by Lauren Wood
It was just a weekend. I can do this.
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By Saturday I was miserable and even though I had scraped together another hundred from my room, I was still back to broke and without anything to wear. I ended having to use most of the money I had left to get there and then I had to wear something that I already had. It was humiliating in a way, especially with the people I hung out with, but it was better than staying home and letting my father win.
I was starting to feel like I was the one that had won. He had tried to show me and I was going to show him in the end that I was resourceful. If it hadn’t been so hard without money, I would have stopped listening to him a long time ago. But money made the world go round and I certainly didn’t want to do anything to actually make any. My dad had enough, so I didn’t see the point of why I should have to do anything. Wasn’t that the point of getting rich? So that you could give it to your kids and they would never want for anything?
After a beautiful day out on the yacht, instead of everyone staying on it, most of the rest of the group went to a local hotel. It would be more comfortable for such a large group, but I had to stay back. I said that it was because the weather was so pretty that I wanted to sleep under the stars, but in reality I just didn’t have the money for the room. Another embarrassing moment to add to the one when my card got declined.
That night as I stared out at the moon and it started to rain, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to last long this way. It had only been two days and I felt like I was alone adrift in the world. It was far different without my father’s money to smooth over all of the ripples and I can’t say that I liked the feeling all that much. By morning I was miserable and ready to go home, but even then I had to wait for a ride to get me back home. I had never been so humiliated in all of my life.
It was the last day of the weekend and I waited anxiously for my parents to come back home. Neither one had called me and when I tried to call mom, I found that her phone was off. I was blaming it all on dad, sure that he was going through a teachable moment mood. I did not like it at all if I had to be completely honest. It was ridiculous and the more I thought about it, the madder I got. If it wouldn’t have been such a horrible weekend, I may have stuck to the original plan to not let him know it bothered me, but it did and I was never one to suffer in silence. I waited up till almost eleven o’ clock, sitting in the front room, waiting for them to come in.
When they did, I stood up and asked dad if I could speak to him after I gave mother a kiss on the cheek. I was shaking from being so upset and I still wasn’t sure what I was going to say. I never really did know. I just let it fall out of my mouth like word vomit and that was that.
He must have known what I was about to say because he didn’t ask me what was the matter until mom was upstairs and out of our talking range. That also meant that he hadn’t told her about his idea. That was an angle I may have to play later. It just depended on what he wanted to do and how this was all going to end. I wasn’t going to let him get me down and I knew that this was not a lesson that I had learned very well.
“So what is the matter pumpkin?”
His sweet voice was grating on my nerves and there was nothing I wanted to do less than talk to him.
“You know what’s the matter dad, so why are you acting like you don’t know? What did I do this time and what lesson am I supposed to learn? If you tell me now, we can save ourselves both a little bit of a headache. I just want this over with, so tell me what this is about and I will change it for you. I don’t want to have to have another weekend like this. Not ever again, so what do I have to do?”
“Get married.”
It was said quickly and quietly like he didn’t want me to really hear what it was that he had to say. “What?”
“I want you to get married Gemma. I have already picked out a perfect husband for you. I can’t take care of you with just money. You are going to need more than that and I want you to do this. It will set my mind at ease to know that you are properly taken care of.”
I was sure that a fly was going to land in my mouth, it was agape so wide. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. It was typical dad of course. He was so damn protective. Of course he would have already picked out a husband. I was twenty two years old and the last thing that I was worried about was a husband. This wasn’t the fifties anymore. No one got married at that age. He had me late, so now I was supposed to rush it along so he could be around longer. I had asked him before why he didn’t just go adopt a baby himself. And I was the unreasonable one.
“Dad, you can’t be serious!”
“I am Gemma. I have thought about this a lot and it doesn’t even have anything to do with grandchildren, though you know I would love it if you had some and soon.”
I sighed and I couldn’t believe that we were having this conversation, again. It was rather ridiculous and I wasn’t sure what to say anymore. What do I say to that?
“This is for your future. I know how you are with money Gemma. How are you going to take care of everything?”
Now I was supposed to answer and all I had for him was a shrug. I was still in my early twenties. Why did I have to worry about all of this stuff right now? He acted like he was on his deathbed and for a moment I thought that this was what it was all about. Maybe he was dying and he wanted me to get hitched so that I would be taken care of. Was that it?
“Are you dying dad?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“You are acting like you are going to be gone tomorrow.”
“No, but your mother and I want to travel, be gone longer than a couple of days. How was your weekend?”
My face soured up and I pouted out my lips. “It was horrible and I think you know it. You are the one that made sure I was broke this weekend.”
“That is what it will be like all the time if you don’t take care of things or if you aren’t married to a man that can take care of you. I know you are young, but it is time Gemma.”
He made it all sound so rational, even though it was the craziest thing that I had ever heard. Did he hear himself?
“You can’t be serious!”
“I am and the way you are acting now just tells me that I am doing the right thing. I will give you a couple of days to get used to the idea and then you will tell your mother to start with the arrangements. She is not to know about this Gemma. As far as she is going to know, you and Keenan fell in love.”
I was starting to think that my father was crazy and Keenan sounded like a silly name. It was one of those times that I actually hoped all of this madness was just a dream. How could this be real?
Chapter 4
Keenan
The offer ran through my head, as did Ronald, the man that made it. I wanted to think that he was joking or had had a little too much to drink, but neither one was the case. He knew exactly what he was doing and I had a feeling that Ronald knew that I was desperate enough to work with him that I might.
Love and marriage were never on my radar. As far as I was concerned, women were a dime a dozen and I got bored easily. That had made it so that through the years, I never stayed with a girl long, most of the time it was for just one night and then I moved on. Very few women would I see again and only Ashlyn had been one that I had stayed friends with. She was the exception.
Then there was the idea that the girl had to have her father bribe another guy to marry her. Sure I was rich, but it wasn’t like they were desperate for money. He was desperate to get her off of his hands and that didn’t sit well with me at all. What was she like?
I did an internet search to see if I could come up with any kind of picture or likeness and although I found thousands of the rest of the family, the girl seemed to be mainly out of the limelight. It was just another mystery and I felt like I should at least get to see what she looks like before I go ahead and say yes.
I was going to say yes though. Marriage wasn’t this sacred thing that everyone
made it out to be. It was just a piece of paper and if that is what Ronald wanted to get him to be my mentor, then so be it. I would give it to him and the peace of mind that came with it. It wasn’t going to mean anything and even the old man had to realize that he couldn’t guarantee the heir that he seemed so bent on having.
Still wanting to have some idea of what Gemma looked like, I called in Mike, a guy that found out everything that I wanted him to. I was going to have him do a little investigating and see what he could come up with. If nothing else, I would get Mike to get me a picture of her now. I just wanted some inkling of what I was getting myself into. I wondered if she was hideous. Would that even matter?
I decided that it wouldn’t and when Ronald called me for an answer, I still didn’t have a picture.
“Well, have you thought about it Keenan?”
He didn’t say straight out what he was talking about, but there was no sense in pretending that I didn’t know what it was that he was talking about.
“I have thought about it a little bit, but I have to admit that it feels like I am the one with no guarantees in this arrangement. You will have your daughter taken care of and peace of mind, what are my assurances?”
There was silence on the phone and then Ronald asked me what kind of assurances that I wanted. I wasn’t sure, should have thought about it before I opened my mouth.
“What kind of mentoring will I get from you?”
“You want to know if I will make you richer?”
“I was going to word it a little differently, but that is the gist of it. You get what you want, so how will I know that I will get what I want?”
This was a strange way to talk to my future father in law about his daughter that he wanted me to marry. It was just so strange that it was almost surreal and any minute I was going to wake up from this dream and the chance of a lifetime. Be as rich as God, to marry one girl. Right then I realized nothing about her mattered. All that mattered was the position her father could put me in.
“If I back you Keenan, your net worth will do nothing but go up, just knowing me publically will help you out and I think you know that. If you didn’t already know what you could get out of such an arrangement, we wouldn’t be talking right now. We are both busy men, so bullshit aside, have you came to a decision?”
“I just have one question to ask you Ronald.”
“Okay, go ahead. I will answer if I can.”
“Why me?”
Ronald wasn’t expecting that question and for a moment I had to wonder if he knew why. Maybe it had been something that just popped into his head and he blurted it out, but I didn’t think that was it. It was like he knew I was going to be there at the charity event. Did he know that I was going to be the one that he would propose this all to? It just didn’t make sense to me and I wasn’t comfortable in a situation where I couldn’t see all of the angles. Everyone wanted something and I couldn’t clearly see why I had been chosen to marry his daughter.
“Many reasons. You have been trying to get to me for years. The shenanigans at the charity event told me that you were desperate enough to entertain such an idea. You are accomplished, very accomplished in your own rights and that alleviates anxiety that you are in it to get my money. You want to make more of your own and there is nothing wrong with that. Darryl Jameson took me under his wing a little before I turned forty. That’s when everything started to happen for me. So, you have a good family line, your own money and a brain in your head. What more could I ask for in a son in law?”
It was a lot to process, but it was clear that he had read up on me and at least thought it through to some degree. Though I had to wonder why if so much thought was put into this idea of his, why he hadn’t come up with something better than an arranged marriage.
“But why would you do it this way?”
Ronald scoffed. “Why not? Parents have been picking their children’s partners a lot longer than marriage for love. Love is fleeting, but money, obligations and family ties last a life time.”
I felt a shiver run up my spine with his words. How could I have not known that this was going to be more than a marriage? It wasn’t just a piece of paper. It was going to be more, so much more. Insane as it sounds, I was just now starting to realize that this was going to be a lifetime thing that I needed to really think about. Didn’t I have enough money? Did I really need to do all of this just to make more and pick up some prestige?
“You are right. This is a big commitment.”
Ronald chuckled. “You need to make the decision. Are you jumping in or backing off?”
It was a now or never type of situation. I could tell that right from the bat and I wanted to tell him that I couldn’t, there was no way that I would go with such a crazy scheme, but Ronald had been right on all accounts. I was just a little bit desperate. Desperate enough to reach another height that I couldn’t on my own, just to get off of the plateau I was on.
“Yes Ronald. I will marry your daughter. You have a deal.”
The older man exclaimed and I pulled my ear back. I had a bad feeling in my stomach. Most people listened to theirs and let it guide them through their life. I ignored mine every chance I got. The larger the leap, the more uncertainty there was, the more yelling from my gut to stop. This was one of those times and I was just going to see where it took me. Out of all of the deals I had made though, this one seemed to be the biggest.
“Hot damn son. Well good. I have my wife putting something together for this weekend. That will suit you, won’t it?”
“This weekend?” My voice was hoarse and the last bit came out as a croak. This was happening far faster than I would have liked. How was I going to explain this to my own parents? I sighed when I really thought about it. My father would be happy because it was Ronald’s daughter. He wouldn’t care how we met or anything other than attaching ourselves to his family.
My mother on the other hand would want to know everything else. I didn’t have an answer for her and I was already trying to formulate something in my head. Giving me just a few days to figure it out was pushing it in my mind. Why did it have to be so suddenly?”
“Yes, do you have plans? Because if you do, you might want to cancel them.”
“No, no plans that can’t be rescheduled. That is just rather soon. Isn’t a lengthy engagement period considered the right way?”
Ronald told me that he didn’t care. “It doesn’t matter how it looks. Not in this century anyways. I just want it done and everything moving in the right direction.”
There was an urgency I didn’t understand, but I was just going to chalk it up to a hidden health scare or something like that to make him want to put his affairs in order. I tried to remember if I had seen any signs of sickness when I had seen him last. I didn’t remember thinking of anything more than he was sharp and healthy for his age.
I agreed to his mad scheme and got off of the phone not really sure how to feel about it all. I wanted to think of this as the changing point. I was already rich beyond all means, but I was still hungry for more. Now it was power and respect, the kind that I had seen first-hand when I was around Ronald. That is what I wanted and I was on the way to getting it.
The idea that I was going to be married and it all hinged on that was just a thought way off in the back of my mind. It didn’t matter to me anything about her. I would marry his daughter in a few days and I hadn’t even asked to see her first because it was the power and money that I wanted. I had enough women on the side that none of my needs were unsatisfied. Why would any of that change?
I sat back and closed my eyes, trying to imagine what this change was going to be like. I tried to imagine myself as a husband and I just couldn’t. It had never crossed my mind before, but here it was, about to happen. All I had to do was meet my new bride and convince the world that we were happily married and in love.
That didn’t sound that hard. I made a call to the investigator Mike to keep looking. There was no rush on it now, but
I wanted to know all that I could about my wife to be.
**END OF PREVIEW**
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BE MY PRINCESS: SNEAK PEAK
PREVIEWS
Be My Princess
A Billionaire and Virgin Romance
Blurb
I needed an assistant like that; hot tempting and willing to please.
Her innocence was intoxicating and I had to have more.
I was going to be her first and her last.
I lived by rules and rule number one was don’t let women get to me. Stacy got to me.
My life was a dream.
I had more money than I could ever spend.
A hot model every night to suck me off.
My business kept my heart pumping.
I had everything that a man could ever want.
Then I saw a college buddy that I hadn’t seen in several months.
He was married and smiling like an idiot at his new wife.
I was never going to be like that.
No woman was ever going to change me.
Not me.
Enter Stacy Growler and everything changed.
She wasn’t like most women I met.
She told me no.
Stacy was clear that she wasn’t interested.
It should have stopped me.
But it just made me want her more.
I want her to be the princess of my life.
Her innocence a drug and I was now an addict.
I wasn’t going to rest until I had Stacy underneath me.
Until she was screaming out my name in that sultry little voice of hers.
Chapter 1
Chris
“I am glad you could make it tonight Chris. I know you have been in Europe for a while.”