CHAPTER ONE: WORTH EVERY ATTENTION

Faye’s POV

I was shocked, my cup of drink stuck in my mouth as my gaze followed the angry man who was seen approaching me. How did he find me? I plunged the glass cup tight into my mouth, attempting to cover my face with it while I tried to leave the bar quietly.

“Hey! Don’t try to move!” He yelled, shooting daggers at me.

I fidgeted but slowly loosened up. He had seen me already and trying to act smart would definitely do me no good.

“Good evening, Mr. Sam,” I said, trying to act as much neutral as I could. “What brings you here?”

“Don’t try to pretend, Faye,” he said angrily. “Where’s my money?!”

“I… umm…” I stuttered, trying to find the right words to say to him. I had exhausted every lie and excuse I could use and honestly, even if I could quickly think of something, he wouldn’t still believe me.

Mr. Sam was a loan shark whom my father had run to when I was on the verge of dropping out of college. He had agreed to lend us some money if only we agreed to pay over three hundred percent interest. Ridiculous right? Well, at that point, we had no choice. My parents couldn’t watch me carry on with such a stigma, especially at a very tender age so they proceeded to find a remedy to the situation at hand by involving themselves in such a huge debt, courtesy of the interest that had accumulated but then were everything seemed to be a problem was having the loan shark come after me. But what could I possibly have done? My parents had their struggling restaurant going on and they made little or no amount every day. I just couldn’t bring myself to let them tackle every debt we owed. I had to help in any way I could which was why I resulted in doing multiple part time jobs at different places, one of which I worked as a food researcher at a food company.

“Do you think you can escape from me?” He fumed. “Where’s my money?!”

“I-I promise, I will pay you soon. I just need more time, please,” I breathed, my eyes growing misty as I struggled to deal with the embarrassment that was killing me. I hated the negative attention that came with getting busted in public for being a debtor. Everyone’s eyes were on me and I couldn’t bring myself to argue anymore. Even the bartender continuously gave me a suspicious look. He must think that I would owe him for the drinks I was taking.

“You have forty-eight hours, Faye,” he seethed, grabbing my jaw. “Forty-eight…”

I nodded my head in agreement vehemently, wincing in pain as I tried to let go. He forcefully dropped my jaw and reached out for the drink before me, gulping it down and leaving abruptly.

I sighed heavily. Would I ever be free from all of these?

I waved at the bartender, trying to get his attention. “More drinks, please,” I mumbled

He gazed at me, uncertainty flashing through his eyes.

“I will pay you, relax,” I clarified

He nodded slightly, his hung shoulder obviously dropping as he walked over to the bar to mix some drinks to serve.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling weakly at him.

Taking a sip of my drink, my mind wandered off to the events of the day. From being sent on an errand to the airport at the most inconvenient time by my supervisor, to bumping into a very handsome, rich-looking, and arrogant man and to getting busted by my debtee. Could this day be any better?

As I took another sip, I sighted the handsome man from earlier who had bumped into me at the airport and proceeded to walk away without apologizing to me. My hand balled into a fist as I relived the memory of our encounter in my head— the hot coffee splashing on my shirt and him quacking me before walking past.

I huffed heavily, feeling the rage boil inside me. I stood from my seat immediately, trying to hurry off to his table but I halted before I could move an inch. He was incredulously hot… too hot that I lost the zeal to lash out on him. I had been ready to give him a piece of my mind, but my anger melted away like ice in the sun. I was so caught up in the sight of him that I forgot to be angry, forgot to be defensive, forgot to be anything but a woman, staring at a man who made her heart race instantly.

He had a brown eye color that seemed to see right through me, an oval face shape that was chiseled to perfection, and dark brown hair that fell messily across his forehead. His features were so sharp, they could cut glass. His lips were full and inviting, curled into a smirk that made me feel like he knew something I didn't know. But why was he smirking? Could it be that he recognized me?

“Hey man,” he called, attracting the bartender’s attention. “Give that woman a drink since she wouldn’t take her eyes off me,”

I felt an abrupt stop on the romantic symphony playing in my head, bringing me back to reality. What an arrogant dude. Who did he think he was? I took my seat immediately but before I knew what was happening, he was seated before me.

“W-what do you want?” I stammered. I had secretly wished he could sit up close with me while gushing over him earlier but right now it had happened, I could feel my breath coming in short gasps. It definitely felt like I had been star strucked.

“Making your dream come true,” he smirked, pouring me a drink. “Drink up,”

I cleared my throat a bit, turning my face away as I gently poured the drink into my mouth. I have had too much of the drink and it prompted my tipsiness and the sudden urge to fill my mouth with his tongue. I should retire home but I didn’t want to leave. I couldn’t bear to leave the handsome man behind.. I might end up not seeing him again.

After a long while of interesting conversations that fluttered my heart nonstop, I retired to one of the rooms in the lounge, realizing how late it was to find my way back home or even to my best friend’s home.

I swung the door open, staggering to the bed. But to my greatest shock, I found someone else on it.

I gasped. It was the pretty man worth every attention from earlier. He looked shocked as well but seemed pretty too worn out to argue over rooms.

“Diana?” He said softly with a smile, squinting his eyes. Diana? Did he just mistake me for someone else? He wasn’t even bothered about how I managed to get into his room but was interested in my identity.

“Come here,” he said, his voice silvery as he grabbed my hand and yanked me into his arms then accidentally, our lips met. I widened my eyes in shock, attempting to pull away but he yanked me back and planted a soft kiss on my lips with his eyes glistened.

I tried to fight back the urge to reciprocate but not so shockingly, the urge was much more stronger than my will. I loosened up instantly, letting his tongue fill my mouth and right there we had a moment of an intense passion with our legs and hands intertwined.