The Accidental Honeymoon

by Alice Toby

  A server comes to the table with a buffet tray of Parisian style desserts. Written in chocolate syrup are the words, “Have a ‘Wilde’ Night. Chef Daniel.” Ryan shakes his head and laughs. “As you can see, it’s going to take a while before I can turn my reputation around. Normally, I would have a wild night in the city.”

  “Well, I don’t want to stop you,” Karin tells him.

  Ryan grabs a strawberry and dips it into the silver bowl filled with powdered sugar. He slides the fruit across a stream of caramel and chocolate before tasting it. “Well, maybe we can have a little fun. You know, together.”

  “Really?”

  “Have you heard of the XX Club?”

  Karin’s eyes light up. The XX Club is New York’s hottest new super-secret nightclub. Wealth is not enough to gain entry into this enclave. One must be rich and famous or seriously connected to the rich and famous. “Yeah. I mean, it’s like the hottest club on the planet.”

  “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. Why not. My meeting with the board isn’t until 11 a.m.”

  “Wow. Yeah, that would be cool.”

  The couple finishes their dinner and head back into the Bentley. They are taken down to the meatpacking district where the city’s newest hip hotel, the XX is hopping with activity. Just outside, several people are smoking and conversing. None of the city people turn their heads when they see the Bentley. As the door opens, a couple of the smokers look over to see if anyone famous is about to exit onto the sidewalk. When Karin steps out, just about everyone goes back to their smokes. When Ryan exits the Bentley, a couple of heads turn. Those gawkers tap their friends on the shoulders. Soon, everyone outside of the hotel is gazing at the bad boy billionaire Ryan Wilde. Even these jaded New Yorkers are impressed.

  Karin notices everyone staring again. This time she is prepared for it. She casually joins her man up the stairs. As they pass right by several of the onlookers, Karin can sense a half-a dozen camera phones pointed into their direction.

  When the couple enter the post-modern lobby of the XX hotel, they instantly become the center of attention. One of the hotel’s VIP handlers welcomes the two and whisks them to a “secret” elevator leading to the ultra-exclusive XX club.

  “Mr. Wilde is enroute,” the VIP handler whispers into his walkie-talkie. The elevator doors open to a nearly dark room lit only by several candles and purple ambient lighting.

  “Here we are,” Ryan tells his future wife.

  Karin looks around the room and sees nothing but famous faces. She sees A-list movie stars, music divas, sports stars. In fact, there are more famous people than there are non-famous people.

  Ryan and Karin are escorted to one of the four coveted corner booths. As the billionaire bad boy passes the members of the rich and famous, more than one of them appear shocked to see Ryan in the club.

  As the two are about to reach the booth, Karin notices a very familiar face coming their way.

  “Ryan, hey!” the familiar face tells the CEO.

  Karin is able to get a good look at him. Her jaw drops. It is movie star Dean Rutlage. Her biggest Hollywood crush of all time. She just stares at this man that she has fawned over for several years. But she is not the only one star struck. Dean can’t believe he is meeting Ryan.

  Ryan looks at Dean but has a hard time recognizing him. As the CEO of Emperor and a full-time playboy, Ryan hardly has time to catch the latest films.

  “How are you?” the CEO responds.

  “I didn’t know you were in the city.”

  “Yeah, I’m here for just a few days.”

  “I’m doing a movie for your studio,” the star tells Ryan. For a moment, the CEO doesn’t understand what Dean is saying. Then Ryan recalls that his company Emperor Technologies, purchased the cable company giant Intersky Media for seven billion dollars five years ago. And Intersky Media, in turn, acquired Alexis Studios last year for one point five billion dollars. Thus making Ryan the largest stakeholder in the third biggest studio in Hollywood.

  “That’s great,” Ryan responds.

  “Maybe you could come to the premier with a couple of your girlfriends,” Dean jokes.

  “I have only one girl now,” Ryan responds as he looks over at Karin.

  Karin looks at Ryan not sure if he is being sincere. Oh course, that is not sincere. I signed a contract to be his wife. We are simply playing a role, Karin tells herself. That’s the rational side of her brain. Then the emotional side of her brain counters with the images of themselves together for the past week. The closeness, the laughter, the friendship.

  “I never thought I would imagine that one woman would tie you down.”

  “She is a special woman.”

  “Congrats, man. Well, I hope you can make it to the premier.”

  “l might just do that. Have a great evening.”

  “You too.”

  As the superstar actor leaves, a waitress comes by ready to take Ryan and Karin’s order. Karin notices that the waitress is giving some extra special attention to Rayn. She is not sure if that is because Ryan is rich or famous or good-looking. Either way, the young intern becomes instantly protective of her future “pretend” husband. She shoots the waitress a look. A kind of “back off” stare.

  Ryan sits back and relaxes in the shadows of the booth. Karin lies back next to him. The two nearly begin to hold hands when their drinks arrive. Karin takes a martini while Ryan opts for a Rum and Coke. The couple continue to drink as they watch the supermodels and celebrities dance with each other.

  After three martinis, Karin begins to sway to the music. Ryan watches her. The CEO may be a bad boy, but he is not known for his dancing skills. However, the three Rum and Cokes have lowered his inhibitions as well. The couple gets up and begins to dance. They dance for each other. Ryan gazes at Karin’s young, fit body while the intern admires Ryan’s seductive movements. About a minute into their dance, a six-foot tall blonde supermodel cuts in. She basically moves her tall body right in front of Karin as though she were not there. The young intern doesn’t like that one bit. Karin grabs the supermodel and pushes her to the side.

  “Who do you think you are?!” the supermodel asks Karin in a gruff Russian accent.

  “Go find your own man!” Karin shoots back. Ryan watches with a bemused look on her face.

  The tall, blonde supermodel goes right up to Karin, staring her down. Karin is nervous. The supermodel’s arms are defined and her body is tight. While Karin is rather fit herself, the model towers over the intern by a good seven inches. The supermodel’s extreme height and physique doesn’t quell the inner fire Karin feels right now. She is not going to allow any woman to get between her and Ryan. Karin pulls on the model’s long blonde hair and throws her on the ground. The two begin to swing at each other. All of a sudden, everyone is looking in their direction.

  Ryan quickly pulls Karin away from the model. The supermodel gets up and throws her heel at Karin. “You little whore! I see you on the streets, I will fuck you up.”

  “Come on. Let’s fight right now!” Karin yells as Ryan holds her back. The supermodel is pulled back by her friends. The group of six-foot tall models moves their blonde Russian friend across to the other side of the club. Karin is steamed. She wants to go after her.

  “It’s okay. It’s okay!” Ryan tells Karin. The CEO pulls his fiancee back to the table. He motions for the waitress to get them a cool pitcher of water. Ryan holds her in his arms, trying to comfort and soothe the hot and bothered young intern.

  “You are on fire, little girl.”

  “She was trying to cut in-between us.”

  Ryan strokes her hair and laughs. “I never thought I would be the one trying to calm you down. I suspected it would always be the other way around. Here’s some nice, cool ice water. Everything is fine. She is out of the club.”

  Karin takes a while to cool down. She looks at Ryan and wonders if she has blown it. The CEO wanted to keep a low profile
and here she is nearly starting a fight with a Russian supermodel. The young intern realizes that Ryan is an attractive, wealthy and powerful man. Many women will try to get close to him. Karin also knows that she needs to be mature enough to not lose her cool. The Emperor needs an Empress worthy of that stature. She slowly gathers herself together and sits up properly in the booth. Karin calmly asks for a glass of white wine. After taking her first sip of alcohol in ten minutes, she is nearly back to normal.

  “I have to say I have a newfound respect for you,” Ryan tells her.

  “Really?”

  “That model was twice your size. She could have really ripped your head off.”

  “I was trying to protect you. But I understand that my behavior could run counter to your intentions to keep a low profile.”

  “Well, there are no media people in this club. So everything will be kept hush-hush.”

  “I won’t do that again. I promise.”

  “Don’t worry. I like a girl with a little fight in her. We’ve had our excitement for the night. My big meeting with the IBS board is in 12 hours.”

  The couple makes their way out of the club. Ryan escorts Karin into the Bentley. They are driven back to the mansion. Ryan walks Karin to her bedroom.

  “Have a great night,” Ryan tells her.

  “You too.”

  The couple stands there awkwardly for a moment. It’s as though each of them wanted to kiss each other goodnight. Ryan moves closer and gives his future wife a hug. Karin’s body suddenly heats up with this unexpected bodily contact. She hugs him back, pressing his strong chest against her body. When they let go, Karin just stands there for a moment. She slowly walks into the bedroom and closes the door. As Ryan walks away, Karin cracks the door open again to catch a glimpse of her future husband.

  Karin takes a shower and hops into bed. Even though she is alone, she doesn’t feel alone. Ryan is right down the hall. She can feel his presence close to her. The young woman grabs one of the extra pillows and holds it close to her as though she were clutching Ryan. As she drifts off to sleep, she thinks about her future husband and slowly whispers, “Good night, Ryan.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Ryan Wilde looks at the giant monolith of a black building from outside the tinted windows of a Mercedes transit van. His eyes gaze down to the blue letters over the front entrance of the building - IBS. “This is it,” the CEO of Emperor Technologies tells his President as well as his General Counsel. Karin sits off to the side just staring at Ryan. Ever since this morning, Karin has noticed that Ryan has been in some sort of “zone.” His eyes are intense. The Ryan from the nightclub is gone. She knows her future husband is in “CEO mode.” He is ready for one of the biggest days of his life.

  Since Ryan Wilde is one of most recognizable faces in the tech world, he can not simply walk through the front doors of IBS. That alone would set every tech blog ablaze. Getting Ryan in front of the IBS board is a tricky task. There was a thought about having a meeting at a hotel. But in the world of cell phone cameras, one photo of Ryan with someone from IBS could leak the merger talks. Instead, it was agreed that Ryan would meet with the board at IBS in one of their “secret conference rooms” within their global headquarters.

  The Mercedes transit van enters the IBS building through one of the four garage entrances. The vehicle is guided two levels below street level and directed to a large cargo elevator. Ryan, his top lieutenants as well as Karin exit the vehicle. Waiting for them is George Fowler, President of IBS.

  The President of IBS’ eyes open widely as he looks at Ryan Wilde. Even he is somewhat star struck. “It’s good to see you, Ryan. My apologies for the unusual security procedures,” the 55-year old president of IBS tells his possible future boss.

  “It’s understandable,” Ryan replies.

  The group enters the cargo elevator. The President of IBS is not a member of the company’s board of directors. So he doesn’t really have an opinion about the merger per se. He just wants to make sure he still has a job no matter what happens. The President has already been passed over for the CEO role since the board and Wall Street has been looking for a “Rock Star” to replace IBS’ current 73-year old boss. George isn’t bitter. Frankly, he has risen through the conservative ranks of IBS by allying himself with the right people and navigating the dangerous waters of office politics. His first priority is to survive.

  The cargo elevator rises to the 45th floor. The group is led to a set of double doors, locked by a fingerprint ID scanner. The President of IBS presses his finger on the pad, activating a “pass” tone from the security system. George opens the door. Karin’s heart is beating hard against her chest. Even though she is only here to observe, she feels as though she is the one about to give the speech. Ryan, on the other hand, is relaxed and focused.

  Ryan and his associates are met by the 12-member board at IBS. None are under the age of 50 and all appear like school Headmasters in front of the relatively young Ryan Wilde. The Emperor Technologies’ CEO confidently shakes the hands of each member of the board. He can tell right away who is on his side and who is still skeptical about his leadership abilities. He knows right away that the Chairman of the Board, Vance Kesinton, is not on his side. Vance, a former Goldman Sachs CEO, has been an IBS shareholder for over 50 years and doesn’t like the idea of change. However, he knows that Ryan Wilde is a brilliant CEO and he wants to hear him out. At the end of the line is the 73-year old CEO of IBS, Ed Horace.

  “Nice to meet you again, Ed,” Ryan tells his elder counterpart.

  “We last met in Geneva I believe?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “You were with those three French models.”

  Ryan has to take a moment to think. “Yes, I think they were French.”

  They both laugh.

  The board members begin to take their seats at the long conference room table. Ed Horace takes his seat at one end of the conference room table while Vance Kesinton, the Chairman of the Board, occupies the other end of the table. Ryan’s associates, as well as Karin, take seats behind the conference room table.

  Ryan stands before the 12 gray haired board members, the jury that will decide the fate of Ryan’s proposal. The young CEO stands in front of the board members and looks every member in the eye before he begins. “I would like to thank the board for meeting me on such short notice,” Ryan begins. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of newspaper. He carefully unfolds it and begins to read, “This CEO is a disaster waiting to happen. He is immature, untested and reckless. His pipe dream proposals and newfangled technological inventions could not have been introduced at a more inopportune time. Do not expect this ‘child in a suit and tie’ to last another year.” Ryan stops reading and looks at the board members. “This article was published in the Wall Street Journal on April 17, 1935. The subject of this article is your own company’s founder William Watson. In the midst of the Great Depression, Mr. Watson left a secure job at Bell Telephone to start a new company called International Business Systems. He had no customers, no cash flow and no allies on Wall Street. But he did have a vision - to create punch card automated databasing for the business sector. So he worked 18-hour days and built the first prototypes out of his own shed. He wheeled his punch-card computing machine up and down the streets of Manhattan. Everyone mocked him. His wife threatened to leave him. But Mr. Watson did not care what others thought. He had a vision. And he knew his product would change the world. After 500 companies slammed the door in his face, Mr. Watson made his first sale to Abbot Labs in October of 1935. Six months later, he sold ten more machines. Three years later, IBS grew to 400 employees and became the fastest growing company at the end of the Great Depression.” Ryan places the article back into his pocket. Every member of the board is now leaning forward in their seats. “I started my company back in early 2000 just as the first dot-com crash began to crush thousands of tech firms. No one was lining up to invest in my company. In fact, no one was
lining up to invest in any Silicon Valley company. It would have been easy for me to quit. But I didn’t. I pushed forward. While other start-ups were liquidating, I began growing. While I would not put myself in the same league as your founder, I understand what made him great. It’s about ignoring the noise, the media, the pundits, the chaos and dedicating ourselves 100% to our vision. Together, IBS and Emperor Technologies would become the second largest tech company in the world after Apple. And every day, I will wake up with the vision to make us the number one tech company on the planet. Now, just how will I did that? Allow my associate to explain,” Ryan cryptically adds as he reaches into his other pocket. The entire board is rapt with the young CEO’s every movement. Ryan produces the prototype device from his pocket and holds it up. He turns it on. Across the room, a holographic image of Ryan appears. Everyone in the room gasps.

  “Hi, it’s me again,” the holographic Ryan announces. “So how will our combined companies become the number one tech company on the planet? By introducing innovative products to the market. They will change the world. They will enhance people’s lives. The product you are looking at is just one of the ways will shall do that. Now, if you will excuse me, the real Ryan would now like to conclude this presentation.” The holographic Ryan disappears. The real Ryan takes the device and places it on the conference room table. Everyone’s eyes stare at it in disbelief. “The world’s first consumer holographic recorder. This will be the very first product our merged company will bring to the market. Our research conservatively estimates that we can sell two hundred million units at seven hundred dollars per piece,” Ryan announces. “With your blessing, I would like to lead the merged company in changing the world. Thank you very much,” the young CEO concludes.

  No one in the room makes a sound for a full thirty seconds. The first audible disturbance comes from Ed Horace’s chair as the elderly CEO of IBS slowly slouches forward to reach for the prototype device. As a lifelong engineer, Mr. Horace marvels at the wallet size invention. “53 years ago, Mr. Watson gave me my first job at this company. And I always said that there would never be another man like him,” the 73-year old CEO tells the room. “Well, I am wrong. Mr. Wilde, you are Mr. Watson.”