Billionaire Romance: Seduced by the Billionaire (21 page)

“Kind of.”

“I think the infection mutated
in your body when you were scratched and it came to effect when you were
sixteen?”

“Eighteen,” Thom corrected.

“Right. Oh well, at least, I’m
aware that you weren’t born a monster,” she laughed awkwardly.

Thom and Natalia shared her
laughter as they became deeply comfortable with each other’s company.

“Alright, Mellissa, I think we
need to head off now. We still need to come over to mom and dad’s house to
visit them.” Thom stood up and glanced at his wristwatch.

Natalia stood up too.

“Okay then, good seeing you two
together.” Mellissa threw the pillow to her side as she stood up to kiss them
goodbye.

Natalia watched Mellissa swing
her arms over Thom’s shoulder to say goodbye. While they were talking, she
finished her drink and dropped the glass on the coffee table gently.

“Take care of yourself. Whenever
you feel the urge to turn into, you know, go somewhere secluded so that you
don’t put yourself into a dangerous situation,” Mellissa lectured, worried for
Thom’s welfare.

“Alright, ma’am Mellissa. I’d do
as you say,” Thom smiled as he pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the
cheek.

Natalia stood watching, waiting
for her turn to embrace Mellissa for the first time.

Thom stepped back to allow
Natalia to greet her new friend goodbye.

“Come over here, Natalia. Give
me my hug,” Mellissa invited as she spread her arms for Natalia to take.

Tears of joy began escaping
Natalia’s eyes as she walked toward Mellissa.

Thom stood still as he watched
Mellissa pulled Natalia closer as if she was her long lost sister.

“Take care of him. He loves you
more than you could ever know, Natalia. And I know he loves you too,” Mellissa
confessed while still in contact with her.

“I will. Take care of yourself
and your mom,” she said, pulling away at the last word.

They waited for a couple of
minutes before they finally left Mellissa’s house.

It had been two days since
Natalia and Thom visited Mellissa. The original plan was to visit their parents
afterward, but the weather did not permit it so. It rained. Not just simple
rain, to be more precise, it stormed so bad that some of the shops were forced
to close down for two days because the wind gushed through New York. Natalia
didn’t go to work but instead spent the rest of her ‘day-offs’ in bed with
Thom. Just them. No one else.

Sitting on a stool in front of
the mirror, Natalia tried to hook her last earring into her left ear’s hole.
The other one was already done. “Do you think mom and dad are at home right
now?”

“I think so. They didn’t tell me
they were going anywhere. They might still be tidying up the house,” Thom
replied while busy buttoning up his polo shirt.

“Could you please do my
necklace,” she asked politely, watching him through the reflection in the
mirror.

Thom turned his gaze at her.
“Yeah, sure. Where is it?”

“It’s in my hand.” Natalia
raised it up for him to see.

As he walked in her direction,
Natalia wondered what their parents’ reaction would be. Thinking about it
stressed her out like a maniac on a street of Chicago. She turned her gaze to
the photo frame of her biological parents.
Mom, dad, wish me luck, okay? Don’t
let anything bad happen to us today..
.

Thom was now standing behind
her. “Give it to me,” he requested for the necklace.

A look of amusement crossed his
face the moment Natalia handed the necklace over. He smiled as he remembered
that special day. “Mom gave this to you on your 18th birthday, right?” Swamp of
tears began welling up in his eyes now.

Astonished, Natalia kept her
eyes in the mirror, gazing at Thom. “Yeah, do you still remember?” she laughed
slightly, amazed by his good memory.

“How could I forget? I was the
one who told mom to buy it for you. It was Tuesday afternoon when we bought
this at the jewelry shop, the day before your birthday,” he beamed, overwhelmed
by how fast time had passed.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Time flies so quick, doesn’t
it?”

“It does. I wonder if mom still
remembers that necklace.” Natalia stooped down, gazing at the ring her father
gifted on her twenty-first birthday.

“Of course, she does. Mom has
the memory of one-terabyte hard drive,” Thom joked as he put on the necklace
around her neck.

His carnal thoughts began
distorting his focus as he stared at her neck, salivating to lick it as if he
hadn’t done so for a couple of days passed. His dick wiggled under his pants as
it stiffened up while his fingers accidentally caressed her soft and scented
neck.

“Done,” he proclaimed, reluctant
to end his lust. Little did he know, Natalia could read his facial expression.
The way he swallowed told her he was getting turned on.

She stood up and looked at
herself in the mirror. “Thanks!” she said. Fully made-up, her jewelry –
earring, necklace, and rings complimented her outfit. Her pink cocktail
softened her skin tone, giving her that vibrant and fresh look as if she just
turned eighteen again.

Thom stepped closer. Natalia
watched as he wrapped his arms around her waist and landed his chin over her
shoulder. She could feel his shaft so hard that it literally poked her from
behind.

Thom stared at her in the
mirror. “You are as pretty as you were back in high school.  Your lips, eyes,
and cheeks never changed. They’re always as plump as ever.”

Natalia held his hands. “I hope
they accept us. I can’t see myself living without you, Thom. I don’t know if I
could survive a day without you by my side.”

“I’ll always be here with you,
Nat. We’ll explain everything to them.”

“What if they didn’t understand?
Mom might get hurt and Samantha would hate me,” she panicked.

Thom tightened up his grip on
her waist, calming her down in assurance everything would be fine. “We’ll
explain everything. Trust me, they’d understand. It might take a while, but
eventually, they’d respect our decision.”

Knowing he couldn’t control time
and situation, Natalia sighed and brushed her worries away. Then, after a
while, she glanced at the clock on the wall. “I think we have to go now.
Traffic would hold us back.”

“Right.” He broke away and
stepped back a distance. “Are you ready?”

Natalia smiled. “I’m always
ready.”

“That’s what I said,” he
laughed, making her laugh too.

Then they headed off. 

*****

Like what Natalia prophesied,
New York traffic had always been an issue for most of the motorists. It took
them just over an hour to get to their destination and to make the situation
worse, the rain poured down half-way through the ride, slowing them down even
more.

Luckily they just made it on
time. Lunch time.

Natalia sat in the front
passenger seat, gazing at their house. The house she grew up in. The house Thom
and her spent growing up together. Nervous of what could happen, Natalia kept
her eyes on the road, trying not to think of how things might turn out.

As her silence spoke of her
fear, Thom sensed her nerves. He brought his gaze at her solemn face, uncertain
of how he’d approach her to come down and head to the entrance of their house.
After painful minutes of deliberation, he’d finally concluded it was time to
reveal themselves.

“Nat, let’s go and see them?” he
asked politely. His tone was calm and as gentle as a dandelion.

She turned her gaze to him.
“Now?”

“Later might be too late,” he
explained, knowing the clock was swiftly ticking.

Unsure of what to do, she
relinquished her fear and drew a deep breath. “You’re right. We’re going
nowhere if we don’t do it now.” Then, without warning, she opened the door and
let her left foot step down first.

Thom stared at her, stunned at
her bravery.
Wow, I didn’t know she’d take it so quick
, he thought.

“Aren’t you coming with me?”
Natalia asked just before she got out of the car completely.

“Oh right. Yes, of course, I
am…” he laughed slightly, trying not to make his amusement pronounce.

As soon as she stepped out of
the car, that familiar smell of lavender and rose hit her nostrils. The aroma
comforted her nostalgia, alleviating her fear. The rain had stopped now and
only a little trickling of rain touched her skin. She observed as Thom slammed
the door shut and beeped the remote to lock the car up.

“Let’s go.” Thom reached out his
hand for her to hold, but Natalia kindly declined the offer and walked by
herself instead.

As they ate up the distance from
the house entrance, something inside Natalia was telling her not to go on, but
she strengthened her rigor and kept on walking in spite of what the outcome
would be.

Face to face with the door, they
stood still, listening to the movement inside for the sign of life, as if their
family had died or something.

Natalia turned her head at Thom.
“Should I knock, or you would?” she hesitated, thinking crucially of her every
move.

“I’ll do it,” he offered.

She sighed. As Thom began
drumming the door, a heavy footstep rushed through as if they knew they were
coming. And in a matter of seconds, Natalia held her breath as the doorknob
twisted down. Then, the door pulled open.

A loud and excited voice greeted
them. “Natalia…” Samantha burst out in enthusiasm to see her big sister. “Mom,
dad, Natalia is here…” Then, she also saw Thom standing on the other side.
“Thom is with her too…” she yelled.

Natalia kept herself still as she
gazed at Samantha who looked tanner than before she left to Fiji last month
with their parents.

“Samantha…” She couldn’t help
but hug her little sister so tight that Samantha felt her lungs would crash.

Natalia pulled away. “How have
you been? Girl, I miss you…” she admitted, a little teary as she spoke out.

“So did I. Hey, don’t leave
without telling me, okay? I was really sad when you left. I didn’t have anyone
to gossip with,” she giggled childishly, reminding Natalia of the old good days
they shared together.

“Where’s mom and dad?” Thom cut
in.

Samantha eyed him. “They’re
inside.” Then, she smiled back at Natalia. “Sis, let’s come inside. I have a
lot to tell you about Fiji. The boys, of course, are included in my topic. By
the way, I have something for you.”

Natalia followed her younger
sister. But just as when she disappeared from Thom’s sight, she gazed at him
first to let her know she was ready for what was about befall upon them.
Whether that’d be good or bad, she couldn’t care less anymore.

Thom followed from behind. Upon
stepping into the dining area, the smell of freshly cooked turkey and roasted
potatoes dominated the air. All of a sudden, Natalia’s fear turned into hunger.
Her stomach rumbled in longing to taste her mother’s special recipe again.

“Hmmm… smells good, mom,” Thom
complimented.

“Thank you, my dearest son,”
Mrs. Lynn replied with her sweet and motherly tone she uniquely possessed.

As the smell became prominent,
Natalia’s distance from her parents lessened. Taking one more step, her eyes
beheld her parents’ faces again. Mrs. Lynn and Mr. Jacobson stood still as they
gazed at their daughter. With teary eyes, Natalia could tell how much she meant
to them.

Mrs. Lynn couldn’t help but get
emotional at the return of her eldest daughter. “Natalia, my daughter, come and
give mom a hug,” she implored, deeply yearning for her daughter’s embrace.

Surprisingly, Natalia got very
emotional and began walking forward to her foster mother as if Mrs. Lynn had
given birth to her. “Mom,” she cried out.

While the mother-and-daughter
were sharing each other’s gratitude, Mr. Jacobson couldn’t help but shed tears.
So did Samantha. But Thom managed to restrain his. It’d be really awkward to
see a man crying. However, deep within him, his heart ached to know that sooner
or later, their parents’ world would potentially come crashing down…

Mr. Jacobson smiled, wiping
droplets of tears off his eyes. “Alright, let’s have lunch now, shall we?” he
cut in, making the situation neutral and drama-free.

Mrs. Lynn pulled away. “I missed
you,” she said to Natalia.

“I missed you too, mom,” she
beamed, giggling as she swallowed her mucus.

“Let’s have lunch now. I cooked
your favorite food. Turkey and roasted potatoes with lots of gravy,” she
bragged.

“Nice. Did you guess that we're
gonna come?”

“Of course, I did. Why did I
become a mother for?” she laughed, over the moon to see her family complete
again. But would she stay the same if she found out about Natalia and Thom’s
relationship?

Natalia counted the minutes they
took just to prepare to eat. She sat next to Samantha so that she could hear
her gossips well. Her mother gave her the generous part of the turkey and that
was the thigh. Yum. Thom got the other one. Samantha preferred to stay away
from too much fatty food for her shape’s sake. Boys’ didn’t like too meaty
women in her opinion.

In the midst of enjoying their
meals, Thom destroyed the silence after a joyful and celebratory conversation
they were sharing. “Mom, dad, and you Samantha,” he said as an introduction,
“please, I implore you to sit still and hear me speak,” he said.

Natalia felt herself choking,
but managed to stay quiet.

“Is there any problem, son?” Mr.
Jacobson wondered, frowning to see his son looked nervous.

Thom swallowed. “We all know,
except you Samantha, that Natalia isn’t originally part of our family, right?”

Samantha cut in. “I actually do
know she’s not my real sister, for your information,” she replied fiercely.

“How did you know?” Mrs. Lynn
asked.

“I saw Natalia’s adoption papers
while I was helping you clean your room up,” she confessed, a little terrified
of the consequences her mother might have in mind.

Mrs. Lynn’s voice raised five
keys higher. “And when was this?”

“When I was in fourth grade…”
she admitted honestly.

Mrs. Lynn wanted to ask more
questions, but her husband quickly jumped in. “And what’s the matter, Thom?
Natalia isn’t our real daughter and she’s not your real sister, but that
doesn’t mean she’s not originally part of our family,” he enraged, slightly
distraught by how Thom put the words together.

Thom played with his food.
“That’s the matter dad. Because I know she’s not my real sister, I’ve fallen in
love with her. We’re planning to get married in the future,” he bravely broke
out the news. He didn’t even tell Natalia he had any plans of marrying her.

What?
Natalia shared her
family’s surprise. Even she, herself couldn’t process how could Thom be so
careless in telling the truth.
He should’ve told them later. Oh… this is
stupid
…