We Got Married: Chapter 10

            Sam grinned at his wife, his eyes appraising.

            “Nope,” He answered casually, flicking his hair out of his eyes. The water was becoming a temperature that was below Hyerin’s standards and she shivered involuntarily; the bubbles that had risen initially were beginning to dissipate and she knew that there was little time to act.

            “Are you absolutely sure I can’t offer you an ultimatum in exchange for my clothes?”

            Sam chuckled softly, leaning closer to the edge of the tub; close enough that he could now smell the shampoo she’d used to wash her hair.

            “Depends on what exactly you’ll be offering. I rather like having you in such a subordinate position,” He murmured softly, allowing his warm breath to caress the shell of her ear. Hyerin shuddered, almost letting a moan slip past her lips but she refused to give her naughty husband the pleasure of hearing it.

            “How about.. an IOU?” She whispered breathlessly, her cheeks flushed. Hyerin became painfully aware of the fact that her heartbeat was thumping erratically against her ribcage. Under any other circumstances except right now, she would willingly give in to the plans that undoubtedly were racing through Sam’s mind, being the dirty little wanker he was.

            “Why would I accept that when I can take it now?” He leaned back, ever so slightly perplexed at what she was trying to accomplish. Hyerin glared at him from her position in the tub, her green eyes serious yet pleading at the same time.

            “Sam, you have to understand that the pace you’re moving at is a hell of a lot faster than what I’m envisioning; I like you, don’t get me wrong. But we’ve only known each other for less than a month and you want to pull this kind of thing on me?” Hyerin pleaded, her voice suddenly a lot more timid than it had been moments before. Something in Sam yanked in the opposite direction that he’d been plowing in and he leaned back, his hands covering his face as he exhaled harshly through his nose. The realization at what he was actually doing hit him and he could not have been more ashamed of his actions. His parents had raised him to be a gentleman; why the hell is he putting their morals down the drain for his own greedy, selfish wants?

            “You’re right. God, I’m so sorry,” He whispered, the confidence that was bordering on egotism had disappeared and he rose, reaching the bed and the pile of clothes that sat neatly on top of the plush duvet.

            He set the clothes on the counter and handed a fluffy towel to Hyerin, who was curiously staring at him from beneath luxurious lashes. He stepped out of the room.

            “I’ll be in the living room,” He said quietly, proceeding out of the room and practically falling on top of the chaise lounge. Thoughts raced through his head at a million miles an hour. Words simply could not describe what he was feeling and amongst the warring emotions, shame and guilt were certainly winning the battle.

            He wasn’t sure how long he was there, but he could hear the soft pad of his wife’s feet on the hard wooden floors, pausing right next to him. The unspoken question lingered in the air and he waited a few minutes to collect his thoughts.

            “I’m really sorry; I let my hormones break from the strict confines I usually have them under and I can’t apologize to you enough,” Sam whispered, his eyes hidden under his arm that lay across his face. He felt the shame burn even worse when he couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye after what had just transpired.

            A small, dainty hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled his arm from his face. Sam blinked up in confusion; she couldn’t honestly have forgiven him so quickly, had she?

            “It’s okay, I completely understand. I can’t be without blame since I did say that I...” She let the sentence drift off.

            ‘You said that you wanted to bang me, which is probably what started this mess,’ Sam thought, holding her gaze for as long as he could stand. He still couldn’t believe himself; to put a woman in such a demeaning, subordinating position went against nearly all of his morals.

           “It’s true though, don’t think that I’m taking that statement back. I just... if this leads to a deeper relationship, we’ll see how it unfolds,” She smiled demurely, running her fingers through his messy hair to comb away the stray pieces.

            “Are you hungry? We haven’t eaten since that awful food the airlines served us,” Hyerin questioned, bending down to take his hand and lead him to the kitchen. It warmed his heart that she was still willing to progress towards what he thought was a promising relationship, but at the same time, he had to remind himself to not push things too far or fast.

            “I’m ravenous, love,” he smiled tentatively, hoping that he already wasn’t pushing things too far by calling her the endearing name his father always called his mother. Hyerin giggled softly before pulling open the fridge, peering at its overly stuffed shelves.

            “Let’s see... I’m not willing to cook a full out meal...” She mumbled to herself, pushing items out of her way as she spoke, poking through what the show had stocked them with.

            Sam made his way to her, a small smile on his lips as he wrapped a large, masculine hand around her wrist and pulled her away from the fridge.

            “Let’s go have dinner on the beach; I saw a seafood restaurant not far from here,” He murmured softly, pulling her against his chest. She blinked up at him in confusion before a smile melted her delicate features.

            “Okay,” She smiled before waltzing off to the bedroom to change out of her shorts and t-shirt she’d been wearing after her bath.

            Sam was dressed casually in khaki shorts and a white button up, sunglasses tucked into the front lapel. As he waited for her to change into something more appropriate, he checked his wallet, making sure that the bills he’d exchanged with one of the flight attendants while Hyerin napped were still tucked into the folds of the expensive leather. After all, he couldn’t pay for dinner using Korean currency.

            Hyerin appeared before him, sporting a long summer dress. It was a halter type dress that easily flowed over her petite body flawlessly.

            “You look beautiful,” Sam commented, offering his arm to his date. She giggled softly before linking her arm with his.

            “Let’s go.”

~*~*~*~*

            The restaurant that Sam had scouted was a small little hut, specializing in the day’s freshest catch. The scent of cooking seafood melded seamlessly with the slightly salty air that permeated the room, courtesy of the many open windows. The other patrons were extremely kind to the honeymooning couple, telling them what was exceptionally delicious.

            “I’ll take the wood grilled lobster tails with a side of steamed corn and a bowl of your clam chowder, sir” Hyerin told their waiter, a kindly older gentleman that seemed perfectly content with serving the fresh seafood at this quaint little shop.

            “May I have the braised lemongrass and garlic shrimp alongside steamed corn and a bowl of your chili?” Sam closed his menu and handed it to the waiter as he quickly scribbled down their orders.

            “I’ll have it right out to you lovebirds,” He said cheerfully, meandering his way between the tables and asking other patrons if their meal was going alright. Hyerin blushed softly at what the waiter had said, the soft pink giving her cheeks a rosy effect.

            There were a few minutes of silence before their waiter returned, a bottle of beer in one hand and a beautifully concocted drink in the other. The drink was a pale orange in color and was garnished with a sprig of mint and a pineapple wedge.

            He handed the beer to Sam and placed the mixed drink on the table in front of Hyerin.

            “Ya’ll look like you could relax a bit. Forget about the fight and just bask in the fact that you’re here in this beautiful country together,” The waiter gave them a wink before heading off, leaving them to their own devices.

            Sam took a sip of the local brew, sighing in appreciation. It was strong but not overly so; the sharp edge was balanced with an almost citrus-y like taste that reminded him of oranges. Hyerin lifted the glass to her lips and gently took a whiff of the drink. Her eyes closed at the sweet scent before she took a small sip, a soft noise of approval making its way out of .

            “Liquid Ecstasy; Limon Rum, melon liqueur, Blue Curacao liqueur, pineapple juice, and,” She took another sip of the drink, analyzing the taste of the entire drink. “Lemon juice,” She finished, setting the drink down.

            “You could tell all of that just by taste?” Sam raised an eyebrow at her, taking another sip of his beer. Hyerin smiled softly and shook her head.

            “Let’s just say that I’ve done my fair share of mixing drinks,” She said, leaving the statement to be vague and mysterious. Sam was curious; she wasn’t exactly underage to be drinking in Korea but her tolerance for alcohol was impressive. She had to be a hard drinker at some point to build it up to that.

            His musings were cut short when the waiter returned with their food, the shrimp and lobster letting off clouds of warm steam.

            “Here you go, lovebirds. I hope those drinks helped out because they’re on the house,” The kindly gent smiled, the wrinkles deepening around his eyes and mouth, telling both idols that he was one to smile a lot. Hyerin thanked him politely, bidding him off once he’d set the other plate down.

            “It smells delicious,” Hyerin commented, picking up her knife to cut the tender meat of the shellfish away from its casing. The meat came away easily, the juices that were flavored with various spices dripping away from the meat she’d speared with her fork.

            “Have some,” She said, cocking her head to the side and holding out the bite of lobster to his lips. Sam chuckled softly before leaning forward to take the bite between his teeth. The other patrons of the shack weren’t kidding when they’d said that the seafood was as fresh as it could ever be. The shellfish still had a slightly briny taste but it complemented the herbs and the smoky flavor of the cedar planks that it’d been grilled on.

            “It’s absolutely delicious, love,” Sam quickly returned the favor and held out a piece of his shrimp up to her lips. She gave a small smile before taking the seafood between her lips, the juices that the shrimp had been braised escaped her lips and Sam couldn’t help but be entranced at the way the little drop of juice traveled from the corner of her lips to her chin. He wasn’t able to watch long before she quickly dabbed it away with her napkin.

            “Mmm,” She let out an appreciative sound as she chewed the succulent bite of shrimp. A warm feeling bubbled up inside of Sam’s chest; this easy going atmosphere was relaxing and casual and it seemed like the most natural thing to him.

            ‘Is this what it would be like constantly if we really were...together?’ Sam let his thoughts float away, questioning what a real relationship with her would be like, without having to worry about what the press thought or what their respective companies would do to them.

            “...Sam?”

            He blinked, Hyerin’s face suddenly coming into sharp relief. He blinked again, taking a bite of his shrimp.

            “I beg your pardon?” Sam questioned, his head cocked to the side. Hyerin sighed softly, shaking her head with a small smile gracing her lips.

            “I asked what you want to do after dinner; a few customers are talking about a festival taking place in the town square, something akin to Mardi Gras but on a much smaller scale,” Hyerin took a sip of the clam chowder, staring at him expectantly.

            “That’s fine, love. Do you know what it’s for?” Sam ate a spoonful of chili; the spicy flavor complemented the citrus of the shrimp flawlessly. Hyerin shook her head, her silken locks of hair shimmering in the dim light from the open window they sat next to.

            “Not a clue, but it sounds fun,” Hyerin replied easily, taking a sip of her mixed drink. She set her fork and knife down, evidently done with her meal. Sam took a last bite of his shrimp before flagging the waiter down to get the check.

            An alarmed look crossed Hyerin’s features and a gasp sounded from her.

            “How are we going to pay? We never exchanged our bills at the airport!” She looked guiltily at her empty plate of lobster shells. Sam chuckled softly before pulling out his wallet, taking a few bills from within its folds. Hyerin looked at him in shock, forming an ‘o’ shape.

            “W-when did you exchange your money? Why didn’t you let me exchange my own money?” Hyerin spluttered, searching his face for an answer. He didn’t respond until after the waiter left with the check.

            “That’s for me to know and for you to never find out. Let’s go, darling; we don’t want to be late for the festivities.”

~*~*~*~*~

End!

Super sorry for the wait, guys! I am a little disappointed that I didn’t get quite as many reviews as I hoped for the last chapter as I hoped. (You guys can’t honestly think I’ll change the rating of this story just so I could write .) But hopefully you guys haven’t forgotten about me!

Read and Review!