Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
After a while, Josephine suddenly heard coughs from next to her. She glanced over and saw Ethan holding a glass of water while his fair face was flushed red. It was obvious that he choked on the spiciness.
“If you can’t eat spicy food, you shouldn’t have come here. You took it upon yourself.”
Luke couldn’t help but sneer, showing off his quick wit.
With that, Josephine glanced at him before getting up and walking to Ethan’s side.
“Mr. Quarles, are you okay?” she asked concernedly. Hearing that, Ethan raised his head, and his eyes were so red that they seemed like they had been stung, “I’m okay,”
he replied.
“They are heavy on the spice over here. If you can’t handle spicy food, you can just have the non-spicy one,” Josephine suggested. “Thank you for your concern, Miss
Josephine.” Ethan smiled, looking very happy. Suddenly, Luke started coughing as well. Hearing that, Josephine turned around and asked, “Luke, are you okay?”
“I choked. Joey, could you please pour me a glass of water?” With that, Josephine quickly poured him a glass of water. Luke then added, “Joey, you’re so good to me.” Josephine forced a smile upon hearing that and returned to her seat.
She had originally planned to have a good meal, but after what just happened, she didn’t have much appetite.
Just then, the somewhat dispirited Luke called the waiter and asked for a bottle of beer. Josephine quickly said to him, “Luke, you shouldn’t drink since you’re driving tonight.”
“It’s okay. I can handle alcohol well. Drinking a glass won’t make me drunk, and it won’t show up on a test,” Luke said. He was feeling down and needed a drink to relax.
Meanwhile, Ethan obediently ate the non-spicy barbeque that he ordered. He didn’t seem hungry, and his gaze kept glancing toward Josephine, making her start eating more ladylike, unlike her hearty eating style. She was taking small bites and chewing softly. In fact, she didn’t want to act like this, but Ethan’s gaze exerted a kind of pressure, making her involuntarily want to be more refined in front of him.
Finally, Josephine finished eating. Luke ordered a lot, but she was full after just having a third of the food he ordered. Meanwhile, Luke had no appetite, so he drank a bottle of beer instead.
While Josephine went to the restroom, she paid the bill for both tables. When Luke wanted to get the bill, he complained, “Josephine, I know you said you are treating me, but I should be paying! How can I let you pay?”
“I told you I would treat you. Are you done? Let’s go,” Josephine said to him. Noticing that, Ethan also got up and followed them out. When he got to the counter to pay, he realized that Josephine had paid his bill too. He was stunned for a few seconds and hurriedly walked out after Josephine and Luke when she saw them leave.
At the door, Luke took out his car key and said, “Josephine, do you want to go for a drive? It’s still early, and we can have something else to eat later.”
“No, I need to go home and get some work done.” Josephine made an excuse. “It’s only 7.30PM. You’ll have enough time to work on it after I send you home. Let’s go and relax a bit,” Luke insisted.
“Please send me home.” Josephine didn’t want to go out with him. However, just as
Josephine was about to get in the car, a man’s big hand grabbed her. She turned around in surprise, and Ethan pulled her to his side before saying, “He’s been drinking so you can’t ride in his car. It’s dangerous.”
Hearing that, Luke hastily explained, “Joey, I’m not drunk. I have a good tolerance for alcohol so you can rest assured.” “I’m not reassured,” Ethan said in a deep voice. He then took Josephine’s hand. “I’ll take you home.”
“Uh! Well…” Josephine was momentarily stunned, but Ethan had already pulled her to the passenger seat of his car. “Joey, I can take you home. I really can. Get in my car,”
Luke said in a hurry.
“Luke, you should rest and sober up before driving again. Drinking and driving is no joke. I’ll let Mr. Quarles took me home first,” Josephine suggested and then got into
Ethan’s car. Luke was extremely remorseful and regretted drinking that bottle of beer.
With that, Ethan also got into the car, and the black SUV drove away. Josephine saw
Ethan press on the navigation system a few times with his fingers, and a clear route was mapped out. She thought this was where he was heading to.
“Mr. Quarles, please turn left up ahead.” She pointed to the road. However, Ethan ignored her and continued driving straight ahead. Josephine’s hand was awkwardly suspended in mid-air, which she withdrew sheepishly shortly after. “Mr. Quarles, you took the wrong way.”
“No, I don’t want to take you home yet.” Ethan looked at her. “Where are you taking me if you’re not taking me home?” Josephine was stunned. “For a drive, and then later, we get dinner together.” Ethan turned Luke’s arrangement into his own.
Josephine’s face turned red. She had just refused Luke, so how could she still agree to Ethan’s request? Wouldn’t it make her appear fickle?
“I have to go home to get some work done, so you should just give me a ride home,”
Josephine said. Hearing that, Ethan turned his head and glanced at her before chuckling, “Do you think I can’t tell that you made the excuse up to reject him?”
Realizing that Ethan had seen right through her and even called her out for it, she was so embarrassed that her face turned red. “Mr. Quarles, are you that confident that I’d go for a ride with you?” Josephine replied sarcastically..
“Don’t you want to?” Ethan chuckled. “I don’t want to,” Josephine announced, wanting to see his reaction.
“Then I will be sad. You rejected my offer to give you a ride earlier on and even refused to have dinner with me. Now, you are again. rejecting my offer to give you a ride. You sure are hurting my feelings.” He sighed dejectedly.
“How hard could it be for you to find someone to accompany you? I believe that with just a call from you, a dozen girls will willingly turn up.” Josephine looked out the window and realized that it felt nice to sit in his car.
“I don’t need a dozen girls. I only want to invite you,” Ethan answered solemnly while looking ahead. Josephine choked upon hearing that and then laughed. “Mr. Quarles, your words might make me misunderstand.” “What misunderstanding?”
“I might misunderstand that you are pursuing me.” “Can’t you tell that I’m pursuing you?” Ethan stopped the car at a traffic light and spoke these words to her while staring at her.
Josephine was speechless when she heard that. “What do you like about me?” she asked curiously. Ethan squinted his eyes and gave her question some thought, but he couldn’t think of a reason. “I don’t know. I just like the feeling of being with you.” He laughed.
“That’s probably just a momentary feeling.” Josephine analyzed his actions and gave him a conclusion. “Doesn’t love generally start from the momentary feeling of newness?” Ethan overturned her theory. “The sense of newness will eventually wear off. There’s an expiry date to it.”
“Then is there anything on earth that lasts forever? The feeling might wear off faster for some people but for certain people, it lasts longer.” Ethan refuted her theory.
Josephine was once again at a loss for words, but she had to admit that he had a point. “Miss Josephine, are you that timid? You’re already thinking of backing out before we even start dating? He suddenly challenged her
Finally, Ethan’s car arrived at the final destination. It was a private restaurant where he originally wanted to invite her to dinner. Alas, she rejected his offer to have dinner together. By now, it was almost 9.00PM, and of course, Ethan hadn’t eaten enough because he wasn’t used to the food at the barbeque place.
Josephine, on the other hand, wasn’t full either from the dinner earlier on. Since Ethan brought her to the restaurant, she sat down and ordered. Fine dining was in a league of its own due to its beautiful plating and the expensive fresh ingredients used for the dish. Given her salary, Josephine couldn’t afford to eat this kind of food, so on that evening, she was lucky enough to enjoy a delicious dinner.
The restaurant was located at a high enough location that one could admire the beautiful scenery along the river. After Josephine had eaten enough, she stood there while admiring the scenery. After a while, she suddenly felt a hand grabbing her from behind her. The next moment, she noticed Ethan walking over, and his slender arm directly pulled her toward him while her body was against the railing.
Josephine got nervous. Why is he trying to be so intimate?We aren’t at this stage yet!
She could smell the faint smell of sandalwood from his body, making her heart pound.
She wasn’t sure if she was dizzy from overeating or if it was because of his presence.
In any case, Josephine felt it was time to go back.
“Mr. Quarles, it’s late. I should go back.” As soon as Josephine finished speaking, she turned around and pushed his arm away before walking out of his encirclement.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.