Alex pushed open the heavy door to the private room on the top floor.
This was the same room where he’d first met the sweet, innocent girl who had stumbled into his world. Lane kept it locked up tight these days, no regular customers allowed. It was basically Alex’s private spot whenever he visited His bar.
Riley was already inside, waiting. She looked nervous, fidgeting slightly on the edge of the plush sofa. When the door clicked open, she stood up quickly, her movements a little clumsy, which only made her look cuter.
Alex didn’t waste a second. He stepped forward, his hand finding her slim waist, pulling her easily against him.
“Sir!” Riley breathed out, the word soft. A pretty pink blush spread across her cheeks, and her eyes suddenly looked shiny, almost wet, making her gaze incredibly inviting.
This girl, who still looked so pure on the surface, had definitely found a different side to herself thanks to him.
The mix of her almost clueless-looking innocent face and the new, hungry look sparking in her eyes was enough to make any man lose control.
Looking down at the ‘sweet naive girl’ now held firmly in his arms, her hidden wants clearly awake, Alex felt his own control just… snap. Acting purely on impulse, he bent his head and captured her lips in a demanding kiss.
His hands didn’t stay idle, either.
Same room, same two people. But the story playing out now was worlds away from their first meeting.
Back then, Riley thought she was giving herself to the powerful boss out of desperation. This time, she knew exactly what was happening, and she was choosing it.
Riley wasn’t the completely clueless girl anymore. She’d learned things, new ways to move her body, touches that sent shivers down her spine, skills she never imagined before.
She wasn’t a master yet, not even close, but Riley was surprisingly keen to learn. And lucky for her, she had Alex, a very demanding ‘teacher’ who liked to give her regular ‘quizzes’ on her progress.
Thankfully, Riley learned fast. She was smart and, more importantly, willing.
Alex was quite pleased with how far she’d come.
An hour later, a deep quiet filled the room, broken only by soft breaths. Riley lay still for a long moment, tangled in the sheets, just letting her strength slowly seep back into her limbs. Finally, she murmured, her voice a little shaky but soft, “Sir… you’re… you’re amazing…”
There had been moments where she honestly thought she couldn’t handle any more.
She remembered, after they first got together, secretly looking things up online. She’d found some silly, crude joke about farming.
Reading it back then had made her blush so hard she thought her face would catch fire. Thinking about it now, she could only manage a small, tired smile. ‘Oh please,’ she thought wryly, ‘I’ve done things way dirtier than that silly joke hints at.’
But remembering it now, Riley felt the joke was completely wrong. With her boss’s endless energy, it felt more like the land was getting totally worn out, while the farmer barely seemed to work up a sweat.
If this kept up… she worried, her eyes flicking down instinctively… the land might really get ruined… A little knot of real worry tightened in her stomach.
Maybe… maybe I need some backup?
The thought popped into her head so suddenly it startled her. Her gaze shot towards the boss, but she quickly relaxed when she saw he wasn’t looking her way, seeming lost in his own thoughts.
‘Riley, Riley, what are you even thinking? That’s crazy!’ she scolded herself inside her head. But the scolding felt weak, like she didn’t really mean it.
She couldn’t stop another quick, worried look downwards.
She let out the tiniest sigh.
“Your grandma should probably wake up sometime tomorrow,” Alex said calmly, his voice cutting through the quiet. He took a slow drink of water.
“Huh?” Pulled sharply from her confusing thoughts, Riley’s full attention snapped to him. “Grandma’s waking up? Really? Oh, Sir, that’s wonderful! That’s amazing news!”
Even though the doctors kept telling her every day that her grandma’s cancer cells were shrinking faster than they’d ever seen, Riley couldn’t truly let herself feel relieved until her grandma actually opened her eyes.
“I’ll go with you to the hospital tomorrow,” Alex added smoothly. “After the treatment tonight, her liver cancer should be completely gone.” He knew the special Eric technique worked wonders. Tonight was the last session he’d arranged.
To make sure Eric Vaughan could work on saving the patient without anyone bothering him, Alex had done more than just clear the nurses out of the room. He had also quietly told his five medical experts to leave Eric alone during the day.
Pretty nice of him, right?
While Eric poured all his focus into the treatment, Alex didn’t disturb him. Instead, he gave his attention back to Riley.
“Thank you so much, Sir,” Riley said, relief washing over her face. It felt like a heavy weight had just vanished, and she instantly looked more lively.
And just like that, she started moving towards him again.
“Huh, don’t you ever get tired?” Alex half-joked, rubbing his lower back with a groan.
“Sir, just stay still. It’s my turn now,” Riley insisted, a playful glint in her eyes.
Alex didn’t argue.
…
The next morning, around 6:30 AM.
Looking pale and completely drained, Eric Vaughan stumbled out of the patient’s room. He had to lean against the wall just to stay upright, his steps shaky.
That had been the final treatment session, the trickiest, longest part of the special “Acupuncture” method. It had taken him the whole night.
He leaned heavily on the wall, dragging himself forward slowly, each step an effort. When he finally reached the stairwell door, he slumped against the cool metal, trying to catch his breath.
Working non-stop all night with those needles had really taken a lot out of him.
Normally, using the Acupuncture wouldn’t leave him this wiped out. But dealing with those five annoying doctors bothering him all day yesterday had worn him down, body and mind.
Honestly, if he hadn’t promised the girl he’d treat her grandmother, Eric Vaughan would have stormed out of this awful hospital days ago.