ZaraThe makeup artist and hairdresser arrived at a few minutes to eleven a.m. I was already showered and waiting. My hair and makeup took almost two hours and my bum is sore from sitting in one position for such a long time. My hair has been gathered into an elegant updo ; a coiffure I believe with millions of pins holding it together. The makeup artist worked her magic and my once dull complexion is glowing — smokey eyes and nude lips. I look regal.My dress is made with cord lace. It has a sweetheart neckline that pushes that holds my breasts elegantly. I thought the lack of sleeves would make the dress too slutty but that is not the case. The waist cinches and flows to my feet in a combination of lace and tulle. I look…beautiful.A knock sounds on the door and mom and dad walk in. Mom immediately tears up at the entrance and walks to me with outstretched arms. “ You look so beautiful, honey. I’m so proud of you.”“ Thanks mom”
ZaraThe girls managed to drag me out of my self-sabotaging mission. The plan was to sit there and make the day as uneventful as possible; that way, I’ll forget about it in no time. It was time for the couple first dance and I was sat there , deliberating on whether or not to do it. Marcello had shot endless lasers at me from his eyes but I refused to budge. Thankfully, Valerie and Emily started chanting “Zara! Zara! Zara!” and soon, everyone else joined in. With the spotlight now turned from networking to me, I had no choice but to give in. Marcello plastered a wide, albeit fake smile on his face and started dancing towards me. I had to hold in my gag at the sight. What a pretentious jerk.I reciprocated with an equally wide smile of my own and glided towards him, as gracefully as my dress would let me. We danced to Beyonce and Ed Sheeran’s classic. Once he held me in his embrace, one hand placed firmly on the small of my back, I found myself melting into his touch. He led the danc
ZaraIt is my first time stepping foot into Marcello’s house, which is about to be my house too for the next four years. Earlier on in the week, I had sent my luggage through Mr. Philip, Marcello’s driver. I felt there was no need to come see the place myself. It is Marcello Andres; he wouldn’t be living in a shack.And I was right…This place is no shack at all. The driveway opens into a lush entrance, lined with trees on both sides. There’s a fountain in the middle; nothing grand but the size does nothing to take away the beauty of the scenery. The main building is a modern architectural structure made with 70 percent glass. From my vantage point, I can see the interior clearly and it is breathtaking.Valerie notices me staring, mouth agape and she nudges me with her elbow. “ What ? Never been to your husband’s house ?”Well, damn. It’s just day one and I’m about to get caught. “Pfft ! Of course I’ve been here before”She gives me a skeptic look “ uh huh”“ For real. I’ve just… nev
MarcelloAs soon as I step into the house, Celine informs me that ‘ Mrs. Andres’ is upstairs, in her room. I have half the mind to make her choke on those words but I hold myself back. Suddenly telling the staff to call my ‘wife ‘ by her name will seem too suspicious.Taking the stairs two at a time, I make for my room, loosening my tie and unbuttoning my shirt. I step into my room and go straight for the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes and undergarments in my wake. The cascade of hot water loosens the knots on my neck and shoulder. Today went better than I expected . The deal I have been trying to close with Crest Holdings, finally found headway today. A slight smile tugs at my lips. It’s safe to say that Mr. Simon was completely sold at the event today. He had approached me with a huge grin and I dare say, new found respect in his eyes. As he shook my hands, he said “ Marriage is an honorable institution. Welcome to the league of family men”Then he proceeded to say, “ Abou
ZaraIt’s been one whole week and I haven’t set my eyes on the man they call my husband. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for the privacy and not having to see him, puts me in a much better mood. We were supposed to visit Bali after the wedding but I didn’t want to go with Marcello and thankfully he saved me the stress of having to talk him out of it. When his family called to ask if we were already on our way to our honeymoon, I had come up with a lie on the spot, saying I didn’t feel too good to fly and Marcello promised to arrange something better later.Instead, I gave the tickets to Valerie and Emily to go on my behalf. The girls were a bit hesitant, claiming they would be robbing me of a once in a lifetime event and I simply told them that I could have as many honeymoons as I wanted to, much later.The morning after the wedding, I simply could not bring myself to go out and face the people in the house. In fact, I wasn’t ready to face reality. But, sometime around noon, Emily
ZaraYou know the thing about people who see you wanting to be alone and go ahead to talk to you? They’re evil. That’s why I think it’s very beneficial to learn social cues and expressions while you’re at it. You see a person nose- deep in a book or doing everything to avoid eye contact? Leave them alone.This morning, after I was dressed for work , I went down for breakfast. Lo and behold, I found Marcello already on the table, sipping on coffee and working on his iPad. That or he was commissioning the execution of the person who stepped on his toes last night. You never can tell.Anyway …I sat down at the other end, far away from his overbearing self , while waiting for my breakfast to be served. I could feel his eyes on me, but I decided there and then that every other thing in the room, was more interesting than him. Of course, he didn’t get the cue, he had to go and talk to me.I think he said , “ childishness really becomes you”And you know I’m usually very quiet and put tog
ZaraMaria didn’t let me spend a penny. The moment I stretched my card towards the cashier, she pushed my hand away and replaced it with hers. All my protests fell on deaf ears, even when I offered to split the bill. When people spend on me without strings, it burdens me. I feel indebted to them. I’ll definitely have to bake some treats for Maria this weekend. Mr. Phillip picked us up after we were done shopping and Maria has been dropped off already. She almost invited me in for dinner but one look at my tired face, had her changing her mind. Thank God for that , because a warm bath and a good night’s rest, sounds about lovely right now.As I walk into the house, I notice that something is way off in the atmosphere. Everyone seems to be looking at me a certain way. Even Celine who has no more than two expressions, is looking at me with …pity? And Julio looks kinda nervous. StrangeThe staff all help to bring in the shopping bags and I make my way up to my room. Only, as soon as I a
ZaraThe insistent ringing of my phone is what wakes me up . Whoever it is, better have something important to say, because right now, it feels like a tiny person is practicing rugby in my head. I reach for my phone on the nightstand, with groggy eyes. I see a number of missed calls from Valerie and Emily-Rose, even my mum.My brows furrow and something like panic registers in my subconscious. I go to call mum back but another call from Valerie comes through. I swipe immediately and Valerie’s voice filters through the receiver. “ I’ve been trying to reach you for hours now. Take your calls , damnit!” She sounds panicked. “ I was still asleep and I didn’t hear the phone ring. I went to bed late last night”The line stays quiet, just the sound of our breathing being heard. The anxiety in me spikes. “ Valerie”? I call outShe lets out a deep sigh and says “ I saw the news.”Huh?“What news?”“ The one about your dick of a husband”Now, that’s strange. Valerie may think Marcello is insu
ZaraGetting called ‘baby girl’ by Mr. Grumpy threw me off for a minute. It was so unexpected that I had to look away to hide the fact that I was indeed affected . It’s the first time he called me anything other than Miss Parkinson or Sugar. I hated it.Yeah Zara, keep telling yourself that. Maybe you’ll believe it someday. Have I ever told you how much my subconsciously annoys me? Well, now you know.I arrive at the conference room behind Marcello in time for the meeting. There are four other people in the room — three men and one woman, including Michael Black. It feels good to see a familiar face. The dark haired man gives me a slight smile upon sighting me and I return his smile. I guess I see what Valerie sees in him . No, she hasn’t told me about it. I just happened to pick up on her not-so-subtle reactions when ever the man’s name is mentioned.Last time at our night out, Emily had asked her if she was currently seeing any one and she was vague enough to say she was currentl
Marcello Employees nod at me as I walk past them on my way to the elevator. My private life maybe nothing to write home about but my work life? I take that shit seriously. My blood, sweat and tears lie here , in this very building. My secretary, Amber greets me at the front door with my usual coffee order. “ What is on my schedule today, Miss Hunter?” She walks behind me, reading off my schedule as I hang up my suit jacket and settle in my chair. “ …and by 1pm, you’ll be meeting with the CEO of Crest Holdings to sign the final revised agreement.” “ Has the Legal team been duly notified?” “ Yes Sir.” “ Alright. We’ll be welcoming a new addition to the company later today. She’ll be working closely with me and the PR and Legal teams.” “ She?” I lift my head from my computer to her. “ Yes, She. Do you have a problem with that Miss Hunter?” She looks down “ No. No,Sir” “ Good. Because I do not pay you to approve or disapprove of the people I decide to work with.” “ That wasn't
ZARAI’m still asleep but it feels like I’m in a trance. I hear the chirping of birds from outside the window, which is strange because even though this place is surrounded by trees, I have never heard a bird sing outside my window.Soft winds pass by in a whisper, lifting the blinds around and causing them to brush my skin. There’s a halo of sunshine around my face, making it impossible to keep my eyes shut for longer. The bed feels unfamiliar but comfortable. I fumble around to get hold of the extra pillows I keep around me. I can’t sleep without surrounding myself with them. My hand makes contact with a hard, silky surface beside me. It doesn’t feel like my pillow and that’s when the alarms go off in my head.Wait a minute! My bed is positioned on the middle of the room. So, why? Did I roll of the bed in my sleep? I jump into a sitting position first without opening my eyes but a sharp pain in my side halts me . I lay back down and slowly open my eyes, slowly regaining my beari
Marcello smashes his lips on mine in a heated exchange of breath and impatience. I return the kiss with equal fervor, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, and spreading my legs further to accommodate his weight on me. He was being careful not to smother me but I needed him everywhere. He pauses and we both take much needed breaths. When he looks into my eyes, my stomach does a violent summersault. How is it possible to be so beautiful as a man? If I thought he had dark eyes before, they were even darker now. The intensity of his darkened pools awakens something strange within me. In a breathless daze, I whisper, “ I wonder how your eyes will look from between my legs. " He smirks and I blush in horror. “ I’m so sorry. I don’t know where that came from.” I attempt to avoid his gaze due to the embarrassment I’m currently feeling but he holds me in place by my chin, with his thumb and forefinger. “ You’ve been thinking about my eyes a lot, haven’t you, Sugar?” I try and
Zara“ If you’re not being a brat,, then why do I want to spank you so bad?”My breath catches in my throat and every train of thought dissipates into thin air. “Wh…what?”He steps close and cages me between his body and the adjoining bedroom door. The heat from his body holds me in a vice grip, threatening to suffocate me if I don’t find air. But, not just any air, I want him to be the air. I crane my neck to look at him and audibly gasp at the intensity of his eyes. His eyes carry promises of things that could damn my soul and have me burning from the inside out but I don’t think I mind. He looks like he is fighting to stay in control of his instincts and for some reason , that excites me. That I am able to get Marcello Andres like this , looking feral like a prey. “ Yes, I want to spank you. When you’re being a brat, when you strut around in those skimpy night dresses that make me see red. I want to spank you until you can take it no more, until your legs are shaking benea
Marcello I expected Zara to try to pull something tonight but what I did not expect was for her to stay out so late. I’ve been calling her for the past five hours, since 7: 30 after I got home and didn’t meet her there. The housekeeper, Celine , told me that she left home in the dress I sent, so she thought she was coming to meet me.Numerous thoughts float through my head. Who is she with? What is she doing? Is she safe? I even called Carlotta , in case she went over to my parents’ just to spite me. But, Carlotta said she wasn’t with her and she had no idea where she could be. I have called her number a total of 50 times, if not more. But, each time, I am net with the constant beeping at the end of the line. After I have called her office and her parents, it suddenly dawn’s on me , whom she could be with. Her friends. But, I have no way to reach them. Then, an idea strikes me. Michael picks up on the third ring. “ You better have a good reason for calling me this late, dipshit.
ZaraAs soon as I woke up this morning , I decided that I have in fact, had enough of Marcello Andres’ annoying me. No more crying myself to sleep over frustration or trying to help him keep his image in front of the media. I’ll show him why I never act out of character.There was a bouquet of white roses outside my room when I walked out of my room this morning. There was a note inside that read: Dinner tonight, 7pm. And that was that. No apologies, no promise to shave his head if he ever offended me again.Don’t get me wrong, the gesture was indeed beautiful but it wasn’t enough to soothe all the anger I have felt in these two months. Marcello Andres is going to have to tender a proper apology to me, even if I have to watch him choke on his overinflated ego.I called the girls on my way to work and we agreed to meet up later in the evening by 7pm.***On returning from work, the first person I run into is Celine with her signature scowl. I swear I’ve never seen the woman smile, s
ZaraI throw on a pair of leggings and a large t-shirt. I almost didn’t go downstairs on Marcello’s request. I mean, who’s he to boss me around? But, my grumbling stomach became a motivation. I could quickly pop into the kitchen and grab a bite. Maybe listen to what he has to say in the process. Not that it’s important anyway.I meet him sitting in his usual position at the head of the table, surrounded by an array of mouthwatering dishes. Damn, Julio has outdone himself again. I look around the kitchen to catch a sight of him but I don’t see him anywhere. “ Julio’s not in. I sent him home early”I look around the table again. If he went home early, when was he able to make all these?“ I ordered the food”I raise my brows at him. That’s surprising.“ What’s the occasion?”“ Well, Julio told me you always wanted to try Indian dishes, so I got you some.” Julio and his big mouth.I pull the seat at the other end of the table to get as far away from Marcello as possible but he stands up
ZaraThere’s something heavy pressing down on my belly. Does my baby already weigh so much? I try to turn on to my side but the weight would not budge. I open my eyes in panic and look down at my belly, coming face to face with a mop of dark hair. My first instinct is to scream as loud as I can. So, I scream until the head of hair raises itself.“La chingada! ¿Qué onda es todo este escádalo tan temprano?” ( fuck! What is all this noise so early in the morning?)The owner of the head rises to his full height, rubbing sleep from his eyes and then he stretches in a way that has my heart beating rapidly. He’s shirtless, in nothing but the pair of slacks he had on yesterday, slightly unbuttoned. But that’s not the part that almost has me hyperventilating.It's the very large and obvious tent in his pants that has my eyes glued to him. The tent starts moving until it is right in front of me. “ I said , my eyes are up here, Sugar”That snaps me out of it. I stare at him, willing myself to