by Claire Adams
“You’re only saying that to shut me up. Believe me Zay, just give her another chance. She will make you happy again, you will see.”
“So we are back to square one, then? You want what you want and obviously think you know what’s better for me than I do myself. Why are we even having this conversation?”
“Because I had to tell you I loved you, I don’t think I do it nearly enough,” she said, crying openly now.
“It’s not necessary that you do. I have a lot to get done for work, so you should go back to your room.”
She didn’t say another word, but hugged me tightly before leaving with tears in her eyes.
---
The next day Aria was already at the bank when I got there, and she was by herself. Taking the opportunity, I strode over to her desk.
“Hello,” I said, unsure of what I was hoping to achieve from this interaction.
“Good morning, Mr. Sinclair, how may I help you?” she asked with a fake bright smile.
“We’re still at Mr. Sinclair, then?” I frowned.
“Depends. Am I allowed to talk to whomever I want yet? You still married?”
I shook my head and walked back to my office, not having the energy or the will to deal with this for now, and then buried myself in paperwork for the next few hours.
No matter what I did though, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The way she moved in her body-hugging dress sent tingles of excitement throughout my whole body. Aria had such an incredible presence. Every customer who walked up to her would leave looking happier than they were walking in. She exuded the kind of charisma that very few people I knew could muster, and this was when I knew for certain that she was going through a bunch of issues in her personal life.
The truth was that I missed her incredibly. She had been great in bed, despite only having sex once before me. It was like she had this inherent talent that drove me completely mad. And it wasn’t just the sex that I missed, I missed talking to her, hearing her laugh, and working through her schoolwork together.
When I had first thought up the contract, I never imagined that this girl would have such a powerful impact on me. It was supposed to be a game, a challenge to show myself that I was capable of making any woman want me. To an extent, I could say I had succeeded. Then why was the fact that she would refuse to meet my eyes frustrating me so much? What could I even do to make her stop being so distant?
The answer was obvious: I had to end it with Gina and let Aria do whatever she wanted. She wasn’t like other girls, she would never be okay with doing things my way. That was one of the things I admired about her. In asking her to compromise her ideals, I was forcing her to be someone she was not, and there was no point in even trying to pursue that person. If I wanted her back in my life, just the way she was, I had to do it.
I thought back to my conversation with my mother last night. From her feeble attempts at motherhood, I had at least gathered that she thinks she wants me to be happy. Surely this meant she wouldn’t threaten me with more suicide attempts if I could explain to her what I really wanted? Maybe I would take her out to dinner and forgive her for everything I was holding against her, if she were able to handle this without pulling any new shenanigans.
With new resolve, I dialed Gina on my cell phone and walked out into the hall so that I could make sure Aria heard the conversation.
“Hi,” I said when she answered. “About that deal you wanted to make with me? I don’t think so. I don’t love you, Gina,” I said more loudly. “And you don’t love me. Let’s not waste any more time on facades and pretenses. I don’t hold anything against you, and if you ever need anything, I will be glad to help out, financially or otherwise.”
“Zayden! You can’t do this! Not like this, over the phone! Come home and we can talk about it properly. You don’t need to–”
“I am done talking about it. I am just done. Can’t you respect me enough to understand that? It’s over, Gina. Take as long as you need to move out, and I would appreciate it if you let me tell my mother myself. Goodbye,” I said and hung up before she could make any more protests. She called back immediately, so I shut my phone off. Then I looked up at Aria. She was pretending to be typing something intensely on her computer, but there was no way she hadn’t heard that conversation.
Next order of business; I made a second phone call from my office.
One hour later, Rick, Aria’s ex-boyfriend, was inside my office. She was now actively looking towards me with genuine curiosity.
“Hello, Dick,” I said when he walked in.
“It’s Rick, actually,” he said, looking slightly confused. “Is there a reason why you asked me to come here today, Mr. Sinclair? Can I help you in any way?”
“Yes,” I said looking at Aria. “Go talk to Aria over there.”
“Huh?” He looked like someone had dropped him right in the middle of a bizarre dream. “I don’t understand.”
“You’re not very smart, are you?” I scoffed. “What is there not to understand? Go talk to Aria.”
“Was there something particular you wanted me to say to her? You understand my confusion?” He screwed his nose.
“Nope. I am giving you permission to talk to her because that’s what she wants, I think. But if you hurt her again, you won’t be seeing the light of the day for a very long time. Are we clear?”
He nodded, looking utterly confounded. “You can go now,” I said and got back to my paperwork.
Chapter Five
Aria
I had to be dreaming! There was no way that my ex-boyfriend was walking out of Zayden’s office.
Even though I had been trying hard to pretend I didn’t care what Zayden was saying on the phone, I had been very alert when he ended it with his wife. In spite of myself, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited upon hearing that conversation, which was obviously happening loud and clear out in the hallway for my benefit. There was no way I was going to let him know that it made me feel better, though. Perhaps it didn’t even have anything to do with me and I was overanalyzing all of it. But as Rick walked towards my desk, I was starting to get a good idea of what was going on.
“Hi,” Rick said and smiled at me. “So, I was apparently called here and given permission to talk to you.”
Zayden was unmistakably focusing all his attention towards us, and knowing full well he could hear whatever I was saying, I said, “Well, it’s not up to anyone to give you permission to talk to whoever you want, is it?”
“Hey, it’s Zayden Sinclair, I’ll eat a hat if he tells me to. Can’t go too wrong with being in a billionaire’s good graces. I don’t know what is going on between the two of you but–”
“Nothing is going on between the two of us,” I said quickly. “And nothing is, or ever will, go on between you and me either, Rick. So just go home, and for your own good, stop taking instructions from strangers just because they happen to be influential people.”
Like I had any room to talk.
He looked hurt, and my anger was definitely misplaced at him, but I didn’t care. Giving him permission to talk to me! What was Zayden trying to pull? There did not need to be such a huge show, and he didn’t have to make Rick come all the way here just to prove a point. A small part of me couldn’t help but be happy, though. Clearly, he must have been regretting the situation and he was trying to change it.
“Okay, then, I’ll get going,” Rick said with a pained expression.
“I am sorry, Rick. I didn’t mean to offend you, but seriously, there is nothing between us. I am telling you so you don’t get your hopes up, I would hate to lead you on. Nobody deserves that.”
He probably did deserve it for what he did to me.
“Well, I am going to back off then.” As he walked away, I heard him mumble, “What a damn waste of my time.”
When he was gone, my phone rang and I immediately knew who it was.
“Come into my office,” Zayden said and hung up without even letting me answer
.
I went without having any idea of what to expect, trying to calm the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. What’s the worst that could happen? He had, after all, just made the effort to show me that he was capable of making some changes. But did he really have to call Rick here and make a whole scene of it? No matter how excited I was, I couldn’t help my temper.
“Why did you call him here?” I snapped as soon as I walked into his office.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Wasn’t it obvious? I gave him the permission to talk to you!”
“Who do you think you are, God? You can just swing people around like puppets and tell them what they can or can’t do? If you were trying to make the point that you are not going to be controlling anymore, the best way to do it would not have been by controlling another human being and giving them ‘permission,’ as though you owned the rights to their life.”
Upon hearing that, his eyes got red with what seemed to be anger. “What the fuck do you even want from me, Aria? I just ended a very long and complicated relationship with my ex-wife, something for which I will have to face more consequences than you can imagine. And I let that guy talk to you. Why isn’t any of this shit enough?”
“Oh, the sad consequences of not having a beautiful blonde woman as a trophy wife. I feel your pain,” I said and immediately regretted it. I was being bitchy for no reason, while he was making the effort. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean–”
“You have no idea what I will have to endure for ending that relationship.”
“Tell me, then. Give me an idea,” I spoke more softly. “What was the whole deal behind you and your wife?”
“My mother thinks that Gina is an angel who descended from heaven. She almost tried to kill herself because of our divorce, and I have been forced to try couples counseling ever since. She then invited her to come live in my home, making more threats about taking her own life. I didn’t have a choice in any of this, but I don’t expect you to understand. You have already made up your mind that I am a lying scumbag–”
“I don’t think you’re a scumbag!” I exclaimed, cutting him off. “I did think you were lying to me. I had no idea… about your mom… you never talked about her.”
“Well, she isn’t exactly my favorite topic of conversation.”
“I am sorry, Zayden,” I said his name properly for the first time in a while, and the effect on him was visible. His tense face lightened up considerably, and his muscles relaxed. “If I had known about your mother, I wouldn’t have been so harsh… you have to understand what it looked like to me… like you had been lying all along.”
“You didn’t think to give me the benefit of the doubt even for a second, did you? Even though I had never lied to you. Hell, I had convinced myself somehow that you thought I was a halfway decent human being, which was a refreshing change.” He started to look angry again, as though the full implications of my reaction were finally starting to sink in.
“I do think that you are a decent human being,” I said, in a desperate attempt to smooth out the situation. “But you have to look at it from my perspective too. Mrs. Brian told me that no matter who you were screwing around with, your wife always came back in the end. Like there was some sort of a repeating pattern, and she said you two were meant to be and any girl who thought you would put her before your wife was deluded!”
“So you would rather listen to a crazy old bitch than trust me or hear me out?” He was clutching the hem of his shirt tightly; it made me afraid. His temper was clearly rising.
“It’s not like that. I am sorry about what your mother has been putting you through,” I said genuinely.
“So you believe me, then?” He met my eyes in surprise.
“Of course!” I said at once. “Why wouldn’t I?”
He shrugged. “You didn’t believe me when I said there was nothing between Gina and I, so why would you believe this?”
“Because I know you better than to think you would make up some story about your mother trying to kill herself just to get in my pants.”
“That’s reassuring,” he said sarcastically. “You can get back to work.”
“But–”
“Go!” he shouted, pointing at the door.
With that, I was dismissed as he jumped back into handling whatever paperwork was in front of him. I walked back to my desk feeling confused with a million questions in my mind. So where did we stand? He had ended it with his wife for me, despite it risking his relationship with his mother. But he hadn’t mentioned anything about our contract or where we stood in regards to that…
I wanted to ask him, but he seemed to be in a foul mood and I didn’t want to upset him even further. Nervous about my mother’s hospital bills, I decided I would wait a couple of days and then bring up the issue with him. I just hoped that I hadn’t caused problems between Zayden and his mother. What if she got so upset that she tried to kill herself again? The thought of that sent a shudder down my spine. I would never be able to forgive myself for causing that. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea for him to have ended things with his wife. Since I couldn’t get myself to go back in there and tell him that, I wrote him an email.
Zayden,
I don’t know where we stand in terms of our contract right now, and I don’t need to know for now. I did, however, want to apologize for not giving you a chance to explain it about your mom before. It must be hard for you to deal with this situation. The last thing I would want in the world is to cause your mother to be upset and do something that hurts you, just because I couldn’t handle the fact that you were married. Please don’t rush to end things with your wife – I believe that you are not sexually involved with her because I trust you – but perhaps you should take more time to sort things out with your mom before ending it so suddenly. I promise I won’t let it affect our contract, regardless of what happens to it.
Aria
P.S. I really do think you are a decent person, a little more controlling than you need to be, but better than most men I know.
I waited until it was time for me to leave before hitting Send so that I wouldn’t have to watch him read it.
---
The Friday after Zayden ended it with his wife, I was hanging out with Nick and Stacey in our living room, when I got a phone call from my mom.
“Hi Mom,” I answered, surprised. “Isn’t it a little late for you to be calling? You are always in bed by 10. Is everything okay?”
Mom giggled nervously, suggesting that she must be a little tipsy. “Everything is okay, dear. Or I think so. I don’t know. The last two months, my hospital bills had been paid by this day but it hasn’t gone through yet this time, and I wanted to check to see if everything is okay on your end.”
Shit. I felt my face grow hot with frustration. The month was not over yet, technically. But perhaps this meant – it could mean – had Zayden decided our contract was over after all and he wouldn’t be making any more payments?
“Mom, I have to tell you something,” I said, resigned. “Please listen very carefully and don’t get upset with me.”
“Why would I get upset with you?” she asked sounding surprised that I would even suggest such a thing. “You have been wonderful, Aria, helping me with my hospital bills like this! I only hope I get the opportunity to do something great for you in return someday.”
“You have, Mom, you did that little thing where you, you know, raised me?” I tried to sound cheerful but my insides were at war. How was I going to explain it to her? The contract was not exactly something she would approve of; it would sound, no matter how I put it, like I was selling myself. She would not be able to handle that. I had to come up with a better story. “Listen, Mom,” I started again. “I may have lied to you a little bit, but it was so you didn’t feel uncomfortable about those payments. My loan never exactly got through.”
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until she spoke, “What do you mean your loan never got through? You have been maki
ng payments! I have the receipt!”
“That wasn’t me,” I said sulkily, as Stacey threw me a pillow for comfort.
“What? I don’t understand. Of course it was you!”
“It wasn’t. I mean it was. It’s complicated. My loan got denied so my – uh – boyfriend, who has a lot of money, offered to lend me the money, which I am to pay him back after finding a job.”
“Boyfriend?” She sounded shocked. “You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend, Aria! Since when do we hide things from each other? It’s not, oh God, it’s not that awful boy who broke your heart last year, is it?”
“No Mom, it’s someone else, and we hadn’t really figured out what we were for the longest time so I never felt like talking about it.”
“So the guy was willing to give you 60,000 dollars before even putting a name on your relationship? I don’t get it, Aria. I hope you haven’t been doing anything illegal. I’m not worth the trouble.”
“No, Mom, no no! Nothing illegal, I promise. Like I said, it is very complicated. But I haven’t done anything you wouldn’t approve of, Mom,” I said, crossing my fingers.
“I don’t know, Aria. You didn’t even tell me about this guy, and he has been paying all this money.” Her voice was shaking slightly.
“I will be paying him back, I promise!” I said honestly. “But I think for now the payments will have to stop because, uh, we broke up.”
“Aww, honey! Are you all right? Maybe I should come over and spend a few days with you.”
I thought about that for a second and realized it was a horrible idea. If she came here it would be easier for her to find out exactly what the deal between me and Zayden was.
“Don’t be silly, Mom.” I tried to sound as cheerful as possible. “We were not even dating for too long. He was a good boyfriend but he began to get controlling and that pissed me off, so I ended it. I am not even upset about it! Worried about your hospital bills, sure, but not upset. And I will find another way to continue your payments. You trust me, don’t you?”