Ever since I moved into my stepfather David’s house, he’d give me a glass of warm milk every night. After drinking it, I’d immediately fall into a deep sleep, only to dream of being tormented by two men. One time, I skipped the milk. Soon after I lay down, the door creaked open. The two men from my dreams appeared. “I’m tired of her being half-asleep. How about we try it with her wide awake tonight?” “What do you say, Rose?” “Rose, drink your milk and go to bed early.” As soon as I got home, David handed me a glass of warm milk, a slightly fawning look in his eyes. David was Mom’s new husband, only five years older than me. I worried Mom was being scammed, so I decided to spend some time getting to know him better. Mom had us move into David’s place. It was close to my office, which was convenient. But Mom’s job was far, so she only came over on weekends. I felt awkward being alone with David, but Mom insisted it was the only way to truly understand him. So, from Monday to Friday, it was just David and me. I finished my milk and went into my room, planning to read a bit. But I barely turned a few pages before drowsiness hit. I slumped onto the desk, drifting off to sleep. In my dream, a man’s hand wrapped around my waist from behind. Two fingers deftly undid my sleepwear, leaving me utterly vulnerable. “Open your mouth.” Another man’s deep voice guided me, close to my ear. At that moment, my throat felt incredibly dry, and I involuntarily opened my mouth. “Good girl, Rose. I’m really starting to like you more and more.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my reflection in the mirror. Two figures, one in front, one behind. I vaguely recognized one man wearing a suit, a silver ring on his finger. Bang! Bang! Bang! A knock on the door startled me awake. I opened my eyes in a daze. I was lying on my bed, still in my sleepwear. “Rose, are you up yet? You’ll be late for work!” It was David’s voice, urging me from outside the door. “Oh, right.” I mumbled, climbing out of bed. The bedsheets were tangled in a mess, and my body felt sticky, as if I’d sweated a lot. I quickly took a shower and headed to the office. During work, I couldn’t help but slack off, posting online about my recent dreams. Replies quickly flooded in. [LOL, OP, are you single? Get a boyfriend, and you won’t have dreams like that. Hehe, or maybe just go on a date?] [My dreams are way weirder. It’s fine, totally normal.] [Aw, sweetie, sounds like you’ve got a crush! Totally normal!] Seeing that I wasn’t the only one eased my mind. “Rose, let’s go to the meeting.” My manager, Brenda, tapped my desk. My eyes widened. “Me?” “Yes, you. What are you staring at? Come on!” Brenda said, striding towards the conference room. I scrambled to follow her. I’d only been interning at this company for less than a month. I hadn’t even touched a project, let alone attended a meeting. Usually, I just did odd jobs. Brenda suddenly taking me to a meeting made me a little panicked. When we reached the conference room, about twenty-something people were already seated. A moment later, two stern-faced men walked in. Brenda whispered in my ear, “Those are our company’s two bosses. The one with the blue tie is Mr. Julian, and the other is Mr. Marcus.” I’d heard colleagues privately discuss how both bosses were incredibly wealthy, handsome, and successful – the total package. But they rarely came to the office. Seeing them in person today still stunned me. They were both good-looking enough to be movie stars. As I was admiring them, Julian’s gaze suddenly swept over. I quickly averted my eyes, startled. That’s when I noticed the silver ring on Marcus’s finger. That ring… It seemed identical to the one worn by one of the men in my dream last night. And their builds, they were so similar to the two men in my dream! Julian’s voice, too, sounded just like the man who told me to open my mouth. But this was my first time seeing them. It had to be a coincidence. “Next, the colleagues whose names I call will be traveling with me to the branch office for a week, starting tomorrow.” “Rose…”
Hearing my name, I shot up, my face flushed with panic as I stared at Julian. Brenda pulled me back down, giving me a disgusted glance. “What are you so excited about? Traveling with the bosses isn’t always a good thing. Perform well, or you won’t even pass your internship.” I lowered my head, mortified. The branch office was in another city. Eleven colleagues were going, and when I arrived, they were already settled in the cars. Both vehicles were packed, and I was assigned to ride with the two bosses. How could something so awkward happen to me? The bosses’ car was an extended luxury van. When I got in, Julian and Marcus were seated on opposite sides. My toes were practically trying to dig through my shoes from the sheer awkwardness. Neither side felt comfortable. Couldn’t they just sit together and leave one side for me? Fine, I bit the bullet and sat in the closest seat, which was next to Marcus. The instant I sat down, I distinctly saw a smirk curl on Marcus’s lips. He even shot Julian a cocky, triumphant glance. Was I seeing things? I looked at Julian. He sat perfectly upright, one leg casually crossed, holding a glass of red wine. “It’s a long drive. Have some snacks, take a nap, and we’ll be there.” Marcus looked at me kindly, gesturing to the food on the small table beside him. I hadn’t had any dreams last night and slept incredibly soundly, which was why I almost overslept today. I hadn’t eaten breakfast either, so seeing the cream cake on the table, I couldn’t resist taking a small piece. Soon after eating, I felt drowsy. The extended van’s seats were incredibly soft, and I leaned back, falling asleep in no time. In a haze, I heard Marcus’s teasing voice. “Rose likes sweets, huh?” “But there’s so much cream left, don’t waste it…” In my dream, I dreamt that Julian and Marcus were feeding me cream, spoonful by spoonful, until my mouth was full… I don’t know how long I slept, but the driver woke me up. Julian and Marcus were gone, and the red wine and cream cake were nowhere to be found in the car. A sweet, cloying scent still lingered in the air. I looked out the window. The car had already arrived at the branch office building. Oh no. I must have overslept. As I started to get out, a damp, sticky feeling made my whole body shiver involuntarily. Damn it, I actually dreamt of eating cream with the two bosses. I wondered if I moved around in my sleep, or if I made any weird faces or sounds… These dreams were getting too frequent. Did I really need to find a boyfriend? My face burning, I pulled my luggage out of the car. I’d be staying in the company dorms for the week. There were fewer people at this branch, so everyone got their own private room, and the environment was pretty good. After putting down my luggage, I got a message from Brenda saying that Julian and Marcus’s personal assistants couldn’t make it, and I was to temporarily assist both of them. When I saw that message, a shiver ran down my spine. Thinking about my fantasies about them in the car, I immediately felt guilty. Soon, Julian called me, asking me to go with him to a business dinner that night. The destination was a Japanese restaurant. Our partner was a fifty-year-old man, and as soon as he walked in, his eyes ceaselessly scanned me. “Mr. Julian’s company truly has a lot of talent. I’d love to poach a few people from your firm if I get the chance.” “No can do. Let’s focus on our partnership, shall we?” Julian said as a server came in to pour tea. I caught a whiff of fragrant matcha and instinctively swallowed. “The wine here is excellent. Shall we eat and talk?” The middle-aged man said, raising his glass. Julian raised his too, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. Feeling a bit flustered, I quickly picked up my own glass. One glass of wine down, a burning sensation. I quickly took a gulp of tea to wash it down. *Ring! Ring!* My alarm clock jolted me awake. I rubbed my eyes, finding myself lying on the dorm bed. “Huh?” I pressed my head, but I couldn’t remember how I got back last night. But I seemed to have had *that kind* of dream again. This time, it was even crazier. I dreamt I was lying naked on a long table, my body arranged like a platter, adorned with food. “Caviar tastes best with a little body heat.” Julian’s deep, magnetic voice echoed in my ear. Then I felt something wet glide across my chest.
It was getting late, so I quickly pushed the absurd dream from my mind and got up to go to work. While waiting for the elevator, Julian walked up. “Good morning.” I greeted him awkwardly. He nodded, his expression cool. The elevator arrived, and we both stepped inside. In the confined space, he stood in front of me. My eyes fixed on his broad shoulders, and my mind couldn’t help but replay last night’s dream. It had felt so real, especially the sensation of skin against skin… “Oh, by the way, Mr. Julian, did I drink too much last night? I don’t remember anything. I didn’t cause any trouble, did I?” I asked softly. Julian turned his head, his dark eyes fixed on me. “It was quite troublesome, actually.” My heart immediately sank. “You drank too much last night and fell asleep on the table. I called a female colleague from the company to send you back to your dorm.” “However, I didn’t expect you to be so… articulate when drunk. Mr. Caldwell really enjoyed chatting with you. The contract was signed smoothly last night, and he even specifically invited us to his hot spring resort tonight. You should pack a swimsuit.” *Ding-dong.* Just as Julian finished speaking, the elevator doors opened. Before I could even process Julian’s words, my gaze met Marcus’s eyes outside the elevator. “Rose, come with me for a bit.” Marcus said, stepping into the elevator and pressing the first-floor button. Julian, who had just stepped out of the elevator, turned his head, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. My heart was doing acrobatics. I was articulate when drunk? “I heard you drank too much last night. Are you alright?” Marcus looked at me, a hint of tenderness in his eyes. “I’m fine, totally fine.” I quickly shook my head and replied. “Good then.” Marcus said, looking down at his phone. I didn’t say another word. I spent the whole day running around with Marcus, and I didn’t have time to buy a swimsuit. When we arrived at the hot spring resort in the evening, I had to pick one from the small shop at the front desk. But all the conservative styles were sold out, leaving only very revealing ones. Thinking that tonight would just be a casual hang-out, and I probably wouldn’t even run into the bosses, I casually chose a dark red swimsuit. After changing, I walked to the innermost pool. The lighting here was dim, and it was my favorite rose petal pool. Soaking in it felt incredibly comfortable. As I was closing my eyes to relax, I heard footsteps approaching. “Ma’am, remember to drink water to stay hydrated.” It was a server, bringing tea and fruit. I was thirsty, so I drank more than half a cup of water immediately. The cool, refreshing grapes also seemed especially sweet. This business trip was truly a treat. I had looked up the prices for this hot spring resort online; a single visit would probably cost me a month’s salary. After eating and drinking my fill, I leaned against the pool again, closing my eyes. The fragrance of roses in the pool filled my nose, and soon I dozed off. In a daze, it seemed someone entered my pool. I heard the sound of water rippling. Then, a large hand scooped my body out of the water. “Don’t move. Let’s try it in the water.” It was Marcus’s voice. “Alright, I haven’t tried that in the water yet.” Julian’s voice chimed in. Then my body was gently lowered back into the water. And the water in the hot spring pool swayed more and more violently. Beneath the surface, two hands seemed to press down on my legs.
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