A DEAL WITH MY BEST FRIEND'S HUSBAND

Chapter 5

Nathalie.

I dragged my body out of my house to go to the club. Everything I had ever dreamt of had just happened in my life, but there was this hole in my heart, something that kills the normal joy in me. I just can’t function properly. Just forty-eight hours and six minutes of accepting Nathaniel is not for me, and my life felt empty.

I closed the door and went out of my apartment, halting as my eyes landed on the one my brain had been spiraling about. His eyes... oh, those blue eyes traced through my facial features, making heat spread through my cheeks.

I swallowed, forcing my head to turn and pushing my legs to walk past him, remembering Caroline’s words.

“Nathalie.” His deep baritone voice sounded behind me. My legs slowed down on their own accord, but I kept moving. I heard footsteps behind me, then a soft gasp left my lips as he held my arm. Goosebumps spread through my body in that second. He pulled me closer to him, his other hand going around my waist, pressing my front against his hard, muscled chest.

My chest rose up and down heavily as we locked eyes. In that second, all the emptiness I felt melted away in his arms. I wanted to pull away, but my body decided to stay still.

“You’re ignoring me,” he murmured, his hot breath making the hair on my cheeks rise.

“I—I...” I cleared my throat. “I don’t think I can do this.”

He tilted his head to the side, his fingers digging against my skin. “Do what, Nathalie?!” he asked, his voice lower, and his eyes drilling hot holes into my forehead, down to my cheeks.

I took a slow breath before I spoke. “I don’t even know. You... you just came into my life and everything changed. You can’t just barge into people’s lives that way, and your status is just way, way too big for someone like me.” I paused to take a breath, and

Caroline’s voice echoed in my head.

“A man like that wouldn’t go for strippers like you.”

“I can’t do this.” My voice cracked, and I pulled away from him.

“Nathalie,” he called out my name. His jaw was clenched like he was holding something back, but his voice was close to cracking, or so I thought.

He took a step closer to me, his finger gently wiping away a tear I never even realized had rolled down my cheek. My body shuddered at his touch, but his voice brought a soothing calmness over me.

“You are what I want! I want you, Nathalie,” he said, his voice firm and steady. “I don’t know why you have these thoughts in your head, but I’m sorry if my actions made you feel this way.”

My chest tightened, and my heart skipped a beat at the same time. “I’m just scared,” the whisper left my lips before I could even stop myself.

“I know.” His hands moved to my arms, pulling me gently closer to his chest. “I want you to be my woman, Nathalie.”

My eyes went wide, and I tried to pull away, but his hands held me still. “I—I can’t. You know who you are, you are—”

“f**k who I am, Nathalie! I want you, and I mean every single word! I can’t f*****g function properly without you being my woman.”

Me too, a quiet voice inside my head said, but I quickly shook the thought away.

“This is just way too much for me to handle right now, Nathaniel,” I finally told him.

He gave a slow nod. “Get in the car. Let’s just go for a drive.”

I shook my head. “I can’t. I have to go to the club. I have a shift.”

His jaw clenched tightly, and a flash of anger darkened his blue eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately. “You won’t work there anymore.”

I scrunched my face up in frustration. “WHY?" You can’t dictate where I should or shouldn't work!”

“Mm.” He didn't argue. He just held my hands, leading me toward the passenger seat of his car, and my legs automatically followed him. “Working as a manager in the mornings and a stripper at night... isn’t that way too stressful for a college student, Naty?!”

“I don’t work as a manager in the mornings,” I corrected him. A small smile finally tugged at my lips. Look at that—he finally got something about me wrong!

“Mm,” he hummed again, opening the passenger door for me. I stepped inside and sat down. He closed the door and walked around the front of his car. I didn't even understand why I was sitting there in his vehicle. I was supposed to go to work, and there were endless bills at home to pay, but obviously, my brain had gone on a complete vacation.

Nathaniel took a long drive through the city. He played no music, so a deep silence filled the space—or rather, it was mostly me talking while he just listened. This stalker of a man even stopped to get more vanilla ice cream as he sped through the streets, and absolutely no cops dared to pull him over.

I lay on my bed that midnight after the long drive, clutching my chest. The sweet memories were totally messing with my head, and an unstoppable smile tugged at my lips. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I picked it up, expecting a text message, but instead, I saw a bank alert. Someone had just transferred 4,000 dollars into my account.

I sat straight up, knowing instantly this was Nathaniel’s doing. My smile slowly faded, and I quickly texted him.

Nathalie: “I don’t need your money to be with you.”

I stared at my screen for two whole minutes, tapping my foot in anxiety. Finally, his reply came.

Nathaniel: “Is that a yes?!”

A yes?! I turned my phone completely off and held it close to my chest. Nathalie... breathe... I giggled as the memory of him holding me so close to his hard body rushed back into my head. Do I actually like him?! Like, do I really like my stalker? Maybe... God! I DON'T KNOW. He just makes me feel different. Very different from how I feel around my family or even Caroline. My whole body just relaxes whenever I set my eyes on him.

I lay back down on my mattress, his face filling my thoughts until I finally drifted off to sleep.

I hadn’t been asleep for very long when my phone started buzzing loudly. I pressed my hands tightly over my ears, then grabbed the phone. I blinked in surprise, realizing it was morning already. The call came for a second time. Pouting my lips, I answered the unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Good morning, Ma'am Nathalie,” a soft voice came through the speaker.

“Ma'am?!” The word popped out of my mouth before I could stop it. “Who is this?!”

“Oh! I am Charlotte, ma'am. The head baker for H Bakes.”

“I think you have the wrong number. I didn't order any bread,” I muttered, rubbing my sleepy eyes.

“Hmm,” her voice sounded like she was trying hard not to laugh. “I think you should check your email, ma'am. Then I will call you right back to discuss the inventory and how you would like to manage things.”

“Okay?!” My voice dropped with curiosity. The sleep completely disappeared from my eyes as she hung up the line.

I opened my email app and completely froze. “A Job Offer As the Manager of H Bakes,” I read the words slowly, blinking my eyes over and over again. “H—How?!” I stuttered to myself. Then, I stopped as I remembered Nathaniel had said something yesterday about me being a manager.

“Oh!” A joyful tear streamed down my cheek. This was the real reason he wanted me to stop dancing at the club.

I grabbed my phone, realizing I was holding back my true feelings for no good reason anymore. I dialed his number, and he picked up on the very first ring.

“I’ll give us a chance,” I murmured after seconds of silence. My voice came out small.

“Alright, Nathalie,” his deep, serious voice rang through my ears. “No more working at the club! I don’t want my woman out there.”

“Yes, sir,” I rolled my eyes playfully.

“Call you later,” he said, hanging up the phone before I could even thank him for the incredible job opportunity.

I closed my eyes, staring back at the email. Who would ever believe Roxy would actually leave the club? I couldn’t believe I finally had the chance to study my dream course and have a respectable job. On top of all that, I was in a relationship. Like, I actually liked someone...

I was completely lost in my happy thoughts when my phone rang again. It was Ethan, my younger brother. “Hi, Nathalie,” he started.

Before I could even reply, his desperate cries filled the speaker, and I could hear Nathan’s panicked voice in the background. “We really need our school fees. The exams are coming up, and they won't let us take them if we are still in debt!”

“What debt, Ethan?!” I sat up straight, panic rising in my chest. “I gave Mom your tuition money and Nathan's fees two weeks ago!”

“Mother did not give us a single cent! We haven’t settled this semester's fees at all. We need 10,000 dollars right now, Nathalie,” he cried out.