"Can I talk to Helena?" I asked the man who picked up her phone.

"She is busy in a meeting. You can tell me what you want to say to her." he replied.

"Oh. It's okay. I will call later." I said and cut the call.

I was struck in a dilemma. Evan had asked me to shop for some new clothes because perhaps, my old clothes weren't very fashionable or decent. Now, I have never been someone fond of shopping and I have no idea what to pack for a vacation. I thought Helena could help me but her secretary told me that she was in the middle of a meeting.

"Why do you look so stressed?" I heard Nate's voice. I angled my neck to find him enter the lounge. It was still 6 which meant he was back early from his work.

"Nothing. I just don't have any shopping buddy to give me any good advice during shopping." I sighed defeatedly. I could have asked Liam but I know he dislikes shopping just as much as me.

"Oh, just that. I'll go to shopping with you." he offered.

"You? What do you know about women's shopping?" I laughed it off. I needed someone expert in buying clothes for a company's owner's wife.

"Well, for starters, I had a sister who loved shopping and always asked me to accompany her. So yeah, I pretty much know everything." he smirked and his light blue eyes shone with amusement.

I chuckled at this and then sighed, "Okay." He was my only shot at finding some good clothes now and I didn't need to lose him as well.

...........

Instead of taking me to the mall, he took me to a certain area of town where boutiques of famous designers were located. My stomach churned as I imagined the prices of each dress in these lavish shops. I wanted to hesitate and request him to take me to a mall where there were some thrifty stores but refrained.

"Okay so for casual dresses to wear on your vacation, we will go to this one," he said and entered through the first door on our left. The particular scent of expensive clothes hit me when I stepped my foot through the doorframe.

"This place looks expensive." I whispered to him.

"Do you have Evan's credit card?" he asked and I nodded. "Then don't worry, your husband earns enough to make a dress covered with diamonds for you." he said and my mouth fell open in surprise. I knew Evan was rich but didn't know that he was this much rich.

"So which one should I buy?" I looked around. There were many casual outfits of almost every length possible, with different floral and geometric patterns and in refreshing colors. Making a choice was always the hardest part of shopping for me.

"Okay, so you're going for 4 days. You'll meet his business partners almost daily so you need four new outfits." he said and moved forwards. "You have to buy one jumpsuit, one knee-length dress, one maxi dress and one blouse.

"Okay," I nodded in understanding and looked around. A woman came to help me find perfect clothes would be that would suit my hair color and complexion.

I ended up buying a pink knee-length chiffon dress, a casual floral maxi, a light blue jumpsuit and a red satin blouse.

"Now we need an evening dress in case there is any party." he said and took me to another shop located after some distance. While the last one had more casual clothes, this one had formal gowns and dresses. After quite some searching, I finally found a black evening dress that looked both elegant and charming.

Then we left towards an accessories shop to buy some footwear and a purse for myself. I felt so bad for spending Evan's money but then I reminded myself how he was insisting earlier. Of course, my dressing impacts his reputation and if I wear anything ragged in front of his clients, it would look bad on him.

"Now, the last but most important thing, you need some bikinis and swimwear." he said and took me to a certain store. I felt embarrassed on being with him while choosing a bikini but I didn't exactly have another option. He helped me choose a bikini, a swimsuit, a pair of shorts and a poncho to wear over the bikini to cover myself.

By the time we made our way back to the road, the backseat of the car was loaded with shopping bags. It was getting late so I called Geena and asked her to tuck Cara in the bed after feeding her something.

Instead of taking the road to Evan's house, he turned it around to the market. "I am hungry. Let's eat something." he said.

"Um..." It was about 9 and I had no idea how long it will take Evan to return from the office. "Okay." I shrugged.

He took me to a burger spot and we both ordered a cheeseburger, coke and fries. "Thank you Nate. It really means a lot." I said to him after the waiter left.

"No worries." he shrugged. I smiled at him. He was carefree person who was always at his best behaviour with everyone. I know Evan didn't like him but I can say that Nate wasn't a bad person. He just liked to get on Evan's nerves which was an interesting scene to watch.

"So tell me about yourself?" I said.

It took him some time to formulate an answer. "Well, I am an architectural engineer and I live in Washington. I'm 29 and a Harvard graduate. Single, if you're interested in knowing that." he winked and I blushed hard. He didn't know that I was technically free to be interested but it was better that way. Even if this marriage didn't mean anything to Evan, I was still his wife.

"Wow. I wish I had anything interesting to tell about me." I replied while grinning.

"I bet you are more interesting than you think." he once again flirted with his charming smile and I couldn't help but get flustered.

Before I could reply, the waiter returned with our burgers and we both started devouring them immediately.

..........

When he stopped the car in our parking lot, the guards helped us carry the bags inside. Once inside the house, Kelly came rushing with a troubled look on her face.

"What happened?" I asked in worry.

"Mr. Parker is back. When I told him that you were out shopping with Nate sir, he got very angry." she told me.

"Oh," The feeling of worry and fear surrounded me on hearing that. I didn't want to be on the receiving end of his anger because I have watched him growling at Gabe and the sight wasn't pretty. "I should go see him then." I said and silently made my way to the room.

I opened the door slowly and peeked inside, coming face to face with Evan who immediately caught me. "Hi," I smiled uncomfortably and stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

His face was emotionless but his eyes were burning with rage. My knees buckled under my weight but I kept standing. "You are back." he whispered and stood up.

"Y... Yeah," I said.

A corner of his lips turned upwards as he strolled towards me, stopping few inches away from me. Unable to stand close to him, I took a step back and then realised that behind me was the door.

"I... I went with Nate because... Um... Well, there was nobody to accompany me." I stammered, staring into his deep, penetrative eyes.

"You could have gone alone." he gritted as his gaze peirced holes on my forehead.

When I remained silent, his irritation peaked and he bent his head down, putting his arms on the door on both of my sides. "Why him?"

"I... Ah..." I lost the ablity to speak because he was too close.

He lowered his head to come to my level and then mumbled, "Tell me, would you like if I go and enjoy with someone you hate?"

"Well, I don't think I hate anybody." I said, fighting the urge to close my eyes.

"Of course you don't," he said sarcastically. He inclined towards me even more and my breath hitched when his mouth was literally one movement away from me. "You love to disappoint me, don't you?" he whispered and his breath on my lips sent shivers down my spine.

I shook my head in no, while my blurred vision failed to help me at all. My eyes lowered to his lips and unknowingly, I darted my tongue to wet my dry lips.

"You know what?" he said but I didn't listen. I was getting too dizzy to understand what he was saying because of his proximity. I closed my eyes to shut all the unwanted feelings arising in me. I could feel his mouth hover over mine, still not touching, increasing the desire pumping through my veins.

The next moment, I felt his hot breath on my ear and I shivered badly. "I think you need to understand how it feels to be disappointed," he said and the next moment, I felt his tongue gliding my earlobe. An involuntary moan escaped my mouth and a funny feeling erupted in the pit of my stomach.

I wanted to erase the distance between us but the very next moment, he pulled away. My eyes opened and I found him smirking down at me. He then walked past me into the bathroom and left me feeling cold and embarrassed at the weird voice I had produced.

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