7. Kindred Spirit

~Vivian~

I exited the room and went downstairs. I saw Steve sitting on one of the chairs lined up in the hallway of the massage parlor. He was busy browsing on his phone.

Why is he still here? I thought he had already left after he was done with the massage.

He must have sensed my presence because he looked up and our eyes met. He smiled at me, his eyes gleaming. “Are you going home now?” he asked, standing up.

“Yup,” I responded with a smile.

“You looked happy and blooming, how was it?” he asked, smirking. His eyes flashed with mischievousness.

I said, “Are you asking about my body massage?”

“Yes, how is it? Is it good?” he asked curiously.

“Yes, very much. My hot masseur brought me to the 7th heaven,” I said, giggling.

“Oh… so he is good in bed, eh? Masculine body, delicious abs and a 7 inch cock?” he said, a naughty smile curled up in his lips.

I looked at him with a raised brow. “You describe him so well. Sounds weird to me. Have you met MR. X already?”

“Nah, I only prefer women for a body massage,” he said, his eyes boring into mine.

I folded my arms. “So… did you enjoy your full body massage?”

“Of course, I enjoyed it very much. She has a sexy body, she’s so hot and our sex was amazing. We have engaged in mind-blowing sex twice already in this massage parlor. How about you? How many times have you hired Mr. X to satisfy your sexual craving?” he asked.

“Same, twice already,” I responded shamelessly.

“So…are you still coming here to get his services in the future?” he asked.

“Yes of course,” I replied shamelessly. I don’t know why but with Steve I can be myself. I am not ashamed to tell him about my dark secret. No pretentiousness, no fillers. I feel like we are kindred spirits.

“Oh, I see… you are getting addicted to Mr. X's expertise in bed. That is a bad thing,” he commented, his tone serious.

“Getting addicted to drugs is bad but getting addicted to sex that makes me happy is not a bad thing. Besides, I'm not doing it every day. I only come to this place if I’m in a bad mood or need sex badly,” I explained.

“OK, if that is your reason, I respect your rights as a human being,” he said with a shrug.

Curious, I asked him, “How about you? Why are you here? Why are you using cheap women to satisfy your sexual urges? Don’t you have a girlfriend?"

“I don’t have a girlfriend right now. I’m single, handsome and rich… so yeah… I’m free to do anything with my life,” he responded, smiling smugly.

I smiled, amused by his arrogance. He was right about his claim. He is rich and handsome. A complete package. He is every woman’s fantasy, a delicious eye candy.

A few minutes of silence passed between us.

“Um, if you keep coming here, you will end up broke one day. What will you do if one day you have no money to pay Mr. X and you crave sex? Can you still afford his services if you are going to lose your job one day?" he asked, observing my face closely.

I bit my lower lip, remembering that I’m going to be jobless again, so I better save money and not waste it on sex. “Yeah, thanks for reminding me that I will be jobless in the days to come…”

“Oh, why is that?” he asked, surprised. “Did my brother fire you from your job? Or are you planning to resign from your job? Which is which?”

I decided not to tell him much about the latest developments in my life because we are not that close. He is still a complete stranger to me. “I’m going to resign from my job tomorrow. I will pass my resignation letter on to your brother's office tomorrow,” I said sadly.

“Oh, sorry to hear that. What are your plans for the future? Are you going to apply for another job in the neighborhood?” he asked.

“I plan to disappear from this planet,” I joked.

“You are not planning on going suicide—are you?” he asked with a hint of worry in his tone.

I smiled, amused by his question. “No, of course not. I’m just joking.”

He heaved a sigh of relief. “Good. Because honestly you still have a bright future waiting for you ahead.”

My forehead was creased. “Huh? How can you say that? How can I have a bright future with a scar on my face?”

“If I were you, I would accept my generous offer,” he said casually.

I raised a brow. “What kind of offer?”

“I will fund your scar surgery to make your face flawless again,” he offered.

I rolled my eyes. “Here we go again. I already heard that from you. No matter how tempting your offer is, I need to weigh my options. You haven't told me yet what you want in return? Don’t tell me scar surgery is free? Tell me about your condition first…”

He was pleased with my statement because he smiled. “You look interested, then shall we go back to my car and we can talk there in private?”

I shifted on my feet. Indeed this place is not the right place to discuss a business proposal. “OK.”

We left the building and proceeded to his car.

I got into the front seat and buckled my seat belt.

He slid into the driver's seat. “Are you hungry? I will treat you to dinner at this lovely restaurant near the beach. It’s just a twenty-minute drive from here. I will tell you about my offer there.”

I look at him. Can I trust him with my safety? Of course, he is my crush's brother. He won’t harm me right? Besides, he doesn't look like a deranged killer to me.

He looked at me and saw an anxious expression on my face. “What’s wrong?”

“I think it’s not right for me to get into a stranger's car,” I said nervously.

He chuckled. “Have you forgotten? You got into my car earlier and I drove you here safely, didn't I?"

Dang! He is right. I’m just trying to be careful around strangers. I smiled nervously.

“Don’t worry, I’m harmless. We are just going to eat and talk about business,” he says gently. He was trying to calm my jittery nerves. “Go on, text your friend for security purposes and inform her that you are with me,” he added, wanting to show me that his intention was pure and sincere.

“OK, I’ll do that.” I quickly took a short video of myself and Steve in his car and sent it to Debra, informing my friend that I’m with Sir Steve so she won't worry about me anymore.

A few minutes later, Debra responded with a heart emoji and told me to enjoy our date.

“Everything is okay now?” he asked.

I nodded my head. “Yup. Let’s go!”

Steve started the engine and drove the car on the highway.

After a short drive we arrived at this lovely beach restaurant with cottages to rent. The restaurant was not crowded at that time.

The waiter brought us to our cottage that was suspended above the water and handed us the menu.

The waiter took his leave after we told him our order.

I admire the calm ocean view. It was so serene and peaceful, giving me assurance that I was in the right company.

I look at Steve, wanting to discuss his offer. I’m curious about what he truly wants from me. I also want to know his identity and why he knows something about my past.

He met my gaze. Both of us were trying to guess what we were thinking in our heads.

I cleared my throat. “What do you want from me in exchange for my free scar surgery? What is your business proposal for me? And who are you? How much did you know about my past?” I bombarded him with questions, eager to unravel the mystery surrounding him.