REVENGE WITH LOVE : CHAPTER 71 – 80
By Presh Alicia Daisy.
CHAPTER 71 & 72.
THE PHONE CALL
Kracus had just completed another long, tiring day at the hospital. The last three weeks had been particularly challenging, as he had seen a significant influx of patients with complex cases and had performed more procedures than usual.
In addition to his regular duties, he had also begun collaborating with a team of cardiologists to help provide specialized care to less privileged patients. The work was demanding, but he found it incredibly rewarding to be able to make a difference in the lives of those who needed it most.
However, despite how busy his schedule was, he couldn’t shake the thoughts of Tesiera that had been haunting him day and night. He had been trying to distract himself with work, but it seemed as though nothing could fully take his mind off of her.
He has prided himself on being a mature and respectful man, even when it came to the women he was interested in. That was why he had respected the clear boundaries she’d set when she visited his office that morning, three weeks ago, before leaving to take care of her affairs.
So, he had been taken aback when she’d called, but that was nothing compared to the way he’d felt when she’d talked.
“What did you just say?” Kracus’ mind was reeling, his exhaustion fled. He stood frozen at the center of his bedroom with the phone pressed to his ear.
“I don’t feel a lot of things, you should know that by now. But lately, I’ve been feeling distracted. I’m asking you why I think about you all the damn time, doc.” she repeated just as bluntly as the first time, and without mincing words.
“Wow,” he breathed and a sudden stillness seemed to permeate the air. A tangible silence settled over them.
Kracus was rendered speechless by Tesiera’s words. He had never met a woman quite like her before – so unapologetically bold and blunt. He had always thought that women were more subtle in their approach to sensitive issues like their feelings, but Tesiera had shattered that assumption with her straightforwardness.
He was shocked and at lost for words. The thought that she couldn’t stop thinking about him floored him. Kracus had always prided himself on being confident and in control, but Tesiera’s boldness had thrown him off balance.
“Are you there?” She asked at last.
Kracus cleared his throat, “I’m here, It’s just…uhm, I don’t know what to say.”
“You sound quite shocked.” Tesiera’s tone was calm and collected, like she didn’t just drop a bomb on him.
“For a number of reasons.” he replied, “The first and foremost being that most women would never say something like this to a man.
“I’m not most women, doc.”
Her firm tone made a smile play at the corners of his lips. With a deep breath, Kracus made his way to the edge of the bed and sank onto the soft mattress. “Yes, you’re not. That is glaringly obvious.”
“I don’t know if you mean that as a compliment or not—“
“I do. I mean it as a compliment. You’re an extraordinary woman, Tesiera Rinderson.” he said in admiration. “The truth is, I don’t know the answer to your questions. Do you even know what you’re admitting to? Confessing to?”
“I’m not admitting to slash confessing to anything. I have a problem and I was hoping you’d have some sort of solution for it. This has never happened to me before, doc.” Tesiera replied, walking toward her sofa and lowered herself on it.
A smile curved Kracus’s lips. Somehow, he wasn’t even surprised about what she was saying. “I don’t know what to say to that, but I know what I wanna say. Since they we’re being brutally honest with each other, I need to tell you something.”
Tesiera leaned forward, her expression serious, “What is it?”
“I can’t stop thinking about you too, Tesiera.” Kracus’s voice rumbled low in his throat, like a primal growl that echoed through the room.
The admission hung in the air between them, heavy with a raw intensity that left her momentarily speechless. “I… Oh.” He’d caught her off-guard too and for a moment, her head was blank and she couldn’t form a response.
“Are you there?” he drawled, the corners of his lips twitching into the hint of a smirk.
A strange, fluttery sensation danced in Tesiera’s chest, a sensation that she struggled to put a name to. Excitement? Yap, that was a better word to use than happiness.
“I thought I was the only one with the problem.” she said at last.
Kracus chuckled, “It’s not a problem, Tesiera. Well, not in the way you think.” a pause, “Most people would say that we are attracted to each other, or we’re in love.”
Her excitement fled. Tesiera’s expression hardened at the mention of the L-word. “The latter is the wrong reason,” she began firmly, “I don’t love, doc. I hate that word. I do not believe in love because it doesn’t exist. A man uses it to lure a woman he wants to fuck or keep fucking, while a woman uses it to lure a man she wants money from or wants to keep getting money from. Either way, there’s always some sort of reason they disguise under that word but in the end, It’s merely a win-win situation.
“Wow. For someone who isn’t much of a talker, it just made you string a lot of words together to say as much as you just did. That more than anything shows me how much you really hate it.” Kracus spoke in a playful tone, “Don’t worry, Tesiera. For what it’s worth, I share your view that the latter is also the wrong reason. We don’t love each other, do we?”
“No, we don’t.” she answered matter-of-factly. Then, paused, “Attraction though…” she laid back on the couch, assuming a relaxed position, “I’m very much attracted to you, doc. I’ve told you so before.”
Kracus’s lips curled into a grin as a wave of excitement washed over him. He rose from the edge of the bed, still clad in his towel and laid down on the bed. “You know, you said that I was an attractive man, Torturer. But you never said anything about being attracted to me.”
“Potatoes, potahtos, doc.” A smile ghosted her lips as she gazed into the empty space before her.
“Indeed. I thought about it for days, you know. I like being sure and I was gonna ask you what you mean, but—“
“But your girlfriend came asking for you.” she cut in, her voice neutral.
“Mira is not my girlfriend. That boat sailed a long time ago. And yes, I am very much attracted to you, Tesiera Rinderson.”
“So what are we gonna do about that, doc?” she drawled, her voice dropped an octave.
He loved the way she calls him ‘doc’. It sounded particularly good/sexy/sexier coming from her. “I say we remedy the situation. I’ll take you to lunch tomorrow.”
A pause. “I’m gonna be very honest with you, doc. I don’t date. I don’t do relationships.” she revealed.
Kracus only nodded his head, not that she could see him from the other side of the phone. Somehow, that revelation didn’t surprise him.
“I propose a physical relationship. Let’s fuck around with no strings attached.” she stated bluntly.
Kracus saw that coming but he was still floored at how straightforward she could be, “Wow,” he breathed.
Tesiera shrugged, “I mean, it’s a good solution. I am…” she hesitated, then admitted, “…distracted. Like I said, I think about you at the oddest time. Nothing occupied my mind before when I prepared for missions but the last three weeks? I know you were as distracted as I was with work so I say let’s—“ she cut off when she heard his deep rumble of laughter.
She almost asked him why he was laughing, but then thought better of it. Despite his easygoing nature and joking around with Bose and Clinton, she couldn’t remember ever hearing his laughter before.The sound of it was…pleasant.
“You don’t need to sell me the idea, sweetie.” he said at last, “I want you so much, Tesiera Rinderson. I have never wanted a woman the way I want you. It was so hard to respect the boundary you created three weeks ago the morning after our kiss, but I had to force myself to do it.”
“I didn’t want to complicate our professional relationship. But that was before I started getting…distracted.” That word was somehow always had for her to say, Tesiera thought. “Now, I simply wants us to fuck eachother out of our systems.”
It was only a phone call but Kracus could not recall ever having such a good time in a long time. “Do you always say the words that pop into your head? No matter how blunt they might be?” he asked incredulously.
Tesiera shrugged even though he couldn’t see her, “I mean, what is the worst that could happen? Right from the time I was little, I never cared much about sugarcoating words. Growing up most people hate it when you tell them the truth or when you’re blunt. Bullies came for me in high school because of it.”
He snorted, unable to picture her being bullied. “You went to high school?”
“Dropped out. It was too much of a hassle. I was a loner and I enjoyed it, but the other kids seem to always have a bone they wanna pick with ‘the Barbie that doesn’t seem like she could hurt a fly’. The mathematics teacher’s words, not mine.” Tesiera smirked, “I wiped the floor with all the bullies and I enjoyed it.”
“I’m glad you did. As a child, did you ever have a dream? I mean, something you really wanted to be? I know you didn’t dream about being a Torturer as a kid.” he said with snorted laughter.
He met silence at the other end of the line. The second ticked by, each stretching out into eternity.
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” Kracus apologized, gently, “it wasn’t my intention.”
“It’s okay, you didn’t. Let’s just say that those dreams are long gone. I don’t need them anymore.” she responded at last.
“I understand.” he hated the new tension he could feel, Tesiera had been very relaxed with him tonight and he wanted that woman back, “So, you are so attracted to me that you can’t seem to stay focused, huh?”
That did it. He heard her scoff, “Don’t kid yourself, doc. I focus just fine.”
“That wasn’t the impression you gave when you started this phone call, Torturer.” He drawled. “I could come over to your apartment tonight, you know. All you have to do is say the words.”
That drew a smile from Tesiera and a weird good feeling spread through her chest. She was grateful that no one was around to witness her strange behaviors toward Kracus. “Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to say the words, I can’t. I have to finish the preparation for the mission I have tomorrow night.”
“What is the mission about?” He asked, but when he heard a pause as his response, he added, “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.”
“I found one of my father’s killers.” she revealed after a while, “His name is Jake Blake, he is a human trafficker who’s disguised as a businessman, but he is a very dangerous man and hard to catch. I’ll take him out tomorrow.”
It was Kracus’ turn to keep quiet while thinking about what she said. “He does sound dangerous. Do you need my help with anything? All you have to do is say the words.”
“I’m fine, but thank you for the offer.” The thought that he was willing to help her with anything felt…nice.
“Alright. Be careful, Tesiera.”
“I’ll be.” And she meant it. Now that she has decided to do something about her attraction for Kracussian Kingston, there is no way she’ll die without having him on her bed, or her in his. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back, doc. I have a new motivation now.”
“That’s good to hear. I’ll be waiting,” Kracus said. “Looks like you got yourself an appointment, Miss Rinderson. After your mission.”
“After my mission.” she agreed.
“Tesiera?”
“Mmh?”
A pause. And then, “I can’t wait to have you in my bed and when I get you there, you’ll have a very hard time coming out of it.” he drawled seductively , but his tone held promise.
A warm, fuzzy feeling lit up inside her at that promise. “Mmm. Interesting.”
“You know, I’m glad we had this phone call. I enjoyed every minute of it,” he confessed.
“I enjoyed every minute of it too.” Tesiera admitted, truthfully. With the nature of her job, she needed to unwind almost all the time so she relied on working out, training or an orgasm for that.
Who would have thought that talking with someone could feel so refreshing?
REVENGE WITH LOVE : CHAPTER 71 – 80
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