My CEO Lover Hates Me

“If you want to sleep in, shouldn’t you at least get a job that allows you to come in in the afternoons? Oh, I forgot. You don’t have a job. You only eat what I buy and sleep in my house without helping me pay the bills.” Maya groaned when she felt a hand shaking her. “Mom. Just a little longer. I need to sleep, please.” Her mother resorted to pushing Maya to the end of the bed- a small one and then to the floor with a loud thud, followed by an even more audible groan with uncensored expletives. “Watch your mouth in my house, or you’ll find somewhere else to live,” her mother warned. “Why aren’t you at work?” Maya stood up, rubbing her butt and scratching her hair. Her eyes fought to adjust to the sunlight. “Because I don’t have one? And you just said so yourself?” “ I did? You told me you were going to apply the other day. You should go back there and check if they have an opening. Take whatever jobs they have to offer. How long has it been?” “A year,” Maya responded. “And it’s not physical applications, mom. Everything is virtual and remote now. The only places where people still go to work every day are coffee shops- “Then you should go and look for a job there,” her mother cut in.” Don’t you think? It’s better than staying in my house and sleeping till night. I know a friend whose son runs a coffee shop. I’ll ask her if she needs an extra hand.” Maya knew the friend and the son her mom was going on about. She shook her head, objecting. The son- supposedly her age, acted as though he was way older than her every time they met because he was self-employed. He also tried to ask her out severally, and when she refused, he resorted to calling her name from across the street and asking if she had finally gotten a job or if she wanted him to hire her. The cheeky bastard. Maya would rather sleep on the streets than work for him. “No, thanks. I’ll get dressed and go out. You won’t have to worry about me for a while.” “You can’t afford to be picky because you had a job in a reputable firm once. After the scandal, I doubt if any company will accept your application,” her mother pointed out. “Mom-“ Maya busied herself making the bed while her mother stood and watched with her arms folded and a disapproving look on her face. “I thought we agreed not to talk about it? It’s in the past.” “Well, you seem stuck on getting a job like that since you have rejected others,” her mother replied. “I already said I’m going out to look for a job, right? If you keep nagging, I might spend the rest of the day arguing with you. And I know you want your only child out of your hair as soon as possible. If you could marry me off, you would have done that too.” Her mother sighed. “I’m just looking out for you,” she said before walking away. Maya closed the door and dropped on the bed, pulling the sheets from the west end. It wasn’t as though she wanted to spend the day doing nothing, relying on her mother and dealing with the following insults, but she had no choice. The scandal that ruined her reputation- when she was falsely accused of money laundering at an accounting firm ruined her chances of getting a good job. Settling for less, like the coffee job or waiting tables, wasn’t what she wanted to do. She tried and got fired thrice. The pay also sucked. She kept hoping that something would turn up; after all, there were people older than her who still depended on their parents. Too bad her mom thought being unemployed at twenty-five meant the end of the world. ••• Perhaps she should stop being picky and work in the coffee shop, where the owner found it easy to undress her with his eyes, while his shirt struggled to remain tucked in his pants and his buttons were almost popping. He would only look- Maya mused as she shoved spoonfuls of rice into her mouth while her mother glared at her. He would look, but she would work and get a meager pay at the end of the month. She could make him pay her weekly, and if she were clever enough about it, the bastard would cough up more for staring at her instead of doing his work. It would not be blackmail- because she knew that even if it held up in court, her scandal would be brought back to light. And since no one, except her former boss and the disciplinary committee, knew that she wasn’t the one who stole the funds, it would not only ruin her future in any big-shot company, but she would live out the rest of her life begging for scraps. Maya just had to do what every woman did. Reel him in a little, with the promise of something better and when she had what she wanted, shove the box of empty promises down his throat. She shivered at the thought. Why was she planning to throw herself at a man who irked her? Then she looked up and saw her mother’s scowl. Ah, yes. That was the reason why. “No, don’t let me stop you from eating like you own the food in this house,” her mother said. “You were going to get a job last week, and then you didn’t. But it’s okay. As long as I’m here to support you, right?” Maya sighed and lost her appetite. She stood up. “I’m going to the coffee shop your friend’s son owns. I’m going to get a job there and work as a server until I die. There, you happy?” A little smile from her mother. “See? I knew you’d come around and make the right decision eventually. I should give her a call so she knows you’re coming- Maya leaned over the table in one fluid motion and grabbed her mother’s hand. “Oh no, you don’t. I didn’t say I wanted the committee of retired mothers to plan my future. I’m just going to work.” “Planning your future?” Maya rolled her eyes at the apparent ignorance her mother proudly displayed. “Don’t act so coy. I know that when you call her, the two of you are going to end up talking about marrying your children to each other. A note of warning- I am not getting married to him. Not in this lifetime and not when I’m dead.” “Maya!” Her mother was too stunned to utter more. “I’m getting this job because you want me to, mom. But I’m not going to get married even if it means you’ll kick me out.” ••• The door screeched open, and Maya winced as the sound left her temporarily deaf. It made sense- that the slimy bastard would fix the door where his customers walked in and leave the scratchy mess for his workers to pass through. He didn’t know she would ask him for a job, and she wondered if it was best for her to leave and pretend nothing had happened. That would be good. Pretend as though she did not just- “Maya!” Oh, God. She groaned. The human saw her. There was no running away now. “There you are. I was wondering when you’d show up. Your mother called my mother, and she called to let me know you’d be coming to work for me.” His voice was as fake as the attitude he gave her in public. Only she knew the true him. A smile. A smile. If he chose not to hire her, or if her plan failed to work from the start, she would have only herself to blame. And her mother, who could not keep quiet for a few minutes. “Cain.” Who gives their child the name of the man who killed his brother? Still, she had a smile plastered on her face as she turned around. And her hands reached out to smoothen the ends of the gown she wore, noting the downward cast of his eyes as he followed her every movement. My eyes are up here, you i***t. “Yeah. I didn’t see you, and I thought I would come back later to check-in.” “Oh no, you don’t,” Cain walked up to her, gave her the once-over appraisal without holding back, and put his slimy hand around her waist. Maya fought the urge to deck him when his fingers grabbed her and dug in, obviously feeling her. “I fired the other worker as soon as I heard you were coming in. Well, he wasn’t good at his job anyway. We need a beautiful, sexy woman like you to wear the uniform I bought a year ago.” “Uniform? A year ago?” Maya knew, as the other times, she passed this shop, that they did not wear uniforms. And why would he have her wear what he bought a year ago? “You see, I always knew you would come work for me. It is fate—you and I take on the world of coffee shops together. Maybe we might even throw in a little thing to make our relationship better. Am I right?” He smiled at her- Maya dry heaved at the sight of lettuce stuck between his teeth and his fingers that moved from her waist to inches higher. God help her she did not get thrown into jail for assault before the day was over. And if he wanted to save her, she had submitted many applications to different companies. All he had to do was pick one and make it work.