The Tyrant's Wife

Chapter 359: Ultimatum (1)

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"You don’t want to go out with me...because I’ve had many partners in the past?" That meant she wasn’t uninterested in him like she made it seem. "I promise, I’ve always played safe. I can get a test done."

He realized it was the wrong thing to say and her eye roll proved it. Fuck. Why couldn’t he say the right thing with her?

Rosaly returned and it gave him a moment to think. She looked unhappy with the tutu she was wearing. "Do you not like it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I wanted a bow here." She pointed at her waist.

Clarion knew what to do. She gave her a pastel tutu with a bow at the side of the waist. "How about this one, do you want to try it on?"

When Rosaly disappeared into the dressing cubicle, she glared at him. "I have no interest in men who just want to fuck me."

He finally understood what was going on. "I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t just want to fuck you. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I would be happy to fuck you. It’s just not the only thing I want from you."

She laughed out loud. "Would you tell the truth if it was all you wanted?"

"Yes." Actually, he always made it clear he was looking for a physical relationship and nothing else.

Clarion smiled and said nothing else, and he took that as a no. He didn’;t know how to describe how he felt. Disappointment couldn’t quite cut it.

However, as they reached the exit, she stopped him. "Three months." She said. "For three months, you will not lay a finger on me."

He lowered his voice so Rosaly wouldn’t hear their conversation. "What do you mean?"

She tiptoed to whisper in his ear. "Exactly what I said. You claim you don’t just want me for my body, so prove it. For three months, you cannot sleep with me."

He ran a hand through his hair. The thought of that was already making him feel like his balls were on the verge of exploding. "I can’t even kiss you?"

"That will depend on your performance. But until you earn it, you can’t kiss me." She purred.

Jesus Christ.

How could he not kiss her when her lips looked so inviting?

"If you’re not up for that, I’m not going out with you."

He sighed. "But, three months?" That was way too long. He hadn’t even had a no-strings-attached no-stirngs-attached relationship that lasted that long.

"I agree, that’s too little. Six months it is, then." She said, giving him the look that said she would double it to a year if he protested.

Hence the calendar.

It had only been twelve hours since that conversation and he had Clarion’s contact number but he was going crazy. Only one day. How would he last that long?

Also, why was he even doing this?

She was not the only woman in the world and not even the only ballerina in Olphire. If he scoured the city for a woman who looked like her, he would find at least five who were willing to go out with him and all that.

But he couldn’t stand the mere thought of it. He only wanted her, and so he was going to have a six-month self-induced dry spell if that was what it was going to take.

______

One hundred and eighty-one days.

How long until he ditched the ’one hundred’ and counted eighty-one days? He wondered, right before scolding himself. "One hundred days, dumbass.

It had only been two days but it was already teetering on the edge of being the longest he had gone without sex. The longest was three days, and it was because at the time he’d been shot and couldn’t exert himself much.

Even then, he’d gotten plenty of head so he didn’t know if it counted. No wonder his brain was so fried he couldn’t do simple maths.

Or maybe, he was already crazy to begin with.

He took out his phone to give Clarion a call.

She answered on the first ring. "How are you doing, handsome?"

He raised a brow. "Handsome?"

She scoffed on the other end. "You know what I mean. Plus, you’ve seen your reflection in the mirror so don’t pretend it’s news."

He chuckled. She was right. It was also how he had managed to snag the reputation that had put him in this predicament to begin with—it was both a blessing and a curse.

Most women didn’t care but like many other things had proved, Clarion was not most women. She was a queen and she didn’t even need a crown on her head for that to be evident.

Okay, that was enough craziness for a day, he thought.

"Are you busy this evening?"

She hummed on the other end, which made him expect her response before it came. "Depends."

"Would you like to grab dinner at 7?" He tried his luck.

Yet again, she hummed. "Uhm...depends."

Jesus Christ. Had she ditched her phone and left a recording of ’depends’ to keep him busy while she laughed her ass off at how ridiculousshe ridiculous she was making him sound?

Well, there was no way he could possibly be more ridiculous than he already was so he continued , "At Kallistar." He tried. That was one of the places he knew that women would consider as making an effort . It was one of the best restaurants in Olphire, which meant getting a reservation wasn’t a walk in the park. The queues were months long and even then, there wasn’t any guarantee you would get the table of your choice. Most people got offered whatever was available first and they were happy to grab it.

Clarion must have remembered this because she agreed. "Fine. Pick me up at my house at six."

Yes! He air-fisted.

"Great. Send me your address."

"No can do. Figure it out yourself."

He must be crazier than he thought because he broke into a dance despite having been brushed off.

"Also," she added, "I’ll have you know I don’t kiss on the first date."

He broke into a grin. "Good. Because the wedding was our first date."

She burst into laughter. "That was a wedding, not a date, jackass."

He knew that. "We ate together and we danced. If that’s not a date, I don’t know what is."

After successfully twisting logic in his favor, he ended the call before she could come up with a retort.

It was time to call in a favor and ask for another.

So after freshening up, he made his way to Lucy’s office and was in luck because she was just about to leave for a meeting.

"Evan?" She was surprised to see him. She put the files in her hand back on the table and sat back down. "Is this urgent? I have a meeting in ten."

"I won’t take much of your time, I promise. Wait . Where are my manners?" He cleared his throat. "Hi, beautiful."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Just tell me what you want." She was used to Evan’s way of trying to charm people before asking for a favor.

He grinned. "I need a reservation at Kallistar. 7pm this evening, one of the VIP booths will be great. Charge it on this card." He placed his card on the desk and made a run for it, laughing when Lucy yelled for him to go back. No such chance. He was not going to let her remind him how hard it was to get a reservation at Kallistar, much less a VIP one.

There wasn’t anything Lucy couldn’t get in this country. Now that it was settled, he gave Zeus a call. He was using up all the favors people owed him at this point but it was worth it.

The entire day was eventful for him. Once he had hit the gym to clear his mind and taken out one of his best custom-made suits, he ordered a beautiful flower arrangement and had it delivered to Kallistar, then he tried to get some work done before 5pm.

He glanced up from his computer when he realized something that made him laugh at his own forgetfulness. His family owned a freaking resort. Why didn’t he think of taking her to The West?