Black: Part 4 (Black Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

She’s wearing a simple dress and her hair is down, without much attention being given to it. She may not spend a lot of time in front of the mirror—but she doesn’t have to. She’s naturally the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
    I beam a smile at her, and am about to tell her exactly how beautiful I think she is, when something about the look on her face stops me.
    “What’s wrong?” I ask.
    She let’s the door shut behind her without saying anything. There’s an intense look on her face.
    “Surprised to see me?” she asks.
    There’s a hardness to the way she phrases the question. It reminds me of the way a parent might confront a child when they know they’ve been doing something wrong.
    “More like excited to see you. I didn’t think we had plans tonight.”
    “Well, you know what they say, the world is full of surprises…”
    I frown. What the hell is she on about?
    Pushing aside my confusion, I force a smile.
    “Well, this is the best surprise of my night.” I walk around my desk and approach her. She remains fixed in the same spot. “You look radiant. I’m glad you’re here.”
    I lean in and kiss her on the lips. But it feels more like I’m kissing a mannequin than the girl I’ve been thinking about all day. Sofie’s lips are hard and unresponsive to my intimate touch. She doesn’t even fake an attempt to kiss me back.
    Anger flares up inside of me.
    “Okay, tell me what’s going on. What the hell is this all about?”
    Her eyes flash.  
    “I heard some very interesting things, recently… things that I need you to clear up for me.”
    “Okay… what are they?”
    She scowls at me, as though she expected me to know exactly what she’s talking about. Despite the annoyance I’m feeling, I remain silent. Best to play it cool until she comes out with whatever is on her mind. It’s not like I’ve done anything wrong. I don’t have anything to be ashamed of. I don’t have anything to hide.
    Sofie stares at me for a long moment before finally responding.
    “Are you sleeping with other women behind my back?” she asks, finally.
    I’m trying to play it calm and cool, but when I hear her question—her accusation —my eyes widen in surprise.
    “What the fuck are you talking about?” I say.
    “Just answer the question. Are you hooking up with random girls in the club?”
    “You can’t be serious.”
    “I am serious! Tell me the truth!”
    What the hell is she talking about? Where the hell is this all coming from? How in the world can she possibly think that I’m seeing other women after what we’ve been going through these last few weeks?
    I reach out to take her in my arms, but she steps away from me before I can. The pain in her face is obvious. Whatever happened to make her think that there is anybody else has really taken a toll on her. Even while I’m outraged that she could accuse me of something like that, my heart aches to see her in this kind of pain.
    “Sofie... I told you I don’t want to be with anyone else. You’re the only one for me. Ever since we first met, you’re the only girl I’ve ever wanted to be with.”
    If my words comfort her at all, she doesn’t show it. Her eyes dart between mine, as though she’s trying to look into my head and see what’s on my mind. Does she really not believe me?
    I thought we’d already been over all of this. Isn’t that what her little test was about? To see if I could remain faithful to her even when I wasn’t getting laid. I hadn’t so much as even touched myself during that time. I’d passed her test with flying colors, so why am I still getting called out for things I didn’t do?
    “What happened?” I repeat my original question, this time with a softer tone. “I don’t understand… What happened that makes you think I could possibly be sleeping with anyone else? I haven’t even thought about being with anyone else since before I found out you were in New York City.”
    Her face hardens.
    “I