Part 76

Claire accepted the glass of warm water with a murmur of thanks.

Antony leaned his waist against the bar counter while his hand came up to smooth Claire's hair out of its bun.

"You don't want to ask?" He asked after Claire put her glass back on the table.

"About?" Claire asked confused.

"Where did I go and who did I meet?" Antony said again.

Claire smiled. "Do I have to ask?" She asked back.

Antony nodded enthusiastically. Claire smiled again. Antony, despite having a big tall body and a face that always showed a flat expression and was classified as fierce, but his behavior was more like that of a childish teenager seeking attention.

"So, where did you go? Who did you meet, what time did you get back? You didn't meet any other girls, did you?" Asked Claire with a slight frown on her forehead.

"Are you jealous that I'm seeing another woman?" Antony asked back.

Claire frowned for a moment before answering. "It depends on who you meet." She replied with a shrug.

Antony smiled. The man's hand still reached out and played with Claire's hair even though there was nothing else to fix.

"I didn't meet any women." He answered honestly.

"Good." Claire replied with a nod of her head.

"Don't want to know who I met?" asked Antony again.

Claire shook her head. "I'm more curious about when you're coming back?" She asked curiously.

Antony shrugged. "Maybe around ten in the evening?" He replied uncertainly. "Anyway, after dinner, I came straight here and sat down to work." He nodded his head towards the sofa where his laptop was still on. "You don't want to know more?" Antony asked again.

Claire shook her head. "I don't think I need to know everything you do out there." Claire said in a flat tone. Antony smiled and nodded. "Shouldn't you get some sleep?" Claire asked again. "What time is it?" Claire took Antony's hand and looked at the clock on her wrist. It was already one o'clock at night.

"Why don't you want to spend more time with me?" Antony asked disapprovingly.

Claire chuckled. "It's not like that." She replied. "But it's late at night. Work has its limits too. Just because you're the boss and your salary is the highest, doesn't mean you spend all your time working, right?"

Antony smiled and then nodded. "To be honest, I've been trying to sleep since earlier. But I can't." He said.

"Why?" Asked Claire in surprise.

"My mind cannot be compromised." She said.

"What's wrong? Is there a big problem?" Claire asked curiously. Antony nodded instantly. "Do you need a solution? I know I can't help much, but who knows." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"It's not a big deal, but it can't be said to be small either." Antony replied again. "But yes, you can help."

"What?" Asked Claire. "What can I help you with?"

Antony straightened up. Walking towards the living room where he had placed his laptop. Thinking that it had something to do with the work the man was doing, Claire just followed him into the living room. Antony sat there and asked Claire to come closer.

Claire sits beside him, but when Antony shows her the contents of the laptop, she looks at Antony in disbelief.

"You?" Claire looked at Antony with an expression that Antony couldn't read. "What is this?" She pointed at the screen in front of her.

Antony showed his smile. "I don't know what kind of decorations to choose for our wedding." He replied with a grimace.

Claire laughed. "You haven't even gotten my mama's blessing, how can you make other plans?"

Antony looked at Claire with a sullen face. "You don't want to marry me?" He asked distastefully.

Claire was surprised. "It's not like that. I mean, everything has to be in order, honey."

Hearing Claire's call at the end of her sentence made Antony sit up straight. "Say it one more time." He asked.

"What?" Claire frowned. "Oh," she paused. "Well, everything has to be in the right order. You have to get my mother's blessing first before planning all this."

Antony shook his head. "No, that's not it. I mean again, what did you call me?" She asked.

Claire again looked at Antony in confusion. "What?" she asked back.

"Come on Claire, your call just made me flowery." She replied.

Claire chuckled at that. "Honey..." She called out spoilingly.

Antony was wide-eyed. "Again." She pleaded.

"Honey..." Claire complied.

Then, without Claire's expectation, Antony raised both hands and cupped Claire's face. "Oh my, so sweet my Claire." He said as he gave Claire a quick peck on the lips. "I like it, I really like it." Antony replied again.

Claire brushed off the man's hands and returned to pointing at the screen in front of her. "So what does that mean?" She asked again.

Antony shrugged. "I'm just moving fast." He replied casually.

"But we haven't even talked about this yet. We haven't gotten my mom's blessing yet." She replied.

"In the end, I will get that blessing." Antony replied confidently. "I've already won a lot anyway." He looked at Claire earnestly. "I've already gotten the blessings of your three older siblings. And more than that, I've already eliminated your mother's choice. And if your mother again decides to set you up with another man, then I will repeat the same thing until she gets bored and stops trying." Antony replied at length. Claire looked at him with rounded eyes.

Is he really Antony? Her boss who even smiles a lot? Why does that man talk so much? Could even say that much in one breath. Claire still couldn't believe it.

"Why? Why are you looking at me like that?" Antony asked in the end. Claire just chuckled and shook her head. Antony chose to shrug his shoulders. "So, which one do you think is good?" He returned to his original question.

Claire shook her head. She closed all the pages Antony was looking at and then turned off her laptop. "It's already late. We can still talk about it tomorrow." Claire replied. She then rose to her feet and took Antony's hand. "Better go to bed. The next room is empty because the kids are sleeping in my room." She said.

But when Claire pulled Antony's body, instead of making the man stand up, she was pulled back or perhaps pulled by the man until she finally fell on the man's lap in a sideways position.

Claire was shocked, of course. Yet she made absolutely no effort to get back up.

"I missed you." Antony said softly. His left hand reached out and played with Claire's hair that had been untied again.

"But I'm here." Claire replied just as softly.

Being on the man's lap did not make him taller. But Claire liked that their eyes were at eye level this time.

"I know. But I miss you so much." Antony replied again.

Claire smiled. Her right hand rose up. And she deliberately touched the man's hair. Her fingertips gently touched Antony's forehead. Her eyes followed the direction where her fingers went. Fine streaks were already decorating the man's forehead. Clearly indicating age and how much Antony had been thinking.

Then the fingers moved to touch Antony's beautifully arched eyebrows. Claire's other hand also came up and Antony closed his eyes as the girl's hand touched his eyes and fingered his long, lustrous lashes.

It went down his nose until it ended up encapsulating both of his faces. Claire's two thumbs played on both sides of Antony's face and touched the hair that grew there.

They stared at each other in silence. Antony then raised both his hands and did the same. Embracing Claire's petite face.

The thumb of his right hand even deliberately caressed the girl's lower lip. He looked at Claire, seeing how she would respond to his touch. But Claire was silent, which Antony took as silent permission.

He slowly slipped his hand between her hair and pulled her head closer.

Claire knows what Antony wants. And to be honest, she also wants to know how he really feels. Hence, she doesn't mind when Antony pulls her face closer.

Slowly, very gently, the man placed his lips on top of Claire's. Again waiting for a response from Claire. Then when Claire was silent, Antony continued what he had wanted for a long time.

His lips began to crush Claire's lips so gently and slowly. Sucking alternately on her upper and lower lips. And though shyly-which Antony knew was a new thing for Claire -the girl returned his kiss just as quietly.

Antony pulled Claire's chin down to open her mouth and slipped his tongue in there. Claire gasped, she could feel the girl's back stiffen. But it was only an instant before Claire's body relaxed again and just accepted Antony's game.

Antony's hand slowly moved down the girl's waist. Lifting one of Claire's legs so that the girl could change her sitting position to face Antony.

Claire just complied. Even as Antony pulled her closer so she could feel the evidence of his passion there, she gasped again and broke their kiss.

She looked at Antony with wide eyes and irregular breathing. "Can you feel it?" Antony asked softly. Claire didn't answer, but her gaze never left the man's face. "All these years," Antony continued. "All those years he didn't respond to anyone. But he responded to you the first time we met." I'm honest Antony.

Claire was wide-eyed in shock. "But that time...?"