SHADOWS OF DECEIT

Chapter 15

Morning light slipped through the narrow blinds, casting thin beams over Samuel's face as he cracked his eyes open. The smell of last night—alcohol, sweat, and something that made his skin prickle with the memory—hung thick in the air. Grimacing, he shifted slightly, trying to lift himself from the bed. 

But a tight arm, possessive even in sleep, wound firmly around his waist, keeping him anchored. Samuel sighed, half-amused, half-frustrated, before glancing back to find Chan—or Gem, rather—still asleep. 

Softened by sleep, his features looked almost boyish, a far cry from the teasing, challenging eyes that had bored into Samuel hours earlier.

Moving carefully, Samuel tried to ease himself out of the grip, but Chan's arm stirred as he slipped free, pulling the other man from his sleep. Chan groaned, sitting up slowly and pressing a hand to his forehead as if trying to recall the hazy events that had led them here. Samuel, half-dressed now, shifted his weight gingerly, wincing as a sharp pang reminded him of the previous night's intensity.

"You keep groaning like that, Sammy, and you won't be walking out of here at all," Chan muttered, his voice gravelly, yet layered with that familiar edge of teasing. He flashed a lopsided grin at Samuel, who immediately bit back his next wince, his mouth shutting tight.

"It's a bit early for that, don't you think?" Samuel shot back, rubbing a sore spot on his shoulder.

Chan stretched, his grin only widening. "Not for me."

Something unexpected flared up in Samuel, an odd heat that made him look away, cheeks warming. 

But before he could even compose himself, the door creaked open, and the woman from last night, wearing a dress with even less material than before, waltzed in with an exaggerated sway to her hips. 

Samuel's stomach twisted as he watched her saunter toward Chan, leaning over far enough to nearly press her chest into his face.

"Gem, would you like to have a bath, sir?" Her voice dripped with suggestiveness, her body angled provocatively toward him, and Chan—never one to deny a willing participant—leaned forward, allowing his lips to graze up her collarbone before flicking his tongue just lightly over the exposed skin.

Samuel's jaw tightened, a sharp, unfamiliar sensation cutting through him. He forced himself to look away as Chan chuckled softly, clearly entertained by her antics. 

The woman gave a delighted giggle, glancing back at Samuel with a faintly triumphant look as she straightened, lingering only a moment before heading to the bathroom with another exaggerated sway of her hips.

Samuel cleared his throat, forcing himself to maintain a calm expression as he turned back toward the bed. "Isn't it... I don't know, a little early for this?"

Chan's smirk returned, eyes glinting as he raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you ask me that already? I mean, if you're really not in the mood, Sammy, I can get my morning started with her." His gaze was relentless, half-daring and half-mocking.

Samuel swallowed hard, the sharp pang of jealousy creeping up unexpectedly. "Fine," he muttered, grabbing his phone and wallet from the dresser with an abruptness he didn't quite understand himself. 

He knew he was overreacting; this wasn't his first one-night stand by any means, and he certainly hadn't expected anything beyond that. Still, something about Chan's casual indifference—it dug in deep.

"Bye-bye, Sammy," Chan called as Samuel moved to the door, a devilish smirk crossing his face. "Go on, I've got...other business to take care of."

Samuel didn't respond. He slammed the door behind him, the sound echoing down the hallway as he tried to shake off the strange hollowness eating at him.