Fianceé for Hire

by Melinda Minx

  I nod.

  “Are you two…” the receptionist says, looking at me. I can feel the veins on my forehead bulging with anger, and the receptionist must be able to read that, because she stops mid-question.

  “Tell me,” I say.

  The woman leans into me. “He came in last night with a woman. I think I saw him leaving later with a bunch of bags...but I don’t remember him checking out. Since he left, I assumed he’d checked out already.”

  “A woman,” I say, fuming. “You must be mistaken.”

  A woman? Didn’t Jack just drop the L-bomb on me? Did he seriously tell me he loved me while another woman was in his bed? Is Jack actually a total piece of shit I never should have trusted for a second?

  “I can...call the room,” the woman says.

  I grab hold of her screen and turn it toward me. I see Jack’s name, and I see a number, 346. Without saying a word, I turn the screen back toward her. I smile and say, “No, thank you.”

  “Let’s go, Noah,” I say.

  We head toward the elevator.

  “Can I push the button?” Noah asks.

  I tell him to push the up arrow, and he does.

  We ride up to the third floor, then exit.

  I don’t know what my plan is. I’m mostly in denial. There won’t be a woman in there, it will just be Jack. The receptionist is mistaken. Though a woman would explain his phone being off. I’m tempted to have Noah wait by the vending machines or something, but I can’t leave a three-year-old alone in a hotel hallway while I scream at some bitch and tell Jack that I hate him.

  If I do open the door and see what I fear I’ll see, I will just slam it and get Noah the hell away.

  “Room 346,” I say, standing outside the door.

  I knock, loud.

  I wait, and nothing happens. I start knocking louder, not stopping.

  Noah looks up at me, seeming worried.

  “It’s okay,” I say. “There’s no doorbell, so I have to knock louder.”

  I keep knocking, feeling more and more worried with each passing moment. Could he seriously be using this time to try to hide the woman? I’m gonna search every nook and cranny once I’m in there. It’s not like she can climb out the window on the third floor.

  The door opens up, and I see the worst thing I could ever have imagined. My sister.

  I stare at her with my jaw hanging wide open.

  “I thought we were gonna visit Dad, not Aunt Jane,” Noah says.

  “You...you…” I say, locking eyes with Jane. “How could you--?”

  “He said he wasn’t going to tell you until he got back,” Jane says.

  Her eyes are crusted shut, and her voice sounds like she died and came back to life.

  I’m tempted to just slap her, but instead I ask, “He’s not here?”

  “No,” Jane says.

  “Go inside, Noah. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Noah goes inside, looks up at me in confusion, and I shut the door.

  “You fucking bitch,” I whisper to Jane. “How could you? My own sister?”

  “Come on…” Jane says. “You knew it would probably happen sooner or later. It’s naive to think otherwise.”

  I shove her into the door. “What the fuck? Maybe I’d expect this from you if you were drinking, but you’ve been--”

  “What?” Jane asks. “Of course I’ve been drinking.”

  “Huh?” I ask, looking at her again.

  Jesus, she has been drinking.

  “What did Jack tell you then, if you didn’t know I was drinking?”

  “Jack didn’t tell me anything!” I hiss.

  “He didn’t tell you?” Jane asks. “Then why were you mad at me?”

  “Did you fuck the father of my child?” I ask.

  Jane laughs, then looks terrified. “Oh, God, no! No, Liz, of course not!”

  “Why are you…?”

  “Brody dumped me,” she says. “I got blasted, and I called Jack. I don’t remember super well all the details...but he let me have his room.”

  “You’re sure that you didn’t…”

  “No, Liz,” she says. “I don’t remember much, but I’m sure of that.”

  I sigh in relief. “Let’s go tell Noah everything is okay.”

  “There was a note on the door,” Jane says. “I didn’t read it, because it fell on the floor. You were knocking so loud...”

  “Okay,” I say. “Open up, let’s see it.”

  “Oh, shit,” she says. “I didn’t bring the keycard.”

  I knock again, then shout through the door. “Noah, can you open the door?”

  A few moments later the door opens up, and we both go inside. I snatch the note off the floor and read it, then I stick it in Jane’s face. “Were you going to tell me you were drinking again? Or were you going to force Jack to do it?”

  Jane bites her lip. “I hadn’t even read this yet, Liz, I don’t know.”

  I open up the mini-fridge, and I see only soda, candy, and water.

  “You raided his mini-fridge?” I ask.

  “Huh?” Jane says. “I don’t think so...I’d still be drunk if I had.”

  “Can I have a candy?” Noah asks.

  I grab a bag of M&Ms out of the fridge, tear it open, and pour out a few into his hand.

  “How can you get drunk over Brody?” I ask. “Come on, Jane. You were doing so well for so long.”

  She sighs. “He called me a drunk fuc--” she looks over at Noah eating his M&Ms. “A drunk mess-up.”

  “So you had to go and prove him right?” I ask. “Is he the one that got you drinking again in the first place? What kind of a-hole makes someone in recovery drink, then dumps her for drinking?”

  “When you phrase it like that,” Jane says, “it sounds like it was all his fault, that I didn’t--”

  “It’s your fault, too,” I say. “But God, I hate that guy. If I ever see him again, I’ll--”

  “Save it,” Jane says. “You’re right, it’s my fault. Let’s go home, okay? I need you to keep an eye on me for the next few days...I could really use another drink.”

  “I won’t let you,” I say.

  “I know,” Jane says. “That’s why I need you.”

  21

  Jack

  I stand outside the high-rise that once belonged to my father. I fought for it for years, to pry it from Aldus’s grasp, and now I’m about to enter it for the last time. To hand it over to him once and for all. And I don’t even regret it. If anything, it’s a relief.

  I’m wearing a suit and tie. It’s been so long since I’ve dressed like this that it feels like wearing thick armor into battle. I reach the lobby and tell the receptionist I have a meeting with Aldus. He looks skeptical, but when I give my name, he waves me forward. “I’ve unlocked the top floor, just hit the button when you’re in.”

  I nod.

  The ride up feels like it takes forever. No amount of mental preparation could get me ready for this. I have to convince him that I’m doing this out of resignation and exhaustion. He can’t so much as suspect that I have a son.

  When the elevator reaches the top floor, the doors open.

  The top floor is decked out in modern furniture. It’s a lot of black, whites, and greys, with an occasional pop of pastel color for highlight.

  I realize that it’s Aldus’s living quarters, not an office.

  It feels like I’ve just walked into his house--the lion’s den. Yet he’s nowhere to be seen.

  I turn the corner, and I see a huge room, sparsely furnished, with floor-to-ceiling windows showing the entire Seattle skyline. The Space Needle is clearly visible front and center.

  I walk through the large living room, wondering if Aldus is even here, or if he just had me come all the way down to Seattle to stand me up.

  “Aldus,” I say. “Come out.”

  I reach the end of the living room, and I see him sitting at a big desk, his face partially obscured by three huge screens.

 
“Oh,” he says. “You’re here?”

  “You knew I was coming.”

  He stands up, walking over to me.

  This is the moment where two normal people would shake hands. Instead, we just stare each other down with raw hatred. We stare each other down for a good 10 seconds, and finally Aldus points to my briefcase. “This is the contract?”

  I hand it over to him. “Yes.”

  “I’ll have to have my lawyers look it over.”

  “Fine,” I say.

  He sits down at his desk again and picks up his phone. “I need you at my penthouse to look over a contract.”

  “Sit down, Jack,” he says, gesturing toward a couch against the wall.

  He presses a button, and his monitors slide down into the desk. Just the kind of useless fancy bullshit I’d expect him to waste our father’s money on. His big desk is between the two of us. It’s a physical manifestation of how estranged we are.

  “I need to know why you want to give up,” he says.

  “You’ve been following me,” I say. “You must know.”

  He raises an eyebrow at me. “One hundred thousand dollars is not a lot of money. After taxes, it’s a middle-manager’s salary.”

  I shrug. “A middle-manager’s salary is a big step up from a lumberjack’s, or a soldier’s. If I can keep winning like this, it will add up.”

  “Your lawyers aren’t exactly expensive, Jack,” he says. “You could afford to keep them on me indefinitely.”

  “And then what?” I ask. “We both know they were never going to win.”

  “And we also both know it costs me at least one hundred times more to defend against them than it does for you to attack me.”

  “That’s why I kept paying,” I say. “Just to piss you off.”

  “Then why drop it?” he asks. “Why not keep fighting?”

  I lean forward on the couch, digging my elbows into my legs. “This fight...it keeps us connected. Even though it hurts you, it’s a link between the two of us. If we both sign this contract, we cut all ties. You’ll never acknowledge that we share a blood tie, so this will effectively take you out of my life. For good. That’s all I want.”

  Aldus laughs. He unbuttons his jacket, and then he pulls a chain on his neck. The ring falls down and lies against his shirt.

  I have to fake it now. I’m not supposed to know he has the ring.

  I leap off of the couch. “You fucking piece of shit! I knew it!”

  “It’s all mine,” he says. “We sign the contract, and I became sole heir. This has always rightfully been mine, but the contract will seal it.”

  I ball up my fists, staring him down with real hatred. I don’t even have to fake it at this point.

  “This is why I want you out of my life. I realized over these last few years…”

  I take deep breaths to calm myself. “That anything I do to hurt you will just hurt me more. You’re broken, Aldus, you thrive on hatred, but I’m different.”

  “Of course we’re different,” he says. “We’re not real family. Why would we be anything alike? Your mother was weak.”

  More rage boils up within me. He’s trying to taunt me. Deep down, part of him doesn’t want to sign the contract. Even though it will do nothing but benefit him, he’d rather I continue to suffer. If I go off the handle and refuse to sign, it won’t really bother him.

  There’s a beep from Aldus’s desk. “The lawyers are here. You can wait here.”

  He disappears, and I wait in silence for two or three hours.

  When he finally comes back, he’s holding a freshly printed contract. “We had to make surprisingly few changes. The changes are highlighted in yellow.”

  He slaps the contract down on his desk. “Sit, I’ve already signed.”

  He takes my place on the couch, and I sit in his chair. I look over the changes, most of them are just small modifications to the phrasing, but one catches my eye. It’s an entirely new paragraph.

  I read through it, and I think I know what it means, but I just look up at him instead. “What is this shit?”

  “In case you ever have kids,” he says. “It just states that your children cannot take up your lost cause again. The contract you handed me only prevented you from doing so. I don’t need your money-grubbing kids coming after me when I’m old.”

  Rumor has it that Aldus can’t have kids. He made a big stink about his “heirs” through the years, and after divorcing woman after woman, people started speculating that there would never be an heir.

  I shrug. “I don’t plan on having kids, so fuck it.”

  I sign the contract.

  I’ve cut Noah out from his grandpa’s legacy, but I can offer him more than that. Elisabeth and I can offer him a lot more, together. I’m doing him a favor by signing this, he’ll never have to know his evil fucking uncle.

  Aldus laughs, snaps his fingers, and a lawyer walks in. The lawyer takes the contract, nods to Aldus, and walks out.

  “Before you leave,” Aldus says, “I just want you to know--between you and me--that I did not intentionally kill our father.”

  I stand up, and take three big steps toward him, until I’m towering over him. He’s finally admitting that he did it, now that it’s too late for me to do a thing about it.

  “Stand up,” I say.

  “Why? You can go now. Hit the road, Jack.”

  “Stand. Up.”

  He stands up, and his cool exterior finally starts to betray how nervous he is. He’s trembling, slightly, but still trembling.

  “I’m not going to punch you in the face,” I say.

  He laughs nervously.

  “You murdered our father, and my mother. A punch in the face is the least you deserve, contract or not.”

  “I thought you said that I thrived on hatred? Wouldn’t punching me in the face just make me stronger, by your logic?”

  “Yes,” I say, stepping right up into him, just inches away. “That’s why I’m not going to punch you in the face.”

  I slam my fist into his gut, as hard as I can. Punching as if I was trying to break through a concrete wall.

  He crumples to the ground, wheezing and gasping for air. Finally he coughs, and vomit spills down his face, all over his sleek marble floors.

  “We’re done,” I say. “I never want to see you again.”

  I step over him and walk out of the room.

  I fly out late that night, and land in Anchorage early the following morning.

  I call Elisabeth as soon as I land.

  “I found Jane,” she says.

  “Oh,” I say, “I was going to tell you…”

  “I know,” she says. “I found your note, too.”

  “How is she doing?”

  “She’s okay,” Elisabeth says. “She went to a meeting earlier, now she’s with Noah. I think she’ll be okay.”

  “Good,” I say. “The thing with Aldus...it’s done. We’re safe.”

  “Thank God. Are you coming here?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “Of course.”

  I don’t even have a hotel anymore. We’re in a bit of an awkward position now, Elisabeth and I. Having Noah in the picture makes getting married seem like the obvious answer, but I’ve only really known her for a week or so. I could just move in with her, if she’ll have me.

  We can talk about that later, though, for now I just want to rest. The feeling of relief is immense. Aldus is out of my life, and he has no reason to track me going forward. I’ve handed everything over to him that he wants, and now I can start a life totally free of him.

  When I get to Elisabeth’s place, she hugs me, and then I kiss her for all I’m worth.

  She smiles wide at me, and takes me into her arms. Her breasts press against me, and I feel my cock go hard as diamonds in an instant.

  “Where’s Noah?” I ask.

  “Jane took him out to go sledding,” Elisabeth says. “She says she needed the fresh air.”

  “You wanna go join them?” I ask.r />
  “Yeah,” she says. “But first…”

  She grabs hold of my cock through my jeans, and I lick my lips. I grab hold of her, and pull her into me.

  22

  Jane

  As I watch Noah stumble back up the hill with his sled dragging behind him, I see another figure approaching.

  It’s Brody. Fuck.

  He’s honestly the last thing I wanted to see, but somewhere deep in my reptile brain, I want to hear him apologize to me, to beg for me to come back. It will make me feel better if he does, I realize. Even if I just reject him. It will give me closure that’s much more satisfying than his hurtful words.

  “Jane,” he says.

  “Fuck off, Brody,” I say.

  “Just you and the kid?” he asks.

  “Yeah,” I say. “I guess my sister can trust a drunk fuck-up.”

  He winces. “Ah, sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t have dumped you at all, you know?”

  “Why’s that?”

  He looks over and sees Noah cresting the hill, just a few feet from us now.

  “Because your pussy is tighter than my hand,” he hisses, right into my face, his spit hitting my face.

  My draw drops wide open, and before I can even react to what is happening, he grabs hold of my shoulders.

  “If you call the police,” he says, “I’ll kill the kid. Greetings from Aldus.”

  I feel terror wash over me at the mention of Aldus’s name, and then he rams his knee into my stomach so hard that I can’t breathe. I gasp for air, but he shoves me as hard as he can, and I hit the hill on my back. I feel myself tumbling down and down, sliding through the snow as I gasp and wheeze for air.

  Kill the kid. Noah!

  I look up as the first few breaths get oxygen back into my blood, and I see Noah’s sled sitting at the top of the hill. Noah and Brody are both gone.

  I pull my phone out of my pocket, gasping for breath.

  I can’t call the police. Aldus wants Noah alive, or he’d not have gone to this much effort, but I can’t risk that Brody--if that’s even his real name--is bluffing. If I can’t call the police, I’ll call Jack.

  23