by Ava Walsh
“It’s not your fault. It was a contract, after all, it was good while it lasted,” she said, tucking in loose strands of her hair behind her ears. She had never looked more beautiful, of that I was sure.
“It was good while it lasted indeed,” I said and she looked away from me and there was silence in the room again.
“I’m quitting my job,” I said and she jerked her head to look at me.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s your family business. I’ve decided to quit anyway,” she said. I smiled and shook my head.
“Remember the rule you came up with? That you’d maintain your position after this ends,” I said and a soft smile graced Kayla’s lips at the memory. So much had changed since then.
“I was being stupidly naive,” she said and I shook my head again.
“You can stay, Kayla. I’m holding on to my end of the contract, you get to keep your position,” I said and she stared at me in silence.
“I can’t work there anymore,” she replied.
“I can talk to father and make sure you’re transferred to our California offices if you don’t mind moving. You don’t have to work with these people anymore.” I could see that she was thinking as she stared at me with her large chocolate colored eyes.
“I know you’ve worked hard at your job Kayla, and you’re a prized possession at the company. You don’t deserve to leave all this behind. Especially since it’ll suit me better to quit anyway,” I said and she licked her lips and sighed.
“I’ll think about it,” she said, holding her head high. That was the Kayla who was so good at her job: confident, professional and never backing away from a good deal. I smiled at her, but she only tried. I could see she was still hurting, but she was too proud to say it. As was I. I didn’t know if I was prepared to lay my heart out in the open like that, for another woman to come and trample all over.
We were quiet for a few minutes.
“So aren’t you going to ask me for a last time?” she asked, her voice dropping and growing softer.
“Ask you for what?” I asked, and I saw her jaws clenching.
“Sex,” she replied.
“No. I won’t,” I said and her eyes widened. “It’s over. That is over. I would rather have you first, as someone real, to talk to, and then your body.” For the first time she really looked at me, straight into my eyes and my arms shook in fear of what she was going to say.
Chapter Thirteen
Kayla
I couldn’t decide if this was a part of some kind of trick that he was playing on me. I wasn’t even sure if I had heard him correctly. He wanted me as a person? He said that when I had practically just offered him my body?
I stared at him, while he looked back at me, his eyes boring into me intensely. He wasn’t smiling, he was serious.
“I don’t know if I understand what you mean,” I managed to say after several seconds of silence.
“I mean Kayla, that I want you. Of course I want you. But not just as a part of a contract,” he said. I could see his lips moving, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim light of his living room. His strong shoulders squared and tight. He was as defensive as I was. I didn’t know what to say to him, this wasn’t what I expected. I prided myself in being able to judge people accurately. In Oscar’s case, I had missed the mark by miles.
“Kayla, I know you don’t trust me…I know you’re scared,” he began and something in me made me interrupt him.
“It’s not you, Oscar. It’s my own family, or rather the lack thereof,” I blurted out and I saw his face change. His defenses came down a little.
“You don’t trust me because of your family?” he asked, confused.
“Because of my father.”
“What did he do to you?” There was a glint of rage in his eyes as he said it. I could see now how the punch on Jonathan’s face came about.
“Nothing. He was my mother’s boss. He left her when she got pregnant with me. I’ve never met him, I don’t even know who he is,” I blurted it all out, and only at the end of it did I realize that I was crying.
Oscar lunged towards me, enveloping me in his arms as he held me to his chest.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Kayla,” he said as he stroked my hair. I held on to his chest for dear life. I felt safe in his arms. Besides mama, nobody had ever made me feel like they genuinely cared. This man, who I thought I had all figured out, did.
“Is that why you pushed me away? Because you thought I would do the same to you?” he asked and I nodded.
“I kept pushing you away because of an ex-girlfriend who cheated on me,” he said and I pulled away from him to look into his eyes.
“That bad huh?” I asked and he raised his eyebrows.
“She slept with Jonathan,” he said and I nearly broke into a laugh. Who would ever choose Jonathan over Oscar?
“So that punch was a long time coming then,” I said and he squeezed his arms around me a little more.
“Kayla, can we start over?” he asked and I nodded. There was nothing more that I wanted. I hadn’t even realized that this was what I wanted. I had been so angry with myself for falling in love that I had refused to acknowledge that falling in love could also be beautiful and mean happiness.
And the last person I had expected to feel happy about was Oscar Connell.
“I have never been this excited to have a contract of sexual favors ending,” he said, and I raised an eyebrow at him.
“How many have you had?” I asked him, lightly punching his arm. He laughed and then held me even tighter in his grip.
“I’m not going to lie, a few of them,” he said. It didn’t surprise me. His proposal had been too casual, too easy. He had done it a few times before.
“But never before did I end the contract so I could date the girl, Kayla. This is a first,” he said, softly kissing my forehead. I licked my lips and accepted the kiss. I could live with that. As long as what he was offering now was real, it was a good deal.
“Is this the part where you rip my clothes apart and take me here on the carpet?” I asked him, but he pulled away from me and shook his head.
“I could if you really want to. But I was thinking that the best way to start over would be to get Maria to set us a candlelit dinner, where I ask you about where you grew up and what kind of ice cream you like. You can maybe ask me what colors don’t suit me and who my best friends are. You know, like normal people,” he said, drawing away from me as I laughed.
“You may be right, but normal is boring,” I said and he was laughing too. Then I felt his hands on the buttons of my jeans. The next thing I knew was that his hands were on my bra under my t-shirt. He was making me moan already, his hands finding their way into my pants. I was on the carpet, tugging at his clothes and he was smiling, watching me as he kept me pinned to the floor.
I was not tired of him yet, he had got it wrong. I would never be tired of him. Oscar Connell was one of a kind, and I was wrong to assume that all men were like my father.
No, Oscar Connell was the love of my life and I could see it in his eyes as he entered me, that he loved me back.
*****
THE END
The Rock Star's Baby
Description
He rocks like a bad boy. She’s there to save his reputation.
“You look comfortable,” he said, as she stood at the end of the bed. Heidi was continually tucking her loose curls behind her ears out of nervousness. What was she supposed to do next? Just get into bed with him? She had never done this before.
Declan Xavier is the new rock sensation. He makes his audience scream, the girls swoon and the paparazzi go nuts. The blue-eyed, blonde haired bad boy is not only the latest musical craze, but the media love him because he gives them something new to write about every day.
His manager and friend, David Scott, knows this can only mean trouble. The only solution for Declan Xavier is to get a fake girlfriend to save his reputation.
Heidi Scott has big plan
s to open a bakery. If she works hard enough and long enough, she’ll have the money she needs to invest in the bakery in a few years. But then, an unlikely incident causes a major setback for her plan. That is, until her brother, David, introduces her to Declan Xavier.
Declan offers her a deal: being his fake girlfriend in exchange for all the money she needs for her bakery.
It all makes sense, until it doesn’t.
Chapter One
Heidi couldn’t stop staring at the clock on the wall. Fifteen more minutes and her shift would end. Finally. These eight-hour shifts were grueling, especially because keeping a smile pasted on her face was a necessity. She felt her phone vibrate in the pocket of her apron and pulled it out. It was a text from her brother David. She didn’t know he was in town! He wanted her to come over and meet him backstage at the Spire. Declan Xavier had a concert there that evening. Heidi sighed and remembered to smile again.
There were still a few tables she needed to clear out before her shift ended, but the people sitting at them looked like they had no intention of leaving any time soon. She looked at the clock again. Thirteen minutes more.
“Was everything alright? Can I get you guys anything else?” Heidi walked up to one of the tables and stood in front of them with a wide smile on her face.
“No thanks. Just the bill, please,” one of the men said. He was looking at her with large, leery eyes, but Heidi tried to keep smiling. She was used to the creeps by now. Just as long as he didn’t touch her, she could deal with it. It was what she needed to do to get an extra tip.
“Sure thing,” she said, collecting the empty plates from the table. The man winked at her as she walked away, and she was dying to roll her eyes, but she didn’t; as long as she maintained that smile on her face, she could be assured an extra tip.
“Off soon?” Barry, another member of the waiting staff and her only friend at the cafe, asked as she walked over to place the plates on the collection table.
“Can’t wait. I have to go meet my brother after this.” Heidi sighed, dusting off her hands. Barry followed her over to the cash register, where she entered the table number.
“Your brother? You mean the guy who manages Declan Xavier?” Barry was excited. Heidi smiled, concentrating on printing out the bill for the table.
“That’s him. My big brother David, a rock star’s manager.” She said in an exaggerated sing-song voice. Everyone she knew had the same reaction when they found out her brother was David Scott, Declan Xavier’s manager and best friend. By association, it should have also made Heidi successful and “cool”, but Heidi knew she was far from it. It was two years since she had graduated from college with a Hotel Management degree and she was still working for other people, and no closer to owning the bakery she dreamed of opening.
“Why are you still working here, Heidi? Can’t your brother get you a swanky job in the music industry?” Barry was still following her and Heidi stopped in her tracks to look at him.
“The last thing I want to do is work in the music industry. All they do is snort coke, fuck each other and waste their lives away,” she said, placing a hand on her hip. She’d heard it before, this was nothing new. She was tired of explaining why she didn’t make use of her brother’s position.
“And they also make music,” Barry said with a smile. She knew he was only trying to help.
“Let's just say that lifestyle doesn’t suit me,” Heidi said, and walked away from him, back to the table. She placed the bill between the men, each of whom eyed it for a few seconds, before the guy who hadn’t winked at her reached for it and paid it in cash.
“Thank you very much. Hope we see you again.” Heidi tried to maintain an even voice, even though she was seething with rage; she had noticed the lack of a tip.
“Hope I see you again,” the guy said, and this time, he had more than just a wink to offer her. He touched her waist lightly as he stood up and Heidi collected the change off the table.
She could feel her neck reddening and her hands itching to slap him. She didn’t look at him but bit down on her lip.
“How about I give you a tip and you give me your number?” the man continued, his hand still lingering on her waist. Heidi straightened up, trying politely to make his hand fall away, but his grip increased in strength and she could feel his fingers moving downward, towards her ass.
“Thank you for your visit,” she managed to say, now staring directly into his eyes. She was trying to embarrass him into removing his hand, but he only smiled a toothy grin. She could see the hair sticking out from his nostrils. Heidi wanted to scream.
And then he did it. He lightly slapped her ass and Heidi lost it. Before she could stop herself she had slapped the man across his left cheek. His face had twisted awkwardly to the right side and an immediate silence had descended upon the cafe. Heidi could feel her heart thumping fast, beating out of her chest, as she stood staring at him.
“I’m so sorry, sir. We apologize for this. Heidi, my office, now.” Steven, the Manager had rushed over.
“This is preposterous. Watch yourself, young lady. How dare you!” The man was screaming at her as she turned around and started to walk away. She caught Barry’s eye. He was stood over one of his tables, in the middle of taking an order. He had a look of horror in his eyes. The customer is always right! He was trying to communicate with his eyes. Heidi looked away.
In Steven’s office, she sat with her legs crossed and her hands placed on her lap, her fingers intertwined. She couldn't afford to lose this job, but it looked like she was going to.
Steven was sweating, angry and pacing the floor.
“How could you do something like that?” he thundered. Heidi had calmed down by now and knew there was no point screaming back at him. It would only make her seem more insane.
“He touched me inappropriately. It was a natural, instinctive reaction,” she said, biting down on her lip.
“You could have walked away. To slap a customer!” Steven continued pacing the floor. Heidi looked away from him. She knew what Steven had to do.
“He’s demanded that you be fired, Heidi. There’s nothing else I can do. It will cast a very dark shadow on the cafe and its management if you’re allowed to continue. Especially if the local newspapers get a hold of this.” Steven was blabbering on. He was talking more to himself than to her.
“I can’t lose this job, Steven,” Heidi said, in an even voice. That was about as far as she was willing to go in terms of begging to keep her position. She had to give it a shot.
“I can’t help you, Heidi. You dug your own grave,” Steven said and sighed, coming to a stop in front of her.
Heidi glared back at him, collected her purse off the floor and stood up.
“Thank you for the opportunity. Take care,” she said, and turned around and walked out of the room.
“Heidi,” Steven called out to her, and she turned to face him in the doorway. “Good luck with your bakery. I sincerely hope you’re able to have it up and running soon.” Heidi rolled her eyes.
She didn’t bother to respond. Barry was waiting outside, looking nervous, and she smiled at him as she walked by him. The people in the cafe fell silent again, watching her walk past the tables. It seemed like a lot of customers had remained to see how the drama played out. Heidi maintained the smile on her face. She wasn’t going to give in to her tears, not yet.
All eyes were on her, but she didn’t exchange tearful goodbyes with any of her coworkers. She couldn’t be bothered. They were all judging her anyway.
The door shut behind her, and Heidi walked past the cafe towards the main road. At least there she’d be surrounded by people, traffic sounds, barking dogs and cars whizzing past. It would give her an opportunity to shed a tear in peace if she needed to.
But the tears didn’t come. Heidi continued walking past the traffic, and yet she couldn’t cry. She was one step behind now in her plan of opening up the bakery. Her three-year plan had taken a step back, and she wo
uld have to look for a new job, minus a recommendation. She’d be further back in being able to put down a deposit for a bank loan. Heidi knew all that, she was working it out in her brain, but the tears were just refusing to come.
She was angry instead. She was pissed off at the world, the absurdity of the situation, the behavior of disgusting men and the lack of honor in the hospitality industry. Nobody stood up for you.
When she finally snapped out of her thoughts, she realized she had walked herself back to her apartment on pure instinct.
Heidi took the stairs two at a time and rummaged through her purse for the key. The apartment was as messy as always. She never had time to clean up, especially since she was working seven days a week. Well, now there would be plenty of time, she thought, as she flung her purse over the couch.
She needed to calm herself down before all this rage came boiling out of her system. She looked around nervously, knowing what she needed to do. It was the only thing she could do to balance her senses.
She hurried over to the fridge, kicking off her heels in the process. Butter, eggs, bars of cooking chocolate. Sugar and flour from the cabinets. The mixing bowl and rubber spatula were already on the kitchen counter, she hadn’t put them away the last time.
Cream the butter and the sugar together. Whip the eggs and add them. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Mix it all up. Chop up some hazelnuts. Grate some orange zest in. Pour it all in the cupcake tray, then push it into the oven.
Heidi finally heaved a sigh of relief. The cupcakes were in the oven and she stood in front of it, wiping her forehead. She felt magically more relaxed now that she could see the cupcakes rising inside the oven. Baking had an intense therapeutic effect on her, ever since she was fifteen years old and her grandmother taught her how to bake the perfect banana bread.
