JADEFor some reason, my heart began to race the moment Max walked into the office.During the past five years, I had seen him on TV and read about him on blogs but none of those sites did justice to his look.Donning a black suit, he looked sharper and more handsome than ever. The youthful man from five years ago was gone, leaving behind a man who looked mature in appearance.His dimples flashed as he smiled and nodded when everyone greeted him and he exuded charm and wealth effortlessly.He looked at me and a surprised look appeared on his face before it disappeared. His gaze remained on me for a while and I found myself recalling our intimate moments. His kisses, his touch, and even his smell, all of it remained etched in my memory even though I wished otherwise."You must be Daisy Martins, our sales consultant from Madison," he suddenly said and I nodded in agreement."You're welcome," he told me."Thank you, Mr. Anderson," I replied, making sure my French accent was obvious.The
JADE"I'm still waiting for your answer," Max whispered, his breath fanning my face.I thought about it, I was willing to do anything to get close to Max but I had to use my head. If he had reverted to the habit of doing anything to have sex with whatever lady he fancied, then I could not give in to him easily.It was said that men love the chase as it keeps them interested. I had to do something similar to keep Max closer while rejecting his advances. I could try doing that until I got what I wanted.I took two steps back to create a gap between us, "If I say I want nothing from you, then what?"He shook his head, "I won't believe you. There must be something you really want and with the right amount of money, anything can be bought.""I'm afraid you can't give me what I want," I said calmly."Name it," he demanded. "I will surprise you "I regarded him for a while and replied, "Marriage.""What?" He stared at me in shock.I chuckled, "I thought as much, Mr. Anderson. You said you ar
MAXFive years ago, I lost almost everything. It was heartbreaking that I had just realized how much Jade meant to me when she disappeared with my sons.For days, I searched desperately for her in San José but could not find a clue. She seemed to have disappeared off the surface of the earth. I had sleepless nights as I worried how she would survive.After catching that skipper who had stolen her jewelry and pointing a gun at him, he had confessed that he got into her room at night while she was fast asleep and opened her bag.He had suspected she had more pieces of jewelry with her, considering that she had parted with an expensive one for his payment. He got into the room through a large, secret wooden window and after stealing, he hoped that she would not find out. He would have knocked her unconscious otherwise.After she left with her two babies, he followed behind her carefully and saw her shop for a few items before booking a room in a hotel. He didn't know if she would still be
JADE"I am all ears," Max replied.Pointing to the chair opposite mine, I offered him a seat and sat down too."Mr Anderson, I assure you that I'm not asking for too much," I began. "My first condition is that there will be no sexual activity or extreme intimacy between us until I get to know you better."I saw him furrow his brows but continued anyway, "Secondly, we will live separately as I intend for us to keep our marital relationship a secret since I am still your employee. We will reveal our relationship to the public when I am ready.Thirdly, your soon-to-be ex, whom I believe is named Stacy; keep her away from me. The decision to jilt her and get married to me is entirely yours, hence, she is not to approach me, under any circumstances to cause a scene about your breakup.These are my conditions. If you can agree to them all, then we can get married."He scoffed, "Are you for real? Every other thing you have said is understandable but prohibiting sex? What exactly are we getti
JADE"Forgive my manners," Henry gushed when I stared at him silently. I could tell he didn't recognize me from the way he stared at me as though he wanted to eat me up. "Like Max, does he find me familiar?" I wondered.He reached out his hand for a handshake and said proudly, "My name is Henry and I am the manager of this Pizzeria."I stared at his hand and said inwardly, "Perhaps, this is my opportunity to get the revenge I have always wanted."I shook his hand and smiled, "My name is Daisy and it's a pleasure to meet you, Henry.""Such a beautiful name....I must admit that you are exceptionally beautiful, Daisy." He told me.I didn't want to waste my valuable time chatting with him so, I quickly gave him my card and said with a wink, "Call me sometime.""I definitely will," he replied as I flashed him a smile and walked away.When I got into my car, my cheeks began to hurt from forcing myself to smile. I stared at Henry from where I sat and said, "If you dare to call me Henry, I w
JADEI arrived at the venue Max had picked out for our lunch date and saw that he was already waiting for me.He had changed into a grey suit and I didn't know why. Nevertheless, he looked as dashing as he did in the morning."I see you've reserved the entire restaurant," I remarked when I realized we were the only customers present.He smiled, "Yes I did. You are special to me and this is just one of the many ways I intend to let you know."I scoffed, "Aren't you just trying to stop gossip from spreading?"He smiled, "Don't you want that too?"I nodded, "Fair enough. Now let's get to the main reason why we are here. Tell me about your past, I mean your relationships, number of children and all that. I don't want any surprises after we get married.""There's actually not much to tell," he replied. "My father has always been wealthy, everyone knows that. I grew up without my mom and when I was in my twenties, I met Stacy, fell in love with her and we had a daughter together.That pretty
JADEMax and I left the restaurant after having lunch and agreeing to get married the next day.As we approached our different cars, I said, "Max, hold on. I promised my girls I would take them to the park tomorrow. Since we'll become a family by tomorrow, can you bring your daughter to the park?I want to get to know her better since I would be her stepmother. My daughters would also be happy to get a new friend and sister."He hesitated, "I don't think that would be possible or ideal."My heart began to race. If I couldn't get access to my daughter, then what was the need for everything I was doing?"I smiled, trying to hide my fear, "Why would it not be possible or ideal?""Her mom.....she might not be comfortable with her daughter spending time with the woman who took her place." He explained."But isn't Aurora your daughter as well?" I asked, trying to hide the irritation I felt because he wouldn't stop referring to my daughter as Stacy's."Once we get married tomorrow, it would m
JADEI chuckled, "Why do you suddenly look so glum?"He scoffed, "Glum? What do you take me for, Daisy?""Come on, Max," I spoke softly. "We are married now, so you need to watch how you speak to your wife. I told you my terms from the very beginning so don't act surprised.Throwing a party without telling me in advance, don't do things like that."He scoffed, "Wow! I didn't think being married to you would be this difficult.""Don't be ridiculous," I replied. "I still don't know you that well, let's give it a few months. I'll say within three months.""Three months?!" He exclaimed. At this point, I was grateful we were the only ones left on the beach."Daisy, what married couple waits for three months before having sex?" He asked.I chuckled, "Don't misunderstand me, darling. I don't want to feel pressured in this marriage. Give me time to get to know you better, get used to you, and fall in love with you. I promise that everything else will fall into place after that."He regarded m