The Scheme

by Mia Kayla

  “Let me call you later. I want to spend time with my man before he has to go back to work.”

  I hung up and Brian lifted an inquiring eyebrow. “Do you tell her everything?”

  I smiled sweetly at him. “Of course not. If I did, she’d know she made the wrong choice and want you back.”

  He shook his head, amused, and picked at my fried rice, grabbing a piece of chicken with his chopstick. “Does it bother you that we had a brief history?” He cocked his head, his face thoughtful. “Because it shouldn’t. The reason Beth and I didn’t happen was because we were supposed to. And maybe if Beth and my paths didn’t cross, ours wouldn’t have. I don’t like to think that’s even a possibility.”

  My eyebrows pulled together as I looked down at my food, getting emotional at the thought. I didn’t want to think of us not being together, either.

  It wasn’t like I was insecure about our relationship. Brian had never given me a reason to feel like I wasn’t enough for him. Still, I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly with relief that I was it for him and that he had no regrets.

  I set my chopsticks down and rested my hand on his forearm. “I don’t care that you shared spit with my best friend because you and I have shared more important bodily liquids, and I’ve already told her that.”

  Mouth still full of food, Brian coughed, choking back laughter while pounding on his chest. He picked up his water to wash his food down. “Baby, you’re crazy sometimes.”

  “As if you didn’t know that already,” I joked, laughing along with him.

  “Oh, I did.” He inched in closer, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “And that’s one of the reasons why I love you. That, and you have the Power of the—”

  “Hey,” I said, slapping his shoulder.

  “—of a princess,” he finished, silencing me with his lips.

  My insides swooned.

  I’m his princess.

  He focused at the overhead clock against the wall. “I need to get back, but I need me one of those.” He pointed to the table next to us.

  I looked at the pastry the couple was chowing down on. It was round with a light reddish center.

  “I’ll be back.” He stood, placed the order at the counter, and then came back to our table. “I have to go, but I’ll see you tonight.” He kissed me on the lips, long and lingering, but not long enough for me. “They’ll bring out some of those Chinese cakes I got for you. Save me one for tonight. I love you,” he said, smiling at me.

  My stomach dropped with disappointment. I wasn’t ready for him to leave. I stuck out my lower lip in a full-on Kendy pout. “Can’t you play hookie, just for today?” Somewhere along the way, I had turned into one of those girlfriends who wanted to hang on her boyfriend all day and night long. And I wasn’t a damn bit ashamed or self-conscious about it.

  He never seemed bothered by it, either. His mouth curved up in a beaming smile. “If I don’t go to work, how can I afford that Tiffany ring you want?”

  Tiffany ring?

  Tiffany ring!

  My heart stammered in my chest. For a moment, I thought I’d heard him wrong, but his smile widened. I blinked and tried to keep my face even, but I was failing miserably as a humongous grin swept up my face. So big it made my cheeks hurt.

  I pushed my finger into my cheek where a dimple would be if I had one. “Okay,” I said, bringing my shoulders to my ears, playing shy.

  “I love you,” he said again. “And I really have to go.”

  My heart swelled to double its size. “I love you, too,” I said softly, while the couple next to us observed our display of affection.

  As he walked away, I sighed, realizing we had turned into ‘that’ couple. The one that made out in public, was overly touchy, and way, way too affectionate. We’d turned into the couple that disregarded what everyone thought. The corny duo that would eventually wear matching outfits and walk with our hands tucked into the back pockets of each other’s jeans.

  Oh well. I didn’t care. I felt utterly complete.

  The cute little Asian woman placed a white paper bag in front of me. “This is for you?”

  I smiled up at her and gave her my receipt. “Yes, thank you.”

  “Two moon cakes,” she confirmed.

  The paper bag crinkled within my grasp, and as a sudden clarity hit me, I blinked and kept blinking, my mouth dropping open.

  She was about to turn away when I reached for her arm. “What did you say?”

  She frowned, slowly extracting her arm. “Moon cakes. That’s what you ordered, right?” At my utter silence, she said, “Is something wrong? Do you want to change your order?”

  The ringing in my ears intensified. Holy shit. “What’re these?” I asked again, needing her to say it just one more time.

  She still seemed confused, so I pulled them out of the bag and pointed to the pastry, which was still warm between my fingertips. “This?”

  “Moon Cakes.” She was now looking at me like I was crazy and she might call the cops if I didn’t leave soon.

  I stepped back, in a daze, and gave her a nod. She took that as her permission to skitter away.

  Moon cakes . . .

  Holy crap, had Brian planned this?

  I reached for my purse and rushed out the door. He was probably close to the subway, but I raced back down the route we’d taken to get to the train. The farther I ran, I started to doubt my ability to catch up to him in my heels, and I was a tiny bit afraid that my skirt was going to fly up and people would see my hoo-ha.

  I dashed faster down the street, knowing full well that it could be a lost cause, but I just couldn’t stop. The white bag swished against my hip, probably giving the moon cakes whiplash.

  And then I saw him.

  “Brian!” I yelled. When he didn’t hear me, I yelled his name about ten more times. Well, more like screeched his name. People were glaring at me like I was a crazy person, which I was fully aware of.

  My chest heaved from my unplanned workout. I needed to make an effort to work out more. Sure, I could be the Energizer Bunny in bed, but running was not my thing.

  When I saw him stop by the light, I slowed to a fast jog. “Brian!” I yelled louder as a woman in a suit flipped toward me and stared me down. I threw her my ‘bitch’ look when Brian finally glanced back at me.

  Thank God!

  His eyebrows pulled together, and he forged through the crowd to get to me. Without explaining, I charged toward him in a full on sprint, and we crashed together. After a few seconds, he pulled me to the side, away from the oncoming traffic. I doubled over, needing a moment to catch my breath.

  When I was better, his gentle hands framed my shoulders, his eyes searching my face. “What’s wrong?”

  “One second,” I said, raising a finger, worried I might barf up all my food. Nope, false alarm. But then a blush crept up my cheeks at how overly dramatic I’d just been. I was starting to feel silly, yelling his name down the street like he was in danger or something.

  He pulled me closer. “What’s the matter?” he asked again. “Did something happen? Are you okay?”

  I went up on my tiptoes and kissed his lips to calm him. “No . . . I just . . .” I stuttered, feeling my blush deepen. And then I lifted the white bag. “I got your cakes,” I said sheepishly.

  He blinked at the bag, confused, then his gaze returned to me. “Baby, are you okay?”

  “Yes,” I said. I reached into the bag and offered him one. The normally round pastry was flattened from my run.

  “Kendy . . .” He still looked worried.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “Please don’t be mad. I just wanted to give you a cake.”

  His face softened and he shook his head then he reached for the bag, taking the cake from me. “Thanks, Princess. But I really have to get back to work.”

  My eyes raked in his handsome face, the sun beating down on him, which only made the blue in his eyes more evident. Such emotion flooded me as I realized where we had started and
where we were now.

  All that time before, I had been living my life, following the prediction, almost forcing it to come true. And just when I had stopped allowing those predictions to control my life, they came true anyway. It was funny how the world worked.

  “I’ll walk you to the train,” I said, feeling a fluttering in my stomach and a lightness in my heart. The prediction had come true after all, and with the right man—my man, my chosen man.

  He nodded and placed the cake back in the white paper bag, careful not to get his hands dirty. Smiling, he locked our fingers together and led us down the block.

  “Do you know what they call those cake things?” I asked casually, watching his reaction.

  He frowned. “Chinese cake with light reddish filling?”

  I dropped my gaze and smiled to myself.

  He didn’t know. And because he didn’t know, it just increased my love for my man, if that was even remotely possible. But a small part of me wondered if he had bought me the cakes to prove a point.

  Should I tell him? Not tell him?

  I peered up at him through my lashes and decided it didn’t matter. He didn’t believe in horoscopes or psychics. That was my thing, and it wouldn’t change anything anyway. I wasn’t letting predictions rule my life. I made my own choices now. To hell with the predictions! He was sure of us without ‘all that hocus pocus,’ as he would call it.

  At the entrance to the subway, I went up on my tiptoes and placed a light kiss on his mouth. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” I said as I pecked him sweetly, feeling his smile against my lips.

  When he reached to give me my moon cake, I took a bite, but then placed it back in the bag for him to take to work. Because in a way, my way I guess, I wanted to give him the moon right back.

  At his questioning glance, I smiled slyly. “I’m watching my calories.”

  He rolled his eyes then snaked an arm around my waist and bent me backward to really kiss me. “I’ll see you tonight, Princess.”

  “See you tonight,” I said seductively.

  Then I watched his sexy self take the stairs to the subway, and I sighed. Though I was running my life now, it was still pretty damn cool.

  The man had given me the moon.

  In the form of food.

  And it couldn’t have been more perfect.

  The End

  NEWSLETTER

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  And read an excerpt of my novel Marry Me for Money on the next page

  Marry Me for Money

  Prologue

  The woman was beautiful. She looked like a supermodel ready to walk the runway. The blackest of black eyelashes swept upward, accenting the depths of her emerald eyes. Curls of mahogany sat on top of her head while the apple of her cheeks were highlighted with a slight pink as if the sun had kissed her.

  I should have been excited. I should have been anxious.

  But as my heartbeat thrashed in my ears, all I felt was dread.

  I sat on the stool, staring at the girl in the mirror. I wondered who this girl was. I wondered where the old girl had gone and how I could get her back. The problem was I couldn’t. The lie was so deep, the charade so long that there was nowhere else to go, but to move forward.

  It was an out-of-body experience as the chaos of the circus around me was happening. I hardly noticed the woman in front of me as she swished her little brush of pink gloss on my pouty lips.

  Everybody was getting ready for the big day.

  My big day.

  Four photographers were scattered around the room, catching every moment and every detail from the shoes to the invitation to the flowers.

  Orchids.

  Orchids didn’t give off a scent like every other flower. Too much water would drown them. Not enough sunlight would kill them. They were useless and high maintenance.

  So, when the florist had asked me what kind of flowers I would like for my bouquet, I’d said, “Orchids.”

  It was the flower I despised the most. It wasn’t because of its lack of beauty or its uselessness, but I didn’t want anything that I would pick for my real day.

  The photographers moved to the king-sized bed, and they snapped pictures of the regal designer wedding gown. This was another thing I never would have picked for myself. I remembered my last fitting. I had barely squeezed into the strapless couture dress. I would never choose a dress that I couldn’t walk, dance, or eat in. I hated it, and that was the reason I’d picked it.

  My stomach growled from starvation. I had no appetite the night before, and today Kendy, my maid of honor, wouldn’t allow me to eat. It was so unlike her. I guessed it was for my benefit because I could barely fit into my dress. Either way, my stomach was eating itself because it had nothing else to feed off of.

  The time went by slowly as if it were dragging on purpose to punish me for living the biggest lie of my life. Everyone always said their wedding day had flown by. This day was killing me, killing me softly and slowly.

  All I wanted was for it to be over, but the day had just begun.

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. If I can only get through this day . . . this one day . . .

  I just needed to get through today.

  Pick up your copy of Marry Me for Money today!

  Purchase from Amazon

  To find out about more of Mia Kayla’s books, visit her Amazon Author Page

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  My book is done done done. This is my third book out and what I've realized is that no matter what I do, which different paths I take or how I change my process, writing a book never gets easier. And after this third book, I realize that maybe it never will. I will still whine to my writing buddies, cry when no one is looking and edit my manuscript over and over until I can't see straight anymore.

  But at the end of the day it's worth it to me and to my readers.

  My process is long and heart wrenching. Even when I'm done editing, I look at my manuscript and think it's utter crap, but I've created characters I absolutely love and I hope I did their story justice.

  When they said it takes an army, they weren't kidding! Without further ado, I want to thank the following people for helping me make this manuscript shine.

  Angela-my developmental editor-aka the Character Whisperer. Thank you so much for calming me during my freak-out moments, helping me cut out repetition from my manuscript and making me dig deep with these characters. Your advice and friendship throughout this whole process has been amazing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

  Megan-my awesome copy editor!! I heart you like no other. You are my writer from another mother. Does that even make sense? Who cares! Thank you so very much for helping me make Brian and Kendy the best they could be. You are the bestest from the restest and I know we will have a long lasting editor/writer relationship until the end of time.

  Becky, Kayla and your team from Hottree editing-you guys rock! Thanks for your patience at my forever lateness and helping me make this manuscript shine bright through your super power proofreading and beta services. You guys offer a service like no other and I'll be singing your praises for years.

  To my awesome cover designer-Sommer Stein-I love my covers! That is all
. And you're pretty great yourself.

  To my patient formatter-Christine, thanks so much for accommodating my lateness and for your talented work. I absolutely love my interior designs and formatting of all my books.

  And to my beautiful betas from Hot Tree and beyond-thank you for help, your time and your friendship. Know that I'm forever and ever grateful for all your honest feedback. Melanie, Kristi Lynn, Jennifer Holter, Amy Konczyk, Zsuzsi Teleki, Ashley Jasper, Sarah Clune, Karrie Puskas, Alyssa O'Brien, Brandon Lingao, Kristy Deboer and Roxi Madar -I can't thank you enough.

  To Jennifer Holster, my personal awesome assistant, thank you for your help in all my craziness. You helped me get organized when I was going through a very difficult time and I appreciate you.

  To my blog tour hosts! Mary from Love Between the Sheets-thank you for all my help with the blitz. You guys are so professional and prompt. I enjoyed working with you and plan to again in the future.

  Sarah mother effing Reads-look how far your blog and company has come. Thank you for helping me with my tour, pimping me out on a daily basis, being my sunshine on a gloomy day and for just being you.

  To my blogger friends-Short and Sassy Book Blurbs, Between the Spine, Reading in Sarah's Corner, Obsessed with Romance and Southern Vixens Book Obsession and many more that I've missed. Thank you for posting, pimping and for loving the characters I have created and the books that I write. I appreciate you guys so much.

  To my readers-there is no me without you! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to escape into this story. I write purely to entertain so if this story made you laugh, cry or even mad at times, I completed my task. No words can describe how grateful I am that I have space on your Kindle, Nook or bookshelf. I'm truly honored.

  To Happily Forever Afters…

  The End.