'Tis the Season

Chicklit | Strings Attached

"Congrats on the launching, Arielle," 

Everyone around cheered me on, toasting their glass in the air, as I smiled at every compliment thrown my way. I nodded at all of them, walking away from the crowd to greet even more people coming into this coffee shop that I built from the ground up. Of course, with the help of inheritance from my parents. 

That's where I saw him. 

Gabe. 

Not so long ago, the first night after I had an abortion, I was stranded in a bar - lost and alone. There I was, drinking my woes away, not knowing that a stranger lurked nearby. The stranger started smirking at me as I threw side glances at him, that's when we just connected. A couple of drinks later, I had no idea how or when, but he got me to take my clothes off as we lied next to each other right after he booked a room in that same hotel. 

I know, did I ever learn?

"I thought I saw something familiar," 

The voice said as he was standing before me, I took a glass out of the trays as one of the servers walked by. Screw this no drinking rule, no one says anything about not bumping into stranger turned one-night-stand before!

"Gabe." I faked a grin, sipping on my drink. 

"Oh you do remember me," Gabe blurted, pulling me to the side softly. "Here I thought our memory of that night would've been too blurry to even register." 

Brushing my hair away from my forehead, I snickered. "Please, you're hard to forget." I revealed. 

"So," He began. "Congrats on the opening. I knew you could do great things," He complimented, looking down on me with his gaze that's woken up the butterflies in my stomach slowly. 

"Thanks," My cheeks flushed at the comment, taking another sip to hide it.  

"Are you alone again now or are you waiting for one of these people to come by your side later on?" 

The sentence hit me as soon as it escaped his lips that I stumbled on my feet, not even tipsy just yet, but he caught me just before I hit the floor. 

"You know you're always so funny," I said as I recovered and stood still, holding onto the wall next to me. "Tell me, what brought you here this time?" I asked. 

He curved his lips before replying. "Business mostly, looking for fresh faces for the next victim," He said, taking me on a walk around the place to a much quieter corner as the previous spot was getting a bit crowded with a bunch of people coming in through the door. 

"Oh, you know that I could just call up security right now cause you weren't on the invite list, right," I paused, a thin-lipped smile tugged at my lips. "But I wouldn't. Found any that caught your eye yet?" 

"Not right now cause I've got all that I need right here," He said, gazing into my eyes. 

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he was trying to use one of his liners to get me into bed, but even the most clueless ones would understand soon enough. "Cute, but I'm entertaining right now," I said. 

"Oh I know, say hi to your parents from me by the way." 

"What are you talking about?" I turned back around, not impressed by the hint of snarkiness in his tone. 

"You know, the people who invited me here. Yeah, it's your parents," He shrugged as if it was no big deal. 

"And why would they do that?" I challenged him, hoping that my voice didn't give away that I was indeed threatened or worse, scared. 

Now it was time for his smirk to return upon his features. "You don't think that they'd just give you the money for all of this without strings attached now do you?" 

I gulped, taking another sip to hide uncomfortable nausea coming from the food the night before. "Will you please go straight to the point?" I was on the edge of bursting out of frustration that's bubbling inside but kept my cool gaze on him. 

Taking his sweet time to answer as he let out a deep, heavy sigh before answering. "Well, they found me because as you know, rich people attract other rich people," He began, I sighed aloud not in the slightest bit pleased with where this was going. "Deal was made, then came with the conclusion about how we have to keep up appearances for the press if you want to keep this company. That's what you want, right?" 

Those damn sleazy parents, I knew I couldn't trust them with anything!

I was deep in my thoughts for too long before I realized that the person before me must have been waiting for an answer from me. So having taught polite manners all my life, I opened my mouth to speak but not before I chugged down the rest of the drink in my hand. 

"If that's what you're here for, then who am I to deny fate, right?" I revealed, looking right at him straight in the eyes. 

He smirked, putting on a winning smile as if about to drop another bomb. "I'm so glad you think that way because then I wouldn't feel so bad about doing this," He glanced up, throwing a bunch of people carrying photography equipment side glances before all of them surrounded the place. Pulling me closer to his side, he leaned down on me. "Smile for our first-ever but of course won't be the last, public outing."

Merry Christmas to me.