He Had Me On A Contract

One thing wrong with not knowing the main person whom you are meant to hold on to in this case is that everyone who is a suspect looks the same.

I am sitting in one of the round table chairs with Jessy beside me and I cannot take my eyes off the four AJ brothers as they all speak to different people, moving from one table to another.

Hands-on the jaw, face forward and unmoving, I follow every direction their eyes go to and every body movement any of them makes.

“Seriously Clarissa, everyone will start thinking you are an assassin sent to eliminate the AJ brothers,” Jessy, who had had enough of my watching and glaring eyes towards them said and then proceeded to drag my hands off my jaw,

I sighed.

“I'm just doing what I came here for, Jess. I'm not here to eat these fancy foods and smell the incredible scent of the perfumes.” I look at the table, with all the expensive wines and champagnes at the opening of the new store, and know this place isn't exactly my ideal.

So many people standing or sitting, wearing expensive dresses that can feed me for at least a year, they all have their hands out and their fingers twitching all the time as they show off the expensive rings as an omelet and oh we might as well just sneak in the scent of the dresses too.

“You have to bring your eyes down.” She cautioned me again, and I knew I wouldn't do that.

I came here on a mission, to find the AJ brother that could be Zoey's father.

Yes, you heard me right. And before you start judging me, Zoey is an extraordinary two-year-old who should know who her father is, except I have no idea.

“If only Laura just told me the one, then we wouldn't be here right now.”

“If only he answered her emails, then we wouldn't bother being here right now,” Jessy said in contradiction to my words.

The thing is, my sister Laura Miller had a one-night stand with one of the AJ brothers, and she never told me his name except for AJ. I was excited at first, easy to find, right? Until I found out they were four and all their initials are A.J. (terrible American aristocrats).

Okay, the description might match, right? Looking at them right now.

'Strong chins that make you wish he could keep making them clutch, blue sparkling eyes that make you sense that he's watching you the whole time, dark hair that you want to run your hands on at every single minute, and the fairest skin you can imagine.

You see, the thing wrong with that description is that the three of them have the same description.

You can imagine how confused I was browsing through the net as soon as I came down to New York to find Zoey's father.

That is precisely what is wrong with my plans.

“She must have said something to differentiate him from the others.” Jessy reasoned.

I racked my head, but I knew there was nothing significant except that very description.

I turned my attention back to the brothers and watched them as they all chatted away.

One of them turned, and our eyes collided together.

“Shit.” I turn my eyes away, suddenly looking at the perfume bottle that has been in front of me all along.

Do you think he noticed someone had been watching them? I should have looked away as soon as I had their physique memorized in my head.

“I need to head to the restroom,” I said to Jessy, tapping her shoulder as I stood up

I walked straight to the restroom and rested my head on the entrance door as I got there

Everything is happening so fast, moving to New York from Decorah, losing the library as well as losing my job, and now I have absolutely nothing to do in New York.

I am here for Zoey, I reminded myself more as I washed my hands and reapplied a little powder on my face.

After calming myself a little, I started walking out of the restroom back to where Jessy was. One look in her direction and I knew she was in deep conversation with this work crush whom she never stopped talking about, it was better I let them be for a moment.

Excusing myself, I went to the bar and settled on one of their seats.

“A glass of champagne please,” I said to the tender, and he nodded with a smile before disappearing.

“Make that two,” a voice said beside me, and I turned and almost yelped out of my seat as I stood side by side with one of the brothers.

“Hi I'm Jaime,” he said with a smile that made him look almost boyish as he stretched out his hand for a shake.

I looked at the outstretched hand and looked at his face.

“Umm right, I'm uhh Lara” I gave him the fakest smile I could mutter, dipping my hand into his and taking it off almost immediately. Bad idea.

He smiled at me, and then his hands went back into his pocket.

I made sure my face was to the bar, even though I knew Adriel Jaime was watching me.

Everyone knows Adriel Jaime, just like everyone knows his brothers.

He owns the perfume spray organization of A. J Cooperation, which he recently launched and has been doing so well that this is his second launch.

He is accessing me with his eyes and reviewing me, I can feel his eyes on my neck as they grow warmer.

I distracted myself by taking the order as soon as they arrived. My glass in one, I jumped down from the stool and made to take a step away when his deep-rooted voice stopped me.

“Do I know you from somewhere??” He asked.

“What??” With shock, I turned back and stared at him, my eyes growing on its pace.

If he thinks I look like my sister, then he should be the one, right??

“I mean, you have been watching me right from there” he pointed at the seat which was occupied by Jessy and her colleagues, and me.

“Ohh” Not knowing a word to say, I press my lips together and just look down at my feet. Oh, God! I want to disappear right now.

“It is creepy when people do that, look at others like they owe them something. It makes them look like serial killers.”

“What? Serial killers?” I looked up with my eyes open in shock and defense, “That would be the last of the occupation in my mind” I said in my defense.

“Oh I can see” he nibbled the word “then I will like it if you stop watching my brothers and me, in that serial killer way”

“But I don't….” He turned around and with his stride, he walked away.

My eyes are fixed on his back, the way his step collapses and the strength of his walk as it seems every eye is falling at his watch as he moves.

The very ground looks like it is collapsing, and I cannot help but watch as he walks until he disappears completely.

“Oh my goodness what just happened”

I ransacked my brain as I walked as fast as my legs could carry me until I settled back into the seat.

“I saw that, what did he say to you?” Overzealous Jessy asked me as soon as I rejoined her on the seat.

“I think he is the one,” I told her plainly

She opened her mouth and looked at me with confusion.

“What? How do you know??” Her attention is completely on me as she asks all the questions.

“First of all, he thinks I look familiar Jess and that proves it. You know how Laura and I almost look the same??” Now I'm more than determined, knowing he's the one.

She scoffed, “That doesn't prove anything, Rissa, he must have caught on real quick.” She nudged me to look the way she was, and I turned my attention to see that he was looking at the table where we were seated.

His smile was curled and cute, and he raised his glass our way before I looked away from him.

“See? He looks like he should be the one” I reasoned more “Plus he is the partying one and the one who never stays out of trouble, right? That's Jaime Adriel.” I reminded her if she had forgotten.

“Alright I get it, but I still doubt that I'm sure we can talk about it later on” She touched my arm reassuring me before her attention was back to the discussion happening.

I try not to let my mind wander off that little encounter and why he had to approach me, I mean, almost everyone sitting here is watching him, and he singles me out for what?

That must have meant something. A nudge to my shoulder and my thoughts are broken as one of Jessy's colleagues asks me a question and in my heart, I'm determined more than ever to know who Adriel Jaime is.