Chapter 79: Chapter 78
Joanna Kennedy wouldn’t be moved by such empty gestures. And he was no longer begging for her true affection.
He wanted to make it so Joanna Kennedy could never leave him.
Jack Warren watched as the man pulled a small, clear spray bottle from his briefcase and nonchalantly spritzed it all over his dark black suit jacket.
Before long, the strong scent of alcohol filled the car.
After taking out the trash, Joanna Kennedy was strolling upstairs when she heard someone call out to her.
"Miss Kennedy!"
She glanced over, puzzled, and saw Jack Warren staggering toward her, half-supporting a tall man.
The man’s head was bowed, and he looked like he was asleep.
As they drew closer, Joanna Kennedy caught the reek of alcohol.
Slightly surprised, she asked, "This is..."
"Miss Kennedy, Mr. Lockwood has had too much to drink, and the housekeeper at the villa has the day off. Would it be too much trouble for you to look after him?"
"...Me?"
"I’m so sorry." Jack Warren put on an anxious look, a lie springing to his lips more quickly than anyone’s. He added a bashful expression and said, "Today is the Qixi Festival, and my girlfriend keeps nagging me to come home. I really don’t have a choice..."
Seeing the girl still hesitating, Jack Warren went in for the kill. "As you know, Mr. Lockwood doesn’t really have any family..."
"..."
Joanna Kennedy looked at the man, who reeked of alcohol and stood quietly with his head lowered. His eyes were closed and his brow was tightly furrowed, as if he were in great discomfort.
’It’s dangerous for a drunk person to fall into a deep sleep with no one to watch over them.’
She pressed her lips together. "I don’t think I can hold him up. Assistant Warren, can you help get him upstairs?"
That was as good as a yes. Jack Warren had completed his mission. He was just about to say "Okay" when the weight on his shoulder suddenly increased.
Jack Warren: "..."
Out of Joanna Kennedy’s line of sight, he rolled his eyes in exasperation.
’Whatever,’ he thought. ’He was Simon Lockwood’s friend, after all. This was just the price he had to pay.’
Jack Warren gritted his teeth and threw all shame to the wind. "My girlfriend is getting impatient. I have to go right now."
Without waiting for Joanna Kennedy to react, he shoved the "sleeping" man toward her and beat a hasty retreat, calling back over his shoulder, "Miss Kennedy, I’ll leave him in your hands, then...!"
"Wait, I—" The large man slammed into Joanna, nearly knocking her to her knees. He pulled her into a tight, decidedly possessive embrace.
She barely managed to stay on her feet, the embrace so tight she could hardly breathe. Her senses were filled with his pleasant, crisp, woody scent, mingled with alcohol, making her own head spin.
"Simon Lockwood... wake up." Her ears bright red, Joanna patted his firm back, but there was no reaction.
Simon Lockwood lowered his head, burying his face in the curve of her neck. He seemed to nuzzle it unintentionally, feeling the girl in his arms tense up immediately.
Joanna could feel his heavy, hot breath on her sensitive neck, the friction of his stubble making it seem like he might bite her at any moment.
Horrified by her own thought, a jolt went through Joanna. She patted Simon Lockwood with more force. "Can’t you just sober up a little? Wait until we’re back in the apartment to sleep..."
From a distance, Jack Warren watched his boss-slash-friend—a man who stood nearly six-foot-three—draped completely over the petite girl. She was almost entirely obscured.
The man looked like a fiercely possessive beast, lazily caging its property.
’So shameless,’ he cursed silently. Shaking his head, he looked away and drove off.
After who knows how much shouting from Joanna—a mix of coaxing and threats—which eventually turned into sheer exasperation...
Simon Lockwood finally managed to straighten up a bit, his eyes hazy and drunk.
He stared at her for a moment before saying sluggishly, "Joanna Kennedy."
"It’s me." Joanna’s arms ached from his weight, and the soft skin of her neck was chafed and itchy. She shot Simon Lockwood a glare. "Sober now? Then walk upstairs by yourself!"
The tip of her nose was red, her pretty face was flushed pink, and her clear, sparkling peach-blossom eyes were wide with anger.
Simon Lockwood’s eyelids drooped, hiding the dark glint that flashed through his eyes. His voice was still slurred with drink. "My head hurts..."
As he spoke, he lowered his head again, burying his face back into the curve of her neck.
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
She took a deep breath. ’Don’t argue with a drunk, don’t argue with a drunk, don’t argue with a drunk...’
After silently chanting this mantra three times, Joanna resigned herself to her fate and draped Simon Lockwood’s arm over her shoulder. The single motion was so strenuous it made her break out in a sweat.
She struggled to guide Simon Lockwood toward the elevator.
’Thank goodness it’s the Qixi Festival today. Everyone’s out on a date, so there aren’t many people hanging around downstairs. At least this won’t be too humiliating.’
They swayed with every step. It was less a case of Joanna supporting the man and more of the tall man hanging off her. Her petite frame was completely enveloped in Simon Lockwood’s embrace as she struggled to hold them both up.
By the time they finally stumbled into the apartment, Joanna was so exhausted she could barely catch her breath. Her loose, round-neck T-shirt had been pulled askew, revealing her pale collarbone, flushed red, and a wide expanse of skin beneath.
The sofa was too small for Simon Lockwood to sleep on. After a moment’s hesitation, Joanna steered him into the bedroom and unceremoniously shoved him onto the bed.
Simon Lockwood was so "drunk" that this rough treatment only made him furrow his brow slightly; he didn’t wake up.
’Just how much did he drink...?’
Gazing at the man’s tranquil face, Joanna belatedly felt a tightness in her chest.
’He’s Maximus, the President of Southland. Why does he still have to go to these work dinners and drink so much...?’
Joanna recalled that it seemed every time she saw Simon Lockwood, he was working. Whether at the office or at his villa, he never seemed to have a moment’s rest.
’He was working nonstop even as a teenager, and he’s still just as exhausted now.’
’That frown doesn’t suit him...’
Joanna sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out and gently smoothed the deep crease between his eyebrows, her finger then tracing down the elegant, straight bridge of his nose.
Joanna’s eyes crinkled in a smile as she poked the pert tip of his nose.
A dull ache throbbed in her arm. Joanna glared at the "culprit" and, in her annoyance, poked him a few more times with more force.
’What’s the point of being so tall? You weigh a ton.’
Joanna pulled her hand back, kneading her aching arm and wrist while muttering quietly.
She pinched and prodded Simon Lockwood’s face for a while longer. Only when she saw the red marks blooming across his coolly handsome features did she pull her hand back in satisfaction.
Suddenly feeling thirsty, Joanna was about to get up to get a glass of water from the living room when her wrist was seized in a tight grip. Before she could even process what was happening...
...the world tilted on its axis as she was yanked down onto the bed.
She gasped.
Her head spinning, Joanna opened her eyes to find herself staring into a pair of deep, ink-black eyes.
"..."
"..."
Silence. A long silence.
The man’s low, slightly hoarse voice shattered the eerie silence of the room. "Was that fun?"
They were so close their breaths mingled.
A deep blush instantly spread across Joanna Kennedy’s face.
