3. Khaleya #2
“I just need you to pretend to be my girlfriend for the next couple of months.”
I opened my mouth to say something else, but the hard set of his eyes and the lift of his brow shut me up.
“I have my own personal reasons for this. But I plan to give you fifty thousand dollars with no interest or need for repayment. I’ll pay for anything we do, your wardrobe for each event, and anything else that pops up within the time.
The fifty thousand dollars would fall under the small business grant we offer here. ”
“Do you offer every woman you come across shit like this if their loans aren’t approved?” I asked.
He chuckled and leaned back into his seat.
“Nah, I don’t. You don’t have to make a decision now. It’s all in your hands, but know this: my mother raised a respectful man. I would never place you in a position to be unsafe or uncomfortable.”
I sat quietly, believing every word he said for some reason, even though I barely knew the man. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, then held it out to me. I reached out to take it from him, but he pulled it out of reach at the last moment.
“My personal number is on that card. You have twenty-four hours to let me know your decision, or this offer expires. If you agree to move forward, we can negotiate a little further and get a contract drawn up for both our assurance.”
He held the card back in reach, and I took it from him. Then he stood and turned to leave. I stopped at the door and glanced over my shoulder for a moment. His eyes were glued to my ass, so it took him a moment to glance up at my eyes.
“Don’t hold your breath on this decision.”
His chuckle was all I heard as I left his office without looking back. I made my way back downstairs and out of the building into the fresh air. I walked a bit and glanced back toward the building, only to see him standing at the window, looking down at me.
I rolled my eyes, and he smirked.
“Yeah, I cannot possibly entertain this damn man. This would be a terrible idea,” I said aloud.
I continued walking until I made it to the light to cross the street to the parking garage, then to my car. I said a silent prayer that Shelby wouldn’t show her ass right now. The last thing I needed was for that man to see a damn tow truck coming to get me.
I placed my key into the ignition, and she purred to life. I leaned forward to kiss the steering wheel, then backed out of the space, not wanting to play with my blessing too much.
Taco Me Happy was ten minutes from my house, so I decided to stop there to grab my usual—two birria tacos with beef and two more with chicken. I decided to grab a few more for Da’ana because we were going to need them, along with the wine I’d grabbed at the grocery store before heading for tacos.
I needed to talk out my decision. The first and easy answer was no. I was no Julia Roberts, and this damn sure wasn’t a fucking rom-com. I had never heard of anyone being paid for some shit like this. Most men expected sex as well, and that wasn’t an option.
Once I made it to my apartment community, I noticed a parking space close to the entrance of my building, so I raced for it, making it just before another car tried to pull into it. Today was my lucky day, although I hadn’t gotten approved for the amount I wanted.
I grabbed the bags from the passenger seat and made my way into the building after locking the doors to my car.
I jogged up to the second floor and used my key to get inside.
Babyface played from the Pandora station, the screen vibrant on the TV, while Da’ana sat on the couch with her laptop in front of her and a notepad in her hands.
The moment she saw me, she smiled brightly and waved me over to the couch.
“Oh, you brought tacos. What’s the occasion?” she asked.
I slouched into the seat after placing my many bags onto the coffee table in front of us.
“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”
Her eyes widened. “You got the loan!”
I tilted my head a bit and gave her a tight-lipped smile.
“Not quite. Let me grab us some plates and two wine glasses. Then I’ll give you the rundown. Oh, and don’t even think about using any of this for that book you claim you’re close to finishing.”
Both of her brows rose, and she did a little dance in her seat.
“This must be really good, and for your information, romance takes time, ma’am.”
“If you say so, Ms. author girl.”
Da’ana giggled, then cleared the coffee table to make room for the plates I brought over. Once I set them down, she started putting our tacos on each plate while I popped the cork on our wine and poured us a full glass.
I plopped down onto the pillows below us, and she sat beside me, then lifted her glass of wine to sip before urging me to tell her everything.
I went over the offer of the loan and then the second offer from Mr. Blackwell.
Da’ana sat intently, waiting until I was finished.
I could tell she had a million and one questions.
“Okay, go. What do you think? It’s crazy, right?” I asked.
Da’ana took a bite of her taco, then shrugged her shoulders.
“His offer is definitely one to think about. It gives romance to me. How do you know this man couldn’t possibly be your husband?”
I rolled my eyes because this was her usual MO. Sis always thought the world was roses and hearts. That everything happened for a reason. I didn’t feel that way, not one bit.
“Maybe because I don’t think my husband would be looking for a fake girlfriend. He would have been asking me to dinner like a normal human being. Don’t you think?” I asked.
Da’ana laughed. “Girl, please. You would be bored with a man like that. This right here is more up your alley.”
I laughed and nudged her shoulder.
“I really need help. Doesn’t this offer seem too good to be true to you?”
She shrugged. “Do you have a better offer than this one to get Stamped by Khaleya off the ground? If you do, I’m all ears.”
I released a sigh and leaned back against the cushions of the couch.
“I don’t want to feel like a charity case.”
“You aren’t—he is. This man has big money, yet he wants to pay you to be his date. Looks to me that you have the upper hand, so play your cards right. It sounds like easy money to me. Does he give creep vibes?” she responded.
I took a sip of my wine. “No, but I’m overly attracted to the damn man. I’m going to be more of a problem than he is.”
My phone vibrated against the coffee table just as she was about to reply.
I grabbed it, and a few texts from my family group chat popped up.
Mom: Honey, I see your little video date thingy. I pray every day that my daughter won’t be frolicking around dating for the rest of her life.
I rolled my eyes as I continued to read.
Meli Mel: Now, Mom, my sister does not frolic. She is proactive and all my friends love her content. I’m all for it, sis! Do you.
Kavon: Aye Ma, you cook?
I rolled my eyes. All my brother cared about was eating and going to the gym.
Mom: Kavon, I told you I cooked. I already put your plate in the microwave.
Dad: What my daughter needs to worry about is holding on to that job with those benefits. Men will always be there looking for the wrong shit. No need to waste your time, baby girl. And Kavon, you need to be eating at your own damn house.
They continued to go back and forth about my life like they had the answers to everything. I turned my phone to show Da’ana, who couldn’t hold back her laughter over their nonsense.
“They have such good intent, but your mom and dad crack me up. I didn’t know she was following you on social media.”
“Girl, I thought I blocked her ass. But clearly I didn’t—now she’s giving me more life advice that I don’t need.”
“Well, you could shut all of this down with a simple text to a certain someone.”
I tilted my head to the side and gave her an exasperated sigh.
“But it’s not real, and they would never believe it.”
“Where is the card he gave you?” Da’ana asked.
I groaned and reached into my pocket, then handed her the card. She tapped around on my phone before handing it back to me. His number was at the top, saved as Mr. Big, with a text ready that all I had to do was hit send.
Me: You can count me in.
I shook my head with a laugh and deleted it. Then I typed a new response.
Me: So… should we have our first meeting at the mall? There’s a Birkin bag with my name written all over it.
I turned my phone to show her my new response, and she laughed with a roll of her eyes.
“I can’t wait to tell my godchildren how ghetto their parents’ first date was.”
I nudged her shoulder and hit send before I could talk myself out of it. Then I went into my family group chat.
Me: I have a boyfriend. Goodnight everyone.
I put my phone on DND and locked it.