by Lauren Wood
I wanted her to just stop talking, but she kept on and I was left to take in all of her advice. After she had gotten me to the vanity and got me in the dress, she started to do my hair and makeup. It was something that I had wanted to do myself, turning down the offer of a makeup artist. I wanted this to be simple, but everyone was fighting me on it.
I looked in the mirror and shook my head. “Mom there is no way.”
Caroline walked in at that moment and she exclaimed how beautiful I looked. I wanted to punch her in the face, but it was already out and mom was gushing.
“Doesn’t she just look perfect?”
Caroline agreed and I looked back at the dark eyeliner and red lips. This was not my style at all, but I had to admit that I liked the effect. I may be nervous and literally shaking on the inside, but I looked like I was all put together on the outside. It was already 11 when I looked at the clock and we all started to pile into vehicles to get to the church.
All I could think about on the drive over was what I was going to say to Keenan, or how this was all going to go. I didn’t know how to be a wife and I certainly didn’t know how to handle how to be a fake one. I had a feeling this was all going to go badly. I hadn’t seen dad all day and I was starting to wonder where he was. This was all his idea, the least he could do is show up to see it.
The car stopped and my heart sank. The church was beside us and it was now or never. Today was the first day of the rest of my life.
Chapter 6
Keenan
“You look nervous old friend. Are you sure you want to do this?”
I didn’t really answer Rick. He was being smart and I didn’t want to explain why I felt and no doubt looked like I was about to pass out. I didn’t want to get married. All of a sudden I realized that this was madness. The woman I had never met and was supposed to promise myself to for the rest of my life was about to be here. I felt like I was going to come out of my skin and Rick was just rubbing it in.
“You looked pretty green at your own wedding I hear.”
Rick smiled and agreed, though he wouldn’t come right out and say it. “It is an intense experience. I never thought I would see you going down this road.”
“The same could be said for you. How is married life treating you?”
“Not bad, I must say. We are expecting our next kid soon.”
I made a face and couldn’t imagine what he was smiling about. Surely he didn’t want to have another one. There was so much to be done and one of the last things on my mind was having a family. It was seen as a requirement because of the business, but I was more than happy to let it all go.
It’s a new era. It wasn’t like bloodlines meant that much…
“It isn’t that bad. I thought I would hate it, but there is something about being a dad that makes life just a little bit sweeter.”
I figured that he was just saying it because I was about to get married. It was better than most who told me that I should just run or even better was the advice to make sure I have a prenuptial agreement before I went down the aisle to protect myself.
There were no more arrangements needed. Our whole marriage was a business arrangement and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t have those sorts of things to worry about. I was marrying a rich man’s daughter to set her up and give him peace of mind. I got that, but there was so much more to be unsure of.
“I guess I will have to take your word for it.”
“You don’t plan to have kids?”
Rick was genuinely surprised and I looked around to make sure that no one had heard him talking. He was really loud and I wish he would tone it down. The last thing I needed was for Ronald to overhear that I had no intentions on getting his daughter pregnant. I was here because I wanted to work with him, learn from him. I wasn’t here to make babies or tie together two family dynasties. None of that was my mission and I didn’t even want to think about that path.
“Not really, but don’t tell her old man that. He is looking forward to grandchildren. All he could talk about.”
“You got in good with Ronald. You are very lucky to have gotten in good with a family like his. I think there are a lot of men that would kill to have him as their father-in-law. You have to see how this marriage will be great for your career and your bottom line.”
He gave me a knowing look and I had to stop myself from chuckling. If only he knew what I had gone through to get this position, Rick wouldn’t think that it was worth it. He wouldn’t think that men would be lining up to marry a complete stranger to get where I was.
I really needed to get him off of this subject because I was running out of things to say. “You are still looking to get into investing?”
Rick shrugged and set his drink down. “I don’t know if I would say that I am not already in it, but I would like some advice where to put a sizeable chunk.”
“Is that why you came, to get my father in law’s advice?”
I knew he was there for more than that, but since he liked to razz me, I thought it was only right to do the same to him. Like me, he took it personally and I almost laughed harder when he realized his guilt was unneeded.
“You know you really are a jerk Keenan. I don’t know why I am here. Maybe I just want to get a look at this new bride that changed your ways and see if she realizes that she is marrying a bona-fide player. Out of all of my friends from college, I never would have thought that you would be getting married.”
“Trust me Rick, it was a shocker for me too.”
“I bet it was.”
He thought I was just saying that to say it, but it was a shocker for me that I was getting married. A week ago, I never would have thought that I would be standing here. I was amazed at how well planned everything was for only a couple of days. Although it was Ronald and I doubted that he waited for anything in his life.
“So how did this happen? I know we have been out of touch, but this is ridiculous. Last time I seen you, you were face deep in tits at the titty bar, now this?”
“You always were so crass.”
“And you were never this shy. What is going on? You are marrying into the richest family on the east coast. I think I should know why. Do you love her or was this your plan to get ahead? You know I wouldn’t just you Keenan or say anything, but I really just want to know.”
I scoffed and didn’t even answer such a question. How could I love someone that I had never met before?
“Of course I love her.”
Rick just smiled and shook his head. “You better do a better job of convincing people Keenan. I don’t know what is going on with you, but you never were a good liar and what you just said is pure bullshit.”
I didn’t really comment on what he had to say, I knew he was right. I was going to have to do a better job of proving that I was in love with her. Ronald said he didn’t care what people thought, but I was sure that he wasn’t going to be happy if people found out that his daughter was being told to marry me. That couldn’t look good on him that he had to go to such lengths to marry her off.
“Don’t worry about it Rick. It is all going to be okay. Love comes later right?”
Rick shook his head. “No, love is everything.”
I rolled my eyes. “I forgot that you were married now and all domesticated.”
“It is the best decision I ever made, but if I didn’t love her, I would have went back to my nightly piece of ass as soon as we were married. I haven’t thought of another woman but my wife that way.”
I knew the feeling all too well. Rick and I were cut from the same cloth. That was why I was so surprised when he got married, but it was for love with him. You could tell by the way he smiled all of the time like an idiot. Have nothing going on and I would catch him in a meeting staring off like he was somewhere else. His work was still impeccable, but there was something to his marriage. It was almost a shame that I wouldn’t ever feel the same way.
The music started to play and we
moved to the front of the church where I was supposed to stand and wait. Rick followed me out and stood beside me. It was the moment of truth and I realized only then how hard my heart was beating in my chest. It was so hard that it actually hurt. I was about to meet the woman I was going to marry and now I knew how all of the people in arranged marriages must have felt.
“You are practically shaking Keenan.”
I tried to pause the trembling in my hands, but it was impossible. This was all happening much too fast. Ronald had been right to do it now. If I still had the option, I would have walked out. Nothing was worth marriage, not even an insane amount of money.
“Just nerves. Cold feet.”
“I wouldn’t have cold feet if that was what was waiting for me tonight.”
I looked where he was looking and my heart just stopped in my chest. The woman that I had waited to see was still not very visible, but her body was and my eyes took in all of the accentuated curves from head to toe. She was beautiful and she was all mine. The veil covered up her face, but I already decided with the streaming blonde hair that she would do.
“She is beautiful.”
Rick cracked something about acting like it was the first time I had seen her before. Little did he know that he was right about that. This was my first time ever seeing her and as she got closer, my anticipation for the night rose dramatically.
It was all so surreal. As she got closer, I could tell that there was beauty under the veil that was going to be awarded to me soon. Ronald was beaming and I could sense that at least someone in the room was happy. I was starting to get a little horny, but I was nowhere near happy about everything.
The priest started to speak and Ronald gave his daughter away to me in a ceremony. I was left with a tiny, cold hand in my palm and a woman that I still hadn’t seen. She was several inches shorter than me and I could see right over the top of her head.
I was meant to say my lines which I stumbled across to my own chagrin. It was only a few syllables, but I was left in a mess. Why was I so damn worried all of a sudden?
The first time I heard Gemma speak it was so soft that I had to lean in like everyone in the room collectively did as she agreed to take me as her husband. She had only looked up at me once through the whole ceremony and now I was left to reveal the bride and kiss her. The rings were on our fingers, we were now husband and wife.
I pulled the white lace back off of her face that did such a good job of hiding her features. When I finally seen them, they were nothing at all what I expected. She was so tiny and feminine, yet the curves were so vibrant. How could she have the face of an angel and the body of a professional escort?
Leaning in to kiss her, I heard her sigh ever so softly and tasted the sweetness of her lips. It was supposed to be sweet and innocent, we were of course in front of lots of people, but something came over me and when she submitted to the kiss, I pulled her in close for more. I wanted to feel the soft curves against my body, as well as let her know what was going to be waiting for her when we got out of here. Everything changed and I was no longer nervous.
Gemma pushed back finally and I was in the end thankful she did because I don’t know if I would have done it of my own volition. The woman was intoxicating and I had so quickly forgotten about everything and everyone in that room except her.
Chapter 7
Gemma
My hands shook as well as my insides as I walked down the aisle with my hand in my husband’s. I looked up once and locked eyes with him and I felt this vibration inside of me. He was cute, I knew that, but in person he was something else altogether. Once he put his hands on me and his lips on me, I was lost. This wasn’t at all what was supposed to happen and I was afraid that I was falling for a man that I didn’t even know, one that married me to get my father’s money in some way.
“Would you like to change before the reception?”
“No, I am fine, thank you. This dress is almost impossible to get out of and it took two people to get me in it a little while ago.”
“I can help you if you need some help.”
I stopped at the idea of it and I shook my head a little too vehemently. I didn’t want him touching me again. There was no way that I could take it, since my nerves were already frayed from the kiss we had shared at the altar. I had learned a lot about the man that I had just married, but nothing that I read could have prepared me for what had come next. Nothing would have been able to describe the way I felt about him when he kissed me or all of the feelings that would well up inside of me with just a little touch. Why hadn’t I know about this?
“No thank you. This will be fine.” I didn’t want to feel that way again, so I couldn’t let him touch me like that. I wasn’t going to be able to handle it another time.
“Suit yourself. I am going to get out of this jacket at least. I haven’t worn a full suit in a long time.”
“Did my father make you wear it?”
“What?”
“He found you and made you marry me, so it just seems right that he dress you as well.”
“Have I done something to you?”
“Nothing at all Keenan, but let’s not pretend that this is a real marriage. You want my father’s money and I didn’t have a choice. So I will smile in front of all of these people and pretend that I didn’t just meet you, but when we are alone like we are now, let’s not pretend this is anything different than it is.”
He was speechless and I was happy with the silence. We were now driving over to the reception and though my body and mind were in conflict, I was sure that I knew one thing. I was not to fall for him. I couldn’t fall for a man that would do such a thing. It wasn’t right and I would never be able to forget the fact that he married me for money, even if he did have enough of his own. Men like him never had enough, always hungry for more.
The more I thought about it, the easier it was to forget about how handsome he was and how attracted I was to him. This was not a marriage that I wanted and now that he understood that, I hoped that things would go a little better.
“It wasn’t like I had much of a choice either Gemma. Your father is very convincing and he knew what it was that I wanted. You were part of the deal.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“About as well as your last statement was supposed to make me feel. You can choose how we get on Gemma, but there is no sense in hating each other. We are going to spend a lot of time together, so we might as well get along. I don’t mind having a real marriage with you. You are beautiful.”
I scoffed at the idea of it. He had a choice, just like I did, but the difference was that I would have been left indigent and he has more money than most of the world.
“Can I just ask you something Keenan?”
His smile was to throw me off guard, but I wasn’t going to let it affect me in that way.
“Shoot.”
“Why would you do this with everything you already have?”
“Your father can give me the legitimacy that no amount of money can buy.”
Sighing to myself, I looked out the car window and wondered how I got here. This was not at all what I had saw happening in my head when I thought of marriage. Never did I think that I would feel such a disconnect with the man that was beside me. We were so different that I didn’t think that we could ever see eye to eye. I don’t know if I wanted to see the world through his eyes when billions of dollars wasn’t enough.
“Well that is that then.”
He asked me a few more questions about what I liked to do. I answered as little as possible because I didn’t really want to talk to him. He was right about us getting along for the sake of sanity, but I wasn’t ready to give in just yet. I felt like I at least had a little bit of time to sulk. This was my wedding day and I should be able to do what I wanted. Soon enough I was going to have to step out of the car and plaster a smile on my face. I needed a moment to really wallow in the fact that I was next to a stranger that I ha
d just declared my everlasting love for. It was a mess and it was a mess that I didn’t want to be in the middle of.
“You are really quiet. We will be there in a few minutes. Is there anything that I need to know about you before we go meet your friends and family?”
I shrugged. It didn’t really matter. The ones that would know already knew that this was all a sham and the rest didn’t really matter all that much to me. I never had been too worried about what I looked like to everyone else, especially those in the society that I never associated with.
“Not really. They are all going to ask questions, just say whatever you want. This is yours and my dad’s show anyways.”
If there was a way, I would have just gotten out of all of it right now. Where was it written in stone that I had to go to the reception?
When the car stopped, I looked to Keenan and proposed we just get out of here. “Come on, we can tell people that we were just so in lust that we had to leave early.”
“So in lust?” Keenan looked at me strange.
“You know, so in hot for each other and everything.”
“That wouldn’t be a lie. I have been hot for you and so in lust since I met you down the aisle. You are beautiful Gemma, you really are.”
“Why do you keep saying that like you are so surprised?”
“I wasn’t expecting you to look like this.”
I still didn’t really understand him, but I had a feeling there was much that I never would or understand about Keenan. I didn’t get men like him and his attention on my body was a hard one to process. I had to get my mind back in it and focus on what we were talking about.
“Well I knew what you were going to look like and you are cute, but you aren’t my type. This isn’t a real marriage and there won’t be any extracurricular activities in this marriage. I am saving myself for real love, not this forced situation with you. We can get along, but you keep your hands to yourself.”