Chapter 5 I Offer Myself As A Repayment

"Carla, I'm not feeling very well. Can you catch up later, after we come back?"

Terence leaned in close to her ear and whispered with a smile, blowing hot breath into her face. His eyes were gleaming when he looked at Jena and nodded politely to her.

"I am sorry, but Carla and I have something urgent to do. We have to go now."

After he said that, Terence snaked his arm around her waist. Carla was taken by surprise. She twisted in protest and struggled in his arms as he forcefully led her towards the direction of the gate of the housing estate.

Most middle aged housewives like Jena were keen on gossiping and if Carla continued with the conversation, it wouldn't have ended for quite a while.

He didn't have the patience to wait anymore.

"Why did you do that?"

"What did I do? I didn't say that I was your boyfriend."

"But if I don't explain it all to her, Jena might think that you and I are..."

"Does it really matter that much, what other people think? It will do, as long as you and I know whether we are or not."

"No, it will not do. Jena is a terrible gossip. You just wait and see. Before tomorrow morning, everyone in this neighborhood will know that I brought a man back to stay with me overnight."

Carla and Terence continued bickering, even after they had left Jena. Neither of them was willing to make a compromise.

Terence raised his eyebrows as he glanced at Carla. She sounded like she was so eager to deny any romantic connection between the two of them. 'Would it be all that bad to have me as a boyfriend?'

After they got out of the hospital.

Carla sorted through all of the bills and handed them to Terence, who was following behind her.

She was unfortunate enough to have met him yesterday and to add insult to injury, Karen called her when she was at the hospital with him, cussing and yelling at her.

But thanks to her quick wit, she said that she had a minor accident and was still in the hospital and thus managed to muddle through the blame.

"Since we have come out of the hospital, we'd best say goodbye here. These are the bills I paid for you. So, I suppose we can find a bank now and you can withdraw the money and pay me back?"

Terence glanced at the stack of bills and swallowed hard. His dark eyes gleamed and the corners of his mouth twitched nervously.

"I don't have money."

"What?" ...

Carla flew into a rage. She didn't believe that he didn't have any money on him and without thinking she rushed forward and began to search him. How was it possible that he didn't have his cell phone, bank card or anything with him?

Terence didn't try to stop her. Instead, he raised his arms slightly to allow her to thoroughly check him.

"You saw what kind of situation it was yesterday. It was a moment of life or death. Who would think to bring such trivial things with them at a time like that?"

Carla glared at him angrily, then took out her cell phone and held it out to him. "You call your buddies, family, relatives or girlfriend and ask them to bring the money to help you out," she said through gritted teeth.

Terence looked down at her cell phone indifferently and shrugged his shoulders not even attempting to take it.

"How am I supposed to remember so many phone numbers? Besides, I'm not even from BH City

and I don't have a girlfriend."

Carla gaped at him dismayed, finding it hard to grasp all that was going on. "Then why did you say that you would pay me tenfold?"

"It was a dire situation. Desperate times call for desperate measures. But I promise I will keep my word and pay you back later,"

explained Terence. Out of all the people in the world, it was fate that brought them two together. He felt helpless to change anything, and all that he could do was look at her angry and disappointed face.

Carla stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him full of contempt. She felt a strong desire within herself to strangle him. In a low menacing voice, she uttered,"You lied to me! I should pimp you off to the club as an escort. You can make enough money to pay me back within one night."

Terence didn't bat an eye at her comment, rather he gave her a sexy half smile and narrowed his eyes on her.

"Why go to so much trouble? How about I serve you alone and be your escort exclusively? Wouldn't that be so much nicer?"

'That person hasn't given up yet. He has even planted undercover men everywhere throughout BH City to find me.'

"I am not interested. Who knows who you are. I don't want to have any connections with an unknown person... What are you doing?"

She was silenced with his lips. One hand held the back of her head while the other was wrapped around her waist pulling her body up against his. With one fluid movement, he spun them both around behind a phoenix tree.

"I am offering my services to you. If you aren't satisfied, I can improve until you are," said Terence seductively, after slowly moving his lips away from hers.

Carla was left breathless. Her eyes were still closed with her lips slightly parted. Her mind was still on the soft and tender kiss that he just gave her. Slowly she opened her eyes and was jolted back to reality, with flushed red cheeks she felt both furious and lost.

Instantly she stamped on his foot with force.

"Bastard! How dare you! I saved you, took you into my home, took you to see the doctor and you pay me back like this?" Carla glared at him with flames of fury in her eyes. She wiped her lips angrily with the back of her hand.

"What else can I do? I don't have any money on me. All I have to offer you is my body. You can use it in any way you like. Isn't that sincere enough?"

Terence wasn't fazed by her remark. He smiled slightly at her, while he kept an eye on the two figures that lurked across the street from where they were. He waited until they had disappeared before he loosened his grip on her.

"Don't get mad. Just hear me out. I don't have any money or my bank card nor my cell phone right now. If you want me to pay you back, you'll have to take advantage of my personal assets. Think it over. What can I do for you?"

Carla was still confused about why he kissed her and how she felt being kissed by him. She was stuck for words and didn't know how to respond.

What did she need the most?

She needed a man.

A man that could help and support both her and her brother; a man made her feel safe and stood by her through thick and thin no matter what life brought.

Although she regarded herself to be independent, the harsh reality of life proved to be too much for her to handle on her own at times.

Even so, the man that she needed in her life couldn't possibly be like the one that was standing in front of her right now.

"Come on, let's go. I saw a nice restaurant on our way here. Let's grab a bite first."

Terence wasn't modest at all. He virtually dragged her to the restaurant and when it was time to pay for their meals, he didn't hesitate for one moment to take her purse out and pay for it.

It didn't take Carla long to realize that this man was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Sure he was an irresistibly hot guy, but under that captivating smile of his lurked a snake in the grass.

After finally arriving home, Carla was exhausted both mentally and physically. He took her to places all over the city. She didn't even have a moment to get her bearings together. He bought many things like toiletries and even two sets of clothes for himself.

All these items were paid with her money.

How could a man live off a woman without feeling a shred of shame?

He appeared to be like a dignified CEO however his behavior was in stark contrast to his appearance.

Carla watched as Terrance hung up his new clothes in her cupboard and then packed the groceries away in the fridge. He then rolled the sleeves up on his shirt and proceeded to tidy up the messy lounge room.

She felt a warm feeling around her heart.

She was fooled again!

Carla was just a delivery girl. She ran around the city all day and into the evening. It was pure coincidence that she met him and it was because of an impulse of goodwill that she saved him.

But now...

"Carla, what do you want to have for dinner? What time does school finish? Do you need me to pick your brother up?"

Terence put the pot of soup on the stove to cook and then went into the living room where Carla was standing in a daze.

"What's wrong with you? Has a cat got your tongue?"

He stood right in front of her and waved his hand before her face, but she remained in a dream-like state without moving.

And then suddenly without warning, Carla grabbed Terence by the arm and dragged him towards the door. After she opened the door, she shoved him outside using all of her strength and shouted,"Terence, we are not close friends! You have made yourself too comfortable in my home.

I will regard the money that I spent on you as if I donated it to a charity. You don't have to repay me anything.

Now get lost and leave me alone!"

After she had finished, she slammed the door shut without giving him a second glance or a chance to say anything.