novelraw Chapter 228 - 178: So-called Massage
Chapter 228 - 178: So-called Massage
The bodyguard steeled himself and reported, "I don’t know what’s up with the police. They found the delivery truck right after it left today. Boss, it must have been that woman, Naomi Shaw. She must have tipped off the cops. I told you that woman couldn’t be trusted."
With a sharp CRACK, Sean Donovan crushed the wine glass in his hand, cutting the bodyguard off. "What does it have to do with her? She’s never even seen the delivery truck that comes to the mansion!"
The bodyguard protested indignantly, "But Boss, for all these years before she came, we’ve operated safely. How is it that just a few days after she arrives, the police are onto us? If it wasn’t her, who else could it be?"
’There have been stories of femme fatales since ancient times, and this Naomi Shaw was their boss’s very own!’
Sean Donovan calmed himself. "Anything unusual at the docks?"
"No! No one knows about the secret passage. I think we should get out of here through it, and fast. The police have found evidence; they’ll get a search warrant and raid this place soon!"
It was a sensible suggestion. Sean Donovan closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and remained silent for a long moment. "Where is she now?"
The bodyguard hesitated before answering, "Julian Donovan took her back to his place. He has men posted all around the area. It’ll be hard to get close to her!"
Sean Donovan opened his eyes, a dark gloom filling them. "I’m taking her with me!"
"But, Boss—"
The bodyguard looked troubled, but Sean Donovan was clearly in no mood for complaints. "You know my principles!"
When Naomi Shaw woke up the next day, Julian Donovan was just walking into the bedroom. Seeing she was awake, he came over and bent down to kiss her. She pushed him away, her lips still sore from his kisses the night before. "Why didn’t you go to work?"
"It’s a slow day at the hospital, so I’m staying home to be with you all!"
"Breakfast is ready. Come on, get up!"
Julian Donovan had made breakfast. Dylan and Joy were already sitting at the dining table. When they saw her come downstairs, they called out sweetly in unison, "Mommy!"
In that moment, her heart felt as sweet as honey. She thought that the greatest happiness in life was nothing more than this: having a man who loved her and two adorable, well-behaved children.
After breakfast, the two of them played with the children. It seemed like in all these years, the family of four had rarely had the chance to all stay home and enjoy such domestic bliss. However, after just a little while, she was dead tired and flopped onto the sofa to lie down. He had already worn her out completely last night.
"The children are right here! What are you doing, hugging and cuddling me like this? It’s improper!"
"What’s so improper about me holding you?"
He argued with a cheeky grin, "It’s good for them to see how much their parents love each other. It’ll definitely make them feel happy and secure."
"You’re just making excuses!"
She rolled her eyes at him, then slid down from his embrace to lie on the sofa, resting her head on his lap and closing her eyes to rest.
She thought it would be nice to just rest quietly like this for a while, but who knew he’d have to go and spoil the mood by asking, "So, what did you do every day over at Sean Donovan’s place?"
She stiffened with frustration and pretended not to hear him, keeping her eyes shut and feigning sleep.
"Naomi... Shaw!"
His voice, seething with anger, came from right above her head. He sounded furious. She sighed in resignation. "Alright, alright, I’ll talk!"
"You actually gave him a massage?"
"Uh... I-I just massaged his legs, that’s all. Wasn’t I his private caregiver? It’s a normal part of the job..."
Julian Donovan grabbed her by the collar, so angry he felt like he could spit blood. ’A massage? Even massaging his legs is not okay! She can’t touch Sean Donovan at all!’
"A Thai massage, was it?"
He was suppressing a burning rage. She couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, so she could only nod cautiously. "Yes, I learned from Mrs. Sommers before..."
He dragged her toward the stairs. "Then come give me a massage!"
He deliberately emphasized the last four words.
"Huh?"
"Hey, Julian Donovan, are you crazy?"
Julian Donovan forcefully dragged her into the upstairs bedroom. Naomi Shaw shook his hand off and protested unhappily, "There’s nothing wrong with you, and you’re not in any discomfort. Why do you need a massage?"
"My back hurts!"
Julian Donovan tossed the line at her coolly as he started unbuttoning his shirt. The phrase "my back hurts" was far too suggestive. She couldn’t help but think of last night, and she blushed as she cursed him, "Serves you right! You brought it on yourself!"
’Who told him to go on and on without stopping?’
"I brought it on myself?"
Julian Donovan threw off his shirt and narrowed his eyes, approaching her menacingly. "Okay, okay, I’ll give you the massage," she relented, "but you have to lie down first, don’t you?"
"Doesn’t your back hurt? Please turn over and lie on the bed, okay?"
"Actually, my whole body hurts!"
He lay there lazily, grinning up at her. She walked right over and flipped him onto his stomach. ’His whole body hurts? She was the one whose whole body hurt, okay?’
"What’s wrong?"
"Feels good!"
He hummed in muffled satisfaction as he lay there. She was both angry and embarrassed. "I haven’t even started yet, okay? And stop making those weird noises!"
"Just having your hands there feels good, you don’t even have to press!"
Naomi Shaw couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. She placed her hands on his lower back and pressed gently to test the pressure, asking softly, "Is this pressure okay?"
Her face instantly flushed beet red, and she finally lost her temper. "Julian Donovan, if you keep this up, I can’t give you a massage!"
Julian Donovan knew when to back off. Seeing she was genuinely angry, he quickly tried to placate her. "Okay, okay, my fault. Please continue. I promise I won’t bother you again!"
’It really did feel good, though. He was only making those sounds to let her know how satisfied he was with her service.’
Naomi Shaw reluctantly got back into position and continued the massage. This time, he behaved himself, lying there properly without making any more of those strange noises.
As she kneaded his back, her tone softened with concern. "How did you let your body get so exhausted? It’s going to take a long time to get you back in shape."
He rested his chin on the pillow, closing his eyes comfortably. "Does that mean I can look forward to this kind of treatment more often in the future?"
She gazed at his profile, resolute yet gentle, and stopped what she was doing. She bent down, leaning beside him, and placed a soft kiss on his handsome face. "Don’t push yourself so hard from now on," she said softly. "The life you’ve given us is already wonderful. More than your wealth, I care about your health."
Her gentle voice, filled with heartfelt concern, echoed in Julian Donovan’s ear. They were simple words, but they revealed the depth of her love for him, and Julian’s entire heart softened.
’He was a rather unfortunate person.’ Before meeting her, there had been almost no warmth in his life aside from Jean Coleman. He had once hated that he’d gotten involved in the underworld, but now he was grateful for it all, because those experiences were what led him to her.
"Naomi, thank you!"
’Thank you for loving a not-so-good man like me without ever giving up on me.’
Just as the two were gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, Dylan’s calm voice suddenly came from the doorway. "See, Joy? I told you. Dad and Mom are doing bad stuff. We shouldn’t have come up!"
The two of them jumped in shock and simultaneously looked toward the door. Dylan was standing there, holding Joy’s hand; who knew how long they’d been there. Julian yanked the blanket over himself, sat up, and yelled at Dylan, "Who’s doing bad stuff? Mom is giving me a massage!"
"Ohhh,"
Dylan dragged the sound out, his tone dripping with suspicion. ’A massage? All they saw was Mom leaning over to kiss Dad, and then Dad kissing her back.’