Fifteen

It’s fairly obvious I wanted to drive a wedge in between Aaron and Selene but one thing that gave me the opportunity was Aaron’s temper.

If he was not so easily riled up, I would not have been able to do it. If he were a little more calm and composed, I would not be able to gain an edge easily.

Then again I had no right to criticize him since I myself was likely to react in the same manner as he did if our roles had switched.

4.30 pm

I got most of my work done and replied to most of the mails that needed our attention.

There were a couple that needed Selene’s reply so I left them at that although I felt like going ahead and doing it for her since I had access to her laptop.

Selene work up shortly after and I jumped in my seat when I saw the Tv beside me blinked to life before hearing a tired giggle coming from Selene.

James : Wah lau…. Will get heart attack one leh.

She was fiddling with the remote and surfing through the channels. It seems like the nap did her some good and there was colour back in her cheeks again.

I carried on with some work which did not really require much brain, basically forwarding and shooting arrows out and when the Tv blinked shut 15 minutes later, I heard a lazy yawn and saw Selene stretching in the bed.

Her tight frame stretching to reach the boundaries of the bed as her delicious body continued messing up the blanket, ruffling up the sheets and knocking every pillow out of place.

James : Are you ok ? Hungry ?

She nodded but gave a sigh at the same time.

I took that as a que and stopped what I was doing and went over to her side.

It was obvious I wanted to sit beside her on the bed and what surprised me was she actually made room for me, shifting her body which was a little tangled among the blanket a little to her right.

I took the corner beside the window and I saw her turn her body towards me.

James : Do you need to talk ? I’m a certified relationship counselor.

She laughed and passed me a pillow with a little too much force.

We were both quiet for a good 30 seconds when Selene asked me a question which I had to think for a while before answering.

Selene : Are you always like this when you were with Cidney ?

I did not know exactly what she meant or what she was trying to ask so I played it safe.

James : What do you mean ?

She shrugged her shoulder before adding ;

Selene : You know… like .. this… very lame and corny ? haha

I smiled and did an innocent tease on Selene.

I gave her nose a quick gentle pinch and speaking at the same time

James : Well, I’m not being corny and lame, I’m just like making you smile.

Selene giggled and tried to brush my hand away but it was too late, I had already done the deed and she was trying to hit me back for doing it to her.

It seemed to me that she was trying to pinch me back and I took it as a good sign, a sign that she wanted to engage me physically and I decided to make it harder for her.

Remember when I said she was a little tangled with the blanket, when she tried to reach for me on her left, I did a quick switch over to her right and grabbing the ends of the blanket at the same time.

I was fast and I managed to grab on to the ends of the blanket before Selene could react.

Selene : Arhhhhh….. stupid…. Idoit…. James !…

I just laughed but I had 4 ends of the blanket in my hand and I twisted them together. It was not a tight hold and I definitely did not have the strength to lift it off the bed but it was enough to keep Selene tangled and bundled.

She was kicking and laughing but I manoeuvred the ends accordingly adjust to her attempts to free herself.

James : Haha…ok… now would be a good time to talk about my appraisal and bonus.

Selene : Haha. Arghhh… no way…. You can kiss everything good bye.. arghhh..

It was a tiring fight and when I sense Selene giving up barely a minute later, I slowly eased on my hold.

Even though I let go, Selene made no attempts for a counter maneuver, and we both waited for our racing hearts to calm down as we breathe in the cold air of the room.

Selene turned away from me and I released my grip and just basically stood around before going back to her side.

I sat beside her and just looked at her body. She was fiddling with the ends of her hair and I gathered up a few pillows.

Without touching her physically, I pretended I was building some giant lego blocks and started to create a wall of cotton around Selene.

Selene : Haha. What are you up to this time ?

I replied only after I surrounded Selene with the pillows.

James : Keeping you safe…

She said nothing but I could see the upwards movement of the side of her cheeks, evidence of a slight smile, as she took and hugged one of the pillow.

I left her alone and went back to the desk.

After what seemed like 15 minutes of silence, she spoke in a soft voice.

Selene : What do you think of Aaron,….James

James : I only met him once Selene. I can’t answer that question.

Selene : Do you like him ?

James : I’m not Gay Selene..….

Selene : Hahaa… be serious..

I took a while to reply but Selene waited for it.

James : I don’t know, he seemed a bit hot tempered but…. But… perhaps he’s just concerned about you ?

I could tell the current situation was bothering her but I did not want to talk about Aaron so I suggested we head out for dinner and maybe to the shopping center to take our minds off things.

Anything thoughts about Aaron should be done in her mind, not in an open discussion with me. She had to think about Aaron, think about the things he did, then eventually draw her own conclusion.

James : Lai la… come, let’s go enjoy ourselves for one evening and not think about anything else.

She seemed seduced by the thought of shopping and she got out of bed before heading into the bathroom.

I too washed up and changed into berms and T-shirt while Selene wore the same attire I bought for her. In actual fact, both of us were rewearing the limited clothes we have.

James : Hmm. I think we need to shop for some clothes.

Selene : Haha. I think so too, I’m beginning to think I stink.

We stood in front of the hotel entrance at 6pm sharp hoping to get a cab. Selene’s sleep shorts only had 2 shallow pockets, and since she did not bring her dead phone out, she only brought along some cash.

I caught a quick glimpse and estimated it to be about RM150 give and take.

We got a cab to the famous hawker area by the sea and had a quick dinner before declaring that we smell like satay and fried kuay tiao.

We entered the air-conditioned shopping area at 7pm and for some unexplained reason, we both just paused at the entrance, taking in the colourful lights and the shops.

I turned towards Selene and raised my right arm, adding in strongly accented English.

James : Shall we ?

Selene laughed and she looped her hands around mine.

It was a refreshing and erotic feeling but it lasted only a while. Less than 2 minutes perhaps but it was still a small victory for me. She let go the moment she saw a shop she wanted to visit.

We spent 30 minutes inside and Selene got herself sorted out with enough clothes to last another 2 days if we wanted to.

Needless to say, she bundled everything in her hands and came straight to me for money.

Selene : Can I borrow some money James ?

James : Hmmm….. I charge interest.. you know..

She gave me a playful kick and made me hold on to the clothes while she reached for my pocket.

That was the first time I felt her hand slid down the back of my pants, it was a quick one, like a flash of lighting but I could feel her fingers, her delicate long fingers that would one day wrap around my manhood.

She retrieved my wallet and helped herself to my credit card.

Selene : Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back

She stuck a tongue out at me before she went to the queue.

We spent 2 hours in the mall, shopping, laughing, and we shared a cup of ice cream when she commented about putting on weight.

Whenever Selene wanted to buy something , I would offer to pay with my card as much as possible.

Shoes, clothes, belts,socks, even a couple of plain shorts and quirky t-shirt.

She bought a particular t-shirt with a print of an abstract painting that came in men’s size. I took the opportunity to buy one in my size too and hiding it deep within my own bag.

I quickly dashed to the pharmacy and bought condoms, and lubricants, I did not want to risk Selene seeing those so I actually threw them away and I kept only the receipt. I paid for those in cash.

I double checked and made sure the items were printed clearly and folded it away.

By 9.20pm , we were on a cab back to the hotel and Selene said she was feeling a little queasy again.

I could feel my phone vibrating a couple of times and I guess it had to be Aaron calling but I ignored it.

Right when I paid the cab driver, I got a message from Aaron on my phone.

Aaron sms : Hi, Can you get Selene to call me ?

I ignored it again as I did not want to spoil the moment.

9.45pm

Selene took another dose of her medicine before heading to the shower.

9.55pm

My phone rang and it was Aaron.

I wanted to jump on the bed and scream because it could not have come at a better time.

I quickly answered.

James : Hi Aaron.

Aaron : Hi, I’m looking for Selene….

James : Ermm…. Gimme a moment.

I went to the shower and knocked, and I was sure Aaron could hear everything.

James : hey… Selene…. Selene…

Selene : What ?

James : Phone call….

Selene : Later …

I got back on the phone and told Aaron Selene was in the shower.

He was quiet for a good 3 second before he asked me to tell Selene to call him back.

When Selene came out of the shower, I told her about the conversation.

James : Eh Selene… Aaron doesn’t sound too please, you want to call him back ?

Selene : What did he say ?

James : Ermm.. nothing but I could tell he’s not too happy.

I passed her the phone and told her I could excuse myself if she liked.

She shook her head and told me it’s not necessary.

I pretended to pack some of my stuff and when the call connected, I could hear Aaron’s voice from where I stood. He was practically shouting and Selene raised her voice too.

Selene : Can you be freaking reasonable !!!. you are paranoid!!.

The shouting match did not last long and Selene hung up barely 2 minutes later and just stared at me.

James : I’m… I’m sorry… it’s all because of me… I’m… I’ll call Aaron and sort things out.

Selene just shook her head and wiped away a stray tear;

Selene : no need… it’s not your fault.

I left her alone and I went for my shower

10.15pm

James : Hey… cool down… we’ll be back tomorrow and you can sort everything out with him.

Selene : Would you be angry if you were in his shoes ?

I gave a smile and said I would be concerned but I would trust her with my heart.

Selene smiled and looked away

10.30pm

As promised, I took the couch and I dimmed the lights.

I set a timer for 12am and kept my phone in my pocket.

12am

I woke up with a buzz in my pocket and I quickly turned off the alarm. I stole a peak at Selene and

I got up as quietly as I could.

I wanted the receipt for the clothes I bought for her. She had held on to some of them, most of them were squashed, some bundled together.

She had it on the table beside the plastic bag, I unfolded it and I began to slip a couple of them inside the bag among the layer of clothes that she would be bringing back with her.

I also place some crushed up ones in the tote bag, trying to make it seem inconspicuous.

I could not think of where to put the condom purchase so I folded it into a small square before dropping it into a plastic which Selene got from some shop but had reused it several times to put new purchases.

I also added to the mix some other useless receipts i got from my other trips to malaysia which does not have my signature on them. The items we just normal unassuming items.

I could always say the receipt could be from some other customer or something and somehow it fell into her bag if she ever asked

I retrieved my Victoria secrets receipt and I put in in the same bag that came with the lingerie which Selene was using for her wore clothes.

Most of the receipt slips carried my signature proudly.

Of course I did not take all of it but left a couple of the bigger ticket items which Selene would want to hold on to at the same place on the table.

There was no guarantee that Aaron would see them or even come across them but it’s a possibility. It was just a gamble. A gamble that I hope would pay off.

I tried to put myself in Aaron’s shoes.

I tried to reason and think why I would want to pick Selene up at the airport and what I would do afterwards.

I would probably try to snoop around in the bags, why ?

Because I would want to know.

I want to know what she had been up to, and I wanted to see what kind of evidence I could get my hands on.

And I could only hope Aaron was thinking along the same line as me.

There was no telling the amount of damage these simple receipts would do.

I could only hope he chance upon them

I dropped Aaron a message.

Sometimes the more you try to explain, the more you would muddle things up but I decided I had to fuck with him a little more. I sent him this message.

James sms : Hi Aaron, I believe I need to clarify a couple of matters. It is purely a work trip and Selene fell sick, things went wrong , time got delayed, resulting in a missed flight.

We’re not even packed for an extended stay.

There were not enough rooms despite us being on the waiting list but I took the couch in the room. I just want to prevent any misunderstanding that might arise because of this incident.

Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets home safely .

I did not expect a reply and I did not get one. I merely wanted to reaffirm that I was sharing the same room with his wife to be and there was nothing he could do about it.

Perhaps all he could think of that moment was why am I still up at 12am sending him messages.

9th March 2012

Saturday

Selene vomited a little after breakfast but we manage to make our way back to Singapore with any further incident.

I saw Aaron at the gate waiting for Selene and I told her to go ahead while I shopped at duty free.

The weekend was quiet and Selene was not in office for the whole of Monday morning.

Selene finally arrived at noon and I had to speak to her about work.

After one hour with her, I asked if everything was ok with Aaron.

I felt the sick joy in my heart when I saw Selene’s facial expression changed the moment I mentioned his name.

Selene : He’s gone a bit bonkers… I don’t know what is wrong with him. He kept saying you are up to no good initially, then after that he accuse me of having feelings for you.

Selene looked away when she spoke the 2nd part before looking back at me.

She went on to say that he went through her bags saw the new lingerie I bought and he threw a fit and demanded she throw them away.

James : Errrr….. okay…. It’s just clothes… and you have nothing to wear at that point in time.. If i… knew…

Selene : It’s not your fault James, I’m just ignoring him for now.

Right before I left the office, I threw Selene a question which would no doubt get her to start thinking.

I gave a bit of frown on my face and tried to put on my best concerned look.

James : Selene ……. Why is Aaron going through your luggage behind your back ?

It must have caught her off guard as she just stared at me with no reply even though her mouth parted a little as if she had an answer for my question.

I gave a casual wave, brushing my own question off and got back to my seat.

I deliberately walk past Selene’s office again to head to a colleague’s desk and I saw her lean back on her chair, looking up into the ceiling and i really wondered what was going through her mind at that moment.

I was feeling pretty good that day actually, everything seem to be slowly falling into place.

8.20pm

I was one of the last few to leave office that day and i chanced upon Selene and Aaron at the bottom of the stairs in front of the office.

It was an awkward moment when our eyes met but i just gave them a casual wave before making my way to the train station.

I manage to catch Selene turning and walking away from Aaron before i turned.

11pm

I received a call from Selene.

Selene : Can you take one more renovation job ?

James : Ermm.. ok… send me the details. Who’s the client ?

Selene : Me…. and Aaron. It’s his place. We’re planning to do it up before i move in

I immediately replied a little too fast.

James : Selene…. it’s a little touchy situation. I don’t think this is the best time…

She cut me off halfway and i swore she sounded a little spiteful.

Selene : I don’t care James… just do it. I’ll email you the drawings within the hour.

12.20am

I looked through the details and it was a fairly simple job.

I called Beng Soon and asked to meet him at the end of the week.

Beng Soon : What is the plan ?

I told him that he would need to make a loss for this particular job but i would reimburse him as much as i could.

Beng Soon : Why ?

James : I’ll explain later. you just need to remember one thing and only one thing.

James : Give a price and no matter how much i insist, you do not budge from it.

Beng Soon : Ok… what else.

James : I will get Selene to bargain with you about the price and i want you to flirt with her in front of her Fiance.

Beng Soon : Wah lau, will i get wack or not…

James : Haha… who dare to wack you ?

Beng Soon went on to tell me that he had already bought the items i sent him and i told him to keep them ready.

We should be needing them pretty soon.

Right before we ended the phone call, Beng Soon asked in an embarassed manner.

Beng Soon : Eh.. James… Any chance… Selene….

I knew what he wanted and i just told him honestly.

James : Sorry. Selene is mine……..but maybe we can still work something out, just looking can’t be half as bad right. haha.

Beng Soon : Haha. you’re a fucker James… ..

James : I think so too.

It’s fairly obvious I wanted to drive a wedge in between Aaron and Selene but one thing that gave me the opportunity was Aaron’s temper.

If he was not so easily riled up, I would not have been able to do it. If he were a little more calm and composed, I would not be able to gain an edge easily.

Then again I had no right to criticize him since I myself was likely to react in the same manner as he did if our roles had switched.

4.30 pm

I got most of my work done and replied to most of the mails that needed our attention.

There were a couple that needed Selene’s reply so I left them at that although I felt like going ahead and doing it for her since I had access to her laptop.

Selene work up shortly after and I jumped in my seat when I saw the Tv beside me blinked to life before hearing a tired giggle coming from Selene.

James : Wah lau…. Will get heart attack one leh.

She was fiddling with the remote and surfing through the channels. It seems like the nap did her some good and there was colour back in her cheeks again.

I carried on with some work which did not really require much brain, basically forwarding and shooting arrows out and when the Tv blinked shut 15 minutes later, I heard a lazy yawn and saw Selene stretching in the bed.

Her tight frame stretching to reach the boundaries of the bed as her delicious body continued messing up the blanket, ruffling up the sheets and knocking every pillow out of place.

James : Are you ok ? Hungry ?

She nodded but gave a sigh at the same time.

I took that as a que and stopped what I was doing and went over to her side.

It was obvious I wanted to sit beside her on the bed and what surprised me was she actually made room for me, shifting her body which was a little tangled among the blanket a little to her right.

I took the corner beside the window and I saw her turn her body towards me.

James : Do you need to talk ? I’m a certified relationship counselor.

She laughed and passed me a pillow with a little too much force.

We were both quiet for a good 30 seconds when Selene asked me a question which I had to think for a while before answering.

Selene : Are you always like this when you were with Cidney ?

I did not know exactly what she meant or what she was trying to ask so I played it safe.

James : What do you mean ?

She shrugged her shoulder before adding ;

Selene : You know… like .. this… very lame and corny ? haha

I smiled and did an innocent tease on Selene.

I gave her nose a quick gentle pinch and speaking at the same time

James : Well, I’m not being corny and lame, I’m just like making you smile.

Selene giggled and tried to brush my hand away but it was too late, I had already done the deed and she was trying to hit me back for doing it to her.

It seemed to me that she was trying to pinch me back and I took it as a good sign, a sign that she wanted to engage me physically and I decided to make it harder for her.

Remember when I said she was a little tangled with the blanket, when she tried to reach for me on her left, I did a quick switch over to her right and grabbing the ends of the blanket at the same time.

I was fast and I managed to grab on to the ends of the blanket before Selene could react.

Selene : Arhhhhh….. stupid…. Idoit…. James !…

I just laughed but I had 4 ends of the blanket in my hand and I twisted them together. It was not a tight hold and I definitely did not have the strength to lift it off the bed but it was enough to keep Selene tangled and bundled.

She was kicking and laughing but I manoeuvred the ends accordingly adjust to her attempts to free herself.

James : Haha…ok… now would be a good time to talk about my appraisal and bonus.

Selene : Haha. Arghhh… no way…. You can kiss everything good bye.. arghhh..

It was a tiring fight and when I sense Selene giving up barely a minute later, I slowly eased on my hold.

Even though I let go, Selene made no attempts for a counter maneuver, and we both waited for our racing hearts to calm down as we breathe in the cold air of the room.

Selene turned away from me and I released my grip and just basically stood around before going back to her side.

I sat beside her and just looked at her body. She was fiddling with the ends of her hair and I gathered up a few pillows.

Without touching her physically, I pretended I was building some giant lego blocks and started to create a wall of cotton around Selene.

Selene : Haha. What are you up to this time ?

I replied only after I surrounded Selene with the pillows.

James : Keeping you safe…

She said nothing but I could see the upwards movement of the side of her cheeks, evidence of a slight smile, as she took and hugged one of the pillow.

I left her alone and went back to the desk.

After what seemed like 15 minutes of silence, she spoke in a soft voice.

Selene : What do you think of Aaron,….James

James : I only met him once Selene. I can’t answer that question.

Selene : Do you like him ?

James : I’m not Gay Selene..….

Selene : Hahaa… be serious..

I took a while to reply but Selene waited for it.

James : I don’t know, he seemed a bit hot tempered but…. But… perhaps he’s just concerned about you ?

I could tell the current situation was bothering her but I did not want to talk about Aaron so I suggested we head out for dinner and maybe to the shopping center to take our minds off things.

Anything thoughts about Aaron should be done in her mind, not in an open discussion with me. She had to think about Aaron, think about the things he did, then eventually draw her own conclusion.

James : Lai la… come, let’s go enjoy ourselves for one evening and not think about anything else.

She seemed seduced by the thought of shopping and she got out of bed before heading into the bathroom.

I too washed up and changed into berms and T-shirt while Selene wore the same attire I bought for her. In actual fact, both of us were rewearing the limited clothes we have.

James : Hmm. I think we need to shop for some clothes.

Selene : Haha. I think so too, I’m beginning to think I stink.

We stood in front of the hotel entrance at 6pm sharp hoping to get a cab. Selene’s sleep shorts only had 2 shallow pockets, and since she did not bring her dead phone out, she only brought along some cash.

I caught a quick glimpse and estimated it to be about RM150 give and take.

We got a cab to the famous hawker area by the sea and had a quick dinner before declaring that we smell like satay and fried kuay tiao.

We entered the air-conditioned shopping area at 7pm and for some unexplained reason, we both just paused at the entrance, taking in the colourful lights and the shops.

I turned towards Selene and raised my right arm, adding in strongly accented English.

James : Shall we ?

Selene laughed and she looped her hands around mine.

It was a refreshing and erotic feeling but it lasted only a while. Less than 2 minutes perhaps but it was still a small victory for me. She let go the moment she saw a shop she wanted to visit.

We spent 30 minutes inside and Selene got herself sorted out with enough clothes to last another 2 days if we wanted to.

Needless to say, she bundled everything in her hands and came straight to me for money.

Selene : Can I borrow some money James ?

James : Hmmm….. I charge interest.. you know..

She gave me a playful kick and made me hold on to the clothes while she reached for my pocket.

That was the first time I felt her hand slid down the back of my pants, it was a quick one, like a flash of lighting but I could feel her fingers, her delicate long fingers that would one day wrap around my manhood.

She retrieved my wallet and helped herself to my credit card.

Selene : Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back

She stuck a tongue out at me before she went to the queue.

We spent 2 hours in the mall, shopping, laughing, and we shared a cup of ice cream when she commented about putting on weight.

Whenever Selene wanted to buy something , I would offer to pay with my card as much as possible.

Shoes, clothes, belts,socks, even a couple of plain shorts and quirky t-shirt.

She bought a particular t-shirt with a print of an abstract painting that came in men’s size. I took the opportunity to buy one in my size too and hiding it deep within my own bag.

I quickly dashed to the pharmacy and bought condoms, and lubricants, I did not want to risk Selene seeing those so I actually threw them away and I kept only the receipt. I paid for those in cash.

I double checked and made sure the items were printed clearly and folded it away.

By 9.20pm , we were on a cab back to the hotel and Selene said she was feeling a little queasy again.

I could feel my phone vibrating a couple of times and I guess it had to be Aaron calling but I ignored it.

Right when I paid the cab driver, I got a message from Aaron on my phone.

Aaron sms : Hi, Can you get Selene to call me ?

I ignored it again as I did not want to spoil the moment.

9.45pm

Selene took another dose of her medicine before heading to the shower.

9.55pm

My phone rang and it was Aaron.

I wanted to jump on the bed and scream because it could not have come at a better time.

I quickly answered.

James : Hi Aaron.

Aaron : Hi, I’m looking for Selene….

James : Ermm…. Gimme a moment.

I went to the shower and knocked, and I was sure Aaron could hear everything.

James : hey… Selene…. Selene…

Selene : What ?

James : Phone call….

Selene : Later …

I got back on the phone and told Aaron Selene was in the shower.

He was quiet for a good 3 second before he asked me to tell Selene to call him back.

When Selene came out of the shower, I told her about the conversation.

James : Eh Selene… Aaron doesn’t sound too please, you want to call him back ?

Selene : What did he say ?

James : Ermm.. nothing but I could tell he’s not too happy.

I passed her the phone and told her I could excuse myself if she liked.

She shook her head and told me it’s not necessary.

I pretended to pack some of my stuff and when the call connected, I could hear Aaron’s voice from where I stood. He was practically shouting and Selene raised her voice too.

Selene : Can you be freaking reasonable !!!. you are paranoid!!.

The shouting match did not last long and Selene hung up barely 2 minutes later and just stared at me.

James : I’m… I’m sorry… it’s all because of me… I’m… I’ll call Aaron and sort things out.

Selene just shook her head and wiped away a stray tear;

Selene : no need… it’s not your fault.

I left her alone and I went for my shower

10.15pm

James : Hey… cool down… we’ll be back tomorrow and you can sort everything out with him.

Selene : Would you be angry if you were in his shoes ?

I gave a smile and said I would be concerned but I would trust her with my heart.

Selene smiled and looked away

10.30pm

As promised, I took the couch and I dimmed the lights.

I set a timer for 12am and kept my phone in my pocket.

12am

I woke up with a buzz in my pocket and I quickly turned off the alarm. I stole a peak at Selene and

I got up as quietly as I could.

I wanted the receipt for the clothes I bought for her. She had held on to some of them, most of them were squashed, some bundled together.

She had it on the table beside the plastic bag, I unfolded it and I began to slip a couple of them inside the bag among the layer of clothes that she would be bringing back with her.

I also place some crushed up ones in the tote bag, trying to make it seem inconspicuous.

I could not think of where to put the condom purchase so I folded it into a small square before dropping it into a plastic which Selene got from some shop but had reused it several times to put new purchases.

I also added to the mix some other useless receipts i got from my other trips to malaysia which does not have my signature on them. The items we just normal unassuming items.

I could always say the receipt could be from some other customer or something and somehow it fell into her bag if she ever asked

I retrieved my Victoria secrets receipt and I put in in the same bag that came with the lingerie which Selene was using for her wore clothes.

Most of the receipt slips carried my signature proudly.

Of course I did not take all of it but left a couple of the bigger ticket items which Selene would want to hold on to at the same place on the table.

There was no guarantee that Aaron would see them or even come across them but it’s a possibility. It was just a gamble. A gamble that I hope would pay off.

I tried to put myself in Aaron’s shoes.

I tried to reason and think why I would want to pick Selene up at the airport and what I would do afterwards.

I would probably try to snoop around in the bags, why ?

Because I would want to know.

I want to know what she had been up to, and I wanted to see what kind of evidence I could get my hands on.

And I could only hope Aaron was thinking along the same line as me.

There was no telling the amount of damage these simple receipts would do.

I could only hope he chance upon them

I dropped Aaron a message.

Sometimes the more you try to explain, the more you would muddle things up but I decided I had to fuck with him a little more. I sent him this message.

James sms : Hi Aaron, I believe I need to clarify a couple of matters. It is purely a work trip and Selene fell sick, things went wrong , time got delayed, resulting in a missed flight.

We’re not even packed for an extended stay.

There were not enough rooms despite us being on the waiting list but I took the couch in the room. I just want to prevent any misunderstanding that might arise because of this incident.

Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets home safely .

I did not expect a reply and I did not get one. I merely wanted to reaffirm that I was sharing the same room with his wife to be and there was nothing he could do about it.

Perhaps all he could think of that moment was why am I still up at 12am sending him messages.

9th March 2012

Saturday

Selene vomited a little after breakfast but we manage to make our way back to Singapore with any further incident.

I saw Aaron at the gate waiting for Selene and I told her to go ahead while I shopped at duty free.

The weekend was quiet and Selene was not in office for the whole of Monday morning.

Selene finally arrived at noon and I had to speak to her about work.

After one hour with her, I asked if everything was ok with Aaron.

I felt the sick joy in my heart when I saw Selene’s facial expression changed the moment I mentioned his name.

Selene : He’s gone a bit bonkers… I don’t know what is wrong with him. He kept saying you are up to no good initially, then after that he accuse me of having feelings for you.

Selene looked away when she spoke the 2nd part before looking back at me.

She went on to say that he went through her bags saw the new lingerie I bought and he threw a fit and demanded she throw them away.

James : Errrr….. okay…. It’s just clothes… and you have nothing to wear at that point in time.. If i… knew…

Selene : It’s not your fault James, I’m just ignoring him for now.

Right before I left the office, I threw Selene a question which would no doubt get her to start thinking.

I gave a bit of frown on my face and tried to put on my best concerned look.

James : Selene ……. Why is Aaron going through your luggage behind your back ?

It must have caught her off guard as she just stared at me with no reply even though her mouth parted a little as if she had an answer for my question.

I gave a casual wave, brushing my own question off and got back to my seat.

I deliberately walk past Selene’s office again to head to a colleague’s desk and I saw her lean back on her chair, looking up into the ceiling and i really wondered what was going through her mind at that moment.

I was feeling pretty good that day actually, everything seem to be slowly falling into place.

8.20pm

I was one of the last few to leave office that day and i chanced upon Selene and Aaron at the bottom of the stairs in front of the office.

It was an awkward moment when our eyes met but i just gave them a casual wave before making my way to the train station.

I manage to catch Selene turning and walking away from Aaron before i turned.

11pm

I received a call from Selene.

Selene : Can you take one more renovation job ?

James : Ermm.. ok… send me the details. Who’s the client ?

Selene : Me…. and Aaron. It’s his place. We’re planning to do it up before i move in

I immediately replied a little too fast.

James : Selene…. it’s a little touchy situation. I don’t think this is the best time…

She cut me off halfway and i swore she sounded a little spiteful.

Selene : I don’t care James… just do it. I’ll email you the drawings within the hour.

12.20am

I looked through the details and it was a fairly simple job.

I called Beng Soon and asked to meet him at the end of the week.

Beng Soon : What is the plan ?

I told him that he would need to make a loss for this particular job but i would reimburse him as much as i could.

Beng Soon : Why ?

James : I’ll explain later. you just need to remember one thing and only one thing.

James : Give a price and no matter how much i insist, you do not budge from it.

Beng Soon : Ok… what else.

James : I will get Selene to bargain with you about the price and i want you to flirt with her in front of her Fiance.

Beng Soon : Wah lau, will i get wack or not…

James : Haha… who dare to wack you ?

Beng Soon went on to tell me that he had already bought the items i sent him and i told him to keep them ready.

We should be needing them pretty soon.

Right before we ended the phone call, Beng Soon asked in an embarassed manner.

Beng Soon : Eh.. James… Any chance… Selene….

I knew what he wanted and i just told him honestly.

James : Sorry. Selene is mine……..but maybe we can still work something out, just looking can’t be half as bad right. haha.

Beng Soon : Haha. you’re a fucker James… ..

James : I think so too.

Thank you.

I’m glad you all enjoyed the read despite the thread having tons of grammar and spelling mistakes.

Reading through my old posts, i realised i missed out some parts too but it’s too late.

It’s almost ending. I’m counting about 5 more post to wrap this up.

Cheers

ilock

Thank you.

I’m glad you all enjoyed the read despite the thread having tons of grammar and spelling mistakes.

Reading through my old posts, i realised i missed out some parts too but it’s too late.

It’s almost ending. I’m counting about 5 more post to wrap this up.

Cheers

ilock

16th March 2012

Friday

I was mentally prepared for any awkward moments and situation when I arrived in front of Aaron’s place that morning with Beng soon

From what I understood from Selene during a casual chat in the pantry couple days back, everything was still going according to plan despite them giving each other the cold shoulders.

There were still some friction and trust issues that needed to be worked out.

What I did not understand though was why Selene still kept her pregnancy underwraps.

I was hanging around a few units away while waiting for Selene to call. Over a quick breakfast at a coffee shop in hougang, I briefly went through the quotation Beng soon gave.

It was a reasonable price and it was a pretty small job.

Less than 40k.

Given the items and specifications Selene asked for, I would say it was a pretty good deal.

10.30am

I got a call from Selene and Beng Soon and I approached the place.

It was a old 2 storey house but looked pretty well maintained. It just needed a new coat of paint and some touchups to the roof.

There was a decaying tree in the compound which needed to be removed as well.

We waved to Aaron’s grandmother who was rocking away in her chair watching Korean drama.

Aaron arrived a little after 10.45am and it was a uneasy meeting. We could all feel the tension in the air.

11.15am

We sat down at the dining table and I could not help but notice that Selene was not really talking to Aaron. She was trying to talk to Beng soon about the workmanship she wanted.

Since everything was already well documented on the drawings, Beng Soon said he gave a good price on account of our long working relationship.

I got the ball rolling by asking Beng Soon if he could give a better price.

He went one big round, citing labour cost, worker’s levy and the higher cost of business, and to conclude, he turned me down flatly.

Selene and Aaron were keeping quiet and I felt I needed to urge them on.

I did not want to engage Selene yet so I egged Aaron to bargain first.

James : Hmmm… 38.5k … eh Aaron… what you think ? You all are paying you know… better bargain .. haha

Beng Soon : Eh.. cannot la, really very good price, everything you asked for is top of the line. All good quality.

Aaron gave a half hearted attempt to lower the price by $500 and I almost wanted to roll my eyes.

I shot Selene a look and nodded in a cheeky manner towards Beng Soon.

I’m not sure if Aaron caught that but Selene tried bargaining as well.

Selene : Well.. I know the price is fair.. but Beng Soon, the office has given you quite a bit of jobs you know…

That was the time I fucking want to give Beng soon an award.

I could see his face suddenly lit up and his whole body language changed. He turned towards Selene with a huge grin and listened intently.

Selene : So you know… you know what to do ? haha ?

I would have expected him to agree to cut his price immediately but he took it a notch higher.

He bit down his lips, thought about it for a couple of seconds before saying these exact words.

Beng Soon : Ehhh.. ok lah… since you ask… I’ll adjust it again lor.

I decided to fan the flames a little by joking out loud.

James : Hello… what is this brother ? ???

I gestured to Aaron and me;

James : We ask no discount , Selene ask you adjust…. A bit not right la.

I tried hard to control my laughter as I stole a quick look at Aaron who was not looking too pleased.

Beng Soon : Eh… cannot like that say la.. people pretty girl ma…

I totally saw Beng Soon checking Selene out in front of Aaron and I was damm aroused when I saw Selene laughed and sub consciously brushing back her hair.

James : Orhh… so you saying wear skirt special treatment is it ? I can also wear.

Selene : Haha. Ok James.. stop it….

She turned to Beng Soon and she too was shocked when Beng Soon offered to take 10% off the price.

I immediately stood up, partly because I agreed to cover the losses and partly I wanted to milk it for all it was worth.

James : Wah lan eh… like that 3.8k discount. Selene…. Lend me a spare skirt…. I think we should double it or nothing..

By now Selene and Beng soon are just laughing and the only person with a straight face was Aaron.

Selene was no doubt a little encouraged by the work of her charms and she pushed her luck a little and I swore Beng Soon almost blushed when she tried to cut the price a little more.

If I had a blood pressure monitor strapped onto Aaron, It should be beeping away.

We concluded the final cost to be at 32k. A 6.5k discount in total and all Selene had to do was smile and look pretty in front of Beng Soon.

11.45am

We were all gathered in front of the gate and I dropped the bomb in front of Aaron.

James : eh Selene… I bet if you asked right now, Beng Soon would even buy you lunch. … strike while iron is hot.

Beng Soon : Eh…. Don’t kotok me la… I poor contractor… haha

I did not know if Selene was just sporting that day or she just want to spite Aaron at every turn and she really asked Beng Soon.

Naturally, like the big boss of a contractor, Beng Soon offered to buy all of us lunch.

I pretended to suddenly reach in my pocket and speak into my phone, excusing myself for a moment.

I came back to the group a minutes later adding that I got to rush off and I asked that they enjoy the lunch.

I excused myself after saying goodbye and left the group.

It was only 10 minutes later when Beng Soon called, adding that Aaron did not look too happy and he said that he’s heading back to work too.

He was expecting Selene to reject the lunch treat but she did not.

She went ahead anyway.

Now there was a 50-50 chance of Selene agreeing to go for lunch with Beng soon, I had actually planned for Aaron and her to join Beng soon, and the plan was for Beng Soon to flirt and shower Selene with attention.

Being in the same industry, I asked my friend to use as much construction jargons as possible if that were to happen. That would effectively cut Aaron out of the conversation.

I did not expect Selene to agree to a one on one lunch with Beng Soon but I could see he was still pretty pleased with it.

It’s not often Beng Soon gets to bring a nice pretty girl out for lunch.

I text Beng Soon, and suggested they have a long lunch at a hotel buffet and to drag it as long as possible.

James sms : Go to Corpthorne king. They got nice Penang buffet.

Now I was armed with 2 very important piece of information.

One, Aaron would not be with Selene and Beng Soon.

Two, the long lunch at a hotel.

When Beng Soon texted me at 1pm , saying they just got a seat, I tried to hold back my snigger as I thought about what I should say to Aaron.

At 2.15pm I called Aaron.

James : Hey Hello Aaron… James here… where are you guys are ? I just got to the hotel

Aaron : What are you talking about ?

James : you all having lunch right ? …. Beng Soon told me earlier you all eating here.

Aaron : No.. I am not with them ..

James : eh.. funny leh. … I tried calling but both their phone no reception so I called you. Thought you are with them… never mind. I’ll try them again.

I hung up after that as I held on to my stomach as I laughed so hard I needed to bend over.

Barely a minute later i got a phone call from Aaron. He told me Selene and Beng soon were at the restaurant right at the back. He must have immediately called and checked on Selene.

That was when I knew I had him.

James : Aaron, not possible, I walked every corner of the restaurant, they’re not here. I’m too hungry, I gave up looking.

When Selene got back into the office around 3pm, she asked if I went and look for them.

James : Yah, I walked the whole place, couldn’t find you guys and somehow I could not get through. I thought Aaron was there too so I called him.

Selene : But we were right there…

James : eh… I must have walked grand corpthorne like 5 times…..

She raised up her hands in defeat;

Selene : Oh you genius,…. We’re at Corpthorne King… not grand Corpthorne…

James : Ohhh…..

She walked off back into her room, no doubt Aaron must have threw another fit, accusing her of something she could not have done.

Probably accusing her of sleeping with Beng Soon to get further discount but I don’t know.

8pm

I proceeded to send Beng soon a series of 20 pictures and I asked him to load it into his ipad together with some of his past portfolio references .

I edited the photos, changing the date to the day Beng Soon and Selene went for lunch, and the time to be around the period they were so call “uncontactable.” I even ‘time and date stamped’ every jpeg at the bottom left corner.

3 of Selene’s top and bra.

7 of her various belongings from bag to combs

9 of the messed up bed with her pants at the edge suggesting things did go too far

1 of her undies beside the wrapper of a used condom

24th March 2012

Saturday

I had checked Selene’s Schedule and I knew she had to go Penang on the 22nd and will only be back on the 24th. She would be staying an additional day to attend a conference.

I made the arrangement for Beng Soon to head over to Aaron’s place on the morning of the 24rd March after the paperwork was done.

He was to discuss certain items with Aaron and his grandmother, especially on the toilet that they wanted to redo. It was important I made sure Selene would not be there that day.

I had told Beng Soon specifically to put the pictures I sent him inside a separate folder in his tablet but to just point Aaron to the overall gallery for him to scroll through some of the past references.

Inside the same folder , he was too add in some other private pictures, raunchy poses, other girls for all I cared but 80% of the jpeg had to be mine.

That was to make sure Aaron chance upon enough to mess with his brain.

Now this part is important.

Critical in fact.

There was no telling how Aaron would react but I tried to put myself in his shoes.

I tried to imagine I was the one flipping through the ipad, looking at the pictures.

Amongst the various references of Beng Soon’s past work, up pops the odd occasional private pictures.

Now Beng soon would no doubt be facing Aaron, trying to gesture and talk about his stuff while leaving Aaron to scroll though the ipad.

There were nothing specific to tie Selene to the scene in terms of hard concrete evidence, nothing, but when the picture of a familiar pair of pants, the familiar sight of a stray bra, the familiar pair of heels appearing, your mind would wander.

Then perhaps the picture of a familiar pair of undies, perhaps one you had taken off before suddenly appear before you.

A quick check on the date would bring back recent memories. Memories of an afternoon.

An afternoon lunch which followed a steep discount.

How would you feel ?

Now I was very sure that Aaron would not throw the ipad on the ground and start throwing a fit.

Why ?

Because it would arrive initially as a shock.

A shock like a slap to his face seeing a pair of heels that Selene owned appearing on a picture.

Anyone could have bought the same pair. Anyone could have bought the same undies, chose the same bra, liked the same pants.

He had no evidence, no proof, all he could think of was to look at the pictures again.

It was enough to fuck with the brain.

Aaron would have expected to see pictures of renovation works, instead he gets a shock with the first picture before it disappears with the flick of a finger.

He would be curious, he would want to see more, and as such, his fingers would probably move faster.

His mind no doubt already arriving at a conclusion.

Beng Soon would be talking all this while, and he would not be leaving Aaron with the ipad for too long, probably long enough for him to chance upon enough pictures but not enough to linger on the details.

Beng soon would continue talking normally, talking about the upcoming renovation, while Aaron would have only one thing on his mind.

Selene.

It was mainly pure deduction on my part but when I checked with Beng Soon after he left Aaron’s place, he said everything pretty much went accordingly to my plan.

The only hiccup was that Aaron kept asking to have another look at the references and Beng Soon found it hard to say no.

He said Aaron looked pretty stoned when he left him.

I immediately told Beng Soon to replace the private pictures in his folder, throw in some porn pictures, leaked Taiwan scandals and stuff. He was to download pictures of heels, worn bras, stained panties from online forums.

Build up a collection.

25th March 2012

Monday

6am

Yes, at 6am in the morning, my phone rang.

It was Selene and I could tell she was crying.

I asked her what was wrong and she told me she quarrelled the whole night with Aaron.

James : What is the matter ?

Selene : He…. He accused me of sleeping around…. With Beng Soon…

In my half awake state, I felt the rush of blood to my manhood.

James : What ? Is he mad ?

Selene : Sob… he said…. He said he saw pictures…. On… sob… Beng Soon’s ipad.

James : What kind of rubbish is this. Who would put this kind of things on their ipad ?

I calmed her down and told her to wash up and get changed, I’ll drop by her place and pick her up in a cab.

We’ll go find Beng soon and trash things out.

7.15am

I arrived at Selene’s place and I saw her come out of her house with swollen eyes and she looked tired, I opened the door for her and we were on our way to Beng Soon’s office.

We were silent during the cab ride to Jurong as Beng Soon’s office is located near IMM.

Selene was just staring out the window and right when the cab slowed down to take the exit out Toh Guan, I decided to make my move.

I slowly reached over and took Selene’s hand.

She turned and looked at me.

I gave her cold hand a gentle squeeze and reassured her that it’s just a misunderstanding and we’ll sort this out.

We arrived at Beng Soon’s office at 8.30am due to the morning Jam and the staff told us he’s not in yet.

We took a seat outside his office which happened to be a makeshift pantry.

I called Beng Soon and told him we needed to talk and it’s urgent.

James : Oei… Where are you ? I’m at your office ….. Faster la… need to clarify something.

I gestured a 10 minutes signal to Selene, telling her he’s on his way.

James : Eh… btw… where’s your portfolio reference ar ? We want to take a look. …. Okok.. we wait for you.

The moment I hung up, I went over to Beng Soon’s office and peered through the window. I went to one of Beng Soon’s staff and asked if she could let us in.

Staff : Oh… sorry ah. Only boss got the key.

Selene looked listless and tired and we had no choice but to wait.

I took the opportunity to hold her hand and squeezed it a second time and this time round I let it linger a while longer before letting go.

8.45am

Beng Soon arrived in the office

Selene immediately went and asked Beng Soon for his ipad but he pointed that it’s in his office.

Selene : Can I see it ?

Beng Soon : Err… ok… what’ wrong with you all ? Early morning come here see my past works… got lobang for me is it… ?

Selene went on ahead and grabbed the ipad that was sitting on Beng Soon’s desk.

Beng Soon : Password is 1688.

I went over to Selene’s side and watch her slowly flick through the gallery.

When the first image came up, it was time to use my acting skills again.

James : Oh my god…. Eh… Beng Soon… private things can don’t keep here or not ?

Just when I thought my acting skills was good, Beng soon easily topped them.

Beng Soon : What do you mean ?

He came over and saw the picture of a worn panty he downloaded.

Beng Soon : Oh… shit… shit.. shit… sorry…. I donno why that folder was synced…

He tried to take it but I put up a hand.

James : Give us a moment.

And it was that moment that Selene got angrier and angrier as she flipped through countless pictures of worn undies, stolen bras, hotel sex scandals and pictures of amateur porn.

She finally settled down onto the chair with a loud plop before burying her face with her hands.