Chapter 282 Kindness
Squatting by the bed, Maria peeled James'' socks off his feet and helped him put on his slippers.
Then, she sat down next to him and looked at him sternly. "James XI, go take a shower! No shower,
no bed." After a pause, she changed her mind. "Fine. Don''t shower. But you will have to sleep in the
other bedroom."
The woman stood up, deciding she''d make the bed in the other bedroom. However, before she
could take one step, James grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. In one swift movement, he had
pulled her onto the bed.
Before Maria could protest, James was already on top her, pressing his lips roughly against hers.
Everything had happened so fast.
Maria found herself unable to utter a sound at all.
She helplessly watched the man on top of her ravish her body, wondering if this had all been an act.
How could a drunk man act so quickly?
His breath reeked of alcohol, causing Maria to suffocate. Finally, she found an opportunity to break
away from his grip and gasped for air. ring at the man, she shouted, "James Xi, get out and take
a shower right this instant!"
"Run some water for me." His voice was surprisingly gentle.
Maria shivered, pushed him away once more and scuttled off to the bathroom.
As she ran hot water in the bathtub, Maria reflected on what just happened. Gritting her teeth, she
seethed with rage. What had she done to deserve this?
She rolled her eyes in exasperation. There was nothing she could do about it now, except deal with
it. She turned around to fetch James, only to find him standing behind her. She screamed in
surprise.
Apparently, James had quietly entered the bathroom without her noticing.
Clutching her chest in shock, Maria tried to calm herself down. "James Xi, leave! Hurry up!" If he
was going to stay longer, she would lose her temper and beat him up.
However, the man remained motionless. After a while, he slowly staggered towards her.
Maybe he really was drunk. His eyes shone as he approached her, and there was even a smile on
his face.
Once he''d finallye close enough, he loomed over Maria, breathing heavily.
Maria stepped back and looked at him warily. "What do you want? Are you trying to hit on me?"
He took another step forward in response. Maria took another step back and felt the cool surface of
the tiled wall behind her. She was cornered, sandwiched between the wall and the tall man in front
of her.
He raised his hand to touch her, but he identally brushed the switch to the showerhead.
The cold water instantly spurted forth, drenching his suit jacket.
Maria reached out to turn off the shower and frowned at his wet clothes in disdain. "Look at you,
you''ve wet all your clothes! I don''t have any of your clothes here. I guess you''re going to have to
leave here naked!"Têxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.
Maria helped him remove his sopping wet coat and ced it on the bathroom counter. Then, her
slender fingers reached up to loosen his tie as though it was second nature to her.
"Stop squirming," she hissed. "If you keep moving, I''ll leave you to unbutton your shirt yourself!"
Heedless of her warning, James slipped his arms around the woman''s waist and pulled her close to
him, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Just as she was about to snap at him, the man whispered her name into her ear. "Maria..."
Maria''s heart began to race.
This man had only been this affectionate with her in bed.
Maria sighed. Even if he was drunk, he still managed to make her heart flutter.
A hush had fallen over the bathroom, save for the sound of running water.
James moved his head slightly, only to nt his lips on her neck. "Did you miss me?" he asked.
Maria closed her eyes slowly, allowing her to feel the warmth of his lips against her skin. "Hmm..." It
was true. She had missed him.
The sound she made reminded James of the child in his grandparents'' home. He started to chuckle.
"You sound just like the fish, Bob!"
''Bob?'' At the mention of her son''s name, Maria snapped to her senses. Her eyes popped wide open
and she shoved the man away. "James Xi, if you want to sleep with me, then dream on!"
The sensual atmosphere in the bathroom evaporated in an instant.
Frustrated, James leaned against the wall and looked at the woman who was ring at him.
"I''ll drive you home once you''re done showering." After saying that, she went and turned off the tap
above the bathtub, then hurried out of the bathroom.
This time, James didn''t follow her out. He finally obeyed her and took a shower.
When he came out, Maria had already changed into proper clothes, ready to take him home. She
stood in the center of the bedroom and looked at him expressionlessly. "Okay, let''s go."
James looked down at his stark naked body, save for a bath towel wrapped around his waist. "I
can''t go out like this.”
"Don''t worry, it''ll be fine. It''ste at night, I can guarantee no one will see you."
His expression darkened. "You really want me to go out like this?" The bath towel was dangerously
low, clinging to his wet body for dear life.
"Yes, I''ve made up my mind. Mr. Xi, since you are so hell -bent on taking down an insignificant
company, I don''t want to have anything to do with you. If the worsees to worst, thepany
will be shut down and I''ll quit." If that did happen, Maria was determined to open anotherpany,
and another, and another, until James lost interest in herpletely.
She was determined to bepletely independent, relying only on herself. After she became
rich and powerful, she might be able to defeat James.
"''Shut down''?" The man turned over these two words in his mind.
"Yes!"
James'' jaw clenched. ''This woman needs to be taught a lesson.''
He strode over to her and pulled her into his arms. Ignoring her struggle, he allowed the bath towel
around his waist to drop to the floor, then he took her to the bed.
"James Xi, how dare you?”
"I''m already here. There''s no use resisting." He looked down at the woman who was burning with
anger. However, he was even angrier.
What grinded his gears was that she kept pushing him away.
"Stop it!" She was angry at the thought that he had snatched herpany''s projects. Why should
she let him sleep with her?
She already had ns. She was going to take Bob away and remarry another man, letting James''
son call another man his father.
"It''s not up to you!" A year ago, James had agreed to part with her temporarily, not forever. Now
Maria was right in front of him. If he didn''t sleep with her, wouldn''t he fail Summer''s kindness?
Maria red at the man on top of her, at a loss for words. It never urred to her that James would
force her. ''Jackass!''
The moon hung low in the sky, shrouded in clouds. The two spent the night tangled in bed, doing
anything but sleep.
The following morning, the apartment''s doorbell rang. James got up and answered the door. He was
wearing only the bath towel from the night before around his waist. The assistant, who hade to
pick up James and deliver some clothes, was extremely flustered to see his boss''s chiseled
physique.
Stammering, he handed some bags to James. "Good morning, Mr. Xi. Here are your clothes and
breakfast." "Okay, I''ll be downstairs right away."
"Okay, Mr. Xi."
He then closed the door. Maria was still sound asleep in the bedroom.
Without waking her up, James got dressed, set up breakfast in the kitchen, then left.
Later that morning, Maria woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. She answered the phone in a
daze. "Yes, Peggy?"
"Maria, did you just wake up? Everyone is waiting for you to start the meeting!"
"What time is it now?" Maria bolted out of bed with disheveled hair.