Free His Hired Girlfriend by Alexia Praks

back when his friend arrives. Jay nods
pleasantly and then scans the menu. A moment later he sees Alex
entering the restaurant.
    “ Hey,” she says, sliding into the chair opposite
him.
    “ Hey,” he replies. “How
was work?”
    “ Good. Have you ordered?”
she asks, taking off her jacket.
    “ No, I was hoping you’d be able to help me,” he says
sheepishly.
    “ That I can,” she replies,
picking up the menu. “Don’t worry. The food here is very healthy.
Do you like barbeque?”
    “ Yep.”
    “ Good. I think you should
go for the Fusion. You get all kinds of barbeque meat in Cambodian
style.”
    “ Sounds good. I’ll have
that.”
    “ Okay ,” Alex says,
smiling.
    Once the young waitress
has taken their orders, Jay holds out the shopping bag toward
Alex.
    Alex glances up to see the
pink bag, which looks oddly familiar, dangling in front of her.
“For me?”
    He nods. She takes it and
peeks inside. She sees the neatly folded singlets and bra. The
singlets are exactly the same one he spilled beer on, and the bra
is unlike any she has ever used before. This one is pretty with
pink laces and frills. She usually wears plain black or white. She
blushes and gazes at him, her eyes large.
    “ You don’t have to do
that, you know.” She couldn’t imagine how on earth he managed to
buy her underwear.
    “ I know, but I want to,
considering the fact that I’ve destroyed your singlet. Well, aren’t
you going to thank me?”
    Alex blushes. “Thank you.” She doesn’t mind accepting the
gift. After all, he did damage her singlet. Not that it’s
completely damaged, of course. It’s still wearable.
    “ Hey, I’ve got something
for you as well,” she says and takes out his jersey from her bag.
“Here.”
    “ Oh, whoa, thank you very much. You didn’t forget after
all.”
    “ Nope, I didn’t. Okay ,
let’s get down to business then.”
    Jay leans forward then.
“Look, I’ll be leaving in two days’ time. How much are you
asking?”
    Alex bites her lip. “Are
you sure you don’t mind about the price?”
    “ Nope.”
    “ Thing is I’m not exactly
sure as yet. Can I tell you when I know? It’s the full price for
Dad’s heart transplant.”
    Jay studies her for a moment and then nods. “Sure, that’s
fine. But since I’m leaving soon, I’ll give you my cell phone
number and my e-mail address. How about that?”
    Alex agrees with a nod of
her head.
    Their food arrives, and
Alex watches as Jay enjoys his various barbeque meats marinated in
sauces he has never tasted before.
    * * *

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    S even
    Eight Weeks later
    NEW YORK CITY, USA
    Alex is tired
and frustrated. Finally, she thinks with some small triumph, she
has arrived in New York City. Now standing there in the lobby of
LaGuardia Airport, she just wants to collapse on the floor and
rest. Where is Jayden anyway? Oh, God! What if he forgot to come
and get her? Well, she can’t blame him if he has because she is
late. She was supposed to have arrived yesterday afternoon. But
being the clumsy, inexperienced traveler that she is, she managed
to miss the flight from Sydney to Los Angeles and then the rest was
history. She is still upset she missed that flight. It was first
class. Now she would never know what it’s like sitting in that
luxurious, comfy seat with the air hostess serving her every
need. Damn!
    Turning her attention back to her dilemma, she thinks if
she doesn’t see Jay within the next five minutes, she’ll take a
taxi and check into the nearest hotel. Then she’ll give him a ring
to tell him where she is.
    She drags her luggage
across the vast terminal and walks toward the rows of seats near
the window. She searches around just in case Jayden is somewhere
nearby, waiting for her. When she sees only the faces of strangers,
she sighs and slumps on the seat.
    “ Alex!”
    Her stomach knots. She turns. “Jay!” she murmurs. Her
throat is so tight her voice is barely above a whisper. She rushes
over to him