Masked Feelings Read online

  “Then will it be alright if I take you out for dinner?” The doctor suddenly called as Rose reached me. Rose's eyes widened, and she seemed disgusted by this proposal.

  “I'm sorry, but I have a girlfriend,” Rose told him as she hooked her arm with mine. The doctor's face fell. He nodded and walked in the opposite direction. I chuckled when I saw Rose's face.

  “Rose.” She turned to look at me. “I don't know how to tell you this,” I said seriously, making her frown.

  “What's wrong?” she asked, arms crossed as we stopped walking. I sighed dramatically, putting my hand on her shoulder.

  “I'm not a lesbian,” I said seriously, causing her to huff in annoyance. I laughed when she glared at me.

  “As if I was,” she mumbled. “Sweetheart, I only love dicks,” she said bluntly out loud. Some people who were passing by, turned to stare at us with wide eyes. Why wouldn't they?

  “Come on, let's go” I laughed. We made our way to the reception. The receptionist gave us a bright smile.

  “Hey girls, how are you?” she asked. Amanda has been working here for a long time and as I come to meet Tommy thrice in a week, we saw each other quite often.

  “We're pretty fine. What about you?” Rose asked with a smile on her face.

  “I'm good.” “We're going to see Tommy,” I told her. She nodded and motioned for us to go.

  “Go on. The little boy has been waiting since this morning,” she told me. Tommy knew I was coming today. I walked to the elevator, pulling Rose with me. As we stepped in, a doctor stepped as well. He seemed quite young and cute. A smirk plastered on Rose's face. She turned to stare at me and fanned herself.

  “He's hot,” she whispered. But seriously, it wasn't a whisper. I was pretty sure the doctor heard her. The door closed and we pressed on 5th floor.

  “Thank you,” the doctor said as he turned to look at us.

  “For pressing the button?” I asked confused. He chuckled and shook his head. His eyes went to Rose and again, he smirked.

  “You're hot as well,” he told her. I knew it. I knew that he heard. Rose was turning the color of a rose. I laughed, making her pinch my arm.

  “Who said we were talking about you?” Rose asked, tilting her head slightly to the left and raising one of her eyebrows. The doctor did the same but he wore an amused grin.

  The sexual tension was suffocating me in here!

  “Jace,” he said, extending his hand.

  “Rose,” Rose mumbled her name and shook his hand.

  Jace turned to me and I shook his hand as well.

  “Athena,” I told him, offering him a smile.

  “What are you doing here, girls?” he asked as he stared at us.

  He seemed to be a nice guy. Rose was staring at his pale blue eyes.

  “We're here to meet my little brother,” I told him.

  “His name?” he asked with a little frown.

  “Thomas Willams,” Rose said.

  Jace's eyes widened and he gave us a bright smile.

  “Hello, I'm his new doctor. Mr. Johnson retired yesterday,” Jace said.

  “He retired?” I asked with wide eyes. Why? He was a pretty good doctor and I trusted him with my brother. What about Jace? I don't even know if he’s capable.

  “Don't worry. I'll take good care of Thomas,” Jace said, offering a reassuring smile.

  I took a deep breath as the elevator stopped and we got out of it. We made our way to Tommy's room and I saw Rose looking for something in her bags.

  “What are you looking for?” I asked as I reached the door.

  “The cakes that we bought for him,” she said as she bit on her lips in concentration, shuffling things around in her bag. Finally, she pulled out some plastic bags containing different types of cakes. I smiled as I pushed the door open. There, on the little bed, I saw my brother talking with one of the nurses. Talking? No. More like arguing.

  “Spiderman is better than Hulk,” he said with finality in his words. The nurse huffed, faking disagreement.

  “Hulk is better. He is green,” The nurse said. I chuckled lightly, causing both of them to turn to look at me. “We'll talk about this later,” she then told him with a wink and gave us a bright smile as she left the room.

  “Athena! I missed you.”

  I wrapped my arms around his little body and pecked his forehead.

  “I missed you too, big boy,” I whispered.

  I moved so Rose could hug the hell out of him. And she did.

  “Auntie! You're choking me,” Tommy shouted. Rose gasped and pulled away.

  “What did I tell you about calling me Auntie?” Rose asked, trying to sound intimidating.

  “That it makes you feel old,” Tommy mumbled. Rose nodded. “But you are old,” Tommy exclaimed as he pulled the bag of cakes to him.

  “I'm only twenty-six!” Rose exclaimed after huffing.

  “Athena is twenty,” Tommy said, giving me a bright smile and then he stuffed his mouth with a chocolate muffin.

  “Tommy, slow down with the cake,” I said as I handed him a tissue paper. He nodded.

  “She's too young,” Rose said.

  Jace, the doctor, stood at the end of the bed staring at Tommy's documents. He had a frown on his face. Just as I was about to ask him if everything was okay, my phone rang. I ignored Tommy's and Rose's bickering. I pulled out my phone and saw Jerry's number flashing on screen.

  “It's an important call. I'll take it,” I told them and walked out of the room. I pressed on the answer button. “Hello?” I said as I sat on the bench in the corridor.

  “I need you to work tonight,” he said, sounding breathless. He went straight to the point.

  “I'm really tired, Jerry.” I sighed. “In two days, I had only two hours of sleep.” I explained.

  “Please. Then I'll give you three days off,” he said, trying to make a deal. It seemed good enough.

  “Deal. I'll be there in two hours. I'm spending some time with Tommy,” I told him.

  “It's six right now,” he said. “Take your time. I'll need you here by ten,” he said, making me smile.

  “Thank you, Jerry,” I said, closing my eyes.

  Since when did my life become so complicated?

  “Anything for you, sweetheart,” he said. “Tell the little boy that Uncle Jerry will visit him soon and I miss him,” he told me. Jerry absolutely loved Tommy.

  “Will do. See you in a few,” I said.

  “See you later.” With that, I ended the call and walked back into the room. I told Rose that I'll be working tonight too and she simply stared at me in concern and nodded. We spent two hours with Tommy before we left around eight to get ready for work...

  Chapter 4

  Back Again

  “Woah. You really seem tired.” Jerry concluded as we stepped in our dressing room.

  I glared at him while putting my bag on the counter.

  “What am I supposed to do tonight?” I asked, getting ready. Jerry turned his back to us so that he won't see us getting ready.

  “Another private dance?” he said hesitantly, making me freeze. What? I pulled on my shorts and walked up to him.

  “What did I say about private dances?” I asked in disbelief and anger. “Last night was an exception!” I exclaimed. He gave me a sheepish smile.

  “It's the same man from last night,” he said with a grin. Again. What?! That man who got me daydreaming in class was here again? The cold arrogant jerk wanted me to dance for him? Oh. That surely got my interest. “And now you're smiling.” Jerry pointed out. I quickly stopped smiling and glared at him.

  “I'm not,” I said, sticking my tongue out to mock him.

  “So? You'll do it?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I answered, trying not to meet his eyes. I could see a smirk on his face.

  “That man must have really gotten your interest.” Rose pointed out, earning a nod from Jerry.

  “Shut up,” I mumbled as I walked to the mirror and noticed how r
ed my cheeks were. Why did he want me to dance for him again? I put on my mask after putting makeup on my face.

  “You have a few minutes, rest a bit,” Rose told me as she motioned to the black leather couch in the corner of the room. I nodded and quickly ran to it, my body begging to rest a bit. As soon as I let my body fall on the couch, a sigh left my mouth and my eyes closed.

  “I really want to get under my blanket and sleep for days,” I whispered. When I felt myself starting to drift to dreamland, I quickly opened my eyes, blinking several times so that I wouldn't fall asleep.

  “You'll find your bed soon, sweetheart,” Rose said with a reassuring smile as Jerry called her out because it was her turn on stage. I was glad I didn't have to perform on stage today.

  “Vixen! Your client is here,” Jerry announced. I took a deep breath and stood up. “Same room,” he said. “The cameras are off.”

  “I wanna sleep,” I mumbled grumpily, staring at him. He chuckled and pushed me to the door.

  “You'll find your bed in less an hour,” he said. I walked to the room with a look of exasperation in my face. I opened the door with no motivation and determination to please the client, the hot client. I was tired and the only thing I was motivated to do right now was to sleep. I lifted my head and saw him sitting on the couch, wearing a smirk on his face when he saw me. He was wearing a grey suit and a black tie. His messy hair was fixed with gel on his head. He was freaking hot. He was sitting as if he owned the place. Well, with the amount of money that he seemed to have, he could easily own this place.

  “Isn't this a surprise?” I asked, with raised eyebrows, trying to pull off the surprise card. He gave me a grin and nodded.

  “I had nothing else to do,” he said. His voice dark and enticing. I crossed my arms over my chest and scoffed.

  “Well, today is supposed to be my day off and I had to come because someone requested my presence,” I told him glaring. The soft music began to play and I huffed. He stood up and walked to me. He stood there, staring at me as if I was an object on display.

  “Sweetheart,” he leaned near my ear and whispered, causing goosebumps to rise on my skin. “I didn't request. I demanded your presence,” he said as he pulled away to gauge my reaction.

  “After what happened yesterday, I thought you wouldn't want to see me again,” I said with confidence.

  “After that kiss, I definitely wanted to see you again,” he scoffed, making me go bright red.

  “I was actually pointing out the fact that I called you gay.” I snapped.

  “Or the fact that I called you a whore?” he added with an evil glint in his eye. I clenched my jaw but nevertheless, maintained my position.

  “Why did you want me here?” I asked with a sigh, closing my eyes for a few seconds. I was really tired. When I opened my eyes, I saw the red couch and it was as if it was calling me. “Would you mind if I sit?” I asked.

  “No,” he answered. I walked to the couch and sat down. I sighed in relief because I had a feeling that my legs couldn't support me anymore. I turned my attention to the hot stuff on the couch in front of me. “You know I paid for a private dance, not for you to sit,” he said, staring at me. I stared back at him with a smirk.

  “You said I wasn't good enough at it.” I watched as he smirked. “I'm tired.” I continued.

  “Good enough or not, I paid for a dance,” he said. I took a deep breath and started to stand but he motioned me to stop.

  “You want me to dance or not?” I asked in disbelief. This man was confusing.

  “I can see you're tired,” he said.

  “Since when do you care?” I scoffed. “Why are you even here? I mean I sincerely thought it didn't work yesterday,” I told him with a frown on my face.

  “Your dance didn't work. But your kiss did,” he said monotonously. I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying.

  “You're here because?” I asked, sitting back on the couch, slowly understanding what he was trying to say.

  “I need you to sleep with me,” he said. No, more like demanded it. My eyes went wide and when I finally processed what he said, I burst out laughing.

  “Please, tell me that you're joking.” I silently prayed that he was actually joking but there he was sitting in front of me, staring at me completely emotionless. “Are you freaking serious?!” I finally exploded. “I'm not a goddamn prostitute!” I exclaimed and went to slap the hell out of his face but he simply wrapped his hand around my wrists and pulled me down on him. I was breathing heavily as he buried his face in the crook of my neck and gently licked my skin, causing me to moan unwillingly.

  “See? Your body reacts to my touch,” he whispered. “You seem stressed and tired, and I need someone to make me forget. It's a win-win situation honey,” he said as he pulled away and settled me on his face. I clenched my jaw and tried to wrench my hand free but it was impossible.

  “There's something called a prostitute,” I spat and again tried to free myself but it didn't work. He was too strong.

  “Prostitutes don't make me hard,” he said bluntly. “I don't know why, but you do,” he simply said as if this conversation was freaking normal.

  “Do you realize how insane this is?” I asked, trying to sound calm when the only thing I wanted to do was to scream.

  “Not really. Again, it will be a win-win situation.” “You're stressed and in need of money while I'm in need of a sexual relationship,” he said.

  “To forget your ex-girlfriend?” I asked challengingly. He glared at me and leaned forward so his forehead was touching mine.

  “Exactly. I just need a bitch who'll let me release all this frustration,” he said, staring at me right in the eye.

  “And what made you think I want to sleep with you for money?” I asked, trying to prevent myself from exploding in anger.

  “You said it yourself. You're helpless and you hate this job,” he whispered as he buried his face in the crook of my neck again and sucked on my skin. I was still on his lap, with my legs on either side of his hips. I could feel him growing between my legs. I didn't even do shit and he was already hard. He did have a point. I hated this job. My eyes closed when he started licking, nibbling, sucking, and kissing the soft spot on my skin. When he realized that I was too lost in all the feelings I was getting, he slowly let go of my wrists and pulled my face to his. He stared right at me, lust clouding his gray eyes.

  He crashed his lips against mine, making me moan against his lips. I unknowingly started moving my hips on his hard on. He groaned against my lips and held my waist tightly. He bit my lips, causing me to part my lips slightly. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue in my mouth. Damn. He knew what he was doing. I could feel his hand travel from my waist to my shorts. I moaned when I felt him caressing me from outside of my shorts. He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine.

  “And you also like it,” he said with his usual smirk. I was breathing heavily, trying to process everything that just happened. I quickly got off his lap and stared at him.

  “You make me feel like a whore,” I mumbled before taking a deep breath. His lips were like drugs, and staring at him right now, I realized that I wanted to kiss him again.

  “Do you sleep with other guys?” he asked, standing up. I shook my head and glared at him.

  “Then you're not a whore.”

  “You're so freaking confusing!” I exclaimed, walking to the door. He grabbed my wrist to stop me.

  “Think about it. A relationship, purely sexual. No feelings involved,” he said. “It will do us both good. I need an answer tomorrow,” he said.

  “I'll think about it,” I told him, which seemed to satisfy him as he grinned. With that, I walked out of the room and sighed. It seemed way too tempting. It was not as if I was a virgin. I lost my virginity when I was sixteen. I'm not gonna say it was a mistake because I loved the guy and he loved me as well. We just fell out of love.

  Should I accept or not?

  Chapter 5
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  Negotiation

  “Yeah. He actually asked for sex,” I told Rose while staring at the ceiling.

  I had to go to work in two hours and I was feeling a lot better because I got to sleep last night.

  “How is he? Physically?” Rose asked from beside me.

  This was our ritual: lying in bed and gossiping before going to work.

  “Sexy as hell.”

  “Are you attracted to him?”

  “Obviously. He emphasized that he only needed a pure sexual relationship. Nothing more,” I told her.

  “Then accept,” Rose told me as if it was a simple matter.

  “I cannot accept that easily. I'll discuss with him tonight and then we'll see,” I told her with a sheepish smile.

  “Seriously, when was the last time you got laid?” Rose asked as she sat up and stared at me.

  “It's been a while.”

  “Then it will be good for you,” Rose said with a grin. “You'll get to release some stress and frustration, making you less bitchy,” she said with a wicked grin, making me gasp. I chuckled and threw a pillow on her face. Just then, my phone rang from under my pillow. I raised my head and looked for my phone. As soon as I got it, I let my head fall on the soft pillow again. A smile lit my face when I saw my sister's beautiful face on my screen. I quickly slid the answer button.

  “Good afternoon.” I heard my sister's soft voice greet with amusement. Rose smiled and motioned me to put the phone on loud speaker. Alena was really close to Rose and me.

  “Afternoon,” Rose and I greeted at the same time. I could hear my sister breathe in relief when she heard our voices.

  “Girls, I seriously miss you,” she said softly. We could hear people talking in the background. “Athena, please tell me you'll be coming to my wedding,” she pleaded. I could sense that she was upset. Rose glared at me as I was going to answer.

  “I'm still thinking about it, Lena,” I told her sincerely.

  “I can't believe you're reluctant to come to my wedding because of Mom and Dad!” she exclaimed. This time, I sighed. “I want you here. Rose will be with you.” She pointed out. Rose nodded eagerly with a bright smile on her face.