TEST DRIVE: A Night of Forbidden Desire

Vonda briefly considered deleting the message that Max sent. However, it was too late. The two gray checkmarks had turned blue, indicating that Andrew had already read it. Now, there was nothing she could do. She could not possibly say, “Sorry, it was a mistake.”

Who would believe that?

Knowing she had no other choice, Vonda simply put her phone back into her work bag. At the same time, she heard a series of notification sounds.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Vonda swallowed. She knew those were replies from Andrew. However, she refused to open them. Not now or ever. Instead of worrying about Andrew’s replies, Vonda found herself thinking about Max!

Just look at him. He appeared so relaxed, sitting there with a slight pout on his lips as he whistled casually. His eyes were sparkling mischievously. Vonda could not believe it. He seemed completely unfazed after sending such a message to Andrew.

“What do you mean by sending a message like that to Andrew?” Vonda asked, her voice becoming hysterical as she scooted closer, nearly touching the edge of the sofa arm, bringing her and Max within close proximity. “You want to embarrass me?”

Max pretended to be surprised, deliberately showing a shocked expression to make it more obvious. As an improvisation, he even raised both hands to cup his cheeks.

“Eh? Embarrass you?” Max shook his head disbelievingly. “I’m actually helping you. A guy like that should be treated just as ruthlessly.”

Vonda growled. “Yes, but you didn’t have to talk about me not being able to pee!”

Max chuckled.

“That’s not about replying to him; you were embarrassing me instead.”

Max’s chuckle ceased. His narrowed eyes replaced the amusement. “Don’t you remember? You said the same thing in front of Olivia.”

Vonda bit her lower lip. She could not retort because, of course, she wouldn’t forget that.

“So, are you trying to get back at me?” she asked.

“Oh ho.” Max shook his head. “It’s not about getting back at you, Von. It’s just paying you back in kind.” He grinned. “Embarrassment is repaid with embarrassment. Fair, right?”

Oh, God.

“Besides, you started it all. Why did you have to talk in front of Olivia about me not being able to pee?”

“Because it’s the truth, Max,” Vonda said hysterically. “Don’t you know that I held myself back from drinking all day? Why? Because I didn’t want to pee. It hurts so much.”

Max blinked, staring at Vonda, and finding a look of desperation on her face.

“Are you not lying?” he asked.

“Oh, my goodness,” Vonda said in disbelief. “If I’m lying, I’d be willing to be cheated on by Andrew for the second time.”

Max fell silent. In his mind, he thought there’s no way Vonda would dare to swear so drastically.

“So… is it true?” he asked cautiously.

“Of course!” Vonda snapped in frustration. “And I bet you didn’t feel any pain at all, did you?”

Max widened his eyes.

“Careless with your words, aren’t you? You don’t know when I was in the car, the zipper accidentally got caught on me. You teased me without any consideration,” Max retorted. “That caused a scrape, Von.”

“Oh.” Vonda covered her mouth, remaining silent as she looked at Max’s face that turned red for a few seconds. “Now… is it still hurting?”

“Huh! It’s healed.” Max’s eyes glanced at Vonda and winked once. “How about yours? Does it still hurt?”

Vonda shook her head. “It’s not hurting anymore,” she replied, taking a quick breath. And as if needing to clarify things, she continued, “It took about two days for it to heal.”

“Oh,” Max nodded.

“By the way,” Vonda said, stealing a glance at the area where Max’s thighs met. “I apologize for going too far that night.”

Max cleared his throat.

“That was my first time, by the way,” Vonda confessed nervously. “So… you know, I’m still inexperienced.”

Max nodded. “It’s okay. Eventually, you’ll get used to it.”

Vonda nodded in agreement.

“You should practice more often.”

What?!

“I-I mean, what I meant is that your emotions need to be trained,” Max quickly corrected his sentence. “So, you can be gentler.”

“Oh,” Vonda took a deep breath. “Well, but… you also need to practice more.”

“Practice w-what?” Max suddenly became serious. “Did I have any significant shortcomings that night?”

Vonda blinked. Max shifted his sitting position, leaning towards Vonda. He looked genuinely serious, waiting for her answer.

“Uh… I don’t think there were any significant shortcomings.”

Max nodded. “On a scale of 1 to 10, where do you think I stand?”

Vonda was taken aback. “I just had sex with you, Max. I can’t judge you if I don’t have comparable criteria for evaluation.”

“Uh… that’s true. How about based on your feelings? Approximately, what would you rate me?”

Vonda seemed to think for a moment. Her eyes gazed at the ceiling. Max waited anxiously, as if that assessment was crucial for his survival.

“I think…” Vonda finally said, “around 9. 5.”

What?!

“9. 5?” Max exclaimed. “Why leave out 0. 5? Where did I fall short, Von?”

Vonda leaned in, mirroring Max’s posture. “If I hadn’t been in pain, you would have gotten a perfect 10, Max. Isn’t a sexual relationship supposed to be enjoyable? There shouldn’t be any lingering pain.”

“Well, if there’s just a little bit of pain, it can be tolerated,” Max defended. “Besides, it’s not just you who experienced the scrape. I felt it too.”

“So, according to you, I also get a 9. 5?”

Max fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “If my manhood hadn’t gotten scraped, I’d give you a 10.”

“Oh… so, from now on, I have to make sure your manhood doesn’t get caught in a zipper, right?”

Max nodded. “That’s only one concern. The problem now is me. Why did you get hurt inside? Was it because of the condom? Or was I too rough?”

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with the condom, it seems.”

“Then the brand I bought is good. I just need to find the right size.”

“Right. Now I’m worried because of what you said about size.”

“Why?”

“I’m worried it might get scraped because… well, because of your pecker.”

“What do you mean?”

“I also felt like it was too full, Max. I just realized that I was attacked three times in one go.”

“Ah. That’s true. We should’ve taken a break yesterday. Your vajayjay probably needed time to adjust.”

“Yes! That’s what I thought too. So, next time, when we’re more experienced, it’ll be more comfortable.”

“Hopefully, there won’t be any more scrapes.”

“But still, you shouldn’t be too aggressive.”

“I can also be gentle.”

“Then let’s vary it. Sometimes gentle, sometimes more aggressive.”

“Sure. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, and also, when you go in next time, don’t thrust immediately. Let your pecker stay inside for a while.”

“I paused, didn’t I? So, your vajayjay could adjust?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry. Next time, I’ll wait until you’re really ready.”

“Just be careful. If I’m not ready, don’t thrust too soon.”

“Don’t worry. Next time, I’ll-”

Wait!

Max’s words came to a halt midway. They were replaced by a question that echoed in his mind.

What kind of conversation is this, God?

Max swallowed the remaining words that had queued up at the tip of his tongue, feeling awkward. Especially when his gaze met Vonda’s. The girl remained silent, as if waiting for Max to continue his sentence. However, in the next moment, her face slowly turned red. Both Max and Vonda seemed to suddenly realize it, realizing how extraordinary their conversation had been.

OH-MY-GOD!

Max and Vonda both averted their gazes, coughing alternately. Feeling equally embarrassed.

Oh my, Vonda. What did you mean by saying that earlier? Were you thinking of… well, getting intimate with him again or something?

Similar thoughts occurred to Max.

Oh, Max. Did you really need to invite her to discuss your performance? What’s the point of it? So that she’ll give you a perfect 10 next time?

“Ahem!”

“Ahem!”

For a few moments, only the sound of coughing was heard repeatedly. Both were equally confused and embarrassed. In their hearts, they both cursed.

Where is my brain?

The atmosphere felt so awkward. It made them both wonder how to get out of it. Until something occurred to Vonda. She stammered out, “Oh… I actually have my spare car key with Andrew.”

Max blinked. “Oh… he wants to use your car, right?”

“Y-yes. But I won’t give it to him.”

“Yeah… you shouldn’t.”

“Don’t worry… Besides, my car is still at the hotel. It got left behind during the reception… Mr. Lucas Hernandez.”

“Oh.”

Max nodded stiffly, clearly remembering why the girl’s car was left at the hotel.

Vonda took a deep breath, feeling so chaotic. Embarrassed, annoyed, and… sleepy, yes, she felt sleepy too. She covered her mouth as she yawned, disturbing Max who was compelled to ask, “Lately… you yawn a lot. Are you not getting enough sleep?”

Vonda sighed deeply. “I can’t sleep. I keep thinking about the responsibility you mentioned.”

Max fell silent, which prompted Vonda to ask.

“Do you really need me to take responsibility? Sometimes, when I think about it, it seems so absurd.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

This time, Max sighed deeply, looking exhausted as he gazed at Vonda. “I won’t demand responsibility from you, in case that night you didn’t suddenly enter my car.”

Vonda’s eyes widened and Max responded in kind. It was enough to prevent Vonda from voicing her objections.

“Because honestly, that night, my mom saw you getting into my car.”

Vonda was startled. “Oh, God!”

“I can’t lie to my mom either. I know very well what my mom is like,” Max said helplessly. “It would only take a few days for my mom to hire to Sherlock Holmes find you. So, I’d rather play it safe.”

“That bad?”

“Maybe even worse, Von. So… it’s better for me to explain everything to you.”

Vonda held her breath as Max started to explain the real situation. About Max and Olivia being arranged to marry, but both had no feelings for each other. Their childhood friendship, filled with jokes, fights, and wrestling, did not leave any room for romantic feelings to develop. They had tried being a couple, holding hands, and saying affectionate words.

“But all that happened was we felt nauseous together!” Max shuddered. “But our parents won’t cancel the arranged marriage unless…”

“You both don’t have partners?” Vonda interrupted.

Max quickly snapped his middle finger and thumb together, making a sound. “Exactly.”

Vonda realized why Olivia had pressed her to pretend to be Max’s girlfriend.

“Um, but… I can’t really be your actual girlfriend, Max.”

“No no no!” Max quickly shook his head. “Because you know the real problem, it’s easier for me to explain it to you. I’m not really asking for you to take responsibility.”

Vonda felt relieved.

“I just want to ask for your help. At least pretend to be my girlfriend until they cancel our arranged marriage. And until Olivia really goes back to Tokyo.”

“Um.” Vonda’s hands clasped in front of her chest. “That’s beneficial for you. But what about me?”

Max swallowed his saliva. “You also benefit, Von. At least you can be sure that only I have seen you naked.”

Vonda forgot something.

“Even if it was just through a photo.”

Damn!

Vonda growled. “Fine! I’ll help. Are you satisfied?”

“Do you see a satisfied expression on my face?” Max asked. “I’m actually so tired of dealing with this arranged marriage drama. My mom should be busy arranging Kitty’s marriage, not me.”

Vonda blinked. “Kitty is your younger sister?”

“No. It’s my mom’s Persian peaknose cat. Directly imported from Persia. Her fur is really long and beautiful. That’s why my mom has been so busy looking for a male to-” Max took a breath. “Why am I talking about a cat?”

Vonda smiled and yawned again.

“Do you want some coffee?” Max stood up. “I haven’t brought you anything to drink yet.”

“Sure. Something sweet, please. Thank you.”

Max nodded. “While you wait, just rest. If you’re lucky, I might have some frozen pizza left.”

After saying that, Max left Vonda, who he noticed reaching for a sofa cushion. He headed straight to the kitchen, heating water and preparing two cups.

Efficiently, Max put two spoons of coffee powder into one cup, not forgetting to add sugar. The other cup, for himself, he put a tea bag without sugar.

A moment later, the kettle whistled. Max turned off the stove, grabbed the kettle, and his ears faintly caught the soft footsteps behind him. Max shook his head, suspecting that Vonda was the kind of woman who could not wait.

“Black coffee, right, Von? Or do you want something else?” Max asked, reaching for the handle of the kettle, and lifting it off the stove.

Max moved a little, approaching the two cups he had prepared, and spoke again.

“The pizza is in the fridge, Von. You can- Oh my God, Mom!”

Max was taken aback. He jerked and stopped in his tracks as he realized that the footsteps he heard were not Vonda’s. Instead, they belonged to a middle-aged woman whom he called Mom.

In front of Max, Riley Madison-the mom who had been terrorizing Max recently-smiled, clasping her hands together.

“The one sleeping in front is… Vonda?”

Gasp!

Max blinked repeatedly with the kettle still in his hand.

“You really need to be taught, Max. You’re asking your future wife to sleep on the sofa. No affection, huh?”

Oxygen, please! Oxygen!

Suddenly, Max felt like he could not breathe.

Oh God. I’m dead.

*