Chapter 9
Chapter 9: To Touch Or Not
“Scarlett, I don‘t think it‘s wise to go to your house. I heard Mister Sanders sent some people to your address. I have your wallet
and your phone. We can meet tomorrow and I can give it to you.” A friend of Scarlett’s at work said over the phone.
Since she fled the restaurant earlier in a hurry, she left her belongings in her locker. Thankfully, her co worker was kind enough to
take it for her.
“Thank you, Dale. I owe you one. I will contact you again when I collect my things,” Scarlett said before bidding goodbye.
She handed the phone to Kaleb, saying, “Thank you for letting me use your phone.”
“You are welcome, Scarlett,” Kaleb answered. Pointing to the door leading to the bathroom, he suggested, “Take a warm shower
so you won‘t get sick. I have asked the hotel manager to buy a dress and shoes for you to wear.”
“Okay, thank you, Kaleb. I am so grateful,” she said before seeing the man leave the room.
Two hours later.
Wearing a yellow floral sundress, Scarlett scouted the guestroom for any footwear, but there was none. She stood still as she bit
her lip. “I thought I‘d have shoes by now. Did that mean I‘m going to get carried out again for dinner?”
A knock on the door interrupted her trail of thoughts and she opened it to the sight of Kaleb, freshly bathed in casual wear.
It was a breath of fresh air. His sexy grin, his slightly messy hair, and the way his cotton shirt spread tightly across his chest. She
wound up taking a step back, just stunned by his good looks.
“Your shoes are still on the way. The hotel manager did not find shoes from the nearby shops, but don‘t worry, I‘m sure he can
find one, even at this hour,” He revealed, his arm stretching out to her.
She pursed her lips. Her eyes darted down at his hand. Scarlett took one step forward before her hands crawled up to his
shoulders. As soon as her arms circled around Kaleb’s neck, she realized he has not acted to carry her.
Scarlett looked up and found Kaleb smirking down at her, his blue eyes appeared playful. He asked, “What are you doing?”
A frown formed on Scarlett’s face and she asked, “You – you are not going to carry me?”
“We don’t need to since we are at my house, but if you want to, I can,” he said with a sly grin. “All you need to do is ask.”
Scarlett immediately retreated her steps, thinking, ‘But why did he carry me all the way to the guest bedroom?
Before she could counter, however, Kaleb swept her off her feet. He said, “If you insist. I could never say n o to you.”
Scarlett, “...”
Her face was burning red with embarrassment at that point. She averted his gaze and suggested, “I think i prefer walking on my
own.”
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Kaleb was already pacing out of the hallways. He did not answer her request. Instead, he kept holding her tight against his chest.
When he made it all the way to the living room, he said, “It’s fine. We are almost there, anyway.”
Arriving at the dining area, Scarlett saw the young Liam sitting in his chair. Liam greeted cheerfully, “My Beauty! You are here!
You are here – Wait, why is daddy carrying you?”
“Liam, Scarlett lost her shoes. I‘m still having the manager buy her a pair,” Kaleb reasoned after lowering Scarlett to the seat next
to Liam.
“Yes, that’s true, Liam,” Scarlett acknowledged.
Hearing Scarlett‘s response, Liam disappeared, rushing back into the rooms. He declared, “I’ll be right back!”
“Don’t worry about him. He probably wants to get his iPad,” said Kaleb, walking to the seat across Scarlett. “Food will be ready in
no time.”
From where they sat, Scarlett could hear a sound of a man, singing from behind the wall. Kaleb explained, “That‘s Antonio. One
of our hotel chefs. He comes to cook dinner for me and Liam on special occasions.”
“I see.” Scarlett smiled in response before her eyes studied the dining area. “Your home is really beautiful.”
“Thank you, Scarlett. I take pride in it. This is the home where I have raised Liam,” Kaleb claimed.
Silence stretched between them until Liam returned with a pair of new bathroom slippers, shocking Kaleb altogether.
“Here, my beauty! Daddy always has a pair of unopened bathroom slippers in his closet. We change bathroom slippers every
week,” Liam revealed, putting down the white slippers in front of Scarlett.
Kaleb‘s face paled, and Scarlett could not help but cast a questioning look at him. He raised a brow and scratched his head,
reasoning, “I – I. I swear I checked my closet. I did not see the backup slippers!”
He quickly shot a look at his son, silently pleading for help.
“Silly, daddy,” said Liam. “It was just there, right in the open. You probably missed it on purpose.”
Kaleb, “...”
Liam‘s poor daddy had to suck in a deep breath, his eyes threatening to shut, slightly dejected at his son’s brutal honesty.
‘Couldn‘t he back him up just once?‘
“Um... It‘s okay, Kaleb. Sometimes, I miss out on things that are right under my nose.” Scarlett said with a smile, but while she
cleared Kaleb of any suspicion, her face appeared bloody red.
The three relished on a brief chat about Liam‘s school when Antonio came out, bringing over two dishes from the kitchen.
Scarlett immediately noticed how the man seemed familiar. He was overweight, with a big belly, a man with gray hair and what
do you know, he sings a different language.
Scarlett promptly turned to Liam and asked, “Was Antonio the man you described to me before, Liam?”
Liam just grinned at her, but soon he frowned. “Yes, but Antonio is not my daddy I – I just wanted you to like me more than my
daddy.”
“Aww. You are too cute. Come here,” Scarlett embraced Liam, and he wrapped her in his little arms. She pressed her lips against
his ears and whispered, “I think between you and your daddy, you are the cuter fellow.”
Liam laughed out loud and said, “I know that for a fact.”
The little boy and Scarlett wound up giggling after that. Kaleb absolutely did not understand what went on
between the two, but seeing them get along so well made him look forward to a brighter future.
Kaleb could not help it at that point. His heart was moving forward, faster than he could think. It did not matter whatever
Scarlett’s past was. He recognized that he really liked her and he was willing to accept her, regardless
When dinner was finally over, Scarlett had to make a request. She braced herself before clearing her throat, saying, “Kaleb? I
was wondering... There is a problem at my apartment, you see. The VIP guest at the restaurant? I sort a... kicked his balls.”
She flushed, shameful of what she did before adding, “My friend mentioned he sent men to my apartment, so I‘m not sure if it‘s
safe for me to return. If the hotel is fully booked, could i possibly crasho n the couch?”
“Scarlett, we have a guest room that you can use and you can certainly spend the night. In fact, if you need to stay with us, you
are more than welcome to crash in my bedroom indefinitely,” Kaleb suggested, but he quickly took back his words. “I mean, in
the guest room.”
“Or you can stay with me in my room, please?” Liam said with gleaming eyes, his palms against each other, pleading
Scarlett turned to Kaleb reluctantly and asked, “Is that okay? Can I sleep with him?”
“Yes, sure,” Kaleb answered. “I wasn‘t able to get you any sleeping clothes, but I‘ll see what I can offer
you.”
Minutes later, Scarlett was standing in front of the mirror, studying herself. She pursed her lips, feeling the cotton shirt against her
skin. She bit her lip, thinking, ‘I can‘t believe I‘m wearing Kaleb Wright’s shirt.
When he said he would take care of her sleeping wear, she did not exactly think she would slip on his clothes.
The best part was how she was wearing his unopened boxer shorts! Sure, they were unopened, but still, the thought of it
somewhat thrilled her core.
“Phew! I better stop this!” She shook off the idea of lusting over Liam‘s father before leaving the bathroom
Scarlett was exhausted. She was hoping to hop in bed with Liam quickly when her eyes landed on a half naked man, pulling the
covers over the boy.
Scarlett instantly felt her heart race, and she took several steps back, her back landing on the wall. “Um... Kaleb. Haha! You
caught me by surprise.”
“I‘m sorry if I startled you, Scarlett. I need help,“ Kaleb revealed. “My back really hurt. Do you mind this part of my back?”
Kaleb turned around to flaunt his sexy back, his hand reaching to the part where he said he needed a massage. “Right here.”
Scarlett‘s mouth fell open. Thank god he was turning his back or Kaleb might have seen the drool on her mouth. She quickly
looked up to his fine muscled shoulders and down to his slender waist, his pajamas, threatening to show off his butt crack! ‘May
the heavens help me.‘
She felt her tongue become paper dry, and she had to gulp twice. Scarlett contemplated, ‘To touch or not t o touch?
“Please, I think I got muscle aches from carrying you all the way up to the penthouse,” Kaleb said. Scarlett, “???”