Desire Me If You Can [Novel] - Chapter 21

DeAndre’s mind went blank at the flood of words.
Ah, this wasn’t the time. Coming to his senses belatedly, he suddenly felt wronged and shouted hastily.
“Wait, wait. I always use protection too. So why not me?”
His persistent refusal to give up finally made the women reveal their angry truth. Valentina shouted as loudly as DeAndre with an expression fiercer than anyone had ever seen. “Can’t you understand what we’ve been saying all this time?”
She waved her hand irritably at someone who wouldn’t understand, letting out a deep sigh.
“Try to understand. When it’s someone you want to have sex with, isn’t it better not having to worry about pregnancy even without using protection! Do you have any idea how comfortable that is, how optimal that condition is?”
Though her opponent tried to open his mouth as if to make some excuse, Valentina didn’t wait. Rather, she pressed even harder.
“But with you? We can’t expect anything like that. That’s why I don’t want to have sex with you, absolutely not! Never, ever! Forever!”
In the cold silence that fell, the word ‘never’ echoed and scattered. DeAndre stood there blankly, his mind in a daze.
“So please realize it now. Please, just give up completely!”
Seeing him being mercilessly cornered by Valentina, the watching men quickly ran out and hurriedly pulled him back to their place.
“Hey, DeAndre? Get a hold of yourself. Someone bring some water!”
Only when Wilkins called his name while patting his cheeks did he seem to slowly regain consciousness. At the same time, the words he had heard also came back to his ears, and his eyes began to sting.
<I don’t want to have sex with you, absolutely not! Never, ever! Forever!>
This couldn’t be happening. It would have been better to be beaten half to death. How could someone kill with words like that, how could they be so cruel?
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Wilkins patted DeAndre’s back as he trembled with his face completely twisted, trying to comfort him.
“Forget it. Cheer up, I have a good idea.”
“An idea?”
“What kind of idea?”
Other men asked in turn behind DeAndre, who was blinking his eyes. Wilkins lowered his voice while glancing around at that moment. Especially after checking the women chattering over there, he wore a brief smile.
“Let’s humiliate that bastard in front of the women. If we make him look completely disgraceful, the women will lose interest too. Then we can just laugh at him.” “Is there a way to do that?”
“As expected of our team leader, I believed in you!”
“Miller to the gutter!”
The men swung their fists in the air as they responded. They nodded while bumping shoulders, their morale high like soldiers before battle. But even then, though DeAndre still glared at the gathered women with eyes full of resentment, he couldn’t actually do anything.
***
“Hey, Greyson Miller.”
When Greyson, who was hitting on yet another female employee, turned at the call, Ezra was standing there. Without a word, Ezra just jerked his chin to signal him to follow and strode away first. But somehow it felt empty behind him. Only then realizing there were no following footsteps, Ezra turned back and was flabbergasted. Greyson Miller was still standing in the same place, flirting with the woman. Angry, Ezra walked back to Greyson in large strides while breathing heavily.
“Miller, what are you doing here? Didn’t you hear me tell you to follow?”
At the quick demanding question, Greyson finally turned his head and looked down at him. With an expression clearly showing his annoyance.
“Hmm…? Did you say something like that?”
“What?”
Greyson’s response was completely nonchalant. When Ezra asked with an unconsciously raised voice in disbelief, he still wore a shameless smile.
“I thought you were just calling out as you left. Right, Beth?”
The latter words were completely different in tone from those thrown at Ezra. As if making a light joke, his voice was soft and gentle. Greyson’s attitude as he naturally tilted his head while asking with a smile in his eyes was slick and relaxed.
As if enchanted by that smile, Beth stared at him with a blank expression for a moment, then soon nodded with a broad smile.
“Yeees, I didn’t hear anything eitheeer. I thought Ezra was being silly.”
“Hahaha, hahahaha! Beth, you’re not just cute but funny too.”
“I’m just like that. Hahahaha.”
The two laughed while bending over at the waist, finding something incredibly amusing. Without any hesitation. Of course, Ezra wasn’t laughing at all. With his fists clenched and trembling slightly, he spoke through gritted teeth.
“Miller, will you stop and follow me? Everyone’s waiting.”
At his very angry voice, Greyson finally stopped laughing and looked at Ezra. Still with a smile on his face.
“If you have something to say, can’t you just come say it here?”
That was far from the answer Ezra had been waiting for. Dumbfounded, Ezra let out a short “ha” before tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. After taking a deep breath, he spoke in a more controlled voice than before.
“This isn’t something to discuss here, you’ll understand when you come. The team leader said if you refuse, you’ll have to stay in the office from now on, no more emergency calls.”
When he delivered Wilkins’s words as a last resort, Greyson’s attitude changed slightly. Though he was still smiling, he just seemed lost in thought for a moment.
Looking as if making a difficult decision, he fortunately didn’t drag it out long before nodding.
“Then I guess I have no choice. Sorry, Beth. I’ll be right back.”
Surprisingly, he suddenly bent slightly and even kissed Beth’s lips. Though it was a light kiss that passed like a simple joke, considering it was done where someone was watching, it was sufficiently blatant. Ezra watched this shameless display for three minutes with blazing eyes. Only when Greyson finally let go of Beth and turned around waving did Ezra, who had been waiting until then, quickly walk away without a word. But t was impossible to calm his boiling insides, and he finally opened his mouth after just a few steps.
“Since when did you become like that with Beth? I had no idea.
At the sarcastic question, Greyson answered while wiping his saliva-slick lips with his thumb.
“Let’s see? 30 minutes?”
“You filthy bastard.”
“Me?”
At Ezra’s sharp words, Greyson tilted his head and looked back. Then he shouted loudly toward Beth, who was still standing there.
“Beth, this guy says you’re filthy!”
“What?”
“What?”
Both the surprised Beth and Ezra shouted in alarm.
“Wh-wh-what are you saying! When did I? When did I say Beth was filthy! No, Beth! It’s a misunderstanding, I never said anything like that about you, I’m innocent, really!”
To Ezra who was shouting urgently while waving both hands, Greyson stroked his chin and tilted his head to the other side this time.
“Strange, if I’m filthy, doesn’t that mean Beth who kissed me is filthy too? What’s the difference?”
“It’s different, different! You bastard! Setting me up?”
Ezra shouted, beside himself with anger, but Greyson still wore an uncomprehending expression. That face made Ezra even angrier, stirring an impulse to land a hit on Greyson. But he was forced to stop by the sound of another guy calling him.
“Ezra, what are you doing? Why’s it taking so long? Everyone’s waiting!”
The man who had come to check the situation, unable to wait any longer, glanced at Greyson while pulling Ezra’s arm.
“What are you doing here? What if we suddenly get called out, we don’t have time!”
Damn it, Ezra ground his teeth but there was nothing he could do. Finally, he walked almost running with violent steps toward where the team leader and other members were waiting. And the man who had come to get him followed, walking alongside him in confusion, while lastly, Greyson followed at a leisurely pace, hands in his pockets, casually whistling.