by Claire Adams
“Yes,” I had to say. There could be no confusion about the fact that this would have been impossible without my help. But I also thought it important to add, “But they could read it and turn it down with ease if they didn’t like what they saw.”
“Seriously, Zayden.” I liked the way she said my name. Zay-den. It sounded intoxicating. “Thank you so much.”
“Don’t thank me just yet. That was simply the abstract. You have a whole paper to write,” I reminded her. “We have a paper to write.”
I killed it with the “we.” I could see the joy in her face. “You’re a really good friend,” she said.
Friend? Did she think of me as someone she could call a friend? That was a weird sensation, hearing her call me a friend; and not necessarily in a bad way. Of course, I wanted to be more than that physically, but I wondered if it was worth keeping her around as a friend after I got what I wanted? I didn’t really have any friends aside from Ned, and if I was going to allow a girl in my life in any capacity, that word seemed to nicely describe it. Her intelligence was obvious, and maybe if we could remain friends, it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to have her work for me. I knew I could gain a lot from her talents, and she could make more money than she would anywhere else. I definitely needed to consider this in more depth; it all depended on how she would react if – when – we eventually have sex. There was a good chance that she would hate me forever for taking her virginity and not wanting anything more. Would it, though? She seemed like a very rational and together girl. I wasn’t entirely sure she would want to get emotionally involved with me if she knew that the alternative would grant her the career of her dreams. Her ambitions almost reminded me of myself in my college years. In those days, I would never have let anything stop me from my aspirations, and I suspected that Aria Roberts wasn’t the kind to either.
“If you really think so,” I said smiling at her. “Then do me a favor.”
“Anything!” she exclaimed immediately and hurriedly added, “Anything other than, you know.”
I laughed. “That wasn’t what I was going to ask. Have I asked that of you since our contract started?”
She looked like she was racking her brains for a moment and shook her head. “No, you haven’t.”
“Didn’t think so. What you could do for me is join me at a gala on Saturday I have to go to.”
She looked confused. “You didn’t have to ask me that, it’s part of our deal, I go with you to that kind of stuff.”
“I know, but I am giving you the option to say no. This isn’t about the contract. I want you to join me at the event if you want to. If not, no problem, it won’t affect our contract.”
I knew she needed to go, but it was going to be much more satisfying if she said yes of her own choosing.
“Don’t be silly.” She gave me a look that said I was being ridiculous. “Of course I’ll go.”
“You don’t even know what it is. What if I take you to a dark alley and-”
“Zayden, I think we have by now established that I feel completely safe around you. So I would love to join you at this ambiguous gala thing, okay?”
The way she said that made me laugh. “I will send you the details to the ambiguous gala thing to your email. Do you wanna go shopping before it?”
“What? No! I have clothes,” she sounded deeply offended.
“Everybody has clothes, that’s not why people go shopping-”
“That’s not remotely true; there are millions of poor people in the world who don’t have clothes.”
“That’s not what I meant. I don’t know, I am used to girls enjoying activities like shopping, so I assumed you’d find it fun too. Didn’t mean to offend you. It’s a black tie event, so dress accordingly,” I shrugged and slyly added, “And honestly, you would look good in just about anything.”
A faint blush embraced her cheeks. “Thanks,” she mumbled. “Do you want to get started on the paper now? I have a publication to look forward to.”
Chapter Seven
ARIA
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” Stacey was hyperventilating, like she was the one going on a date with Zayden Sinclair to a fancy gala. “What are you going to wear? You don’t have fancy gala clothes!”
“We will go shopping,” I said with a mouth full of popcorn. Regardless of how haughty I had acted in front of Zayden, I did not, in fact, have clothes for the event. He had sent me the flyer and it was some kind of a vintage auction that he was attending for a business partner. Frankly, I was rather surprised that he wanted me to join him for this instead of some supermodel.
Oh wait, I had forbidden him from sleeping with supermodels as a part of the contract. It made sense that he wouldn’t want to take one to the gala if he couldn’t take her clothes off at the end of the night. Chauvinists, I thought as I shook my head. At least I could safely say that he wasn’t taking my clothes off. I’d make sure to purchase a dress with extra-complicated zippers, just in case. And wear my granny panties.
Why was I thinking like that? Like someone that doubted herself? I had consciously made the decision not to sleep with him under any circumstances, and I did not need the aid of complicated garments in order to keep my restraint.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!” Stacey had a second round of hyperventilation when Nick walked in.
“What’s the occasion that we are remembering the Almighty for?” He sat down, grabbing a bunch of popcorn from the bowl. I moved the bowl and made a pretend shocked expression that said “mine!”
“Aria is going to a super fancy vintage auction with the best looking guy in the world!” Stacy said.
“Ouch!” Nick made a mock-hurt expression.
“Sorry baby, you are the handsomest guy as far as I’m concerned,” she said, air-kissing him. “But I meant in a more objective sense.”
“Don’t bother, Stace. I am not deluded enough to compare myself to Zayden Sinclair.”
Stacey looked like she was now feeling genuinely bad, even though Nick didn’t really care, so she walked up to him and locked him in an embrace. It was an adorable sight, since Nick was over a foot taller than her, but balled up inside his arms like that, they looked like a couple from a poster advertising happiness.
“I am just excited for Aria, you know that, right?” she asked, kissing his cheek.
“Nope, I was convinced that you are secretly having nightly dalliances with this billionaire playboy.” They both started laughing.
“Aria is!” she was almost too quick to chime in.
“You already told me about her deal,” Nick said, not sounding particularly interested.
“Care more,” I said, stuffing a new batch of popcorn into my face. “Please.”
This was why Nick was one of my best friends; he jumped off the couch and started dancing while screaming, almost singing, “Aria is dating a billionaire!!!”
I threw a pillow at him and went back to my bowl of popcorn.
---
On Saturday afternoon I changed about 95 times. I had tried everything in my wardrobe, but nothing seemed to be appropriate for a date with Zayden Sinclair. The shopping trip never happened because Stacey managed to catch the flu and I had no sense or intention to embark in such an activity without her, which I now regretted immensely. I looked at myself in the mirror after taking off yet another dress. I was wearing my red lacy bra and matching panties. Just because. There was no harm in looking and feeling good, it didn’t mean anything. I sighed as a tiny voice inside me began to send warning signals. Fine. Granny panties it is. Looking freshly 80 years old, I started going through my entire wardrobe when the doorbell rang and I shuddered.
I had at least four hours until the date, it couldn’t be….
“I got it!” I heard Nick’s voice from outside and quickly threw on a sweater and jeans to greet whoever was at our door. By the time I stepped out, Nick was standing with a giant package in his hand.
“It’s for you,” he grinne
d. “From your lover.”
“What on Earth could he possibly have sent me four hours before our date?” I approached the package and almost didn’t want to open it because of how perfect it looked. It was wrapped in teal and white paper with a beautiful mauve bow tied on to the top. I wished I could just keep the wrapper and not open what was inside. The wrapping itself was the perfect present.
“Open it!” Nick was getting impatient.
Very carefully, I removed the bow and set it to the side, then I slowly started to bring apart the paper wrapping, hoping to do it perfectly and save the pretty paper, but Nick jumped in and tore the thing apart too soon for me to stop him.
“Nick! I wanted to save that!” I said, genuinely surprised by how annoyed I was. But Nick made puppy dog eyes, something both him and Stacey did to get me to bend to their wishes. It was like having two kids, sometimes. I just could not be mad at that face.
“Ugh, it’s fine,” I said reluctantly. “What is in there?”
His eyes widened as he pulled out a long red dress with golden embellishments on the hem and neckline. I went forward to touch and it was the softest fabric I had ever laid my eyes upon. I didn’t know what to say or how to react. I should be angry; I did tell him I already had clothes! It was very presumptuous and quite frankly, disrespectful of him to just buy a fancy looking dress, as though whatever I owned could in no way be good enough for an event where I accompanied him.
I really should be angry.
Which is why the sense of relief I felt made me feel uncomfortable. The truth was I didn’t have appropriate clothes, and even if I had gotten the chance to go shopping, something like this dress was simply not in my budget. Whatever I bought was not going to be good enough for this event, as proven by the immaculate garment I was now holding in my hand. Maybe he should have just taken someone who he knew could afford to dress in a way that suits him. I felt a little bitter again, but then thought of the last few hours of anxiety over my wardrobe and tried to accept this, be grateful. And I could always return it to him after the event! Maybe that would be tacky. It was either return it now and never wear it, or just take his gift and deal with it.
“There is more,” Nick said, watching me gaze into space.
“More what?”
“Jewelry and a note.”
I grunted. I grabbed the note from Nick’s reluctant hands:
Dear Aria,
I could care less if you showed up in torn jeans. Or better yet, nothing at all. But the spy I have recruited at your quarters alerted me of trouble you were having deciding on attire. So I had to step in. Don’t feel pressured to wear it though. I don’t know much about women’s fashion, just thought this would nicely contour your perfect figure.
See you at 8!
-Zayden
“Stacey!” we both screamed at the same time. She was supposed to be sleeping, but if she had the energy to discuss my clothing with Zayden, she had the energy to explain it to me. She walked out of her room looking rather sick. I knew she was only trying to help me because that’s what best friends do, but I wasn’t going to let her go without a hard time, because that is also what best friends do.
“Oh wow, what a beautiful dress!” she exclaimed, looking at me. “You went shopping without me?”
So innocent. She should join the CIA.
“I know what you did.” I gave her a sharp look.
“Yes, we know, Stace!” Nick was giving her the exact same look.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said to me, and then looked at Nick and added, “And why do you look bothered?”
Nick looked like he considered it for a second and frowned. “I’m not really sure. It seemed like the right thing to do.”
Stacey laughed. “You’re ridiculous. Can you make me some tea?”
Nick was off to do his bidding and I was left to confront Stacey. I opened my mouth to begin a long-winded lecture but ended up bursting into a fit of laughter. Stacey joined me, and after about five minutes of this, I was finally able to speak again.
“How did you even do it, Stace? Did you just randomly dial his number and go ‘Hey, guess what, I have the flu and Aria doesn’t have a dress?’”
She bit her lip. “Email. We are on emailing basis.”
“How?”
“His email is on the company’s website.”
I sighed. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I love you, you idiot,” she said, looking at me like I was crazy. “In my defense, he wasn’t supposed to rat me out. Tell your boyfriend he owes me one.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, you know that,” I sounded way too disappointed saying those words for my own liking, so I cleared my throat and added with a firmer tone, “He’s just some playboy who is too used to getting what he wants and thinks all of this is a game.”
I wasn’t sure I believed my own words by this point. He was a playboy and this was a game; there was no doubt about it and he made no efforts to hide it. But somehow along the way, I had come to believe that he was actually a decent person. I couldn’t admit this to Stacey, though. I couldn’t even admit it to myself, really. The better I thought of him, the more likely it became that I would get hurt when all of this was over, and I could not consciously do that to myself.
“A playboy who is playing games, and for some mysterious reason, makes you happy,” Stacy said after a few minutes, as though considering how wise it was to communicate that with me.
“What do you mean?” I raised my eyebrows.
“You are happy.”
“I am not any more or any less happy than I was before this contract.”
At least, I didn’t think I was! Not that I would ever describe myself as a particularly joyful person – but it was difficult to be when paying yourself through college, working crazy hours, and having to worry about taking care of your mother financially.
“Aria, you know how much I love you, but you have been kind of miserable for a year now. Since that douchebag cheated on you.”
“I have not been miserable,” I said defensively.
“You kind of have, though,” she said while looking at the floor. “I barely saw you during the day cause you buried yourself in work, and at night you would just turn on the TV and drift into your own thoughts. Ever since Zayden started hitting on you, you joke and laugh and have fun again! It’s like he gave me the old Aria back.”
“Stacey, if it was bothering you so much, why didn’t you say anything all year?”
“No, you are taking the wrong thing out of this. I was worried about you, Aria. I didn’t know what I could do for you. Nick and I spent so much time trying to play matchmaker for you behind your back, cause we thought dating would make you have some fun, feel better. But you never had the time, so we were always too afraid to bring it up. Then one day you came home and told us your new boss was flirting with you and there has been a kind of slow and awesome progress since then.”
I was stumped. Really? Really? No. No way.
“Could you maybe for a second consider the possibility that I was doing better emotionally all on my own and it had nothing to do with some man’s pretend affection?”
Hurt was bubbling up inside me, and I started tearing up a little. I wasn’t sure why this was bothering me so much, but it was. If I seemed happier, Zayden had nothing to do with it, and the fact that my very best friend thought that it did made me feel sick.
“Whatever you want to tell yourself, Aria,” she sounded like she was getting just as frustrated. “All I saw was my best friend getting happier and I did what I thought was best for her. You obviously feel differently so I promise to back off. I’ll remove Zayden from my email contacts. I don’t feel well so I’m going to go lay down for a bit. Have fun at your date and call me if you need anything.”
With that said, she walked back into her room, as tears started pouring down my face. There was no way I would wear the stupid dress now.
Chapter Eight
I had never been to the neighborhood before and was surprised to see apartments cramped together so closely.
“Ned,” I rolled down the screen of the limo I had chosen for the night. “Is this the ghetto?” I joked.
I could swear I heard a chuckle, but Ned was clever enough to turn it into a cough. “No, sir. Definitely not the ghetto. This is just a college neighborhood, mostly resided by students, who are on quite a budget.”
“Ah,” I said. I wondered if I should offer to let Aria rent one of my houses. She would never accept that for free, but maybe if I let her pay as much as she was paying for one of these places…
Why the fuck was I worrying about her living arrangements?
“Here we are,” Ned said parking next to a three-storied apartment building.
The lights were on in the 3rd floor, and I vaguely remembered Aria mentioning that she was on the top floor of her building. So that had to be it.
“I don’t know what to do now, Ned.”
He looked back at me with concern. “Are you nervous?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” I exclaimed. “Why on earth would I be nervous? I just am not sure whether to walk in or call her.”
“Just walk up to her floor and ring the doorbell.”
“Ah, right, the doorbell!” I laughed.
I walked into the building and looked for the elevator; finding none, I grunted my way upstairs. She’d better be on the 3rd floor after the workout. Damn the flowers, I had forgotten the flowers in the car. I was not going to run downstairs and right back up just for that.
I rang the doorbell and was surprised to be welcomed by an extremely tall gentleman wearing horn-rimmed glasses.
“Who are you?” I asked feeling slightly annoyed. What was a man doing in her house?
“Who are you?” he laughed. “Just kidding, come in Zayden, everyone in a 50-mile radius of Atlanta knows who you are.”
“I am not sure this is the right place.” I looked at the guy quizzically. Could it be her brother, maybe? Unlikely, they looked too different.