The Love Trap

On New Year's Eve, the streets were packed with people. Couples were kissing at every corner.

I initially planned to pick Howard up at the airport, but something cropped up at work, and I had to work overtime. So, I told him to wait for me at the hotel.

When I finally got off work, I hurriedly picked up the gift I prepared for the occasion and headed straight for the hotel. I couldn't wait another second longer.

As I was meeting him, I purposely woke up early to put on my makeup with great care. I even bought the outfit I'd been eyeing online in advance.

I remembered how I looked in it when I tried it on the night before and couldn't help but smile.

Beneath the normal coat I wore was a fishtail dress that hugged my curves and nothing else. I intentionally bought it in a smaller size, so it wrapped nicely around my body.

Besides that, I wore a pair of three-inch black stiletto heels and, last but not least, black pantyhose, which was men's favorite.

My outfit was definitely attractive and caught the attention of the passersby. Under various gazes, I reached Room 808.

Almost immediately after I knocked, I heard the sound of someone walking around in hotel slippers from inside the room.

As the door opened, a dashing face welcomed me. The man at the door had a sharp nose and thick eyebrows—exactly how I imagined him to be.

Howard had never taken a proper photo of his face, but I imagined his facial features based on the pictures he sent me. When I finally met him, I realized that some people truly were even more good-looking in real life compared to their photos.

I was smitten.

"Sweetie, we finally met!" Without a second thought, I threw myself into his arms.

While we dated online, we couldn't even kiss each other. Therefore, I'd already planned to give him a deep kiss the moment I saw him.

I wasn't naive anymore. I had as many exes as the number of stripes on a tiger. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so daring.

After that many relationships, I thought my kissing skills were good enough. To my surprise, Howard was better than me.

He was probably caught unaware at first and was momentarily stunned. But when he came to his senses, he dove right in.

My heart pounded against my chest. To me, he seemed to have some sort of magic that could make my heart flutter no matter what he did.

We could finally meet.

He wouldn't know how many times I'd visualized our meeting in real life, up to the tiniest details. This was the moment I'd been waiting for.

Right then, as his fresh woody scent enveloped my senses, I only had one thought, and it was to be intimate with him. I wanted to do it at that very moment.

We talked about the topic before. As we weren't physically together, we couldn't help feeling lonely. So, we'd frequently interact through video calls.

I was someone who'd do as I pleased, so I put my thoughts into action.

However, just as I slid my hands down from his neck, prepared for action, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze landing on me.

Instinctively, I opened my eyes, and my gaze met a pair of soulful eyes. The owner of those eyes was sitting on the bed, his arms folded across his chest in a composed manner. His face was identical to Howard's.

There was a teasing look in his eyes. I didn't know how long he'd been watching us. When he saw that I finally noticed him, he asked, intrigued, "Hi, babe. Are you done kissing my younger brother?"

Upon hearing that, I froze.

What did he mean? Was the one I kissed not my online boyfriend? Was Howard, whom I liked, actually the man on the bed?

I slowly blushed.

Had I been kissing Howard's younger brother?

Right in front of him at that. If I hadn't noticed something was off, I would've already taken the next step.

How could I make such a mistake?

Seeing that I was stunned and helpless, the man hugging me chuckled. He caressed my head in resignment.

"It's okay, babe. He's teasing you. You're blushing! Let me introduce you. This is my younger brother. He's single. When he heard I was coming to Amesville, he insisted on following me. I couldn't change his mind."