But she didn't do it, because if she did, it'd mean her career was over.
Not only would she get fired by her current airline, but other airlines wouldn't hire her either.
Ethan sat down on the single sofa next to her, relaxed and calm. "You could just do that, you know."
In the past, Sophie would've had to rely on this job to get by. Now that she was Ethan's woman, she had every reason to.
"Still not." Sophie shook her head. "If I still have this job, you'll be more into me. If I quit, maybe one day you'll get tired of it and kick me out..."
"...Then I'd really fall from heaven straight to hell. Lost my job, and what would I even live on?"
She leaned forward a little, elbows on her knees, chin in her hands, her eyes carrying a hint of self-pity. "I know my limits. I'm not as good as Jessica, so this is the only way I can keep your interest. It's pretty pathetic, honestly—being a mistress and still having to work this hard."
Ethan stood up, walked slowly over to her, looked down at her from above, and gently twirled a stray strand of her hair. "You questioning your own charm? Whether or not you've got that job doesn't make much difference to me."
His voice was low, carrying an undeniable certainty.
"No way." Sophie rolled her eyes at him without missing a beat, but the corners of her mouth curled up a little. "I wonder who it is, but every time they see me in uniform they get all worked up!"
She drew the words out on purpose, a teasing edge to her tone.
Ethan's eyes darkened a shade as he leaned in closer. His warm breath brushed past her ear, and one hand wrapped around her waist with a grip she couldn't break. "Oh? Perfect. Let me test that right now, see if what I just said is true."
His fingers moved nimbly toward the buttons of her uniform skirt.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Sophie suddenly sensed something was off, because Ethan kept getting closer, his hand resting on her.
Ethan didn't stop moving his hands. Instead, he pulled her in even tighter, his other hand brushing along her slender neck, his thumb teasing the skin near her collarbone, his voice carrying a sly, seductive smile. "I told you I'd let you rest... but I never said for how long, did I?"
He lowered his head, his nose almost touching hers. "Besides, look at you, fed and full, full of energy... that's plenty of rest, isn't it?"
"You jerk! I only rested for like ten minutes!" Sophie was both annoyed and frustrated, feeling like she'd been played. "If I ever believe your nonsense again, I'm a dog!"
Ethan chuckled softly, but his movements only grew more insistent, pressing her back into the soft sofa cushions. "Hm?"
He raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of teasing and certainty.
Sophie looked at his handsome face, so close to hers, feeling that familiar yet overwhelming pull of his presence, and her resistance slowly melted away.
In the end, she gave in, closing her eyes and forcing out a few words through gritted teeth, a mix of embarrassment, frustration, and helplessness:
"Woof... woof woof..."
....
Early the next morning, Ethan got up.
He cleaned himself up quickly.
He looked at Sophie, still asleep in bed, and didn't wake her.
He went down to the hotel restaurant for a quick breakfast, then told James to have lunch sent up for her later.
James naturally agreed.
Once that was settled,
Ethan drove back to school for class.
Ethan spent the whole morning in the back row of the classroom, chatting with Marcus.
It wasn't until noon that class let out. Ethan grabbed a quick lunch in the dining hall, then headed back to the dorm.
Kevin hadn't even bothered with lunch, just ran straight back to the dorm to game. The screen showed an intense firefight, the keyboard and mouse clicking away loudly.
Hearing the noise, he didn't even turn around, just skillfully reached a hand back behind him. "Yo Ethan, emergency situation, gimme a cigarette!"
Kevin seemed to live in his own world.
The chatter, laughter, and cursing in the dorm all faded into background noise the moment they reached his ears.
His whole world basically consisted of three things: gaming, bumming cigarettes, and bumming food.
It wasn't that he didn't have money. Actually, Kevin's monthly allowance was $400, more than what Marcus or Ethan got.
But his money only went toward himself, and only toward buying guns, memberships, and credits in-game—he'd drop cash on that stuff without blinking.
But when it came to smoking and eating...
In his past life, Ethan had personally watched him pick discarded butts out of the ashtray and re-light them, at least three separate times.
Maybe it was because he'd been bumming Ethan's cigarettes so smoothly these past few days that Kevin couldn't even be bothered to suck up to Marcus anymore. He just treated Ethan like his personal supply, mooching off him relentlessly.
Ethan smiled, already used to this kind of "freeloading" from his cigarette pack. He flicked a couple cigarettes out and tossed them right next to Kevin's keyboard.
This time, Kevin actually paused his intense match, spun around fast to catch them, and grabbed a lit one like he'd struck gold. He took a deep, satisfied drag, a content look on his face, before turning back to the virtual battlefield.
Ethan brewed a pot of coffe at his desk, chatting idly with Marcus and Derek.
Then he checked his phone—Kevin had already sent over the time and location.
2:30 PM, meet near the Whitney.
Seeing it was about time, Ethan said bye to his roommates and got up to leave.
Following the location Kevin had given him, Ethan drove with his navigation on and eventually pulled up at a dock along the Hudson River.
Chelsea Piers.
Ethan looked out the window at the somewhat old dock facilities and the ordinary boats moored there, frowning.
An event?
Why meet up somewhere like this?
It was nothing like the kind of place he'd pictured trust-fund kids hanging out.
Just as he opened the car door to call him, he heard Kevin Q's signature cheerful voice ring out. "Hey! Bro, over here!"
He looked toward the voice and saw a few well-dressed, polished-looking guys standing on the dock not far away.
Behind them sat a sleek, all-white three-deck luxury yacht!
Against the slightly run-down backdrop of the pier, the yacht stood out like a crane among chickens, radiating a low-key but unmistakable luxury.
Kevin Q hurried over and gave Ethan a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Bro, you actually made it! We've been waiting for you!"
Ethan glanced at his watch and said calmly, "Didn't we agree on 2:30? Isn't there still five minutes left?"
"Whoa! You really clock things down to the second!" Kevin Q gave an exaggerated thumbs up, his eyes landing naturally on Ethan's watch. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, the look of someone who knew their stuff. "Whoa! Ref. 5370P? Split-seconds chronograph? Bro, you've got taste!"
There are 130 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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