"It's inside that shelf over there, at the doorway. I'm so sorry for all this trouble," Ace said while panting softly, as if he was so frail that he couldn't do anything himself.
He had truly mastered the art of being a knight in distress.
Joanna found the first aid kit, which contained bandages, antiseptic cream, and some basic essentials.
As she got to the sofa, she stared at the man's perfect facial structure, along with his beautifully sculpted body and frosty aura. The woman thought to herself, 'What eye candy! He's like a damn incubus!'
"Take your shirt off," Joanna ordered, looming over him like an experienced maneater.
'Oh my god, she's so bold!'
This time, Ace was the one who felt quite bashful, and covered his chest with both arms, asking, "Why? I can't do much in my current state… But if you insist, I'll still try and do my best to please you."
Joanna's cheeks turned red as she clenched her jaw. "What are you thinking? I was going to apply medicine for you! How am I supposed to do that with your shirt on?!"
His shirt had been torn from the whip's impact, and with the bloodstains from his wounds, it looked as if there were roses blooming from his body. It complemented his delicate demeanor, and she couldn't help but want to gawk in awe for just a little longer.
However, she had to ask him to strip, for the sake of applying medicine on his wounds.
"Oh…" Ace's voice sounded slightly disappointed.
He was quite excited a while ago, ready to 'sacrifice' himself despite his injuries, just to satisfy her desires. Yet… she had just wanted to help treat his wounds all along.
'No matter. We have all the time in the world. I'm sure my fit body will seduce her at some point!'
Ace's slender fingers unbuttoned his shirt slowly, revealing his seductive collarbones, then his broad chest and washboard abs…
Joanna's eyes were fixated on the man, as if she was admiring a beautiful masterpiece. She even started blushing the more she watched, making her face seem like a juicy peach. Her usual cold demeanor was gone, and she looked quite cute like this.
She thought to herself, 'Tsk tsk, just look at that body… As expected of the star escort of the pub! If this is what I get to see for free, and from such a close distance, it was worth coming by tonight!'
"Your face looks a little red, should I stop?" Ace felt quite conflicted seeing Joanna falling for him slowly. In a way, he was happy about his undeniable charm. On the other hand, he found the woman too easily tempted, which could mean that she might run off with some random beauty given the chance.
'Turns out I can't relax for even a second -1 have to perfect my figure to catch her eye!'
"Do I need to?" Ace's passionate eyes gazed at the woman, his voice husky as he tempted her. "If you need it, I can continue."
"Enough! Y-You don't have to!" Joanna was so embarrassed that she stammered, waving her hands to stop him.
If he continued stripping, they would be exploring the nether regions at that point, and she didn't know if she could hold herself back then.
Ace smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Okay then, you can start applying the medicine now."
The man then closed his eyes, laying on the sofa with his sexy torso exposed. He looked as if he was trying to seduce her, while giving her full permission to every part of him.
Seeing this made Joanna's heart pound vigorously, and she blurted out,' Well, don't mind if I do… I mean, stay still, okay?!"
She then took out a few cotton buds and smeared them with antiseptic cream. Joanna gently and delicately disinfected his wounds.
"Good thing that lady held back for your sake, these wounds don't seem to be too deep."
Ace smiled softly, thinking to himself, 'Of course she held back, it was all just for show. But I am quite satisfied with that woman's acting.'
After that, it was time for her to bandage the wounds. "This might hurt a little."
She then brought out a gauze bandage and slowly wrapped it around his torso. As she did, the first thing she noticed was how hard his abs were. The man's muscles were just right to the touch. It was as if he had the perfect ratio of muscle and fat.
She wondered, 'Oh god, not only does he somewhat look like Ace, his body feels so similar to his too! This is killing me!'
At that moment, Joanna was seeing the escort as Ace's substitute. She wasn't able to enjoy such privileges when she was still with Ace, but now, with this escort, she could touch him wherever she wanted… It was truly an exciting, scandalous thought.
Ace narrowed his eyes, pressing his lips together as he let out a soft moan. He looked as if he was in pain.
Joanna was frantic. "I'm sorry! Does it hurt? Hold on a little longer, I'll make this quick!"
Ace took a few gulps, the veins on his neck starting to become visible. He was obviously trying to hide his pain. "I'm alright."
"O-Okay, I'm done. You can put your shirt back on." Joanna quickly finished and got up, intending to keep a distance from the man.
'I let my hands wander a little too much just now! Forgive me!' She thought.
Suddenly, Ace grabbed her by the wrist and pinned her down, taking the lead this time as he stared at her with fiery eyes.
"Wh… What are you doing?" Joanna felt slightly nervous.
The man's eyes looked like they held some kind of enchantment, making her feel as if she was trapped with eternal butterflies in her stomach.
"How could I not repay you when you've saved me, and personally treated my wounds?"
"Uh, you don't have to, it's really not a big deal! You don't have to repay me with your body…"
"I hope you don't hate me…" Ace murmured and leaned down, softly kissing her neck with his thin lips. Seeing the woman's earlobes turning red, he couldn't help but feel rather pleased.
Joanna shook her head, making sure she maintained a clear mind so that she wouldn't succumb to this incubus' temptation.
"I may be a divorcee, but even if my ex-husband died, he's still my first love! You can't do anything you want just because you kind of look like him…" Joanna warned with a cold expression, her leg poised to kick the man off of her.
Ace was about to burst out in laughter, but seeing how Joanna was going to attack him, he explained in a serious tone, "You've misunderstood me, I wasn't going to…"
"So what were you going to do then?"
"I heard from your best friend that you've been in a bad mood lately, and you'd likely need someone to listen to you vent your emotions. I'm actually a professional at this," Ace said in a soothing voice, tricking her even further.
This made Joanna quite intrigued, so much so that she fully ignored the intimacy of their current position. "Stop beating around the bush. If you weren't talking about that, what else could you be a professional at?"
Ace seemed serious. "On the surface, I'm just an escort, but I'm actually a therapist too. I can provide professional therapy, and I am skilled in hypnosis as well. Your best friend mentioned that you have a lot of unhappiness suppressed, so I hope you can open up to me. If you trust me, I can help you come out of that darkness."
"A professional therapist?" Joanna was quite surprised. She really thought the man's bread and butter was his looks.
"What's with that look?" Ace smiled lightly, brushing her hair to the back with his long fingers. "Do you not believe me? Or do you feel disappointed… Well, I can still actually pay special attention to your body too, if you want me to."
"No thanks!" Joanna's face turned red, and she pushed the man away forcefully as she sat up straight. Her tone was frosty as she said, "Of course I don't believe you! You've been flirting with me the whole night! How could you be a professional therapist?!"
Not only did professional therapists need to possess a lot of knowledge, they'd need to have a strong, natural sense of empathy as well. Hence, she just refused to believe that a pretty escort like him could ever be in the field.
"If you don't believe me, we could always try a little experiment."
"What experiment?"
"Have you ever heard of the HTP test?"
"Kind of… It's basically just drawing a house, a tree, and a person on a blank piece of paper, right?"
"Correct." Ace nodded. "After you're done, I'll analyze it for you. If my analysis is correct, you'll believe me then, right?"
This piqued Joanna's interest, and she agreed right away. "Fine then. We'll see if you're a fraud or not once this is over!"
Ace then found a paper and a box of color pencils, handing it to Joanna with a glint of excitement in his eyes. "You may start now."
Joanna took the materials and sat down in front of the coffee table, drawing with an intensely focused expression. She might be a prodigy in almost every field, but drawing was the only thing she could never master for some reason.
"First a house, then a tree… I'm going to add some fruit onto the tree, and now the people…"
Ace was sitting next to her at the time, and watching her draw like a child made him want to laugh. He was just so used to her spiteful attitude, which contradicted her current sweetness. It completely melted his heart.
He couldn't even resist the sudden wave of affection that bloomed in his chest, and he reached out to pat her head gently.
"What are you doing?!" Joanna was immediately alarmed, glaring at him with a frown.
Ace retrieved his arm calmly. "Nothing. There was just a mosquito on your head."
"What? Why would a mosquito bite my scalp? You're being so suspicious!"
Although Joanna didn't trust him, she didn't question any further either.
Instead she pointed to her drawing and said, "I'm done, so go ahead. Let's see what you've got."
The man picked up the piece of paper and scanned it thoroughly. His lips were pursed, and a solemn expression appeared underneath his masquerade mask