My face fell. “Are you guys having trouble?”
“No, no, no. Not at all! Like I said, it’s still pretty good, just not the same as what you described. Nick and I keep it interesting by doing new things—“
“I didn’t need to know that,” I laughed.
“Not like that. I mean we are saving ourselves for our anniversary now. It’s been almost a month, and that kind of stuff makes it exciting. What I am trying to tell you is that you shouldn’t let yourself think that sex is always going to be like, perfect, every time. It gets both better and worse with time, and since Zayden sounds like he is pretty damn good, you might be disappointed in other men,” she said and hastily added, “if there ever are any. I mean if this doesn’t work out… I mean, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go there.”
I felt a strange bubble of sadness start to build in my chest. “It’s okay, I know this is not going to work out. I mean it’s still just a contract, and after six months all of this will be over. I have pretty much accepted that.”
She hugged me this time, which was such a rare occurrence that I let out a slight chuckle. “Please don’t get hurt,” she said.
“I don’t want to and I’ll try not to.” I shrugged. “But—“
“But you’re falling for this guy?” She asked.
I was not ready to accept this, and the question made me feel heavy in my chest. I was not supposed to be. I knew what the deal was, I knew what I was getting myself into and this was never a part of the plan. There was no reason in the world that I should be letting my emotions get out of control, given the possible consequences, but here I was, completely and utterly gripped by the charms of a man who I knew from the get-go was never going to be mine to keep.
“I’m falling hard, Stacey. Ugh. I just want to be able to have fun for now and deal with what happens when it happens. If only I could make these feelings stop.”
“Then have fun! You haven’t freely enjoyed your life like this in a long time. You don’t know what he’s thinking! Maybe he’s feeling the exact same way. You trust my intuitions, right? I have a great feeling about this guy, I think he’s going to be around for a long time.”
“But what if he’s not? What if you’re wrong?”
“Then I will buy you 10 gallons of ice cream and we’ll eat it all and watch “Friends” marathons until your heart heals. Even if that means we are confined to this living room forever.” She smiled.
I giggled. “You’re the best friend ever. Thank you, Stace. I’m sorry again. I really missed you!”
“I did, too,” she said pulling me off the couch. “Now go put on a sexy dress and have what you call amazing sex. There will be a long interrogation about it later.”
Interrogation? That wasn’t going to happen.
---
When I finally made it to the bank, I was ridden with excitement. This would be the first time we were alone together since we had sex. Outside the bank I removed my travel mirror from my purse and checked my appearance. I looked decent enough, and had a lingering suspicion that he would think so even if I showed up in a rag. I walked into the bank and rushed towards Zayden’s office, but halted right outside. He was on the phone, yelling at somebody.
“I just can’t fucking deal with this right now, don’t you get it?” He was shouting. I had never seen him so angry before. He was holding a stress ball and looked about ready to squish it into tiny little pieces.
“I understand that,” he snapped on the phone. “How many times do I have to explain myself, though? I know, I get it, but I can’t deal with this right now, what don’t you get?”
Feeling suddenly nervous, I wondered if this was a good time at all. Maybe I should have stayed home and cancelled; maybe he should have cancelled. I wasn’t sure I wanted to meddle with…whatever it was that was going on.
“We will talk on Tuesday. No, next Tuesday. I am hanging up now,” he barked, almost crushing the stress ball.
I waited a few minutes before striding in, convincing myself that I would make him feel better, regardless of what was bothering him. He had helped me with my mother’s bills, I couldn’t run now when he seemed to be having such a rough time.
With that determination, I entered Zayden’s office, startling him.
Chapter Four
Zayden
I jumped when Aria walked in. I should have been more careful and not answered the phone when she was supposed to arrive.
“You’re late,” I said icily. She looked terrified, so I added more softly, “Is everything okay?”
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, walking over to sit next to me and gently putting her arm around mine. “Is everything okay with you?”
“Depends.”