The CEO's Painted Skin

Catherine finally awakens, she slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the light. She remembered that she consumed too much wine earlier. She also noticed that she was lying in a bed, how the hell she arrived in this bed? The last time she remembers, she was drinking wine in the dining table after eating. Unless...?

She immediately checked for her clothes that were still intact, she felt relieved. She was actually being covered with a blanket from her neck all the way to her toes.

She tilted her head and saw John's back facing her, he was standing next to the glass wall staring at the magnificent view outside.

Woooow! The spectacular and stunning view of the dazzling lights that greeted her vision caught her attention.

Shiiit! it was the most striking view she had ever seen in her entire pathetic life! The dramatic display of lights beckoning her to get closer...

She rose to her feet and edge closer to the glass wall that surrounds the room.

John can sense Catherine tiptoes approaching closer...then he turns around to face her. But her attention was fully directed to the eye-catching view in front of her.

"Amazing!" she spoke the words aloud, admiring the scenery in front of her.

John smiled at her. "Not as mesmerizing as you!" he said softly.

Catherine tore her gaze away from the beautiful view and looked into John's eyes.

Their eyes meet.

John strolled out of the room and when he resurfaced a few moments later he brought back two chairs with him for them to sit.

"Sit down Catherine, relax for a while, you can enjoy the view as much as you want," he said.

Catherine sat down on the chair, she continues staring and admiring the magical display of light in front of her. She scanned her eyes on the busy street below. Simply Wow! From her view above, the vehicles were similar to that of fireflies they were moving in every direction, lights were flashing everywhere. Such a dazzling display of light! She was mesmerized beyond words!

John sat on the chair beside her. Observing her reaction.

In the next few minutes, they continue staring at the lights display in comfortable silence. The cities' landscape is more dramatic and colorful during the night.

John loves Catherine's presence in his room, her presence somehow completed the essence of his room. He's wanting to drape his arms around her shoulders but he dare not touch her now that she was awake.

Fifteen minutes later...

Catherine broke the silence. "You touch me!" she said in an indignant voice.

John looked at her. "You left me no choice. You were drunk, you can't even move your feet. So I have to carry you here in my bed and let you sleep for a few hours."

She massages her temple. "Did you kissed me?"

John smirked. "No..."

"I wanna go home now!" she demanded all of a sudden.

"No. Not yet Catherine. We need to talk." John stood up and pressed the remote control, the curtain slowly covered the glass wall until no single lights from the outside can be seen.

John positioned his chair facing her. Now they were eye to eye.

He sighed. "I'm sorry I force you to come with me here. I know you don't want to associate yourself to me anymore. But I can't help it, I got to see you! I miss you!" John confessed his inner feelings for her.

She just looked at him with indifference.

"John, did you send someone to spy on me?" she asked.

John nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Why---?"

"Because I want to know everything about you," he said in a casual manner.

"I see. You're stalking me! And that is creepy, John!" she said.

John knew it of course. "You are my girlfriend, my woman. I have every right to know your whereabouts..."

Catherine grimaced and disagreed with his claim. "John, am not your girlfriend! We never had a normal relationship between us."

John was deeply saddened that she never acknowledge him as her boyfriend. He was indeed a fool to believe that she had developed feelings of love and affection towards him.

"Catherine, please tell me...who I am to you?" he said.

She looked at him in the eye without blinking. "You're my rapist!"

John winced in pain and closed his eyes. She believes that he was her rapist and that is very hard for John to stomach.

"So, you hate me all along, Catherine? When you said you love me, it's all a big lie? Everything that happened between us in the village is a big lie?"

"Yes..."

"So, you'd rather that...you and your sister be thrown in jail than have sex with me?"

Catherine was silent for a while. She was thinking of what the worst thing could happen if John didn't touch her and instead he does the right thing and turn them over to the police station, what could happen way back then? Will she and her sister still be in jail until now? If they were indeed thrown in jail, chances are she wasn't able to migrate into the city and she might still be left in their village more miserable and poor than ever.

The only reason why she was successfully able to migrate into the city without worrying much about money because John gave her a big amount of money! All the bad things that happened to her during that horrifying night in the hacienda was instantly rewarded with a big blessing in the form of big money. She got big money, in return she also loses her innocence to John. Ironic indeed!

John was observing the display of emotions running through Catherine's face.

"Did you regretted having sex with me and meeting me in your life, Catherine?"

Catherine chewed on her lower lip, confused more than ever. The truth is, she never hated John, she just wants him out of her life and not be constantly reminded of what happened between them that night. She can't possibly develop tender feelings for her rapist! It's morally wrong to fall in love with your rapist! That is what her mind is screaming at right now!

She closed her eyes, confused with the conflicting feelings she felt for him, she was unable to stop the tears from streaming into her face. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

John saw the agony she was suffering inside. It hurts him even more.

He was the rapist and she was the victim. The more he shows his face to her the more she will be reminded of the night he took her virginity. But what can he do? He can't possibly stay away from her.

"Catherine, you want me to turn myself into the police authority and admit my sin that I r-aped you? Is that what you want? Would you be happy if I will surrender and put myself in jail because I r-aped you. Because if that will make you happy, I will willingly turn myself into the police station and serve my sentence in jail. But all I ask is that you have to wait a little bit, if my family is already back in the country, they can take over our business and I'm willing to go to jail. As of now,I can't do it. I managed many businesses all over the country alone and many people depended on me for a living. So just wait please, I will do it for you. If it's the only way that you can forgive me. I will do it without hesitation," he said in a voice full of seriousness and tenderness.

Catherine had asked herself many times in the past, does she want John to go to jail for his crime? And the answer is always 'no!' ...that always bothered her. Fuck herself! What's wrong with her!? She can't make up her mind.

"No. I don't want you to go to jail," she said in a muffled voice. "Just stay away from me!"

John was able to sigh in relief. If she really hated him that much she would be happy to see him in jail. He saw a tiny seed of hope, that maybe, Catherine had harbored some tiny feelings reserves for him.

"No. I can't stay away from you Catherine. You either sent me to jail or learn to accept in your heart that from now on I will be a shadow constantly hovering around you. Jail is the only place that can restrain me from following you. I want you to know me deeper, I'm hoping that one day you can finally learn to forgive me and eventually fall in love with me. That is all that I'm hoping and asking for..."

Catherine was still sobbing but no longer talking to him.

John rose to his feet, took a face towel from his wardrobe and pries her fingers away from her face. It hurts him to see her cry this bad. He was about to wipe her tears away with the towel he was holding but she snatched the face towel from his hold and wipe her own tears.

"I wanna go home now!" she demanded again.

John sighed. "You can't go home like this Catherine, you need to calm down a bit. Compose yourself. Your mother might worry if she saw you crying. Come with me, I will show you something to cheer you up."

When John reached for her hand and clasped it to his own. She didn't object. The heat of his hand seeped through her skin and traveled all the way to her arms and spreads out to all parts of her body. She was greatly affected by it. She felt the same tingling feeling creating havoc in her senses on the many hours they make love in his room in the ancestral home.

When she was about to pry her hand away from his grasp, but he won't let go!

John started walking, she has to keep moving and follow his lead.

They exited his room, after a few minutes of walking they came into a door when John opened it, a stunning swimming pool greeted them, with all the romantic lighting adorning the ceiling. There was four lounge chair on the side of the pool for people to sit down and relax. There is a mini sidebar on the corner of the room and some bottle of wine and glasses displayed on the cupboard.

The water looks inviting!

She smiled a little, her desolate mood brightened dramatically upon seeing the sparkling body of water inviting her for a swim.

John reached for the remote control and pressed a button.

The curtain starts parting in the center, and the same stunning view of dazzling lights greeted their eyes. Catherine gasped! This is even wider and more beautiful view than the one in his room! Maybe because the swimming pool adds to the overall effect, it's infinity pool after all! Fantastic!

In the right corner, there is a wardrobe, he opens it, John pulled out something, he gives Catherine three swimsuits to choose from.

"I brought it for you. I'm sure one of them will fit your size. I have it laundered by my cleaning maid the other day. It's clean and you can wear it right away. He also pulls one clean bathrobe for her to use. "The bathroom is right there," he motioned his hand to the door on the right corner of the room.

Catherine was hesitating at first, but the water looks so damn inviting!

She found herself walking towards the bathroom's door. Once inside, she changed into the one piece black sexy swimsuit, it's backless and the front displays a huge part of her cleavage, it certainly clung to her curves perfectly as if designed specifically for her. But she likes it just the same, there is nothing to feel self-conscious about because John already sees her body, he already seen everything of her, so why bother?

She wrapped the bathrobe around her swimsuit-clad body and exited the bathroom, excited to swim!

John was already swimming in the pool wearing his swimming trunks. His muscular lean body glistened against the backdrop of the city lights behind him.

She tore her gaze away from his sick pack abs.

Catherine took off the bathrobe and placed it in the chair.

When she appeared in his view, John stopped swimming and looked at her, mesmerized and hypnotized by her sexiness. The body that he used to lick all the way from her face down to her toes, was now off limits to him. He choked on his own saliva, he was drooling now. He can't take his eyes off her body. His erection between his legs was getting restless. The desire in his groin was filling his mind with erotic images of him and Catherine naked having sex, way back in the village.

She slowly descended into the swimming pool her smile was getting wider as minutes passes by, she was totally immersed in the refreshing feeling of the water lapping around her skin, she was completely enthralled by the pool, unaware of his hungry stare.

The night is getting hotter...