MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Paul was sleeping soundly on the couch when his cell phone rang. "I should have turned it off before I laid down," he grumbled. The handy phone was sitting on the coffee table, and he glared at it, willing it to stop. It rang six times, and then - Oh, sweet merciful - Jesus - it went silent. - only to begin ringing again three seconds later. Paul cursed as he sat up and picked up the phone. He was ready to freak out, but when he saw who was calling, his anger dissipated. It was Michelle.

Paul smiled as he accepted the call. "Good morning, baby, I was sleeping. Is there a problem?"

"You haven't been home for two days…" Michelle replied. She sounded upset as if she were on the verge of tears.

"Didn't I tell you that I had business abroad?" Paul sighed resolutely. "It is only temporary, so you don't have to keep calling. I will return soon. I promise."

"Can you give me a date?" Michelle asked. 

"I can't," Paul replied. "I will be here until I finish my business, but these things take time, and things come up...."

"But I miss you very much... I am alone, and I feel very lonely. I want you to know..."

"I know! I know! I know! "Paul cut her off mid-sentence. He could hear that she was beginning to cry, and he felt somewhat guilty about that. "I miss you too." he finally said. How dare you make me feel bad - he thought resentfully. It would not have been so bad if it were just this one call, but she was calling him over ten times a day.

"I have to go," Paul said, and he ended the call without saying goodbye.

Now that he was awake, he no longer felt sleepy. He stood up and immediately regretted it. He had forgotten about the crocodile that had bitten him, but the sharp pain in his ass served as a quick reminder - and the injury made him think about Nancy. "I wonder where she is," he muttered.

Paul frowned and began to wonder what his motivation for staying at the castle was. Am I here for her? - he wondered. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't, but the thought nagged at him.

There was a servant in the dining room, and once he had her attention, he asked, "Where's Nancy?"

"Miss Carter is walking with Mr. Laurent in the garden," the servant replied. "You can see them through the back window."

Paul nodded and went to the back window, and when he saw that Nancy was holding Noah's hand, he felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. They were walking and talking and laughing. "You can't let this stand," a voice in his head said.

"No," he muttered. "I cannot."

A wicked smile graced his face, and he called for a servant. "Get me my shotgun," he ordered.

****

After having spoken to Crystal, Nancy decided that it was finally time to get Vic involved. Noah was the only one that had a chance of getting the message out, and she was just about to tell him about their plan when the sound of a shotgun's blast split the sky. There was a pigeon about three meters from where they were, and it fell out of the sky.

A frightened squawk emerged from Nancy's mouth, and Noah held her in his arms. Her whole body was trembling, and she clung to him as if for dear life.

Nancy had never been this close to Noah before, and with her head pressed against his chest, she could hear the steady pit-a-pat of his heartbeat. She squeezed him as hard as she could, and he flinched. She looked up, and from the grimace on his face, she could tell that he was in severe pain. She had forgotten all about his injuries.

Nancy blushed. "I'm so sorry. I forgot that you were injured."

Noah kissed her on the forehead and told her that it was fine.

****

Paul's face turned red from rage. He had thought that the shotgun's blast would force Nancy and Noah apart, but it had brought them closer together. "Inconceivable," he grumbled. "I will show them!"

He raised his shotgun and began to shoot down every bird in sight. All the while, he kept his eyes on Nancy. This way, when she looked to see who was shooting, she would be forced to meet his angry gaze.

Finally, she spotted him, and when she did, he shifted the barrel so that it was aimed at Noah's head.

"No!" Nancy cried. "What are you doing?" she took a short step forward and to the side so that she was standing between Paul and Noah. Paul fired a bullet into the dirt at Nancy's feet, and she jumped. A moment later, a wet spot appeared on the front of her pants, and it spread down her leg. She was devastated. She pulled away from Noah, and when he tried to comfort her, she would not let him. "Don't look at me..." she cried.

"How do you like them apples?" Paul shouted, and as he set his gun aside, he started to cackle like a crazy person.

****

Nancy covered her face with her hands, and for a long time, she refused to let Noah look at her face. She had never been more ashamed and embarrassed in her life. "I'm a grown woman," she wailed. "What business do l have to wet my pants?!?!"

Eventually, Nancy tripped over one of the dead birds, and her survival instinct took over and forced her to stop covering her face. She quickly regained her equilibrium, and she was so appalled by what she saw that she did not even think to cover her face back up.

The ground was littered with dead birds, and most of them had been blown to bits. There were at least twenty of them. She spotted a few that were still suffering, and it occurred to her that it would be up to do the responsibility.

"He's a monster," she said.

"He is," Noah agreed grimly.