“Thanks but no thanks!” She even rolled her eyes to his offer.

Was this really the guy she gushed over last night? Fine, she would admit that Seth was oozing with sex appeal and blessed with gorgeousness! Not to mention his enticing brown eyes that women, for sure, would love to dive in. Was she praising this annoyingly rude guy? Surprisingly, his face was very familiar. It seemed like she had seen him before, maybe in a magazine or billboard? God, she cannot remember at all.

She watched him sipped the glass of whiskey that she refused to take. The seduction created by the way he sexily licked his lips to wipe the residue of the whiskey made herself falling with a certain spell. “Look, I don’t know why you’re doing this to me. This might hurt your ego, Mr. Whatever, but I’m not interested in you and your freaking gimmick. Let’s not waste each other’s time here.”

“Are you sure you’re not interested in me?” Him, looking at her very confidently, would never change the fact that he was a total opposite of her interests.

“You’re not my type. I don’t fall for childish guy like you who only know how to joke around. Don’t you have something noble to do?”

He smiled, showing his set of perfect teeth for the nnth time. “Call me an asshole but it’s very hard to find a woman who would not get attracted to me…”

In exaggeration, Mayen shook her head. “Nah-uh! Well, not me.”

“Exactly! I have a fascination with ladies who don’t fall for my charm. I like how you will not cross that line.” A confusion plastered on her face sending signal to Seth to elaborate more his point. “My offer is very simple. Hang-out with me, move in to my place and keep me company. You’ll have every girl's dreams, Mayen. I’m all yours.” His brown eyes darkened and his voice sounded serious. Unable to answer as she was struggling to control the hot flare Seth sent to her belly, she just watched him come closer and closer to her. Regardless of whatever her fat brain was shouting at her, the rest of her body was willing to be taken over by him.

“Are you living in thirty-eighteen?! You are too advanced! If this is how courting works nowadays, I’d rather die single! I’m not that gullible! This has to stop so I’m leaving! You better find someone else!” She never met a guy who was as self-assured as him! How could he just tell her to move into his house just like that? Ridiculous, she hissed to herself.

“The more you don’t like me, the more I like you. I don’t think I’ll find someone who looks exactly like you. I only like you, your face in particular.”

Now she realized that what he felt for her is a “lust at first sight.” Again, she attempted to escape from that room but Seth was faster than him, blocking her way out. She looked up to him, looking like a widget, and crossed her arms while controlling her breath. “I will never be your toy!”

“Who said that you’ll be my toy? You’re underestimating my proposal. Think again until you realize that between me and you, you’ll benefit the most. Come on, who doesn’t like being in a no strings attached relationship?”

She looked at him with disgust. She was correct about him. He was a drop dead playboy! She knew what these womanizers were like, attention seeker and selfish creatures with an eye on that “thing” in the middle of a woman's legs. And, once they got that “thing”, they were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, she hated how she ended up there in front of a pest on society. This kind of people was no good.

“That is bullshit!”

“But fun and exciting!” He added immediately.

“Sorry but I’m not an adventurous person!”

“Ahhh…” A mischievous smile was carved on his mouth while looking at her from top to bottom. The thing in her chest started pumping the way he was scanning her. “Maybe that’s why you don’t have a boyfriend yet? See, you know, I can teach you how to get a boyfriend in just a blink. You can use me to explore your sexuality to fire up your….er…”

“What?!”

He started laughing and continue teasing her. “To fire up your mood in getting into a relationship.”

“I’m not a charity case! I’ll have a boyfriend soon!”

“When? When the crow turns white?”

“The right man will come at the right time! Thank you for your time, Mr. Pervert! Never ever show your face again to me again if you don’t want me hit you with these heels!” Her adrenaline, anger rather, gave her an additional strength to push him away. Seth tried to grab her arms but she threw him a dagger look leading him to put his hands up as if he was surrendering. But, that prank-ish smile on his face never faded. He could not be serious at all! Damn, she will lose all her energy but he would not!

If he’d followed her again, she would not hesitate to hit or punch him in the face. Why would she think that he would follow her? Nah! Keep on walking and mind your own business Mayen, her conscious brain attacked again.

This night was epic. Never in her wildest dreams that she will receive an indecent proposal from a stranger. People, not only herself, saw her as an epitome of a woman who was for keeps. She was beautiful, hardworking, caring and intelligent. Most importantly, she believed in the sanctity of romantic love. And yet there was Seth, who saw her as naive and asked her to jump into a no string attached relationship with him. With a very lame reason - just because he adored her beauty and he wanted to see it always. She wondered how many ladies he baited using those pick-up lines.

Still lost in her thoughts, her phone suddenly rang and an unknown number registered. She picked it up, anyway. “Hello, this is Mayen.”

“Let’s see how Miss De Padua will react to your masterpieces.”

“I’m sorry? Who’s this?”

“Lady, you’re really not good for my ego.”

Speaking of the devil, she thought when she recognized the voice. What it would be this time - some kind of a blank-cheque-name-your-price gimmick? Whatever it was, running away from him was the only move she would do. “Oh, guess what? I don’t care! Bye!” She lied. Of course, she cared about her notebook that Seth had started using to blackmail her. “I’m in big trouble…”

IT HAD BEEN two days since Mayen evidently refused to be Seth’s girlfriend, actually a toy was the best name to call it. She could feel the flame of unquenchable anger raging in her chest as everything changed completely, three hundred sixty degrees, when she stumbled across him. She had lost her peace of mind since that day. And, she hated the fact that it was affecting her concentration at work.

“Argh...What now?” Mayen wanted to hit her head on her table again and again. An unknown number was registered on her phone for eleventh time if she did not lose count. It became her dilemma if she will answer it because maybe it an important call or not because maybe it was Seth. But, she always ended up answering it. She cleared her throat and looked around to make sure that no one could hear before answering. Even though everyone was minding their own business.

“You think you can escape by blocking me? You’re not my girlfriend yet and you already started throwing tantrums on me?”

Her fists clenched voluntarily. Seth’s presence had been triggering her to transform into a different and obscure creature. “When you will stop pestering me, huh?”

“Be mine.”

“No! Go to hell!” She shut him off. How many sim cards he had? He was not giving up. But, like him, she would also not give herself up to him. She was firm in her aim of being the first one to make him realize that he could not get everything he wanted. “Pervert...”

“Who’s pervert?”

“Goodness gracious!”

Kellen was standing in front of her, crossed arms. For sure she sneaked from the meeting. “I think you’ve completely lost your mind. You’re literally talking to yourself. Your phone is non-stop. Pick it up!” Kellen was right as the reception was calling her.

“Good day, you’re speaking to Mayen.”

“Hello, Miss Mayen.” It was a relief hearing their receptionist’s sweet voice. “I have a gentleman on the other line wanting to speak to you.”

“Please put through.”

“You’re really testing me, woman!”

“Again!”

“Yes again. And, you can’t get rid of me. I’m not an Alarcon to be just treated this way. Don’t try to end this call…”

A what? She missed the vital part of his spiel because of Kellen who saying bye to her. She waved back to her first. “Or else? What will you do?”

Seth smirked and Mayen could feel the overflowing confidence. “The worse that you could ever imagine.”

She rolled her eyes. “What? You’re gonna use my notebook again? Who cares!” Truth was, she was panicking inside.

“Then, come out. Come out from your boring table!” his authoritative voice commanded. Confused, Mayen turned her head towards the door of her office. “F-Fuck…” she whispered with her mouth left hanging when she saw a very familar built. Seth winked at her. She felt her breath stopped for a moment.

“Don’t look at me like you’re falling in love with me…”

Everything turned slow motion. Her wit suddenly disappeared and her legs turned into jelly. She felt paralyzed but she could feel butterflies flying wildly in her stomach. What was that strange feeling? “O-Over my dead body!” How she managed to reply was still unknown to her.

How can this man be this magnetically gorgeous in shorts and sneakers, looking very fresh, sporty and cool? She could trace his perfectly toned body beneath his thin t-shirt and it gave her hot delights everywhere even to parts of her body that should be minding their own business by now. It was not only her whole being was affected by this man’s charisma, her workmates as well were commending him.

“Staring is rude in case you forgot…” he chuckled and waved something to stop her from fantasizing - her notebook! “It seems that I have an emergency meeting with Miss De Padua.”

“Oh, no…” He’s got to be kidding, but no, he was becoming serious right now. She suddenly felt that she was thrown a ton of ice cubes. Panicked, Mayen ran very fast towards Seth. Before reaching him, in her horror, Miss De Padua entered and looked at two of them with a confused face. Then after a while, it was gone and replaced by a poker face. Seth was sandwiched. She bit her lip to control her evident shakiness.

“Hijo, what are you doing here?” Miss De Padua brought an end to the silence creating more tension among them.

Seth smiled and gave the old woman a kiss on her cheek. “Hello, Auntie. How’s everything? Look at you, wow, you’re not aging!”

Auntie? A confusion with a slight realization hit her. What a small world!

“Come to my office, Hijo. We badly need to catch up!” Both of them watched Miss De Padua went inside her office gracefully.

“Oh, see. We will catch up. See you.”

She pulled his sleeve discreetly, not letting him go. “Are you being serious right now? Will you...will you really?” Her eyes started to moist and she hated that fact, a sign of game over.

“Everything is in your hands. Be mine or you’ll be doomed.”

“Hijo? Come in please” Miss De Padua yelled a follow-up call, just being her typical self, no chills. She clenched her fists to the maximum.

“Your time is ticking. I don’t wanna keep oldies waiting.” He murmured. Just one step and she surrendered.

“Fine! Fine!”

“That’s my girl. Then, your secret is safe with me. See you later!” He smiled, the biggest smile she had seen so far. He winked and left her standing there like a battered vegetable. See you your face, she mimicked while marching back to her table.

What will happen now? Mayen knew that she needed to trust Seth somehow.

Deal is a deal!