Take the Money and Come

Chapter 6: Too Close

Chapter 6: Too Close

“Jeez, that was lame,” she thought to herself, not certain why she'd felt compelled to do that. Nevertheless, there was no point in worrying about it now. She'd just had the strangest, most amazing and most humiliating night of her life, all rolled into one. And it was just the beginning, though it didn't look like she'd have to worry about an exact repeat of tonight; Michael had made it abundantly clear that what had happened between them had been nothing more than a mistake...a very regrettable mistake. She cringed, trying not to let humiliation overwhelm her. But as she tried to thrust that evening to the deepest recesses of her mind, her body resisted, instead wanting to call up every touch, every second his mouth was pressed against her, every single time he plunged deep inside her. Dropping her purse on the living room sofa, she padded down the hall to her bedroom, flopping back on her bed still fully dressed. She closed her eyes against a wave of desire, hoping the movement might somehow block it out. Nope. Squeezing her thighs together against the throbbing heat, Maya breathed deeply, trying to calm her body at least long enough to let her fall asleep. She must have been truly exhausted because it was the last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep, images of Michael plaguing her anew the entire night, coming to her in every form from a valiant knight to a fiendish devil, bent on tormenting her body in the most pleasurable ways an evil creature could devise.

When Maya awoke the next morning, it took her a moment to realize the pounding sound that had pervaded her dream wasn't the sound of tribal drums being played as she was sacrificed by her village, her body given to the insatiable fertility god, Michael. The pounding was, in fact, the sound of someone knocking persistently on her front door. Jumping out of bed, she dashed through the house to the door, wondering who it was. The only person that came to mind was her brother, and it would take some serious emergency to have him pounding on her door so early in the morning that the sun was only just beginning to lighten the night's sky. Was he hurt? Had Laura, his girlfriend, left him? Did he get fired? Grabbing the handle, she threw open the door, not knowing what calamity to expect. But it wasn't Conner standing on the other side. Stunned, she stood there silent, barely awake and completely at a loss for words.

“Well, good morning, Maya,” Michael greeted her, amused. But damn she looked hot; her hair slightly mussed from sleep, her lips parted in surprise.

“I'm sorry. I thought you were my brother and I panicked. I don't get too many—or any—visitors this early in the morning usually, so the only thought that came to mind was Conner. And if he was here knocking on the door this early, it would only be because something was wrong. Then again, I suppose he has a key and wouldn't need to be pounding on the door...” Maya trailed off, trying to force her groggy mind into alertness.

“I just wanted to stop by to let you know something, and I hope you don't feel like I crossed a line, but I didn't want our business arrangement to negatively impact your future,” Michael began.

“Crossed a line?” she wondered. He must have been talking about last night again, and she really didn't want to be flooded with embarrassment first thing in the morning.

“I spoke with the program director at your school, explaining that it was necessary for you to be away for a short period of time,” he offered tentatively.

“What exactly did you tell her?” she wondered aloud, not certain she was comfortable with Michael sharing her private life with the person in charge of her academic studies.

“It wasn't so much what I told her...” he sounded reluctant now.

“I don't understand,” she responded, now thoroughly confused. He spoke to her program director, but he didn't...

“I just paid a reasonable fee to ensure that your course materials are made available to you prior to our departure and so that any work you can't complete while we're away can be made up for upon your return.”

He bribed her school?!? She wasn't sure she liked the sound of that.

“I know you've worked damn hard to get where you are, and I didn't want you to lose your school year because of our arrangement...because of me, Maya,” he told her honestly.

OK, maybe she didn't fully like the sound of that, but it was very sweet of him. It wasn't anywhere in their agreement that he had to be the least bit conscientious of her own schedule or needs. Perhaps now wasn't the best time to be ornery over taking handouts—or the fact that her fake fiancée paid off her school.

“Thank you, Michael. I appreciate your kindness,” she told him simply.

“It was no trouble at all,” he assured her. “I have a meeting to get to, but I'll be in touch.”

He turned to leave but then stopped, turning back to her a second later. All of a sudden, his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her out the front door and hard against him in the same moment his lips descended on hers. Without thinking, Maya's hands came up, entwining in the hair at the nape of his neck as she molded her body more fully against his. She wasn't aware of anything around her, nothing but the feel of his hard body and the warmth of his mouth. He took a step forward and then another, moving them across the threshold into her front hallway. His hands moved to the back of her dress, deftly unfastening the tiny clasps one at a time. She could feel the back of her dress parting and her anticipation grew with every bit of flesh he exposed. Just then, her phone rang, startling him instantly. Michael hands stilled, remaining still for the briefest of moments before stepping back. A rueful look on his face, he kissed her lips one more time and then turned, walking out the door and down the front steps to his car—or at least, she assumed it was his car; it wasn't the same one he'd been driving last night.

Robotically, Maya walked over to the phone ringing from the end table next to the sofa and lifted the receiver. Wrong number, it turned out. “Arghhh!” she vented, now both sexually frustrated and frustrated with herself for succumbing just as easily as she had last night. Fantastical or not, she was seriously beginning to wonder if Michael Black was some sort of creature with superhuman appeal, making it impossible for any woman to resist him. After how humiliated she'd been last night, how on earth had she so readily fallen back into his arms?!?

Making her way to the kitchen, she made herself breakfast, occupying her mind with a quick review of her latest coursework in preparation for today's classes. Once done, she showered, careful to keep her mind on the task at hand rather than letting her mind and hands wander, and then dressed for school in a hurry. Dashing out her front door, she prayed to the car gods as she descended the stairs, slipping into the driver's seat and revving the engine. Grateful for yet another successful start, she pulled out of the driveway and she was off to school, determined to keep her head buried in lessons until she had somehow found a way to rid it of Michael Black. But the fates weren't going to make that easy on her, she realized as she strolled out into the school hallway after her second class of the day. He was right there, waiting patiently for her as if he didn't have a multi-million-dollar company to run. Every eye within viewing distance was on them as she came to a stop in front of him, smiling tentatively as she glanced around. Jeez, the way the young women were gawking at him, you'd think they had never seen an attractive man before. But then, Michael wasn't just attractive. He was the sexiest man she'd ever seen; she could easily see him winning the vote for sexiest man of the year...he certainly had her vote. “Maya!” she chastised herself silently. “Hi Michael. What are you doing here?” she greeted him, trying to act casual.

“I just had a break in my day, so I thought I'd swing by to see if you wanted to grab some lunch?”

It didn't sound like the kind of lunch she'd been “invited” to yesterday. It seemed like he was genuinely inquiring and she had every right to say no. But she didn't want to. As much as she knew she should probably just turn away and walk in the other direction, she knew her body would never consent to that. She nodded instead.

“Great!” he replied, leaning down to kiss her lips quickly before taking her hand, leading her down the hall and out the front doors of the school. He opened the passenger door for her and she slid in, feeling the jealous stares of a multitude of students and faculty boring into her back. But they had left the parking lot a moment later, stopping at a nearby diner where he continued to bring her for lunch every day for the rest of the week, showing up at the school when he knew she'd be on break and whisking her back in time for the start of her next class.

A few days later, Michael showed up after school, too, taking her out for dinner before she started her shift at Valentino's. Two days later, he was there again with no explanation as to why he was showing up so often. Maya wasn't complaining and she certainly wasn't going to ask; by the time the week was through, she'd learned there was so much more to Michael than she could have imagined was there. His company donated loads of money to charitable organizations, all handpicked specifically by him. He ran in local marathons, tutored his sister-in-law when she was studying for her degree in business and even became a godparent to his close friend's first son—a flamboyant four-year-old that Maya couldn't wait to meet.

But that was the problem...or a symptom of the problem. She was never going to meet Michael's godchild; or find out what charitable venture Michael chose next; or discover for herself whether Anne was really as great a mother-in-law as her daughters-in-law claimed her to be. She wasn't going to be able to look forward to any of the things Michael's fiancée might look forward to...because she wasn't Michael's fiancée, not really. She'd stupidly come to feel for him so much more than she had intended, and in a few weeks, or maybe a few months, he'd leave her behind. Not because he was cold and unfeeling, but because that was what she'd agreed to from the start.

It was worse the following weeks, after spending so many more hours with Michael—always in a public place. She figured that was his design, but she couldn't really complain. As much as her body wanted nothing more than to feel his touch and to cover every inch of his muscled body with her lips, she was also enjoying getting to know him.

After an early night at work, Maya was reflecting on all the things she loved, er, liked about Michael as she packed her travel bag, preparing for their departure to St. Lucia the next morning. She packed her toothbrush, the few cosmetics she owned, a hairbrush, sunscreen, pads...

“Wait,” Maya thought to herself, a wave of panic striking her so abruptly she felt nauseous. She sat down on the edge of her bathtub, holding her head in her hands, doing her darnedest to take slow, deep breaths. But as she counted the days in her mind, the nausea grew, Maya realizing that she was a full week late. But stress could certainly mess with a woman's body, she tried to reassure herself, forcing herself to stand. Heading straight for her front door, she grabbed her purse on the way. She needed to know, and she needed to know right now!

Offering the briefest prayer to the car gods ever, she was backing out of the driveway in seconds, off to the pharmacy and pulling back in not twenty minutes later, making a mad dash for the door. She pulled the test from its box and followed its instructions carefully, placing the test on the edge of her bathtub, never taking her eyes off of it. As a positive sign appeared in the indicator window, Maya slid to the floor, feeling a wave of nausea wash over her anew and not certain her legs would hold her. This was never supposed to happen. This, she was absolutely certain, was never part of the arrangement. She had to tell Michael; she couldn't keep something like this from him. But how was she supposed to do that? “You know how you wanted to be single and carefree in just a few months? Well, how about becoming a daddy instead?” Nope, definitely not a good idea. She'd just have to keep this to herself for now until she could figure out where to go from here.

She'd thought of having kids of her own some day, but this was never what she had imagined; She'd planned on building a life with a man, their child an expression of their love for one another. Not a result of a night of fiery passion with a guy who was so against the notion of being tied down that he'd concocted a ridiculous ploy to remain single. She wouldn't be responsible for ruining his life. She'd find a way to speed up the end of their pretend relationship, leaving long before her pregnancy became obvious to anyone. Once they went their separate ways, she'd never see Michael again but she'd have a small part of him with her always, and he'd never know. He'd never feel compelled to settle down with a woman he didn't want or take on the burden of a child he'd never planned. With a new career ahead of her, she'd be able to provide for the child just fine, and Conner would no doubt be a wonderful uncle. She wished her parents could have been around to see their first grandchild. She could sure use her mom's advice right now. Her mother had been a strong woman, stubborn but more kind than a person could imagine. She was Maya's inspiration, and she knew if her mother were standing in her shoes right now, she'd do what she had to do and worry about the consequences to herself later.

Breathing a rugged sigh and wiping away tears she hadn't realized had spilled over and soaked her cheeks, Maya stood, gathering the rest of the items she'd need for tomorrow's trip. That was it; she'd already packed a small suitcase with the nicest clothing she owned. All that was left to do now was sleep, hoping that maybe she'd wake up in the morning to discover this evening had been nothing more than a bad dream. She laid down on her bed, letting the fatigue she'd been feeling since she'd left work consume her, drawing her down into sleep within minutes. Hours later, as the sun began to brighten the horizon, Maya awoke, sitting up as images of her nighttime musings flooded her mind; her fiendish devil, gallant knight, then her prisoner, forced to live in shackles all his life. Sometimes she really wished she were like other people, who dreamt of normal things.

Sliding off the bed, she stood, grabbing a bite to eat and a quick shower, just like any other morning. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago her life had changed so dramatically, when nothing in it seemed any different. She slipped into the dress she'd worn to Conner's graduation, pairing it with a short-sleeved, silky jacket that tied just beneath her breasts, transforming the outfit into a completely different looking ensemble. Running a brush through her silken hair, she checked her reflection in the mirror, half-expecting to see something different there. But, no. Fortunately, she didn't have any more time to contemplate her unchanged appearance when a knock sounded at her door. Grabbing her luggage from next to her bed, she padded out into the front hall, opening the door, knowing this time it would be Michael on the other side.

“Good morning,” she feigned enthusiasm, though she was distracted quickly. Always before Michael had been in some form of business attire, but this morning he was wearing a pair of jeans that fit his form perfectly and a casual tee that did absolutely nothing to disguise the muscles rippling beneath. “Wow!” she exclaimed silently, arousal coursing through every inch of her as she imagined him bare-chested on the beach, laying beneath her in the sand.

“Hey, Beautiful.” She only just realized that he'd made it quite a habit of calling her that—a nickname even. But who invested the effort in coming up with a nickname when they intended to be out of the picture in the near future? It seemed pointless, didn't it?

“All ready?” he queried when she remained silent.

“I think so,” she replied, looking around the living room one last time.