The Royal Contract

Panting heavily, she kept on going, keeping with the beat with the music on her earpiece. After a few minutes more of running, she stopped and realized that the path she was on was getting unfamiliar. She must have made a wrong turn or something.

"Good job, Dani." She murmured to herself as she found herself lost in Central Park. Scanning the area, trying to figure where she was.

Remembering gradually that she should have turned on the right in one of the trails. Anyway, she did not mind a few extra hundred meters in her routine. Running usually was her therapeutic way of clearing her mind from her problems and even unwanted thoughts.

She needed it today more than ever.

She woke up this morning with a jolt after a restless night. Last night's event kept replaying on her mind, where Alexander and Tyra were the main attraction. When Tyra stood in front of him, she felt like an intruder that did not belong in their presence.

Tyra was so beautiful in her long silver gown highlighting her long slender legs. Her blonde straight hair shone, with the beautiful silver clip, holding it on the side. She was the epitome of elegance and class and she commanded attention when she walked into the room.

The way Alexander and Tyra greeted each other. There was an old chemistry present, not of being longtime friends, but something more. She saw it in Tyra's eyes when she thought that they were on a date, but quickly changed when she learned that they were not.

Maybe this time, Alexander would stop pursuing her, now that Tyra was back. They looked perfect together. Maybe she was just a distraction while Tyra was away. She thought. It was a good explanation as to why he offered her a casual fling.

A temporary thing while they expelled the unwanted attraction, they felt for each other.

She breathed in deeply and scanned her current location, finding her path, and then continued on her run. Not minding the toll her body was taking as long as she could outrun her thoughts and leave it behind.

Walking back to her apartment building, she smiled at Jack who nodded back as he opened the front door for her. He was a sweet man who always had a friendly smile on his face. "You're run took longer than usual." He observed.

"I made a wrong detour on the park. I think I still need to get used to this place." She explained as she ran past him onto the elevator before it closed on her. "Wait." She yelled to the person who was already inside.

A man was already boarded with a big box in his hand. When he heard her call, he automatically, pressed the open button to wait for her. "Thanks." She said as she climbed inside the lift as it finally closed. It appeared that they were heading on the same floor when her floor was already lighted at the panel.

"I'm Troy. Just moved here yesterday." He smiled widely, extending his right hand while balancing the box on his other hand and his knee.

She quickly took his hands, thinking how uncomfortable his position was. "Dani. Also just moved here a couple of weeks ago." When the box almost dropped, she grabbed one side to stabilize it. They end up laughing at their clumsy situation.

It was a short ride, but they manage to chat easily. They walked the hallway until she was standing in front of her door. "This is me."

"I'm just a few doors away." Troy pointed to the last door, two doors down the hall. "If you need anything don't hesitate to knock." He said as he walked away.

Just in time, Jacky stepped out of the door before she could enter the room. "Who was that?" Jacky gaped at the retreating back of their new neighbor. "Look at that ass."

Dani ignored her, walked inside their apartment, and went straight to the fridge to get some water. She felt exhausted, hungry, and sweaty.

Jacky started tapping his feet on the marble floor and waited. "That's Troy, he just moved in yesterday." She drank her water. "Before you get any ideas. I was just being friendly to our new neighbor." Not wanting, meeting a man on the elevator to be a big deal.

"Fine." Jacky retreated to the living room. That was easy, she reflected. Knowing Jacky, that was not the end of it. "There's breakfast on the table," Jacky shouted. "Why do you need to run anyway, as if you are not fit enough?"

"I love it. It clears my mind and helps me relieve my stress. It's also a good exercise. You should come run with me." She grabbed a coffee and a plate of toast and egg.

"Never," Jacky said with distaste. There was no way she would mess up her hair and get stinky.

Dani plopped herself on the other side of the sofa as she lifted her feet to relieve them from the strenuous activity it endured. She munched on his toast and shoved a few bites of egg, before sipping on his coffee.

"So…" Jacky started, standing in front of her.

When she just looked at her questioningly. "What happened to your date with Evan?" Jacky inquired with her hands on both sides of her hips.

"Evan and I discussed my job throughout dinner. He's very friendly, with a good sense of humor. It was strictly professional, but I did have a good time with his company." She answered honestly but debated if she should tell her more.

Jacky eyed her carefully. "Why do I feel like there is something more that you're not telling me?"

She finished her food and drank the last drop of her coffee before putting the cup and plate on the center table. "All was doing well until Alexander showed up. Evan informed me that I will be handling one of his accounts." Stressing on the last part.

"So, what seemed to be the problem? I could see nothing wrong with that." Jacky felt confused with her friend's reaction.

She did not know how she could explain to her friend her true situation without her reading more to it than what it was. A mistake that she did not plan to repeat.