he would leave the kitchen as soon as possible. She was dying of tension. She needed to get out of that place and change into something more decent.

Julian was almost out of the kitchen when he halted to take a last look at her. She froze, her eyes catching his unwavering gaze on her. He stepped forward, smiling, and her heart raced. She had been sex-starved, but she prayed her body wouldn't betray her now, and why was he coming so close?

He stopped in front of her, grabbing the bottle he had left behind. Then slowly, he ducked to her level and whispered. "Julian is my name. You can just call me Julian. There is no need for the sir." Her insides were oddly warmed up as he stayed pressed against the counter. When he heaved himself up, his breath briefly fanned her skin.

Damn it.

Tessa held in a long breath. Her body was seething with a tense energy that unsettled her. She released her breath when he walked out the door, flopping on the counter stool next to her.

"Julian." She muttered, shaking her head.

There was no way she would call him that. It sounded too personal. Too familiar.