Chapter 116 Trapped


    Maria rolled her eyes at Lawrence and smiled. Then she smoothed Ethan''s hair and said, "Ethan,


    I''ve made up my mind. No drinking game today!"


    Ethan shifted her hand off his head. "Stop petting me like some kind of puppy!


    "You mean I''m not petting a puppy?" Maria asked, amusement evident in her tone.


    Watching them, Lawrence chuckled. Moderately upset, Ethan raised his ss to the woman. "Come


    on, we should start a drinking game! The loser is a puppy!"


    "No, thanks. I have ns today. Take a rain check?" Maria took out her phone and began to make a


    phone call.


    Half an hourter, Lawrence dragged Ethan out of the bar.


    At the same time, a man left the Harkim and went straight to the twenty-sixth floor of a particr


    hotel.


    Before he emerged from the car, he had already prepared himself mentally. Blue Jazz Bar was on


    the top floor of the building. Earlier, Lawrence sent him a message, asking to meet him there.


    He tried to ignore the nagging feeling there was something wrong. Why would one man invite


    another man to a hotel? James believed that the person waiting for him would be Maria.


    As soon as he stepped into the elevator, he saw a woman standing near the back, regaling him with


    an enchanting smile. James knew it was her.


    The elevator doors closed. Maria got few steps closer to him.


    She reeked of alcohol. The whole elevator smelled like it. It got almost overpowering as she inched


    closer. James frowned and wondered how many drinks she had.


    Her cheeks were red and she wore an enchanting shade of lipstick.


    No matter how good she looked, he wanted to create some distance, so he took a step back.


    Maria countered with a step forward and finally cornered the man in the elevator.


    Staring at him drunkenly, she threw herself into his arms and acted like a spoiled child. "I drank


    today."


    James looked at her with disgust. He wasn''t blind, and his sense of smell worked just fine. He could


    tell she was drunk.


    The elevator soon arrived at the twenty-sixth floor. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips.


    Before he could push her away, she let go of him.


    The elevator doors opened and she walked out as if nothing had happened, leaving the man


    standing there.


    James didn''t know what to say.


    He didn''t get out of the elevator. Outside the elevator was a long hallway where all the guest rooms


    were. Maria''s intention was too obvious.


    When the elevator doors closed again, his phone rang. ncing at the caller ID, he knew it was


    Ethan. As soon as he swiped to answer the phone, James heard Ethan exim, "James, help me!"


    He was still frowning. "Where are you?"


    "Room 303 on the twenty-sixth floor. Didn''t you agree we''d meet here? Where are you?"


    James kept silent. He thought it was Maria trying to get him alone.


    The elevator had reached the first floor. He had to press the button for the twenty-sixth floor again.


    "I''ll be there soon. What''s wrong?"


    "Maria Song tied me up!" Ethan yelled in horror.


    Closing his eyes, James rubbed between his eyebrows and asked, "So where''s Lawrence?"


    "He''s standing there watching. He won''t help!"


    James wondered what kind of hijinks were taking ce.


    Soon enough, he stood at the door of Room 303 on the twenty-sixth floor.


    As soon as he rang the doorbell, Maria answered the door in a heartbeat.


    After he went in, Maria closed the door and locked it from inside.


    Hearing the click, James didn''t panic. He looked around the room but didn''t see Ethan or Lawrence.


    He had an idea of what was going on, and he didn''t like it one bit. The man vowed he would teach


    Ethan a lesson. James would make sure Ethan would not be so headstrong from now on.


    Maria wrapped her arms around his waist. "James," the woman said softly.


    Without thinking twice, James pulled her arms away from his waist, turned to the woman, and


    snapped, "So it was you! You won''t trick me again!"


    She stood on tiptoe, put her arms around his neck, and kissed his thin lips to stop him from saying


    anything more.


    She did seed in distracting him. The only thought he had in his mind was, ''Her lips were sweet.''


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Maria''s lips were so sweet that he didn''t want her to stop. He was enticed the moment he tasted


    them.


    Maria slowly opened her eyes. The man''s eyes were closed. So she could get him all hot and


    bothered!


    She knew she could do it!


    But the man recovered his senses quickly. ''Something''s wrong!'' James warned himself. He


    suddenly opened his eyes, and pulled away from the woman to look at her.


    Maria staggered, raised her red lips, and smiled evilly. Then she calmly pulled down the strap of her


    dress.


    But the moment he took her to bed, James realized he was trapped.


    At 3 a.m., someone opened the door of Room 303. The two women exchanged nces with each


    other. Then one came out, and the other went inside.


    Later that morning, James woke up to the ringtone of his phone. He slowly opened his eyes and


    knew something was up. The ceiling looked unfamiliar. Then a pair of hands caressed his chest. He


    could hear a woman''s soft voice. "Oh! You''re awake, Mr. Xi!"


    The man suddenly sat up, and the memory ofst night washed over him. He nced coldly at the


    woman lying beside him. It was not Maria at all!


    James kept his cool. He calmly picked up the phone that kept ringing. It was Lorenzo. He swiped


    the answer key. "Mr. Xi, the morning meeting is over. You—"


    Pressing his temples, James ordered, "Come to Room 303 on the twenty-sixth floor of the building


    where Blue Jazz Bar is. Bring my clothes."


    Taking notes, Lorenzo suddenly stopped. ''Isn''t that a hotel?'' But Lorenzo knew James wanted


    results, not questions. "Yes, Mr. Xi!"


    Silence nketed the room. Ignoring the woman beside him, James lifted the thin quilt and got out


    of bed. Then he walked into the bathroom in his boxers.


    Half an hourter, the man looked as ready for business as ever.


    The woman in the bathrobe said shyly, "That was incredible, Mr. Xi. But...why me?"


    James red at her icily and said, "Miss Qin."


    "Yes?" Ste looked at the man with admiration and desire in her eyes.


    "Shut up or I''ll hit you!"


    He was very irritable now and urgently wanted to get even with Ethan, Lawrence, and Maria.


    The man''s ruthless words startled Ste. She asked anxiously, "Where do I send the bill? I might be


    pregnant."


    James put on his watch and strode away without looking at her.


    Last night, no matter how out of it he was, he knew who he had sex with.


    So what if Ste was in the bed with him? That proved nothing.


    Seeing that things weren''t going as smoothly as she hoped, Ste ran to the door to block the way


    out. "Mr. Xi,st night, Maria told me that you wanted me. And now you''re trying to weasel out of it?"


    Ignoring her, James took out his phone from his pocket, dialed a number, and ordered, "Yeah, it''s


    me. I need you to do me a solid and buy out Qin Group!"


    Things didn''t go as Ste nned. She doomed Qin Group. She waspletely flustered and


    struggled to exin. "It''s all Maria''s fault, Mr. Xi. She asked me toe here! Nothing happened


    between us. Please don''t do this to Qin Group!"


    "All of you need to be punished. You, Qin Group, and Maria Song!" The man squeezed each word


    out. He would get even with them.


    James walked past the woman in his way and left the room.


    Maria knew something would happen, but she didn''t think the ruse would be revealed that quickly.


    Shey in the bed, recuperating fromst night, and was disturbed by the buzz of her phone. It was


    Lorenzo. He said in his most professional tone, "Ms. Song, Mr. Xi wants to see you. Pleasee to


    the Leopard Club now."


    Ophelia