Jeff stood under the chilly stream of the shower, feeling the cold water wash over him and provide some relief. His skin prickled as the contrast between the heat of the day and the coolness of the water enveloped him.
After Ann's departure, he knew he had to find a way to counteract the warmth seeping out of his body as a result of the alcohol. The shower served as a necessary means to help him regain composure and clarity.
After taking a long, hot shower, he felt the tension in his muscles ease, and a sense of relaxation washed over him.
As he stepped out of the shower, a wave of relief swept through him, leaving him feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
However, to his surprise, he suddenly realized that he had forgotten a change of clothes.
The only solution he could think of was to improvise. He hand-washed his underwear and hung it to dry in the bathroom.
Jeff figured that Ann wouldn't be returning until the next morning, so he should be fine sleeping butt-naked.
'My underwear should be dry by then; I'll call Ronald first thing in the morning to bring me a change of clothes.' With that thought, he happily went to bed.
Suddenly, it dawned on him. He needed to let Ronald know of his whereabouts. Jeff proceeded to contact Ronald before actually going to sleep.
Jeff gave Ronald a full account of what had transpired. He told him what he needed to be done during the contract signing; once he was satisfied that everything was in order, Jeff turned off his phone, lay down on top of Ann's bed and fell into a deep slumber.
***
Ronald was shocked after processing what Jeff had informed him. After hearing the full details, he was unable to go back to sleep.
He started searching for information about the girl his boss just married. He needed to make sure that this girl was not a con artist.
He's afraid that she knows Jeff is the CEO of Mega International Group and wants to scam him out of his money.
As his assistant and friend, he needs to protect his innocent boss, who is very inexperienced with women.
Unfortunately, Ronald was unable to find out anything about Jeff's fake wife, try as he might.
The only conclusion he could come up with was, 'She must not be from a well-known family; I can't find anything to save my life and my boss!' Ronald was anxious about his boss's new wife.
'Tomorrow, I will make sure to find out as much information as I can when she comes for the translation job.' Ronald told himself, trying to comfort his troubled mind.
Meanwhile, Jeff was too tired from the long flight from Asia. As soon as he lay down, he was in la-la-land.
He was in dreamland having a wet dream for the first time in his life when suddenly he felt a hand right where it's supposed to be.
A very smooth hand touched his little man. He wasn't sure if it was a dream or what, but it sure felt nice.
He just took it as a dream; in his subconscious mind, he knew Ann went up to stay at a friend's house for the night.
Jeff continued to enjoy the sensation he was feeling from Ann's hand. Thinking it was all just a dream.
Ann, on the other hand, didn't know what to do! It was too dark for her to see anything.
Unable to see in the dark, Ann was unsure if Jeff was asleep or awake. Slowly, she moved her hand away from the pole like a body part and tried to get up, when suddenly Jeff grabbed her and embraced her like a pillow.
'What now?' Ann was stunned and unable to move. She tried once more to move slowly, only to be pulled back into a tight embrace by the sleeping Jeff.
Ann knew that Jeff had no clothes on, so she didn't want to startle him and wake him up.
She contemplated it for a while and decided to wait, listening to Jeff's soft breathing, she was soon in deep slumber as well.
Jeff woke up after a couple of hours; he suddenly panicked to find that he was hugging a person and not a pillow.
His first instinct was to get up and turn the lights on, but he realized that he had no clothes on and couldn't use the bedspread. He and the other person were lying on top of the blanket.
He waited for a moment to let his eyes get used to the dark, still trying to figure out the contours of the person next to him.
Recognition dawned on his face; there was only one possibility: Ann, his fake wife, was back for the honeymoon.
Suddenly, Ann turned around facing him, still deep asleep. Jeff's heart started beating so fast, his mind went blank...
'What the heck! What do I do now?' His emotions were going haywire, his thoughts running in different directions; he didn't know if he should go for it or forget it.
Before going to bed, he had to take a cold shower due to the turmoil his body and mind were going through, Ann was now adding fuel to the fire by being in such close contact with him.
His body seemed to have its own account. He started to feel a part of it getting hard, hard, and a lot harder.
Jeff contemplated for a while; however, after deliberating for a while, he decided against it. He couldn't take advantage of this innocent girl lying next to him.
They barely knew each other, and he didn't want Ann to hate him for taking advantage of the situation.
He thought of the hard life Ann seemed to be experiencing; he had to do something for her to give her a better life.
'We can start by getting to know each other and go from there. I want her in my life forever. One way or another, this fake marriage will be a real one in the long run.'
Jeff promised himself.
Jeff gave Ann a light kiss on her lips and didn't want to stop there, but saner heads prevailed. Making sure not to wake her up, he went to the bathroom to once again cool off.
Once his body had calmed down and cooled off, he put his clothes back on, wet underwear and all, then laid back down next to his wife and went back to sleep.
***
Ann was the first to wake up and realized that she had been snuggling with Jeff all night.
Her face turned red with embarrassment. 'Even though we are married, this is not right. What would he think of me? He will think that I sneaked in here late at night on purpose so I can sleep with him. It's not good, Oh! It's too embarrassing. I better get out of here before he wakes up!'
Ann slowly removed Jeff's hand from hugging her. Jeff didn't do it consciously; it was an accident that they ended up curled up together until morning. At least, that was what Ann believed happened.
She took a quick shower and quietly got dressed, she tip-toed to the small table, picked up a pen, and jotted down a note for Jeff then left in a hurry.
[Sorry! Got to run. I'll see you later when I've finished the job.]
It was still early, but she didn't want to stick around in case Jeff woke up. Ann didn't know how to face Jeff. She was too embarrassed and ashamed of what happened the night before.
***
Jeff arrived at the hotel right before Ann without her knowing; He had already briefed his assistant Ronald on what to do next. Once he was confident that everything was in order, everything was clear and understood. He proceeded to the adjoining room and turned his laptop on to begin the contract signing.
They needed an excuse to give to the other party for why Jeff was unable to attend. The idea was, Jeff had caught a cold and didn't want to spread it to everyone.
Therefore, the contract signing would be done through a conference video call, and the other party agreed.
The translation finished to the point of perfection. Ann had fluently translated everything like she was speaking her native language, which left the other party fully satisfied.
As promised, she would receive a bonus for doing a perfect job. As soon as she received the payment, she bid Ronald goodbye and left quickly.
She couldn't wait to go home; she couldn't wait to share the good news with Jeff, who was supposed to still be in her apartment sleeping.
She had left in a hurry that morning, trying to avoid Jeff, but now she couldn't wait to see him.
On the way to the Bus stop for some odd reason, Ann felt like someone was following her.
When she turned and looked around, she didn't see anyone. "That was weird!" she mumbled to herself, then let it go and continued in the direction of the bus stop.