TWO
"I hate you." These were the only words that Melinda could utter among other tirade of insults she had ranted off in her mind after Mr Alpha Male had dropped the bomb. He was seated in a reckless position, looking all calm and unperturbed as if what he had just said was the most natural thing to say while she was seated in a vividly uncomfortable manner, she had her legs clamped together, her hair damp from the rain fall.
"Clearly. If looks could kill I'd probably be dead by now." He replied cooly. His steel gaze left her thinking the same thing. "Except I am mad, but, did I just hear you say you want me to be your personal assistant in whatever shady business you're into, you want me to be your cook, you want me to live with you, you want me to quit my job, you want me to basically breath under your watch?" She asked, standing up, already calculating her moves to hit him or run.
"Well, you look sane even though your eyes look like they will pop out. You are not mad. The last part of what you said is an exaggeration. But yes, that's why I want you. Other things can come after." He stood up to her as well. He was dangerously close to her that he could hear her raging heartbeat.
"Other things?" Her voice came out in a whisper. She was angry and confused.
"Yes." He moved closer to her again, such that their torsos were touching. He could smell her. She smelled of lemons. He looked into the depths of her eyes. He could read the emotions there.
"Don't you dare do what you're thinking." He bent to whisper the words in her ear. His breath which was actually steady and even, seemed like a wild wind on her face.
"Or what?" She ignored the strange feeling that washed over her.
"Or you'll rape me?" She threatened. She was planning to hit him on the groin.
"Ewwww. God. No. Why would you say that?" He asked, his brows had a new look. Anger.
"Because that is what you men ever want. You would hurt a lady for it. You would blackmail a lady for it. You would take away her shelter for it. You would do anything! " She was about to knee his groin when she felt a cold metal on her neck. She froze.
"Next time you want to give that kind of hate speech, make sure you say some men. Am I understood?" He whispered. She could only nod. " Pack your bags. We're leaving..On second thought, that wouldn't be necessary." He pocketed his knife before reaching for her hand. She didn't budge.
"Why? Why can't I work for you from here?" She blurted out. She was at the very edge of crying.
" Because, this place is a death trap. Let's go, we don't have time. By the way, you can call me Ajax."
****
"This feels a lot like kidnap." Melinda said as she writhed on the car seat. Ajax had her blindfolded, her hands locked in cuffs that were attached to the seat.
"Really?" He chuckled. "Well, I had to take safety precautions. I don't want the both of us dead, because an angry white haired bird was trying to kill me while I was driving."
" White haired? It's blonde you moron." She snapped.
" Watch your tongue white bird. Your hair is almost white. Did you dye it or you've just not been taking care of it or that's how it is and you don't know it?" He asked, swerving to the right with a frightening speed.
Melinda shrieked. "Who did you say is going to get us killed again?"
" You of course, and that hasn't changed. So what happened to your hair?" He asked. He slowed down the speed as he joined the traffic in front of the stop sign.
"That's none of your business" she snapped.
"White witch" he snapped back before pushing on the accelerator when the red light switched to green.
"Is it in your habit to call your prospective personal assistants names before they get employed?"
"No. I don't have time for that. You're just different. As usual, witches are different from normal human beings." He replied, half smiling to himself. He reached for her with one hand, while the other was left on the staring wheel. He removed the blindfold from her eyes.
"Where are we?" She asked as she studied her environment.
"We are still in Boston, Massachusetts. There's no cause for alarm. We're somewhere in Hingham." He replied as he drove into an estate.
"Hmm.. okay. Speaking of this business of yours..I can't help but feel it is shady given the fact that you had to blind fold me for you to take me to wherever we're going." She said. She studied his form. He looked like he had muscles hidden underneath his hoodie. She noticed the tips of tattooed wing at the sides of his neck. The head of his hoodie was down. The tattoo definitely ran down his back. She looked into the mirror to see if he was watching her. Their eyes met there. She froze. Her cheeks coloured instantly.
"I run a drug cartel and like I said, restraining your sight and mobility was to play safe" He spoke into the mirror, barely hiding his smile as he anticipated her reaction. The colour that was once on her face drained away. She looked frightened. She watched his face from the mirror, only to notice the crooked grin on his face. Right then and there, he looked evil. 'Maybe it is I who would bring you down.' She said to herself.
"Speechless hunh?" He asked as he pulled over into the driveway, adjacent to an exquisite building.
"About what exactly?" She replied coldly. He raised a brow. He wasn't ready for that kind of mood swing.
"I guess there are so many things for you to be speechless about..."
"That's right. Let's start with the fact that I have to aid an abet a state's crime as drug trafficking. What do you need an assistant for? Don't you have your fellow demons to run this evil for you?" She Interrupted him. He flinched but he didn't show it.
" And again, just look at this building, which is obviously yours. Look at it..such intimidating beauty and sophistication. I wonder why you painted it white. It should have one of those boring colours that signifies evil perfectly. White? An icon of peace and purity being used as a cover for the evil business you have going here. You definitely have my future already planned out. I can see that. And that future is the one of ruin. I will have to ruin you first before you ruin the humble life I was very happy with." She continued. She glared at him. She was anticipating a response which he wasn't going to give her yet.
He successfully parked his car. Two heavily built men, well dressed in black suits approached the car. One approached the door to the driver's seat where he was and the other approached the door to the passenger's seat where she was. The men simultaneously opened the door. Ajax highlighted from the car gracefully, acknowledging the bow made by the men.
'Is he a prince or something?' She mused.
The man was going to reach for the cuffs on her hand.
"Leave that to me, I'll handle it." Ajax told him. Melinda's heart began to race. She had almost forgotten how devilishly handsome and scary he looked while she was ranting. With each step he took towards her, her heart did back flips. She remembered the evil he could do to her.
"Calm down. I am not going to kill you. At least, not yet" He whispered, sending her that steel gaze again. He reached for the cuffs. She felt an electric shock when his hand brushed hers.
"With what you displayed a while back, I think you should know that expecting a pleasing and warm attitude from me is impossible. And just so you know, if you mess with me or try as much as disgrace yourself or disrespect yourself in the presence of my staff at work or household, I. Will. Ruin.You." He whispered still, sending her a fake smile as he ended his warning speech. For the first time, she noticed the dimples on his cheeks. Their gaze at each other locked. She was frightened and mesmerized by his looks.
"Ajax..." She was going to start talking but he walked away from her.
"Get her prepped." He told the men.
THREE"Did Ajax tell you all to be cold to me? I don't understand why I have been asking a simple question and you all will look at me like I have a frog in my mouth." Melinda said, wincing as the shaving blade touched her skin. She glared at the three unmaidly maids that had been pruning her hair. They were 'unmaidly' to her because they were not dressed as maids."Get her ready for waxing" The woman who seemed like their leader said before walking away."We do not speak of Ajax. He is a good man. Any questions you have should be directed to him." One of the maids who seemed friendly said." Erm mada..." Melinda started"Lucrecia" The friendly maid corrected."Okay. Lu, I just want to know if he is a prince.""Ask him yourself." The other replied coldly, talking through gritted teeth."Being too inquisitive will get you nowhere." Lucrecia said as she reached for Melinda's face to pluck her eye brows."But I don't even k
FOURFor someone who claimed he ran a drug cartel, Melinda expected his house to look like it. Portraits of gangsters, drug lords and funky musicians is what she expected as decorations in the entire building. Instead, what she saw was floral decorations, art works at every possible place, paintings, sculptures and a very large portrait of a half naked Ajax in the hallway.She looked around and saw everyone busy, carrying cartons, files, making calls, cleaning, reading papers. They where clad in pale yellow suits, royal blue suits, purple suits or black suit. The persons dressed in black suits were obviously body guards. She would find out what the other persons and their different suits signified. She recalled the maids were dressed in fitting dark green gowns. She looked at herself. She was dressed in a black flannel jump suit and black stilettos which surprisingly, she could walk in. She wondered what her job exactly would be. She approached the stairs
FIVEFor hours, Melinda stayed motionless on her king sized bed. It was hers now as the P.A of Reynolds' CEO. After seven hours of staying in Reynolds' magnificent building, she realized she wasn't supposed to be a cook. Infact, her job is one she would enjoy if she didn't hate and distrust Ajax so much. Her job was just to assist Ajax and follow him anywhere he goes. Ajax was only trying to pull her strings when he had mentioned the things she thought she would be doing now. She admired the bond among the workers. They saw one another as family. She made acquaintance with Owen, the security guard who had winked at her. He was the only cool security guard that smiled a lot, an interesting black guy who grew up in Queens.She also met Jerome, another security guard stationed at the second floor where her room was. He was the one who led her to her room and gave details on how life was in the Reynolds' building. Everyone loved what they do. "You don't stay
SIXIt was easy for Ajax to resist going to Melinda's room to query her right now that he was as exasperated as he was confused. He tossed on his bed as he pondered on what to do with her. He felt like he had made a mistake by acting on his instinct and the magnetic pull he felt the first day he laid his eyes on her. Melinda's distrust for him was not just glaring but jabbing at his ego. He had wanted to protect her, but quite frankly he had wanted to claim her like how a werewolf would want to claim his soul mate no matter what. Right now, his good but selfish intentions had backfired. Melinda must have sensed the magnetic pull between them but her distrust, fear and hate for him would be blocking its path. Taking away her freedom apparently was a dumb act on his part, but the instinct to claim, provide and protect had overwhelmed him. She was meant to be his. Ajax didn't need proof. The way his heart quickened when he thought of her, when she was in his sight was a perfect sign that
SEVENMelinda stirred on her bed. The dull ache in her head and the rays of light that peeped from the shutters got her squeezing her eyes shut. A sigh escaped her lips when she felt cold ice on her forehead. "You're awake." Lucrecia whispered. The shudder in her sigh flooded Lu's face with relief.Melinda's eyes fluttered open. It took some seconds for her vision to normalize, it was blurred. When her eyes met an unfamiliar ceiling, she sat up. "Jeez, easy peasy Mel." Lucrecia gently laid her head back on the pillow."Where am I?" She asked."Your room." "Really? What changed?" Melinda asked, trying again to sit up. She observed her surrounding, clearly, she was back to the world of Reynolds."Your head. You have some loose nuts." Lucrecia replied, barely suppressing her laughter as Melinda's facial expression replicated the signature look of Voldermort of Harry Potter. "Yeah girl, you really hit it hard. You slumped in the bathroom. Seriously Mel, who sleeps under the shower? Well t
EIGHT"Where is Lu?" Lorren said as she entered her room, stealing Lois' attention from the Magazine she had her eyes fixed on."Lu had a call from Ajax. Seems like the chap needed a woman spying with him today.""The Gallows is a death trap. I advised him not to go there alone. He seems to be the Loner these days." Lorren said, pouring herself Reynolds red wine."Pfft.. not when that white haired girl is in his web." Lois replied."Melinda?". Lorren stopped sipping her wine. Lois nodded in apprehension."I don't trust that girl." Lorren said."It's your prejudice against Ajax' choice of PAs that is talking Lorren. Melinda is just confused. She's just a little girl you know.""She has something up her sleeve and I can smell it."" Ugh..not you this time. Last year it was Lu and Brent. When you ladies begin to smell rats around, it gets me unsettled. I just want to continue smiling genuinely at everyone Lorren. The whole Quinn attack on us really shook everyone. It wasn't easy getting
NINE"f**k." Ajax stumped his feet on the ground where he and Lucrecia were crouching, armed with telescopes and shot guns. They were on a spy mission."f**k..Godammit" Ajax tossed his telescope aside."Keep it down. What's wrong?" Lucrecia whisper yelled." You're gonna blow our cover." She continued ranting. Ajax wasn't listening. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and tapping his feet, an act he displays whenever he is exasperated and frustrated."Let's bounce." He started moving."Wha.."" Melinda has disappeared. I have to find her..""What the.. I'm coming with.." Lucrecia stepped into his pace."No you're not. With all due respect, I don't want you tangled up in Melinda's mess. That girl is a lot of trouble. Trouble hovers wherever she is and I don't want that trouble around you." Ajax snapped impatiently."There's something you're not telling me Ajax. How and where did you get Mel?" They were in Ajax' rolls Royce. The sound of the starting engine as he turned the ignition d
TENThe drive back to Hingham was awkwardly quiet. Ajax was having a hard time saying a word to her. He kept on gritting his teeth as he drove. He was mad angry. He didn't want to hurt her physically or emotionally just as Lucrecia had warned, given the psychological state she has been plunged to."Thank you for saving my life." She said for the umpteenth time. Silence was all she could get as his response."At least tell me sorry. I'm in pains here, my jaw hurts." She tried again.Ajax sent her a look that spoke volumes. What? Really? Right now? Leave me the hell alone. You're a handful. I could kill you. That serves you right."Okay, let's try this.. I'm sorry you almost lost your P.A." She was pulling a bunny look without trying. He almost smiled. Almost. Damn her for being pretty all the time. She slouched on the car seat in resignation. Well if he wanted to play deaf and dumb, so could she. Ajax watched her as she moved, he didn't miss the tantalizing exposure from her skirt jum