Ch. 336..340: Forbidden Heat R18 Chapter 336-340

Chapter 336: Reiner – New Encounter

“Don’t look so stiff. That frown on your face is going to chase all the hot guys away,” Kat teased when she came back to my side.

“There’re so many people here. Is it like this every night?” I asked in interest.

“Nope. It’s a lot busier on Fridays and the weekends,” Kat replied with a wry smile.

“Kat!” someone called her name and she responded with a wave of her hand right away.

“I’ve got to go take care of that. Can you take this to table 5? It’s over there...” Kat instructed before pointing a finger at table 5.

“Sure,” I replied before taking the tray of food from her hands.

“Thanks,” Kat said in a rush.

I watched Kat hurry out into the crowd of people and knew that this was the time when the place needed an extra pair of hands. As instructed, I headed over to table number 5 where a man dressed in a sleeveless black shirt was seated. Just like most male customers here, this man was ripped with muscles, and it was clear that he was a mercenary or soldier of some sort.

“Here’s your food, sir,” I said politely as I placed the tray down on the table.

I felt his eyes on me as I carefully transferred the dishes from the tray to the table in front of him. The way he watched me silently without saying anything made me feel slightly nervous. When I was done, I turned to smile at him before I was going to take my leave.

“Are you new here?” the man spoke up suddenly.

His voice was deep and a little raspy. I found his voice to be extremely sexy like those rockstar singers.

“Yes...” I replied honestly.

“I’m Charles,” he introduced himself as he stuck out a very large hand my way.

His brown eyes met mine and I was surprised at the kindness in them. I had to admit that his face and perfectly shaped lips only added to how hot he looked. After I’ve had enough of staring into his face, my eyes glanced down at the hand that he offered towards me. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if he would kill me if I shook his hand. Then my hand was reaching towards his because I figured that it was the other way around. He probably would kill me if I didn’t shake his hand.

“Natalia...” I said in a small voice.

“Watch out, Natalia. Some wolves are watching you at 5 o’clock,” Charles warned before he grinned at me.

“Oh...thanks...” I replied. I could feel their lecherous gaze on me too but thankfully, I was wearing pretty non-revealing clothes right now.

I flashed him a smile before heading back to where I came from. By the time I was back, Kat was already back.

“You spoke to Charles?” Kat asked.

I wasn’t sure what she was getting at, so I had to set the record straight.

“No, he spoke to me,” I replied.

“Wow...Charles actually spoke to a woman. You’re going to win the lottery, so you better go buy one right now!” Kat cried out in excitement.

“What are you talking about?” I asked in confusion.

“That’s Charles. He’s like way up there in the ranks or something. People say he makes loads of money. The sad thing is he’s never had a serious relationship with any of the girls. They all want to be his girlfriend. I mean...just look at him!” Kat cried out with intense admiration.

“Maybe you should serve him food next time then,” I mumbled.

“I’ve given up on that cement wall. He’s got no eyes for me, and he doesn’t respond to anything that I say...” Kat said before laughing in self-depreciation.

“I’m not looking for a guy. Thanks,” I stated to put an end to this worthless conversation.

“Some girls are saying that he’s gay. I doubt it though. I bet they’re just saying that because they can’t get him,” Kat said as she glanced over at the man in question.

“Who knows...” I replied vaguely.

The way he looked at me when he shook my hand just now, I’d bet my life that he’s as straight as can be.

...

I enjoyed my time working at Jamie’s bar so much that I decided to work there again the next day. This time Kat showed me what they did pre-opening. Honestly, I never knew that so much preparation work went into the hours before the bar was opened to welcome customers. In addition to Kat, I was introduced to the other staff members including the cooks, the bartenders, the cashier, and the other waitresses.

As I’ve figured, many of them did not grow up on the island but came from their home countries elsewhere. The common story was that all of them chose to work on this island because of the high salary compared to other countries. They were all working hard to save up and send money back home to their families.

“This island is small and so is its economy but on a per capita basis, this island is filthy rich. I hope I can save up enough money to buy a small plot of land and a house in my country in a couple of years,” the cashier told me with a dreamy smile.

I helped Kat arrange the dishes, clean the tabletops, and then arrange the chair before opening time. I’m having my job interview tomorrow in the afternoon which meant that it was fine for me to work late tonight as long as I woke up before noon tomorrow. Just like the night before, the place was packed with people all night long. Unlike the first night, I took on as much work as possible to help Kat out.

“Oh look...Charles is here,” Kat said as she nudged me with her elbow.

“You want to serve him?” I asked teasingly.

Kat shook her head at me immediately.

“You go,” she said firmly as she handed me the menu.

“Huh? You go...” I said as I shoved the menu back into her hands playfully.

While we were both busy shoving the menu back and forth, a shadow fell over us. For some reason, I started to feel very cold. Kat probably felt the same way because her eyes widened at me before we both turned to see Charles standing there right in front of the bar counter.

Chapter 337: Reiner - Night Company

“Good evening, Natalia...” Charles greeted me casually.

“Charles...umm...welcome,” I greeted him back.

I glanced to my side and Kat was nowhere to be seen. How did she disappear that quickly? Is it some kind of magic?

“Can you make me a drink?” Charles asked as he took a seat on one of the bar stools.

Technically, I could make some drinks based on my past experience. I could make pretty decent cocktails based on my own standards, but I’m not supposed to be the bartender in this place.

“Should I get the drinks menu for you? Or perhaps, I can get the bartender to recommend you some options?” I suggested before smiling at him.

“Can you make me something?” he asked again.

Will I get fired if I do? But since he’s requesting. I don’t even know why he’s requesting but you’re supposed to fulfill customer’s requests, right?

“Well, technically I’m not supposed to be making drinks but if you insist...” I replied hesitantly.

“I insist,” Charles replied as his brown eyes stared deeply into mine.

Great. He’s not willing to back down at all. A cocktail coming right up!

“I’ll make you something...just don’t get your hopes up, ok? I’m not a pro or anything...” I said weakly to manage his expectations.

“Just make me something,” Charles said with a warm laugh.

I said that I could make cocktails, but the truth was all the cocktails that I could make were the result of me fooling around with my girlfriends. In other words, they were drinkable and pretty to look at but...

“Wow...” Charles exclaimed in a mix of shock and amazement after he had taken a sip of my bright pink cocktail.

The bartender glanced over at Charles as if to make sure that he wouldn’t die from my drink. After seeing the Charles was still alive after taking a sip, he turned away and continued with his work.

“Is it that bad?” I asked as I struggled to keep myself from laughing.

I wasn’t entirely successful with my efforts, so I ended up laughing a little at his reaction.

“It’s not...but it’s really sweet,” Charles replied with his honest review.

I knew it. Since this was one of the cocktails I came up with my girlfriends, it was pretty, drinkable but extremely sweet. It literally tasted like candy.

“My friends used to tell me that it tastes just like candy. Sorry, you don’t have to pay for it...” I quickly apologized.

I’ll just cover it with my pay. It’s not a big deal. I never expected anyone to like my cocktails or finish drinking it. Well, except for Zak because he likes everything that I do or make.

“Your cocktail is so dangerous. It’s so sweet but there’s a lot of alcohol in here, isn’t there?” Charles speculated as he looked at the pink liquid in his glass.

“Like I said, you don’t have to drink...” I began saying with a shy smile.

However, before I could finish my sentence, Charles threw his head back and dump the entire content of the glass into his mouth and swallowed it all down.

He drank it all. I stood there glued to the spot, completely stunned at what I had just witnessed. My mouth hung open in shock. From now on, I will refer to you as Zak 2 in honor for being the second person who could finish up my cocktail.

“I’ll pay for it. Don’t worry,” Charles said reassuringly before he smiled at me.

He placed the empty ecocktail glass on the counter and for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond.

“Some food?” I offered as I placed the menu in front of him.

“You’re an awesome saleswoman,” he mumbled.

Despite my initial slight discomfort of having Charles so close, we ended up chatting quite a lot that night. He wasn’t so open about himself but that was fine considering that it was our first time properly talking, and then again, everyone has their own secrets to keep. I figured enough that he was a professional mercenary and because he didn’t have any family members anymore, he’s just working for fun after having made more than enough money for himself to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

Unlike the other women that Kat spoke of, I had absolutely no interest in his wealth. Wealth, money, greed, and everything that came with it was why my life turned out the way it did. My experience taught me first handed that having too much money wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

“I have job interview tomorrow so I might have to head back first,” I told him honestly.

It was nice talking to him and it made me realize how lonely I had been feeling these past few days. Charles was a good listener and although he didn’t tell me everything, what he told me, I could believe were honest. I appreciated that a lot more than he would ever know.

“Really? Good luck!” he said excitedly.

“Thanks. I’ll probably need it,” I replied smoothly.

Charles also wasn’t a nosy person. He didn’t pry into anything that I told him. It was like he was willing to take whatever information I was willing to share. He never asked me for more details just like he didn’t ask me what job or which firm I was going to interview at.

...

I woke up a little late the next morning but with a clear mind. Last night, I slept well and without dreams. Perhaps my talk with Charles had put my mind at ease and the exercise that came along with my waitress job probably helped as well. Today was finally the day for my job interview at King’s company. I showered, dressed and made sure that I had everything I needed before driving to the business zone.

Queen texted me to wish me luck and that made me smile. I decided to send her a text back with good news after I finished my interview. I have to do well. I just have to do well!

I would like to say that the interview was grueling hard and stressful, but the reality was quite different.

Chapter 338: Reiner - Little Black Dress

Unexpectedly, my interview was so casual that it made me forget that I was in a job interview. When I arrived at the meeting room for my interview, there was a grey-haired woman sitting there alone inside. She smiled warmly at me when I walked in and invited me to take a seat opposite from her.

“Welcome, Miss Natalia,” the woman said as she looked straight at me.

“Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said politely.

“I’m Maura and I’m your interviewer for today. I am part of the HR team,” she said.

“Happy to meet you, Maura and thank you for taking your time to interview me today,” I said smoothly.

“Ok then. Let’s get started. I’ve reviewed your resume and you seem to have a background that matches what we’re looking for. Could you please let me know why you’ve decided to apply to our company?” Maura asked.

“To be honest, I just moved here to this island and I’m looking to start my career. I’m interested in learning more about this industry that is the backbone of this island’s economy and working as a secretary to one of the managers will probably be an excellent learning experience for me,” I replied honestly.

“Are you used to working with demanding bosses or have you done work similar to secretarial work before?” she asked with her eyes on my face.

“Yes. I’ve worked with demanding supervisors before and managed various projects and event organization. Secretarial work such as arranging meetings, attending public events with my boss, and preparing documents are all things that I’ve done before,” I said before smiling a little at my interviewer.

“I see. Can you tell me more about yourself?” she asked.

“Umm...sure, but what exactly do you want to know more about?” I inquired.

“Your hobbies. Your personal interests. In case you’re wondering why I’m asking, I’m also in charge of assigning secretaries to the managers. So, if possible, I would like to pair up people who would probably get along or has similar interests,” Maura explained with a friendly smile.

“Oh, I see. I’m interested in fashion, design, and business in general. I like painting but I’m not super skilled at it or anything,” I described my interests and hobbies.

“I see...” Maura mumbled as she jotted down some notes on her notebook.

I watched her as I waited for her to ask her next question. After a while or scribbling down her notes, she looked back up at me and smiled.

“If your boss forgets some important document in his office that he needs for a meeting outside, what would you do?” Maura asked hypothetically.

“I would do my best to deliver those documents to him myself. I’ll make sure that I get those documents to him as fast as possible so that it won’t affect his meeting,” I replied with conviction.

The interview continued with Maura asking me more questions about what I enjoyed or disliked and then more questions regarding how I would handle various hypothetical situations. The way she ran the interview made me feel like she just wanted to know more about me rather than test my ability to do the job. Perhaps that was because she deemed from my resume and past experiences that I could handle the job.

After around half an hour, the interview came to an end, and I left the room after politely thanking Maura for her valuable time.

I looked at the time while standing in the hallway and quickly realized that if I left now, I should make it to Jamie’s bar right before opening time. The few days that I spent working with Kat had brought us closer and I felt like I had made my first friend on the island. It was clear that Kat liked having me around to help her out. More people to help with work was never a bad thing.

Despite agreeing with Jamie that I would work for him parttime, I ended up heading to the bar more often because Kat asked me to. I looked at the clothes that I was wearing and thought that it wouldn’t suit my work at the bar. Maybe I should head back to the mansion to change into something more casual but that might take up too much time.

“Kat, it’s me,” I said once the line connected.

I was walking out of the office building when I decided to call Kat to see if she could help me with my problem. It was dumb of me to be so unprepared. I should have packed a change of clothes, seriously.

“Hey hey...” Kat spoke in a sexy drawl through the phone.

“I just finished my job interview so I’m in office clothes. I want to head straight to the bar to save time so I was wondering if you have any clothes that I can borrow?” I asked.

“Umm...I sure do. Might be too revealing for you, though? What do you say?” Kat asked, followed by a mischievous laugh.

My mind flashed to Kat’s skin-tight dress with a very short skirt and wondered if that was such a good idea. Maybe I should head back to the mansion after all.

“Maybe I’ll head back to change after all...” I replied.

“Won’t that make you arrive late? Honestly, we’re a little short on staff tonight because some girls called in sick. They got the flu together because they share the same room...” Kat said, sounding depress.

Oh...I see...

“I’ll head in now to help you,” I said with a sigh.

You’re not supposed to abandon your friends when they need help, right?

“My mini dress is waiting for you, girl,” Kat said, and I could hear kissing sounds though the phone as she blew me various kisses.

I smiled a little to myself and realized that I felt quite content and happy right now.

“See you!” I said before hanging up.

It won’t be my first or last time wearing a mini dress. So, what’s the big deal

Chapter 339: Reiner – My Customer

When I arrived at Jamie’s bar, I could tell that Kat wasn’t lying about the bar being understaff for the night. It was close to opening time, but a lot of preparation tasks were still undone. The suit, shirt, and skirt that I had on made it hard for me to move about and speed was of the essence as the deadline of the opening time loomed over us.

“You’re finally here! Was the traffic bad or something? It took you much longer than I thought...” Kat complained the moment that she laid eyes on me.

She looked me up and down before scrunching her face up at the sight of what I was wearing. Office clothes were clearly not her thing.

“What?” I asked.

“You look horrible in that. Can you even move properly? Get changed, girl...” Kat said before rolling her eyes at me.

She pulled me with her to the back where the staff room and lockers were located. Quickly, she opened her locker and pulled out a little black dress. Thin straps, V-neck, stretchy fabric that would hug the body tightly and a short skirt. It was the perfect definition of a little black dress.

“Put this on,” Kat said as she threw the dress my way.

“Ok...” I mumbled.

“Get changed and meet me back outside. There’s still so much that we have to do!” Kat exclaimed loudly before stomping out of the room.

I got changed quickly as I was instructed. The dress was short and extremely revealing. I sighed before turning away from the mirror. While running my fingers through my hair, I walked out of the room to find Kat.

“Do you think Charles will be here tonight?” Kat asked.

“How am I supposed to know...?” I mumbled emotionlessly in response.

“I bet he will be...” Kat forecasted before she beamed a smile at me.

“If you have time to place useless bets, you should take these to table 7...” I said as I shoved a tray of food into her hands.

“You little bitch...” Kat muttered before walking off with the tray.

I watched as she walked away before a huge smile curved my lips and I began to laugh.

“I didn’t think that you’d be here tonight,” a deep voice spoke close to me.

I whirled around to come face to face with the man Kat was just placing her bets on.

“Charles...” I said his name in a whisper.

“How was your interview?” he asked with interest.

Oh, right. He probably didn’t think that I would be here because I had my interview today. He still turned up though...

“It went quite well...even if I do say so myself,” I replied followed by an uncertain laugh.

When did he get here? I couldn’t sense his presence at all just now. Regardless of what I thought, I offered him a pleasant smile before handing him the menu.

“Want to order something first while I find you a table?” I asked.

“I should let Jamie know that you’re very good at your job,” Charles said as he took the menu from me.

“How so?” I asked innocently.

“There’s no talking to you without ordering something...” Charles replied with a chuckle.

He seemed really amused. I knew from what I’ve been told that he shouldn’t have any problems spending on drinks and food to help Jamie’s business. After all, he’s taking up space in Jamie’s establishment and chatting to a girl that Jamie hired. I was convinced that I was doing right by Jamie.

“It’s so crowded here tonight. My colleague is clearing up that table over there. Could you wait for a bit?” I said politely.

“Sure...” he replied without taking his eyes off my face.

My colleague sent me a sign with his hand that the table was cleared and ready to go. I waved at my colleague before turning to face Charles again.

“The table is ready now. Let me take you to your seat,” I said invitingly.

Charles followed me obediently to the table where I gestured for him to sit down. The place was very busy tonight, so I doubt that I’ll have time to chat with him or keep him company like the previous night. I should quickly get his order so that I can help out with the other orders. Being understaffed was no joke, especially on a busy night like this.

“What would you like to have tonight?” I asked.

The way Charles’ eyes narrowed slight as he looked at me as if he was taking all of me in made me feel that perhaps I had phrased the question a little wrongly. For the first time, I was overly conscious of the revealing little black dress that I had on. It wasn’t like I was unaccustomed to having men stare at my figure but the way his eyes swept over my body while lingering at some spots made me feel very self-conscious.

After a short while that felt like an eternity for me, Charles closed his eyes and sighed. I wondered what was going through his mind at that moment. When Charles opened his eyes again, he looked directly at my face.

“Your dress is very revealing. I can see more than enough of your body. Although I do enjoy the attraction, I think that it’ll be better for you to wear the clothes that you usually do,” Charles said calmly.

“Oh...” I murmured at his unexpected words.

“Did you borrow the dress from your dear friend?” Charles asked as his eyes glanced over to Kat who was squeezing her body through the crowd of customers.

Not knowing what to say, I just nodded my head in response to his question.

“I told you before. You should be more careful. Men can do reckless things when they’re drunk...” Charles warned me once again.

“Thanks for the warning. I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied reassuringly.

After taking Charles’ order, I headed to place his order with the kitchen staff. Just when I was done with that Kat was back by my side. She looked tired already and the night was far from over. It was a chilly night, but it felt hot and little stuffy because of the crowd.

Chapter 340: Reiner – Too Much Kindness

“I told you that he’ll turn up,” Kat said before winking at me.

I knew well what she was implying but I wasn’t in the mood to pay along. By this time, I was more than certain that Charles had more than a casual interest in me. He was here to see me although beyond chatting to me, he hasn’t made any kind of move. For that, I was relieved and grateful. Needlessly to say, I wasn’t looking for that type of attention from any man right now.

“So, what if he did?” I asked with a seemingly clueless shrug.

“Stop playing around. I know you’re not that thick,” Kat said knowingly.

“It doesn’t matter how often he turns up here to see me, I’m not interested,” I said sternly.

“That’s what they always say at first. I won’t blame you if you change your mind about Charles though...” Kat said before smiling teasingly at me.

“Who knows...maybe he’s just here because he’s in love with the cook’s food,” I said before laughing the whole thing off.

“Maybe you are that thick if that’s what you’re honestly thinking,” Kat said before rolling her eyes at me.

“Back to work! Back to work!” I shooed her off loudly as I clapped my hands together.

By closing time, everyone was exhausted from overwork. Jamie should hire more people, seriously. With how well his business was doing, I was certain that he should hire more people. Nights like this should not repeat itself. My back hurts and my feet were killing me from walking and standing in heels all night. Kat was complaining non-stop next to me now that all the customers have left.

“I’m going home. I’ve had enough for tonight. I’m so tired, I can barely walk anymore...” Kat continued complaining.

“Go home, everyone. I know it was tough for everyone. I’ll chip in an extra bonus at the end of the month so stop complaining. Don’t you dare catch the flu either. We can’t lose more people,” Jamie announced loudly.

“Bye...I’m heading back too,” I murmured as I waved my hand at my colleagues.

My feet were killing me, and I couldn’t wait to get out of these heels. If the path outside was well lit, I would have been happy walking barefoot. I decided to head back in Kat’s dress. She was fine with me returning it to her another day.

I heaved a loud sigh after I exited the bar. It was quite dark outside with only the streetlight on now. Most bars were closed and had switched off their lights. I was on my way to where I had parked my car when a figure stepped out from the shadows. My heart leapt into my throat

Are some stalkers or weird guys out to get me now? Should I make a run for it?

“Done with work? Are you on your way back home now?” a familiar voice spoke to me.

“...Charles...” I said in a shocked but relieved whisper.

What is here doing here? Was he waiting for me? What does he want from me?

“I figured you’ll get off pretty late. I thought I should walk you back...it’s dark and all...” Charles explained casually.

“Just that?” I asked before I could stop myself. He waited all this time for me just to walk me back to my car?

Shit. What did I just say out loud? It sounded so wrong...

Please tell me that he didn’t misunderstand me just now. Please tell me that it didn’t sound like I was looking forward to something more...

“Umm...I didn’t mean...” I started correcting the misunderstanding myself before it would get out of hand.

“It’s ok. I know what you meant. Don’t worry,” Charles with a small laugh.

“Thank you for worrying about me but you don’t have to wait for me like this. I’m sure it’s a lot of trouble for you. I’ll be fine, my car isn’t parked that far away,” I said.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Charles said insistently.

“True...but...” I replied before trailing off. He was right...but still...

“I’ll walk you if that’s ok with you,” Charles offered.

“Umm...sure...” I replied after deciding to take him up on his offer.

It wasn’t like I had any solid reasons to turn him down. I should be thankful to him for caring so much about me. Unlike a certain someone who didn’t even know where I am right now. I looked up at the dark sky before letting out a depressing sigh.

“What are you thinking about? You seem depressed,” Charles asked softly.

When I glanced over at him, I realized that he had replicated my action and was also staring up at the sky. I was sure that although we were looking up at the same sky, we didn’t see or feel the same thing.

“Nothing. I guess I’m just very tired...” I replied half-honestly.

I was certain that Charles didn’t find my response absolutely satisfying to his curiosity, but it was just like him not to press me any further. I offered him a little smile instead of the words that I couldn’t say to him. The truth was on top of my messy situation with Reiner, my feet were hurting like crazy. It wasn’t far from my car, and I had decided to suck it up and bare the pain as I walked along.

“Your feet are killing you, aren’t they?” Charles asked as he crouched down in front of me.

I sucked in a breath in surprise at his sudden and very caring action as I watched him inspect my feet. Without even looking, I could tell that there were more than a few blisters on my feet right now. I wasn’t sure if Charles would be able to tell in this darkness though.

“Yeah, walking in heels all day wasn’t a great idea today and I’m paying the price for that dearly,” I said before trying to laugh it off.

“I don’t think you need to bear the pain or put up a brave front. It’s probably best that you don’t take another step in these shoes,” Charles said as he looked up at me.