CHAPTER THREE: Doubts and Distractions
1749 Words
Maya called Alex, concerned about his press statement. "What's going on, Alex? You're making a big deal about the missing ring," she said.
Do you realize you have a lot to do with money? The general election and our wedding in two months," she added.
Alex responded casually, "I'm showing America I'm committed to you, Maya. I want to give you the life you deserve."
Maya questioned his intentions. "Is this genuine support or self-driven publicity?"
Alex became defensive. "Do you believe in me, Maya?"
Alex sighed, his voice fueled by anger.
"I can not just sit back and do nothing. I need to show the citizens of America that I'm committed to you, and that I'll do whatever it takes to protect you."
Just then, Maya realized she was just a means to an end for Alex.
For the first time, she doubted his profession of love for her.
“Okay! she said, you can do it your way.”
I just don't want to trend on social media for an absurd reason.
Alex frantically said, "You have nothing to worry about, upcoming First Lady."
Maya didn't find the “upcoming first lady” statement funny.
They exchanged cold goodnight pleasantries before she hung up the call.
Maya realized she was just a pawn in Alex's game of power and politics.
She felt suffocated by his expectations.
Maya shifted focus to investigating Julian's event.
She checked Google Maps for the location and decided to spy on it the next day.
*****
Julian, thrilled by the turn of events, was impressed by the one-night chance encounter he had with the future First Lady of America.
It was as though fate had hand-picked her for him, and he was determined to rekindle his obsession with Maya at no cost.
Julian informed all his bidding clients, that he would close all pending drug deals at the mask party slated for Friday night in Los Angeles.
Arriving at the location, Maya parked her car a few distance away from the warehouse.
She used a bolt, she picked up from her garage to puncture the front tire of her car.
Her heart raced as she surveyed the premises from a safe distance.
She couldn't see the warehouse clearly, as a big event hall had been erected to cover the sight of the old warehouse situated behind.
She used a binocular to get a proper view of the old warehouse from where she parked her car; the security was tight, as expected.
As she was observing the personality of the security guards with the aid of her binoculars, she was interrupted by a huge guard who had just changed his duty shift.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked.
Without mincing words, she replied calmly, "I'm Nina. The tire of my car punctured a few meters away from here. I was wondering if I could get help to replace the punctured tire with the spare."
Sarcastically, the guard responded, "Does this place look like a charity organization?"
Maya, infusing her feminine prowess, replied, "I might be lucky to meet my knight in shining armor."
The guard, stunned by her response, took a good look at her.
He observed that she was a beauty to behold.
He boycotted the direction of the CCTV camera and offered to help Maya fix her punctured tire.
He removed his uniform and kept it on the passenger seat of her car; revealing his underwear, a white vest, and shorts.
Maya gave him her sunshade as a temporary disguise while he helped her fix the tire.
Maya engaged him in a conversation as he replaced the punctured tire.
"I don't know what I would have done at this point without you," she said.
"You have your beauty to thank; I don't offer random gestures," he said.
She subtly responded, "I hope I'm no more random to you."
Maya seemed to have the right words to manipulate him in her favor.
Just then, he paused, stepping very close to Maya.
"If you're willing to get to know me, Nina, you'll have my undivided attention," he said as he made moves to steal a kiss from her lips.
Maya subtly dodged as she pointed back in the direction of the punctured tire he had just removed
"Fix my tire, and I will fix you," she said romantically.
In little or no time, he was done.
Maya refrained from offering a conventional appreciation.
She asked him to name his price.
"You are my price, Nina," he said without hesitation.
Maya knew she didn't have all day to engage in flirty conversations.
Her intellect came to the rescue, proposing an offer.
"I'm running an errand for my sick mother, I am not looking my best.
How about you taking a day off to spend quality time with me?" she asked.
"I can't take a day off." He swiftly responded
"Why?" Maya asked, looking curious.
“We have an upcoming event; all hands need to be on deck for its success. The boss mustn't catch me off guard," he added.
"What kind of event?" she inquired.
He hesitated a bit but then, as he lustfully stared at the glimpse of the upper view of Maya's bosom, he was lost in deep s****l fantasy.
"It's a get lost in your world event; I would be contracting my s****l desires in your care."
Maya, disgusted by his lustful confusion, asked him again,
“What is the nature of the event that threatens to compete with your time with me?"
At that point, the guard regained his consciousness and decided not to divulge more than what he should say to Maya.
She sensed his realization and interrupted his thoughts, "How about us meeting at the event?" she said.
"Why not after the event?" he argued.
She seductively whispered into his ear, "Don't you want to meet the high-profiled baddie version of me?"
For a second, the guard imagined Maya in a stripper's costume with a mask; the imagination he painted was so vivid, and he agreed to Maya's advances.
They exchanged phone contacts and light kisses. Then she drove off.
Maya updated Emilia on call on her progress and plans to attend the event alone.
With a concerned voice, Emilia asked Maya, "Will you be needing backup?"
"No, I will handle it myself," Maya replied.
Julian and his gang got ready to host the most anticipated high-profile event in Los Angeles.
His high-end clients looked forward to contracting drug partnership deals with him, as he was the only drug baron to date who had successfully smuggled and distributed hard drugs within and across the borders of America.
The night Maya waited for arrived.
As Maya prepared, she remembered her engagement ring was missing.
She had a sudden flashback of wearing the ring at the reception where she met the stranger.
Smelling trouble, she suspected it must have fallen in room 314 during the one-chance encounter, and now that Alex had made a press release, she had to prepare for the worst.
She decided to focus on the mission of the night. Dressed in a cheetah costume, she wore a facial mask that harmonized with her costume.
A vivid structure of her body figure could be visibly seen from the costume; the only exception was that she wasn't naked.
The security guard had called her earlier in the day to remind her of their date after the event on Friday night, and she reassured him of her coming.
As Maya approached the location, from a distance, she discovered that the number of security guards had doubled, and they were visibly heavily armed, so she had to lay low for a while.
She called to inform the security guard of her arrival.
He told her to park her car away from the location, and that she should enter after the boss's arrival.
As she impatiently sat in her car, several cars with tinted glasses passed her, headed toward the direction of the event.
Just then, the sound of a helicopter hovered around the location.
It dawned on her that Billionaire Julian had arrived.
She texted the security guard out of anxiousness, eager to get started with the mission, and asked if she could proceed into the event.
Instantly, she received his response
"Proceed!! The boss just arrived, and I must not be caught outside my designated post; I will be with you shortly at the bar "
The security guard, true to his word, waited for her by the bar.
As Maya arrived at the event, her cheetah costume turned heads.
Her facial mask added an air of mystery, to her undeniable curves.
Stunning," he whispered, as Maya smiled and took a champagne flute from his hand.
She mingled freely with the other guests, as her eyes scanned the room for Billionaire Julian.
A month ago, a staged CCTV footage had allegedly captured Billionaire Julian on one of his previous drug operations.
Unknown to Maya’s investigating team, Julian had outsmarted them with an impersonator whose footage was believed to be him.
Julian, observing his guests from across the room, raised an eyebrow.
He caught a figure that resembled his one-night-stand mistress. He wasn't expecting Maya to attend, let alone in such a daring outfit.
His interest piqued, he excused himself from his clients and made his way towards her to be sure he wasn't hallucinating.
The security guard, now her ally, leaned in close.
"Time to leave," he whispered. "Billionaire Julian is about to make his exit."
Unaware of Julian's gaze, Maya nodded, finishing her drink.
She followed the guard out of the event hall, into a hidden corridor.
Julian's eyes scanned the hall, searching for her, but she was nowhere to be found.
He frowned, wondering where she had gone.
In the hidden corridor, the guard attempted to make s****l advances at Maya.
Suddenly, Maya's phone vibrated – Alex texted, “Maya, it worked!!! The missing diamond ring has been found; the man who has it in his custody called my P.A. to inform me. I will be meeting with him in a bit. The press will cover the reward party."
Maya almost fainted after reading the text message.
She was torn between concluding a mission she had waited so long for and losing her professional reputation.
What if the mysterious stranger reveals to Alex what transpired between them when the ring went missing?
How will Emilia and her subordinates react to the news? She asked herself rhetorically.
- Writer
