Billionaire Defiant Wife

Chapter 176: Competition

Evan's eyes cut right through Avery, and she looks away from his gaze. She immediately regrets it. Refusing to meet his eye makes me look guilty, she thinks. She glances back up at him and slowly takes him in. His hair is perfectly arranged, and his fierce eyes seem to gleam in the soft light. She can't help staring at his chiseled jaw and perfect lips.

She looks at his body and sees that his perfectly tailored suit hangs just slightly too loose. Evan has lost weight, Avery thinks. But he somehow seems even more gorgeous than normal. There's absolutely no comparison between him and AndrewEvan is definitely the more handsome man.

Avery can see the shop assistants staring at him and snapping sly pictures with their phones. Word seems to spread fast, and soon women flood into the shop to get a look at the famous Evan Howel.

Evan looks down at the silver handcuffs with a straight face. The back of Andrew's hand touches the back of Avery's hand in a gesture of careless intimacy. Are they really so close? Evan wonders bitterly. She'd barely let me touch her, and now she handcuffs herself to another man in public.

Evan frowns miserably. Sensing his boss' displeasure, Robert orders the bodyguards to kick all onlookers out of the shop. Soon, there are only a few people left in the shop. Despite the emptiness, the atmosphere in the shop is oppressive and tense.

The model stares lustfully at Evan, but she seems conflicted. Evan's expensive suit and haughty attitude radiate power, but a million dollars is a lot of money. She flips her hair and shifts her weight from foot to foot. Finally, she struts up to Evan and slowly licks her thick lips.

"Sir, are you going to buy lingerie for your girlfriend?" she asks. "How about this set? I can try it on for you if you like it."

She poses in a variety of seductive poses, showing her curves to their best advantage. Though she's wearing lingerie, the fabric is skimpy, and her movement reveals the most private parts of her body. As she slinks around Evan, she pulls the lace of the underwear, dramatically ripping it.

"Back off!" Evan growls.

Evan's severity seems to startle the model, but she quickly regains her composure. "Do you have any particular interests, sir?" she asks, smiling seductively. "Perhaps I can introduce you to our latest styles." She strokes his chest with her soft finger and looks up at him through her eyelashes.

Evan flinches away from her touch and violently pushes her away. She stumbles backward into a display case, and lingerie and decorations rain down on her head. She looks to Andrew for help, but he merely shrugs at her.

Leonie looks pointedly at the gleaming handcuffs around Andrew and Avery's wrists. She smiles, nastily, "Well, don't you two look nice and cozy." She flips her hair and regards the model on the floor, "What's the deal with her?"

"My woman wants to know if a man can resist seduction," Andrew says, squeezing Avery's thigh. "Our friend over there is helping with our little experiment."

Evan clenches his fists at the words "my woman." He looks like he wants to jump across the room and throttle Andrew.

"And have you gotten an answer yet?" Leonie asks.

"Not yet," Andrew says with a defiant glance at Evan. "I can withstand any seduction for the sake of my woman, but I wonder if you could do the same, Mr. Howel. Do you want to try?"

Evan turns to Leonie as if he hasn't heard Andrew's question. "Aren't you going to buy lingerie?" Evan asks. "Do you want me to help you pick?"

Avery's eyes darken, and her heart skips a beat. She can't stop thinking about what Evan and Leonie did in her bedroom. Images of Evan tearing the lingerie off of Leonie flash before her eyes like a nightmare. She suddenly feels the need for fresh air. She wants to drag Andrew away, but Andrew sits still. The corner of his mouth is curled in a sinister smile as if he's planning something. He stares intently at Evan's back.

"Too afraid to risk it?" Andrew asks tauntingly.

Evan slowly turns around, and coldly asks, "Risk what?"

"Risk seeing if you can resist seduction," Andrew says.

"Andrew!" Avery whispers a warning to him. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Don't you want to know if a man can withstand such seduction, darling?" Andrew murmurs. "Besides, if I win, I just might unlock the handcuffs."

Evan squints at their seemingly intimate interaction and looks defiantly at Andrew. "What's the competition?" Evan asks in a low voice.

Andrew casts an oblique glance at the model sitting on the floor. "It's your time, girl," Andrew barks, "Get up!"

The model looks up blankly and glances between the men. Avery looks at the confused model, and the furious men and wishes she could somehow put a stop to it all. But she feels completely powerless. If she can't even stop Andrew, what hope does she have of persuading Evan?

I've heard that Andrew has had trouble getting it up after the transplant, Avery thinks. All of the women in the house were freaking out about it. Could he actually be impotent? There's no way he'd challenge Evan to a competition unless he was sure he could win. Evan is a normal man. If he couldn't even resist Leonie's seduction, he has no hope against such a sexy beauty. Poor Evan, he doesn't stand a chance.

Avery sighs. Once, she selfishly hoped that Evan would always be hers, but now she knows the truth. Still, she can't help but hope that he'll somehow resist the model's seduction. More than anything, she wants to believe that he still loves her.

Andrew gestures toward the VIP modeling room at the back of the store. The model struts across the plush carpet, and the men trail after her. Andrew makes a big show of ogling her swaying hips. The silver handcuff forces Avery to passively follow behind Andrew.

What a typically male way to settle something, she thinks as she trails behind them. It'll be interesting to see what happens, but I wish Evan would do something real to fight for me. I wish I still meant that much to him.

Leonie follows them into the room, and a male manager was summoned to judge the competition. The two men sit down on the sofa, and Avery sits in the space between. On one side, she can feel the warmth and ease of Andrew's body, and on the other, she can feel the heat and tension of Evan's.

Andrew jerks the handcuffs, forcing her to lean against his side. He places his head close to her face and blows on her ear. He asks, "Are you nervous sitting between us?"