MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

In their rush to leave the gymnasium, the rest of the student body quickly caught up to Crystal. Serenity was the first one to reach her, and when she saw that Crystal was upset, she hugged her and said, "Don't look so gloomy. If Professor Davis is forced to hug you, then everyone will know your relationship status. Is that what you want?"

Crystal rolled her eyes and ignored her friend. Then she turned to Nathan and said, "Are you okay?"

Nathan lowered his voice and said, "Call me, 'Honey.' I think that would make me feel better."

Crystal: "When we get home, I will make it up to you."

Serenity giggled when she heard that, and she leaned into Crystal's ear and whispered: "Are you going to make love to him?"

Crystal's face turned red, and she said, "What are you talking about?"

Serenity winked and said, "Don't play dumb with me, Chicky-Poo. I can read you like a friggin' book, so I know that you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Crystal blushed and said, "Screw you!"

After school, Serenity still went to work, and Crystal waited outside the school for a taxi, taking her to the supermarket. Nathan had said that he wanted to pick her up, but he was injured, so she didn't want to let him drive her, and she didn't want a ride from any of his drivers either. It was peak hours, though, and after waiting for a half-hour, she gave up on the taxi and started walking to the store.

Unfortunately, she was wearing high-heeled shoes, and before long, her feet hurt a lot. Then, when she was about halfway to her destination, she sprained her ankle. In dismay, she looked around for a taxi, but there were none available.

Crystal sighed as she sat down on a nearby park bench, and when she took out her cell phone, she saw a text message from Leslie. It said, "Crystal, let's grab a drink tonight?" Crystal considered inviting Leslie to have dinner at her home, but she thought better of it after some consideration. Leslie was such a troublemaker, and there was only so much of the girl she could handle in a short period of time. Finally, she replied: "No, maybe another time. I've got something to do tonight."

Crystal put her mobile phone back in her bag and looked around. There was a subway station nearby, so she slowly limped along in that direction. She had almost reached the stairs that led down to the station when a car pulled up beside her. It slowed to a stop a meter ahead of her, and its driver honked the horn. She turned her head, and when she saw that it was a taxi, her eyes lit up.

This seems to be my lucky day! - thought Crystal. She quickly climbed into the car's back seat, greeted the back of the driver's head, and asked him to take her to Safeway. As the car merged into traffic, she wondered - Should I call Nathan and ask him what he wants for dinner? After a moment of hesitation, she decided that she should, so she pulled out her handy phone and dialed his number from memory.

The phone rang in her ear, but another phone also rang in the front seat. What a coincidence - Crystal thought - Just as I called Nathan, someone else called the driver...

Crystal ended the call, and when the driver's phone stopped ringing, she looked up at the back of the driver's head in confusion. Suddenly, she realized that she had recognized the driver's hairstyle. She gasped and thought - It couldn't be... Could it...? She looked into the rearview mirror, and when she saw Nathan's familiar face reflected back at her, she covered her mouth with her hands in astonishment, and her eyes widened incredulously.

Nathan winked at her and said, "Pretty lady, where did you say you were going?" His low magnetic voice sounded as comfortable and intoxicating as a spring breeze, and his well-defined facial lines, commanding bushy eyebrows, and deep, alluring eyes were as familiar to her as the nose on her face.

Nathan smiled and repeated the question, but instead of answering it, Crystal said, "I don't understand... What are you doing here?"

Nathan laughed and said, "You refused a ride from me or my drivers, but you said that you were willing to take a taxi. So, I did the only reasonable thing I could do and bought a taxi. What do you think? Do you like it? It's a Honda Civic." His face glowed as he talked about what he had done, and Crystal thought he looked like a proud Father.

Nathan's facial expression amused Crystal. His custom-made clothes were worth millions of dollars, and there wasn't a single thing that he wore that wasn't more valuable than the taxi.

Nathan grinned. "If you're impressed," he said, "you can just tell me."

Crystal frowned and said, "I'll never understand rich people."

"Is that all that you have to say?" Nathan asked. He seemed to be dissatisfied with her answer.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Crystal replied. When she glanced at him, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was like a primary student, asking the teacher for a golden star to reward good performance.

When Nathan heard this, he looked like his heart had been broken. "I'm sorry," he whined.

"I put a lot of thought into this gesture, and I thought that you would appreciate it..."

"Fine," Crystal said. She felt bad about hurting his feelings. "I do appreciate the gesture, but I am confused. Now you are stuck being a taxi driver. Is that a career you want? You can't refuse to carry any passenger."

Nathan: "Why not? The whole rental company is mine. I can do what I want. I just bought it!"

Crystal was speechless. She looked out the back window and saw that they were being followed by several limited-edition luxury cars.

"Are they all yours?" she asked.

"They are," Nathan replied. "But never mind that. Have you got a sprained ankle? Is it serious?"

"I'm fine," Crystal replied. "It's my own fault for wearing these shoes to school, and the injury is nothing compared to what happened to your shoulder."

Nathan: "Don't worry about my shoulder. I need to ask you something: Why don't you ever listen to me? I told you that it's not safe to take a taxi, didn't l?"

Crystal smirked and said, "Which is why I'd intended to take the subway."

"Cut the crap!" Nathan snarled.