DESIRE ME IF YOU CAN [EN] - Chapter 21

The flood of words left DeAndre dazed.

Wait, this isn't the time to space out. Snapping back to reality, a sudden wave of indignation hit him. He shouted defensively.

“Wait, wait, hold on. I always wrap it up! So why not me?”

His persistent refusal to give up finally drove the women to confess the brutal truth in exasperation. With a fierce expression he'd never seen on her before, Valentina yelled back just as loudly.

“Do you still not understand what we're saying?”

Heaving a deep sigh, she waved her hand irritably at someone so clueless.

“Don't you get it? The whole point is wanting to sleep with someone without worrying about birth control or getting pregnant! Don't you realize how convenient, how optimal that is?”

DeAndre opened his mouth to make an excuse; Valentina didn't wait. Instead, she pressed on even harder.

“With you? We can't expect any of that. That's why I don't want to sleep with you. Never! Hell no! Not in a million years!”

In the cold silence that settled, the word ‘never’ echoed before fading away. DeAndre, dazed and confused, just stood there blankly.

“Wake up already. Please, just give it up completely!”

Seeing him pitifully browbeaten by Valentina, the watching men rushed out, grabbing him, dragging him back to his seat.

“Hey, DeAndre? Snap out of it. Get him some water!”

Only when Wilkins patted his cheek, calling his name, did DeAndre seem to slowly regain consciousness. At the same time, the words he had heard came rushing back, making his eyes sting with heat.

<I don't want to sleep with you. Never! Hell no! Not in a million years!>

It couldn't be. He would have preferred being beaten to death. To kill a man with words like that—how could she be so cruel?

“It's okay, it's okay.”

Wilkins patted the trembling back of DeAndre, whose face was twisted in misery, offering comfort.

“Forget it. Relax, I've got a good idea.”

“An idea?”

“What... what kind of idea?”

Behind the blinking DeAndre, other men chimed in with questions. Wilkins glanced around, lowering his voice. After checking on the chatting women nearby, a short laugh hung on his lips.

“Let's humiliate that bastard in front of the women. Make him look totally pathetic; they'll lose interest too. We just need to laugh at him.”

“Is there a way to do that?”

“Captain, we knew we could count on you!”

“Let's trash Miller!”

The men cheered, pumping their fists in the air. Bumping shoulders, nodding to each other, their morale rose like soldiers before battle. Yet, even amidst this, DeAndre still glared at the gathered women with eyes full of resentment, unable to do anything.

***

“Hey, Grayson Miller.”

Grayson, who was flirting with yet another female employee, turned at the call to see Ezra standing there. Without a word, Ezra jerked his chin to signal him to follow before turning to stride away first. However, something felt empty behind him. Realizing there were no following footsteps, Ezra turned around, only to be dumbfounded. Grayson Miller was still standing in the same spot, flirting with the woman. Furious, Ezra huffed, stomping back to Grayson.

“Miller, what are you doing here? Didn't you hear me say move it?”

At the rapid-fire question, Grayson finally turned his head to look down at him, his expression clearly showing his annoyance.

“Well...? Did you say that?”

“What?”

Grayson's reaction was utterly nonchalant. When a dumbfounded Ezra asked with an unintentionally raised voice, Grayson just gave another brazen smile.

“You just walked off; I thought maybe you were just saying hi. Right, Beth?”

The last remark had a completely different tone from the one thrown at Ezra. His voice was soft and gentle, as if offering a light joke. Tilting his head naturally with a smile in his eyes, Grayson's attitude was sly and relaxed.

As if possessed by that smile, Beth stared at him blankly for a moment before giggling, nodding.

“Yeah, I didn't hear anything either. I just thought Ezra was being silly.”

“Hahaha, hahahaha! Beth, you're cute and funny too.”

“I am a bit like that. Hahaha.”

God knows what was so funny, the two laughed, bending over without a care in the world. Of course, Ezra wasn't laughing at all. His clenched fists trembling slightly, he spoke through gritted teeth.

“Miller, cut it out and follow me. Everyone is waiting.”

Hearing the fury in his voice, Grayson finally stopped laughing, looking at Ezra with a smile still lingering on his face.

“Got something to say? Say it here.”

It was far from the answer Ezra had been waiting for. Stunned, Ezra let out a short hah of disbelief before throwing his head back to look at the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a more subdued voice than before.

“It's not something to discuss here. You'll understand once you come. Captain says if you refuse, you're riding a desk. No more calls.”

When he delivered Wilkins' message as a last resort, Grayson's attitude shifted slightly. Though it only amounted to him falling into thought for a moment, still smiling.

Seeming to make a difficult decision, he fortunately didn't drag it out, nodding.

“Well, can't help that. Sorry, Beth. I'll be right back.”

Surprisingly, he suddenly leaned down slightly, kissing Beth on the lips. It was a light, fleeting kiss like a simple prank, but considering it was done where others were watching, it was blatant enough. Ezra watched the whole shameless display, eyes popping out, for a full three minutes. Only when Grayson finally let go of Beth, waving, turning around, did the waiting Ezra start walking briskly without a word. However, calming his boiling insides was impossible; he ended up speaking first after just a few steps.

“Since when are you and Beth a thing? I had no idea.”

At the sarcastic question, Grayson wiped his wet lips with his thumb and answered.

“Well? Thirty minutes?”

“You dirty bastard.”

“Me?”

At Ezra's rebuke, Grayson tilted his head, looking back. Then, he shouted loudly towards Beth, who was still standing there.

“Beth! This guy says you're dirty!”

“What?”

“What the hell?”

Startled, Beth shouted; Ezra screamed in panic.

“Wh-Wh-What the hell are you saying?! When did I? When did I say Beth was dirty! No, Beth! It's a misunderstanding, I never said that about you, I'm innocent, really!”

As he shouted frantically, waving both hands, Grayson stroked his chin, tilting his head the other way this time.

“Strange. If I'm dirty, doesn't that mean Beth, who kissed me, is dirty too? Same difference, right?”

“It's different, it's different! You son of a bitch! You setting me up?”

Ezra yelled, overcome with indignation; Grayson still looked unconvinced. That face made Ezra even angrier, sparking an urge to punch him. However, he was forced to stop by another guy calling him.

“Ezra, what are you doing? Why is this taking so long? Everyone's waiting!”

Unable to wait any longer, a man came to check the situation, glancing at Grayson while pulling Ezra's arm.

“Knock it off and let's go. What if we get a sudden call? We don't have time!”

Damn it. Ezra ground his teeth, having no other choice. In the end, he practically ran with violent strides toward where the captain and the rest of the team were waiting. The man who came to get him followed in confusion. Finally, Grayson strolled after them slowly, hands in his pockets, nonchalantly whistling.