by Hughes, E.
“Of course, dear! Let’s find a quiet corner, but make sure you say hi to everyone first. Diana is here, Patty, Gloria, Cheyenne, and your Aunt Bev. Your father invited some of Ethan’s friends and a few other relatives I haven’t seen before. He told me to make arrangements to fly everyone out on his private plane this morning.”
Claudia worked as my father’s executive secretary. Like Eugene, her father was also a wealthy businessman, but he disowned her when she agreed to marry Wayne. I convinced my father to hire her as his secretary when Claudia ran out of money and could no longer make ends meet.
Claudia and I made rounds as quickly as we could, talking to friends and relatives who all seemed genuinely happy for me and Ethan.
To them, nothing seemed amiss other than the fact that the relationship and wedding had been kept a secret. Ethan joined us for a spell and I introduced him to anyone he hadn’t met before. Everyone seemed to like him… everyone except the bride.
Soon, Claudia and I were alone, out on the rooftop, breathing in warm Vegas air. I told her about my father’s situation, and how Mr. Yu wanted Ethan to oversee the project in the U.S.
“I think I need a smoke,” she said, lighting a cigarette. “You don’t have to say a word. You could get in trouble for this…sometimes I don’t understand your father. He gets into the dumbest scrapes. I think they’re after your father’s company. How else do you explain your father coercing you into marrying Ethan Yu like that?”
I shook my head, sighing. “How’d you figure it out?”
“I work for the man, honey. I knew something was up a few weeks ago when Ethan and his father came to the office. They were in and out almost every other day for weeks. Then they finally came back with a couple of high powered attorneys one day. Your Dad invited the same lawyer who worked on his divorce from your mum. I was curious, so later that day when he left the office, I peeked into a folder that he left on his desk and saw the prenuptial agreement for you and Ethan.”
“And you didn’t tell me about it?” I shrieked. “The only person who didn’t know I was getting married was me! Claudia, this really pisses me off.”
“I know hun... I didn’t say anything because I figured you were in on the plan. I had no idea they would ambush you the way they did.”
“You said you think they’re after my father’s company. That can’t be right,” I groaned.
“Why are my suspicions so farfetched? Why would your father insist on getting the two of you together? You told me he was in trouble, right?”
“He said we were a match and Ethan’s a good guy. Besides, there’s a flaw in your argument. Who would trade a multi-billion dollar business venture for me? No woman is worth that much to anybody.”
“There’s more…” Claudia continued, enigmatically. “This morning, Hammond Industries, transferred millions of Byron Energy stock to your father. He was about to lose his control of the company, but this put him back on top.”
“That can’t be right. He didn’t tell me he was losing control of Byron Energy…”
“Hammond’s an American company. What does this have to do with Ethan?”
“I don’t know, but it’s worth looking into.”
I pondered this information some more as I peered over the roof at the street below. It had to be a coincidence…
“What do you think of Ethan? Is he nice?”
“He’s cute but he’s exactly what you think he’s like. The man is a spoiled brat! He’s just like my father, but worse. He’s extremely controlling and acts like it’s a real marriage.”
“In his mind, maybe it is.”
“Don’t say that,” I cried. “I have more than my share of problems to deal with.”
“Are you attracted to him?”
I paused, not because I needed time to think it over. I was damned no matter how I answered because Claudia knew me well enough to know when I was lying and I was in no condition mentally or emotionally to admit the truth anyway.
“It doesn’t matter…” I answered, somewhat politically. “The only man I want is Danny. I can’t wait until this nightmare is over.”
“It will be hun, don’t worry.”
She gave me a hug.
“Let’s get back to the party. We have a wedding to celebrate!” Claudia teased.
“Don’t’ remind me,” I groaned, following her into the club. “Ethan’s trouble, I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle him. I just have to remind myself that it’s business as usual. Think of it this way, it won’t be the first time I took work home with me.”
“I don’t care how cute he is, don’t give in. You know this will set womankind back a few hundred years if you do.”
“Trust me, I won’t. But he’s sexy. Isn’t he?”
“And he can’t seem to get enough of you. He was practically mauling you in there.”
“Hey, how about we play the drinking game? Every time Ethan grabs my hand or kisses me on the cheek, we take a shot of Patron?”
“Hell, sounds like fun to me. Let’s get drunk!” Claudia said, returning to her true happy-go-lucky self. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“As long as I have my friend, I’ll survive,” I said, giving her a squeeze. “He’s not an ogre, he just happens to be the man I’m married to, for better or worse for the next three years.”
“Three years! Ay! An eternity! You poor girl. At least he’s cute. If I wasn’t in love with Wayne, I’d take him home myself.”
“Honey, you can have him!” I teased.
Just then, Ethan sidled up to me and slid an arm around my waist. I blinked as a bulb from a camera flashed before my eyes. The photographer thanked us and moved on. Claudia looked at me and giggled. “One Patron, coming right up!” she said, buggering off to order a bottle for our table.
“What’s so funny?” Ethan asked, staring after her.
“Nothing. We’re gonna have a shot of Patron. Care to join us?”
“You’ve had enough to drink,” he answered, taking the glass out of my hand. “Have you had anything to eat? I’ll get something for you.”
“I’m not hungry,” I complained. “Have a drink with us, please...”
Ethan sighed. “You’re drunk enough for the both of us.”
“So what…you can learn a lot about a person when he’s drunk,” I teased.
Ethan gave me a skeptical look. “You hated my guts a few hours ago, and now you want to buy me a drink? Are you hitting on me?”
“Don’t be silly! We’ll be tethered to each other for the next three years so we might as well make the best of it.”
“Getting drunk?”
“Having some fun!” I corrected, smiling. “We’ll live like roomies.” Ethan went to Yale and had the whole American college experience before returning to China, so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch for him. I grabbed his hand and pulled him away to our table where Claudia had already sat the glasses next to a bottle of Patron.
“You owe me two shots,” Claudia exclaimed.
“This one doesn’t count,” I said.
We sat at the table with Ethan draping an arm around the back of my chair. Claudia giggled and took another shot of liquor.
“This must be an American game. Am I supposed to drink when the two of you laugh?” Ethan asked. “What kind of game is this?”
“That’s so cute,” she said. “Bottoms up!”
Ethan took a shot of Patron.
“How good are you at holding your liquor?” I asked.
“I’m Chinese,” Ethan said, practically beating his chest. “If I can handle baijiu I can survive this stuff. You’re the one who will end up on your ass before the night is out.”
“Good thing you have a driver.”
Claudia giggled again. Ethan grabbed the bottle of Patron, poured another shot and drank it down.
“You’re better at this game than I thought. But you’re going down faster than the both of us. I can see it in your eyes,” Claudia said.
“Not
faster than this pretty woman,” he replied, planting a drunken kiss on my cheek.
Claudia and I laughed again, which in turn led to the three of us taking another drink.
CHAPTER 5
The following morning brought nothing but pain and misery. Blinding sunlight flooded in through the wall to wall landscape windows of my hotel room, the warmth of its light a contradiction to the cool blast from the air conditioner. My head ached, my body was sore, and I was not only cold but naked from head to toe.
I started to get up, cringing as pain pierced my temple, forced me back down. I felt heavy. An arm stretching across the bed hung over my shoulders like an anchor. A sickening feeling washed over me as I brought my eyes into focus and gazed at the face sleeping by my side. The last thing I remembered about the night before was stumbling into the hotel room with Ethan. I winced, unable to shake the images and memories that followed next. He reached out, as intimately as a lover, sidling so close the end of his nose touched mine.
“What happened last night?” I cringed, afraid of hearing the answer.
Ethan caressed the side of my face with his open hand, biting down on his lip in anticipation.
“You don’t remember?”
Then leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips, his fingers trailing up and down my neck in gentle circular motions. I had not realized before how utterly perfect his body looked and felt, hard and masculine against my soft pillowy form. Ethan kissed the side of my neck, and suckled the skin on my collarbone as he wedged his heavy body between my thighs. I felt like a gazelle, trapped between the powerful jaws of a lion… a trap from which I’d lost all power of extricating myself. It had been too long, too many quiet nights without the physical intimacy of a boyfriend who lived on the other side of the country. Why did Ethan have to be so…irresistible? So strong, warm and hard? Push him away. Far away, quick, before it’s too late!
“I don’t remember anything about last night,” I lied.
But my body remembered. A chill raced up my spine as I was assailed by memories of Ethan and I in bed. Suddenly, every nerve in my body was on fire. We lay, our bodies coiled together covered under a thin white sheet. The hot sticky residue on my thighs, evidence of lovemaking hung thick and hot in the air, like a pheromone that only Ethan could sense. I felt his aroused presence and wondered what kept him from acting on his primitive male instincts as my center tingled with desire.
“Because you don’t want to remember,” he replied, hoisting himself to his elbows. He gazed down at my face, “Why is that?”
“I was intoxicated.”
“Ah-huh…”
I pushed against his chest. But the gesture was so faint, so half-hearted he barely moved. He groaned, and rubbed his aroused manhood against my opening, sending spasms of pleasure through my entire body.
“And now?”
I closed my eyes, unable to meet his passionate gaze as I fished for a reply. How could I be so foolish? Had Ethan known all along what I had been too ashamed to admit? I folded like a lawn chair that night because I wanted him to make love to me. An immutable inextinguishable passion had been ignited between us the moment I entered that conference room and caught him staring at my legs.
He groaned as he planted a possessive trail of kisses on my face as he wedged his hand between our bodies, coaxing his fingers inside of me. I felt a ripple of pleasure so intense I thought I was about to explode.
“Nǐ shi wǒ-de…” he whispered in my ear.
I understood the meaning perfectly.
“You are mine…” he’d stated, parting my lips just so with his tongue. In one powerful sweep my legs were around his waist, my hips slowly rising to meet him. Then he dropped a bombshell…
“If we do this, the deal is off,” he said, his voice a gravelly whisper.
Eyes burning with fiery passion bore into mine.
“What do you mean?” I asked, unsure of which deal he was referring to. I didn’t care anymore… I just wanted to feel him inside of me. Feel our bodies together as one. I brushed dark strands of hair from his face, and kissed his lips.
“I want a real marriage,” Ethan adamantly declared.
Was he serious? Or was there some other motive in mind? Sex was one thing but why would Ethan want to be married to me? He was just as much a victim of our fathers’ plotting as I was…or was he?
“Did we have sex last night?”
Ethan shrugged. “Kind of…”
He hoisted himself onto his elbows and stared down at my face again. My eyes pleaded to finish what we’d started. I continued to stroke him to keep him hard.
“There’s no such thing, Ethan. We either had sex or we didn’t.”
“You want to know the story?”
“Would I ask if I didn’t?”
“You really don’t remember?”
He looked surprised.
“Only bits and pieces,” I admitted.
Ethan kissed the side of my neck and lips.
“We were drunk when we came back to the hotel. You wanted me to help you out of your wedding dress and I complied.”
“Then what?”
“You took your underwear off.”
“I did not!” I cried, hot with anger.
He shook his head in disagreement.
“You did. Then you followed me to the living room. I was lying on the couch when you came in and tried to have your way with me,” he faked a look like he was hurt. “I feel so used…” he continued, a devious look on his face.
I laughed in disbelief. “Will you please be serious?”
Ethan shook his head again.
“I’m telling the truth. You kissed me. I carried you back to the bedroom. There was some very delicious foreplay involved, we proceeded to make love but you blacked out.”
“Proceeded to make love, but didn’t have sex?”
“I believe that’s what I said, ma’am.”
“You sure?” I gave him a hesitant look.
“Do I look like a drunken frat boy to you? You passed out so I backed off and went to sleep. We were sloppy off our ass drunk and completely stupid last night. You don’t really think I would take advantage of you?”
I rubbed my open palm against Ethan’s chest in a soothing motion until the irritated expression on his face disappeared. He gazed down at me with delicious brown eyes. I wanted to kiss him all over.
“I think that qualifies as sex even if we stopped due to my blacking out,” I groaned.
“I don’t consider what happened last night making love to you and I’m ready to prove it.”
He kissed me again, moist warm tongue entangling mine.
“So…”
I trailed my index finger down his chest.
“Are we going to make love now?” I whispered against his lips, a bit more eager than I wanted to sound.
Ethan’s laughed. “Not until you give me an answer...can we have a real marriage? Will you be my wife? For real, this time. No games. No business. A real shot. Just you and me, kiddo?”
I took a deep breath.
“When I’m married for real, I want to be in love, Ethan. And I want a man who is deeply, passionately, in love with me.”
“What makes you think I’m not already in love with you?”
Ethan looked and sounded genuine.
I sighed. I couldn’t believe what he was asking me. This was a business arrangement and a one-time roll in the hay, nothing more. The look in his eyes was so sincere I just wanted to bury my face into his chest and hide. I kissed Ethan again, hoping to make him forget. If I were to have a one night stand, who better to have it with than the man I was married to? But Ethan wanted more than that, which was like a bucket of cold water on my libido. Sex was one thing, a real marriage was another. A relationship built on a lie was doomed to fall apart anyway. Whatever Ethan believed when it came to our relationship didn’t matter. We were not in love, we were in lust!
Sex would not only compromise the thirty-year friendship betw
een our fathers but would also strain an already tenuous business relationship. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours I felt like my head was spinning. He stared unblinkingly at my face like a injured puppy.
“I mean it. I can’t be in a real marriage with you.”
I pushed him aside and rolled out of bed, sheet wrapped around my body. He gazed up at me with a wounded look in his eyes, raking a hand through his hair in frustration. I tried albeit hopelessly, to look at his face and not at his sweaty unclothed physique. Following my line of view, he grabbed a pillow, covered his groin and rolled out of bed with an angry thud. I smothered a laugh. Ethan looked ridiculous hiding behind a pillow.
“We’re already married and we’re about to have sex. How can you say you’re not my wife? Or is marriage only convenient when you want to share our bed? I’m not your whore, Elizabeth. Where I come from, dating and sex is a pathway to marriage. Some of us have values and believe in the sacredness of love and matrimony.”
“I’m a progressive American woman,” I shrugged. “We don’t have to be married or in love to have sex.”
“But you are married. There’s nothing wrong with sex or falling in love with your own husband!”
“There is when you’re married against your will!” I snapped, an air of triumph to my tone.
Ethan smirked and a wave of heat rushed through my body. Good grief, I wanted this man so bad. He looked into my eyes and I averted my gaze, flushing at the idea of Ethan reading my thoughts. With a strong masculine swipe, Ethan grabbed the bed sheet I wore and pulled me close, my chest colliding softly against his. The pillow he used to cover himself dropped to the floor at my feet.
“You were no more forced to marry me than you were forced into our bed last night.”
He had a point. I was drunk but fully aware of what I was doing. But these were things I was not only unwilling to admit to Ethan, but unwilling to admit to myself. I regrouped, tightening the sheet over my chest, the thin white barrier that separated us. Through it, I could feel him pressing against me, his arousal obvious.
“I won’t sleep with you until you agree to a committed relationship. That’s not who I am,” he continued.