Here's a pretty speedy update of the next installment :)

Again, if you see...

Speech in bold." it mean that the characters are speaking in French or another language that will be made clear.

Chapter 7: Fixation and Explanation

14th May 2011

Drew was really angry at May last night. All Alfred the butler could hear from his room on the bottom floor was a whole load of cussing, mainly from Drew, and several screams, mainly from May. Eventually he heard a door slam and he thought that that was the last of it. But he was wrong. The process repeated itself a couple dozen more times before they finally stopped and let the penthouse settle in silence with May leaving.

May didn't sleep much last night. Being accused of doing something stupid like keeping a pair of Harley shoes in her office in the presence of Paris reminded her of the time where she was accused of cheating in her university exam and almost didn't graduate her honours year.

She spent most of the early hours in a bar by herself. She didn't want to call one of her few friend's and risk telling them about her fake marriage while she was drunk and most likely spewing up all her problems with life. She remembered telling the bar tender about the cock up at work and how she thought Drew wasn't listening to her side of the story. She couldn't remember what else she had said and how she got back to her house, all tucked up in bed.

When May woke up, she felt something on her forehead. She pulled her arm out from under the duvet and removed the wet flannel. She thought that it was most likely Alfred who put that on her head, it didn't seem like something Drew would be thoughtful enough to do.

At the thought of Drew, May looked to his side of the bed and found that he wasn't there. It wasn't even nine and Drew was already up on his lie in day.

May sat up and was instantly met by a sharp stinging feeling inside her head. She was hung-over therefore she decided a little soak in the Jacuzzi was in order.

xxxxxx

After her long soak, May got out of the Jacuzzi and entered her personal wardrobe. She ran her hands through the different textures of the different fabrics used to make her clothes to activate the spotlights that shone over her clothes. May picked out a silky, red scrunched up style short sleeved top and a black pencil skirt to match. She picked up the shoes, designed by Paris, which were sent to her office yesterday and stared long and hard at them.

"I'm going to wear you and you will help me." She said to the shoes.

Drew entered the room just as she said it and wondered who May was talking to and why she was up so soon. Curious, he went into the dressing room and looked at May but left before she noticed he was ever there.

20th May 2011

It was getting late, most of the shops had shut and May for some reason didn't feel like going home to dinner yet again so opted to go to somewhere else for food, though she hadn't quite worked out where yet.

Today was another day of disappointment for her again as she failed to see Paris but May hadn't given up hope just yet. She knew if she was persistent like how she was in the first place, she was bound to run into Paris eventually.

May ordered the driver to drop her off in northern La Rousse, otherwise referred to as the place she had been living in for the last six years. Walking around the area reminded her of how hard things were for her while she was still a student and how different they are now. It hadn't been long since she had graduated from university but within that space of time, she never would have imagined that she'd marry Drew Hayden and work for him, in more ways than everyone else knows about.

May stopped at one of the street stands and bought a hotdog, something she'd used to buy and eat for dinner when she was in a rush or absolutely skint, which was most of the time during her student days. She stood by the stand as she squeezed some ketchup onto her bun, and listened to the guy serve his next customer. Though, the customer's voice sounded strangely familiar.

"You," Addressed the customer, "You're May, right?"

May nodded, suddenly remembering who this guy was. "Right and you're Brendan Birch." She said. It was weird. She didn't feel like she hated him as much as she did only weeks ago.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Brendan asked. "Where's your husband?"

"I was out shopping earlier." May replied as she watched Brendan smother his hotdog with ketchup, like herself. "Drew was at work earlier and is probably still there." May guessed, checking the time on her brand new Cartier watch.

"Well if you don't mind, why don't you join me?" Brendan offered as he indicated over to the bench nearby. The side of the road they was where the park entrance was and across from them was where some of La Rousse's hottest restaurants were.

May looked at him sceptically while she considered his offer then agreed, and followed him over. They sat on the opposite ends of the bench as they ate their hotdogs in silence.

"So I've heard about the thing that happened with Paris and how you've screwed up." Brendan said once he had finished his hotdog.

"I was set up." May replied while she chewed her food and shuffled towards him a bit. If Drew was here, he'd be telling her off about a) associating with Brandon and b) talking with her mouth full. At the thought of her 'husband' May felt slightly angry. "I was set up and no one bothered to listen to my side of the story."

Brendan looked at her. "Drew didn't listen to his own wife? What kind of man is he?!" Brendan commented, fuelling May's anger further.

"I know!" May replied, yet again shuffling in further. "It's not fair that he trusted Brianna just because she's worked there longer!"

"Ah, Brianna. I've heard about her. She's sneaky." He commented, letting out a little and hiding more than meets the eye. May looked at him and wondered what he meant by that. "But thanks to you Paris is now still open for anyone to do business with."

May swallowed the last bite of her bun. "But not for long."

"Well it's a fair game now and we'll just see who will get to her first." Brendan challenged.

May looked at him with a fire in her eyes and accepted his challenge. Now there was no way on earth she was going to back down. Her pride was on the line once again.

21st May 2011

May was at it again.

She sat in the hotel restaurant and watched people come in to the restaurant and leave when they were done. May had finished ages ago but the person she wanted to see didn't appear – it was now a game of patience. She knew it and at times she wasn't exactly the most patient person in the world. Think of your pride, May. She reminded herself repeatedly.

But she felt lucky today. She really did.

And she was right to wake up feeling lucky. She watched as Paris strutted into the restaurant stylishly and took her usual table by the window, that over looked the hotel's teardrop-shaped swimming pool, and ordered a Cosmopolitan.

May sucked in her breath as she walked up to Paris, sat down beside her and proceeded to talk to her. "Paris, I'd like to explain what happened last time in the office." Paris ignored her and turned away slightly. "Those shoes were not the ones I bought. The ones I'm wearing now are the ones I bought." May replied as she pointed to the ones on her feet. "I would never buy a Harley design. They're so tacky and clearly for the elderly."

Paris snickered at that. May took the snicker as a good sign and continued to talk. "I just want you to know that the shoes weren't mine. That's all. Goodbye Paris." May rose from her seat and turned, ready to leave. First rule of business was to never make yourself look eager. Ever.

"Wait May." Paris rose from her seat too, surprised that May was giving up. She would've thought that May was going to convince her into the deal again. "That's all you have to say to me?" Paris added. She spoke in English with a heavy accent.

May nodded.

"Aren't you going to talk about the deal?" Paris asked, switching back to French.

"Well, you were clearly mad so I guess not. All I wanted to do was to let you know that the shoes weren't mine."

"You're not sounding like yourself, May." Paris said.

May shook her head. "It's nothing." She replied.

"You can talk to me, May." Paris offered. She was known to be into her gossip about anything and everything. And May knew that.

May looked at her and sat down on her seat.

20th May 2011

May and Brendan had been talking on the bench about each other. They had dropped the work subject behind and were talking about their own experiences.

"Yeah, Drew's really hard working." May agreed with Brendan. "But he does take me out to dinner to make up for it sometimes."

"Yeah, but that's no excuse for not taking you on a honeymoon. If that was me I would've taken at least two weeks off." he said, "Especially if my wife is as beautiful as you, May." Brendan said as he turned to May, looking into her shimmering blue eyes with his amber ones.

May looked away from him. "You sure do know how to make a girl feel good." May smiled, a genuine smile that gave her a fright. Was she feeling something for him?

Brendan smiled too. "Is that Drew in there?" He pointed to a restaurant in front of them and through the window, sat Drew and Brianna, talking and enjoying a meal.

May suddenly didn't feel good and excused herself from where she was and left.

21st May 2011

"Oh my." Paris gasped once May had finished telling Paris about her troubles. "You've been married for like what? About a month and a half and he still hasn't taken you on a honeymoon?!"

"I know!" May said, "And he's practically letting that Brianna flirt with him openly in public! What kind of guy does that?!" May had to try hard not to slur her words. She had had a few cocktails whilst she told Paris her problems, eventually losing track of how many she had consumed.

"I would ditch him if I were you." Paris said.

May thought about that. "I wish I could." she murmured.

Paris looked at her, confused. She heard May say something but she didn't quite catch it. "What was that, dear?"

"Nothing." May said.

"Speak of the devil." Paris said, her gaze directed to the pair that just strolled in. May looked at where Paris was looking, just in time to see Drew enter the restaurant with Brianna by his side. That site alone cause May to sober right up. Paris leaned over to May and asked her: "Was that the girl?"

May nodded and watched as they took their seat. How did Paris not recognise her? Brianna had tried to seal the deal with her for like weeks before May had stepped in. Brianna seemed to notice May with Paris and tried to keep Drew from noticing them. She made sure Drew sat with his back to May and Paris.

Paris, noticing what Brianna was trying to do, wasn't going to let it slide. She saw May as a friend and was going to stick up for her, even if she was not going to do it herself.

"Waiter, bring me the dessert menu." Paris demanded in her posh, heavily accented English, causing many heads to turn in their direction. A foreigner's accent was always appreciated.

Even Drew turned too. Or at least tried. Brianna assured him that it wasn't Paris and convinced him to turn back. Paris mentally cursed and tried to think about something else. And she did.

"Waiter," Paris called, "Bring me another cosmopolitan." she said, her accent particularly heavy on the name of the drink.

Again, Drew tried to turn round but Brianna convinced her that it was just a tourist. She sent May a smug look and continued to eat her food. Paris was going to have to try harder if she wanted her plan to work.

"I'm sick of this seat." Paris announced. "Let's move to that one." She pointed to the one next to Drew and Brianna's.

Without giving any time for May to agree, Paris got up from her seat and moved to the table she pointed at. A trail of waiters moved her bags to the other table for her. May followed and moved over.

"Bonjour, Drew." Paris said to him.

He looked up from his plate. "Paris?" he said, "I thought I heard your voice."

"Yeah, I thought I recognised your green hair." She said in return. "What are you doing in here?" She asked him.

"Here for a late lunch. I was at a meeting during lunch." He answered "And yourself?" He asked. He was surprised that Paris approached him after May screwed up their meeting.

"I'm here for a lunch meeting." She said. Just then May approached them. "With your wife." She added slyly, which shocked him. Drew looked shocked but quickly recovered from that feeling and look before many people could notice.

"Hello Drew." May greeted calmly.

"May," Drew said as he rose from his seat and planted a kiss on May's cheek.

"Hello May." Brianna greeted. She couldn't bear to see Drew show May affection.

"Brianna." May said.

"What don't you join us?" Drew offered as he signalled over to the spare seats at the table.

May shook her head. "Paris and I could use time to talk alone."

"Actually," Paris said, an idea suddenly popping into her head. "I think you should bring me a copy of that contract." She said.

"Really?" May said, "But we weren't even talking about the project."

"I know but your design is the only one I fancy, May, and you're so much fun to talk to." Paris beamed. May wondered if Paris was drunk from the cocktails. Paris then proceeded to whisper something into May's ears and giggled when she was done, clasping her hands together at what a wonderful idea it was that she had concocted on the spot.

May's eyes widened at her idea. There was no way on earth she was going to be able to get out of this, considering how badly Drew wanted this. "What?" May asked, shocked that she'd suggest that.

Drew watched May as she started to converse with Paris in French, a language that he was not familiar with. When May had stopped talking to Paris, he took the opportunity to ask her what Paris had said.

"Paris is only going to sign it if you take me on a honeymoon." May said embarrassed.

Brianna didn't agree with the idea though. "But with all the recent projects, Drew can't afford to take time off work." Brianna pointed out.

"But Paris is right. I can't deprive May of something important like that." Drew said.

May was surprised although she wasn't sure why. Paris was standing right there. Of course he'd play along and insist that they went on their honeymoon. She looked over to Brianna, who was fuming. If only she could photograph and frame that moment.

xxxxx

May sat at the dressing table. She was waiting for Drew to come out from the bathroom so that she could use it, but not before a long chat about Paris's suggestion and how it had nothing to do with her.

But it made her day.

She heard the door move and stood up from her spot at the vanity. Drew emerged from the bathroom. His hair was wet from his shower but the rest of him was dry. Well May assumed so seeing as he was clothed in his bed outfit which consisted of a pair of boxers and nothing more.

May tried not to look at his perfectly toned torso (which was also perfectly tanned like the rest of him) and walked past him towards the bathroom. But she was stopped by Drew's arm which he had raised to the side to stop the brunette from going before he had a chance to speak to her since today.

"May, we need to talk." He said.

"If it's about what Paris said today then I just want you to know that she said it. I had nothing to do with her suggestion." May blurted out. She didn't even think about what she was going to say; it just spewed out from her like how the words of her condition came out her mouth the day Drew made her the offer of marriage.

"But how did she know, May." Drew asked her, simplistically, treating May as if she was a child.

"I may have said some things to her but that was strictly between me and Paris as friends, not as business associates." May defended.

"I think you need to learn that Paris is a business associate only." Drew said.

"But when I approached her today, I did it as a friend." May snarled. "You told me not to do anything about the Paris deal at work so I didn't. But she offered to talk about-" May stopped herself. She didn't want Drew to know that she really did like him and that she was jealous that he was getting a bit friendly with Brianna. "Girl things." May said which was still true only a bit more vague.

Drew didn't question that. May shoved his arm away and headed for the bathroom. A long soak was definitely called for.

"Just plan somewhere to go." Drew said before May could shut the door.

And after she had heard it, she didn't slam the door like she had originally planned to.

So there's a honey on the horizon! :O hope everyone looks forward to those chapters. Yes, plural, as in more than one! But until I upload them, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

silver-hedgehog