Chapter 7
Lorraine "Who's she to you?" I asked as a pang of jealousy rose up my chest. I shouldn't have felt that way, but right now I couldn't ignore the scathing urge to push the woman far away from Dexter because they clearly had a history. He stared at me briefly with his unreadable brown eyes boring into mine. "Why do you sound jealous? Should you be jealous considering the fact that you don't want anyone to know that we are married?" He used one of my wishes against me and I couldn't deny that it hurt a bit. "I just want to know what I'll be up against," I replied with a lackadaisical tone. "She seems like a lot of trouble and she's obviously into you." He was quiet for a while, like he was deciding if it would be appropriate to part with the information. But then, it was my right to know the people he was involved with since I was his wife. "She's my ex." He finally responded. My eyes widened in surprise then I lowered her lashes, apparently processing the information. "And why is your ex still in close contact with you?" I couldn't help but sound angry even when I didn't want to feel that way. "She's good business and that's what I'm all about, making money without any strings attached. If she thinks that we can still get back together because I hired her services then she has to be in her highest state of delusion." He explained with a bored tone. Seeing that the conversation was coming to an end I decided to meet up with Stefan. He looked approachable even though his fashion sense looked really weird. As I approached him, I felt a buzz in the pocket of my jeans. I brought out my phone and glanced at the unknown number on my screen with extreme curiosity. I didn't have many friends and after the betrayal I'd experienced a week ago, I wasn't sure I could entertain any form of friendship. I picked the call anyway, but no matter how much I convinced myself that it could be just any caller, my chest still thumped faster than usual. "Hello, it's Lorraine Hills on the line. Who am I speaking with?" I asked politely. A deep chuckle which I'd recognise anywhere responded reverberated in my phone, then the signature laughter. My body froze that moment as I realised that one of the people I've been hiding from still had access to me. With my voice shaky and my body trembling terribly, I summoned courage to reply to him. "Why are you calling me? Haven't I asked you never to call me again?" "Oh, common Lorraine. I've missed you so much and I think you are doing the same too. How could you have forgotten all about your stepfather so easily?" He cackled, his voice unnerving and deeply annoying. I couldn't bear it anymore as the memories of how he assaulted me physically and almost sexually flooded my mind. "Get off my phone, Leonardo." I screamed, forgetting that we were in an office and not the comfort of my home. Dexter quickly snatched the phone from me as I sank onto the floor, sobbing profusely. He surprised me by scooting beside me and caressing my shoulder. Inasmuch as I didn't want him around me, my body still betrayed me by relaxing at his touch. "I hate that man so much." I whispered amidst my tears. He helped me up and wrapped his arm around my neck, his stance protective and soothing. "We'll continue with the introduction tomorrow, let's get you out of here." He offered, his tone laced with concern and warmth. I halted on my steps and sniffed. I couldn't leave or my potential colleagues would see me as weak. Besides, going away with Dexter will warrant me answering every question he had to ask. Though he had made me marry him, I couldn't trust him at all. Apart from my stepfather, he had scarred me deeply and I doubted that our marriage would make me forget everything he had done. "There's no need for that. I'm fine," "Who on earth made you feel that way?" The intensity and ferocity behind his tone caused me to take a step back. His eyes were blazing with anger and fiery protectiveness that caused a spark within me. Even if everything I knew about him were lies, the overwhelming emotions I saw him exhibit right now weren't. Getting a hold of my emotional state, I flagged on a bright smile. "It's nothing serious, Dexter. Just continue with your work, I'll be fine on my own." He folded his arms and immediately I knew that he wasn't going to back down until he got answers. "I'm the boss here and I decide if I'll leave or not so can you tell me who the person was because I'll find out myself." He threatened and I immediately regretted picking the call. The sad memories I had with my stepfather was the last thing I wanted to relive. Why couldn't he understand that? He'd barely opened his mouth to ask again when his phone rang. Seeing the grim expression on his face, I knew that the call was important and annoying. He flashed me an I'll-be-back expression and walked away, leaving me with Stefan who waited patiently for me to walk over to him. "I'm so sorry for making you wait." I apologised. "It's fine, Lorraine. Mr Dexter can be overbearing sometimes but it comes from a place of deep care and affection for everyone that works with him." Stefan expressed with admiration radiating in his face which had no beards at all. I nearly scoffed at his description, because if they knew that their kind boss had forced a woman to sign a marriage contract in less than twenty-four hours of kidnapping her, I'm sure that their perception would be different. Not wanting to dwell on any topic related to him, I quickly changed the subject. "What's the drill?" "First of all, you'll have to get acquainted with other models. Since you'll be majoring in runway modeling, your size is almost perfect. You will be taught on how to walk on the runway and the mannerisms that follow suit and I expect you to be here on time tomorrow morning." He stated strictly. I nodded slowly. "I'll surely do that." He came closer to me, his eyes solely trained on me and his expression filled with seriousness. "Don't fail Mr Hemmingway, he has never brought new models by himself which explains Emilia's surprise, so I'll advise you not to fail him." My heart felt like it had stopped beating as he said those words to me. Suddenly, I began to wonder why Dexter was this sweet to me when we ended on a bad note. Something was off about him and sadly, I couldn't detect where the problem came from.Chapter 8Lorraine Waking up to prepare for my first day at the agency filled my body with nervousness and a sizzling excitement. Finally, I'd be doing what I loved after a long time. Rubbing my sleepy eyes with the back of my hands, I realised that it had been a long time since I slept on a bed as comfy and plush as this. Dexter slept in the same room with me, but in a different bed as I'd wanted. I got up, tossing on my black robe as I'd gotten really self conscious because of the overly revealing nightwear that he had forced me to wear. "Good morning," I chirped as I reached for my toothbrush while scanning Dexter's bare chest with the corner of my eyes. God! His body was ripped with thick muscles that flexes with each movement. My fingers itched to touch his smooth skin and feel the sturdiness of chest. Dexter had always been a hottie since high school and I could remember girls sprawling all over the place just to have him notice them. "You are going to be late for work if
Chapter 9Dexter Sitting still in my office with the reminder that Lorraine was in the down floor practicing kept my restlessness burning. I wanted to see her beautiful face even though I had to do it under the pretext of supervision. The feelings were weird because I loathed her and I was supposed to stay several meters away from her but it wasn't working. Hell! I wasn't even comfortable allowing her to commute to the office so I sent one of my men to disguise as a cab driver so that she would be safe. And when he notified me that she was around, I had to rush to my floor to ceiling window which faced the entrance of the building to confirm. Unable to keep the urge away, I got up from my executive chair and headed to their practice room. If I'd known that Emilia would jump on me like a predator, I'd have stayed back and sent for Lorraine to come over. "What the hell are you doing?" I pulled away with a grimace, glaring at her satisfied grin. If not for the strong respect I had
Chapter 10Lorraine "Come join me." Dexter offered as I headed for our bedroom with a plate of cookies in my hands. His offer was gentle yet demanding at the same time. Only someone like Dexter could pull off such a tone with ease. I'd have loved to ignore him and move straight to our room, but what good will it do for the both of us? He was trying to call some temporary truce and it wasn't like I didn't enjoy being with him even if I wasn't supposed to. I sank onto the chair he sat with a grunt. "If you say so." My eyes darted to the bottle of whiskey on the table and the empty two glasses beside it. "Why do you have a bottle?" I questioned, hoping that my voice didn't bear so much concern. He poured some of the content into two glasses and passed one to me. "Let's say I'm a bit frustrated." He grumbled. "What could make the almighty Dexter frustrated?" I asked sarcastically, slightly interested in what he had to say. He doused another glass and relaxed on the back rest. "A wo
Chapter 11 Dexter The drive to one of my favorite bars seemed longer than the time I had to wait for Lorraine to be brought to me. Her crude response to my question yesterday was startling, but maybe she wasn't the angel I thought her to be. As I waltzed in, I saw my friends, yelling at me to come over. A smile stretched on my lips as I headed over to their spot and sank onto the seat they had reserved for me. Liam stretched his hand for a warm handshake. "It's been a long time, buddy. You are filling out so well." He said with a New York accent. "What can I do?" I chuckled and greeted Blake as well who was more focused on his bottle of rum. It's been a while since we met after a few years of being away from each other. I'd drowned myself in work and it wasn't until today that they forced me to come over for a reunion which I eagerly accepted. "How have you boys been?" I teased them with a smirk. Liam shrugged and was about to reply when he caught the sight of a beautiful lady
Chapter 12Dexter"Stop it!" I yelled as I jerked up my feet. "I asked you to leave the room and I'm very serious about it." The intensity of my rejection caused her to stagger backward as she leaned on the wall, her back pressing onto it for support. She sniffed and blinked continuously and when I stared at her eyes, I saw how misty it had become. Yeah, I could be cold and nonchalant but that doesn't mean that I went around hurting everyone's feelings. She sniffed again as she couldn't hold back her tears. "I love you, Dexter," She blurted. I hid my surprise well, my feelings properly hidden with a stoic mask of nonchalance. She should know better than to fall in love with me or did she expect me to grow feelings for her all of a sudden because of how frequently I called her over? "You're not saying anything." She rasped when she noticed how silent I'd become. With a shrug, I approached her fluidly after arranging my pants and tucking my manhood in. "I'm silent because I can't
Chapter 13Lorraine It was a lie—a blatant lie! I felt something so strong that I didn't want to acknowledge. Gosh, I thought those feelings were dead but I guess they had been buried in a dark corner of my heart and all it took was a single kiss to stir it up. I quickly walked away so that he wouldn't notice how I truly felt. He'd use it against me once he found out that I was trying to rile him up. The door of our bedroom flung open as I tucked myself under the duvet with Dexter sighing intermittently. "I saw Blake and Liam today at a bar. It's been a long while since I met them." My throat constricted and a deep feeling of dread, stemming from the memories of the past dropped into the pit of my stomach. "How are they?" I asked, hoping I sounded as nonchalant as I could because they never mattered to me, not after the indelible scars they caused me. Dexter turned around and smiled at me. "They are fine. Did you ask because you actually care or you just want to know?"
Chapter 14Lorraine I refused to acknowledge how much Dexter's worried expression affected me. I thought we both loathed each other? How could my pain make him feel this way? He flashed a reassuring stare at me, "How do you feel?" He didn't even wait for me to respond when he bombarded me with another question. "Is it getting any worse? Don't worry, we'll soon arrive at the hospital." "Thank you." I whispered as I willed myself to refrain from touching my ankle. The pain increased by the minute but I suppressed the yelp that nearly burst out of my lips and thought of how to continue the conversation. "How did you know that I'd sprained my ankle?" "I was about to enter the room to check on the progress of the training when I heard your scream. It really did something to me and I'd have lost my peace if I didn't help out." He responded with a little grudge. A smile formed at the corner of my lips and butterflies fluttered in the pit of my stomach, knowing that he still cared a bi
Chapter 15Lorraine Time passed between us as we kept staring at each other in silence. Stefan cleared his throat, reminding us that he was still around. "You're here, Mr Hemmingway." He chuckled nervously. "Yes, I am and what are you doing in my house?" He asked in a tone that showed how indignant and jealous he was. "Oh no," I muttered under my breath, thinking of several ways to salvage the situation. This was the last thing I wanted. Since it was a fake marriage, I didn't want anyone to know about it to avoid a scandal ensuing, but Dexter wasn't making things easier for me. He didn't have to blurt out the truth like that. "Ummm, Stefan, it isn't his house as he said. He just came to visit just like you're doing right now." I chimed, hoping that he would believe me. Stefan swung his gaze from me to Dexter and when Dexter didn't say anything else, he picked up his briefcase which I appreciated as the tension was growing by the minute and headed for the door. "I'm happy to s