Chapter IV

It's been a week since Ariana was given a free ticket out of her problems, and with all the sleepless nights of indecisiveness to seek the man out, she knew it was now or never.

She had just gotten a call from the hospital managing her sister's case letting her know that she needed to make a deposit so they could schedule the operation as soon as possible because her sister's condition was deteriorating.

Pacing the length of her bedroom, she palmed her phone with the complimentary card dangling in between her fingers.

'Maybe he's just a good Samaritan" she thought to herself.

It was a fact that this Callum guy unnerved her with his mere presence and though she couldn't pinpoint what is was exactly, there was definitely something peculiar about the man that made her heart flip in a way it shouldn't.

Tired of pacing, she dialed the number.

"Who's this?"

The voice on the other end of the phone snapped Ariana out of her thoughts. His tone was impatient and she knew she needed to speak fast before he hung up and became unreachable.

"Hey, it's Ariana from the hospital" She cringed at her odd introduction. The line was quiet for a few seconds before she heard him speak again.

"Oh hi. You decided to reach out." Callum said sheepishly

Ariana rolled her eyes at his greeting. His voice sounded husky so she guessed he had just woken up and upon hearing the ruffling of sheets, her mind took an unintended dirty turn as she imagined the man's state of undress.

"Did you just call to hear my voice or you have something to tell me Ari?"

For some weird reason hearing him call her Ari was so endearing and made her feel warm. Like maybe he did care.

"I need your help, Mr Guerrero" She released an audible sigh that didn't go unnoticed by Callum.

"Do you know Cage Nightlife?"

The club was a famous name in Manhattan so he expected her to have at least heard of it.

"I am new to the city but I'm sure I can figure out the location" She mumbled.

"Good. Meet me there in two hours and let's have a conversation. Just say your name at the entrance when you get there"

"Okay sure I'll see you there. Thanks"

"Anytime".

.......

Callum looked at himself in the mirror for the hundredth time, eyes darting around his office to see if she had arrived.

"It's just a talk, snap out of it" he chided himself.

Taking his seat, there was a soft knock on the door and he rose from his seat. Knowing it had to be her from how soft the knock was, he pulled the door open and his gaze met the familiar set of innocent eyes.

Her enthralling appearance caught his attention. Dressed in a low rise pair of jeans and a basic top that showed off her beautiful shoulders, he had to mentally remind himself not to stare like a creep.

"Hi, Good afternoon Sir" Ariana said with a low voice.

"Sir?...I thought were passed this, call me Callum. Come on in". Callum's hot gaze trailed after her as she strode into his office.

"Please have a seat. Make yourself comfortable". He shut the door and took a seat beside her.

"Thank you". Ariana said as she straightened the non existent creases on her outfit. For some reason, their closeness made her skin hot. Mentally trying to calm herself down because she knew he was her only resort at the moment.

"Hope your knee feels better?". Callum asked in genuine concern.

Ariana nodded. "The pain meds really helped. I could say it's almost completely healed"

"I'm glad to hear that." Callum said with his charming smile on full display.

She is too beautiful for her own good. He chuckled inwardly at his own train of thought.

"So what is it you had to talk to me about?"

Her eyes looked all around the room but Callum knew it was because she was just finding it ard to open up to him. Whatever brought her to his office must be a very serious situation.

"I need...your help please" She stammered

Callum nodded, urging her to go ahead. "How can I be of help?"

"My sister was involved in a ghastly accident and .... I'm in need of some money to pay for an operation the doctor said would improve her chances of survival. I will pay you back i promise. I am new in this city and i've been unable to get a job. I literally have no one to support me. Please" she blurted out.

Looking at her, Callum could see tears pooling in her eyes.

"I see you own this club, I don't mind working for you to pay off the debt" Ariana continued to plead.

Callum watched her carefully as she rumbled in apprehension. Poor thing, physically she was a good fit for a bottle girl but deep down he doubted that she had the grit needed for club work.

Personally, Callum didn't want her working in Cage because he didn't want other men looking at her. Call it possessiveness but he wanted her far away from the prying eyes of his male patrons.

He knew that she was desperate and would most likely be willingly to accept what he was about to propose. Unquestionably he knew it was low of him to use the girl's weakness to his advantage but he knew he was running out of time. That damn seal from his grandfather came with a deadline and he knew his hands were tied.

" I think we can help each other out Ariana. I need a favor too. More like a proposal actually".

Ariana looked up at him, her gaze skeptical as she wondered what he could possibly want from her.

"What?" She asked warily.

Callum pulled out a file from his drawer and placed it in front of her. He had made his lawyer draft up a contract as soon as he got off the phone with her earlier. He hoped it would work out in his favor.

Unmindful of what was going on, Ariana peered at him before proceeding to take a peek at what was written in the documents in the file.

"Everything you need to know is in there." Callum pointed at the file before her.

What she read on the first page was enough to make her give up. She slid the file towards him and rose to her feet. She scolded herself internally for actually believing this man would help her without any strings attached.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time Sir but I can not do this" Ariana intoned.

Within logical reasoning, Callum knew the strong headed girl would not accept such a proposal easily so he came prepared.

"Is that your final decision?" he asked before she could walk out of the office.

He rose to his feet and moved over to where she was now standing. Noticing her slight shudder from their mere closeness, he knew she was equally as affected as he was. It would make this a lot easier if she could just sign the papers.

" We both need each other here, so what's stopping you from accepting my proposal?"

Ariana tensed as he invaded her personal space even more. She stepped back to severe the foreign shiver that washed over her. He wasn't even touching her and yet her body responded to his presence in a way it had never before.

"You need money for something urgent and I also need to find a wife urgently so I don't see what the issue is. You'll just be my wife on paper. No strings attached, quite frankly you're not my typical type"

Hurt by his statement, Ariana made another attempt to leave before changing her mind.

"You will need a good actress to undertake such a task and believe me I'm not the potential candidate for that job."

He waved her off. "Don't worry, it's in your nature as a woman to be dramatic, you'll develop that potential soon."

Ariana bristled at his words and was going to give her final verdict and then leave when her phone rang. Hastily, she pulled it out of her purse but upon seeing the caller ID, she didn't even have to pick to know why the doctor was calling her.

A myriad of conflicted emotions assailed Ariana as she contemplated her next move. After seconds on internal deliberation, she pulled the file towards her. Her fingers shook as she picked up the pen on his desk.

She had much sense and dignity to know that what she was about to do was highly stupid but death did not know dignity neither did it have any sense. If it did, she wouldn't be in this situation.

In the midst of fears and rising anger, she penned down her signature.

In apprehension, Callum watched as she scribbled her signature on the terms and conditions page.

To his outermost relief, she signed the other pages quickly and picked up the cheque on the last page of the file.

She put it in her bag and stood up. " I guess I will be seeing you around Mr Guerrero" Ariana said without humour before scurrying out of his office.

For a brief second, Callum stood there, his eyes wide in disbelief that it actually worked. He stared at the life altering file before him and felt bad for having to put her in the midst of his family drama.

Snapping out of his trance, Callum rushed out of his office with the file.

He had to see his lawyer for things to be set in motion as soon as possible. He needed to get what was due him.