Kiss Me If You Can [NOVEL] - Chapter 16

Josh blinked and sat up. The reason he was able to sleep well so late was probably because of the cold excuse. Thanks to that he felt more rested. He’s glad the heat cycle didn’t come through. He gave a short sigh of relief that escaped at will, and was soon up from the bed.

“Eh?”

“Uh.”

When he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, Josh ran into Isaac, who happened to be walking by. Isaac hastened and asked with joy:

“How is your cold? You’re good?”

Josh nodded and Issac asked:

“What happened to you yesterday? Mark was very angry.”

“…”

“Well … nothing. Everything is fine.”

Isaac also answered briefly. Josh didn’t ask anymore because he didn’t want to talk about the day before, either. Isaac opened his mouth as they continued walking down the long hall together.

“… What happened with C?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Okay…”

Isaac’s tone was jealous.

Josh noticed what he wanted to say, but pretended not to know. Isaac hesitated and then spoke again.

“C hasn’t left the room since yesterday. So… If you know something …”

“No, I do not know.”

Isaac was curious about one thing. Why did he smell so many pheromones? Isaac would never get an answer unless he was encouraged and asked directly. Of course, Josh didn’t want to tell him, even if he asked him directly. The conversation was cut off, and the two made it to the surveillance room.

“Then I’ll go back to patrol …”

“Oh, Josh.”

“Yes?”

Isaac called out to him as if he had made up his mind, but hesitated again. Josh waited for him for a while, but Isaac showed no more signs of wanting to speak.

“If you want to tell me later, do so. I’m going!”

Josh, speaking simply, turned around.

Behind him a bell rang, followed by Isaac, he answered the phone.

“Visitors? … C gave you permission? Yes, I will guide you …”

Josh walked straight out of the mansion. In the strong light of the morning sun, he pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket. All was quiet, except that you could hear the occasional wind rustling the leaves. Somehow, it felt strange in an incredibly peaceful world.

What happened the day before seemed like a fantasy. The fact that he did that to Chase, that Seth caught him as an Omega, even what happened just before … He surely wasn’t having a ridiculous dream like before, was he?

As he was lost in thought, a car crossed the garden.

Uh?

Suddenly he stopped walking. It is a family car. He blinked in bewilderment and the car, which passed in front of him, stopped at the front door of the mansion. Then the vehicle door opened and someone appeared from the driver’s seat. When he turned his head, the woman’s face looked as shocked as Josh’s.

Emma.

Unconsciously, when he repeated her name in his mouth, the front door suddenly opened. As soon as he paused and turned his face, Isaac, who soon appeared, spoke to him:

“Hi, I got your call. Please pass.”

“Thank you.”

Emma gave a cleverly professional smile.

Isaac, who turned first, led her into the house. Emma, ​​who was following him, turned her head. Her face, in eye contact with Josh, had a masked smile. The meaning was clear. I will talk with you later. When Emma turned her head to Isaac, she was showing a gentle expression, as if it were a lie.

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Chase had been in a bad mood since the morning. It was exactly right after he opened his eyes. No, considering the disaster, before going to sleep the night before. In fact, he didn’t feel any sudden change in his mood. There were many reasons: Lack of sleep, self-hatred, being neurotic. And a complaint of desire.

He gritted his teeth. He couldn’t bear his anger after reluctantly thinking about the most important factor. His eyes were red and angry, but he couldn’t get back to sleep. After sitting there for a while, Chase jumped up and headed for the bathroom. The closet was full of different types of drugs. After choosing a few of them, he took a handful of pills in the palm of his hand and poured it directly into his mouth. It was enough to drink two cups of water from the sink to swallow all the medicine.

“Ah, ah, ah.”

Chase looked forward, breathing heavily.

There was a pale, water-spattered face, parted lips, matted blonde hair, and tired eyes. He tried to punch him, but almost hit the mirror without realizing it. It was the sudden ringing of the phone that stopped him at the time of the crisis. After a while, the answering machine came on and the man’s voice was heard.

“Mr. Miller, are you awake?”

It was the calm, professional voice of one of the bodyguards.

Sadly, it was not the voice of the man who had kept Chase awake last night. He continued speaking:

“Sir, Pittman’s secretary …”

For a moment, Chase was silent. A bodyguard called out to him from the other side with silence in between.

“Mr. Miller, are you still sleeping? Should I send her back?”

If there was no answer, he would hang up. Just when the line was about to go dead, Chase grabbed the phone from the wall.

“Let her in.”

The line was immediately cut, followed by silence. Chase rubbed his tired eyes with a sigh.

✤✤✤✤✤✤

“Hello, Mr. Miller. Nice to meet you. Emma Bailey. Mr. Pittman’s secretary.”

Chase looked at the dazzling face that had just been deftly presented in a soft voice.

She was a beautiful woman who could appear on television immediately. She had a slim figure and perfect pronunciation. The level of being Keith Pittman’s secretary seemed to shine before her eyes. However, he did not reply much. Emma’s expressionless face, ignoring the script, kept her words calm and prepared gently.

“Thanks for coming to the party. It culminated extraordinarily … What appeared in the middle of the road …”

“Did it appear in the middle of the road? What the hell are you talking about?”

Emma stopped at the first word he said. But she continued her words shortly after maintaining a professional smile.

“I’m here because they asked me to review any issues. I heard you had a little problem before you left. It’s common for guests to get into trouble at parties.”

Emma purposely added significantly.

Chase didn’t reply much. Her face dry and puzzled, Emma thought she was still half asleep. Not that it wasn’t, for Chase’s eyes were red and his face was full of fatigue, as if he’d been forced to wake up. Will he understand me? I’d be in trouble if I said anything else later. On the other hand, while worrying, Emma continued speaking:

“Will you start shooting next week? I came to tell you that it would be nice if you were ready for the show. Before that, I’d like you to finish all your preparations to enter work,” se added without losing a smile. “May I inform you that there is no problem? Thus, the filming will be smooth as scheduled.”

Chase raised his head and looked at his face. Emma wanted to step back, but instead, she smiled directly behind him, pretending to be fine.

“Everyone is looking forward to Mr. Miller’s work.”

Suddenly, Chase threw the script he was holding. The heavy sound of a thick brochure rang heavily against the wall. Emma hesitated and soon fixed her eyes on Chase. Chase opened his mouth with a clear air of annoyance.

“Just tell him to leave me alone because he knows … I’ll forget what happened at the party.”

“Thank you.”

At the unexpected comment, Emma greeted with a cordial smile.

Anyway, it was lucky for Emma that the picky opponent said she would let her pass first. She came here, worrying about what to do if he found faults again and was delayed for a longer time, as happened in the contract stage. If we finish the report in this way, everything will be over. Emma quickly finished her words before he changed his mind.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell me. So, I’ll go now.”

The way she spoke seemed a bit quick, but she managed to finish well. Emma turned to the end with a brief smile, as she did when she arrived. You could barely hear the sound of her high heels thanks to her footsteps.

“Is it over?” Asked Seth, who was walking down the hall when he found her.

Emma heard his voice and realized that he was the man she asked for clearance in the monitor room.

“Yes thanks.”

“Not at all,” Seth said with a smile. “I’ll show you the front door.”

“Oh that’s OK. I can go alone. Thank you.”

He couldn’t make more noise when he was briefly rejected. Seth smirked awkwardly and walked away. Emma nodded slightly to return the greeting and walked away without hesitation, leaving behind the muscular handsome man who was far from her ideal.

✤✤✤✤✤✤

“Emma.”

She closed the door of the mansion and left. Another man, far from her liking, was waiting for her. Unfortunately, he was a blood relative. As soon as she saw Josh’s face she spoke:

“Josh, what happened? Is this your job? Are you Chase Miller’s bodyguard this time?”

“That’s what happened … I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but …”

“You have a professional secret, so I don’t care. But it is absurd. I never thought I’d see Josh here.”

He raised his hands for a moment and then lowered them. Josh grabbed her arm without dragging her much.

“Let’s go a minute. By the way, I have something to tell you.”

Emma grumbled and was forced to chase him. Josh led her to the secluded back of the mansion.

“Why? What happens?”

It wasn’t until the two were face to face that Emma asked about the matter. But Josh didn’t seem in much of a hurry. Emma was surprised when she saw her brother use the refreshing smile on himself, the one that used to charm women.

“I was wondering how you are. Is everything okay at home?”

“Everyone is fine, including Pete. Will you stop smiling? Because I’m scared.”

“LOL.”

“I’m serious.”

Emma added again, but Josh didn’t believe her, just like he always did.

Josh continued his words without that smile.

“I went to the party yesterday and you weren’t there. I did not know that we would meet again so soon.”

“The butler is responsible for the party at the house. So I didn’t even know about the situation, but Mr. Pittman even contacted me and gave me instructions over the weekend.” Glad I don’t have a schedule. Instead, Emma added, “You will give me a generous allowance,” she asked again, tucking her thick blonde hair back behind her shoulders. “What happened at the party yesterday? There was a commotion, so he asked me to come check if it was serious. Josh, do you know something?”

“I do not know.” Josh said only half the truth. “I was outside because I was on patrol. Later, I saw that the incident had already happened.”

“You are really useless.”

“What?”

Emma, ​​who unconsciously expressed her true intention, coughed quickly and walked away.

“Is there something special anyway?”

“I just wanted to see my brother after a long time.”

Josh was about to nod. “Yes, sure . ” And suddenly he remembered: “How have you been these days? Are you dating anyone?”

“Why? If you’re going to introduce me to some crazy friends again, I warn you, stop right now. I won’t let it go”

Her quick retort reaction had already been seen many times. However, Josh’s interest was elsewhere, although he had no man to introduce him.

“I wouldn’t do that, I just asked out of curiosity. Is…? Well, I mean, Pittman isn’t to your taste, is he?”

“What? Who? Mr. Pittman? Are you talking about my boss? Josh, you’re not crazy, are you?” With Emma’s face shaking, the response was as good as he had heard before. She continued her speech, clearly showing signs of disgust. “Would you mind turning a blind eye to other people’s loves? I will find the man of my liking. Did Josh go out and do something right? You always meddle!”

“You always choose who you can’t trust.”

“I said I’m not interested in athletes! I will meet the man I like on my own. You don’t pay attention!”

Emma opened her eyes and looked at Josh. That was also a reaction that he had seen many times. Josh was sure.

“Do you work in the same department?”

Emma hesitated and closed her mouth when he suddenly asked. When he saw her reaction, since she couldn’t hide her expression, he didn’t have to pry any further. Emma changed her strategy and looked at him.

“Don’t try to go near the office.”

“No way. I can’t get close without my client.” Josh grinned mischievously. “But when Mr. Miller visits, I will have no choice but to go, because it is a part of my job.”

“If you do that, I’ll put beans in Pete’s scrambled eggs, every day!”

“You’re the one Pete is going to blame, not me.”

“You’re an evil …!”

Emma wanted to strangle him right away, but had no choice but to endure it. She just squeezed and unfolded her hands several times in the air, managed to calm down and opened his mouth.

“Josh, please don’t screw it up this time. I’m doing very well.”

“Seriously?”

Josh asked suspiciously. He was always ready to take down his opponent. It will always be the same until Emma becomes an 80 year old grandmother.

Emma continued with a sigh.

“I’ve been on a couple of dates with him…. We’re going to meet a lot, so Josh should take that into account right now. I’ll introduce him to you when the time comes. I am no longer a child.”

That’s why I’m more worried , but Josh put up with it for now. This was because it would be difficult for her sister to speak when she really needed help. He suppressed his curiosity and anxiety and pretended to be calm.

“Yes, I see. Even so, if you have a problem, you have to consult me.”

“Yes, I will do it.”

Emma nodded softly.

Josh, trying to stroke her hair as a habit, revised her hairstyle to graceful volume and reached down to hug her shoulder. Emma also pulled away after hugging Josh.

“Then I’ll go. It’s the weekend, so Pete and my mom should have dinner together.”

“Yes, be careful.”

Josh tilted his head slightly to Emma’s cheek, gave her a kiss, and then withdrew. Emma went back the way she had come. Josh, who had been staring at her for a while, hesitated to turn around. He could feel a strange look. He looked around quickly, but there was no one. When he looked up, he couldn’t see anything suspicious except the balcony. Josh leaned out and tried to check the balcony, but stopped as soon as he remembered that it was a space connected to Chase’s room. He frowned and carefully examined for signs of people, but all he could feel was the wind blowing and the occasional sound of leaves.

After a bit of nervousness, he soon relaxed his guard and began patrolling. At other times, he would check the front lawn of the mansion first, but this time there was no reason to do so. Thus, he changed his steps, wondering if he should start from that side today, thinking that he would like to finish his patrol and hear Pete’s voice.

About an hour later the manager arrived.

✤✤✤✤✤✤

“What are you doing here at this hour?” Asked Mark, who was sitting in the living room checking Chase’s schedule, surprised by the sudden visit from the manager. He saluted briefly and then addressed the subject with indifference.

“He’s going to be filming soon, there’s a lot to do. In the future, you will have to be prepared. We will all be very nervous. How is Chase doing today? How does he feel”

He looked around and fixed his eyes on Mark. Instead of encouraging him to sit down, Mark took a soda out of the refrigerator and, putting it on the table, began to speak:

“Mr. Pittman’s secretary visited him in the morning.”

“Mr. Pittman’s secretary? What happened?”

The manager looked at him in surprise. Isaac, who was in his seat, replied instead:

“There must have been a little accident at the party yesterday, and I heard that’s why she came here, to inspect. I’m sure you were concerned that Mr. Miller might be pushing for the contract. Nothing happened and he left soon.”

“Glad to hear that,” said the manager. “You have a tight schedule as of today. I would rather be glad that the RUT did not arrive.”

“Schedule?” Asked Josh, who happened to be in the living room.

The manager nodded.

“Filming begins next week. I think it’s on your schedule. You know there is an interview scheduled in three hours today, right?”

Mark asked, looking at the paper he was holding with a grimace on his face.

“So what additional programs should we prepare for in the future? I think the schedule for the shoot is almost over.”

He said a bit sarcastically, but the manager passed it lightly.

“It’s going to be filed and delivered by Laura … So nothing happened at the party? Did Mr. Miller do something weird or crazy? Laura didn’t comment much.”

When he opened the lid of the soda that Mark had taken out, he asked in a low voice. In an atmosphere where no incident or accident could be imagined, Josh pretended not to know.

Mark asked sarcastically:

“Something strange or crazy?”

“Whatever.”

The manager who emptied half of the carbonated water, at once, frowned. Somehow everyone was disturbed by his sudden silence, as he hadn’t stopped talking until now. Then the manager sighed, rubbed his eyebrows and opened his mouth.

“Well, I mean … It hasn’t been long since the RUT ended, right? But after that time, Mr. Miller really gets madder than usual.”

“How can it be worse than usual?”

Seth asked genuinely surprised. That would be the usual Chase. The manager smiled awkwardly and then, um , looked worried again. Why does he take so long? Everyone was curious, but they could only wait. The manager gasped, as if he had finally made up his mind.

“This will be necessary for security, so I’ll tell you. Anyway, it is something you should know when the recordings begin … Of course, as it says in the contract, all a client’s secrets that you learn while working are private and a huge amount of compensation would have to be paid if they are revealed.”

Everyone was curious about what the warning said and whether it was as disgusting as they imagined it to be. As a bodyguard, it was natural to guarantee the client’s secrecy. Of course, Mark used to say that bad guys who didn’t keep it were messing up our jobs.

“There is no one so indiscreet on our team.”

Mark exhaled with a stiff face. The manager smiled briefly, but didn’t seem to genuinely believe it. Regardless, with an air of relentless vigilance, he finally confessed:

“There’s a pill he’s taking …”

“Medicines? What? Oh I’m sorry.”

Isaac was surprised by what he had said, and soon apologized. With all eyes on him, the manager spoke carefully:

“He’s an aggressive person. Also, he has insomnia and is sensitive … He cannot live without taking medicine every day. In addition, when he is stressed, he consumes more.”

They all looked at each other when they heard those unexpected confessions. Isaac let out a blocked breath and pushed his hair back.

“What … really does that?”

“I’ve never heard of a dominant Alpha with a drug addiction.”

Seth helped him like he was amazing. Suddenly, Josh remembered that Chase had taken the medicine out of the car refrigerator and put it in his mouth the day he went to Pittman’s party.

“Is he taking drugs even if he’s not your RUT?”

When Josh asked, the manager nodded.

“Yes, when he finds something unbearable, he always puts it in his mouth. But when the RUT comes, he drinks three times more than normal, drinks alcohol and takes all kinds of drugs with his drink until he loses his mind, so … I think they fall asleep soundly after the RUT, but in the case of Miller, he falls asleep under the influence of drugs,” he added, as if he understood the reaction of the frightened bodyguards.

“He would have died if it weren’t for the fact that he’s a dominant Alpha.”

They all agreed. Isaac opened the refrigerator and looked inside. When he returned to his seat, he realized that his hands were empty and he cursed briefly. He was not the only one to feel ashamed. Seth turned his head with a puzzled look and Mark opened his mouth.

“So what should we be careful about?”

When asked point blank, the manager got straight to the point.

“Mr. Miller will be taking more medication than usual when he starts working, so make sure he doesn’t run out of medication or stop randomly. By the time the medication runs out, Laura will prepare it ahead of time. I will organize the list and the form of the medications separately. Laura will take care of the medicine every time, and … Mr. Miller can’t live without drugs.”

The manager, after saying all that, laughed strangely.

“I’ve never seen a RUT that required so much medicine. Well, the medicine won’t work on its own, so you’ll have to take a lot … I don’t think it’s easy to take that much medicine anyway. I thought they were crazy about sex, but taking as many medications as he usually takes, it could give him a sudden heart attack … It can’t be.”

There was silence. Mark and everyone else stared at each other. Seth frowned, Isaac sighed, and Josh went dark. Mark, who turned his head again, asked:

“Are there more secrets?”

“No.”

Mark frowned at the manager’s blunt response.

“Anything you hide will interfere with security.”

“Not really.”

“…”

“None.”

He smiled confidently. Of course, there was no trust at all.

“Well, then I’ll go see Mr. Miller. Again, what I just said is a security secret. I’m sure everyone remembers the terms of the contract.”

After that, the manager turned around and went up the stairs.

Those who stayed alone looked at his back for a while, without saying anything. The most complicated of them was Josh. His mind was more confused than any of them.

“There will be a lot of work when the movie starts,” Isaac said for the first time.

In the silence Mark spoke:

“I am worried that the fans will come to the set and approach him … I hope C hears us well.”

After the incident where he left Henry, he drew up an additional contract, but no one knew how far it would go. They just looked at each other and finally dispersed in their own seats to prepare to leave.

✤✤✤✤✤✤

Toc, Toc.

But there was no response from within. As always, the manager opened the door after a short moment. The cool breeze blew strong once and stopped in a moment. When he cleared his mind and looked up, the balcony door was wide open. Sitting in a chair at the tea table, the manager saw Chase looking out into the garden and approached without hesitation.

“How was the party yesterday, Mr. Miller? Did something uncomfortable happen?”

He spoke fondly to him, but Chase didn’t even move.

What are you looking at? The manager poked his head out of curiosity. All he could see was the garden hidden by the leaves. The back of the mansion didn’t have much landscape. The manager cocked his head, but soon shrugged. When did this man do something understandable?

“As I told you before, I came to deliver the book. I hope you read it several times. This is the only book that has Dr. Flame as the main character. He plays a major role throughout the series, but since he is not the main character, there is only a limited amount of information that can be obtained from other books. You don’t have to read anything else, this will suffice.”

He spoke for a long time, but Chase still didn’t answer. He didn’t even try to look at the manager at all.

It wasn’t a matter of a day or two to be ignored like that, but it was inevitable that he would lose his energy more and more. The manager sighed briefly before continuing with his words.

“The filming locker room is ready. I’ll take a photo of the interior and send it to you. Please let me know if you need anything else. You know today’s schedule, right? Security is getting ready now, so get ready to go …”

“…”

It was when Chase muttered something. The manager hesitated and listened. But he said nothing more. The manager, who hesitated, asked cautiously:

“I’m sorry, Mr. Miller?

Chase, despite patient waiting, did not respond. The manager was both embarrassed and dejected, so he decided to give up. Then Chase opened his mouth.

“… Bodyguard.”

“Oh yeah. The bodyguards?”

He spoke to the manager, who repeated urgently.

“Among the guards, the Beta.”

“Oh yeah. Team Captain? Or Josh?”

“…”

Chase was silent again. Suddenly the manager realized there was a problem, although he couldn’t tell which one.

“If you don’t like the bodyguard, for the moment …”

“Not that,” said Chase, who had immediately interrupted the manager’s comment, while still staring at a corner of the garden. “Not that…”

“…”

“No thanks.”

Soon it fell silent. There were no signs of speaking anymore. The manager waited a while and then changed the subject.

“So we get ready to go to the interview? I’ll put away the clothes and things you need to wear while you shower. We will prepare the costumes and props there, so let’s be simple here.”

After that, the manager quickly left the room and headed to the dressing room.

Chase, who hadn’t even moved until then, gritted his teeth and cursed. His gaze remained fixed on the place where Josh had been with Emma. Chase didn’t know what Pittman’s secretary and his bodyguard were doing there. What really pissed him off was the fact that he had ejaculated in the skillful hands of this promiscuous man.

“… Shit.”

He rubbed his eyelids irritably.

After all, he is not different from Grayson and the other Dominant Alphas. He was mad with disgust. He wanted to run and strangle Josh right away, but he also knew it was useless. In the same situation, Chase would face the same outcome again. It didn’t change who he was.

What he did, after all, was go to the bathroom, get a handful of medicine out of the cupboard, and put it in his mouth. Only after a familiar dizziness set in did he close his eyes and the anger faded a bit. He wished all the promiscuous died, he thought beyond his hazy consciousness. Of course, Josh and himself were among them.