Chapter 22: Chapter 22

He sighed.

"Can't you ask for money? A hundred dollars? A thousand?..."

"Deal or no deal?" She asked impatiently.

"Deal."

"Good." She whispered smiling.

***

"What?" Maya asked at her wit end. Jasmine and Jessica have been giving her suspicious glances. She had expected them to come out with it already but they didn't even seem remotely ready to voice out what was on their mind.

Jasmine sighed, done keeping quiet.

She frowned and then walked towards Maya with her flip-flops that made weird screechy noises that amuses them but this night was way different, nobody smiled.

"Shouldn't we be the one asking you that question?" She asked sitting next to Maya.

"So much has changed about you over the past few weeks and you are not willing to share what is happening." She said.

Maya raised a brow at her confused, not having the slightest idea of what she was hinting at.

She rolled her eyes.

"The late-night outings, the long nights on a call. You were out on a date with Xavier and your pictures with him made magazines and social media headlines for weeks with different speculation. We also heard at work that Xavier's sister do stop by the office to see you. You are hardly at home during weekends and you miss out on all our girl's night plans, canceling last minute and the list is endless!" Jessica stated, looking worried.

Maya sighed.

"I know I don't tell you this enough or show it but we are here for you, I am. You should be able to tell us anything, else we just get worried." Jessica whispered, reaching out to interlink Maya's hands with her's.

Concern danced on her orbs, an expression mirrored on Jasmine's face.

Maya had known that soon enough they will ask questions. But, she was far from ready to start explaining the crazy events of her life in the past month.

Besides telling them about her arrangement with Xavier, which was making her absent will only pave way for bigger questions and then lead them to the discovery that she has been keeping them in the dark for a long.

Maya smiled, looking down at their joint hands.

"You know how much the media loves fawning over the dates Xavier brings to any event. He is New York's most eligible bachelor so of course questions will be asked. Besides, I have told you girls it was mandatory I go to these events with him, since the company is the body being invited. Besides, it was at one of those events I met his sister, so it is nothing strange and the dinner dates are official meetings. You girls are aware of how hectic work has been for me, so yes most times of recent, I schedule work appointments for later as dinner dates." She lied through her teeth, not believing that she could make up all of that on such short notice.

She felt sad and awful that she couldn't tell the girls she considered family, what was going on.

Jessica starred at her for some minutes not believing a word she had said. She glanced at Jasmine and she had the same doubtful expression on her face.

Maya was great at many things. She was an excellent cook, An intelligent hard worker but she was a horrible liar and it was always easy for the girls to detect when she was lying and this time was no different.

She had given off all her involuntarily lying gestures, a movement they nicknamed "Maya's snitch" and she had displayed all of them while talking, she had played with her fingers, avoided eye contact, and had also tapped her foot against the floor repeatedly.

"Okay," Jasmine whispered, deciding to give it up. She will come around when she was ready to she thought.

"So..." Jessica started, excitedly.

"We were wondering if you were up for a girl's night, you know make-up, Alcohol, Hook-ups if you dare..." She laughed at the last part staring at Jasmine, knowing she will certainly be doing a random stranger.

Jasmine shrugged.

"Because... Baby girl just got paid!" Jessica added with Glee twerking.

Maya chuckled and as she stood watching the both of them bust different naughty moves, her thoughts involuntarily drifted to Xavier. A habit she finds herself doing of recent, no matter how much she tried to stop.

It has been a month since they started playing engaged. She follows him for all social events he knew his family will be invited to. Although they do not intend on going public, she could notice the fake love, the new forced friendships, and the bonds most of the wealthy women were desperate to form with her.

She suspected this was all because she was the only woman that had hung around as Xavier's eye candy for so long.

Everything was going so well and instead of feeling relaxed, it bothers her a lot. Most times, she finds herself wishing that Xavier's mother and sister were modern-day Cinderella's Stepmother.

It would have been easier to lie to them with a straight face and sometimes a grin without feeling the malicious weight of guilt.

Mrs. Anderson now addresses her as a daughter and the last time they had met, she had invited her to visit the house whenever she wanted and Melissa was all bubble and sunshine.

She had invited her for meetups countless times, and though Maya had refused, giving trivial reasons why she couldn't. She didn't take offense and also didn't give up on Maya's chagrin.

Xavier had also told her with his actions recent, that his word was good. But instead of feeling good that she got what she wanted, she felt so odd working with him without any sexual innuendos from him, snide remarks, cocky comebacks nothing!

It was just the clack clack clack of computers as they all faced their work all day, only speaking to each other when it was absolutely necessary and it was driving her insane.

Sometimes, she flirted with thoughts of calling her condition off but what will that mean? She thought, won't that just mean she enjoyed the unprofessional side of their relationship, and most importantly what idea will that give him?

She knew she didn't want to be in any form of relationship with him and he wasn't exactly the type of man who was looking to be settled with one woman when the whole of New York's female population wanted a piece of him.

Besides, she wasn't sure she was over Jason yet. Hell, Yes, she was sure she was over the cheating scumbag and wanted nothing to do with him but was she ready to go all out again and risk getting ... Again.

"Maya," Jasmine called out impatiently. Noticing she had spaced out as usual.

"Sorry." She whispered and then tried to focus on their conversation even though the demi Greek god which she was made to share a floor with like a stubborn virus that won't just get out of her system.

Her phone rang. She made to reach for it, but Jasmine beat her to it.

Jasmine shook her head.

"No, we are not about to let you take that call and ditch us for like the eleventh time. It is Friday night girl! And these girls you inclusive..." She added pointing at Maya for emphasis.

"... Are going to party hard because we deserve it," Jasmine stated sternly pocketing her phone.

Maya shrugged, not having the energy to have an argument with Jasmine, especially when she was hyped about an idea.

Fun we shall have, she thought idly as she stood up to prepare for their wild night out.

***

Xavier called Maya's line again, not believing she had ignored his call.

He shook his infuriated, realizing she had switched off her phone.

It was a Friday night and he just couldn't sleep. Normally, on Fridays, he would have called one of his numerous available girls over but he already knew it was a waste of time because the woman responsible for the desire ignited in him was his assistant who he had to keep his hands off and to himself.

He had wanted to desperately hear her voice under the guise of calling to maybe give her extra workload, had longed to hear her whisper incoherent curse words under her breath. He was desperate to reach her under any guise whatsoever, anything to keep his sanity intact.

The past month has been the longest of his life, watching something or in this case someone he desired so much within his reach but out of reach.

He saw her almost every day and it felt like fate was taunting him; like a lollipop dangled in front of an infant, but was out of reach, he was taunted with the image of his sick obsession in a sexy form-fitting straight skirt that he desired to push up, make her grab his desk then smack her repeatedly for teasing him.

For being so desirable...

He called her again and her line was still switched off. Angrily, he threw his phone against the wall watching it crash into shards.

A housekeeper ran in with a broom to clean up the mess he had created, as usual.

"Maya what are you doing to me?" He whispered underneath his breath, restless.

***

Maya threw her head back laughing as Jasmine dragged a cute unsuspecting tourist to the dance floor, grinding her ass against him.

His gobsmacked Expression, a priceless look to behold while Jasmine winked at her.

Maya turned towards Jessica who was conversing with Alex. She was discussing coding with him and Maya couldn't help but feel pity for Alex who had jumped at the opportunity of spending time with Jessica and had tagged along because of her.

She looked like an angel in her white short gown, her hair in piggy tails and her face free of makeup unlike Jasmine who had gone all "smoky hot diva" on her's, but the point was that she was a clueless angel.

How could she be so blind to the way he was staring at her right now Maya thought frustrated, the big smile on his face as she gesticulated wildly, the goofy grin on his face, his attentiveness even when she was ranting... His reaction to her every move was simply so beautiful.

She turned her attention towards Jasmine, curious to see what else she had up her sleeve to scare her poor victim but she was no longer on the dancefloor and Maya wasn't in the least surprised to spot her at a dimly lit spot.

Her sequin short gown gave her away as she engaged in a tongue duel with an absolute stranger.

She grabbed her bottle of beer about to sip it when a familiar voice whispered behind her.

"I won't take that if I were you," Melissa stated grinning.

She was wearing a crop top and crazy jeans, that made her look like a regular girl from the hood instead of a Salvador who had a net worth that ran in six figures.

"Mel?" Maya whispered, not expecting to spot her in a random club with cheap drinks, street music, and sweaty people when she could access five-star rated ones.

"What? These kind of scenes are my regular joint, especially when I want to take a break from the obnoxious people around me." She started noticing the shock in Maya's demeanor while eying the opened bottle of beer still in Maya's hand.

"Has that been opened for more than 15 minutes?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Jesus you are such a newbie." She commented, shaking her hair in disapproval then grabbed the bottle from her hand and tossed it on the floor next to other empty bottles.

"Hey, I was drinking that," Maya complained.

She smiled at her, her pearly white teeth on display making Maya wonder why somebody so rich, Beautiful could also be so nice.

"Rule number 1. in a club like this, three things are so easy to find. Hookups, booze, and drugs... And a drink like yours opened for more than 15 minutes must have been drugged...."

"But I have been..."

"Did you look away for even a second?" She asked knowingly.

"I.."

"Did you?"

Maya huffed defeated.

"Yes."

She shook her head, flipping her hair.

"Xavier owes me a super expensive shopping spree for just saving your ass." She commented.

Maya's eyes widened at the mention of a name she was trying to avoid.

Melissa noticed the look in her eyes and mistook it for fright, she patted her head amused.

"Trust me my lips are sealed. I see the way he looks at you, I am sure he doesn't approve of you being here and also with a dress like that..." She said referring to the short milk-colored gown Jasmine had forced her to wear.

"My brother will kill somebody." She stated and conspiratorially, she pushed her barstool closer to Maya, her lips closer to her ear.

"He will kill me if he even realizes I walked into a street club too."

Maya chuckled.

She smiled.

"But... We don't ever do what we are asked to do always now, do we?" She asked playfully taking a huge swig off the bottle of beer she had just ordered.

"I like you," Maya whispered.

"I get that a lot." She smugly whispered.

They both laughed.