An Interview With a Playboy - Chapter 5

*****

Like in a slow motion, Jennafei walked towards the center of the school corridor. She was wearing her bouncy curly hair, make up, contact lenses, dangling earrings, a yellow sleeveless mini dress and a pair of platforms on her feet and a seductive smile.

Jaycee made her practice for what seem like a whole day on how to smile seductively. Even on how to walk wearing high-heeled shoes and how to stand with poise. He even taught her the proper way to speak and the expression of her eyes. That’s why she now looks like the type of campus babe that Dex is into.

It’s like the world stopped spinning for all the males in the corridor , they’re not moving and were all just staring at Jennafei. She wants to laugh. She now knows how to feel like a campus princess. So that’s why they are such brats. But if she were to choose, she does not want that kind of life. She does not like being stared at by men, especially when she knows that they are all just thinking of unworldly thoughts.

She flipped her hair, batted her eyelashes and fixed her eyes on one direction. Dex is walking on her direction with few of his teammates. He’s holding a ball and busy talking with Red. Red saw her first. Even he, was stupefied upon seeing her. The other guys also stopped walking. Dex’s forehead furrowed when his teammates stopped walking. And finally, their eyes met.

She insides felt like celebrating when she found Dex dumbfounded as he stared at her. The ball he was holding fell on the floor as he looked over her. She gave him a come-on look and smile. And as if hypnotized, he walked towards her without leaving her stare.

“Hi!” she said in a sexy,husky pitch as how Jaycee taught her. She knows that her cousin is somewhere in the corridor and watching her.

“Hi!” he greeted back. She watched his lips curve up in a smile. Jaycee is correct. She looked so different after the make over to the point that Dex did not recognize her.

She wants to slap all over his face. Those two times she first approached him, he did not smile at her. Even to “hi” back just for the sake of good manners, he did not even bother. That’s when it was proved to her how shallow Dex’s whole being  is. He is only blinded with how beautiful the outer appearance is, and that is all that matters to him.

“I’m Fei.” She offered her hand and Dex accepted. She secretly clenched her other hand when he lifted her hands to his lips. He kissed her knuckle. Jennafei was creeped out when she felt his lips on her skin.

“I’m Dex,” He was still intently staring at her. Its obvious how dazzled he was.

“I know. In fact, I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?” he asked while still holding her hand.

She looked over his back for a second to look at Red, she noticed that his lips were slightly lifted as he watched. He thinks that Red recognized her. She looked back at Dex and she caught him looking at her lips. Therefore, she was slightly sidetracked and felt self-conscious.

“Ah… Well…” She cleared her thought and wore her smile again. “Can I interview you?”

His smile slowly faded away at the same time he loosened his hold of her hand until he totally let it go. She was nervous with his reaction. However, she still maintained the smile on her face.

He gaze traveled all over her face. It seem to have dawned on him after few seconds. She guessed what’s running on his mind. He has recognized her. He already knows that she is the reporter who kept on pestering him.

Jennafei is aware that he will eventually recognize her. Her goal, is not to hide her true identity from him, why she changed the way she looked. She thought that her make-over will cover their first meetings and his threat to her, once she got his attention.

“No,” he firmly said. Her fake smile faded away.

Oh, no… It’s the end. She bowed down. It suddenly flashed on her mind the way she will look while being kicked out of this university. She swallowed hard. She was about to turn her back and consider her last attempt of failure and her day a nightmare when she heard him speak again.

“Not now.”

She suddenly looked up in astonishment from what she heard from Dex. “W-what?”

She saw from his eyes a hint of amusement. “Not now. I have classes.”

“S-so when?” She cursed herself from stammering.

One corner of his lips lifted. “Tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah.” He moved very close to her that his lips almost touched her ear. He whispered to her an address. “7 PM. Don’t be late.” After he said that, he looked back at his teammates. Red threw the ball towards Dex which he caught. After that, they continued to walk.

Her eyes almost bulged out when it sinked in to her what Dex has said. He wants her to go to his house?

*****

“Oh Lord, please guide me away from Dex’s evil ways. Don’t let him do any disastrous things towards me,” Jenna prayed before deciding to press the doorbell of the gigantic gate of the mansion of the Peralta.She was dazzled how big the house looked from the outside. How much more in the inside?

How will it be once she’s already inside? He might do something to her. He could take advantage of her. The scene in the library flashed on her mind. She was creeped out. But she have to get that interview that night. Jaycee did not agree on accompanying her. He said he’s afraid of Dex. He just gave her a pepper-spray to protect herself in case he does something against the right. She changed back to how she usually looked so he won’t lust after her while she interviews him.

After a while, a guard in uniform walked towards her.

“Good evening. Dex is expecting me.”

He first looked over her before he spoke. “Sorry Ma’am, it’s not you whom Sir Dex is expecting.”

“Ha? What- But-” He closed the gate on her face. She was surprised. And even the guard of Dex’s house is as crude as he is!

She press the doorbell again. It’s to the point that she wants to destroy it when the door opened.

“I said you are not the person who Sir Dex is waiting for.”

“It’s me whom he is expecting. I’m Jenna. Why don’t you call him so he can confirm?” He patiently but firmly said.

“For your information, Miss, there is a door camera here.” The guard pointed the camera he is referring to. “Sir Dex already saw you and he told me that the person he is expecting is not you so I can’t let you in.”

She can’t believe what she heard from the guard. “What is this mess? Tell him to go here.” She was unable to control her temper.

“You are not my employer so I won’t follow you. I will only abide my boss.” He closed the gate again, to her frustration. She pressed the doorbell again. The gate opened and he told her.

“Miss, if you won’t stop, I will call the village guard and you will thrown out.” He closed the door before she can speak.

“I can’t believe this!” It seems that he is only playing with her. She looked at the camera with gnashing teeth. “You, you brute! If you are watching, come out her. You don’t have the right to do this to me. You made me waste my effort to go here and you will just fool me around? What kind of guy are you? Come out here!”

After a while, the gate opened. She finally saw him. His face is not showing any expression. She does not know if he was mad about what she said at the door camera.

“What kind of game is this?”

“It’s you again? Why are you so persistent? Didn’t I tell you that I will kick you out if you bother me again?”

She was startled. He really seems to just fooling her around. “You agreed for an interview earlier and made me go here so you can humiliate me for the second time around? What kind of person are you?”

“It’s not you who I am expecting to get the interview tonight. I’m expecting that girl I talked to this morning. I agreed for an interview to her, not you.”

Does that mean that he does not know that Fei and her are just one person? But the look on his face told her he was bluffing. “Are you playing stupid? I am that girl!”

He smirked and scanned her from head to toe. “I will only let Fei to interview me. Go home and come back here as Fei. 8 PM sharp, I will be waiting for her.”

Dex closed the gate. He is really playing with her.

“Fine! Wait forever!” She does not plan to play his game and just follow what he say. What she did this morning to herself to get his attention is enough. Now, she wanted out of this mess. She no longer care about Leila’s offer and her dream to be an editor in chief.

She won’t let herself be played around by that barbarous Dex.

*****

“Where’s Fei?”

Jenna stopped arranging the books on the shelf and looked at the familiar voice. She found Dex standing behind her. He was leaning on the other shelf with his arms crossed. She looked at him sharply. Her irritation built up, she remembered her frustrations last night from all the wasted efforts and expectation that she can finally finished the task that was given to her for the school publication. She was even so happy yesterday when he agreed for the interview. Just to end up being made of a fool.

She will talk to Leila later to give her final decision. She can no longer do the assignment about the campus king and she can no longer accept her proposition for her to become the next editor in chief.

“She did not go back last night. Where is she?”

She rolled her eyes. “She no longer plans to interview you.”

“Really?”

“Really. And she does plan to play this game with you.”

He smirked. “Let’s see.”

He left her with a furrow on her forehead. What did Dex mean by that?

On her vacant period, she went straight to the school publication office to talk with Leila.

“Leila, we need to talk.”

“Later, Jenna. Mr. Feliciano called for an urgent meeting. It’s good that you’re here.” Mr. Feliciano is the adviser of the school publication.

She planned to talk with Leila after the meeting. She can’t believe on what the meeting is all about. There are new rules and regulation about giving and taking assignments.

“All of you work in this publication. Therefore, all of you are employees here. YOu earn a lot from your jobs here. Not just experiences, training and exposure, but even monthly allowance or tuition fee discounts or scholarship assistance. That’s why it’s just right for you to do your job.

“That’s why I decided to tighten up because it seems that you are losing discipline at work. From now on, no one can back out on their assigned tasks. Or else, the people who will do so will be terminated at work. That goes the same way to those who can’t accomplish their assignment. I’m sorry, but anyone who fails to do his tasks will be sacked out from this publication immediately.”

She was not able to speak for a few minutes after the meeting. She wanted to say something about the new policy but the adviser seems to be in a bad mood so she backed out.

“What are we going to talk about, Jenna?” Leila asked.

“Huh? None. It’s nothing.”

She no longer have a choice but play this game with Dex so she can finish this job, or else she will lose her job as well as the scholarship assistance.

“I’d just like to remind you that only you have less that two weeks to accomplish your task, Jenna.”

She’s still in a daze as she walked out of the publication office. She was alarmed when she saw Dex outside the door. Her frustrations came back.

“What are you doing here?”

His smug face was devoid of any expression as he spoke. “I just want you to tell Fei that I will wait for her in my house. Seven PM. If she won’t show up, I will ever let her take an interview from me again. Tell that to her. And here…” He gave her the paper bag he was holding. “Give that to her. That’s what I want her to wear later.”

She grabbed what’s inside the paper bag and lifted the dress and she was flabbergasted. It was a red thin-strapped dress that length is only until the half of her legs. Her teeth clenched in frustration. She wanted to throw the dress on his face. “Don’t make me play your games.”

He held her chin up. Her teeth clenched even more. “You will go later… as Fei and not as the nerdy Jenna.

She threw his arm away and looked at him dirty.

He gave her a wicked grin. “See you tonight.”

After he’s gone, it came to her that he must have something to do with the new policy in the publication office. She remembered their small talk this morning and she’s certain that what happened was the campus king’s manipulation so she won’t have a choice but to play his game.

Her blood pressure boiled up from the realization. It seems that Dex found a new toy in her.