Raymond tossed and turned in bed.  He glanced at the clock and couldn’t believe that he had been lying here awake for the past four hours.  Thoughts of Charmaine Sheh occupied his mind.  He can’t seem to erase her from it.  Raymond had always praised himself for being a reckless player when it comes to women.  They come and go and there hasn’t been a time when he would lose control over a woman.  Use and discard was his motto.  And not once had he let his desire rule him.  This time he had.  He hadn’t expected to kiss her.  That was the furthest thing from his mind at the time.  He only wanted to find out why she was acting so odd tonight.  But when she looked at him with those big enigmatic eyes, eyes that seem to drug his mind, he lost it.  It was as if another person took over his body and made him pull her into his arms and kiss her.  The softness of her lips undid him and he wanted more and more.  He felt her resistance at first but later on she was just as consumed by the kiss as he was.  When she pulled away it was like a bucket of ice water pouring over him.  He didn’t want the kiss to end and seeing the aftershock on her face angered him.  She looked so disgusted and ashamed by what had happened between them that it left a bitter taste in his mouth.  He didn’t believe for one second that she was in love with Steven.  If she was she wouldn’t have kissed him back with such passion and longing that even thinking about it heated Raymond’s blood.  Whatever her reason was for being with Steven Ma, Raymond could bet his life it wasn’t for love.  Still, there was nothing he could do about his growing attraction to her unless she felt the same way about him, which he guessed she did.  But having her admit to it was another thing and one which he was sure she’s going to fight against.  Another obstacle was Steven.  After all he was Frankie’s good friend.  Raymond sat up in bed and ran his hands through his tousled hair.  He wished he had never met Madame Sheh.  If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be in such emotional agony now and the feeling of being helpless is one that he didn’t enjoy.  Punching hard at his pillow he laid back down and closed his eyes praying that sleep would come.  His last conscious thought was of Charmaine and along with it were the sweetest dreams he had in a very very long time.

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Charmaine lay on her side with her arms bent and hands beneath her ear.  Sleep would not come tonight and she had no one to blame but herself.  What was she thinking to kiss Raymond back the way she did.  He must think she was like all the other women he was frequently seen with.  And why shouldn’t he.  She acted exactly like them by jumping into his arms at the first opportunity and letting him have his way with her without resisting.  With an oath she flopped down onto her back to stare at the blackness above.  Slowly she brought her fingers to touch her lips and recalled the feel of Raymond’s lips on them not too long ago.  With a dreamy sigh she smiled in the darkness.  It was every bit as sweet as it was in her dreams only it wasn’t a dream anymore.  The kiss was real.  The memory only seems to incense her more and she groaned with frustration.  She can’t keep thinking and dreaming about him.  It will lead to no good.  He wasn’t even her type and boy did she know what type he was.  He was the very example of the rich playboy that goes through women as fast as he can get them into bed.  Women were trophies to them and once tired, which only took a matter of days, they were discarded like old shoes.  Charmaine was not going to be added to his long lists of conquests.  Besides, Steven was her boyfriend and he treated her very well.  There was no chance she would hurt him, especially not over someone like Raymond Lam.  Suddenly, a vision of Raymond staring down at her with those y sultry eyes of his flitted through her mind and she inhaled a sharp breath.  She had to stop thinking about him and she will, even if it kills her.

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Raymond awoke to the loud shrilling sound of his alarm clock going off.  Quickly shielding his eyes from the sun’s glare, he squinted at the clock and saw that it was only 7:00 am in the morning.  Frankie must have set his alarm clock without him being aware of it when he promised to join him for breakfast in the morning.  He felt tired, restless and grouchy.  He didn’t even sleep for more than three hours.  Moodily he swung his legs over the bed and pulled himself up with the help of his nightstand.  Pulling on a robe he walked out of his room and headed downstairs where Frankie was most likely having his breakfast already.  Raymond usually slept in but Frankie had insisted last night that Raymond joined him for breakfast this morning.  And it wasn’t a request.  With heavy lids he staggered over to the dining area where true to his routine, Frankie was already seated and enjoying his cup of coffee.

Frankie heard the shuffle of footsteps and turned towards Raymond.  “Ray, glad you’re awake.  Come and have a cup of coffee.”

Raymond slouched down on his chair and closed his eyes.  With a yawn he asked, “Why did you insist on me having breakfast with you this morning?”

Frankie poured him a cup of coffee and after adding two sugars and some cream to it said, “We hardly talk to each other and I think mornings are the best time for conversations.  Don’t you think?  So, how are things going with you?”

Raymond opened an eye to look at him with disbelief, “You made me get up so early just so we could chit chat?”

Frankie smiled warmly at him and said, “Well by the time I get home from work every night you’re gone.  So what better time than in the morning before I leave for the office?  Is there a problem with that?”

Raymond couldn’t find an answer to that so he mumbled grudgingly, making sure that Frankie knew how resentful he was of having to get up so early, “No.  Since I’m up already what do you want to know?”

Frankie laughed at Raymond’s childish behavior and said lightly, “Did you enjoy our dinner last night with our guests?”

Raymond looked suspiciously at Frankie as he pondered over the question.  Slowly he said, “I had a great time last night.  Steven is a great guy.”

“Yes he is,” Frankie agreed.  Then he looked directly at Raymond and said, “Now tell me what happened between you and Charmaine when you guys were upstairs?”

Raymond who had just taken a sip of his coffee choked by the knowing insinuation in Frankie’s question and sputtered coffee all over in front of him.  When he heard the soft chuckles from Frankie, he stammered, “Nothing happened!  I only showed her to the bathroom.”

“Really?” Frankie asked suspiciously, “You guys were gone for a pretty long time.”

Raymond began wiping at the droplets of coffee on the table and retorted, “I didn’t know what she was doing inside the bathroom.  I waited for her outside.”

Frankie eyed Raymond with interest then stood up.  He picked up his jacket and bent it over his arm.  With his free hand he picked up his briefcase from a nearby chair.  He saw the red hue that was quickly spreading over Raymond’s face.  In a serious voice he said, “I’m your brother and regardless of how close of a friend Steven is, I will always of course stand on my little brother’s side and support everything he does.”  He then gave Raymond a wink and added, “You should know what I mean by that.”  He turned and left the house.

Raymond was stunned by Frankie’s astuteness and had never loved his brother more than at this moment.  With Frankie’s green light, Raymond was now determined to get what he wanted and that was Charmaine Sheh.  The only thing he had to figure out was how he was going to get her.