Saturday came sooner than it was supposed to. Selena re-read her list of conditions hundred times over and could not find anything else to add. She was finally satisfied with the result and hoped that Ash would be ready to cooperate.

Unable to take a decision even after midnight, she had done what she always did before taking a decision at work. She had drawn a pros and cons chart and rated the benefits versus the drawbacks. She would not only get back her job but a far better one than she had aspired for the first five years of her career. Plus she would be able to pay off her apartment and keep the rest to buy herself a fancy car; something she had always wanted. And finally, she would be spared the humiliation of having her apartment seized from her at the inability to pay off her debts.

The real challenge was to bear Ashton for a duration of five whole months. And not only tolerate but pretend to be in love with him. Talk about an ordeal! That was why she had drawn up the list; it was going to be difficult enough to pretend to like him but she must have some kind of compensations to make goo-goo eyes at him.

She had tried not to be too greedy or exigent in her conditions as even if she hated him with every pore of her entire being, she knew that Ashton had been kind enough to make her an offer which could save her from ruin. Initially she had been surprised. Why the hell would the great arrogant Ashton Cooper be offering her a job for? Well, she had known that his company was facing some problems but anybody could fix those business issues. She was not the only one qualified and adept for the job.

When he had asked her to pose as his girlfriend, to say she had been surprised would be an understatement. Astounded most probably. Why would he want her to be his girlfriend? From what she had heard, Ashton had a new woman in his life every month and needed no hired girlfriend. When he had explained the reason why he had picked her up, she had not known whether to feel flattered or insulted.

It was flattering to know that she was the only woman who could resist Ashton Cooper but to go as far as paying her to be his pretend girlfriend was something that bothered her. She was too busy counting her benefits to wonder too much about the reason why it rattled her. It left her with no choice than to murder her self-respect; she would worry about that later. For now, her analysis proved that the benefits surpassed the losses and she had decided to give it a go.

Come to think of it however, she realized that she had no choice but to accept the offer Ash had proposed to her. While she understood that he was only using her for his own advantage, it was certainly the best thing for her as well. It was going to be a symbiosis process; both depending entirely on each other for their survival.

Consequently, she had established certain rules before things go out of hand with Ashton. Well, she knew that he would not cheat on their agreement but things tended to go haywire with him. Especially when both of them were concerned.

Another glance at the clock made her heart miss a beat as she realized Ashton would be arriving any minute now. She of course labeled her feeling as anticipation and nothing else.

At the sound of her doorbell, her heartbeats were now chaotic and she hastily opened the door to a casual looking Ashton. She gulped at the sight of him. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a vee-shaped neckline which molded against his body showing his muscled body to perfection. His wet hair indicated that he had recently showered and smelled heavenly of a very expensive after shave. Despite themselves, her fingers itched to feel his hair and she had to clench them into a fist to control them. Taking a step backwards, she let him in with an offhanded smile and closed the door behind him.

“Hey,” he greeted her awkwardly.

And it seemed bizarre. Usually it was “if it isn’t the high and mighty princess” or “what did I do to deserve meeting you again” or something along the same line. Selena swallowed hard at the awkward feeling that installed within her.

“Hey yourself,” she greeted back and smiled tentatively at him.

How the hell was they supposed to convince their family that they were dating if they were so polite and reserved in each other’s company? They had to make a better effort than that.

“Do you want some breakfast?” she asked him trying to dissolve the tension that had emanated in the atmosphere and he seemed to hesitate.

Finally he nodded in a positive answer and she hurried into the kitchen glad of the moment of reprieve. Panting, she leaned against the sink trying to get her heart back into its normal drive; what the hell was happening to her?

With trembling hands, she tossed the remaining omelet and dumped it into the already hot frying pan. She had just prepared herself an omelet and everything was ready for the cooking. Even as she stirred the egg, she reckoned that Ashton wasn’t that bad if he had offered her such a generous offer. She knew that he was also benefiting from it but he was starting to appeal to her in a totally different light when he was saving her despite himself.  He was almost her knight in shining armor. Almost.

“Do you like your egg well-cooked?” she shouted from the kitchen and jumped when she heard his voice right behind her.

“Do you mind not sneaking behind me like that,” she cried exasperatedly as she balanced the frying pan in her hand and at the same time felt another hand on hers to steady the recipient.

“Careful,” he said standing close behind her.

The moment was electric. Everything froze as she stared at the hand nearly covering hers and sensations zinged through her. It was not as if she had never touched Ashton before. But every time she had done it, she had been so blinded with anger, frustration or rebuke that she had never associated the feelings with anything else.

Now gone was the anger. Gone was the frustration. Gone was the admonition. But the sensations were more pronounced than ever.

When she finally focused, she tried to remover her hands and stepped back quickly but the action served only to get closer to him since he was standing right behind her. As her back touched his chest, she shivered at the feeling of awareness that sizzled through her and unable to resist her eyes flew to his in order to gauge whether he was feeling the chemistry too.

With apprehension, she met his eyes and the expression which stared back at her from the grey depths was unfathomable. She was relieved. Ashton was not feeling the sexual tension she was feeling. Relief was what made her heart sank, wasn’t it? It felt more like disappointment though and she chided herself for being such a fool. He was the enemy. She should never forget that. What the hell was she doing having sensations for the enemy?

With a new resolution, she broke eye contact and missed the expression in Ashton’s eyes when she looked away. Trying for composure, she switched off the pan and transferred the cooked egg to a plate.

“Here you go!” she said and was glad that her voice reflected none of her inner turmoil.

When he took the plate from her, he made sure their hands did not meet at all and Selena could not help feeling confused. Why would he do that? Had he felt something too and was trying to avoid touching her?

As if reading her mind, he said. “Limit touching. Wasn’t that the first condition of your list?”

Selena looked at him in surprise before remembering that she had left her list in the living room and he must have picked it from there on his way to the kitchen. Her famous list. As he removed it from his pocket, she tried to grab it from him but he was quicker. Keeping the paper out of reach, he moved away from her before reading.

“Number two: No abuse, no foul words,” he read and nodded. “I agree.”

“Number three: No sex,” he paused and looked at her with a puppy expression which was more teasing than pleading and she shrugged trying not to show him any emotions.

“Number four: If deals fall out for any reason, I get to keep the job.” He cocked his eyebrows at that but went on without any comments.

“Number five: If deals fall out for any reason, I get to keep the engagement ring.” The eyebrows got higher if that was possible but still no comments.

“Number six: If deals fall out for any reason, I get to keep the cash.” At that, he stopped reading and looked at her with a mocking expression. “Not money-minded, are you?”

Selena felt insulted. How dared he judge her like that? If she was working to be his girlfriend, then she believed that she deserved the money she was getting from him. And besides, it wasn’t already so unfair that he was loaded and she was from a modest family.

Even if she worked all her life, she would never be able to amass as much money as the Cooper family; not that she was envious but it still mattered to her. So when she was able to benefit from a harmless transaction, why should he think the worst of her? And anyway, he was the one who had initiated that very deal! The asshole!

“Don’t judge me, Ashton. I don’t care what you think of me. And please I would appreciate if you keep your snide remarks to yourself. Do I make myself clear?”

It had not been her intention to get angry but she was having a difficult time to control her emotions. It was always like that with Ashton; he affected her where it mattered the most. He seemed a bit surprised at her snappy retort but his next expression contained some acknowledgement of his unfair comment and Selena decided to let him go.

“This is the last time you’re attacking me or my personality. The next time you try to demean me, I swear the deal is off.”

“Okay, okay,” he recapitulated. “I didn’t know you were so susceptible to my taunts.”

She sighed. If that wasn’t another taunt. He would never change; she was the one who should ignore him completely. So she remained silent and Ash appeared sheepish.

“Okay, forget I said that. Old habits die hard, sweetheart.”

“Right,” she answered with pure venom in her voice but determined not to rise to his bait.

It kind of restored their initial relationship however and all awkwardness or tension was gone now leaving only anger and hate. In some way, it made her feel better; anything than the initial sexual tension that she had been feeling at his closeness. It would be so humiliating if Ashton found out that she fancied him.

Well, she did not. Fancy him that is. It must have been her over aging hormones, she decided. Ashton Cooper was an overly handsome man; so sexy that Selena found it unfair that God has bestowed so much sex appeal in only one man. He was too sexy for his own good. But Selena had never fancied him since she had never paid attention to his physical attributes, usually too busy to find a response to his goading.

That was why the attraction has caught her unaware and she tried not to make too much of it. It was probably a one-off thing that will never happen again. There was no way in hell she could be attracted to the man.

“Number seven,” he continued reading as if he had not just insulted her. “If deals fall out for any reason, nobody gets to know the truth and by default Ashton is the culprit.”

Well, he himself had wanted her to paint him blacker than the devil.

He grinned. “Now that is something I agree with you completely.”

She rolled her eyes without responding.

“Last condition. Number eight: The last day of the deal is exactly five months from now, the eighteenth of December.”

He frowned. “What if we haven’t broken up yet?”

“Well, that is why I have included a deadline. You are into project management, you should plan for such kind of stuff. At the start of December, we start to input problems in our relationships so that it is obvious to everyone. Then we patch and make up and decide for the wedding. Then you break up with me.”

It was feasible enough for her. What was important was that they had the core strategy. They could work on the details later on.

“Okay for all your conditions, we’ll work out on the details later.”

“Ditto! Now let’s buy me an engagement ring!”

                                                   **************************

Selena was almost laughing at the expression on Ashton’s face. It was the sixth jewelry shop and she still hadn’t found her engagement ring yet. Her companion looked ready to murder her and she was having the fun of her life. It was payback time for having tortured her so much ever since she had dared refuse his advances in high school.

When she had joined Applegate high school, she had recently moved from Denver and she had just discovered that her father had been having an affair with his secretary of half his age. When her mother had found out about the deception, she had tried to save her marriage but her father had been determined if the exact opposite.

Finally defeated, Nora had taken her fifteen year old girl and moved in with her sister Aimee. Selena could never forget that period in her life and unfortunately, Ashton had decided to act like the asshole he was. And asked her out. She had tagged him like her own father and had impolitely declined his advances not ready for a relationship at that time.

Sometimes, she wished she had taken up his suggestion and gone out with him. It would have turned her into a female Ashton instead of her being such a stuck-up virgin with no prospective of relationship whatsoever. The only stable relationship she was getting was a paid relationship; what kind of pathetic person that made her?

“I don’t understand what is wrong with this ring,” he was saying frustrated unaware of the thoughts going on in her head.

She was having the time of her life.

“It’s too flashy. I don’t like the three diamonds that are almost like a clover more than a diamond,” she pouted and was glad to see the impatience in Ashton’s eyes.

“Okay,” he sighed heavily. “What about I give you the money and you buy yourself whatever you want. I'll give you my credit card and you pick anything you want. Of any price.”

Selena pouted even more posing as if to think but already knowing that she would refuse him. She was not that money-minded that Ashton wanted to tag her as. She did not care about the price and the only reason she had asked to keep the ring was that she loved jewelries and became attached to them very quickly. Something Ashton had no need of knowing.

“Oh come on, Ashton. We’ll have a story to tell your family when they asked us questions about our relationship. They would find it so romantic I swear.”

He sighed and she could feel his shoulder slumping in defeat. She had him there! If it was going to be like that, she was already glad that she had accepted his offer. No one had pampered her that much and even if it was only make-belief, it was making her feel good.

“Tell you what, let’s go back to the first shop. I think I will take the solo diamond ring; the one I had almost made you buy.”

“But you said it was not glistering enough for a diamond and almost embarrassed me in front of that salesman.”

She grinned sheepishly. “It was not my fault that it looked so dull.”

It had not only been dull because of the diamond cut and Selena had listened to the salesman awkwardly explaining to her about the design. Finally taking pity on the man, she had decided that she would eventually buy that ring. But not after torturing her sworn enemy for having insulted her as being money-minded.

She did not like the ring however. Not that it mattered. It was not as if Ashton was madly in love with her and wanted her to have the ring of her choice. He was only humoring her because he wanted to find one as soon as possible to clear any doubts if anyone questioned them. Unknowingly, she find herself wishing that it was for real. Ashton was in love with her and was offering her the engagement ring out of love for her.

She heard him sigh louder. “What now?”

“What?” she asked puzzled.

“You get that look on your face when you want something and cannot voice it out. If you want that expensive ring we saw in the third or fourth store I  have no objections. Let’s take it.”

“Nooo,” she cried. She hated that ring. It was too grandiose for her taste.

“Right,” he barked pinching his nose and trying to control his temper by the look of it. “I’m getting impatient now. Just pick the one you like best and let’s be done with it, okay.”

Wrinkling her nose at his tone, she picked up the ring in the first store; the one which was dull-looking. It was the best choice because it would serve as reminder of the pretend relationship between herself and Ashton. And she could return it back to him if she wanted out anyway since she did not like it, she doubted she would get attached to the ring.

If Ashton was surprised at her choice, he did not contest it this time. It was all for the best anyway; he was in a hurry to get over the ring expedition and she could understand him. Trying to tamper down the dark feelings inside her heart, she beamed purposefully at the salesman before announcing that she wanted the dull looking ring finally. Looking at the ring a second time, Selena gritted her teeth to show her appreciation and knew that she had not found the perfect ring because she was with the wrong man for all the wrong reasons.