Contractual Romance

S A N D Y“To celebrate another business deal been a success, we will go to the club,” Anthony said with a clap of his hands. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his words. He was always going for one party to another, to almost every club in the city. He was never tired and I was always the one left with taking care of him if he got too tired or drunk to do any work.“I’m not interested,” I said and rose from the seat I was sitting on. I grabbed the files on the desk of his house office and arranged them in a corner. “Come on, Sandy,” he pleaded and went around the desk to stand beside me. “You’re not doing anything this weekend. So, let’s have fun.”I looked at him incredulously and he smiled, blinking his eyes rapidly in a way that he used in begging me to do something for him.“Have fun? More like you having fun all night while I sit in a corner watching,” I said and walked away from the desk.I heard him follow me as I walked to the door. I held the door, ready to open it wh

S A N D YI woke up to the feeling of a weight on my chest. I groaned and tried to move my arms but felt restricted. I opened my sleepy eyes and saw a familiar ceiling then looked downward. My eyes widened when I saw Anthony's head resting on my chest while half of his body was on mine. I gulped and stared at our position for a minute before I placed my hands on his broad shoulders. I tried to push him off me but his heavy weight was too much for me. “Anthony?” I called out in a low voice.He moaned and turned his head in the other direction. I rolled my eyes and shook his shoulders. He barely moved so I began to wiggle under him, trying to see if I could roll out but before I knew it, he woke up; his head up and eyes wide. He hissed and rolled away from my body with his hands between his head.“Shit, my head hurts,” he said to himself and groaned.I sat up and tugged the shirt downward, covering my stomach. I stared at him as he rubbed his head.“Ow,” Anthony said and dropped his ha

S A N D Y“Come again?”Did this fool just say what I heard him say?Anthony stood from the desk and approached me. He took the glass from my hand and dropped it on the desk before cupping my cheeks. He had a huge smile on his face while I was stuck in confusion.“Yes, you. You're the only person suitable for this. You are my best friend. Someone who I confide in, someone who I trust and respect. You're the only person who knows me for me and understands how important this is for me.”I flushed from his words but due to the severity of his choice, I had to focus on what he was trying to say to me.“Sandy, we can get married and still act the way we do. The only difference is that we will live under the same roof and act like married people in public. It'll be so easy in the aspect that we'll just continue our friendship with us wearing rings. We can remain the way we are without any thoughts of anything expected of any of us.”I swallowed hard and held his hands. His eyes danced aroun

S A N D Y“We started dating…uh,” I dragged on and made eye contact with a straight-faced Franklin before meeting his wife's eyes. “A month ago.”“Oh, it hasn't been that long then. But tell me more,” Eudora urged on.I had to stop myself from palming my face because I didn't exactly have anything to say and Anthony and I never planned what we were going to say. We were too busy with work to even do that. Now, I felt tied. I had to look at him for help but he was looking restless.“Actually, we dated for a month and broke up.”Eudora's face fell while her hand rested on her diamond necklace in sorrow.“You two broke up already? But…”“Yes but we're back together now,” I quickly replied and felt Anthony squeeze my thigh.“Why did you two break up?” Eudora asked with concern on her face. “Don't tell me it's because of him or what did he do?”How wonderful was it to continuously lie? My only hope was that I remember everything I had said. I cleared my throat and put up a fake look of sad

I barely slept well last night as all I saw in my dreams was Anthony kissing my cheek, repeatedly. I was still stunned up until now about the sudden kiss. The way he pulled me close to his body and how warm he felt, plus the way his lips felt on my skin was something from a fever dream. I was still feeling hot from the memory of the kiss. It may not mean anything to him but it did to me.I pulled my suit jacket by the hems when the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. I stepped out and started walking, only to notice the way people stared at me and how low their voices were as they did. I bowed my head a bit to take a better look at them and strained my ears to hear what they were saying but all I got were whispers and finger points.“She's finally here!”I shook to a stop at Anthony's loud voice. I raised my head and shifted my eyes forward. There he stood with a bouquet. My heart skipped a beat and confusion followed as I tried to make out what he was planning. This fool needed