Chapter 17 The Abyss of Lust
Charlotte remained silent. She didn’t want to tell him why she needed
money.
And Malcolm was never the prying type. He still fixed his gaze on her with his head lowered, and their shadows under the dim light tangled, looking extremely intimate.
He said tonelessly, “Wait for me in the parking lot after work.”
Charlotte said nothing.
He then averted his gaze and turned around to walk into the private room behind him, his shadow moving away.
Finally, she moved slightly.
She got off work at 6:00 p.m., whereas Malcolm walked out of the private room half an hour later. He walked downstairs alone and spotted her figure next to the elevator the second he arrived at the underground parking lot.
After glancing at her, he walked toward the car with his coat draped over his arm, saying nothing while walking past her.
She could only follow him like his shadow.
Seeing him unlock the car door and sit inside, she lingered at the door, not knowing whether she should sit in, too. Meanwhile, he waited silently in the car.
The stand–off lasted less than thirty seconds before she gave in and got
inside.
The car was as silent as the parking lot.
“How much money do you need?”
Malcolm broke the silence.
Surprised by his question, she subconsciously looked up at him.
He was looking at her, too. “You need money, right? How much?”
She remained silent, clutching her dress with enough force to tear the fabric apart.
He continued slowly, “You’re Danielle’s sister, and I’m happy to help. If you need money, let me know.
“Just figure out an amount.”
With that, he started the car and drove out of the parking lot.
The night air brushed past Charlotte’s face. She didn’t ask him where he was taking her, and he offered no explanation. Both were silent.
Finally, the car came to a stop. Malcolm lit up a cigarette, still showing no intention of getting out.
Finding the atmosphere suffocating, she said with difficulty, “I don’t need money. I just want to save up to be independent.”
She expressed her longing concisely.
Though what she really wanted was to move out of the Townsend’s
home, where she had always been an outsider, and to have a home of
her own.
Malcolm’s expression finally softened a little..
He gazed at the swirling smoke and said. “Still, you should focus on studying. You shouldn’t be working at a place like that.”
He frowned slightly..
After a long silence, she responded. “The pay here is good.”
After what felt like an eternity, he stubbed out his cigarette outside the window and then lifted her face.
Slightly stunned, she looked at him, her face pale.
Looking into her doe–like eyes, he said, “Quit. I’ll give you the money.”
Her lips shivered, and her lashes fluttered like butterflies.
Malcolm kept gazing at her for a long time. Then he lowered his hand and placed it right next to the gearshift, where her hand was.
The moment their skin touched, she immediately withdrew her hand a little. At the same time, he held her hand.
Her breath hitched.
They sat in place motionlessly, not looking at each other.
A few minutes later, he slowly wrapped her hands in his palms completely.
The dim, yellow light shone on their faces, leaving half of their
features in shadow.
Charlotte heard her own heartbeat.
Then, he leaned closer to her, whispering. “Shall we go to a hotel?”
What had happened in the car that night came flooding back to Charlotte uncontrollably.
“Have you been avoiding me these days?” Malcolm pressed on. his voice soft, titillating.
She had been avoiding him indeed, but he hadn’t reached out to her either.
Sensing her silence, he asked again, “Have you?”
The rise in his pitch added a touch of sexiness and hoarseness to his voice, making it both deep and pleasant to the ear, which was worlds apart from Humberto’s cheerful voice.
She still said nothing, and silence spread again.
Then he asked, “Have you applied the ointment?”
Under the light, her cheeks were a delicate rose–pink. She tilted her face slightly and said something totally irrelevant, “Thanks… about Humberto.”
Staring at her face, he kept silent for a long, long time.
Then, they got out of the car and walked toward the hotel. Charlotte followed Malcolm, who checked in and headed to the elevator.
At the elevator doors, she was still behind him. He turned around,
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wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and led her into the elevator, while she found her body obediently following him.
She had no idea how they had reached the room.
All she knew was that the second they stepped inside, he held her tightly, and both soon sank into the abyss of lust, where they enjoyed themselves to the fullest.
