Chapter 4

HAILEY:

I get out of my room in only a nightgown as I head straight for the kitchen. What I need now is something hot that would keep me from sleeping in again because that has been my routine all day. It was surely the effect of the hangover.

By the time I get out of the kitchen, I have in my hand a mug filled with hot coffee which I start to sip without minding the degree. It is apparently something I do a lot.

I collapse on the sofa in my tiny living room, feeling a bit better after taking a few sips of the coffee. My eyes shift to the window, and through it, I can see that nighttime has kicked in already. This just about sums up how long I’ve slept all day since I arrived from the location I never intended to find myself in.

‘Be my woman...’

‘...it’s only going to be for a month.’

Those words ring in my head as I keep staring at the window. It would have felt ridiculous but knowing what was involved, I'm making it something that should be important. Especially with my present situation.

What was I even thinking? Something like that does not seem right to the ears. Who would hear that and call it worthy to discuss? Nobody. But look what circumstances have turned me into. I’m here sitting and deliberating whether or not I should be the woman of a man that does not want any sort of intimacy with me.

The doorbell rings and I am forced to look in the direction of the door. The first thought I have is to know who is at the door. But my foggy mind cannot even process who it could surely be.

I am up on my feet in no time and so I proceed to say, “Who’s there?” It was just at the same time that the doorbell rings again.

“Sarah!” is the response I get from outside and I instantly get up to get the door opened. That was after I set the mug cup on the table.

The moment I do, I am met with the sight of a lady about my height with blonde hair and a nice body shape. I mean it when I say that.

“Oh, my cupcake,” and the next thing is me being enveloped in a hug by the lady. I do not hesitate to give back the hug because I won’t lie, after all that I have been through in just a day, the highest I needed now was the warm embrace of someone dear to me.

“Sarah, I’m fine now,” I tell the lady a few minutes after because it seems she doesn’t want to let go of me. Most times she could be this dramatic so I'm not surprised that she’s pulling this off.

Eventually, she does. And on her expression is a bit of worry and sadness. “I know I’m a bad friend, Hailey. I should have been here the moment you told me about the loss of your job. But I just couldn’t make it down here. I’m sorry,”

I smile at her reassuringly. “It’s fine,” I tell her. “Just come in first so we can both sit down. My legs are dog-tired,”

That is when I see a bag behind her that catches my attention. Instantly I bring it to her notice. “And what is that?”

“That?” she says and then turns around. “That is a few of my things. I’ll be staying with you for some days. At least until you feel better,”

I feel touched immediately. “Oh, Sarah. You shouldn’t have gone through this stress for me.” I tell her, tears threatening to seep out of my eyes.

“It’s nothing much. It’s the least I can do as your best friend. I’m sure you’ll do the same for me if I was in a situation I cannot handle,”

I pull her in for another embrace and then help her get the bag into my apartment. A little while later, I have gone into the kitchen to get a new cup of coffee which I hand over to Sarah upon her request.

“Thank you,” she says and is on a sip instantly. We pretty much have that thing in common.

“So you just got back from work, huhn?” I ask her, noticing her cooperate wear of a black tight fitted skirt and a short-sleeved purple top that has a flowery design on it.

“Yeah,” she says. “But I made sure I went to work with that bag. Can’t afford to make two trips, knowing how much it costs on the fares. Gosh, I need to get a car soon,”

“Do you have the expenses to fuel a personal ride?”

“No, but I could take a loan to pay off the mortgage on the car. Pretty sure I could work something out,”

I shake my head. “That sounds like a very bad idea,” I have to tell her.

The smile that she produces on her face means that she agrees with me even if she isn’t going to say it. The next thing she does is yawn out loud. She sure needs to get some sleep soon. Thankfully I have my bed all set up already.

“Your manager finally did you dirty, right?” she gives a starter.

“Unfortunately for me,” I say. “Maybe I should have adhered to his request. Could have made me keep my job, you know,”

“And ruin your dignity as a woman? That is not a good picture and you know that,”

You’ll be surprised what dignity I'm about to lose, Sarah...

“I know, which is why I turned down the offer. Now I’m without a job and with bills to pay,”

I feel her palm on mine the instant that I mention that. She caresses it affectionately and says, “Don’t worry, cupcake. We’ll figure something out for you soon enough, I'm sure of that,”

Sarah knows how to make me feel better. This is why I am always appreciative of the fact that I have her as a best friend. She is the biggest support that I will ever need.

“So what did you do last night that made you feel better?” she asks after taking her hand off mine.

“I went to a bar,” I say.

But the look on her face shows that she wants more details from me. “And?”

“I got some shots of tequila,”

“Okay?”

“And I got tipsy,”

“Then?”

“I met a man,”

“Dammit, Hailey. Why are you bent on making me this curious? Just give me the full gist of what happened last night,”

I giggle a little before taking a sip of my almost cold coffee. Leaving it for a while has made it lose its warmth.

“You’re such a snooper,” I say and then set the mug aside. “Nothing much happened between the man and me. We talked, and I got to realize that he was also having a bad day like I was. Then we got into kissing and that was the last thing I remember before waking up this morning in his room,”

Sarah gasps. “What the hell, Hailey? You mean to tell me that you slept with a total stranger?”

“No, no, no,” I wave a finger in the air to decline. “Nothing happened between us. He only helped me to his apartment because I lost total control of myself after getting stupidly drunk,”

“And how are you sure that nothing happened between you two? You just said it yourself that you were drunk,”

“I know that nothing truly happened. I checked the proper place to realize it was never in use,”

“But you need to be careful next time of what you do. It’s very dangerous out there.”

I nod in understanding. “I know. And I promise not to make such a mistake again,”

“Good,” and then she adjusts her sitting position. I know what that means immediately. “So, did you find out who this stranger is? Or you just left without finding anything out about him? Don’t forget he was responsible enough not to take advantage of your situation,”

“Well, I did find out a little about him. He called himself Jax. Also stating that he owns Titan Holdings,”

Sarah’s face twitches. I can tell instantly that it is due to the name I just mentioned to her. She probably recognizes the name or something.

“Jax? Owner of Titan Holdings?” she speaks, more to herself than to me. Until her eyes widen in whatever that is. “That’s Jax Reinhard!”

I'm confused at her sudden outburst. “Jax who?”

“Jax Reinhard!” she bursts out again. “Don’t you know him? He’s the famous owner of the technology company, Titan Holdings. I once went to his company for a business meeting which I told you about. The one in which I went as a representative,”

“Oh,” I mutter. “But how famous is he that I hardly know anything about him? I obviously know his company but not him,”

“That’s because you never tend to put your mind on things around you, duh. Let's just say he’s mostly known among those that deal with the technology world,”

I shrug my shoulder, apparently uninterested in the details of the man. But the more details I just received, the more I realize why he could easily afford to put down that extravagant amount to make me his woman for a month.

“I can’t believe you slept in the apartment of the almighty Jax Reinhard,” Sarah is in a dreamy state as she speaks. “That man is a fine piece of meat, you know,”

“Yeah, yeah, tell me about it,” I roll my eyes at her shameless attitude. Wonder what’s with her and drooling over men that do not worth the hype in my opinion.

“You texted me this morning that you wanted to talk to me about something. What is it?”

I close my eyes and then sit in a position where I would be directly facing her. After I open them, I feel the courage to let her know about the situation that is giving me a lot of thinking since morning. Even in my sleep.

“He wants me to be his woman,” I announce to Sarah who gives me the look that she has no idea about what I’m talking about.

“Who?” she asks.

And she becomes dumbstruck the moment I tell her: “Jax Reinhard.”