Fighting Seduction (10 page)

“You aren’t… offended?”

She laughed. “Why should I be? I am sure he’s used
to seeing you with supermodels. Everyone is. It is quite amusing watching
people’s reaction. I never quite realized this before, but messing with rich
people is fun.”

“Fucking rich people is even better,” I winked.

“Okay I practically led you to that one,” she
shrugged. “What does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?”

“I’ll grab one for you,” I said and started walking
but remembered something. “You’re not twenty-one.”

“Meh, it’s just a matter of a few months, nobody
will care.”

“I hear it’s impossible to get a comfortable
king-sized bed in jail,” I retorted.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, if it’s such a big
deal-”

“I’m teasing you. Champagne okay?”

“Grab me a beer,” she grinned. “Let’s see how your
acquaintances will react to a working-class girl who also shamelessly drinks
beer at a classy event.”

I chuckled. “You are crazy. I don’t think they even
have beers at this thing. I can ask Ned to-“

“It’s okay, you don’t have to make everything happen
at the snap of your fingertips. Get me anything you want.” She put her hand on
my shoulder again and smiled. Her touches were distracting.

I returned with two glasses of red wine and handed
her one. “So I have to make a speech in like five minutes, you think you’re
going to be okay on your own for a little bit?”

“Of course not. Oh wait, I’m not a five-year-old
that needs constant adult supervision,” she pulled out her tongue. “Break a
leg.”

“Don’t interrupt my speech if you need anything.
You’re on your own. We can always screw later.”

She covered her face with both her hands. “Zayden,
go make your big important speech.”

CHAPTER
9

ARIA

I took a huge gulp of my wine as Zayden proceeded to
the mini-stage that had been crafted in the middle of the room. It was a very
interesting taste; bitter, but rich enough to make my whole mouth feel like
velvet. I was already starting to get a bit buzzed from a few sips. I looked at
Zayden adjusting the mic and took a deep breath. The plain black suit fit his
lean body immaculately, and the dark blue shirt made his eyes pop. His skinny
black tie was slightly loose and I wondered how it would feel to undo it. And
then his shirt. Aria, focus. I slapped my own forehead and frowned, trying hard
to pay attention to the words now coming out of his mouth, rather than his
mouth itself and just how succulent his lips looked.

“As many of you know, I lost my grandfather to
cancer,” Zayden was saying. The room was utterly silent, every pair of eyes
concentrating on him, as though he was reciting the next set of global
constitution. What must it feel like, commanding any room you walk into?
Someday, I would find out. I may never make it to Zayden’s status – I wasn’t
born with the right set of luck in order to get there – but someday I would
become successful enough to have a room full of people care about what I am
saying.

“It was my complete honor to sponsor this gala, and
I want to thank you all so much for your generous contributions to this truly
wonderful cause.” It was obvious that this truly meant something to him, that
he actually cared. There was a rumor around the office that he turned down an
offer to speak at a local TED talk, so the fact that he was willing to come
over here and take the time to address these people for the sake of cancer
research was oddly heartwarming. He was definitely a much better person that he
led himself and everyone else to believe. As he spoke with passion and
intensity, I began to feel a very uncomfortable knot in my chest. It was a knot
of feelings beginning to develop. I always thought he was attractive, but
that’s simply an objective fact; he was attractive like the sky is blue, and I
was also certainly very grateful for all that he did for me. But somehow, it
was beginning to feel like there was more, like I appreciated him for who he
was outside of who he was with me.

I was in trouble.

When he finished his speech there was an applause
that lasted for minutes. People were cheering him on and screaming his name.

“Now let me invite Ms. Cameron Elizabeth, the head
organizer of tonight’s grand event, to begin the auction,” Zayden said and
stepped aside to speak with an older blonde women on the stage. I was surprised
to feel a tap on my shoulder, since I didn’t really know anyone else at the
party. I turned around to find Mr. Kirk smiling at me.

“That speech was quite something, huh?” He asked.

“Absolutely! Zayden is passionate and a wonderful
speaker.”

“I’m sure you think so,” he shrugged in a way that
made me uncomfortable. “How much is he paying you anyway?”

“Excuse me?” I felt a fit of rage begin to spread
inside me.

“I’ll write you a blank check to fill in as you
please for one night. But I have some very specific requests. Things not every
girl is comfortable doing. Even though you’re a professional.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I was so
angry I didn’t even care about my language or creating a scene. “I am not for
sale.”

He laughed. “Oh, he’s taught you well. Come on. I
have known the kid since he was ten years old, you’re not going to convince me
that he’s just taking out a lowly employee because he likes your personality.”

“Actually, that is exactly why I brought her here
tonight,” I heard a different voice say. Zayden was standing in front of us and
he looked like he was about to commit murder. “And why you should now exit this
event. South National will no longer be dealing with your company.”

Kirk’s face turned to a deep shade of purple. “Come
on, Zayden! Are you really going to side with a whore?”

“Watch your language or I will have you thrown out
of here in a manner that will make it impossible for you to ever show your face
in public again. Aria is a beautiful young woman with a deeper intellect at her
age than you have acquired in sixty years. I would rather spend the very little
free time I have in the company of somebody like her, than do business with some
sick bastard who has no respect for another human being. Call her a whore again
and my lawyers will ruin you until you’re on the streets. Now get the fuck
out.”

People had begun watching and I wanted to draw a
hole underneath me and disappear. This must have been embarrassing for him, yet
he was fighting for my so called honor, and I was completely paralyzed in
shock. The truth was that he was, in fact, paying me, even if it wasn’t exactly
for sex. But the fact that he was still supremely offended by Kirk’s behavior
made a small part of me ridiculously happy. The rest of
me
kind of wanted to collapse and never see humanity again.

When we finally left the Gala, every single person
was apologizing to me for Kirk’s behavior, and I realized that not all rich
people sucked, contrary to what I had convinced myself of. In fact, Zayden
seemed to run around circles of some truly nice people. All in all though, the
evening ended on a nice note, and by the time we made it back to Zayden’s car,
I was tipsy, tired, and in a much better mood than I had expected to be.

“I’m sorry about Kirk again, Aria,” Zayden said once
we sat in the car again. “I have known him all my life, but he’s never acted so
sleazy before. I wouldn’t have introduced him to you if I knew he was going to
act that way.”

I gently put my hand over his and he started to move
his fingers against mine, causing an internal volcano to begin popping in my
system.

“You don’t have to apologize. I feel terrible about
creating a scene. I am sure you didn’t come in here today thinking ‘Hey, guess
what would be fun? If I had to insult one of my business partners on behalf of
my date and cause for a whole dramatic production.’” I laughed.

He lifted both our hands and put his arm around me.
“I have never in my life used this word to describe a girl before, but Aria Roberts,
you are really amazing.”

He must have thought calling me amazing was somehow
amusing since that’s what I had called him.

I giggled. “How long have you been practicing to say
that?”

“Since I read your paper. It was… amazing.”

“Amazing. You’re…amazing too.” We were both gazing
into each other’s eyes at this point and I barely knew what I was even saying.
“Very, very amazing.”

He removed his hand from mine and lightly brushed
his index finger against my cheek, the effects of which I felt across my whole
body. He was leaning in and I gazed at his perfect mouth and wondered if he
would taste like whiskey. As soon as our lips slightly touched, however, I
jerked away. A few seconds later I got the courage to look at him.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry, Zayden. I can’t. I
just…”

“It’s okay,” he said and looked away from me,
without any hint of disappointment in his voice. “I know you don’t want to and
I shouldn’t have-”

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” I blurted before I
could stop myself. It was too late to take it back now. “Whenever I am around
you, it’s difficult to breathe. And all I want in the whole world is to let you
win and feel the taste of your mouth and to touch you and let you do whatever
you want to me.”

He didn’t speak for almost a few minutes. Then he
said, “The screen isn’t sound-proof, Ned can hear you.”

“No I can’t,” I heard Ned say, and then I felt
absolutely mortified.

“The point that I have been trying to make – sorry
Ned – is that it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t. And I’m sorry.”

Zayden sighed like he didn’t care. “Don’t be. It’s
your stop. I’ll see you on Monday. Sleep well, Aria. Thanks again for coming
out with me tonight.”

I couldn’t bring myself to get out of the car for
the longest time. I finally forced myself to say, “No, thank you, for
everything.” Then I ran out of there as fast as I could.

I didn’t sleep well that night. I didn’t sleep at
all.

---

On Monday morning I was woken up by a phone call
from my mom.

“It’s 5 a.m. Mom,” I mumbled on to the phone. “Can I
call you back?”

“I’m sorry for waking you up, sweetheart, I just
wanted thank you for the 10,000 dollars that you paid to the hospital on my
behalf. I’m glad your loan went through.”

Wait, what was she talking about? My loan never –
Oh. I sat upright, suddenly understanding.

“It was paid?” I asked stupidly.

“Of course, from your name.”

“I know, I meant to ask if it went through alright.
I’ll call you later okay, mom? Don’t worry about it too much, I got you. Love
you!”

I dialed Zayden’s office number and immediately hung
up remembering what time it was. It would just have to wait until I got to
work. I couldn’t believe what he had done. I felt a sense of warmth and
affection throughout my whole body.

The contract was real.

I tried going back to sleep but spent the next few
hours thinking of him and just how underrated he was as a person. I had
expected him to be upset with me, given the rejection from Saturday night. He
hadn’t tried to get in contact with me all of Sunday and I assumed he was
miffed. Instead, he had decided to go on and make the first payment early. And
the way he had fought for me at the gala. Perhaps I had judged him unfairly,
but I would never think he would jump to defend me against his own kind. His
business and reputation, I assumed, were way more important than some girl he
was trying to seduce, yet I was wrong, as I seemed to be on many accounts when
it came to Zayden. I would have to find something nice to do for him, soon. For
the first time in a long time, I could not wait to get out of bed and get to
work.

Which is why I was very disappointed when I got to
work and Zayden was not in his office. He usually got there before everyone
else, and I was convinced that he slept in his office most days. I wondered if
everything was okay. I thought about writing him an email and drafted
something:

Hi,

I
wanted to thank you in person but you seem to be out today. I hope everything
is okay. My mom called me about the hospital payment and I wanted to thank you
for going ahead with that way earlier than our contract demanded. And for
sticking up for me in front of Mr. Kirk the other day. It meant more to me than
you ever imagined.

So
I was thinking, about that pizza, beer and Netflix thing, do you want to come
over some day this week?

I
would love for you to join me…

No, not that word. I would “like.” I went ahead and
scratched the whole email off. I had to tell him in person.

The day got more and more agonizing, as I kept my
eyes straight on the door, waiting for him to walk in, with increasing
disappointment. At five, I made a final glance, at this point assuming there
was no way he would show up at work, but I still couldn’t help but feel utterly
disappointed. I didn’t work on Tuesdays and waiting until Wednesday to see him
would be too unbearable. I started packing up as slowly as I physically could,
while everyone else began walking out of the office. What was I expecting? The
day was over, he wasn’t coming. And maybe I had something to do with it. Maybe
if I hadn’t pulled away the other day... Ugh. I didn’t owe him anything
physical.