C8 CHAPTER 8

Adrienne didn’t expect to be given the most difficult mission in her life and that was to make Pedro fall for her. When Pedro returned from his date, she couldn’t look at him in the eye. She was also hesitant to take the paper bag with goodies from the nearby coffee shop.

“It’s from Keith,” Pedro insisted when Adrienne hesitated in accepting the gift from his cousin.

She was more disappointed when it wasn’t Pedro who bought the goodies but his cousin. She checked the goodies inside, and when it contained her favorite croissants, her eyes widened in excitement to pair it with coffee.

“Thanks, that’s sweet of him,” she said.

Pedro wanted to grab the bag and threw it in the nearest bin but it would make him look like an immature child who was having a tantrum. “Don’t you want to share it with me?” He jested.

“Of course, I will! Coffee?” She asked. “By the way, your mother came earlier and she wanted me to relay a message to you.”

“Such as?” Pedro was interested in his mother’s latest style when she could have just sent him a message.

“She said you have a date with Natalya Caldwell tonight,” she delivered the message that Mrs. Lassiter left for her son. It was obvious that his mother didn’t know what Pedro has done with Natalya just to discourage the woman from seeing him as a potential husband.

Pedro squinted his eyes while he tried to recall someone named Natalya, and then he dialed his mother’s phone. “Mom, when did you meet Natalya?”

Adrienne tightened her lips while she listened to his conversation with Carmela Lassiter. “Here’s your coffee,” she put down the cup on his table along with a croissant.

Pedro nodded his head to acknowledge the coffee and croissant which Adrienne delivered to his table. “I’m not available tonight, Mom.” He said.

She sighed with relief when Pedro declined to meet the woman, but it seemed that Carmela Lassiter insisted because Pedro’s brows knitted together as he listened to his mother’s nagging on the other line.

After he ended the call with his mother, Pedro groaned. “She said you know someone who can pose as a girlfriend for hire,” he stated and waited for Adrienne to acknowledge the truthfulness of her mother’s claim.

“Why do you need to hire a girlfriend when you’re going on a date?” She inquired.

“So it’s true you know someone,” Pedro got his confirmation. “Good. Can you call that woman for me? Tell her to meet me at the coffee shop later,” he ordered.

Adrienne panicked at the thought that Mrs. Carmela Lassiter didn’t waste the chance to put her to work. “She was referring to me, sir. I told her about my sideline job.”

“What? Why did you do such a thing, Adrienne? Oh God, what should I do now?”

“I don’t see any problem about it, sir. You just have to tell the truth. Tell your mother that you don’t like Natalya, and you are already in love with someone else,” Adrienne suggested.

“Do you think she will buy that? You don’t know her, Adrienne!”

“Every mother just wants her child to settle down, sir. You just have to assure her that you are going in that direction, then she would be less worried about your future. Anyway, enjoy your coffee before it gets cold,” she reminded him about the coffee and the croissant.

“Damn it!” he cursed.

“Oh, I almost forgot that your doctor called when you were out of the office. He said you’re out of the coverage area and you missed your session last week,” she said.

Pedro paled and made a mental note to call the doctor later. Lately, he was confused about his gender preference. “Did he leave a message?” He asked.

“Yes. He asked for you to return his call and he said it’s urgent,” she reported.

“Thanks. You can go home early today,” he announced.

“Why?”

“I am tired, and I want to look good tonight,” Pedro replied.

Adrienne nodded and as soon as she finished her coffee, she tidied her desk and retrieved her things to go home. When she informed him that she was leaving, he didn’t say anything and dismissed her with his hand. Well, sometimes Pedro knew how to boss her around like a slave!

It was only three in the afternoon when she got home. She wanted to relax but she couldn’t! She was worried about the things that Carmela Lassiter wanted from her. Pedro’s mother wanted her to seduce her son! How would she be able to accomplish that? For goodness sake, she really had no idea where to start!

“Where have you been?” She asked Jasmine who just got home.

The woman was a total mess after she broke up with her boyfriend. She had been telling Jasmine that Jonas wasn’t into her but she insisted on loving the wrong guy! What kind of boyfriend wouldn’t reply to his girlfriend’s messages? What kind of a boyfriend would allow his girlfriend to go to sleep without clearing any argument? What kind of a boyfriend could ignore his girlfriend for more than two months and act as if it wasn’t a big deal?

“I went to his apartment and he’s no longer there,” Jasmine cried and ruined her make-up. She regretted her decision of letting him go. He might be the worst boyfriend in the universe but she loved him so much!

“My God Jasmine! When are you going to accept that he’s not the man for you?” Adrienne yelled at the woman who sobbed between her palms and she felt bad. She moved closer to Jasmine and embraced her. “I’m sorry, but you have to stop thinking about him, Jasmine. Look at you! You don’t look the same as before!” Then, she ended up crying too.

“Adrienne, how am I going to go on living without him? How can I move on? For three years, he has been a part of me,” Jasmine said while her tears wouldn’t stop coming out of her eyes.

“I’m here for you, and together let’s go back to the time before you meet him,” she assured Jasmine that she would be her support system.

“It’s just hard,” Jasmine said.

“I know, but what can we do about it? He already moved on with another woman,” she emphasized the truth no matter how painful it was for Jasmine.

“Adrienne…,” Jasmine cried even more.

“Shhhh now, you’ll be fine soon. Don’t worry,” she promised. “At least, Jonas didn’t spend your money like the man before him.”

“Oh God, you really know how to make me sad, Adrienne..,” Jasmine mumbled between her sobs.

Due to Jasmine’s nonstop crying, Adrienne wasn’t able to narrate her own story to Jasmine. She was supposed to share with Jasmine how Carmela Lassiter discovered her secret but she deemed it necessary to comfort her friend first.

“Ramen?” Adrienne asked if she wanted some ramen but Jasmine only stared at her. She raised her eyebrows at her to question her opinion but the other woman didn’t say anything at all. She began to worry that Jasmine would burst into tears again. No, she couldn’t handle another round of her crying.

“Yeah, that will do,” Jasmine replied. By all means, Adrienne was right that it was no use in crying over spilled milk. There’s another woman involved and that’s the reason why he broke up with her.

“Then let’s go!” Adrienne announced joyfully after she put on a hoodie and even helped Jasmine to wipe her tears.

“I’ll be forever grateful to you, Adrienne.”

“I’m also thankful that you’re with me, Jasmine.”

On their way to the ramen house, Jasmine noticed that Adrienne was unusually silent. She’s a chatterbox whenever they’re together and she felt bad for venting about her frustrations with Jonas earlier.

“Are you bothered with something or did Pedro give you a hard time at work?” Jasmine inquired.

Adrienne just smiled because whatever was bothering her couldn’t be discussed on the street. “We’ll talk about it over food,” she stated.

The assigned guard greeted them as soon as they arrived, and one of the staff assisted them. Adrienne ordered two servings of their kimchi ramen, but Jasmine added a bucket of chicken and beer. “I can’t have beers and chicken,” she protested before the waitress could jot it down.

“Why not?”

Adrienne motioned the waitress to just go and proceed with the ramen, then she faced Jasmine with a grim expression. “Pedro’s mother found out my secret,” she dropped the bad news like a bomb, and Jasmine’s eyes widen in fear or disbelief. When Jasmine was about to open her mouth, Adrienne immediately covered it with her hand. Sometimes, her friend could be loud and she disliked being the center of attention in a public place.

“What are you talking about, Adrienne? How did she find out?”

Adrienne expressed a deep sigh of frustration whenever she recalled the incident inside Pedro’s office. “It’s my fault. I made a mistake,” she answered in a low voice as a sign of defeat.

“So what’s your plan now? I’m sure that Pedro will be informed about your predicament,” Jasmine mentioned.

Another sigh escaped her lips before she opened her mouth to speak. “She gave me a mission, Jasmine.”

Jasmine’s heart pounded when Adrienne mentioned the mission. If Adrienne was naïve, she had way more experience in dealing with the wealthy, and she learned that some wealthy individuals could be cruel…most of the time.

“A mission? Such as?” Jasmine inquired.

“I need to seduce her son,” Adrienne replied, and Jasmine coughed hard.

“Seriously? Is it really necessary? Pedro Lassiter is the most eligible man in town!” Jasmine exclaimed because she deemed it unbelievable.

“He’s all about work,” Adrienne replied truthfully. Since she worked as his secretary, Pedro didn’t go out on a date…even just once!

“So you agreed to his mother,” Jasmine concluded.

Adrienne just smiled at Jasmine and motioned her friend to stop talking because the waitress was coming with their order. The golden casserole with their smoking ramen looked inviting and both women smiled before they got ready with their chopsticks.

A few moments later, Jasmine and Adrienne both forget about their worries. They focused on food and as soon as their ramen was consumed with so much gusto, Adrienne didn’t object when Jasmine asked for a bucket of chicken and beer.

They were so full that they had a hard time walking home. As soon as they reached her living room, Jasmine aimed for the worn-out sofa and slumped on it.

“Hey, you should help me choose my dress. I have a scheduled meeting tonight. You know what I mean,” she called Jasmine to return to her senses and helped her. She has an appointment with one of her regular clients at seven and they should meet at the coffee shop near the bank, about five blocks from her apartment.

“Just wear anything, Adrienne,” Jasmine said.

“My stomach is bloated,” she complained. If only Jasmine listened to her, then she wouldn’t feel so full at the moment.

“Go and take a shower,” Jasmine ordered. Whenever she felt bloated, she just had to take a shower, then everything would be alright once again.

Adrienne nodded her head and said, “Maybe I should.”

After she excused herself from Jasmine, she inched her way into her bedroom and went straight to the bathroom. As soon as she discarded her clothing, she moved under the showerhead and almost jumped when cold water began to touch her skin.

It was a quick shower that lasted for a few minutes only. After she applied a skin softener and her favorite perfume with a scent of gardenia, she strolled towards the closet and pouted her lips while choosing a suitable dress for her engagement.

“Wow!” Jasmine clapped both of her hands Adrienne emerged from her bedroom dolled up for her engagement tonight.

Adrienne was no longer comfortable in her skin, especially with the tattoo on her neck. “Do I look weird in this dress?”

“No, but it emphasized your not-so-gifted breasts. Do you think he will not mind it?”

“I’m not a whore, Jasmine, and that guy doesn’t care about boobs and vaginas. He’s into men but he couldn’t tell his family about it. I have to pose as her girlfriend tonight.”

“Well, good luck, my friend!”

However, Jasmine’s words were not lucky at all. When she arrived at their meeting place, she was surprised to see her boss. She wanted to leave, but she stood frozen in front of him. What was he doing in the area? When she scanned the area, she panicked upon seeing his client. Mark could be gay but he looked fearsome in his current physical form.

“Adrienne,” Pedro acknowledged her presence.

“Sir,” she said.

“Are you meeting someone here?”