Chapter 138: Let’s Try Today
After hanging up, he was wondering if Leah Sinclair was the person the Grant family was looking for. He didn’t notice Madeline Sterling standing just on the other side of a glass door.
Just then, a waiter carrying drinks passed by Asher Keating and asked if he needed anything. He casually took a glass from the tray and downed it. Afterward, he headed to the room to wait for Sean Yates.
After getting out of the elevator, Asher Keating felt dizzy. He immediately sensed something was wrong. His vision began to blur, but he forced himself into room 8550.
What he didn’t notice was that the room number had been tampered with. After he closed the door, the "8550" plaque fell off, revealing the true number underneath: 8520.
Meanwhile, in the room, Madeline Sterling looked at Asher Keating tied to the bed and laughed. "Asher, why are you being so stubborn? You’re suffering so much. Wouldn’t you feel better if you just slept with me? Or perhaps... you like it when I take the lead?"
Not only had Madeline Sterling drugged the drink, but she had also lit incense in the room. After overhearing Asher mention the room number on his call, she had quickly sent someone to stick a fake "8550" plaque over the door of room 8520.
She had prepared room 8520 well in advance. Even if she hadn’t overheard Asher Keating’s phone call, she would have found some other way to lure him in.
After stumbling in, Asher Keating leaned dizzily against the bed. Before long, a discomfort started to build in his body, making him arch his back. His hands had trembled as he entered, causing him to drop his phone. He’d then accidentally kicked it under a cabinet, and now he couldn’t reach it. Just then, Madeline Sterling came in.
She swayed over to him, leaning against his body and caressing him. Asher Keating told her to get lost. The urge was overwhelming, and his vision was blurring. He almost felt as if Leah Sinclair were in front of him, but he knew she wasn’t.
Instead of leaving, Madeline Sterling moved closer, trying to kiss him, but Asher Keating shoved her to the floor. He clutched the sheets and curled up on the bed in agony.
His rejection finally made her snap. "Asher Keating, you don’t want to do it with me, is that right?" she screamed. "Too bad! I’ll make you!"
She pulled out a rope and tied his hands and feet, determined to take matters into her own hands. The drug surged through him, turning his eyes bloodshot. He fixed his deep, bottomless gaze on Madeline Sterling. "Are you looking to die?"
"That’s right, I’m looking to die," Madeline Sterling said as she began to undress. "Didn’t I tell you before? I want you to fuck me to death. I want to see how you do it with Leah Sinclair, the thing that makes her praise your skills so much. I want to try it too." Once she was naked, she started on Asher’s clothes.
Waves of desire crashed over Asher Keating. As Madeline Sterling undid his buttons, a choked gasp escaped his throat. His body trembled as he struggled to get her off him.
But the more he struggled, the more his body brushed against hers, making the feeling even more unbearable.
"Asher, I love you so, so much," Madeline Sterling said, gazing at him with obsession. "I don’t mind you keeping Leah Sinclair as your mistress. As long as we’re married, you can keep her if you want. Asher, let’s get married." She leaned in to kiss him.
Asher Keating bit his lip hard and turned his head, refusing her kiss.
Furious, Madeline Sterling wrenched his head back to face her. "Do you really think you can resist this? Are you hoping they’ll figure it out? I just talked to Leah Sinclair. She’s probably terrified, thinking she’s the one who was drugged. It would never cross her mind that it was you."
After her outburst, her tone turned pleading again. "Asher, I really do love you, Asher..."
With that, she pinned Asher Keating’s head down and forced her lips toward his.
BANG!
"Asher!"
Just as Madeline Sterling’s lips were about to touch Asher Keating’s, the door was suddenly kicked open. Shawn Grant had arrived in the nick of time, key card in hand.
Madeline Sterling had engaged the security latch, but she’d been so focused she hadn’t even heard the door unlock. When Shawn Grant felt the resistance from the latch, he simply kicked the door in.
Madeline Sterling looked up to see a crowd of people bursting in. She was naked. Ethan Shaw and the others froze in the doorway, but Leah Sinclair charged forward and shoved her off Asher Keating.
When Leah Sinclair saw the state Asher was in—looking as if he’d been dragged out of water—her eyes instantly reddened.
She reached for the ropes on Asher. Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling rushed over to help. Smelling the fragrance in the room, Shawn Grant quickly moved to extinguish the incense.
"Hahahaha!" Madeline Sterling shrieked with laughter. "I wouldn’t untie him if I were you. Can’t you see how much he’s suffering? The moment you free him, he’ll lose control and screw you senseless. He won’t hold back at all. Why do you think I tied him up in the first place?"
Madeline Sterling sat on the floor, cackling maniacally, but her heart was seething with hatred. ’Leah Sinclair again! It’s always her! I was so close to succeeding, and this bitch ruined it!’
Leah Sinclair’s hands froze on the ropes. She spun around and slapped Madeline across the face. "Are you some kind of pervert?"
"How dare you hit me!?"
Madeline Sterling couldn’t believe she’d been hit. She scrambled to her feet to retaliate, but Nash had just caught up. Seeing the situation, Nash promptly slapped Madeline across the other cheek.
"What a piece of trash."
Nash shook out her hand, glanced at the men, and clicked her tongue.
Chester Hale glanced at Madeline Sterling, who was now on the floor after Nash’s slap, and quickly looked away. He turned his back to the scene, went to check Asher’s pulse, and frowned. "I’ll go mix an antidote. For now... don’t untie him."
With that, he rushed out. Asher’s expression had cleared for a moment when they all burst in, but now he was letting out low, pained groans again.
He was going insane; his whole body felt like it was about to explode. Leah Sinclair reached out a trembling hand to cup his face. "Asher... Asher."
Hearing her voice, Asher cracked his eyes open, struggling to focus on her. "Don’t cry... I’m fine."
Leah Sinclair stood and wiped her eyes. "All of you, go. I’ll handle this. When it’s over, I’ll call you to have Dr. Hale come give Asher the injection."
Nash grabbed her arm. "No, Leah. That drug is too potent. You could seriously get hurt."
"It’s fine. Asher... he wouldn’t hurt me. He can’t wait any longer. Please, just go. Nash, I’ll leave her to you."
Nash wanted to argue, but one look at Asher on the bed made her doubt he could hold out until Chester Hale returned. She grabbed a bathrobe, forcefully wrapped it around Madeline Sterling, and yelled to Shawn Grant, "Get over here and drag her out!"
Shawn Grant was speechless but didn’t dare delay. With a look of utter disgust, he hauled Madeline Sterling to her feet. The group then exited, heading for the adjacent room.
Now that they were alone in the room, Leah Sinclair quickly began to undress Asher, leaning in to kiss him.
Asher couldn’t fight his body’s urges, and his mind was hazy. He kept refusing Leah’s kisses, murmuring indistinctly, "Leah will get angry."
Leah’s tears finally fell. "Asher, it’s me," she sobbed. "I’m Leah! I’m Leah!"
Hearing her voice, his mind seemed to clear for a moment. He was in so much pain. Leah looked at his lip, which he’d bitten bloody, and her tears fell even harder. With trembling lips, she kissed him.
Asher’s reaction was volatile. One moment he was kissing her frantically, the next he was pushing her away. Leah’s own lip was now split, and Asher tasted the tang of blood in her mouth.
The taste seemed to clear his head slightly. "Wait for the medicine," he said, his voice hoarse. "Don’t move. I’ll hurt you."
Leah wiped away her tears, then suddenly smiled. "Asher, haven’t you always wanted me to go all the way with you, no holding back? Let’s try that tonight."