MACY

For once I actually looked refreshed and alive on a Monday morning for work. I might not have had my escort position anymore but I still had my job at the publishing house. I had just been promoted to one of the leading editors thanks to the sky rocketing sales of my cousin's book which I had edited and helped publish.

I looked forward to being out of the house after spending almost all of my weekend indoors. The dry walls were beginning to bore me and I was driving myself insane trying not to call Axel every five minutes. It wasn't about desperation for a job anymore but more about trying to track his sorry ass down so I could decapitate him.

I hated the malevolent thoughts that crept into my head whenever I thought of him but he drove me absolutely insane. If this carried on I would be adding the fees of a psychiatric ward to my list of debts as well. I decided that after work this afternoon I would pay him a visit at his bakery. He couldn't avoid me forever and he definitely couldn't run away at his own place of work so the plan was perfect.

'Greenstone Publishing House' office building came into view. The tall skyscraper that seemed to be made completely of glass was an intimidating sight and the people who worked there were just as bad. You had to have some tough skin to use them as an agent especially since their critiques were nothing short of harsh but honest. It's part of how I was hired. I found a job that welcomed my absurd, harsh behavior instead of willing me to change.

My dad pulled up his vehicle to the entrance, bidding me a quick goodbye before I left him. He made sure to carve out time in his day to drop me off at work and pick me up whenever I was done. He was my personal cab service and the best part was the fact that I got the family discount. Not having to spend on transportation saved me a massive whole in my pocket which made me ecstatic.

Entering the building, I made my way through the lobby with was set into a classic business lounge layout. The elevator was filled to the brim with people as we rode up to our different floors. Luckily for me, I worked on the fifth floor so I didn't have to be stuffed in with everyone breathing in the same stale air for too long.

The receptionist, Shelby, greeted me with a warm smile as I stepped out of the elevator. We had become fairly acquainted during my time of working at the publishing house. She always knew the latest office gossip and had developed the habit of conveying the gossip to me the moment she heard it.

That's why I kept my personal life far away from her.

Once in my office, I shut the door and made my way to my extremely comfortable and new office chair. Along with my promotion came a brand new office with brand new furniture and a name plate on the door that read 'Macy Smith' in italics. Lying on the mahogany office table were multiple stacks of scripts that were accepted to be published and waiting to be edited. It was a painstakingly slow process but it was worth the while.

Time escaped me as the day went on and pretty soon it was lunch time. I made no effort to leave the comfort of my office knowing that Shelby would order us some food and bring it in with her daily dose of office gossip. Shelby was comical and good company to have since she were only about a year younger than me but sometimes I felt as if she worked in the wrong field. She would most definitely fit in as the host of 'The Morning Show'.

"Mace, girly, get your ass off that chair and help me out." Shelby groaned through my closed office door. I could only imagine how much food she ordered if she couldn't even open a door.

Laughing to myself, I rolled my office chair out from behind my desk and then rolled all the way to the door to open it. Shelby stepped in holding a bag of Italian food in one hand and a cardboard holder with two coffees slotted in in the other hand. She shook her head in disapproval when I rolled my way back behind my desk and began to clear a portion of the manuscripts out so that we could eat.

Shelby placed the contents of her hands onto the cleared portion of the table before pulling out two containers of Alfredo pasta from the bag she brought in. The scent of the pasta aroused my senses and had me salivating.

"So have you heard about the skinny brunette. You know the one, she's the new intern or something." Shelby began as she took a seat opposite me, "Apparently she only got the internship because her mother and the CEO of Greenstone Publishing has an untold history. If you ask me, I bet they're still shanking up as we speak to repay him for giving her daughter the job. I don't see how she hasn't been fired yet considering she messes up everything." She slurped pasta into her mouth and chewed hastily so she could continue her rant, "Just the other day she dropped coffee all over my new white dress. A WHITE DRESS!"

I snickered under my breath, "You need to calm down before you choke."

"I'd like to choke her."

I quirked an eyebrow at her in amusement, "Oh, I didn't know you liked it like that. Since when do you bat for the other team?"

A scowl set itself on Shelby's face but it didn't last for too long because seconds later her lips cracked into a smile, "I would totally bat for the other team for that blonde working in finance. She has a figure I could die for."

I cringed at the thought. The blonde didn't even look that appealing but I've come to realize that Shelby and I had much different taste in what we liked. Considering my only company had always been Lacy, it made me assume that I was the wild card but after meeting Shelby I realized that there were crazier people out there than me and in some kind of alternate universe I might even me considered sane.

"Anyway," Shelby waved a hand dismissing the previous conversation to start a new one, "You weren't suppose to come in today. Weren't you suppose to be on leave? You work so much over time that it gives me a headache."

I shrugged in response. Shelby did not know of my situation and I planned to never tell her. However, I had about three months paid leave waiting for me to scoop up and enjoy but I found myself slogging into work every morning. There was no doubt that I enjoyed what I did but I was that person that you would find in her office even on the weekends just because I had no life and needed the money.

"I'll take my leave soon. I took some of it for my cousin's wedding, remember?" I asked, thinking back to the wedding that never really happened.

"You kept taking half days. You still made sure you dragged your tiny behind into the office so that doesn't count. You need a proper vacation. Damn, I would even be happy if you decided to take your work home and do it with a tub of Rocky Road by your side." Shelby rolled her bright green orbs, pointing her fork at me in an almost threatening manner.

Returning her eye roll, I muttered, "I'll think about it."

The rest of my lunch break was spent listening to Shelby's never ending stories of how she spent her weekend. She was fond of hooking up with random strangers at least once a month stating that it brought some spice to her life. No matter how much I tried to comprehend the fact that people actually did the one night stand thing I couldn't understand what joy came from it.

STD's yes but no joy whatsoever.

The day progressed smoothly and quickly after lunch. I had already completed editing one manuscript and decided to take one home with me so I could finish my work ahead of time. Once the clock struck five o' clock, I was ready to hightail myself out of the office and wait downstairs, in the lobby, as I always did for my dad until my cellphone's ringtone filled the silence of the room.

A number that I recognized to be from the United Kingdom flashed upon the screen. I wasn't the type of person who would usually answer an unknown number and I especially hated when people put their cellphones on private but something made me swipe to answer this call.

"Sunshine?" An English accent filled my left ear with a questioning tone. An accent I recognized all too well.

"I'm not your Sunshine!" I said in a clipped tone. It wasn't even half a minute into the call and I already wanted to punch him through the phone. I couldn't help the wave of relief that washed over me knowing that he got back to me but I wouldn't let him know that.

"Whatever you say." I could practically envision his cocky smirk that created a weird tingling feeling in the pit of my stomach. "I didn't know if you called me or not but if you did and I didn't answer then I'm sorry. It's because I'm in England, miles away from you and I had to switch to an English number." His apology sounded almost heartfelt but I wasn't about to fall for his tricks.

"I did phone you," I said truthfully, "but when I didn't get ahold of you I moved on with my life and decided to forget you ever existed." I lied through my teeth but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"That's a real shame, Sunshine." He dragged out the last word just because he could, "What are you doing? I mean, are you busy?" His voice sounded hushed, as if he didn't want anyone to hear him so his voice came out in a low whisper.

"I'm at work but I'll be heading home soon."

"Work?" His question came out sternly, his playful mood disappearing and being replaced with something I couldn't put a finger on just yet. He sounded borderline angry and confused, maybe even sad. "I thought I told Chase to let you go!" He gritted out.

"It's funny how you think you can just pop that big head of yours into my life and then start dictating what I can and cannot do." I laughed cynically, in an attempt to calm the raging storm that brewed within me. If he weren't across an entire sea I would have hit him over the head with a steel baseball bat by now.

"God damn it, Macy!" He growled lowly in a husky voice. Rustling could be heard as well as his heavy breathing, "It's for your own good. That isn't a line of work that you should even be considering. I'm just trying to do what's right."

"What's right?" I whisper yelled, making sure no one outside my office could hear me, "Why don't you try minding your own God damn business Churchill?"

"I am minding my own business." He deadpanned.

"No you aren't. You're minding my business." I retorted.

"You are my business, Sunshine." Axel murmured more to himself than to me. His words took me off guard. I wasn't certain if he intended for me to hear them or not but since I did everything went silent. We both refrained from speaking until he decided to remind me off his offer once again. "I phoned to ask if you were interested in working with me instead. I would pay you whatever Chase paid you and you wouldn't have to entertain those bloody morons all the time."

"And how do you suppose I work for you when you're all the way in England?" I scoffed.

"Simple, come to England. I bet you would like it here. The weather is as cold as your attitude toward me." He sarcastically chimed.

Although he couldn't see me I still did an eye roll at his lame attempt of a joke, "I have an actual job you know. I can't just pack up and leave whenever I feel like." I snapped, although the idea of going to England sounded appealing especially since Shelby not too long ago tried to convince me to take a vacation.

"Where do you work?" He asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Greenstone Publishing House."

"How convenient." He sounded gleefully merry about my answer, "I know the owner, he lives in London and the brunch in California is run by one of his apprentices. I'm sure I could convince him to give you some time off. Paid leave of course!"

"What? No!" My voice cracked in the end due to the bewilderment.

Axel seemed to know everyone!

"Why not?" He pressured on.

"Because, well..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. Biting down on the inside of my cheek I breathed, "I have leave but I won't be able to leave the country."

I couldn't believe that I was actually contemplating going to England. I had no idea where I would stay or how I would get there with no cash but the idea alone sounded exhilarating. My life was a constant routine which I rarely strayed from. I had never left the state I was born and brought up in let alone the country. The experience would be new to me and I desperately needed something new because my life lacked the spice it needed.

"Why won't you be able to leave? Don't you have a passport?" He asked clearly baffled.

"No, I do have one." Although I had never left the country I had made one just in case an opportunity did arise. A small part of me hoped that one day my boss would decide to take me along with him to the many conferences that were held around the world but of course he took only the most attractive woman he could find.

Which was never me!

"Then what's the excuse now? You have leave, you have a passport, what could possibly be holding you back beside your obvious hatred for me?" He didn't give me a chance to reply to him, pausing just for a second before blurting the next thought that popped into his head out, "I know you need the job because you need the money so if it's the money that's stopping you from coming then relax. I'm paying for everything and your accommodation would be taken care off."

His offer seemed too good to he true so I couldn't stop myself from asking, "What's the catch?" No one would do so much for a person and not expect something in return.

"There's no catch. If you want to pay me back then I could just deduct it off your salary every month." His nonchalant tone surprised me.

"Look, I either work for you in California or I don't work for you at all." My tone held conviction but no matter how hard I tried to stand my ground he kept pressuring me to tell him why.

How could I possibly tell him that my debt needed to be paid first before I could be legible to leave the country? How do I tell him that I could get a lawsuit filed against me if I left without paying my debt? Why couldn't he just accept my demand and drop the topic? Why did he have to be so damn inquisitive?

Shelby popping her head into my office to alert me that my dad had arrived to fetch me gave me a chance to end the discussion Axel and I were having. He wasn't too thrilled about my excitement to end the call but he did leave me with one thing that I knew would nag my subconscious for the rest of the day.

"You don't have to tell me your reason, Sunshine." He timidly said, "Just know that I will find out one way or another and when I do I will stop at nothing to get you here, by my side. You may take that as a treat, warning or however else you could possibly take it but I will get you to England, I promise!" With that he ended the call.

The ride home was spent in silence, staring out the car window at the busy streets. People were in such a rush to get home after a long day of work, ready to kick back and relax with their families and other people they loved. The sun still seemed to be shining brightly as if the day would never end, it's warmth leveling the chill in the air and making the weather bearable.

My dad hummed along with the songs that played on the radio, now and then he would sing out a few lines but considering his deep and husky voice he preferred not to sing.

The thought of Axel finding out the reason for me rejecting his offer stirred emotions inside of me that I didn't know I could feel. I felt like crying out of my own stupidity. The embarrassment of being so reckless consumed me. Showing my face to him would be a shameful act once he found out how stupid the girl with the smart mouth was.

I wasn't that girl anymore though. My habits of spending were curbed and my need to save automatically kicked in but he wouldn't see that. No one ever saw the good, it's always the bad they focused on and he too would only see my childishness instead of seeing how much I had grown from the turmoil.

But how would he find out?

I could not think of a possible way for him to find out my secret. Him keeping my secret of being an escort was more than enough, I didn't need him finding out more about me. If I didn't know better I would have assumed that he were trying to get to know me better, except he dipped his toes in the pond of all my misdeeds.

Him paying for everything only made me feel incapable. Without knowing it, in a way, he was controlling me. To him, he was only trying to help but to me it came across differently. The more he wanted to do things for me the more I felt as if in some strange way he thought he owned me. His simple threat alone made me realise that I had to bend to his every command if I had to work for him, especially if he dragged me all the way to England.

However, something in me yearned to go to England and see him. Knowing that we were so far away from each other gave me bliss but a dismal feeling crept it's way in, soaking into me and inevitably overcoming all other emotions. I couldn't understand why the fact of him being so far away from me saddened me but I did understand that I didn't like it one bit.

Axel was, is, and forever will be my enemy. An attractive, annoying, egotistical jerk of an enemy and so I had to keep that in mind to prevent Lacy's words from coming true. Axel could never like me and I definitely couldn't form a liking of any kind toward him.

"Macy, let's go in." My dad's voice cut through my thoughts.

Realisation of finally reaching our destination hit me. With a courteous nod, I exited the car and made my way up the porch steps with my dad following closely behind. His eyes watched me like a hawk watching it's prey. The moment I was willing to finally disclose whatever bothered me my dad would swoop in and be there.

Once we entered the house, my dad and I noticed my mom pacing back and forth in the lounge, her eyes scanning a paper that she held tightly in her hands. Her head snapped in our direction when she heard our footsteps enter.

"Mind telling me what this is!" She demanded, holding the piece of paper up in her right hand as her left hand rested on her hip.

Everything around me stilled. My heart rate thrummed in my ears as I recognised the letter I had been waiting for for the past week. The letter regarding my debt collection!

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