Chapter 35
The rest of the week rolled by quickly and on Friday, immediately after the close of work, Derek and Evelyn left for their trip.
Even though as usual, Derek had been very professional with her and she had tried to treat him a little bit friendlier, Evelyn couldn't still shake off the feeling that she was making a mistake by going on this trip with him.
She had tried observing Derek, hoping to gauge from his reactions if the trip was just a ruse to be with her alone so he could continue trying to seduce her as he had said.
However, no matter how hard she had tried, she had been unable to discern anything unusual from his behavior and even though it was supposed to make her feel relaxed, she couldn't help feeling even more anxious. He was unpredictable and she was beginning to feel worn out from having her guard up all the time.
As they drove into Stone Corp's luxurious resort in Varis at past midnight, Evelyn sighed, her nerves tightly wound. The idea of being away like this with him even though on a business trip, sort of stirred something within her and she feared if she wasn't cautious enough, she might just end up falling for his tricks here.
The resort was breathtaking, with its grand building designs and lush surroundings, but Evelyn's mind was too preoccupied to fully appreciate it as they got out of the car.
Derek glanced at her, hiding a smile as he extended a hand. "Are you going to stand here all evening or go in with me, my love?" he asked, his tone playful and Evelyn scowled at him.
This was the part of him she was desperate to avoid, Evelyn mused as she ignored his hand and walked ahead into the resort.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
With a chuckle, Derek hurried after her, and together they made their way to the reception area of the resort, and before they could get to the reception stand the manager hurried towards them with his most polite smile.
"You're welcome, Sir. We've been expecting you since you informed us of your visit and everything has been arranged as...,"
"Thank you," Derek said, cutting him off before he could finish, "We can discuss anything else in the morning. We are exhausted and need to get some rest," Derek said, and that was when the manager glanced at Evelyn and acknowledged her with a polite nod. "I will escort you to your suite, Sir," he said and Derek looked at him.
"I'd like to make sure she is settled in her room before I leave for my suite. Lead us to her room."
"Her room? I'm sorry, sir, but your secretary didn't inform us about a second room. We prepared your suite as usual. We didn't realize you were coming with someone," the manager replied, causing Evelyn's frown to deepen.
Evelyn looked from the manager to Derek in disbelief, "Well, I'm sure we can easily resolve that. You can take me to any comfortable room," she said and the manager flashed her an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but the whole resort is fully booked. It's the weekend," he explained as though reminding Derek of how busy the resort usually was on weekends.
"How could she have made such a mistake? I should call her right now and fire her!" Derek said dramatically as he took out pretending like he wanted to dial his secretary's line since he didn't want Evelyn to figure out that this was all his plan. Hearing this, Evelyn's heart skipped a beat, as different thoughts started crossing her mind. She glanced at Derek, searching for any sign that this was his doing, but he looked like he was pissed.
"Don't. You shouldn't call her. It's late in the night already. And it's only a mistake. Anyone can make mistakes," she said, stopping him.
"What are we going to do then? This is a mess!" Derek said slapping his face dramatically.
"I'm very sorry for the oversight, sir. Perhaps you could both share your suite?" The manager asked with a wince.
The reality of the situation began to sink in, and Evelyn felt a surge of anxiety. How was she supposed to share a room with Derek?
The same man that had been the object of her fantasies for the past six years? The man who had made her feel so good despite how much her heart had been aching at the time.
How was she supposed to find the will to resist him if he tried playing any of his silly tricks on her when they were alone in such proximity?
This wasn't going to happen. It couldn't. She might have decided to treat him a bit more friendlier than before, but that didn't mean that she would be comfortable sharing a room with him.
"I don't think it's going to work. C'mon! How do you expect us both to share a suite?" Derek asked before Evelyn could protest.
"What else can we do? Are there no other options? How many bedrooms are in this suite?" Evelyn asked the manager with an edge of desperation in her tone.
"It is a one-bedroom suite," the manager said and Derek sighed.
"I'm so sorry, Eve. I don't even know what else to do right now. I'm so exhausted and can't think straight," Derek said and then sighed.
"I think we might have to share the room, Eve," he said, causing Evelyn's pulse to quicken.
"There has to be another option," she said weakly, glancing at the manager but he shook his head.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, but there's nothing else we can do," the manager said apologetically.
"It's okay. Leave us. I'm sorry I dragged you out of bed so late," Derek said to the manager and he nodded and handed Derek the card to his suite before excusing himself and Derek signaled the bellhop to leave as well.
"I can't share a room with you. This is completely unprofessional and unacceptable," Evelyn said the moment they were alone.
"Would you rather stand out here and argue or can we go in? I know you're a logical person, and your action right now is not logical," Derek said as he picked up their luggage and headed for the elevator.
Evelyn feeling irritated by the situation followed him, her eyes narrowing as she thought about how perfectly convenient this whole mess was for Derek.
"Don't tell me you planned this. Did you?" she asked the moment they got into the elevator.
"What if I did? You said you weren't scared of whatever I planned to do since it wouldn't work on you, didn't you?" Derek asked cocking his brow in amusement and Evelyn swallowed, feeling cornered by Derek. "What? You really planned this?" She asked, wondering why she believed the show he had put up out there just now.
Derek chuckled. "How could I have planned this? You heard him? The resort is booked," he said, even though he had made sure to book any empty rooms they might have had.
"I'm not stupid, Derek. I know this is your family Resort..."
"I love it when you call my name. Say my name, baby," Derek drawled and she glared at him.
"What? Feeling scared of what might happen between us if we are alone?" He asked with a teasing smile.
Evelyn took a deep breath. There was no way she was going to let him know she was indeed scared of all that might happen if she stayed in that room with him.
"Why should I be?" she asked in a challenging tone and Derek shrugged.
"I don't know. Maybe because you probably don't trust what you might do when you're alone with me. After all, this isn't the first time we would be alone together in a room, and you..." Evelyn was glad when the elevator opened at that moment and she hurriedly walked out of it so that Derek wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing the blush on her face.
"For someone who doesn't want to share a suite with me, I'm shocked you're in a hurry to get there," Derek teased as he followed her.
Evelyn turned to glare at him, "I'm only here to work and nothing more. I trust myself enough to know that nothing will ever happen between us again..."
"Then prove it," Derek said and Evelyn swallowed.
"How?" she asked without meeting his gaze.
"Prove it by sharing the suite with me. If you're able to resist me, then I promise to stop trying to seduce you," he said and Evelyn considered it.
It was only for two nights. It was a fair deal for her as long as she kept her resolve. She would resist all his attempts in these two nights and make sure he gave up on her.
"Fine. It's a deal. I hope you will keep your word at the end of this," she said and Derek nodded, a wicked glint flickering in his eyes.
Evelyn had just played into his trap and it made him happy knowing he was going to win this, Derek thought as he unlocked the door and they walked into the suite.