1. The Price of a Virgin

"Say it, Fahira!" Darian said, gazing intently into the woman's black irises in front of him.

"Do whatever Mr. Darian wants from me!" Fahira replied softly, raising both hands and standing on tiptoes, slowly moving towards the back of Darian's head. With courage, Fahira's hands encircled the man's neck.

Darian's smile immediately widened, and without wasting any more time, he began to unite their lips. Darian kissed Fahira gently, and his initial tenderness began to demand a response. Darian lightly bit Fahira's lips to gain access to explore within.

"Respond, my dear!" Darian whispered in the midst of their kisses.

With closed eyes, Fahira began to respond to Darian's kisses. Following her instincts, Fahira followed the movements of Darian's lips with a racing heart. This was Fahira's first kiss with her boss. Fahira's hesitant and rigid kiss made Darian's passionate kissing even more intense.

Darian could feel Fahira's body relaxing and following his lead. Darian had never brought a girl to his bed before, but with Fahira, he could hide the nervousness he felt. It would be embarrassing if Fahira found out that the man who was usually adored by women seemed to still be a virgin.

Unintentionally, Fahira let out a soft, sexy moan that sounded very seductive in Darian's ear, making him explore every inch of Fahira's smooth body with his touch even more eagerly. Darian's kiss descended to Fahira's slender neck, occasionally leaving marks of ownership there. Darian pulled his face away from Fahira's body for a moment, then looked at Fahira with a gentle smile that she had never seen before. It wasn't the sharp, intimidating look that he usually had when they were in the office, the relationship between a secretary and her boss, but the relationship between a man and a mature woman.

With a single touch of Darian's hand, the small strap on Fahira's shoulder slipped to the floor, leaving Fahira topless. Fahira felt nervous again as Darian's hazel eyes scanned every inch of her body. Darian chuckled at the blush on Fahira's pretty face. Gently, Darian continued to kiss Fahira's lips while lifting her body onto the bed. Darian wasted no time in undressing completely. He then proceeded to remove the remaining fabric from Fahira's body.

With great submission, Fahira closed her eyes tightly as Darian began to explore her most precious treasure. Darian felt a bit challenged as he tried to unite their bodies, as it turned out not to be as easy as he had imagined all this time. Especially when he saw the pained expression on Fahira's face, Darian felt sorry. But due to his high ego, he had to succeed that night. Darian couldn't risk his reputation in front of Fahira, who was just his subordinate. Finally, with breathless panting and covered in sweat, Darian managed to satisfy his desire.

Fahira chose to sleep with her back to Darian, who held her tightly. Fahira bit the edge of the pillow to muffle her cries, suppressing the pain that pierced her chest. She was destroying her self-esteem that she had held high. Fahira remained in the same position for quite a while, until Darian fell asleep, and only then did she slowly get out of bed to clean herself.

"It's still very early, darling. I still want to have fun with you," Darian said, abruptly interrupting Fahira, who was applying peach-colored lipstick to her lips. Fahira turned and looked at Darian with a hurt look, while Darian just laughed and enjoyed Fahira's expression, which made him want to relive their hot night together.

"Come on, Fahira! Wasn't last night enjoyable? You really enjoyed every sweet thing I did!" Darian teased even more, then he pushed aside the blanket that covered part of his body. Darian walked up to Fahira after picking up and putting on the scattered boxers on the floor.

"Name your price, and I'll transfer it to your account," Darian whispered while hugging Fahira from behind and burying his head in Fahira's graceful neck, inhaling the soft aroma of Fahira's body that had captivated Darian since the night before.

Fahira tensed as Darian's sweet gestures once again roamed her body. Several times, Darian kissed Fahira's neck as if he never got tired of it, while Fahira struggled to gather the courage to politely reject Darian, as she still thought about her job.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Darian, but I was paid only to accompany you last night. So, I hope you allow me to leave now," Fahira replied firmly, looking at Darian with a sharp gaze through the mirror, and forcibly removing Darian's hands that were restraining her.

"And I hope you consider what happened between us last night as if it never happened," Fahira continued as she turned around, looking at Darian with an indecipherable expression. Darian grinned at Fahira's cold attitude, and instead of getting angry, he wanted to tease her. She was the only woman who had dared to reject him.

"Hahaha, you're very sweet, Fahira. I really like you! You're the only woman who dares to reject me! But that's okay because I was the first to touch and enjoy your body," Darian replied, followed by laughter.

With a heavy heart due to Darian's insult, Fahira stood up from her seat, took her bag, and left the hotel room, carrying her deepest wound. For her, she was just a loose woman with no self-esteem left.

***

The next day, Darian massaged his throbbing head with his fingertips while closing his eyes. His body leaned back in his oversized chair. The bright sun cast rays on his face, and his brown hair shone through the large window in front of him. His feelings were in turmoil since his return from the hotel where he had spent the night with Fahira, making it impossible for him to close his eyes even for a moment. Darian couldn't describe the sudden feelings that had crept into his heart. The feelings that were previously filled only by his mother were now starting to waver. Darian didn't know what was happening to him. All he wanted was to have Fahira completely, like last night.

"Shit!" he cursed when suddenly the image of Fahira, wearing only sexy lingerie with a seductive face, seemed to dance in his mind.

Elsewhere, Fahira had been standing behind her boss's office door for the past 10 minutes, her heart racing. She was not ready to face Darian with her tarnished dignity. She wasn't prepared to face her boss after willingly giving away her virginity last night.

"What's wrong, Fahira? Are you feeling sick?" David asked, who had been standing by her side for a few minutes without Fahira realizing it. Fahira was startled and dropped her agenda book and documents to the floor.

"I'm fine, Mr. David," Fahira replied briefly, while she squatted to pick up her scattered papers and agenda book with David's help.

"Here," David handed some of the papers to Fahira. "You should go home and rest; your face is pale, Fahira. On a Monday like this, the boss will surely have a lot of work. Let me take over your tasks."

David was one of Darian's trusted people, always accompanying him wherever he went. Not only did Darian consider David his personal assistant, but also his bodyguard and a close friend. David was always ready whenever Darian needed him.

"I'm fine, Mr. David," Fahira said after organizing the documents in her hand. Of course, David didn't believe Fahira's words today. In the hot and crowded city of Jakarta, Fahira was wearing a scarf, even though her outfit was already quite modest by the standards of the vibrant city.

"Your face is pale, Fahira," David said with concern.

David and Fahira had a fairly close relationship due to their work that was always related to Darian. Sometimes, if Fahira needed someone to talk to, David was the one she confided in, except for personal matters. Fahira preferred to keep those to herself, including the issues related to her illness and her younger sibling, Ariel.

"Okay, it's up to you. By the way, I need to talk to Mr. Darian for a moment. But you can go ahead," David said, smiling as he patted Fahira's shoulder gently. Fahira responded with a nod and knocked on Darian's office door.

"Come in!" The voice from inside made Fahira take a deep breath before opening the door and entering.

Darian, sitting in his high-backed chair, gave a faint smile as he looked at Fahira, who appeared different. The girl was wearing a scarf wrapped around her neck. Darian was certain that the kiss marks he had left were probably scattered under there. Remembering the sensual night, Darian suddenly felt hot and restless. He loosened his tie, which seemed to be choking him. He reached for the AC remote and adjusted the room temperature while listening to Fahira reading her agenda for the day with her usual expression.

"Okay, thank you, Fahira. By the way, please call David to see me," Darian said with his usual flat and cold demeanor.

"Of course, Mr. Darian. I will deliver your message to Mr. David immediately. I beg your leave," Fahira replied respectfully before hurrying out of Darian's office.

Once outside, Fahira went to her desk, placing her agenda and staring straight at the flat computer screen that was always in front of her. She suppressed the pounding in her heart. Her legs felt weak like jelly after leaving Darian's office.

Regret. That was what Fahira felt after exchanging her virginity for a stack of money worth 100 million Indonesian rupiahs. However, on the other hand, a feeling of happiness emerged when she thought about Ariel, her younger sibling. Soon, her sibling would be healthy again, like any other teenager, without having to take medication every day. Fahira was happy that, despite her deteriorating health, there was still a glimmer of hope for the only family she had left.

***

David, who was sitting in the driver's seat, looked at Darian and Fahira sitting side by side in the passenger seats through the rearview mirror. The atmosphere in the car was unusually quiet, unlike their usual trips together, which were often filled with light business discussions. This time, it was freezing, with no music or conversation. Only the faint sound of Darian's deep sighs that occasionally filled the confined space.

David's intuition told him that Darian was under strong pressure from the wealthy Mrs. Yasmin, who was urging him to get married, even though David knew that his boss had never dated anyone. A few months ago, David accidentally overheard a heated argument between Darian and Yasmin during a dinner at the luxurious Putra family residence, which touched on the topic of marriage. David was very confident in his keen hearing, which picked up information that Yasmin was planning to arrange a marriage for Darian with the daughter of a business associate. And, of course, Darian couldn't refuse because he had not fulfilled his promise to Yasmin.

Darian had promised on his 30th birthday that he would bring a prospective son-in-law for his mother. And that deadline was just two months away. If Darian couldn't meet that promise, he would have to accept Yasmin's chosen woman, whether he liked it or not.