Chapter 3

HAILEY:

“Pardon?”

“I said: Be my woman.”

The sudden laughter I produce is almost close to hysterical. Why? Because I just might have heard the most absurd thing ever known to man.

I stop when I felt the need to, looking in the direction of Jax to check his reaction. And I can see how serious he is which means there was no joke when he said that.

“How is what you suggested going to help my situation?” I have to ask which would be a way to ensure that we are both into the conversation.

“I would never have suggested it if there was no way it was going to help you,” he stops leaning on the wall and stands upright. “Because when I say you should be my woman, I mean for you to take it as a job where you’ll get paid for it. I'm not aiming for a serious relationship. And it’s only going to be for a month,”

I am first confused when I hear that. Taking it as a job to get paid? What does that mean? And how would that even work?

“Are you talking about a hook-up or what?” I ask for clarification about what he is referring to.

“Hookups are cheap. I’m talking about the real deal, where you get to act like you are mine. You are going to make others believe you are in a serious relationship with me whereas you are not. It’s all for the papers in some way. So whenever you’ve lost interest, you can call it off between us which would make it seem like we broke up. I guess I must have said a lot for you to understand,”

“It sure is a lot,” I mutter, totally surprised that such a thing actually exists.

I look at Jax and then down to the floor as his idea goes through my head. I’m totally bothered and I’m sure it would take a while before I come to terms with the entire idea just revealed to me. Although I’m somewhat interested in the part that has to do with being paid.

“Can I ask a question?” I choose to ask after a while.

“Ask away,”

“So how does the thing work? I’m only asking out of curiosity,”

He nods his head briefly and then goes straight to the closet by the side. Soon after, he has the closet opened. I watch him ransack through it for a while until he brings out something which I notice to be an envelope.

He holds the envelope tightly and then walks up to me with it. The next thing is that I have it close to my face. “In this is a contract stating the whole thing. You can look into it,”

Although I’m hesitant, I have to collect the envelope and open it to do as he said, proceeding to bring out a sheet which has a set of printed words on it.

As I go through it, the terms of what he briefly explained are written clearly on the paper. Everything is similar to what he made mention. I am simple into it until I get to a point in the paper where I am stunned.

“This much money just to have someone pretend to be your woman?” I ask, staring at the six-figure digits that were printed right below on the paper. And the crazy part of it was that it would be paid weekly which would last up to a month.

“Perhaps even more upon request,”

I put the paper away, trying hard to wrap my head around what I just read. How is that even possible? How? Makes little to no sense that a man would be willing to part with such an extravagant amount for the sake of what? Recognition?

“Why are you even doing this? And why me?”

“Why am I doing this? Let’s see. Because I truly want to secure my position in the company I built?”

I feel bothered by the response. “So, if I get to accept your proposal, it means you’re trying to use me for your personal gain?”

“I won’t call it using. It’s more or less like a business proposal that needs to be executed. And you, my dear, are the right person to execute it for me,”

I look at him for a while with eyes that beget confusion. The figure that I saw on the paper flashes into my head and I cannot imagine what I can do with that much money. If I was paid that amount for even the whole month and not weekly, it would still go a long way in my life.

As much as I want to lean toward accepting the idea, I am quick to remind myself of how dangerous a game it could be. I could be setting myself up for something that I might not be able to handle when the time comes. Perhaps I would end up regretting it at a later stage.

“So what do you say, Hailey? Are you in or out?” Jax questions me, bringing me back to reality.

My eyes flutter at him as I try to process the thought again. “I need to be convinced enough to want to go with your proposal,”

“What exact conviction do you need? Tell me and I would try to clarify enough for you,”

“First, I need to know the name of the company you own,”

“Titan Holdings,” he is quick to respond.

“Are you being real here? You are indeed the owner of Titan Holdings?” the surprise in my tone is evident because I am shocked to the core that I am right in the same room with probably the owner of one of the biggest organizations in the city.

“Do I look like I am joking?” he sorts of banter and I have to believe that he is telling the truth. Still, I have a little doubt.

“And the next one is that I want to know how protected I would be by being around you. You are the rich one here, which means you will be a target for rivals. For sure, that would mean I am not going to be safe around you if I happen to agree to pretend to be your woman,”

“You have nothing to worry about when it comes to security. I will provide maximum security for you and secretly extend it to people you know so they would not be used as a means to blackmail you,”

“You’ll do all of that?”

“Even much more,” he says. “All that you need to do is sign on that contract and you’ll be my woman for a month. Remember, it’s just for a month so you can be rest assured that nothing would make you have to do more than that. That is only if you adhere to the terms of the contract,”

“Is there something specific that needs to be done other than showcasing yourself to the world as yours?”

“A whole lot. And it is because we have to make it look real. So the first thing on the list to be the terms that need to be adhered to would be that you would have to move in with me. And to make you comfortable, we will be sleeping in separate rooms. Remember, it is a contract that involves pretense so there should be no form of intimacy between us,”

Of course, I can deal with that if I agree with this idea. “Is that all?”

“No,” he says. “And during that one month, you have to ensure that you are not caught having an affair with another man. The contract instantly becomes annulled the moment you are caught. One last thing is that you have to make sure you do not catch feelings for me. Worst of all is that you do not attempt to confess your feelings to me if you happen to fall for me. The contract is instantly annulled as well if the situation results in that,”

Those are some pretty complex rules that seem like something someone like me would find hard to do, knowing how fragile my heart could be. I fall easily, I know, so would I be able to do this that he wants me to do?

I find myself running my hand through my hair, still deliberating about the idea. Should I or should I not agree to it? I mean, the money is beneficial for me. No job can pay me that large amount of money in five years and here I am about to make that in just a month.

I’ve got bills to pay and the other things to settle. The money could go a long way in solving that. But I do not want to seem like a greedy person as well which is why I am trying not to agree to it. I have my dignity to protect here.

“Can I take some time to go over this? I want to be sure of what I’m doing before going for it,”

He flashes me a wry smile. “That is what I will surely expect you to do. But you have to get back to me quickly. I’ve got little to no time on my hands that would make me want to dwell on this matter for long. Maximum two days,”

I pick up the paper which has the contact in it. “How authentic is this?”

“Check the top, you'll see the name of a chamber. My lawyer personally documented this,”

“Oh,” I mutter after doing as told. He sure does mean business. “Can I have my clothes back now? It’s time for me to leave,”

“Of course,” and then he walks out of the room, leaving me alone to my thoughts apparently.

I glance at the contract in my hand and then reminisce on his words about his reason for this. It’s not that bad of an idea, but being a cautious person, I have to say that I am a lot wary of the situation.

I pick up my phone on the bed and then unblock it. I instantly go to texting and search for a contact. A familiar one to be precise that I never text via this means. That is when I cook up a message to the contact:

‘Can we talk later? I need your help.’