CHAPTER 3

Asher

I was enjoying how angry the cleaner had become. Well, she deserved it for soiling my shirt like this.

I bet her annual salary can’t even afford my tie.

She had even dared to raise her tiny finger in my face.

What a nerve she’s got!

I was almost smiling at her daring behaviour until I felt something sharp on my face.

What the hell?!

Did she….just…..hit me?

“No way.” I heard Sebastian’s amused voice and turned to him with a hard glare.

He quickly composed himself but before I could unleash my anger on the little person that had slapped me, she walked away with no remorse whatsoever.

I held my face, still trying to comprehend the fact that a tiny lady just slapped me.

“Did….she..just..?” I was finally able to find my voice.

“Um…Asher?” Sebastian called me and I looked at him.

He shifted closer to me “Everyone’s staring.” He whispered.

True to his words, the whole café was staring at me.

Aside from when my mother made me wear a shirt to the pool at 17, this is the most embarrassing moment of my life.

“Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry Mr Smith.” A chubby lady apologised, running to me.

“Who’s the owner of this shop?” I asked her trying my best not to vent my anger on her.

“I am sir.” She answered.

She was the owner?

And she didn’t stop her from embarrassing me like this?

I’m definitely not saying that to her. It’ll only make me seem weak and pathetic.

“She’s fired. If she isn’t, your shop is closed, forever.” I said to her before walking away.

I didn’t look back until I had left the coffee shop.

“Shit!” I cussed when I realized we had come in Sebastian’s car and I couldn’t open the door.

“I swear to God, you will pay for this.” I muttered to myself before returning to the shop to drag Sebastian out.

“Open the door.” I instructed him and he did so at once.

Once we were in, he started talking.

“You don’t have to be mad at her Asher.” He said.

“I don’t have to be mad at her?!” I yelled at Sebastian.

Was he really serious right now?

“She embarrassed me Sebastian! I should sue her for assault too.” I said, staring at my red left cheek in the rear mirror.

“And she should sue you for being mean Asher.” Sebastian said rather calmly.

Was he really defending her right now?

“You insulted her Asher. That handkerchief you called filthy, was probably the most important thing to her and you made fun of it. Moreover, if you hadn’t yelled at her in the first place, no one would have had to see you get slapped by a cleaner.” Sebastian said, igniting the engine.

“I see you’re on the side of that filthy cleaner. I know you love to sleep around Sebastian but would you really stoop so low for a mere cleaner?” I asked him and he simply rolled his eyes.

“Whatever.” He mumbled.

Olivia

I was fuming in anger as I stormed out of the shop.

Who was he to call something I loved so much filthy?

He obviously was rich, but he wasn’t anything more.

I didn’t know how far I had walked until I realized I was still wearing my work apron.

“Ugh!” I groaned in displeasure.

Well my employer owed me two month’s salary. I pretty much deserved more than this apron.

There’s no way I’m going back to that shop, not even to return this apron.

I sighed pulling out my phone from my pocket to check the time. It was past 11am already, dad would be at work already.

I don’t want him to panic, knowing what had happened in the shop.

I walked back home, still angry about that arrogant dude from the shop.

Well, dad was right.

I simply can’t keep taking all of these insults, especially from white people.

For goodness sake, we are both Americans!

Just because they got to be light skinned didn’t make them any more special.

This day was already ruined; the least I could do was spend the rest of my day, searching for jobs online.

Certainly, they won’t all reject my application.

  

Asher

“You can’t be serious Asher.” Sebastian yelled at me.

“ I don’t joke Seb and you know it.” I said to him, putting on a straight face so he could know I wasn’t joking.

“Are you even listening to yourself?” He asked me unbelievably.

“I’m not deaf.”

“Just for your selfish interest, you are ready to break a girl’s heart.” He said.

“I’m not being selfish. I will pay her for her services. Moreover, you got your heart broken by your selfish ex, didn’t you?” I said to him and he went mute immediately.

I knew I had hit him on the spot and I will most definitely not apologise.

“I am not going to be my mother’s subject like my sister was. She has no right to tell me who I can and cannot be with. She has no right to threaten me with marriage. Also, I am in no way ready to be eternally paired up with some girl. I can wait for as long as I want and not even get married if I wish to. But in all this, I do not want to break my mother’s heart. Two days before she came to make her deal with me, Anna had called saying my mother thinks I’m gay.”

My face twitched in disgust at the thought of trading pussies for dicks.

“I don’t my mother to think I cannot be with a woman, it will break her heart. So, I will hire a girlfriend and pay her generously for her services. It’s not gonna be hard to find a lady. There are tons of them in the street. I am damn sure if I walk out of this house right now, I will get twenty of them without even batting an eye. It’s just gonna be a short-term contract. By tomorrow, I’ll have the contract ready, electronically. Once I get a girl, I’ll just email it to her. The rules would be clearly stated there. There wouldn’t be any need for us to fall in love if that’s what you’re thinking.” I explained to Sebastian and he just stared at me without saying anything.

“You are impossible Asher.” Sebastian said to me.

“My kind is rare, I know.” I responded, sipping down my latte.

“And how would you end your contract without your mother suspecting you and your girlfriend?” He asked, air-quoting girlfriend.

“Simple as listening to me. We would fake a breakup. My mother would be too concerned about having her baby boy’s heart ripped into shreds, she would never bring up marriage topics, ever again.” I answered.

“And you think it’s gonna be that simple to fool your mother?”

Does he always have to be so negative?

“No risk, no reward.”