The Accidental Honeymoon

by Alice Toby

  She doesn’t want to look at him. She doesn’t want to look at the man who destroyed her dream.

  “Why are you protecting a man you hardly know?!” Author calls out as Karin opens the door.

  She stops. She slams it shut. It doesn’t matter anymore. Karin knows she isn’t going to marry Ryan. She just wants to take this chance to tell this lawyer off.

  “I don’t squeal. You wanna fire me? Fine! You want to sue me? Go right ahead and take the last $80 from my checking account. You want to do some evil lawyer voodoo nonsense and ruin my life? Fine. I can’t compete. I don’t have an Ivy League degree. I don’t have a law degree. But I am a better human being that you are. You can’t control me. And I won’t allow you to have that control over me. Goodbye, and go fuck yourself!”

  In that moment, Author realizes that he perhaps doesn’t need to be suspicious of Karin. She may, in fact, be the perfect woman to contract in Ryan’s secret marriage. She is willing to give up ten million dollars to keep one person’s secret. But for the first time in his life, Author believes he may have overplayed his hand. Karin whips the door open and walks out of his office. The lawyer gets up and gives chase to Karin who is storming down the hallways, looking for the fastest way out of Emperor Technologies’ headquarters.

  Karin finds the elevators. She stabs the down button with her index finger. The doors open. “Wait!” Author calls out. Karin ignores him. “You know what. I am an asshole,” Author tells the young woman.

  She turns around and holds the elevator doors open. Author steps inside and closes the doors. “I am the biggest asshole lawyer in Silicon Valley. I am also the highest paid asshole lawyer in Silicon Valley. And Ryan pays me to protect him. Now, I can read people better than anyone.”

  “Can you read what I’m thinking about you right now?!” Karin tells the lawyer.

  “You hate me. Now, let me tell you what I’m reading. You are offended and angry and hurt. I also know that you are someone who would never break her word. You are willing to walk away from this to protect a secret. And you know what, that’s exactly what Ryan needs.”

  Karin is open to Author’s words. She is still a little apprehensive. “I appreciate your words. But I still won’t reveal anything about Steven.”

  “Let me ask you this. Do you care about this company?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you care about Ryan?”

  “Very much so.”

  “Would this particular secret harm Ryan if he didn’t have to hear about it?”

  “No.”

  “Alright. So we’ll never have to discuss the matter again.”

  The young intern exhales deeply. She leans against the elevator walls as though she had just run through an obstacle course. “Look, why don’t you go down to the cafeteria and get something to drink. If anyone is looking for you, I’ll tell them that you are running an errand for me.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  Author presses the bottom floor button on the elevator’s control pad. “You stick up for yourself pretty damn well. I can see why Ryan likes you.”

  For the first time in hours, Karin cracks a smile.

  The young intern usually abstains from caffeine and sugar. However, she has decided to break her personal diet code. She needs something strong to soothe her nerves. She goes to the in-house Starbucks cafe and orders the tallest, least healthy drink on the menu. She wants to shock her system back to normal.

  “How may I help you?” the barista asks Karin.

  “What drink could possibly put me into a coma?”

  The barista laughs slightly. “Well, we have something employees like to call ‘Liquid Cocaine.’”

  “What’s that?”

  “The venti white mocha double Espresso with whipped cream.”

  “I’ll take it.”

  About a minute later, the barista delivers the monster drink into Karin’s hands. She takes a seat facing the windows and places the drink to her lips. The double espresso slides down her tongue and coats her throat in syrupy sweetness. Her eyes water. It’s the first jolt of sugar and caffeine she has had in over a year. Karin body begins to jitter followed by a rush of energy that pushes out all the anxiety she had just a few minutes ago. “I’m going to have a serious sugar crash after this,” Karin tells herself. The young intern stares at the majestic pines right outside her window. Her mind drifts back to Ryan. She wishes she could just walk up to his office and relax with him. Of course, she figures that acting a little too familiar with her soon-to-be husband would not be appropriate around the office. Her mega sized Espresso and a view of the Northern California pines are her only source of comfort for the time being.

  It takes Karin a good half an hour to get to the bottom of her 16-ounce drink. She makes her way back up to the fourth level where she sees her future husband walking with a group of people. Karin smiles at Ryan who appears too preoccupied talking to his executives. A slight sadness comes across her face. He is busy. He probably did not even see me. I have to stop being so emotional. I need to just relax. The young intern can feel the sugar crash coming on strong. She goes back to the conference room and slides into her chair. About twenty minutes later, one of the senior execs commandeers her to take notes on a conference call.

  Karin spends the afternoon in a windowless conference room listening to the most mundane conversations about distribution costs and efficiency. She dares not look at her watch. She doesn’t want to appear as though she is not paying attention. When the meeting is finally over, she is shocked to find that it is nearly 9 p.m.

  The young woman is in a daze. Her sugar crash and emotional rollercoster of a day has burned her out. She is too dizzy to even remember she sits. Instead, Karin plops herself down on one of the comfy lounge chairs in one of the open areas of the fourth level. She looks at the red leather of the chair and playfully pokes at it. Oh stop being such a sourpuss. You are getting married to Ryan. I like him. He likes me. Just roll with it. Relax. Karin stares at the bone white wall in front of her. She listens to the ambient sounds of the office. Off in the distance, she can hear her future husband’s voice. Karin begins to smile.

  “The resolution on this is better than I expected. It’s really lifelike. This is incredible,” Ryan brags.

  Karin turns around and sees Ryan standing about five feet away from her. But something is strange. Ryan is transparent. Karin leans over the back of the chair and stares at this ghostly image of her fiance. “Ryan?” Karin calls out softly. She slowly stands up from the chair and gazes at Ryan. She looks through him. Red-eyed and exhausted, Karin is wondering if her brain is playing tricks on her. She walks up to Ryan. “Ryan?” Karin asks again.

  “Ha! That’s great!” Ryan proclaims. Karin turns her head and sees another image of Ryan. He is holding what appears to be a camera phone. Then Karin looks back at the transparent image of her fiance being projected from the camera phone. “Lifelike isn’t it?!” Ryan tells Karin. The young intern looks at the 3-D image of her soon-to-be husband.

  “This is our prototype of our holographic video camera. You shoot anything through this camera. And you can play it back as a hologram. The 19th century brought photography to the world. The 20th century gave everyone a video camera. The 21st century will belong to holographic imaging. We’re going to put this technology into the hands of the average person.”

  Karin looks at the projected image of Ryan. She is astounded. Not of the technology but of Ryan. She sees a man who can simply will anything out of him. “Can I hold it?” Karin asks.

  “Sure.”

  Karin grabs the camera and begins to project Ryan’s holographic image in different areas of the office. “I feel like I am controlling you,” she jokes.

  “Yeah. The man of your dreams. You can put him anywhere and make him disappear at will.”

  “And I can put him in my pocket,” Karin jests.

  “Alright. It looks like you’re having a little too much fun with that.”

  Karin
hands the holographic camera back to Ryan. “How long did it take to make that?”

  “Fourteen months, 16 days and three nervous breakdowns in the R&D department. They finished it two weeks early for me,” Ryan remarks. “Well, it looks like it’s almost 11 p.m. I want to let everyone to go home and rest.”

  “At least I won’t hit a lot of traffic on the way home,” Karin remarks.

  “Hey, you want to spend the night over at my place?” Ryan asks innocently. “I mean, we don’t have to do anything. I just thought that maybe since we’re going to be married, you should get to see my home.”

  The sheer curiosity of seeing Ryan’s place overwhelms Karin. “That would be cool.”

  “I think you’ll like it.”

  Karin nervously gathers her things as Ryan dismisses his Research and Design team for the evening. She nervously holds her bag as Ryan gives his final instructions for the evening. “Let everyone in your department sleep in. They don’t have to come into the office until 10 a.m.,” the CEO tells his head of R&D. Ryan motions for Karin to come with him. Together the soon-to-be-married couple get into the elevator and leave the office.

  Karin gets into Ryan’s car and they speed off out of the office campus. Her knees knock together. She feels as though her body has run through every type of emotion possible. Ryan confidently navigates his Audi R8 into Palo Alto’s most exclusive enclave. The car slowly pulls up to a set of iron gates that are flanked by 8-foot hedges. The gates open. The CEO of Emperor Technologies guides his car up a cobblestone driveway. Karin looks out at the perfectly manicured landscaped gardens lit by soft ambient lighting. Her eyes are guided forward to the elegant English Countryside style home. It is not a billionaire mega-mansion by any standards. Instead, the young billionaire resides in the kind of estate that seeks to comfort rather than intimidate.

  “We’re home,” Ryan tells Karin. Those two words hit Karin’s ears with the kind of warmth that puts her instantly at ease. “This will be home. At least for the next year or so,” Karin tells herself. Ryan stops in front of the entryway of the home. He gets out and opens the door for his fiance. Karin steps out and looks around at the grounds. She is struck by the simple beauty of the old growth trees and the perfectly manicured shrubbery. There is a slight smile on her face.

  “What’s the smile about?” Ryan asks.

  “This place is so unlike you.”

  Ryan opens the front door to his home. “Yeah. Most people expected me to build this ultra modern house. But the truth is, after a long day of work, I want to come home to something that feels warm and welcoming.”

  Karin walks inside the home and finds a rather cozy living space with overstuffed couches, several area rugs and a couple of black and white framed photos. The only evidence which would give away the wealth of the owner are the Picasso, Van Gogh and Pollock paintings on the wall as well as several oriental vases and other ancient artifacts. “I hope you feel comfortable here,” Ryan tells her.

  “Well, it sure beats the apartment I share with two other girls.”

  “Good. Well, I can give you a little tour of the home,” Ryan tells her. They walk down the hallway, where Ryan shows off his home office. It is a simple room, not much more than a computer and a desk. The CEO leads Karin to the kitchen. The young woman is instantly struck by the copperware as well as the high-end appliances. As someone who once worked a summer at an Italian restaurant, Karin can tell there is about six figures with of upgrades in this one room. “I also have a ‘boy room’ over here,” Ryan tells Karin as he leads her to a windowless area filled with pool tables, arcade games and pinball machines. Karin looks at the pool table with particular interest. Her father taught her pool at the age of five and she has been known to hustle games against unsuspecting frat boys in and around Santa Clara.

  “Are you good at pool?” Karin asks.

  “I’m not bad. How about you?”

  “I know my way around,” Karin tells Ryan as she playfully runs her fingers against one of the pool sticks.

  “Let’s see what you got,” Ryan tells her as he racks the balls. Karin confidently grabs the stick and places the cue ball in place. She takes aim and breaks the rack, knocking four balls into the pocket. After that, she proceeds to knock ball after ball into each pocket. Ryan is speechless. “You are knocking them off in order aren’t you?”

  “Yep. Except for the eight ball. I’m leaving that for last.”

  Karin continues to knock the 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 balls into the pool pockets. The 15 ball, however, is blocked by the eight ball.

  “You’re going to need two shots to get that 15 ball in the pocket.”

  Karin shakes her head. “No I won’t.”

  “The eight ball is blocking your way.”

  “I know.”

  “And you still think you can knock the 15 ball in one shot?”

  “Yep.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Watch me,” Karin responds as she lines up the shot. She aims her pool-stick downward and hits the cue ball, causing it to hop over the eight ball and safely knock the 15 ball into a corner pocket.

  “I can’t fucking believe what I just saw!” Ryan exclaims. Karin giggles as she knocks the final ball into a side pocket. “And that’s how I play pool.”

  “You can skateboard, snowboard, and play pool. You are full of surprises.”

  Karin just giggles. The two of them look at each other. Ryan stares into the young intern’s eyes. He moves closer to her. He stares at her soft curly hair, light eyes and tight young body. Ryan thinks about kissing her. But he holds back. He knows the marriage is a business arrangement. He doesn’t want to complicate it with a kiss. Karin can feel her heart race as she wonders if she should grab Ryan and initiate something. Ryan is cute and smart and warm. But Ryan is her boss. She knows that she can not make the first move.

  “Let me show you the koi pond,” Ryan tells Karin, breaking the tension. He leads the young intern through a set of double French Doors. The couple wals outside and looks down at the artificial pond filled with dozens of bright red and orange koi fish. Karin had never seen anything like it before. She is mesmerized by the view of the color fish dancing in the clear water.

  “They are cute!” Karin exclaims.

  “They calm me down. Sometimes I just stare at the fish for a full hour. It really takes the pressure off.”

  The couple stare at the fish, standing closer together than they have ever been before. Ryan’s hand brushes against Karin’s thigh. His fingers wander over to her hands. Karin feels her boss’ fingers against the back of her hand. She moves her fingers. The two of them quietly brush their fingers against each other while staring at the koi, illuminated by ambient lighting. Karin’s breathing gets heavy. Everything in her mind tells her to kiss him. But no matter how much she wants to do it, she backs off.

  “It’s greeting late. You probably want to go to sleep,” Ryan tells the young intern.

  “Sure.”

  Ryan walks Karin upstairs. He leads her to a guest bedroom with its own balcony leading to a view of the backyard. “I hope this makes you feel at home.”

  “This makes me feel better than being at home.”

  “There is also a bathroom suite over there.”

  “Now, I feel like I am being spoiled.”

  “That’s good. I want you to feel comfortable.”

  Ryan stares into Karin’s eyes. Their mouths so close to each other that they can feel each other’s warm breath. “Good night, Karin.”

  “Good night, Ryan.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Karin wakes up unfamiliar with her surroundings. She focuses her eyes on the doors leading to the balcony. The room is brighter than her usual bedroom. She gets up and looks out of the French Doors and stares at the perfectly landscaped yard painted in slivers of morning light. She looks around and begins to remember where she is - Ryan’s home. The young intern wanders over to the bathroom and takes a shower. She gets dressed and makes her way o
ut of the bedroom.

  Karin detects the faint aroma of eggs, pepper and potatoes. She follows the scent to the kitchen where Ryan is making breakfast. She is somewhat stunned at the sight of Silicon Valley’s most powerful billionaire working over a stove.

  “Good morning. Do you like eggs?” Ryan tells his future wife.

  “Good morning. Sure, I love eggs. I didn’t know you cooked.”

  “Oh yeah. When I first started Emperor Technologies, I used to make breakfast for everyone at 7 a.m. That ensured that they would show up early for work. Ever since then, cooking has been my one hobby. So how do you like your eggs"?”

  “Scrambled would be great, thanks.”

  Ryan prepares a breakfast of eggs, potatoes and a side of orange slices. The couple sits down at the humble breakfast table right off the kitchen. As they eat, Karin gets the feeling that she is already married. She can certainly get used to being with Ryan. As each minute passes the couple become more and more comfortable with each other. As Karin finishes her breakfast, Ryan checks his laptop. He begins to furiously type messages to members of his staff. As he is typing, he looks up and notices Karin. Ryan places the laptop to the side. “That’s a bad habit,” the CEO remarks.

  “What are you talking about?” Karin asks.

  “Me typing like that while you are eating.”

  “I understand. You have a huge company to run.”

  “I know. But those messages can wait. I need to learn to be more, well, courteous.”

  The couple finishes their breakfast and head into the car. As Ryan drives to the company headquarters, he begins to field calls through the Audi’s hands-free phone system. Karin is impressed by the way Ryan efficiently deals with each call. One minute Ryan is negotiating with a manufacturer in China, the next minute, he is making decisions on new products. When Ryan and Karin reach the Emperor campus, Ryan has already talked to three departments within his company.