Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

Crystal was a little startled by just how cheeky, and sly Nathan was, not to mention how manipulative. He had set a trap for her, and he was so confident that she would fall into it that he had put his life on the line - Supposedly. Now that she realized that his suicide attempt was nothing but a game, she was able to compose herself. She would not allow herself to fall victim to his devious plan.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, shook her head, and said, "I don't love you. I never did, and I never will."

To Crystal's surprise, Nathan pressed the knife back into his chest, and he twisted it so that the bloody wound became bigger. He was gripping the handle so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

There was an evil shine in Nathan's eyes and a creepy little smile on his face. "What did you say?" he asked.

"I said..." Crystal began to sob again, and in a hoarse voice, she said, "I said I didn't love you... but I lied."

Nathan's eyebrows wriggled. "How so?"

"How could I not love you?" Crystal whispered.

"What do you mean?" Blood began spurting out of Nathan's chest, but he seemed not to care. "Do you love me or don't you? You still haven't answered my question."

"Let me get you some help," Crystal cried. "I'm begging you. Your wound is bleeding badly..."

"If you don't answer my question, it'll bleed more," Nathan threatened.

Crystal stared at him in anger. "Haven't you achieved your goal?" she shouted. "Isn't what I'm doing an obvious answer? Why do you have to force me like this?" She could not stand the sight of so much blood, and she began to panic.

Curiously, Nathan was as cool as a cucumber. He had lost a lot of blood, though, and he was growing weaker by the minute. He said, "You are being ridiculous. Why is it so hard for you to say that you love me?"

"You know that I do," Crystal replied. "So, what is the big deal?"

"I want to hear you say it." His voice was unsteady. "And if you don't say it now, you will not be able to say it later. This is your last chance..."

Crystal lowered her eyes, and she finally admitted that she loved him.

Nathan's eyes lit up, and he said, "Your words sound as sweet as the most beautiful song in the world."

"Alright." Crystal sighed and said, "I'll call Noah in now."

Crystal began to shout for help, but when no one came, it occurred to her that she was not being heard. She told Nathan that she would go get Noah herself, but he would not let her go. Now that she had professed her love for him, he wanted to hear her say it again and again until it seemed that she had said "I love you" a million times, and still he wanted more!

He is acting like a spoiled child - Crystal thought. "I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you! Now can I go get Noah?!?!"

"Not yet. Tell me who it is that you love." Nathan puckered his lips and said, "Say my name."

"Nathan Davis, I love you."

"Crystal," Nathan whispered her name. "I love you too. I love you very much. I'll go on loving you for the rest of my life." And tears were streaming down his eyes. "I love you very much!"

Crystal wanted to hit him for the grievances she had suffered, for the lost time that they could have spent together, and for what he had just done to himself. In the condition that he was in, though, she didn't dare. All she could do was cry.

"Silly girl, what are you crying for?" he asked while wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"Are you an idiot?" Crystal shouted. "Who would stab themselves to make a point. That was so stupid of you, and now you won't even let me get a doctor!"

"I did what I did to prove my sincerity so that you would feel safe enough to proclaim your love for me," Nathan explained. "I had tried every other way that I could think of, but nothing else worked. This was my last-ditch effort. And now that you have said that you love me, even if I die, I will die happy." He tried to kiss her, but he lacked the strength."

Crystal leaned over and kissed Nathan, and she was taken aback by how cold his skin was. She felt like she had kissed a corpse. She pulled away from him and said, "You've lost too much blood. If you don't let me go and get Noah, you are going to die."

"Say you love me one more time," Nathan whispered. "Then you may go."

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Will you ever say it again?"

"Yes, I will as many times as you like. I will say it to you every day, okay! Now let me go, you big lummox!"

"Yes..." Nathan murmured. "Go... But... come... back..." His eyes closed as she dashed out of the room, and within seconds he lost consciousness.

****

"How is he?" Crystal asked. "Will he live?"

"He'll be fine," Noah replied. When he had arrived, the first thing that he did was check Nathan's breathing. It was very shallow, but Noah was optimistic. Next, he checked Nathan's circulation. Then he began to treat the wound, and as he worked, he kept Crystal up to date on the situation.

"Don't worry," Noah continued. "The blade didn't hit any key organs. My only real concern is with how much blood he has lost."

"Can we give him a blood transfusion?" Crystal asked.

"We could, if we were at a hospital, but we don't have the right equipment on this ship." Noah sighed. "Mostly, not having the transfusion just means that his recovery will take longer. His prognosis is good, though. As long as there is no infection, he should be up and about in no time."

Noah cleaned the wound, gave it six stitches, applied Polysporin, and bound it uptight. "You will need to help him for the next week or so," he explained. "He will need assistance eating, bathing, and going to the washroom. Are you up to the task?"

Crystal nodded.

There was a knock on the door, and Nancy came in, and when she saw Nathan all neatly bound up, she asked, "How is your patient, Doctor?"

Noah smiled and said, "He'll be fine. I just can't believe that he stabbed himself to force Crystal to say that she loved him. What a Neanderthal!"

"Not to mention a manipulative bastard!" Nancy added.

Luckily, Nathan was still unconscious. If he had heard what was being said about him, he would have blown a gasket.

"Never mind that," Crystal muttered. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure.." Nancy smiled and said, "Your wish is my command. What would you like to talk about?"