Mariela Arcega would do anything to escape her mundane 9 to 5 job. She meets Jeremy Cadaret who soon became the center of her attention and they couldnât get their hands off each other. Everyone called out the warning signs but could lust turn into love?
Mariela Arcega would do anything to escape her mundane 9 to 5 job. She meets Jeremy Cadaret who soon became the center of her attention and they couldnât get their hands off each other. Everyone called out the warning signs but could lust turn into love?
Anais starts the coffee machine and it boils the hot water. The whistling from the machine made Mariela cover her ears, groaning. As a twenty-five-year-old would do, Mariela tossed and turned on her left side. Her right arm turned numb from the pressure. She dreamt of the day she wouldnât have to get up at seven in the morning to head to a nine-to-five job.Â
Stretch-marks formed on her skin. She groaned, thinking about how today was going to be a long day at work. While mumbling in her sleep, the comforter slides off the top of her body.Â
âMariela, wake up! Youâre going to be late for work!â
Anais smiles, patting Marielaâs forearm. The keys she held dangled, slapping Marielaâs side. This was their routine. Anais had always woken up two hours early to begin her day. Mariela groans and barely rubs her face. âI just need a few more minutes,â she mutters and pulls the blanket back up, covering herself completely.Â
Mariela sighs. âCanât I just take a day off? I worked enough.â she shields the light above her with her arm and exhales. She opened one eye and stared across the room at the lilac colored wall. Being the punctual and determined friend, Anais shakes her head, ignoring Marielaâs protest.Â
âYou canât always take a day off just to sleep in. Youâd get fired.â She pulls the blanket, revealing Marielaâs pierced belly button. âI could make you coffee,â Her French accent slipped through. Anais placed her hands on her hips.
A strand of her gold locks fell down from the ponytail. Coffee may be the incentive to wake Mariela up. Anais puffs air out of her cheeks and continued to hover over Mariela until she got out of bed.Â
The black collared shirt Anais wore was wrinkle-free and tucked into the waistband of her fitted khaki slacks. The emerald cap with a logo fit perfectly on her head. Even the mascot on her hat would agree that Anais was too attractive to be wearing a coffee shop uniform. The capâs shadow cast above Marielaâs pillow. She turned the other way again like a child.Â
âI donât want coffee.â
Mariela turns away, pulling the blanket back over her shoulders and tucking her arms in. Anais stares at her friend.Â
âItâs my job to make you some.â
âNo, itâs your job to make others coffee.â
Anais pressed her lips together, patted Mariela on the arm, and stood up. Each morning was an extra shift hour for her, without overtime pay.Â
âJust get dressed. If I stay and babysit you, Iâll be the one running late.â
âFine.â Mariela sits up, pulls the blanket off, and places her feet on the floor. She lazily stumbles to the bathroom.Â
Wednesdays should be my lazy day, she thought. She stripped the oversized t-shirt over her head and pulls off the rest of her clothes, turning her body toward the shower and twisting the faucet. Once naked, Mariela grabs and places a towel from the rack on top of the toilet. The waterâs building steam invites her to step in. She watched as the steam fogged the bathroom door and splashed some hot water onto her face.Â
Who needs coffee when a perfect shower massaged away at her skin? Mariela warmed up almost immediately; this moment was pure bliss. Anais knocked on the door lightly.Â
âYour latte is on the counter. Just warm it up if you need to. Iâll be going now.â
âThanks! I really appreciate it!â Mariela yelled.
âSee you later!â Anais opened the front door and shut it behind her.Â
How can I be so lucky? Mariela thought. Anais truly cared about me. She was the only person in Marielaâs who hadnât left.Â
The heat took over Marielaâs senses as she lathered and rinsed her body and hair. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Her iPhone alarm went off, making her body jolt. The barking dog ringtone was a poor choice for a morning alarm sound.Â
Once finished, Mariela shuts the water off and wraps the towel around her body. It was difficult to see. She picks up her iPhone, squinting. Time on the phone read 9:32 A.M.Â
Mariela realized what today was. She couldnât afford to be late. She ran out the door, leaving wet footprints on the floor. Mariela scurried back into her bedroom and shut the door. She had to find something to wear, fast. Mariela looks left to right at the options, inhaling sharply and hissing at the draft coming from underneath the bedroom door. Turning the heater on prior to showering wouldâve been a smart move. She set her eyes on a black and gray mid-length work dress and a pair of black Steve Madden ankle boots. Perfect for autumn.Â
Mariela stepped in front of the mirror and carefully smeared red matte lipstick. She remembered the cup of mocha latte on the counter. It must have been warm by now. Mariela sits on the bar stool and takes in large sips of her latte. In a second, she chugged the coffee, not wasting anymore time. More heat phased through her body. She snatched her Michael Kors tote bag from the end table and tossed her items in it. She looked around the room quickly just in case she had forgotten anything, then stepped out into the hall.Â
The door slams shut. Anais failed to mention that the lamps in the hallway were dimming again. Mariela uses the flashlight on her phone to see where she was going. She waves the phone as if she were on a spooky adventure. The octagon patterns on the walls couldnât have made this stroll more ominous.Â
Once outside, Mariela taps away at her phone to call for an Uber ride. The air swept by, cooling down her flimsy fingers as they danced on the phone screen. To her luck, a driver was nearby. The weather tempted her to return to the building. I could easily head back inside and tell my boss that I wasnât feeling well, she thought.
Marielaâs car had been at the repair shop. She needed to get to work one way or another to pay for the excessive repairs of her Toyota.Â
Mariela scrolled through social media on her phone, tapping her foot while impatiently waiting for her ride. A man passing her by snickered, and she countered with a glare. His face blushed pink as he took out his own phone and pretended to make a call.Â
The Uber driver makes a slow stop in front of Mariela. She sighs in relief. The driver rolled down his window and leaned over to speak.Â
âMariela, right? Where are you headed?â he asked, checking his mirrors.Â
She nodded, âThatâs me,â she briefly shows him the phone screen, and he allowed her to open the back door.Â
While she put her seatbelt on, the driver looked at the front view mirror with a smile.Â
âTake me to ARK Museum, please. Iâm running late.â
âNo problem, Miss.âÂ
This must have been the heaviest traffic on a Wednesday. People shouted and honked from outside. Mariela groaned in disbelief. Sometimes Anais was right. I shouldâve woken up on time. She remembered that her alarm was set to six in the morning and Mariela lazily pressed the snooze button.Â
Her eyes flickered at the driver, wishing he could take another direction. He signaled at her reassuringly. âWeâll arrive at Downtown in 20 minutes, miss.â
âOkay, thank you.â Mariela says.Â
She sinks into her seat and looks out the window. Horns honked and people hollered, swearing at each other to speed up. Marielaâs phone screen lit up. There were four text messages from Anais. Where would she be without a friend like her?
Remember, you canât be late!
Did you drink your coffee?Â
Wait, are you still in bed?
Iâll text you again later. Call me!
You wonât have to worry. Iâm at the museum now. The latte was delicious, thank you Anais! Iâll text you later.
In The Exhibition by Nora Pattugalan, Mariela is younger than her roommate Anais with whom she shares a familiar and secure routine life. Mariela is alarmed to know that Anais had an unwelcomed intimate encounter with a guy named Jeremy that left her furious. Mariela works at a museum that features designer items and curious teenagers who are delighted to enquire about the fanciful pursuits or indulgences of the designers. Her favorite area in the museum is the Music Hall of Fame on the Second Floor. There she finds; âGuitars and outfits of notable musicians such as Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, the Beatles, Lady Gaga, and more artifacts lined up behind thick glass.â
On a regular day at work, the beautiful Mariela meets with the past suitor of Anais, Jeremy, a sexy and handsome bachelor and thereafter, she quickly begins to interact with him via social networks, as is typical of her age group including the frequent use of emojis and gifs. Jeremy is older than Mariela, and as their friendship and intimacy grow, the reader eagerly awaits what revelations would unfold about Jeremy.
Pattugalan pens a typical romance plot except there is minimal conflict, and the heroine is quite outgoing and sexually liberated. The narrative contains some explicit adult language, so the book is ideally suited to adults. The plot is easy to follow, and the language is simple and upbeat. The characters are rounded and quite credible portraits. The graphic scenes are fairly numerous as most of the meetings of the smitten couple result in amorous sessions that are described in vivid and sensational detail. Readers who dislike Mills and Boons romance narrative should stay clear of this book.
The book is ideally suited for erotic romance lovers, Pattugalan avoids the typical tropes of secret baby, marriage-of-convenience, blind date, or the one-night stand plots and produces a somewhat incredulous happy ending.Â