Page 18 of Sold to the Highest Bidder
“How do you explain the picture then?”
“It doesn’t matter. Who is the man?”
She glowered at him. “It’s none of your business!”
They were yelling at each other now.
“It’s my business, we had an agreement.”
“There was nothing in the agreement that stated that I couldn’t talk to other guys.”
“That doesn’t mean you should go around flirting with every guy you see.”
“Is that what you thought I was doing?”
“You both certainly looked like you were having fun.”
“Whatever,” Nazalie muttered, picking up her bags.
She was walking away when she heard Joshua say, “It’s three months now. I’m extending the contract.”
“You can’t do that?!” Nazalie protested, stomping into the kitchen. “We had a deal!”
“It has already been done.”
Joshua walked past her, slamming the bedroom door behind him.
He left her in the kitchen, speechless and confused.
This Joshua was totally different from the Joshua she met that night. He was all business, and it worried her. Joshua was seldom around. Nazalie wondered if he rented the penthouse suite so that only she could live in it. Day by day, she was becoming convinced that that was the case.
Nazalie wanted to hate him, but she couldn’t. Part of it was because of the great chemistry they shared in bed. She didn’t mind submitting to his desires whenever he wanted, which could be three to four times a night. It was great sex and she didn’t think that she would feel that fervour with anyone else. But that was where it ended. In the morning, things would go back to the way they were. Same old no-nonsense Joshua.
Nazalie felt pity for him sometimes. He seemed so lonely, even when she was around. Nazalie tried to talk to him once in a while, but he gave mostly one word responses.
When she moved in at first, she used to fuss over her appearance. It soon became apparent to her that Joshua didn’t notice. Most days, she lay around in one of his large T-shirts and sweatpants, watching movies on Netflix or other cable channels. She sometimes went to check on the bakery, but Joshua had it covered. He hired pastry chefs and attendants. She mostly felt like a nuisance when she went there. Apart from the check-ups to make sure Joshua was keeping his end of the deal, she lazed around. It was kind of like a vacation.
She was almost dozing off when she heard the door open. It was Joshua; who else would it have been anyway? It’s not like anybody came to visit. That was the life of Joshua. She wasn’t even sure that he had any friends or family. That kind of made her sad.
“I bought this for you,” Joshua mumbled, dropping the fancy-looking box unceremoniously in front of her.
Nazalie opened it. She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t fight her curiosity. It was an emerald green dress with matching shoes, a purse, and jewelery.
“What is this for?” Nazalie asked. She was flattered but confused. Joshua wasn’t the type of man to buy things for her, this was a first.
“It’s for our date tonight. So, get ready, we’re leaving soon.”
Nazalie rolled her eyes. This was so like him, always expecting her to drop what she was doing to accommodate him.
“Whatever,” she grumbled, grabbing the box and stomping to the bathroom. She didn’t even bother protesting. It’s not like he would have listened to her anyway. And she was kind of excited to go out with him. Maybe he would finally say more than two words to her.
They were playing a game of ‘who will talk first,’ and she was winning, not that she wanted to. She hated silences. She remembered how her dad would give her mom the silent treatment for days on end. Though it was killing her to not say anything, she decided that he must be the one to break the silence. This time. She would not speak unless it was necessary.
“Nazalie.” Came an impatient voicefrom outside. “we’re going to be late for our reservation if you don’t come out.”
Nazalie had gotten dressed a while ago, it was her hair that was the problem. While she was lazing about, she seemed to have forgotten to comb it. It was all tangled up now, nothing a little water couldn’t fix but would take time.
“I’ll be out in a minute!” Nazalie replied with a grunt. Untangling her hair always took some effort.
