Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Maya groaned as the sound of her ringing tone "God is a woman" by Ariana Grande infiltrated the quiet atmosphere cruelly disturbing her sleep.

Wishing the caller at the other end will get the message and quit calling, she placed her pillow over her head to block the noise.

But the caller persisted.

Still sleepy, she reached for her phone close to the lamplight where Jasmine had left it and still lying down, she hit the answer button without checking the caller ID and placed it on her ear.

"Good morning." She mumurred.

Xavier cursed, as her sultry sleepy voice went straight to his cock. It was becoming terrifying how shamelessly his body reacted to her.

"Maya Vanessa Luke." He muttered, Hoping his voice came off to her as strict rather than a man haunted by his own desires.

He grinned amused, as she whispered Jesus and judging by the shuffling noise that followed, he could visualize her sitting upright, the sleep on her eyes totally banished.

"Good morning, Sir." She politely greeted, her voice now formal and forced.

He missed her husky tone but he would be damned before he admits that.

"This is not morning Miss Luke, this is past 4." His face curved into a grin as she gasped.

She made to stand up quickly but groaned in pain due to her aching muscles as she sat down on the bed with a defeated huff.

She was thirsty, her body hurts like she was beaten the day before and she also had a pounding headache.

"Are you okay?" Xavier asked, not able to hide the concern he felt for her.

She nodded and realizing how silly she looked since he couldn't see her, she used words.

"Why were you not picking your calls? I have been calling you since yesterday."

She remembered the call that had made Jasmine temporarily possess her phone and signed.

"With my luck or lack of it, it just had to be my boss." She thought out loud.

"What?"

"I am sorry. I was busy. Girl's night out." She explained.

"How do you feel?" He asked amused at her tone.

Maya eyed her phone, Making sure she was still on the line with her boss, noticing the lightness in his tone.

"Honestly, I feel like crap. Partying so late is totally not advisable for the health." She whined.

He frowned.

"Partying?" He asked.

"Yes sir, partying."

"Maya did you go clubbing? What happened to sleep overs and girls movie marathons as a girl's night out?" He sternly asked all traces of amusement gone from his voice.

"Hello I am not 12 Sir." She whispered placing emphasis on the Sir.

She was fucking 23 and she shouldn't feel like a rebellious child being chastised by a parent, but at his outburst she felt like one.

He sighed.

She was just his employee or rather she was supposed to be just his employee but yet he couldn't help the way his body reacted to the thought of her in a club. In a damn club, vulnerable and open to the advances of scumbags.

"6pm tommorow. At my place." He stated enunciating each word with a pause.

She raised her brow, not making sense of his words.

"At exactly 6pm tommorow, I need you at my house." He said, putting his words into a sentence already knowing she didn't get it the first time he said it, else she will be losing her shit.

"Tommorow is a Sunday. It is the weekend and why the hell am I coming to your house?"

"Because I am losing my shit without seeing you.' he wanted to shout back but didn't.

"Apparently words has been out, I am suspecting my sister or Mom, but one of them if not both has informed some of our relatives and friends about you. So they are coming to see you. So be prepared you will be meeting some of the Salvador's." He calmly informed her.

She stared at her phone for sometime and then closed her eyes, falling back on the bed.

"Just great." She whispered sarcastically.

He chuckled.

***

"You look beautiful." Jasmine complimented, hoping it calms Maya's nerve as she checked her reflection on the mirror again for the fifth time in a minute.

She stared at the both girls worried, she wanted everything to be perfect. Farce or not she needed to make a good impression, this were the Salvador's she was going to meet.

But in their defence she thought, they didn't Know that.

Her black sequin gown made her look sexy, accentuating her curvy body, but with its sweet heart neckline, it dropped a hint of innocence.

She was wearing a Jewelry set. A gift given to Jessica on her last birthday by her mother and even though she had declined, Jessica had insisted she wear it stating that it will complement her clothes and it did.

She wore her stilettos, grabbed her purse all ready while waiting for the doorbell to ring.

Xavier cursed, realizing he had not even knot his tie properly in his haste to pick Maya. As it were, he was already running late, because his relatives were beginning to troop in.

He had earlier called Maya to find out what colour of dress she would be wearing so he will be able to wear a matching tie and he couldn't help but smile when she had told him black.

As he held the tie, he grinned remembering how he had met her that night at the club with her little black dress, and a thrill of anticipation had ran down his spine surprising him as he couldn't remember when last he was excited to meet anybody.

Maya shivered as the doorbell ring.

Jasmine and Jessica squealed in delight, as Maya had already informed them she was going out on a business date with Xavier and she was not the only one waiting with bated breath for the doorbell.

Though theirs were in anticipation, her's were in fear.

Jasmine made for the door, but Jessica beat her to it.

Maya couldn't help but gape at the man she was supposed to convince everyone wanted forever with her.

As usual, he looked effortlessly dashing.

"Hi." Jasmine breathlessly whispered.

"Mr Salvador meet Jasmine and Jessica, my room mates." She formally introduced, knowing they will kill her if she didn't.

He gave them one of his award winning signature smiles, amused at the awe on their faces as they both starred at him.

"Nice to meet you girls."

They smiled, unable to hide how flustered they were that Xavier was in their house and was actually talking to them.

"Shall we?" He asked starring at Maya.

She nodded, leading the way.

"You look really beautiful."

Her footsteps were halted. She turned to look at him and frowned noticing his tie.

"Your tie is messed up. Wait, let me help you with that." She offered dropping her bag on the porch.

He nodded, consenting to having her hands on his body.

~ Sweet torture he thought to himself.

She loosened his tie, her eyes fixed on knotting it properly why Xavier used the opportunity to just, look at her.

The longer he stared at her, the more he felt a strong urge to lock her inside and not let anyone see her.

She was looking way too beautiful for her own good and the thought of presenting her to his relatives amongst which were some of his male cousins who will like her way too much and try to make a move on her made him possessive.

He frowned, not believing he was considering Calling everybody and telling them to go home. Besides his possessive streak, he also had this urge to protect her from the mouth lash of his relatives.

He didn't trust himself to keep his cool if anyone speak to her the way, his dad had.

Objectifying her or Making snide remarks about her.

"Done." She whispered starring at the work she had just done, obviously pleased with herself.

Looking up, their eyes met. His gaze meet moved to her lips and Maya shivered in anticipation, while Xavier couldn't help but want to taste her lips again.

He slowly lowered his head and Maya closed her eyes, waiting with in anticipation for his wicked lips to do things to her's.

"Let's get going." He whispered into her ear, amused at her closed eyes and lifted expectant face.

She opened her eyes immediately, mortified to see Xavier already walking ahead of her towards the car.

"Brought a mesarati today? Hope that is okay and a step towards being discreet?" He asked.

She nodded, her face flushed with embarrassment.

He grinned.

"Why do you like keeping your hair that way?" Xavier curiously asked interrupting their quiet ride, referring to her uptight braid.

Though, he enjoyed the access it gave him to her neck, he really loved seeing her black long hair down.

"It makes me look sophisticated. More like a woman in your social class."

"Don't you get it?"

She stared at him confused.

"You are special Maya. I don't want you looking like them. I want to show Maya Luke off to my family, not a refined socialite. You are a gem and it will be a pity if my stuck up relatives don't see that and honestly, it will be their loss." He whispered, his hands cupping her jaw.

Her breath hitched and she wondered if he could hear how fast her heart was beating because of how close they were and how their intimate position affected her.

His hand move to her hair, caressing it softly as he starred into her eyes then with an unexpected tug he removed a handful of pins. Pins that she had spent almost an hour putting.

She wanted to say something, but she was speechless as he stared at her so tenderly.

"You are beautiful my kitten and I don't care about what anyone has to say, you inclusive." He whispered and then removed the last pin, letting her hair fall back gracefully.

"I am scared. What if your relatives hate me? What if they suspect you can't possibly be interested in me and find out this is a lie? What if..."

"Shh.." he whispered, placing his finger on her lips to stop her nervous rant.

"You are perfect Maya. You are so fucking perfect that it is almost unreal."

"But what if we don't connect as a couple? What if they don't buy our story?" She asked apprehensively.

He gazed at her intensely.

"I don't know what other people see, but I have never looked at you without showing how much I am sexually and emotionally involved with you since we started this game."

And honestly he thought, glancing at her, he really only had heated gazed when he looked at her and his intense eyes only showed his blazing desire for her.

"There is a reason why our pictures made headline for weeks Maya and that is because people are eating up our story, a story that we haven't even told. Spectaculations are being made that you might actually last and tame the player. And that is the first time the media has ever thought of that possiblity between I and any of my dates." He said starring at her.

"You are different, but a good type of different because honestly a social frigid woman and I together will not gather as much dust and be as authentic as we look. Now, I don't know why you can't see what I see, but the truth is that you are a perfect fit to who everyone thinks I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Her eyes shone bright with tears at his words, not believing she was actually being emotional.

But she couldn't help reacting to the beautiful things he had to say even though she knew he was desperately trying to convince her she was perfect for the job so she does not mess everything up with her nerves.

"What are you thinking about?" Xavier asked, few minutes later.

"You." Maya whispered, staring at the window admiring the beautiful landscape of the estate they had manoeuvred into.

He raised his brow.

She turned to look at him.

"This new you tonight, he is different and he is a friend. You are actually good at prep talks Mr Salvador...."

"You can stop the Mr Salvador bullshit, your friends ain't here besides my fianceé is not supposed to be calling me that." He said.

"But nobody is here..."

"You need to believe to some degree what you are about to sell. That is one strategy in marketing that is very effective." He stated.

"And.... Yes. This side of me, it doesn't last." He grumpily added.

"Fair enough."

"Just getting into character."

She looked out of the window, hating the fact that she felt stung at his admission, that her suspicion was right.

It was all a charade.