MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

"Aren't you going to take the pills yourself?" Christine asked. She looked Vic in the eyes and said, "I bet you want to take them, you pervert!"

Without warning, Vic backhanded Christine across the face. "No more games!" he shouted. "Give me the fucking medicine. If you don't, there will be more of that in your future!"

Vic raised his hand in the air to show that he was serious, and when Christine saw it, her whole body began to shake. "Alright," she cried. "I'll give it to you," and without any further action, she retrieved the bottle from her private pocket and handed it to Vic. "There. Are you happy?!?!"

Vic shrugged and held the bottle up for Nathan to see. "Happy enough," he replied. Now that he had taken the bottle, he made his way back to the pool's edge. Then, once he was out of the water, he grabbed her clothes, rolled them into a ball, and tucked them under his arm.

"Give me back my clothes, you freak!" shouted Christine.

Vic laughed and waved the small bottle in the air to provoke her. Much to his surprise, though, it made no sound. He opened the cap and was shocked to discover that the bottle was empty. "Where are the pills?" he growled.

"I threw them away!" Christine replied nonchalantly.

"Well, now you're definitely not getting your clothes back," Vic said. Then he nodded to Nathan, and they began to walk away.

"Stop!" Christine cried. "You can't leave me like this..."

Vic smiled as he turned around. "Oh, yeah," he said. "I forgot to tell you my secret!"

Christine scowled and said, "I don't give a flying fuck about your secret! I want my goddamn clothes!"

"I think that once you hear what it is, you'll care plenty," said Vic. "Before I tell you, though, let me ask you a question. Did you enjoy your dinner? Did you notice anything different about it?"

"The s-steak?" Christine stammered. Her face turned white, and she asked, "What ab-b bout it?"

Vic: "It did taste different, didn't it? I'm so glad you noticed."

At first, Christine thought that maybe she'd been poisoned, but then something much worse occurred to her she gasped, and her face turned white. Then, without another word, she pulled herself out of the water. Once she was standing, she used her right hand to cover her breasts and her left to cover her pussy.

"A little late for modesty," laughed Vic. "Don't you think?"

"Oh, fuck off!" hissed Christine, and she began to speed walk towards the villa. On the way, she met a maid. The maid saw her running around naked, and her eyes went wide. She asked, "Where are you going, Miss Laurent?"

Christine did not bother to answer the maid. Instead, she ripped the woman's apron off and used it to cover her body. Then she ran into the stable and began to search for her horse, Zeus. She couldn't find him anywhere, but all of his gear was there. Thus, by the time the stable boy returned, she was in full Panic Mode. "Where's Zeus?" she cried. Please, tell me he's okay!"

The boy took a second to admire her mostly naked body before he answered. Finally, he said, "Master Davis ordered the chefs to kill Zeus and make him into steaks for you... as a treat..."

When Christine heard that, she bent over and vomited on the ground in front of her. Some of it splattered onto her feet and legs, and she could see chewed-up bits of her friend in the sick. Her heart broke, and she began to scratch at her arms with her long fingernails - and it was a long time before she was able to move from the spot.

****

Vic was anxious about what would happen if Nathan didn't get his medication, and as soon as they got back to the house, he contacted Barrett. Unfortunately, it would take at least 24 hours to get the replacement drugs. Nathan wasn't nearly as worried as he was, though. Crystal was Nathan's only concern now. Her antipyretic infusion was complete. The doctor had changed her nutrient solution, and to everyone's relief, her fever had finally broken.

Vic brought a glass of water to Nathan and said, "Master Davis, since Miss Smith's fever has gone down, you can finally get some rest."

Nathan's eyes didn't look away from Crystal for even one minute. He was reluctant even to close his eyes. He feared that if he slept, her condition would worsen.

There was a knock on the door, and everyone was surprised to see Christine standing in the doorway. She was wearing a red lace dress, and she had a bright smile on her face. When Nathan saw her, he frowned and asked her who had let her in.

"Never mind that." Christine laughed and said, "Brother, you gave me such a big gift. It only seemed right that I thank you in person!"

"Thank me in person?" Nathan was startled. He said, "You must have really enjoyed your meal..."

Of course, Christine was devastated, but she refused to let him see how much he'd hurt her. She maintained her smile and said, "I'm very satisfied. I heard that you hired the well-paid Michelin 3-star chefs to cook for Miss Smith, and I have to say that you got your money's worth. The steak they made really impressed me. I'll remember this for the rest of my life!"

Nathan: "Well... good. There is plenty more where that came from. For now, though, you need to leave. Crystal needs a quiet environment."

"Don't worry," Christine said, and as she stood up straight, she lifted her hands over her head. "I just need two minutes." She clapped twice, and two servants entered the room with a big gift box.

The present was wrapped in the white paper, and there was a pink bow on the top. "This is for you," Christine said. "It's my way of saying, 'Thank you.' I hope you like it."

The servants put the gift on the ground in front of Nathan, and he gave Christine a menacing look. He was convinced that the gift was a trap, so he told the servants to throw it away.

Christine was aghast. "What's your deal?" she asked.

"I'm not interested in any gift you might have for me," Nathan replied. "I don't trust you, so go away!"

Christine looked Nathan in the eye for a minute, and then she began to laugh hysterically. "I get it!" she roared. "You're so afraid of me that you dare not open a gift from me! That's pathetic!"

Nathan scowled at Christine and kicked the gift box at her, but she dodged it easily. "Look at you!" she continued. "You're so pathetic. You can't even control your temper!" As she said this, she plucked the bow from the box. "This isn't from me, though. I lied about that. Grandpa asked me to give this to you, so why don't you open it? I'm curious to see what it is. Aren't you curious?"

Christine tipped over the box without waiting for a reply, and its contents rolled out onto the floor.