Deborah

Getting mad at your long hair was a different type of anger. I wore my hair up but an innocent smile tugged on my lips when I found Lessie was still holding her little thick palm up. I restored the warmth into her hand again while her other hand was engaged in holding the leash of her cat. "Someone had real fun in the sun."

She squeaked as I lifted her and she hung around my arm. "And Maria enjoyed it too."

"Yeah."

"Tomorrow you will get in the pool with me. Promise?"

"Ah- Promise."

"Hey, hey, listen," Leon called from behind, his business-minded etiquette stopping me in the thoroughfare. I couldn't take my eyes off his face for a second. For a minute. For an entire effing hour? I always underestimated his beauty. I was only drifting off by the calmness, his patience and his sexy stubbornness. Wow. I wanted to say something. Just how beautiful one could possibly look. Straight out of the history books. But to frame a compliment into a Leon-approved-language, would take a great passage of time. So he spoke, "There is someone who wants to meet you."

He pried the little girl's tiny hand from mine. Rather forcefully, if I wasn't fawning over him a while ago.

"Who?"

"Why don't you find it yourself?" He pulled me into the centre of the swanky room. Things moved so fast around me that I could only catch a murky flash of everything. And then he dropped my wrist as if it was as heavy as hateful guilt. He abandoned me in the sizeable field to find his stance across me. It seemed like a battle between good and evil wherein I looked weakened, confused and frightened.

I saw a man. The absence of sharp angles from the jawline, side balding and untrimmed beard hinted my cognition that he wasn't the kind of man Leon would keep ties with, by any freaking means. But Leon was in a close radius. Maximo stood behind him with a crestfallen expression. The middle-aged man got up and introduced himself in a sandpaper voice, "Hello, I'm police detective Andre Macmillan."

I ignored that dangerous stubby fingers handshake. "But what's the trouble detective?" I looked at their faces, acting unbeknownst while internally I was sweating in buckets. Leon wouldn't let the premise work as it was. This man had no heart. No mercy. Now he had involved a dirty detective to get my secret out. I still couldn't solve the mystery as to for what reasons Doc Connor was covering for me, and now, the thought of convincing this plus-size animal wouldn't be possible for sure. He could outthink any opponent. I closed my eyes.

"I can't tell how important your presence is here today. Thanks for coming." Leon forced a brittle smile at the burly man and uttered, "With a lot of regret I have to admit that Doc Connor's therapy is crawling in the name of running. No wonder in your case he might have to detangle his own mental cords. So, I approached the right person. I knew from the beginning that it was going to be a legal case."

"So, what happened that night?" He took out a flat notepad, the size smaller than his palm.

"If you are a professional, start with the first question at least. Ask my name?" I closed my arms across my chest. Ending the option of making a run of it.

"So you can finally recall your name now? Tell me about it."

My lips parted and my shoulders dropped. "What do you want to hear?"

"Did you murder someone and were trying to escape from the crime scene?" He was chewing gum, that habit reminded me of my ex, and the entire prospect of continuing the talk with him confirmed one thing - it was going to be a hell of a loathsome task.

"Are you interrogating me?"

"No, if you are willing to cooperate, I can take you directly to the police station."

"What? What did I do?" I breathed, partly tensed.

"Do you know Amanda Brown? Twenty-three-year-old, stenographer working part time at the Limca Caves Corp."

"No."

"She was brutally murdered in her apartment near Evan Street on 22nd April at nine p.m. Exactly half a mile away from where you happened to come under Mr. Forero's clean wheels. You killed her with your own hands, didn't ya?"

"No!"

"Excessive aggression can land you in more trouble."

"You are framing me." Then I staggered toward Leon. "Leon, what is this lemming saying?"

"Well, I can't question the man who has bagged ''Officer of the Year' for five years consecutively."

I blinked at him and muttered a curse word under my breath.

"Can you forward the links? I'd be interested to see your sources," I replied with contempt.

"You are smart." He smirked and whispered, "Let me put it this way, so last night my client gifted me a bathtub filled with crispy bucks. In return, I've been implicitly asked to get you as a wrongdoer in the eyes of the law." He gritted his teeth and widened his eyes. "I can't just smell a rat, I can see the rat! It's a cold-blooded murder case, Mr. Forero!"

He was verbally bulldozing me to take the blame as if I was a lame goat without a voice of my own. In true words, I was one.

"Max, please say something." Turning to anyone for help wasn't helping me. It was evident that Leon called the shots and the power of money and adherence to his orders had tied the butler's tongue.

The powerless pawn failed to meet my demanding eyes. "I'm not going anywhere from my house. This is where I belong." I spun around. "I hope I made myself clear."

"That reaction is common Mr. Forero. I tangle with such cases daily. Besides, she's just a little hurricane."

I slammed both my hands on his chest and yelled, "Remove your dirty shoes from my carpet and peace out!" I threw the cushion from the sofa at him.

The man flared up his nose. "You bitch!"

"And you fucking mugger!"

He turned on the balls of his feet.

That was a close one! I secretly gulped.

Later, Leon put on his aviators tapped a finger on his watch in a precisely timed manner and scurried away without exhibiting any emotion.

Maximo returned to me and I shrugged.

"Miss Ammy. I'm truly sorry."

"It's all fine as long as he doesn't fire a bullet in my chest," I muttered with a resting face. I had come to terms with facing hurdles, and defamation of course. Having no visible goal in life, was a sad facet in any actor's life. I was going through it. But at least, I made friends with Doc Connor which was a good part of it. The probability of risk was getting higher and higher as days went by. I had no predictions of what would make of me by fooling them around. I went back to him. "But I tell you, it's true I don't remember anything, except the fact that he's the only one I have."

My eyes welled up when a quick flash of my professional catastrophe propped up. Maximo's lower lip fell to the ground as he mourned in his own thoughts. We both were in different head-spaces and he looked pretty emotional and desperate to share something, "There is something you should know about Leon's past. Something that even his the-then alive father didn't care to know."

"What past?"

"He was the only child of a renowned legal lawyer, who was shipped off to a boarding school from an early age. He returned to the mansion when his father died. I took the guardianship from there on. When he was in high school he would share everything with me, including his love stories. He got into a steady relationship with a senator's daughter at that time. She betrayed him with his best friend after spending five years together."

I only watched.

"Poor boy tried his luck for the second time. Same passion. Same dedication. Again, ended up in the old story of betrayal."

He indeed had a very bad time dating girls.

"What happened five years back, changed him completely."

"You mean to say, he had loved someone before I came in his life?"

He began after a pause, "The wedding cards were distributed. The caterers were paid. The venue was decorated. Folks from out of town made their travel plans. His friends were there. Nervous, Leon stood with aspirations of embarking on a blissful journey with his lady love. But the bride never appeared at the altar. He was devastated. He had almost lost his voice."

The turmoil he had gone through formed a mucus in my throat. Suddenly I suspected my voice to be buried deep down in the miseries he suffered.

"He chose a career as a war site photojournalist for a reason. So, that he could avoid the thoughts of girls, relationships and marriage." He pressed a hand over his mouth and spoke, "This is his story he never wants to talk about."

"I'm sorry for him."

"I have tried my best to give him the love of a father and mother. I still haven't read the books he has gained so much attention for. I want someone to change his perception of women."

This was a blanket statement which I didn't agree to. Nevertheless, I didn't want to disturb his line of thoughts.

"You must be very close to him."

"Yes." He bobbed his weak head and gulped with difficulty. "I-I can't see him living a life without a woman. As a boomer, I may be ridiculed for fostering old-schooled thoughts, but a family is incomplete without a woman. Her existence is divine. She brings peace and love to a family. How pleasant it would be if he builds up a sweet nest of his own." His eyes twinkled and I didn't notice when he came to hold my hands so tightly.

My heart plummeted and my stomach churned uncomfortably.

"And I can say one thing for sure."

"W-What?"

"Your efforts to unite with him are not going to be wasted. For I've not seen any girl putting in so much dedication to win him back."

My words failed me and I let nature take its course, "Strangely, I don't feel like he wants me as much as I want him. He isn't reciprocating. Maybe that is why I'm experiencing doubt if I really have a place in his house, let alone his heart."

"The biggest blessings often come unexpectedly. You have loved him dearly, haven't you?"

"Yes, yes I have."

"The supreme art of love can only be endured by a loyal lover. They all made him feel unwanted. You have to do the opposite. Just latch on. If his heart starts beating again, I assure you he will madly love you back."

"O-Okay."

He went away, but his last words underlying enigma left me ranged. I was actually hoping he would shed some more light on that subject next time we meet. Madly love me back. Madly love me back?!

Within a matter of minutes, I absorbed his stressful ordeal as if I had no problems of my own and was free to run a sound mental condition workshop.

Damn Deborah. Altruism took great advantage of me.

Now I had acquired the role of tweaking Leon's life. Maximo evoked a feeling inside of me to help the poor man, I meant both of them. I indeed felt bad for Leon particularly. He had everything at his behest, except his heart. And I had unknowingly or knowingly decided to transform him into a warm-hearted man.

It is beginning to look more like fuck this job.

I sat down on the sofa. I picked up the magazine placed beside two random books on the coffee table.

I thumbed through the white bold letters on a nude backdrop of a model, and weirdly enough I felt a shiver down my spine when I read 'Girls want it as much as boys need it.'

The only thing I knew about him was that he wasn't the easiest one to open up. So my strategy to let his walls down should be a different one. A sly smile crept up my face when I read the cover page. The art of seduction. I knew what Maximo was trying to say.

----

I didn't know if there was anything that would beat the sexiness of a sheer flounced dress. Fortune always favours the bold. To feel empowered and comfortable I wore deep red lipstick and raked my hair back with my fingers. This was going to be challenging and uniformly exciting. The cliche plot of every light, feel-good drama where a sunshine girl romances with a grumpy man as my guide. The acts I assumed myself to perform tonight were as follows: first, making seductive eye contact. Second, starting the brass-necked conversation. Third, if he was a real man then the strip-teasing phase should and would crank his ass up and I would vanish.

I was particularly nervous since I had distanced myself from typical boyfriend things for a long time, I was on shaky grounds about how to make the correct impression and let the guy have a fantasy of paradise. That's it. Nothing further than that was acceptable.

The mansion was empty. The servants were long gone. Maximo didn't feel well as per his words, or possibly gave us the night to experiment with an infatuation. Lessie had been sleeping for the last three hours. I was strolling in the corridor, to welcome Leon.

Where was he?

I woke up from a nap when I heard the car pull up outside. It was midnight. I waited at the top of the stairs but he didn't appear. I went on the expedition to find him. I slacked off as I descended the stairs. The toe-curling thoughts now succumbed to futile goals until a ray of hope appeared.

Leon stood like a domineering emperor looking over his kingdom with a distinct vision at the precipice of the deck. The lights around the little bar glowed. He twisted his head and caught a glimpse of me, I immediately switched my gait into a ferocious lioness going to eat her prey. His neat blue suit was just as ironed and elegant as he left wearing it in the morning. The shiny waters reflecting in his eyes made mine blink twice. A touch of superiority and signature fragrance always stayed by his side even when his body had toed its limit. Is he even a human? How did he maintain this aura all the time?

"Darling, where have you been?"

He spoke thoughtfully, "Working. Networking." He turned toward me. "I was unwinding with a friend who was good at two things."

"I can't tell how much I missed you," I whispered and slipped my hand onto his arm in defiance. Damn, should I really continue this? Is he going to take a brief look at me and say anything about my greasy thighs?  "There is one thing I'm not getting from this mansion at the moment?"

"Now we are talking?" He filled his chest with air.

"No. Money won't solve it."

His black eyes instantly met my browns.

"I need your complete attention." I tiptoed to whisper in his ear. "Your anonymous friend might be good at two things, but I can blow your mind with three, or four or give us some quality time, I'll make this night last forever in your head." My face was ablaze and something extraordinary happened when he raised his brow. I snagged the bouquet from his hand and dumped it on the floor. I pushed him onto the poolside chair and hovered over him.

"Wha-"

"You know we have to make up for the lost time, honey," I uttered in a jiffy tone and breathed down his neck.

His body twisted into an uncomfortable stasis. He was perplexed when I crushed my head against his chest. "You remember how tightly you would hold my waist all night long." I took his hand and wrapped the curve of my back.

"Amy, are you crazy?" He pleaded and I shut his mouth with one hand and dusted my lips on the length of his neck.

"I have the temptation to dice with death." I pulled myself back and disturbed my hair, making some sexy breathing noises for good measure. "Oh, please don't you stop me tonight."

"I-I can't breathe!"

I would let my conscience be my guide." "Oh no no! You have to live. I have to live. We have to live," I said it off the cuff and ingressed my fingers into his hair that was slicked over. "For Maria and Shay."

"Maria and Shay??"

"You are asking you are they?" I giggled and started playing with his shirt button. "You always said you wanted twins. A boy and a girl. Our miniature versions."

"Listen." He for the first time placed his hand on my sides. "As much as I would desire to believe you are crazy, my current foresighted experience is insufficient for the deed."

"Is that a fancy statement for a no?"

He loosened up his tie and trust me I hadn't seen Leon sweating like this. "Can you make room for me, please?"

"Don't sweat. We will wait for the right time and then think about family planning," I said in a sugary coercive tone.

"Debauchery chaos. Like always."

"I don't mind. At least you got a pretty apology there." I winked and slapped his chest. Suddenly I got up and picked up a bouquet. "Thanks for this. You didn't forget my love for pink carnations with peonies. So fresh." I took the fragrance in and smiled to the fullest.

"I got them at a book launch event." He lazily pushed his hair back.

As much as I hated to admit, the Spaniard even with his ruffled demeanour shone like a hero from the late 80's era. The soft lock on his forehead and his neat moustache repelled beauty and beauty.

"Jokes on you, I'm literate and can read your name on it." With courage, my hand grasped his shoulder blades. My goodness he was so tall, I had to wear high heels for the next time.

He tried removing his formal jacket and I moved forward. "Don't take your jacket off. You are so selfish. Let me do it for you." I winked at him.

Coming back to me, was his stare that held the primal urge of a werewolf. "You don't sleep in that."

The greatest rule of thumb in acting was to keep on lying without breaking eye contact, "Well, you wouldn't be asking this in the first place, had I been sleeping in your bedroom."

He didn't ask for my help and entered his bedroom, and pounded on the couch before yanking his back against the furniture as his bottom dissolved on the floor. I was a little terrified to help him so I stayed by the door. The plan surely submerged into the cold waters.

Serene and slow. He opened his eyes and looked straight at the ceiling.

My breath hitched and I instantly asked, fidgeting my thumbs. "A head massage?" I was looking for reasons to stay near him.

"My head hurts," he muttered dryly.

"Okay. I'll get you the medicine right away."
I had only turned around when he spoke something abruptly.

"Oh no." He rolled his eyes.

"You keep your eyes rolling like that, Leon. They might get stuck like that." I taunted.