Chapter 7

Before us is a metallic colored Rolls-Royce Phantom. His assistant, another, not Luke comes out from the front seat beside the driver to open the door for us upon seeing us. He walks over to us but Adrian gestures to him to stop, he will do it himself. I'm awestruck when he pulls open the door and holds it, stepping aside with the gesture that I should go in. I shoot him a confused look, but manage to give him a grateful wink. I get inside and make myself comfortable inside. Even after getting in, I sense his lustful eyes scanning my backside. 

He knows I'm not putting on any panties or bra because the sides of my hips with my waist are bare, even by cleavage down to the upper part of my tummy. He slides in, giving his PA the opportunity to shut the door. He then walks over to his front seat, enters it and closes the door. The driver starts the car, slowly the call reverses from the garage and pulls slowly away from the vicinity of the estate towards the luxury gate which opens slowly before us on its own, it's under remote from the control room, it has lots of people working in it, a part of these people oversee the CCTV in the estate and other facilities making use of high-tech.

"You wanna talk with me inside this car, don't you think we wouldn't have privacy." I take my eyes to the two men sitting before us who would certainly hear what we're gonna say. "Well it depends on what you're gonna say." 

"Do you bother about what I'm about to say, Pit and Frank?" I shriek as I hear him ask them this question, making it look as if I was placing my point on them and why he should talk to me in their presence. I feel awkward at the moment but he's outspoken. Both men shake their heads. "You see, there's nothing to bother about." 

"What did you even want to talk about?" I put up a frown, folding my hands across my chest. 

"Will you accept it if I add twenty dollars to your payment, making it three hundred and twenty thousand dollars per month just so that you could push aside the pains of the past and be able to face me with a friendly disposition? If you are still like this before me, then there's no doubt that you'll make a good escort whom I expect to act as a girlfriend. To me, you're my escort although you can be more." I frown. "But to others, you're my girlfriend, even when either I or you is asked, that's the answer." 

"Don't worry about adding to my salary, I don't deserve that." The truth is that I don't want to portray myself as a greedy girl. "I'll put on the character you want when we get there." 

"No, you need to start now." 

"Urgh?" I look at him with a puzzled face. 

"Yes!" He nods firmly. I smirk, then take a heavy breath before facing him again. 

"Okay, I'll act as a friend always but now I'm not a friend inside. You know, right? After what you did to me three years ago." The first time I'm moved to talk about what happened to me. The burden is still heavy upon my heart and sometimes when I'm hurt, I'll always prefer to bottle it up inside me, not sharing it to anyone, not even the person that hurt me. I feel that there is no need, he knows he hurt me. The only people I share my pain with are my sisters. They are my only buddies, not even like I even keep friends. 

"For how long would you let this burden you?" 

"I don't wanna talk about this in the presence of your staff," I find the courage to declare it boldly. 

"Nothing to hide, they both know what happened between us." 

I gasp with my jaw dropped and my eyes wide, my mouth refusing to close. "What do you mean, why should you….?" 

"Relax, these are my best friends, though they are my staff. They are even more, like my advisers." I take in slow breaths, slowly withdrawing to myself. I don't feel anger now but shame, on how these two men would view me. I'm disturbed though they look like the most responsible set of men I've ever met from their cool gentleman and understanding face. Why should I even bother about this? My spirit grows deviant. I didn't do anything wrong, rather it's Adrian. He raped me and took away all my money from my account. He should be the one feeling the same of his past life but he isn't. Why should I? 

I sigh. I'm the victim. "For how long would you let this burden you?" This question re-echoes in my mind. For the first time, I'm sliding it off me, I begin to feel a sense of calm and peace fly inside me. No wonder the old cliche says if you don't let go, you can never be free. In this case, I'm letting the hurt go but I'll never lose guard as to take him back, into my heart. Two different things, I'm not bottling up the anger inside me but I'll be inwardly aloof from him no matter how hard he tries to bring me to himself because I know he really wants to. I'll try to live my own life, performing my job in a robotic way without any emotions. My spirit tells me he's loaded with guilt for what he did and is aimed at making up for it but there's no such thing as a second chance. I backup this thought of him trying to make up with his previous statement. 

".....To me, you're my escort although you can be more."

"I'm sorry for what happened three years ago, can we be friends because I know you would never accept me back as a lover though I'm dying to be one to you?" 

My first reaction is a smirk. "Does friendship matter in doing my job?" 

"No, but…." His voice trails off.

"Listen, I'm not trying to play hard, it's the pure truth I'm telling you but I don't have any sensuality in you to take you even as a friend but I promise to always act as one in private and when more, as a girlfriend in the public, then when the time I've stipulated for myself is up, I'll take a bow from this job." I'm so damn serious now. He himself is so shocked that he can't make any move, just staring at me rigidly. Playing my statement in my head, I marvel at how bold and fearless I got in speaking this way to him, my boss. 

"Well, let's proceed for the party but promise…promise me you'd do your job well." 

"Excellently is the right word!" I snap.

"Really?" 

My lips part into a seductive smile, he reciprocates in an awed manner. "Yes!" I assure him. Before he realizes, I sink into his arms, resting my head on his chest and his hand comes over me, cuddling me. 

"I've started acting friendly with you, hope you appreciate it?" 

"So well, and more upon going sexy, that's all I want you to be." He adds a flirty grin.