Married To My Ex, Now Billionaire Boss

Pulling Her Close

SPENCER

When I arrived at the suite, I immediately slumped onto the soft couch as I grabbed my laptop from my briefcase and viewed the documents my secretary just sent over for tomorrow’s presentation to our newest client. The day ended well for the company but not for me who is assuming the role as the middleman for our clients and the corporation. I had to edit some parts of the presentation before I could call it a night.

I should have gotten room service around 2 am at dawn, but I felt the urge to check if there were still coffee shops open on the ground floor of the hotel. At this rate, I’d need a blood transfusion and doctors might only detect coffee in my veins. Because coffee has been filling up my system more than necessary.

Only to see two of the hotel staff standing beside Aisha who is curled onto one of the sofas of the hotel, they were pointing at each other on who should wake up Aisha from her deep sleep. Aisha was sleeping so peacefully while grasping the handle of her luggage.

“What’s happening here?”

I asked as I walked to them.

“Her booking was canceled and she refused to leave the hotel, sir.”

My forehead frowned. “And what about booking another room?”

“She said she can’t afford it. Then before we knew it, she had already dozed off at this lounge.”

“Also, we’re fully booked for the evening, sir,” added another staff member.

“Alright,” I said. I softly nudged Aisha onto her shoulders in an attempt to wake her up.

“My head hurts like crazy, just let me sleep a little bit more? I will leave after an hour.”

“You’re staying with me,” I mumbled. “You can sleep through the night at my suite.”

I asked her to get up. With her eyes half often, she nodded while grasping her head and her chest. “It hurts so bad.”

“She’s a friend. Her name’s Aisha Vernice Smith, have her name listed with mine at the presidential suite.” The staff nodded and helped me with Aisha’s luggage.

As we got inside the elevator, Aisha hid her face onto my chest. “I am just not gonna look at you so I won’t get embarrassed,” her voice almost whispered.

“I don’t know you, Spencer. I mean, theoretically speaking.”

I looked at her and her somber eyes fluttered once and then twice as if she was tracing some familiar signs on my face. “I had known you as somebody years ago. But not this time.”

I allowed the silence to envelop us. As we left the elevator and walked to the right wing of the building, she inhaled a deep breath and faced me. “As much as I don’t wanna bother with something I am not close with, I just needed a place to stay for the night since my stupid boyfriend—I mean we just broke up—but yeah, that jack-ass Ricky canceled our hotel reservation here after leaving me at the airport.”

“Is that true? Your boyfriend left you at the airport and canceled your hotel?”

“Yes, but don’t—” Aisha raised a finger at me. “Don’t pity me because of that. Ricky and I are over. No sane boyfriend would ever do that, and to take note he is a CHEATER. He is not a loss.”

Something is amazing about how a woman could carry herself even at the brink of breaking. Her eyes could hold the tears and her lips could smile. But her voice… it carries the pain.

I nodded and did not say a word. More than anything, I did not want to add to Aisha’s current misery. I unlocked the door and motioned her to get inside.

“Come in,” she looked at me before bowing her head and stepping inside the suite.

“There is another room on that side of the suite. It also has a bathroom. Feel free to do what you need to do to enjoy the night.”

She looked at me and blinked.

“Do you think I am someone who m-m*********s?”

Her words caught me off guard.

“You mean?”

“What do you think I should do to enjoy the night?”

I laughed in disbelief. She stood right in front of me without any clue about what I meant. She looked pale and tired. This woman tends to still spark

“Aisha Vernice? You need to rest,” I said, as I held her on her shoulders and positioned her to face the room beside mine. “Good night.”

But before I could walk away, I heard a sob escape on her lips. “f**k it! I can’t help but… I’m sorry for crying—” She started sobbing and I was left with no other choice but to motion her to the living room as she continued to brawl.

“I had just been left by my boyfriend here in this country with a canceled hotel reservation. And the dumbest thing I did was leave my wallet and cards back home since he assured me that he’d handle all the expenses. I was so f*****g stupid! What would my family do to me? Or maybe they will just laugh at me because once again—I was so stupid!”

I sat on the sofa right across from Aisha. Listening to her whims. I nodded occasionally as she looked at me and expressed her frustration and anger. She kept talking and talking. That was when I realized I had been staring at her the entire time.

“Wanna have a drink?”

“And just earlier… I just embarrassed myself in front of you—God!”

Aisha covered her face with her hands.

I opened the small fridge at the corner of the suite, the surroundings felt so big for just one person but with company, it didn’t look hollow enough.

I grabbed a wine and pulled out two fresh wine glasses.

I poured Aisha a glass and myself.

“What your ex did… that was not the behavior of a real man,” I commented and noticed how Aisha drank the wine from the glass with just one gulp. An hour passed by and we were just drinking in silence.

Most of the time she was just staring at the ceiling while I also drank wine and scanned my laptop screen. As I was tapping on my keyboard to get some work done, I felt her clearing her throat.

Aisha then leaned onto the sofa and looked at me intently. “But why do I keep getting left behind?”

Her stare landed on me, sharp yet genuinely waiting for a response. “You left as well. That was not manly behavior.”

“Aisha.”

Tears fell from her eyes and the rush of strange emotions rummaged through me as I saw her hurting just from the tears but I saw her lips shaking as well.

I remembered the night I needed to leave the country. The night I made up my mind to disappear in everybody’s lives including her. We were in high school, filled with hopes shared. My mind was in chaos with what was happening between my family. The truth about my father’s scheme and betrayal that went on for years without my mother knowing. The pressure to man up—despite being just a boy. There was a loud thunderstorm and electricity was out. I should've given her a call but I was selfish. I knew that love wasn’t my priority at that time.

I did leave, Aisha.

“I’m sorry…” was all I mustered. I closed my laptop and breathed out deeply. I looked at her and neither of us smiled. Aisha didn’t respond to me. Nor react. She kept her silence while breaking inside.

I was not sure whether to approach her to ease the pain I put her through the years of not knowing what went wrong between us. Perhaps, I too, did not know what to feel now that I met her again.

But who would believe my words when I just found myself standing up from my seat and walking towards Aisha. I held her shaking hand. Softly, I grazed my palm on her cheek wiping her tears.

“I am truly sorry,” I whispered for her to hear once again. And somehow something in me ached at the same time.

She inhaled a deep breath. Her lips moved but no words came out from her mouth. She closed her eyes as my fingers touched her hair. Her subtle movements captured my attention even more and I was already anticipating how she would react in the next passing seconds.

Inch by inch, I found myself getting lured by her scent. And the coffee and wine lingering in my system did not help. It just magnified the strange emotions that were boiling up in my veins.

“You should get some sleep,” I said, my breath heavy. I refused to lust over this innocent. Even if we had done things in the past that we would rather keep between ourselves.

“You can’t just tell me what to do, Spencer. I can do what I want.”

Surprised by her confidence, I saw Aisha take a step towards me closing the small gap between our bodies. Then in just seconds, her soft lips landed on mine. She tasted like wine on my tongue.

I grabbed her waist and pulled her towards me as I nibbled on her lower lip. Her breath got deep as she laced her arms around my neck, gasping for more.