I Hate You, Marry Me

by Jamie Knight

  There’s also that thing where Landon will tell my dad what I’m doing if I don’t play this right. I can’t let that happen. I’m not going to let my future be destroyed by such a disgusting man.

  I grab Robert’s arm and he looks down at me, surprised.

  I get up on my toes a little and whisper into his ear, “Play along. I’ll explain everything later, I promise.”

  As I get back flat on my feet, I can see the confusion on Robert’s face. I can see him wanting to argue with me, but Landon reaches us and that shuts him up.

  “Savannah, fancy seeing you here.”

  Landon’s voice is as slimy as ever.

  “Landon.”

  I can feel my grip tightening on Robert’s arm. Landon’s eyes glance at the hold, but he keeps his ‘pleasant’ demeanor.

  “What are you doing here?” he asks me.

  I really don’t want to tell him. What I want to do is lose my temper and scream at him to get out of my life. He’s part of the reason behind how I wound up in this situation. If he’d just leave me alone and stop trying to marry me, I could go about my life.

  “Get lost, Landon.”

  I hadn’t meant to say that – it was harsh – and while I fully meant it, I know that having said it won’t benefit me in any way.

  “Do I need to tell your dad that you’re going out of town unexpectedly?” he threatens.

  I twist my mouth to the side, frustrated. That’s a threat that I can’t take lightly. I don’t need my dad interfering right now, not when things are starting to fall into place, but I don’t want to reveal everything to Landon either.

  I hadn’t expected to run into anyone I knew, so I don’t have a lie thought up. What am I going to tell him?

  “My fiancée and I are eloping,” Robert pipes in.

  Looks like he’s decided to speak for me. And I’m glad, because I was obviously at a loss for words.

  I’m surprised Robert has said anything, but the look of shock that passes over Landon’s face after he does is fully worth it. Now I don’t care so much that some of my cards have been revealed. For the first time, I see Landon’s demeanor slip. It’s satisfying to see him at some kind of a loss for once.

  His eyes narrow on Robert a little, but then they return to me, looking confused.

  “Is this true, Savannah?”

  I look up at Robert and he smiles at me in a comforting way. Maybe he isn’t so bad, not really.

  “It is,” I respond.

  It’s funny that his first thought is to have a need to verify this with me. I’m holding on to Robert, pretending we’re actually engaged. Or maybe I just don’t want Landon talking to me. However, I’m still worried he’s going to call my father.

  My dad would totally try to stop me from eloping. He would think it’s dirty and underhanded. The act itself isn’t, but my plan kind of is, even though I have my reasons for it.

  Landon puts out his hand for Robert to shake. After a pause, Robert takes it with some obviously remaining slight hesitation.

  “I had no idea that Savannah was seeing anyone,” he says.

  That’s because I wasn’t.

  I’m sure he’s already got some ideas running through his head, probably forming his own plan as we’re talking.

  “We really should call your father,” Landon continues. “He would want to be at his only daughter’s wedding.”

  I know my dad would like that, but I’m not going to be strong-armed by Landon.

  “That’s true, but Robert and I are so in love that we just couldn’t wait any longer.”

  I rest my head on my fake fiancé’s shoulder, to drive the point home.

  “I’m sure my father will understand.”

  I hope he does. I don’t want him to be too upset by this, but, also, he’s trying to force me to marry this lizard, so if he’s a little upset, then who cares, right?

  To make sure Landon fully understands, I kiss Robert – I kiss him with as much passion as I can muster. He’s surprised at first, but then he puts his palm on my cheek.

  It almost feels like he really cares about me. But we both know that can’t be – because we hate each other and any emotions expressed between us, like hate-fucking, only stem from that hate, and not from any kind of positive feelings. Right?

  I take my lips off his but I stay close to his face, looking into his eyes. My breath catches and then I look away. I look back Landon and smile. There’s not a lot going on behind it, but I don’t want to appear too affected by this whole thing.

  “Well, if that’s the case,” Landon says, clearing his throat, “I will fly the two of you to Vegas in my jet.”

  My eyes go wide, and I shake my head vigorously. I don’t want to be stuck in a plane with Landon. Not now, not ever. Especially under these circumstances.

  “Come on, Savannah. I need a chance to get to know Robert better. If he’s going to be your husband, I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of him.”

  “We really can’t accept,” I tell him. “I mean, you must be awfully busy. I’m sure you’re at the airport on business.”

  Why can’t Landon understand what I want?

  Why can’t he accept it?

  He’s like my dad in this regard. The two of them want me to be someone that I’m not for them.

  “Trust me, it’s no inconvenience,” Landon insists.

  I bite my lip as I try to think of another excuse to get away from him. I know if I protest too much, he’s going to report it all back to my dad. Maybe it would just be better to go with him. Clearly, he doesn’t want to take no for an answer, and I don’t know how much longer I can protest without causing a major delay.

  “Okay, thanks, Landon.”

  I look over at Robert and he shrugs. The two of us follow Landon as he directs us to his plane. This is going to be the least amount of fun I have today. I had a plan in place and now, thanks to Landon, it’s been derailed.

  This man really knows how to ruin everything, doesn’t he?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Robert

  As we’re about to get on this Landon guy’s private jet, I decide I’m not so fucking sure about him. He seems very determined to have his way.

  It was obvious that Savannah didn’t want to ride with him to Vegas, but he kept pushing, and there was a bit of a veiled threat there, behind his words.

  I don’t know what the fuck I’ve gotten myself into. I’m just going along with whatever happens at this point. I’m very out of my element and I don’t want to get in over my head, but it feels like I might already be.

  We get seated and the look Landon is giving Savannah makes me uneasy. I can’t quite put my finger on it, because it isn’t like he’s checking her out or anything – it actually feels like the look he’s giving Savannah is dipped in something more sinister.

  Or maybe this is all in my head. I woke up confused this morning because of all the missteps I made. I could be trying to find a way to not think about my own fuck ups.

  “I heard about what happened to you at school. I think it’s a travesty that you were kicked out. I mean, it is wholly unfair,” Landon says.

  Savannah looks at me and then back at Landon. She’s curled up in her seat as she thinks about what to say in response.

  “It does suck, but I guess that’s just the way it had to go down,” she shrugs.

  I guess her dad must have told him what happened. I’m sure she’s trying to keep my name out of this discussion. It wouldn’t make much sense to out her fiancé as the cheater. That would raise way too many questions.

  “I don’t believe that. You don’t deserve something like this to happen to you.”

  “No one deserves something like this, but all I can do is keep moving forward.”

  Even though she’s trying not to mention me, it’s obvious that she’s still acting all innocent. I guess she has to keep up the act, but it’s annoying that she’s trying to act like she isn’t a cheater when I know full well that she is.

>   “But what about this other person? Shouldn’t they get some kind of punishment?”

  I’d agree with him normally, but they’re having this conversation under the pretense that Savannah isn’t the guilty party.

  “I don’t know – maybe whoever cheated really needed the help. I can’t be the one to pass all the judgement. Who knows what was going through their head that day?”

  Is she really making excuses for the cheater? And she keeps looking at me every time she talks. I can’t tell if she’s so deluded that she really thinks she’s done nothing wrong or if she’s making the excuses like they are for another person when they are really for herself.

  I don’t want to start fighting with her again. I feel like the two of us keep getting into arguments, and this entire situation is already awkward enough with that, so I think the best course of action is a complete change of subject.

  I know I can’t get into the whole sordid affair in front of Landon. I might not like Savannah, but I’m not going to come here and fuck up her life just because she did that to mine. I’m usually not one to be so temperamental, but Savannah just pushes my buttons.

  “Landon,” I say, to get his attention. “How do you two know each other?”

  I think the less Savannah and I talk about the circumstances that got us into this situation, the better this relationship will go.

  Landon settles into his seat and tilts his head.

  “Well, Savannah’s father and I have been friends for years. It all started years ago, when I was an intern in Mr. King’s office. Savannah would come into the office sometimes and we’d get to hang out every once in a while.”

  “Yeah, that’s how it all started,” Savannah comments.

  Her voice sounds a little flat; she’s probably tired. We were up kind of late last night.

  “Do you remember when you got me in trouble when you took all the ink out of the printer?” Landon asks.

  Savannah smiles and nods.

  “I thought I was being helpful, but I guess I was just bad at changing the ink.”

  She turns to me after saying that.

  “I would work a bit in my dad’s office as well – a few summers – but he’d only ever give me the most mundane tasks. But, that day, I just got ink everywhere as I was trying to change the cartridge. I still have no idea how I managed that. And then, Landon somehow got blamed and he just didn’t tell my dad it was me.”

  Sounds like they’ve been friends for a while. Good friends, maybe. I can’t help but feel a prick of jealous, which makes no sense, since everything between Savannah and myself is just for the sake of mutual convenience.

  Landon holds up a finger like he’s just thought of something.

  “Remember that party where we got into Geoffrey’s dad’s office and you had another incident with a printer?”

  Savannah’s face goes red and she nods again.

  “Ugh, why did you have to bring that up?”

  “Because it’s hilarious. I mean, how can one human being get into so much trouble with printers? It’s not like you’re bad with technology in general or anything; it’s just printers.”

  “Well, it’s not like I was used to having to use printers. My dad’s secretary would print my schoolwork for me. And maybe if we had just stayed with everyone else by the pool, nothing bad would have happened.”

  “Yeah, but that office pool used to be so nice until they started letting people bring their kids to the party and peeing in the water. It’s not like we were going to get in there and swim when we knew that the Jenkins twins were doing that.”

  It sounds like a nice trip down memory lane and, while I’m curious about this whole bad history with printers that Savannah seems to have going on, this conversation that they are having shows me that they are both rich snobs. Before now, I had only known the phrase “office pool” to be about something totally different— not an actual pool at someone’s office.

  I wonder why she isn’t marrying this guy. They seem like they would be perfect for one another.

  “At least very few people know about that little episode,” Savannah continues. “We got right back to our friends and it was like there was a barely a bump in the party.”

  “That was a good time; one of the better bashes that Geoffrey threw. Did you hear he’s running for office? I don’t remember exactly what he’s running for, but it’s something pretty local.”

  Savannah looks genuinely surprised.

  “Really? I guess that makes sense. He was always a good bull shitter, but I don’t know if I want to entrust him with policies after seeing the shenanigans from his youth,” Savannah jokes.

  They keep talking, catching up on old friends and, for some reason, I’m getting jealous. I don’t like this feeling and I don’t know why this is happening. I don’t have any real feelings for Savannah – as far as I know. I mean, my only feelings for her revolve around dislike.

  I try to block out whatever the two of them are saying and just relax. But then this rich fucker decides it’s a good idea to put his hand on top of Savannah’s head. She clearly looks uncomfortable when he does it. His thumb is stroking her hair softly before she moves her head to the side to make it stop.

  I can’t believe the audacity of this fucker. I know our marriage is fake, but this guy doesn’t know this. He is doing this deliberately; he has to be. This guy clearly has some kind of interest in Savannah and maybe he just lost out and can’t deal with that fact.

  I don’t get why Savannah is being so chatty with him. He’s clearly a douchebag.

  My blood is starting to boil. I thought I was getting myself into a headspace where I could just let things go, but it’s not working out that way.

  I need to do something about this, I decide, and quickly.

  “It’s so good to hear stories about your own shenanigans from your youth, honey,” I tell Savannah, with a huge fucking grin on my face, as if I mean it.

  I put my arm around Savannah, and she looks at me with a surprised expression on her face. I kiss her with very little warning and, thankfully, she goes along with it.

  I put my hand around the back of her neck and push her face into mine even harder. I illicit a moan out of her and she grabs on to my shirt. I kind of get lost in her soft lips and I begin to forget why I was so mad in the first place. Everything else just sort of slips away.

  But it’s all brought back when I hear Landon clear his throat. Savannah pulls away from me and looks at her rich friend. Her cheeks turn a deep scarlet and she shrinks a little. I feel bad for embarrassing her, but I don’t regret getting it out of Landon’s head that he can just do whatever he wants.

  I don’t want Savannah to make any kind of apologies, so I stand up. They both look up at me and I motion for Savannah to follow me. She looks confused but gets up.

  “Sorry for the sudden departure, but I have to have my fiancée right now,” I tell Landon.

  I hear Savannah gasp, but I don’t stop.

  I just take her hand and guide her towards the jet’s bathroom. I don’t look back at Landon because I’m not in the mood to get angrier at that asshole. I’m in the mood for something different, which is taking what I want when I goddamn want it— and right now, what I want is Savannah.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Savannah

  I have no idea why Robert started kissing me all of a sudden while I was talking to Landon about that old party that we had gone to and the conversation had evolved into a walk down memory lane. But it sure felt right. I pretty much melted into him.

  And then I was even more surprised when Robert got up and led me to the bathroom, but not before telling Landon that he basically needed to fuck me right then. I can’t believe he would say something like that.

  I know I should be embarrassed. But to be honest, I’m mostly just turned on. But I tell myself not to be, because this is a crazy situation and letting my hormones dictate what I do can only make it crazier.

  Robert pulls me into the pl
ane’s bathroom, and I am surprised, but not unhappy. Honestly, I was having a hard time keeping it civil with Landon. He always tries to pull on my nostalgia to get me to like him. That and bringing up how close he is with my dad.

  Landon and I definitely spent a lot of time together while we were growing up, but that was more because his family and mine were friends. I just hung out with him because it was easier than complaining all the time or being bored constantly – and sometimes we had fun.

  I wish that he hadn’t turned into such a douche as we got older. I wish my dad wasn’t always constantly trying to force him onto me, and I wish he wasn’t always going along with it. For these reasons, we don’t usually take these trips down memory lane.

  “So, Landon,” Robert says.

  “Yeah, sorry about him.”

  I’m not sure what else to say on the subject. I wish Robert didn’t have to meet him so soon. I’d prefer for him to never have to meet him at all, but I had known that wouldn’t be possible. If the plan was for us to pretend to be married for a year, Robert would get to meet most of the people in my life, for better or worse.

  “Why aren’t you marrying him?” Robert asks. “You guys seem good for one another.”

  I tilt my head to the side because I don’t know why Robert is saying any of this. I thought I was making it obvious that I was uncomfortable while Landon was trying to make moves on me. It’s a little amusing, though, that he’s so pressed by it.

  “Landon is actually the guy I’m trying to not have to marry, by marrying you.”

  Robert narrows his eyes, but doesn’t say anything, so I keep talking.

  “My dad really likes him and thinks he’s some kind of godsend, but he’s a manipulative bastard who will use his money to get whatever he wants. And he just wants more of it. I’ll never understand his seemingly never-ending greed.”

  “I can tell he likes your dad. Won’t shut up about him.”

  Yeah, I’ve been a part of those conversations for quite a while now. I know how much Landon likes to mention my father.