I woke up and yet out a big yawn. The bed was really comfortable, and I was glad I ended up sleeping there, instead of the couch. That meant that the fight was worth it. The couch looked comfortable, but I knew that it didn’t compare to the bed.

I rose up and sat on the edge of the bed as I stared at my toes. The red polish was starting to chip off, so I looked at my fingernails which were even worse. I raked my full hand through my hair and brushed it aside.

My hair was probably a mess, but I didn’t bother to go look in the mirror. My stomach was growling, so I went into the kitchen. This wasn’t just an ordinary kitchen. Even the kitchen in this place looked like a palace.

It had thick countertops that were made out of marble – and the marble was shiny. The refrigerator was stainless steel, and the kitchen was nice and clean. The floors were some sort of ceramic tile, and the backsplash to the stove was also ceramic.

All of the countertops had lights that were above them, and when I turned one on, I noticed that it lit up the place really nice. It was a pretty kitchen. I had dreams of having a kitchen like this in my home.

In Tyler’s case, he had such a nice kitchen in a vacation home. I only wondered what the kitchen looked like in the home that he actually lived in. That one probably had panels of true gold, and perhaps even a butler.

I opened a few of the cabinets, and everything was well-stocked. There was a little bit of everything – pancake mix, cereal, and of course, there was lunch and dinner stuff, too. I was surprised for just a moment – until I thought about the beautiful kitchen. If Tyler could afford such a nice kitchen in a vacation home, then why was I surprised that he would have it fully stocked?

I was a little too tired to cook, so I settled on cereal – Honey Bunches of Oats. That’s been one of my favorites since I was a kid, so I was glad that he had it. I knew that it would hit the spot, and perhaps give me some energy.

I pulled open the large and clean refrigerator and found the milk. I gingerly stepped with my bare feet (the floor was cold) and went over to my seat. I poured in the milk and started humming to myself. Just as I was getting ready to chomp, I found a long note from him.

Maya – Thank you for joining me for this trip. I hope that you were able to sleep well and have pleasant dreams. I wanted to leave this note to let you know that I made an appointment for you. Do you remember the conversation that we had about the personal shopper? Anyway, I booked you an appointment with that person for 2 p.m. I’ll be at work so I probably won’t be able to answer the phone, but leave me a message if you need to speak to me. ~ Tyler

I stared at the letter for a few more seconds and then pushed it aside. Tyler actually wrote me a letter that was polite, and he told me to call if I needed him. That was a little more polite than he usually was. I wanted to know his motives and why he was acting that way.

Did he like me like I like him? I went back and forth and couldn’t figure it out. I was confused. If he liked me, he probably wouldn’t have spent fifteen minutes arguing with me about where the two of us should sleep. In contrast, why would he suddenly be so nice when he didn’t have to be that way?

I thought about it a little more as I started taking a couple of bites from my cereal. Actually, I thought about him and his physical appearance. I loved his abs and butt. They looked sexy. I also liked his personality – to some degree. I didn’t like it when we fought about something, but I loved his assertive and confident side.

While I was eating, I was going back and forth about what I should do, and how much effort I should spend on the day. I had two conflicting points of view, so I knew I had to decide.

I was in paradise in a penthouse. So, how exactly would that qualify as work? It mostly doesn’t. I could go to anything in the courtyard that the facility offered, and have a good time with it. When would I have such an opportunity again?

The whole purpose of me going on this trip was to play a game of pretend. Since that was true, why shouldn’t I pretend in style? I mean, wouldn’t I look more convincing as a girlfriend if I went out and did some fun stuff? I might even be able to meet people to have fun with it. Where’s the harm in that?

To the other extreme, this trip was indeed at least partly business. I made a formal agreement with Tyler to pose as his girlfriend. If I didn’t make this agreement, I wouldn’t have been able to come in the first place. In that respect, it was business.

I guess I just have to go with the flow and hope everything works out. As long as I did my job, Tyler wouldn’t have the right to get upset with me if it blew up in his face. That would be his problem, not mine.

After all the hemming and hawing, I just pranced playfully into my bedroom. I kept my soft, white, cotton robe on, and parked my butt on the bed. I stretched my legs and sat up in the bed, as I looked at the widescreen Samsung TV.

After a few minutes of playing with the buttons, I accidentally turned on the TV and shrugged my shoulders. “That’s how I turn it on…I guess” I said as I started flicking through the channels. I don’t know how many channels I could see, but there were a lot of them. They even had channels in foreign languages that I didn’t recognize.

I put on a cooking show, and then plopped the TV remote to my side. I tapped my iPhone and turned it on. I saw a new source of great annoyance – I had four missed calls, that were all from the same person – Franca.

My heart skipped a beat because I didn’t know why she was calling, but I knew it had to be something important. A boss doesn’t call her employee four times in a row just to say ‘hi’. She was calling about something else, and I wondered what.

I went over to my voicemail, and found just one message from her – despite missing four calls. The message was long, and panicked, too. She rambled a lot and was very emotional.

Maya, this is Franca – your boss. I’ve been very patient and compassionate with you in the past, and you know that. I’ve tried very hard to meet your needs and now it is your turn. I’m really upset that you put me in the position of asking for time off, when you knew I would have a hard time making it happen. I’m having a real hard time, and I need you to come back immediately. I also need to you call me back right away. This is urgent and I’m very upset.

That wasn’t easy to hear, and I didn’t know what would happen to me – especially if I didn’t call her back. She knows this is my cellphone, so I can’t just use the excuse that I wasn’t home and didn’t get her message until later. That’s one of the problems with modern technology. There is no escape.

Thus, I felt the need to play it with a little strategy. I would continue to lie about where I was, and what I was doing. Nothing good would come out of me telling her the truth. That was the first step.

The other thing I had to do, was call her back at a time when I knew that she wouldn’t answer the phone, or couldn’t answer the phone. Then, I could say with complete honesty that I called her back, and take several hours to call her back.

Just to jazz it up, I could use some lame excuses. I can’t come back because I got a non-refundable ticket. I’ll be at business meetings most of the day, so I can’t call again until either late tonight, or tomorrow. I needed shit like that get time for everything to blow over.

I looked at the date on my iPhone and I grinned when I thought of the solution. I had a perfect timeframe to call her. She had a business meeting at 1:30pm that I knew she wouldn’t answer a call during. I could call her then, leave a message, and then tell her I wouldn’t be available until later.

That was partially true – because I had an appointment at 2 p.m. Most of it was crap though. I had better availability than that. I made myself a mental note to call her back when she had a business meeting. I called her number, and it went straight to voicemail. I went for the kill.

Hi Franca, this is Maya. I’m so sorry that I missed your call, and I was just trying to call you back. I’ll be in business meetings until later tonight, so feel free to call me back when you come in. If you need me back in the office, give me a call back as soon as possible to we can make flight arrangements. Naturally, I doubt it would be easy to change my flight, so I would need funds from you to do that. Give me and a call and we’ll have a talk and put our heads together to find a solution. Thanks!

I disconnected the call and gave myself a little grin, and even a literal pat on the back. It was perfect because I foiled her – at least temporarily. Maybe when she decided to call me back, she would be in a better mood. It was all a guess and only time would tell.

I suddenly heard the door to our apartment open. My heart jumped because I thought someone might be breaking into the room. Tyler didn’t say anything to me about anyone who might be coming by. I looked around the room and snatched the closest thing I could find – an envelope opener. It was sad and pathetic, but it was all I had.

I tiptoed my way over to the bedroom door, and looked very carefully through the crack. I saw something interesting that I wasn’t expecting.

It was a woman. She was an older woman, too – maybe mid-fifties to early sixties. She had salt & pepper hair that was tied tightly behind her head. Her face had little wrinkles around the eyes, but was otherwise smooth and attractive. She was carrying a small leather purse that dark brown.

Needless to say, she didn’t look like a stereotypical robber at all. If she was a robber who was committed to the crime at hand, would she really carry a purse around? Also, would she be moving so slowly about? I think not.

Still, I wasn’t going to take any chances. I very quietly closed the door and kneeled right in front of it on one knee. My soft knee was pushed into the carpet and my little hand was holding the discolored envelope opener. It even had a little bend in the blade – probably from having a lot of use.

If she came in the room, I would be ready. In fact, I could lunge at her and cut her throat out. I never took any karate classes, but I knew I could pull it off. Just then, I saw the little brass doorknob rotate quickly.

She put her right foot forward as she was opening up the door. “Freeze!” I screamed at her and kept the envelope opener tight in my hand. I was ready for battle.

She blinked her eyes and looked right over at me. She looked dazed and confused. “Wait a second, who are you? And why are you in that bath robe? You could at least cover the front because I can see your...”

I was part embarrassed, and part angry. I partially crossed my legs and stood to my feet. I kept the envelope opener in the same place without budging it. “I’m Tyler’s girlfriend. If you came to steal something, you can take it, but I’ll be reporting you to the police.”

She slowly rose up her hands and I saw a wedding ring on her right finger. “No, no. You don’t understand. I’m actually Tyler’s mother. I’m a little surprised to see a woman here. He never brings his girlfriends over. I’m Jessica.”

Even though I was still revved up, I felt that she was honest and true. It was my opinion that she was perfectly wholesome and kind. “I’m Maya. I’m sorry about the misunderstanding. I really wish he would have told me that you were coming over.”

She giggled and waved one of her hands at me. “Well, that’s Tyler. Sometimes he forgets the important details. So, since I know nothing about you, how did you two meet?”

I finished putting the envelope opener away by putting it into my pocket. I half-smiled at her, as I was beginning to calm down. “I’m actually an interior designer, and he has hired me to help decorate a hotel that is being built up in Seattle.”

She turned her right sole around, so that it ran perpendicular to her other foot. I never understood how many people – especially women – can stand like that. Just watching them do it sometimes makes me wince because it looks painful. “Well, that’s great. Maybe my son is settling down and finally growing up. Listen, can you have him contact me immediately the next time you talk to him? It’s important.”

I didn’t ask what it was about, but I agreed. A woman is often loyal when she needs to help another woman with an important matter – even if the two of them barely know each other. “Will do. I think it would be a good idea for me to get dressed, huh?”