CHAPTER THREE

MAYA'S POV

The penthouse was located at the heart of Manhattan. It laid at the top of one the tallest buildings which was second only to the empire state building. An electronic billboard hung at the side of this high rise building displaying 'REMINGTON CORPORATIONS'. Outside the building was chaotic, people milling about as they rushed to get to their various offices before the lunch break was over.

Alexander handed his keys to a valet, who drove off to park the car properly.

Nobody paid attention to us as Alexander took me around the building towards an underground tunnel attached to the back of the building. This tunnel opened into a private indoor parking garage where I could see only one car parked. It was a sleek black Mercedes which was pretty common among the rich folks. There was an elevator at the corner of the garage.

Alexander pushed against the panel which opened up to reveal a button. Pressing the button, a green light flashed across our faces for a second before a ding was heard and the elevator door opened. It was a single express elevator which took us to the top of the building where the penthouse house was located.

The door opened but I couldn't get a clear view of the outside as Alexander stood in front of me, obstructing my view. I tried to stretch around him but that proved futile, his body mass covered the whole entrance, leaving only room for air to come in and none for me to exit this trap box.

"Where is she?" A deep baritone voice asked.

The voice sounded authoritative and I could see that Alexander's back stiffened slightly. A small giggle threatened to escape my lips but I held it, schooling my face to a mask of indifference and boredom. I prepared to face my future husband but nothing prepared me for the sight that awaited me as Alexander shifted away.

A tall shirtless man stood me before clad in a low hanging sweatpants. I could clearly see the v-cut that ran from his lower abdomen and disappeared into his sweatpants, his abs glistened with sweat and I could almost smell the sweet musk of his aftershave. Aftershave, what in the heavens was wrong with me but I couldn't stop gawking at him. He was fair, almost white but he didn't seem pale. I bent my neck slightly upwards to stare at his clean shaven face. My eyes roamed from his golden brown eyes to his jet black hair which was ruffled at the top of his head. I couldn't help but admire his perfect nose and chiseled jawline, the kind that celebrities could kill for. His magazine features did not hold a candle to the real thing.

"Why does she look like a drowned cat"

His voice brought me out of reverie. It took a moment for his words to register before I realized that he was talking about me but not to me. He still stood in front of me but his face was angled towards his left where he armed Alexander down with a fierce stare, his handsome face squeezing into a scowl.

"I am right here, you can ask me," I replied.

He turned his attention to me, glaring at me like I was a petulant child who interrupted his conversation with an adult. This ruffled my feathers the wrong way. I was tired of men treating me like I was an object to be used and thrown around the way they pleased, so I matched his stare with a condescending one of mine. It seemed to do a better job than words because this time he spoke directly to me

"Ooh let me rephrase my question, why do you look like a drowned cat?" he asked again with one of his damned eyebrows cocked.

I think it was those damned eyebrows that ticked me off because the words were stumbling out of my mouth before my brain could stop them.

"Maybe to scare you off so that I wouldn't be stuck married to you for the rest of your life"

I could hear Alexander clearing his throat at the background but I was too angry to care, when he didn't reply, I continued

"Most men would want to create a nice first impression for their future brides to remember with smiles, but not you, it seems to me that you are really the infamous cold jerk those gossip magazines portrays you as"

I tried to side-step around him but he shifted his weight around blocking me at every turn. Giving up, I crossed my arms around my chest and glared at him but he just stared back with a neutral expression although I could swear I could see a faint smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

"Nice to meet you Maya, I am Damon Amari Remington" stretching out his hand for a handshake, his face lit up with a smile that made my legs feel like Jell-O.

I stared at his outstretched hand dumbstruck, his 360° change in behavior astounded me, one moment he was being a cold ass jerk and the next moment, he looked ready to charm my pants off me.

Alexander cleared his throat again, this prompted me to take Amari's hand. He led me out of the elevator box into his apartment. His apartment was gorgeous, designed in black and white which reeked of masculinity. The good kind and it suited him.

He sat me at one of the box rectangle black chairs in his sitting room. I turned to check for Alexander but he wasn't in the room anymore, it seemed like he had already left. Great, just great, throw me to the wolves and disappear, that was just his style.

I felt the space beside me dip a little, I looked up to see Amari sitting beside me. He had a smile which didn't quite reach his eyes as he stared at my face.

"What" I asked shifting uncomfortably in my chair

"I am starting to see some resemblance between you and the picture your father showed me" he replied earnestly.

It was at the tip of my tongue to correct him, Alexander was not my father, he could never be my father, but I held it in. I didn't know what to make of Amari and denying Alexander as my father would open a can of worms I would rather leave untouched.

"Why, why did you agree to marry me?" I asked. This question had been bugging my mind on the ride over to his penthouse. He was handsome and rich, I was certain that there were willing women so I could not understand why he was ready to marry a woman he did not know.

"You looked beautiful in your picture and I am a lover of beautiful things. I love collecting them" he answered with a smirk.

Great another asshole who loved objectifying women, it seemed like they were attracted to me like moths to flames. Frowning deeply to express my displeasure at his words, I countered coldly

"I am not an object to be collected"

"No, you are an object to be admired, kept at the top shelf for all to see but none to touch" he lazily ran his eyes over my body for emphasis and I could almost feel the heat on the places his eyes glazed over.

He was still objectifying me but I couldn't stop the heat that pooled in between my legs at his words. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, I was blushing like a love-struck teen. I tried to turn my face away, but his deep throated chuckle indicated that my efforts were in vain. Thankfully, he made no comments about it.

"So tell me about yourself, your quirks and hobbies"

"I am one and twenty years old, just graduated from college where I majored in business administration"

"That's nice," he replied, ignoring the fact that I hadn't stated my quirks and hobbies.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, him staring at me and I trying my best not to gawk at him. That was proving to be difficult, my brain hadn't still accepted the fact that this beautiful man was to be my husband.

"I believe that Alexander has gone through all the terms of the deal with you, you are to be my wife of convenience for six months and for the duration you are to do as I please after which you would be granted an alimony of our divorce and Alexander would also get to keep his company" he suddenly started

I stared up at him in shock, six months. It seemed like Alexander had conveniently opted to neglect telling me this part of the deal he had made with Amari. I was to spend six months of my life married to a stranger.

"Six months," I asked.

"Yes, six months to explore all the wonders of being my wife" his voice dropped to an inaudible whisper.

"What pleasures? "I asked, my lips forming a little pout that I thought was cute.

It seemed it was because he smiled, slow and sensual. It was as breathtaking as it was erotic. He leaned down to me, brushing his lips against my ear, he said

"let me show you" before biting down on my ear softly. I struggled to stifle the groan which escaped my lips but that proved impossible. He straightened up, staring deeply into my ears he continued

"let me show how pleasurable I can make six months be for you"

The atmosphere in the room changed, desire hung in the air like a sweet fragrance and I could feel my skin burning up as he leaned in closer to me. He practically lifted me off the chair and placed me on his lap. Tilting my head upwards, he lowered his lips against my neck and slowly traced it to my jawline before stopping directly in front of my lips with my breath mingling with his. My heart thumped wildly in my chest, as I stared at him in anticipation. My body was burning and I could feel the heat from his mingling mine. His eyes burned with desire as it stared into mine before slowly dropping to my lips where it paused as though he was waiting for permission.

"Kiss me" I said, my voice raspy with desire. I could barely believe that it was mine.

His lips molded against mine, I could barely register the soft groan which escaped his lips as he moved them against mine, he tasted like sweet liquor, my favorite kind. His lips were warm against mine, his tongue prodded at my lips, I parted them slightly allowing his tongue to enter into my mouth. It was heaven, I rode on cloud nine hoping to never come down to earth. He tasted passion and his lips brought out a deep fire of desire which burned deep in my stomach.

The kiss ended abruptly, he placed his forehead against mine as he struggled to catch his breath. I guess he was just as affected as I was.

"We are getting married today" he said suddenly, his eyes hooded with lust as he stared deeply into my eyes.