TEST DRIVE: A Night of Forbidden Desire

Vonda instinctively turned her face when she heard the door opening. Finding Max entering and immediately looking at her, Vonda became cautious. She could not help but wonder because she sensed a different aura from him this morning.

Initially, Vonda thought Max would scold her relentlessly with bursts of frustration because she always managed to escape from him, something that made her proud. But it seemed Vonda was wrong. Instead of venting his emotions as usual, Max did something beyond Vonda’s comprehension. He placed the room key on her desk.

This naturally made Vonda frown in confusion. Her mind, which had been wondering all this time, became even more puzzled.

Does he not want to lock the door anymore? Why? Is he giving up or tired of being confined with me for eight hours?

As if hearing the unspoken question in Vonda’s mind, in the next moment, Max spoke up.

“I won’t force you to talk to me again. I’m tired. Forcing a girl is not my style.”

Vonda instantly gaped. She could not believe what her ears heard.

Does this mean he won’t force me to take responsibility anymore? Seriously? Is this not a lie? Is this for real? Thank goodness.

However, Max managed to make Vonda freeze from head to toe in less than a minute. It was when Max leaned toward Vonda and asked.

“I just want to ask. Have you ever heard of an employee who chose to resign because their nude photos were spread around the office?”

Vonda’s breath caught in her chest. Her face turned pale. On the contrary, Max looked at Vonda scornfully. He stood up and walked towards his door, ignoring Vonda.

“What?!”

Max blinked when he felt his left hand being held by Vonda so quickly. The girl lifted her face and looked at Max.

“W-what do you mean?”

Allowing Vonda to hold his hand, Max used his right hand to open the door. He would go inside even if he had to take Vonda with him.

“You know what I mean,” Max replied while placing his work bag on the desk. He lowered his gaze and looked at his hand that Vonda was still holding. Then he shifted his gaze to Vonda’s eyes, which were looking at him fearfully.

Max swallowed. He suddenly felt guilty. Vonda’s frightened expression made him realize that he had touched a scary part of her. After all, which girl would want her nude photos to spread?

However, the image of his parents suddenly appearing in his mind made Max clench his jaw. His face turned serious as he asked Vonda.

“Do you want to know what I have on my phone?”

Vonda’s face turned even paler. Her grip on Max’s hand loosened. Still, Max took out his phone from his pocket. Holding the phone with one hand, Max used his index finger to unlock it, and the screen lit up. With agility, Max opened the gallery and showed Vonda a photo.

“Maybe these shoes would make a great first post on my Instagram account.” Max chuckled as he looked at a picture of Vonda’s shoes in her shoe cabinet. “How about this caption? ‘The missing shoe must belong to Cinderella. But the missing pair of shoes must belong to Vonda.'”

Vonda glared at him.

“Next.”

Max scrolled again, this time revealing a photo of a white gown. Vonda did not need to blink to know who the owner of the gown was.

“I bet you took photos with your friends during the party yesterday, right?” Max grinned. “How would it look if I uploaded a picture of the dress among a guy’s shirts?”

How would it look?

Vonda shuddered.

“If that’s not enough, I have something even more interesting here.” Max’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “Ta-da! It’s none other than our Spiderwoman underwear!”

Max burst into laughter while Vonda could only watch helplessly as her underwear was being photographed by Max using a small hanger. It seemed like Max had a talent for arranging women’s underwear displays.

“P-please,” Vonda stammered. Her grip on Max’s hand tightened. Her voice trembled, “You can’t be serious, right?”

Max’s eyes met Vonda’s innocent gaze. “Do you doubt my courage?”

You’re a goner, Von.

A mischievous grin appeared on Max’s face. He nodded repeatedly as he muttered to himself.

“Alright. If you think I won’t be serious and maybe you also think these photos aren’t strong enough…” Max took a deep breath. “Let’s see one photo that will make you remember that night. You were sleeping on my bed, by the way. Under the same blanket I used.”

Saying that Vonda’s life was on the line was not an exaggeration. In fact, that’s exactly what was happening. Especially when she saw Max’s thumb slowly move, as if wanting to swipe the screen to change to another photo. In her entire life, looking at a nude photo of herself was something Vonda never wanted to experience.

“No! Don’t!”

Vonda’s hand shifted, this time holding back Max’s hand holding the phone. At that moment, she bit her lower lip, her heart pounding in fear, while Max quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Oh no! If my bluff earlier had been a little less convincing, Vonda probably wouldn’t be panicking like this. Fortunately, she got scared first and stopped me. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be looking at her nude photos. She’d be seeing pictures of my mom’s cat. They’re both naked, but Vonda doesn’t have fur, right?

Max blinked.

Actually, she does have a little fur. Eh?

“Ehm!” Max cleared his throat again. “Why?” he asked, pretending to be challenging. “Don’t want to see your body covered in my love marks?”

Oh, my goodness.

“N-no,” Vonda whispered, completely panicked. “Please, don’t talk like that here. This is the office. What if someone overhears?”

Max furrowed his brow. “If someone overhears?” he repeated. “So, what if someone overhears? I won’t lose anything. After all, we live in Oceana, where the law doesn’t really apply. Women are always the ones who suffer.”

Vonda admitted that, with some rationality left in her mind.

“For example, when it comes to being cheated on or cheating, it’s always the woman who is blamed. If a woman is cheated on, it’s because she didn’t satisfy her husband, so he cheated. If a woman cheats, she’s labeled as promiscuous,” Max grinned. “See? Our culture always blames women. So even if our photos were to be leaked, who would be the one embarrassed?”

Now, even Max could feel the tremor in Vonda’s hand as she held his.

“I beg you, don’t spread those photos.”

A victorious smile appeared on Max’s face. “According to you, why do you think I dared to consider spreading our photos?”

Vonda swallowed hard.

“Why?” Max pressed again. “Come on, answer. Why?”

Vonda was no longer able to swallow. Her mouth felt dry instantly.

“Don’t want to answer?”

With a wry grin and a brief bite on her lower lip, Vonda mustered the courage to respond.

“It’s because I don’t want to take responsibility.”

“That’s it!” Max exclaimed. “You know where you’re wrong, right?”

Vonda was utterly at a loss.

“You forced me to satisfy your desires on the roadside,” Max said. “Even though we didn’t know each other, you kept forcing me.”

Damn it! Vonda could not retaliate to Max’s words.

“I tried to refuse, but you kept insisting.”

Vonda felt as though, in Max’s eyes, she had been branded as a rapist. She felt a little ashamed but also somewhat indignant.

“But…”

“But what?”

“But, even if you were forced, how come you still took the initiative to put on a condom?”

“Uhuk!”

Max coughed instantly upon hearing Vonda’s question. Meanwhile, she stared at him with a blushing face.

“Well, if I didn’t use a condom, then I’d be at an even greater disadvantage. D-do you realize how high-quality my sperm is?” Max asked, his face also blushing. “You’d be lucky if your eggs were fertilized by my top-notch grade AAA sperm.”

“Huh?!” Vonda could not believe her ears. “If I get pregnant, that means I’ll be the one suffering.”

“Oh ho.” Max shook his head. “Are you hoping to get pregnant with my child? So that you can have a handsome child like me too? I won’t let you get pregnant with my child without marriage.”

“Eh?”

“My sperm is very valuable, and only marriage can repay it.”

“Eh?”

“Do you think my seed is some common seed that any woman can get?” Max continued shaking his head. “Oh, no.”

Vonda blinked. She asked foolishly. “So, you think I want your seed?”

“Whatever!” Max retorted. “The important thing is that due to everything that happened between us, and because my parents have also seen us together, you have no other choice but to take responsibility.”

Take responsibility.

Pregnancy.

Sperm.

All those words were spinning in Vonda’s head, making her feel dizzy. What responsibility should she take? Meeting Max’s parents alone would not be enough, right?

Vonda winced. Of course, meeting Max’s parents would not be just a simple visit with a basket of fruits, handshakes, small talk, and then she goes home. That’s impossible, right? What responsibility should she take?

Oh God. Vonda looked at Max.

Why do I have to marry a guy like him? Seriously.

*