C7 Seven

The sudden kiss that greeted Jake's lips paralysed part of his consciousness. As if hypnotised, the entire atmosphere around them stopped to make room for him and the girl he had just met to spark passion. The other side of Jake entertained Anna's lips, biting and caressing her tongue to gently sip the remains of the wine left there. As sweet as honey, Jake thought to himself. Moreover, one hand moved to cup Anna's jaw while the other pulled her slender waist, not wanting to create even a centimetre of distance.

"Jake..." Anna moaned, feeling the pounding in her chest now rolling like waves ready to hit the rocks. Her face turned red beyond embarrassment because she had pounced on Jake's lips like a cheap woman. However, she has no other choice but to protect herself from the pursuit of a crazy man like Milo. The corner of Anna's eye glanced at her ex, who was standing not far behind Jake's back, transfixed.

Instantly, Jake's consciousness gathered in one snap, making him stunned at his audacity. He was about to move away but was held back by Anna, who kissed his lips gently again, silencing all the words he wanted to say.

"There's a man behind you who is following me," Anna whispered between their kisses. Anna's slender fingers traced the lines of Jake's face, growing with a rough beard, then stopped at the man's thin, wet lips. There was an intense whisper within Anna to caress him again and taste Jake again in her mouth.

"Is it true?" Jake wanted to look away, but Anna stopped him from looking back again.

He doesn't know where the encouragement came from; Jake's hand grabbed Anna's waist tighter, making Milo, who saw it, even more disgusted. He raised his middle finger and then shouted,

"She's a whore, sir!" Then he walked away, disappeared behind the crowd, and was swallowed up by disappointment.

"Should I break that guy's neck?" Jake's request sounded like a warning to Anna's ears. "I can find--"

Anna shook her head slowly. "He has gone."

"Oh." Jake automatically stepped back, cleared his throat awkwardly, and then picked up Anna's plastic shopping bag piled on the ground. "I should have taken you home," he said feeling guilty as he handed Anna her luggage.

Anna stood on tiptoe and looked slightly over Jake's broad shoulder, making sure that the figure of her ex's crazy obsession had disappeared from view. However, behind this man with exotic skin was just a group of foreign tourists wearing casual and skimpy clothes. They didn't seem to care that someone had just kissed passionately.

Finally, Anna could breathe freely as she squeezed her chest. Her hands shook like crazy; her pounding heart still refused to stop as if she wanted to say something. She doesn't know if it was because of Milo's inappropriate hands that were rubbing Anna's body or Jake's kisses that were still felt on her lips.

She hurriedly received her luggage and said, "Thanks. But... I'm okay." There was doubt on her face because it could be that Milo chose to wait at the end of the alley to seduce her and rob her of her wallet. Again, the image of Milo forcibly fondling her and almost having sex with her made Anna's hair stand on end.

Jake noticed that the fabric of Anna's top was torn, almost exposing her cleavage. She wondered, did the man she said was her ex commit acts of violence? If Anna had given her permission, it would have been confident that the man who hurt Barbara's helper would have been beaten to a pulp. Jake didn't like men playing with women as if they had the right to their partner's body. If there are no feelings, why do they have to push for something that should be given up?

"What happened?" Jake asked. "Your clothes..." he pointed at the collar of Anna's crop top, then turned his gaze in another direction. "Open."

"Holy shit, damn it!" Anna exclaimed, realising that her clothes were torn a pretty long way.

"Wait here," Jake asked, asking Anna to stay where she was.

"Where are you going?" shouted Anna. "Jake!"

Jake ignored Anna's call and approached his Audi, parked not far from where they were. A blue knit sweater was lying on the passenger seat; at least this could help Anna cover the part that shouldn't be shown publicly. Moreover, her full tits are almost visible and invite many eyes to enjoy the view. Jake rushed back, handed Anna her Loro Piana sweater, and pulled back the bag of groceries for her to put on quickly. "Put it on!"

"Hah?"

"Are you going to show your tits?" Jake pointed with his double chin then looked away again. "Put it on, Anna."

Like it or not, Anna wore a soft knit sweater against her skin even though it was huge on her body. She looked down, looking at herself like drowning in Jake's fragrant clothes. A hint of sweet vanilla aroma, like milk mixed with amber and a hint of fresh orange, wafted into Anna's sharp nose. She sniffed once again, feeling that Jake's body fragrance truly represented how sexy and luxurious it was simultaneously.

"Hey," Jake called, chuckling, observing the cute girl's behaviour.

Anna was confused, patting the part she inhaled so as not to leave a trace of powder or lipstick because she knew that Jake's clothes were a third of her salary for one week in Sydney. "You're exaggerating even though I'm fine."

"Women can be men's best prey, Anna. Any clothes that show parts of your body can turn them into monsters," said Jake. "Come on, come inside and tell me what happened to you."

"Jake, I--"

"I don't accept rejection," said Jake, taking Anna's hand into the beach club.

###

The VIP room has white walls and a modern tropical concept, and two long leather sofas are in the middle. This room is bordered by thick glass doors that connect directly to the charming view of Melasti Beach. Usually, Jake would rent this place just to unwind with some friends and colleagues from home and abroad while sipping wine or champagne from the mini bar available behind the sofa. A 65-inch LED Smart-TV displays a shirtless man playing a DJ Mixer connected to a specially arranged sound system.

Jake took a bottle of sparkling wine from the bar cupboard while carrying two tulip-shaped glasses. He approached Anna, sitting on the sofa, and asked, "Are you bothered by the sound?"

Anna shook her head quickly. "No!"

The man sat down on Anna's right side, opened the lid of the wine bottle with a corkscrew and then poured slowly so that the foam didn't spill out until fine bubbles appeared sticking to the glass walls. Next, he gave the drink to Anna. "Drink it. It's good for relieving your tension."

"I've had several glasses, Jake. I don't want to get drunk," said Anna, but her hand did not refuse the handsome man's gift.

Jake just laughed a little, poured himself a drink then leaned back on the sofa while inhaling for a moment the aroma and character produced by the sparkling wine. The smells of pear, lemon and apple come together first before being followed by a character similar to dark chocolate and a hint of cigar aroma. As the leg of the glass was shaken to spread the fragrance, Jake took a slow sip, letting the taste of the sparkling wine linger in his mouth for a moment before moistening his throat.

The man's gaze shifted to Anna's lips, which pressed against the rim of the glass, causing him to be forcibly pulled back to the flash of a few minutes earlier when Jake makes out like two lovers who haven't seen each other for a long time, Friendly and wild. He could still feel how soft and sweet Anna's lips tasted.

Like tasting a slice of cupcake!

"So? What made that guy chase you?" Jake asked, trying not to focus his gaze on Anna's lips.

The person asked, glanced briefly, then took a deep breath, releasing the burden into the air, but still, all the problems would not go away so quickly. Anna shook the glass leg in silence, rearranging the pieces of her past with Milo that she wanted to erase from her memory. The pain of being exploited by this parasitic man has strained her relationship with Silawati. If it weren't for Anna's friend, who suggested apologizing to her mother, perhaps up to this moment, they would still be at war.

"I met Milo on the road leading to my home," Anna said, starting her sad story. "We... broke up about three years ago."

"Why?" Jake was curious about Anna's romance. Shouldn't men be lucky to get the heart of a strong woman like the girl beside him?

"Milo... he extorted my hard-earned money because it was for his mother's treatment in Spain," answered Anna, smiling wryly.

"If it's for treatment, why doesn't he return to his country or at least send the money yourself? Why does it have to be you who is just a lover?" Jake was itchy to see a man who took advantage of other people's finances by selling sad stories.

"I didn't think about it that way, Jake. I gave him the money in the hope that he would come home soon and look after his mother's health, but..." Anna faltered as feelings of annoyance and anger gathered together in her chest. It wasn't the tiny amount she spent on Milo, but almost twenty million, and it all disappeared instantly for no apparent reason.

Jake wanted to pat Anna's right shoulder to give her strength but didn't do it to protect the girl's self-esteem. "But?" She took another sip of her drink without taking her eyes off Anna's face, recording every expression that occasionally... observed the lines of her sensual lips.

"It's all fake," said Anna, taking a sip of sparkling wine and then wrinkling her nose, feeling the drink bubbles mixed with the sensation of soda coming together in her mouth without permission. "My money is used to have fun with other women in Canggu."

"Damn!" Jake growled. "Does your mother know?"

"From the start, my mother didn't agree with me having a relationship with a man of foreign descent," said Anna. "It's normal; it's traumatising that the child will suffer the same fate as the mother."

"Oh, sorry."

"I think... it seems like karma will keep repeating itself, Jake. My father dumped my mother. Milo dumped me. I see all men are almost the same; they only approach women to satisfy their curiosity and lust. The rest... well, it's been thrown away like trash."

"Not all of them, Anna," said Jake, not wanting to be confused. He felt he had always been loyal and had never done strange things with other women. After all, Jake had to maintain his family's good name in other people's eyes. On the other hand, the harmonious romance between his parents is why Jake is not interested in playing with women.

"Mostly. I'm not insulting you at all!" said Anna, laughing. "Because of that... I'm too lazy to have a romance anymore. I'm tired mentally and physically. I also have to take care of my mother."

"So what's wrong with your mother?"

"My mother's in a coma, Jake," Anna said grimly. "Because of bleeding in the brain, mother had to have a cito operation."

"Where is he being treated?" Jake asked if he could visit Anna's mother, who was being treated.

"In the Stroke ICU, IHC," answered Anna. "But, luckily, my friend, Saras, wanted to help me wait for my mother when I was called to work in Australia. So... yes, my salary was divided here and there to pay people, pay for hospital administration."

"Your family?" Jake tilted his head, feeling that the life behind Anna's sweet smile held many dark secrets. If you look closely, the eye bags on the girl's face show how much burden she carries alone. Jake was pitiful.

"Hey..." Anna waved her hand. "How could anyone care about an illegitimate child like me? I only have a mother, Jake. Apart from that, I consider other people."

"There's me, Anna," said Jake, making Anna widen her eyes for a moment. "You can ask for my help whenever you want. The doors of my house are open for you."

Anna's lips were pressed together, unable to reply to words that sounded like mercy. All this time, Anna has tried not to attract anyone's sympathy as long as she can earn money across the country. After all, everything she did was to cure Silawati from a coma and dream of starting a new life in a place where no one knew them.

She bit her lower lip, unsure whether Jake's invitation was just out of pity. Moreover, the soft touch that greeted her lips again suddenly appeared, causing millions of butterflies in her stomach. There was a feeling of strangeness and suspicion as to why this man she had just met had the heart to give all kindness without limits. Will there be anything in return if she accepts Jake's request? Or is all that just usual pleasantries as friends?

"I'm serious," said Jake as if he could read Anna's mind. "If you need my help, come to me, Anna. I'll be there for you."

Anna only gave a faint smile, neither confirming nor refusing. She is self-aware that accepting too much kindness from others can give rise to misperceptions. Moreover, in front of her is the owner of the wealthiest vineyard in Indonesia; how could Anna possibly take that opportunity for herself?

On the other hand, his eyes accidentally caught a classic-style silver ring pinned to Jake's ring finger. A sign that the man is no longer single. One bitter reality is that what Shanon said yesterday is true. Jake has a heart that no one can shift because of social equality. For some reason, Anna's stomach suddenly felt knotted when her gaze refused to move from the luxurious ring.

What kind of feeling is this? Be aware, Anna!