Business as Usual

by Hughes, E.

  Just as I pressed my hand against his chest with enough force to push him away, the door opened and Dad’s assistant, Rick walked in. I looked up, almost guiltily, realizing that Ethan was not only still holding me, but had interlocked his fingers with mine.

  Ethan stood about 5’10 with medium length dark hair that swept his shoulders. In my heels we were almost the same height. His face showed signs of stubble growing in, and a closer look at his eyes revealed dark circles. He’d been up all night.

  . “Oh, sorry to interrupt,” Rick said. “Your father told me to grab the audio equipment.”

  “No problem,” I answered smoothly, sliding out of Ethan’s grasp. “We’ll be done in a minute.”

  “Cool,” Rick answered. “Congratulations on your engagement,” he offered.

  “Thanks,” Ethan replied. “I’m the lucky one with such a pretty wife so thank her.”

  I hid both of my hands behind my back to keep from wringing his neck! “We’re, technically not married yet,” I stammered, “but thank you.”

  Ethan was going to make this difficult. Already, he was so exasperating. Rick left, closing the door behind him with a promise to come back.

  “What was that about?” I asked.

  “How can people believe we’re a couple if we don’t interact with each other? You look so alarmed. The glow of love is missing from your eyes.”

  Ethan was right. If the government caught us he would be deported and I would end up going to jail for immigration fraud. Looking like a real couple was detrimental. How could my own father get me involved in something like this? No doubt he truly believed I could pull it off. My shoulders sagged.

  “I see your point,” I acquiesced. “But… how can you be so calm? Why aren’t you taking this seriously?” Ethan was way too nonchalant about the whole ordeal.

  “Why would I be upset about marrying a pretty American girl?”

  Despite my Ivy League pedigree and the fact that I was vice president of an upscale hotel chain, the only thing Ethan saw was a pretty girl standing before him. A flash of unabashed desire flickered in his eyes.

  “Whatever!”I exclaimed dismissively, rolling my eyes. I suppose we better get this thing started. What are we supposed to do now?”

  Ethan grabbed my hand. “You can follow me,” he said, pulling me toward the door. “How’s that for starters?”

  “Where are we going?”

  “We’ll go get our marriage license, shopping for something to wear then to the jewelry store to pick out wedding bands. We can go to the chapel later tonight. How does that sound?”

  Ethan opened the door and the both of us walked out.

  It sounds like I’m in a shit load of trouble… I thought.

  CHAPTER 3

  After leaving the Concord Business Center, Ethan used his cell phone to summon the driver of the sleek, navy blue Maybach 57s he rented to courier us over to the Palazzo, an upscale mall about a mile out from the strip.

  En route, he phoned concierge at our hotels and had someone ship his belongings to my room. He then removed his suit jacket and tossed it on the seat while absently rolling up the sleeves of his button down shirt, showing smooth but muscular arms. He spoke with a level of authority in his voice, detailing how he preferred to have his clothing packed, and where to leave them in my room, referring to me as Mrs. Yu. I stayed in a one bedroom penthouse suite at the top of the Luxury Grand Tower Hotel. I waited for him to request a roll-away bed, but no such command was ever made.

  The five minute ride to the Shoppes at the Palazzo took an eternity. My mind was in a haze and I felt a headache coming on. When we finally arrived, Ethan climbed out of the vehicle, walked around to the sidewalk, then opened my door. He immediately took my hand, gripping it firmly in his as he pulled me out of the car. He studied me with the air of a man used to being in control.

  “Let’s walk the rest of the way,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “So people can see us. I want to be seen with you.” He grazed the side of my face with his fingers until he was cupping my chin. I resisted the urge to smack his hand away.

  The walkway was deserted, save for the tall, muscular, olive-complexioned man exiting a vehicle two cars behind us. He stood on the sidewalk, wire plugged into his ear, arms folded across his chest. Our eyes connected and he gave me a hard look. I averted my gaze and clung to Ethan’s hand. What if someone took a picture and Danny saw it? How would I explain it to him? I rethought the gesture and slipped my hand out of Ethan’s grasp, only to find him reaching out to grab it again.

  I was growing more and more annoyed by the minute. Not only was the situation highly irritating, but the five-inch heels I wore pinched my toes, adding to my misery. “That’s fine,” I said, feeling a bit like a push over.

  We stood on the cobbled walkway outside of Barney’s, the warm desert breeze blowing on our faces. The imported palm trees lining Vegas streets for miles on end was the perfect backdrop for my fake relationship.

  Ethan’s phone rang. We held hands as he spoke Mandarin in a rushed manner to the person on the other line. My ears perked as I wondered who he was talking to after hearing “Byron” float by in the conversation. But Ethan spoke so quickly, I could only comprehend a few words at a time. Was he talking to his father? Or someone else? I heard something about “the company” and “dropping stocks.” He turned his back, plugging a finger into one ear and lowering his voice so I could not hear. What was the young man plotting and would my father know anything about it? I wondered if this was the reason why my father insisted I learn to speak Mandarin and now, I wish I had practiced the language more often.

  When Ethan hung up I said, “There’s a dress boutique just down the walk called Maria Bella’s. You can buy something at Barney’s and I can go there to shop for a dress.” He’d like Barney’s. It was a high end department store, a good excuse to go separate ways. I needed a moment to clear my head.

  “I already have a suit. I bought it a few weeks ago.” He shoved both of his hands into his pockets and casually followed me to the store.

  How long ago had Ethan, Mr. Yu and my father been planning this?

  I felt an overwhelming desire to tell him to get lost as we walked the block and a half to Maria Bella’s. I hadn’t a moment’s peace since I agreed to marry him and could hardly catch my breath. The hand holding, the ring, the shopping and the planning…it was all too much. Ethan walked at a breathtaking pace and was soon leading the way. I studied his lean but muscular physique from behind. It seemed for every step he took, I had to take two to keep up. Deportation had to be imminent. It was the only explanation I could come up with as to why he was in a hurry to marry a woman whom in the past, he’d barely made an effort to talk to.

  When we walked into Maria Bella’s, one of the sales girls greeted me by name, even though I had only visited a few times. No doubt they remembered the commission they earned from my previous visits. It didn’t take long for Adriana, the 60-ish, Italian boutique owner to get wind of my visit. She dutifully met us at the front of the store to personally assist us. I told her what I was looking for and without making a fuss, she went to the back to have a look at her inventory.

  I’d forgotten how much I liked the boutique’s elegant look and its authentic Victorian styled gold-trimmed furniture. I studied the décor as I sat on a nearby chaise absently gathering a sofa pillow to my chest. Ethan stood with a sales girl at the front of the store, openly admiring a Victorian ivory inlaid gold cabinet. The young woman grinned playfully as they chatted then placed a hand on Ethan’s arm. I felt an inexplicable prick of jealousy. Feeling my gaze, he looked up, catching my eye but I quickly turned away, putting the pillow back where I found it.

  A few minutes later he joined me and Adriana at the back of the store, much to the manager’s surprise.

  “Congratulations! I can’t believe you are getting married. I haven’t seen anything in the papers about it. Is this handsome young man your fiancé?” Ad
riana teased, peering curiously at Ethan.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, this is Ethan Yu…” I replied, ignoring her question.

  “Nice to meet you,” he answered shoving both of his hands into his pockets. I spied a look of irritation on Ethan’s face as we followed Adriana to the other room.

  “This is truly a blessed event,” the woman chattered. “We can tailor a gown for you if you need it. Are you going to one of the chapels?”

  “Yes, we’re going to Blue Bird Wedding Temple. Why don’t we have a look at some of your new inventory? I’m looking for a cream or white dress. Maybe something with a vintage design... I’m thinking 1930s chic.”

  I pulled the raven haired Sophia Loren lookalike by the arm as quickly as I could, doing my best to leave Ethan at the front of the store. We were already feeling too much like a couple, even if only on the surface.

  “Actually,” he interjected, “white is bad luck in Chinese culture…it represents the color of death.”

  “Then what am I supposed to wear?” I asked.

  “Red is lucky,” Ethan replied.

  It was my fake wedding and I couldn’t even get the dress I wanted? What difference did it make if red was lucky?

  “Red wedding dresses are quite common actually,” Adriana said. She then pointed an accusing finger at Ethan. “Stay here. It’s bad luck to see the gown before the wedding.”

  She pulled me by the arm and escorted me to a room in the back, leaving Ethan to chat with the sales girl at the front of the store again. I sighed, grateful to get away.

  “Because of the color, you’ll want to avoid a big poufy dress… red can be so overpowering.”

  Adriana went to the storage room at the back of the store and returned a few minutes later wheeling a clothes rack behind her. Several dresses zipped into beige dry cleaning bags hung from the stand.

  “I have a vintage 1930s satin organdie dress with spaghetti straps in a rich vibrant red. It’s lengthy though not quite a fishtail design. It has a loose-fitting shape but manages to frame the womanly curves of your body. Your fiancé won’t be disappointed, I promise you.”

  I ignored her last comment as Adriana unzipped a dry cleaning bag, revealing the red satin dress. ‘Ethan and I are not in love and never will be,’ I thought. What did it matter if he liked the dress?

  Nevertheless, when Adriana revealed the gown I was overjoyed. It was exactly what I wanted only in a different color.

  “It’s gorgeous!” I exclaimed. “Can I try it on? If it looks as good on me as it does on this hanger, I would love to buy it off the rack if possible?”

  “I knew you’d love it. And of course you can buy it off the rack for your special day. It’s one of a kind. If alterations are needed, I have a seamstress who can assist you.”

  I scurried into the fitting room.

  As I slid into the dress I couldn’t help but wonder… why did it matter if white was unlucky or the color of death? If anything, we needed a little bad luck as the marriage was supposed to fail.

  I gazed into the floor length mirror in the cozy little fitting room and loved the way the beautiful satin organdie gown clung to my figure, the way the spaghetti straps slipped down my shoulders, and how long and tall it made me feel. I also loved the way it dipped in the back down to my lower spine, how soft it was against my skin… this dress deserved a man who loved me, not some fake wedding to save a business deal.

  I came out of the fitting room and spun around. “I’ll take it!”

  “Very good,” Adriana said. “But you need something for your hair.”

  A veil wouldn’t look right. “Maybe a comb, or a flower?” I suggested.

  Adriana chewed the end of her fingernail. “I may have something for you. But it’s expensive. I’ll have the seamstress make some adjustments to the dress while I look for it, if that is okay with you?”

  “Of course,” I said.

  While Adriana looked for the accessory, a woman of seventy or so years with silver hair came out to do the alterations. I tried not to move as the woman fixed my dress. She even pricked me a few times while complaining about my inability to keep still between probing me with questions about my nuptials.

  “How long have you been engaged?”

  “Just a few days,” I lied. What was I supposed to say? That I’d been engaged for roughly an hour, give or take a few minutes? I winced when the woman pricked me again.

  “Sorry!” she exclaimed. “I’m almost done.” The woman licked the end of her needle then stabbed at the dress once more.

  “I’m not a fool. My daughter eloped when she was seventeen!” the woman huffed. “Shame on you! Young people, breaking your parents’ hearts. Aye!” she scoffed. “You can step down now.”

  I climbed off of the wooden stoop and thanked the poor woman, wondering how she had arrived at such a conclusion. I then walked to the front of the store where, for reasons unknown to me, I found myself looking for Ethan.

  I waited by the register and soon, Adriana appeared with a small white box in her hand. Inside, there was a beautiful gold plated comb in the shape of a butterfly fitted with red jewels.

  “Are those rubies?” I gasped.

  “The comb is very expensive… but worth every penny,” she beamed.

  Adriana pushed the comb into my hair, pinning it up on the sides. I turned around so I could see how it looked in the mirror.

  “See how beautiful it looks against your dark hair?” she smiled.

  “It’s very beautiful,” I said. “I’ll take it.”

  Adriana gave the items to a clerk who took it to a room where she packaged them for me. When the young clerk returned, I gave her my credit card, ready to settle the bill, when the young woman told me Ethan had already taken care of it. The man was too much!

  The young clerk carried the box outside to the Maybach, where Ethan waited. I climbed in. We went to the court house directly to buy a marriage license, few words passing between us when others were not around. Though there was a moment, when I looked up and found him gazing at me with through hooded eyes.

  CHAPTER 4

  “It guess it’s official…” Ethan said, a self-congratulatory smirk on his face.

  I signed and dated our marriage license then passed the document to the administrator on the other side of the window at the courthouse.

  “So it is,” I tersely replied. Just another business deal... I could back out at any time, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for disappointing my father. There were consequences for disappointment, like being written out of the Byron family and out of my father’s life.

  Ethan’s hand rested on the small of my back as the man at the window reviewed the information on the form to ensure everything was in order. Ethan’s hand was warm, his fingers tracing a pattern on my spine. Strangely, he didn’t seem as unhappy about the arrangement as he should be. In fact, he looked downright jovial.

  We left the courthouse and went to the hotel a short time later. There, Ethan’s clothes and other personal belongings were waiting for us. Someone had already hung our clothes in the same closet, and placed his shaving kit and other toiletries in the bathroom with mine.

  The suite was spacious with a king sized bed, walk-in closet and large picturesque windows with a stunning view of a glitzy Las Vegas skyline. I waited until Ethan was properly settled in the other room as I weighed telling Danny about my marriage of convenience.

  Daniel was beautiful, almost fairy-like with his long wavy golden hair that he’d practically been growing since birth, while Ethan was action star handsome, tall, athletic, and brooding. He was also an avid mountain climber with a physicality that Daniel lacked.

  I got my cell phone out and called Danny. He answered on the first ring. I was going to tell him everything until I heard his soft-spoken voice on the line. Could I really break his heart? How do you tell the man you love you’re about to marry someone else?

  “If it isn’t my second most favorite girl in the world...�
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  There was a patient in the room...a little girl. I could hear her giggles in the background. Danny definitely had a way with the ladies.

  “Daniel…hi,” I said, as I steadied my shaking hands.

  I wanted to kick myself for being so spineless. I hated disappointing people, even when my own happiness was at stake, as I embarked on the journey of a loveless marriage. Most people divorced to get out, and here I was, marrying in.

  “Hey, babe. It’s good to hear your voice. “What’s good?”

  “Not much,” I answered dryly. “I’m on the road.”

  “Another amazing trip? That’s cool…” said a perpetually happy, Danny. “Where are you and when are you coming back? I can’t wait to see you, baby.”

  “Are you with a patient?”

  “Just finishing up!”

  “Good.”

  “You sound weird. What’s wrong?” he asked, concern edging his voice.

  “Are you alone?”

  “I am now.” His voice dropped. I heard a door close in the background, then Daniel’s soothing tone. “Spit it out, spider. What’s going on?”

  “You have to cancel your flight to San Diego.”

  “Whoa, what happened? You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I answered solemnly.

  “That makes one of us. So what brought this on?”

  He sounded sad and confused.

  “Work,” I answered quietly…guiltily.

  The last thing in the world I wanted to do was involve Danny in my family’s lies, or worse, make him a target of my father’s threats. One phone call from Eugene and Daniel would be out of a job, an apartment, or worse, until he was out of my life.

  “You’re blowing me off and I want to know why,” he demanded. “Is it your father again?”

  I wasn’t a good liar. In fact, I was a terrible liar. But I tried anyway…an excuse until I could think of a way of breaking up with him without breaking his heart.

  “It’s not Eugene,” I muttered, chewing the end of my fingernails. “Remember the hotel I told you about?”