Contract

Lionel cursed beneath his breath as she walked into the room without permission. He was about to erupt but her lingering cologne seemed to calm the nerve that popped in his head.

He inhaled sharply and closed the door before turning to face her.

"Okay, you've added mannerless to your list of annoying qualities", he said in annoyance.

His eyes then betrayed him to have a sneak look at her outfit. She was dressed casually yet,she still looked attractive.

He shook his head annoyed at the thoughts rummaging his mind and pinched the skin between his brows trying to calm his nerves.

" What do you want with me again",he asked,feeling exhaustion flood his body.

She walked over to the double sitter in the room and sat down before answering his question.

"I'm here to make you an offer,an offer you can't refuse", she said smirking.

He squinted his eyes,observing her smug expression.

" And what makes you think I can't refuse it",he asked nerved by her boldness.

"Because the deed has already been done, everything legal", she added causing him to sigh for the umpteenth time in frustration.

" Just go straight to the point please",he begged already beginning to feel his muscles act up.

"I need you to pose as my husband for the next few months", she spilled and almost simultaneously, his head spined sharply in her direction .

He didn't utter a word but instead turned,his back facing her while running his hands through his still damp hair.

" Cruel fate,why did you let me cross paths with a crazy woman",he said letting out a broken laughter.

Jema frowned at his statement,she didn't like being called names.

"Mr Delano,I don't appreciate your tone",she said firmly.

He turned to face her slowly,hands still in his hair.

" You won't appreciate my tone if you don't scram out of here in the next few seconds, leave I have a plane to catch tomorrow",he said wanting to put an end to their conversation.

Jema burst out laughing on hearing his statements,causing him to furrow his brows at her wondering what was so funny.

"So,you haven't received a call from your agency yet",she asked cheerfully.

"What call from my agency and how did you...", he said picking up his phone that he had earlier placed on a table in front of her.

" Call them,you'll find out what I mean",she said confidently.

Lionel dialed a number on his phone and held it up to his ears.

"Hello,Richard,I have a crazy lady here telling me that I am to expect a call from you", he said and paused.

" That's the one",he said and went quiet again. Jema didn't know the details of the phone call thereafter,but she watched as his face slowly darkened.

He shook his head vehemently.

"No,you guys can't do this to me,please tell me this is a sick joke", he said and went silent again.

He looked up to meet her gaze and shot daggers at her. If looks could kill,she would be in heaven being welcomed by her mother right then.

" Just get off my line",he said putting an end to the call before tossing his phone to the bed. He ran his hand through his hair again before meeting her gaze again.

"I don't know what the heck you did or how you did it,but it isn't funny", he said really at his last means.

" I never intended for it to be,this is so simple,quit fighting and accept the reality, you belong to me now",she said blatantly.

"I don't belong to you or to any freaking person, just because I work for you now doesn't mean you own me", he retorted sharply.

Jema raised up her hand as in surrender.

" Fine,you don't,whatever you want all I need is your cooperation",she said softly.

"And what if I don't want to cooperate", he asked persistent.

" You lose out on the thing I want to offer you",she replied pulling the affidavit out of the folder and carefully pointing it in his direction.

"That is?", he asked looking at the file in her hands.

" Why don't you find out for yourself ",she replied still pointing it in his direction.

He stared at it for a while before walking up to her and snatching it from her hands.

Jema relaxed in her chair and watched as the expressions on his face changed as he read the contract.

He looked at her apparently in shock by what he read.

"How did you know about this",he inquired wide eyed.

Jema chuckled and brought her fingers to her face,inspecting her nails.

" Money parts great waves",she replied plainly.

"In less than twelve hours,really", he queried and she simply shrugged her shoulders.

He couldn't deny that he was tempted by her offer. She had offered to pay his ridiculous debt that he couldn't even remember how he managed to incur.

That was the only reason he agreed to work for consul care in the first place. They had managed to keep the law suit trailing him at bay,while he worked for them.

He gritted his teeth now,not believing that she could do something like this so that he can pose as her husband. She even offered to still pay him and his company while at it.

Just who the heck was this woman anyway.

Jema smiled on seeing him have a hard time resisting the temptation she had cunningly set for him. She knew he was as good as hers now.

She brought out a pen from the folder and handed it him. He stared at the pen in her hands and fought some kind of internal battle before sighing in resignation.

" I must warn you though,what you're about to do might put you at risk,some people are out there who might hurt you because of me",he said and looked at her certain she would change her mind.

Jema rolled her eyes at him.

"I don't care,you're a bodyguard aren't you,you'll just have to do your job", she said anxious to have him sign the contract.

He shook his head at her stubbornness before walking over and sitting beside her. He placed the file on the table,collected the pen from her and signed the contract. He rolled the pen over to her when he was done.

" Welcome to hell miss,it's your funeral",he added very plainly making Jema wonder if he was serious with his threat.

Jema felt her heart which she hadn't noticed to be up ease when he signed the contract. She carefully took the file and returned it into the folder.

" Its for just twelve months right",he asked and she nodded her head in affirmation.

"Yep,you can file for a divorce after that", she stated and he stood up to his feet.

" Great,twelve months of madness",he said muttering to himself. She heard his comment but chose to ignore it. She had gotten what she needed after all.

He looked at her after a moment of silence.

"Well,I don't know what next to do now,are you sleeping over, do we go through our marriage duties now",he said and she could swear she heard a hidden message in his voice.

" Nope, you'll sleep over at my place, I need people to believe we are really a couple",she said but he ignored her instead his hand moved to unwrap his towel.

Jema screamed on sighting the inappropriate move. He looked at her and gave her a face that meant 'what'.

"I know you for a lot of things but I don't know you as shameless", she said moving closer to the edge of the chair.

" Says the woman that barged into a male's room unannounced,and besides,do you expect me to wear this out",he replied with a tease in his voice.

"No,go change in your bathroom or something", she said in a commanding voice.

" You won't tell me what to do,I change wherever I like",he said and with that finally let the towel loose.

Jema looked away before she could see anything at all. She couldn't believe that this man was putting her through this.

She looked away for a few minutes and wondered how long it takes to put on some pants. She figured he was probably using it to spite her.

"You can look now", he said and she slowly turned to face him. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw him zipping up his pants.

She then slowly found herself studying the man who now crazily was her husband. She knew he was muscular but now seeing him with his shirt off made her almost ogle at the perfection of his upper body. She had taken no cognisance earlier because all her mind was fixed on getting the contract signed.

He even had a weird tattoo on his upper bicep. She wanted to ask what the tattoo was all about but she didn't want to overstep her boundaries.

Now she could feel her body respond to the sight of a barely veiled man making her realise that it had been a very long while since she and a man were intimate.

She looked away when she saw that he turned to face her. Her face turned pink when she realised that he caught her staring at him like she was awestruck by his masculine beauty.

She silently berated herself for allowing her thoughts to become so carried away. She had already stated in the contract that they would have no sexual relations and some foreign part in her called her stupid for even including that,a little fun couldn't hurt.

"Are you done staring now,your not so shameless highness", he said with another trace of teasing in his voice.

He put on a floral shirt which he didn't button all the way up. It greatly complemented her evening outfit,now they really did like a couple.

He walked over to her and offered her his hand. She stared between his outstretched hand and him. He sighed when he realised she didn't comprehend his gesture.

" Well since I'm your husband now,I guess I should act a little more like it,don't you think ",he said with a raised brow.

Her mouth formed a small 'o' when she finally got to understand. She placed her little hands in his large ones and stood up,regaining her composure again.

" Well I guess you should",she replied causing him to smirk and they both prepared to move out.

Lionel collected the folder from her,before putting his phone in his pocket and moving to get his suitcase which he didn't find the time to unpack.

He opened the door for her to pass and she strode out with her usual air of pride. They walked out of the room and pranced to the elevator together.

This time around people were in the elevator with them. The few people who recognised her gasped at the scene they saw before them,so the rumours were true, she did have a lover.

Jema felt them muttering amongst themselves but paid no attention. They were of little concern to her now,in fact, she needed them to believe that they were actually a couple.

The elevator descended and they walked together to the reception and as they did they felt eyes were on them. Jema felt very comfortable with it but Lionel wasn't. He wasn't used to this kind of attention.

He walked over to the receptionist desk and slipped the plastic key to his room over to her. She gasped when she saw him and his companion. She felt so excited to be seeing the face of Miss Malteng's mystery lover.