“You look like you’re dressed for a night out.” Leo commented as I got out of Leo's Rolls-Royce after parking his car, a hint of sarcasm lacing his voice “This is probably the first time I’ve seen you out of a suit.” He added teasingly
“You’re exaggerating too much.” I roll my eyes as I shut his car door and fixed my blue shirt “Rosie picked this for me, saying she always sees me very formal and I don’t wear enough normal clothes just like the other dads at her school.” I sighed “I’m also thankful that my neighbor’s sister is available for babysitting since her nanny’s on family leave.” I added“Your kid has a point, she barely sees you in casual clothes.” He nods in agreement “You should probably hire a babysitter for her too.” He suggested“I don’t want to. Remember the last time I hired a babysitter for her?” I reminded him“Not every girl you meet is Giselle Lex.” He reminded me as well “You have to date around and spend time with people other than me, Rosie, Wilma and your business partners. I know nobody can replace Camille but you deserve to be happy.” He pats my shoulder affectionately as he leads me into his nightclub“I don’t have time for that Lee, I’m focused on giving my daughter a good-” I stopped mid sentence when we got in the establishment, my eyes darting on the multiple dancers on individual stages as men in crisp suits watch them a few meters away while sitting on individual booths “You brought me to a strip club?! Is this business of yours even legal?” I ask with a frown“It’s 100% legal! And I promise you that the girls around here can make their own decisions, if they decide to go with a client on their own then Benj and I can only warn them if we know that client has a bad rep beforehand.” He stated as three girls approached us, wearing little cover-ups that can hardly be called clothes“Good evening Sir Leo!” the girls greet him in unison, the one in the red wig and outfit looks at me seductively, I looked away uncomfortably“Good evening, Ruby, Bubbles, Fawn.” Leo greets them with a fake smile, and knowing him he must’ve disliked these girls“Who’s your handsome friend sir?” the faux redhead giggled and winked at me“He’s my best friend and he’s celebrating his birthday tonight.” He puts an arm around my shoulders“Oooh we can help him celebrate his birthday, right girls?” the girls crowd me and traced my arm, looking at me innocently, wanting me to pick one of them, I mentally sighed and rolled my eyesI’m never letting Leo surprise me ever again.“Leo, the VIP room’s ready.” A gentle yet confident voice said “Girls, don’t you have your patrons to entertain?” she raised an eyebrow“Yes Mama Benj.” They all huffed in unison and went their own ways, mumbling words as they walked towards different parts of the strip club“Thank you.” I smiled kindly at her“It’s not a problem at all, you must be our guest from the looks of things.” She says as Leo nodded in agreement “The VIP room is set up for you sir, please follow me.” She says, leading us to a set of rooms far away from the booths and mini stages“I’m not coming here ever again Leo.” I whispered as we stopped in front of a door“Don’t be such a killjoy Lex, you deserve to have some fun, especially on your birthday.” He whispered back as the door opened “You’ll thank me later.” He winks as he pushes me inside the room before I could even say something“Wait what do you-“ The door was already shut before I could process what was happening “Leo what the f*ck is going on?” I tried to open the door but it was somehow locked“Angel will take care of you Lex, I’ll see you in a few hours or maybe the next morning. Enjoy my birthday present!” Leo hollered back“Angel?! Who the f*ck is-” I was so caught off guard that I didn’t hear the music had been playing in the room, I turned around and saw an Angel… a literal angel.She was wearing a white corset lingerie with matching stockings and heels, a platinum blonde wig that could be her real hair, angel wings to match and a white and gold masquerade mask that covered her tantalizing eyes as she dances sensually.There’s something familiar about her that I couldn’t figure out.I was watching with intrigue that I didn’t realize that she was staring at me, still dancing to the beat of the music and not taking her eyes off of me as I felt a small tent growing inside my jeans as she approaches me from the stage.“F*ck Lex, snap out of it! You can’t just let a stranger give you a b*ner, let alone a godd*mn stripper!” I thought to myself and shook my head as the girl was now in front of me on the side where I stood.“Happy birthday. Enjoy the show handsome.” She purrs as she was going to remove her angel wings, the prop paid have made it a little harder to move and dance“Wait!” I sighed, shaking my head “I know Leo must’ve paid you a lot of money for tonight but I can’t accept your services.” I smiled apologetically towards the woman “I didn’t even know he was planning this for me.” I mumble under my breathShe looked at me with confusion “Shouldn’t that be the element of surprise? He told me that you needed a break from working too hard.” She stated“Yes but I only expected Leo to be with me and not someone else.” I chuckled softly“O-Oh… I can get him for you if you want to.” She offers and stops the music“No need, I’d berate him even further if he steps into this room.” I joked, making her chuckle a bit “But I don’t want to be alone on my birthday and I want you to get your payment.” I cleared my throatShe looks at me skeptically “I don’t sleep with my clients sir. Mr. Matthews promised me a hefty sum of money if I danced for you.” She says“And you don’t have to, I’ll see to it that you’ll be paid for your service, I just don’t want to celebrate my birthday alone.” I say with a sincere smile “I can also order some food and drinks for us too.” I offeredShe finally got off the stage and approaches me, seemingly analyzing if I was telling the truth or not. I couldn’t help but admire her beauty as she was now in front of me.What the f*ck is wrong with me? It had only been two years since I’ve with a woman! I’m not that desperate!But I know that this woman is different from Giselle or all the women who threw themselves at me…“Alright, I’ll stay to keep you company Mr?” she offers her hand for a handshake“Please, just call me Lex.” I smiled and shook her hand“Nice to meet you Lex, I’m Angel.” She smiled softly at meAngel … A beautiful and fitting name for her… even if it might be just her fake name.“What do you mean the florist won’t make flower arrangements for me?” I hissed, slamming papers onto my desk “I’ve paid good money to have him make my demands!” I snapped “He just doesn’t want to sir, and Miss Brooks refused the flowers you sent her last time.” Percy reasons “Call Bella to my office, I need to speak with her.” I ordered “She has resigned sir, have you forgotten?” he wondered My temper began to rise once again, pinching the bridge of my nose “No I haven’t.” I denied “Find the best bakery and buy the most luxurious red velvet cake and send it to Safina’s office.” I say, straightening up to my chair “Of course sir…” Percy nodded but held back as if he wanted to say something “Spit it out Percy, I know you want to say something.” I said sternly He took a deep breath and spoke “You really do love her sir. But sometimes you just have to know when to let go… Not doing so will hurt you even more.” “I do. She has been there for me for years-“ “And yet
Lex’s POV“I don’t know what happened with you and Angel but the other night she asked me to give this to you.” Leo handed me a small purple envelope after barging into my office just as I sat down on my desk “Maybe she’s asking you out on a date…” he teased “Good morning to you too Leo. I’m good this morning, thanks for asking.” I rolled my eyes as I took the envelope tentatively “Don’t you have a meeting to get to today?” I asked sarcastically “It’s not until 9:30 so indulge me on what happened between you and little Miss Angel. Did you guys b*ng again?” he asked with a smirk“Since when did you become a nosy b*stard with my personal life?” I scoffed, distracting myself with my computer and ignored the envelope as best I could“Two things, you’ve been seeing my shyest employee and it’s been two years since you’ve been on the dating scene, and you broke that thanks to Angel.” He points out“I’m not dating her, she rejected me the last time we saw each other after I went out
I still decided to go to Fire and Desire a few hours later and focused on getting as much tips as possible tonightThough before going to work, I decided to at least cook something for Bella when she gets home. I cooked up some rice and take out the milkfish marinated in vinegar and garlic out of the freezer that I successfully haggled for at the Asian supermarket and fried that up and I also decided to make a quick pickled salad with daikon radishes, onions and tomatoes seasoned with jalapeno instead of Asian chilies because my vendor ran out.It was something my mom loved to make for me on a daily basis, and milkfish is rare at the time“Guess who quit her job babe?!” Bella says cheerfully as the door opened “Well technically resigned and I’m starting a new job as an intern at Style Life Magazine… hopefully.” She grinned as she placed her box of things at the coffee tableI smiled as I put the prepared food on the table “When did you resign officially?” her resignation didn’t surpri
Meanwhile…Jack parked the car on my apartment’s driveway. By now I had stopped crying and kept quiet, getting out of the car and smiling at the couple “I’m sorry for the inconvenience Mama Benj… Jack.”“Don’t mention it Saf, we’re happy to help.” Jack smiled kindly“Are you sure you’re okay sweetie? You can take a day off of work-” Mama Benj began but I cut him off “No Ma, I need the money… My monthly due date at the bank is coming up and I need the cash as soon as possible.” I smiled weakly “See you later.” I waved goodbye before heading into my apartment As soon as I close the door, all the emotions came to me as if somebody stabbed me repeatedly with a knife... As the people who mattered to me most don’t think that I am good enough….“This isn’t the job I want for you Safina.” My mother says as she puts down my essay and shook her head “You’re a very intelligent girl and it’s such a shame that you’re not using your brain for a course that can lead to a high paying job in t
Lex’s Point of View“Thank you so much for your feedback sir, I’ll have the final version of the app ready for presentation as soon as possible. And I’m sorry if I disturbed you.” He smiled apologetically at me“Nonsense Clifford, I’m happy to give feedback when needed. Don’t hesitate to come to me if you have an idea or a concern, and if I’m not here then I’m sure Safina can help you too.” I assured him“Of course sir. I should get going.” He nods and went to his department I was heading to Safina’s office when I heard my phone ring, it’s Wilma… and all of a sudden, the bad feeling in my stomach rises again. I quickly answered the phone “Wilma? Is everything okay?”“No Lex, Safina left the building… crying. I’m worried about her.” Wilma says worriedly My gut feeling was right “F*ck, alright… I’ll try to contact her, has Max King left yet?” I ask, anger and irritation bubbled inside me at the mention of that man“Unfortunately not, I haven’t seen him or his assistant. They’
I did my best to calm my nerves in the bathroom. Taking deep breaths as I look at myself in the mirror “Breathe Safina… he’s just here for business, you’re safe from him. You moved on from him. He’s not going to hurt you in any way anymore.” I gave myself a pep talk and adjusted my hairI hear the door open and I saw him enter the ladies’ room with a knowing smile on his face “This is the ladies’ room. You shouldn’t be in here Max.” I turn to face him, putting on a brave face “I know, I just wanted to talk to you.” He says, stepping towards me“We have nothing to talk about the moment you stuck your d*ck inside another girl! And I knew that the girl from the penthouse isn’t the first girl you f*cked.” I spat“I apologized for that Saf!” he reasons “A-And yes I drunkily cheated on you in Greece. But I didn’t want to tell you because I don’t want to lose you.” He admits, thinking it will help his caseI scoffed “After I quit, you preceded to blacklist me in almost every company in