The Ex Project by Nia Arthurs
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Zaka heldonto the arm of her client with a vise grip. Her eyes darted back and forth in the crowed room, searching for the stranger.
No, he wasn’t ‘the stranger’.
He was Kai Adderley.
Director of the Belize City Hospital. A big shot. Way outside of her league.
She knew that.
So why did her eyes keep jumping around and looking for him?
The client—it was such a harsh word, but she didn’t know what else to call him—stopped to talk to one of his associates. None of the men expected her to join in the conversation and she was grateful. Zaka felt completely out of her element.
According to Heavenly, her only job for the night was to smile and look pretty. Zaka had then emphasized to Heavenly that she would not be doing anything more than that. Heavenly had assured her that her client wouldn’t expect much else.
It was a relief when Zaka met him and he seemed nice enough. But she was never fully at ease. In her world, money always came with strings, and it made her wonder what kind of favors Heavenly was handing out that made this man willing to give her so much cash.
As Zaka continued to observe the banquet hall, she saw the doors open and three glamorous couples walk in. Her eyes zeroed in on the ladies. Giselle, Latoya and Yolanda wore breathtaking evening gowns that caused an immediate buzz in the room.
They walked in with purpose and, somehow, she got the sense that they weren’t there to rub elbows with the elite surgeons, hospital administrators, and other wealthy guests.
The truth dawned on her with a heavy clang.
They were looking for her.
How did they know?
It didn’t matter. If they saw her with the client, they would ask questions. Questions she couldn’t afford to answer right now.
Trying not to panic, Zaka smiled at her client and withdrew her hand “Excuse me,” she said, “I need to use the bathroom.”
He nodded.
She slipped away and headed into an empty corridor, moving as quickly as her feet could carry her. Her heart thudded and she burst into a dark room. The door clicked behind her.
Zaka let out a troubled breath. She needed to get her bearings and come up with a plan. Running from her friends was the coward’s way out, and it was only a temporary solution anyway. Her nerves got tighter and tighter. What if Yolanda already knew what she was doing to make money? What if…
“If you can’t breathe, you should sit down and put your head between your legs. It’ll help.”
Zaka went still.
That voice.
A man stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing a navy suit that clung to his lean shoulders. His dark hair was brushed away from his face and his angular cheeks look sharp enough to cut the moonlight. Blue eyes, bathed in shadows, latched onto her.
She stared at him in awe.
It was the man who’d helped her without expecting anything in return. The man she’d been half-afraid to meet again.
Kai Adderley.
* * *
Book 4: The Ex Wager is coming soon!
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