Cherrelle smirked.
"Who said he was fake?"
"Your father. He didn't believe you two were engaged for a minute. And he told me to tell you if Brad comes sniffing around again, I have his permission to kick him to the curb."
"And my husband has my permission to kick you out of my office and out of my building," Cherrelle shot back.
It had only been a week since their quick marriage in the courthouse, but Cherrelle was finding it surprisingly easy to call Brad her husband. That worried her since it was only supposed to be a marriage of convenience until people got the message but she was going to make the most of it. Chances were she wouldn't be able to find a man who couldn't see past her money so she was going to enjoy being 'married' while she could.
Her statement seemed to throw Jason off-balance. He squinted at her. "Husband? What husband?"
"Brad and I got married last week."
It wasn't the most romantic of situations but Cherrelle and Brad had been happy with it, liking the simplicity of it. They went their separate ways during the day and met up in the evenings or the occasional lunch break for some time together to keep up the facade. Cherrelle wasn't going to admit it out loud, but she was enjoying it. It had been a long time since she had been on a date where the conversation hadn't turned to money.
"What?" Jason was still reeling from the news. "That's impossible."
"In the right place with the right amount of witnesses." Cherrelle smirked at him. "We've got the paperwork. It's all legal."
Jason stared at her like she had gone mad. Then he recovered quickly and shook his head in disbelief. "You'll really do anything to get away from what's been planned for you, won't you?"
"What I should do is move state and cut off all ties with my family." The door opened and Cherrelle looked at the newcomer with a relieved smile. "Ah, here's my husband now."
Brad stood in the doorway, dressed in a navy suit with a dark green tie. He looked just as good in a suit as he did in jeans and a t-shirt. He just looked good enough to eat.
Brad seemed to size up the situation immediately because he sauntered into the room and rounded to Cherrelle's side of the desk.
"Hey, honey." He gave her a one-armed hug and a gentle, sensual kiss on her neck that made Cherrelle's panties damp. "Sorry I'm a little late. There was a bit of traffic down the block. You ready to go?"
"I sure am." Cherrelle gave Jason a pointed look. "Jason was just leaving."
Brad looked up and frowned at Jason, who was staring at their affectionate embrace. "Are you making the moves on my wife again, Colney?"
Jason recovered quickly and glared at Brad before looking at Cherrelle. "Your father is going to be furious when he finds out you disobeyed him."
"Jason, I'm thirty years old. I'm not sixteen and I haven't lived at home in years. I can do what I like and he does not own me. He's going to have to realize that."
Jason glowered. With one last furious look at Brad he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Brad glanced at Cherrelle. "Should I be worried?"
"Unless Pa is able to pay off the judge who witnessed our wedding, then yes. He can't get us out of it." Cherrelle sat and bit her lip. "But brace yourself, all the same."
The road was about to get very bumpy.
*****
Their lunch date was pleasant enough, but Cherrelle had her mind on other things. Chances were Jason had already bleated to her parents about the quickie marriage and they were planning an attack. She wouldn't put it past them.
They didn't seem to understand that an adult could do what they wanted, and while they were still parents, they couldn't tell her what to do. But Logan had never cared for her feelings. He loved control. When Life and Love had exploded overnight, he had tried to get Cherrelle to sell it to the highest bidder. But Cherrelle refused. She fought long and hard to keep the company, both from other bidders and from her father. He had attempted to make her work less hours or no hours at all when she got herself a staff, but Cherrelle wanted the normality of a nine-to-five job. He just didn't understand.
Cherrelle wondered if he had been stuck in the past where the parent controlled everything until the daughter was married. He would be perfect in that era. But she wouldn't.
Brad seemed to sense that she was distracted and worked to keep her mind on other matters. He made her laugh, and he made sure her smile never diminished. Cherrelle felt better when they were walking back to her building. The man was like a tonic when she needed it. And he seemed to know just what she wanted.
It was a pity this marriage was all for show. Cherrelle would have liked to have kept him a little longer than they had decided.
At the end of the day, Brad picked her up and drove her home. Cherrelle was feeling much better and was looking forward to an evening of putting her feet up with a takeout and a good movie. Brad was considering staying over if Jim wasn't free for a gym session, and Cherrelle was eagerly waiting for the yes he would stay over.
There wouldn't be any sex, as per the agreement between them, but their friendship was building considerably and Cherrelle was cherishing it.
Her good mood dissipated, however, when they pulled into the private parking lot under her apartment, and they found Cherrelle's parking space taken up by a red BMW that was double-parked across hers and the space of her neighbor's next to it. Cherrelle wondered what the BMW would have done if her car wasn't in the shop having a service.
But she did recognize it. And she knew that she had visitors.
Brad looked over when he heard her groan. "What's up?"
"Ma and Pa." Cherrelle nodded at the car. "They're in my apartment."
"How do you know?"
"It's their car. And if their car is here, chances are they're inside." Cherrelle sat back with a loud exhale of air. "What's the point in having a doorman when people can bribe him to let them in?"
"They don't have a key, do they?"
"Just you for appearance sake." And even then Brad barely used it. "My apartment is sacred to me."
"I know the feeling." Brad pulled into an empty space not allotted to any of the residents further down and turned the engine off. "Shall we go in?"
"No, but let's get this over with."
They couldn't avoid her parents forever and chances were they already knew about their quickie wedding if Jason had already called them. Cherrelle was amazed she hadn't received any calls from either of them, either on her cell or through Cameron, her personal assistant. Then she remembered that her cell phone was in for repairs and Cameron had been told to always say that Cherrelle was in a meeting or was busy if either of her parents called.
She led the way up to her apartment and let them in. Logan was pacing around her lounge, and Emily was seated on the edge of the couch, her hands folded in her lap and her back straight. There was no indication that they were there for anything specific. But, all the same, Cherrelle reached back and took Brad's hand.
"Thanks for knocking, Pa, Ma," she said airily. "I didn't hear you due to the fact I was out."
"Don't play cute, Cherrelle." Logan swung around on her. "Jason called me. He tells me you've gotten married to him." He glared at Brad, who didn't even flinch. "Is it true?"
"Yes." Cherrelle felt Brad squeeze her hand in support. "After talks of weddings, we decided we couldn't wait any longer."
"In a courthouse? We expected more of you."
"We expected to be invited, at the very least." Emily added primly.
Cherrelle let out a sigh, trying to sound chastised but not quite making it. "I'm sorry, Ma. It was all a bit of a rush."
"I know." Logan stalked towards her. "Because you knew that we knew you were faking being in a relationship to try and get out of marrying Jason." He waved a hand dismissively. "This marriage is getting annulled."
"No!"
"Yes. It's not a real marriage and it was given under false pretenses."
"And a marriage to Jason Colney is a real marriage?" Cherrelle shot b
ack. "Pa, he's openly admitted to me that he doesn't want me for me. I'm not marrying for less than love."
"That may come later," Emily said distantly.
"Or never." Cherrelle lifted her chin defiantly at her father, barely flinching as she saw the fury in his eyes. "I'm married now and this marriage is not getting annulled. I'm a grown woman in charge of billions and my own company. I shouldn't have to be married off like I'm in a third-world country. I can choose who I want to marry and how."
"Not in our family you can't."
"How about we have a proper wedding?"
Cherrelle knew her parents were as surprised as her as she turned to stare at Brad. He shrugged when he saw her expression.
"A white wedding as we talked about? Then we can do it properly."
Cherrelle knew what he was doing. Pacifying her family. While she didn't really want to go through another wedding, she was prepared to do it so as to get her parents off her back.
"You won't go through with it," Logan jeered.
"I just wanted to marry Cherrelle." Brad put his arms around Cherrelle and pulled her against him, giving Logan a smile. "But if it will make everyone happy, I'll give her a white wedding. The works." He turned to Emily and presented her with the same smile. "Cherrelle tells me you're brilliant at organizing and you have an eye for the best quality. Do you fancy giving us a hand, Mrs. Mason?"
That had the desired effect. Emily loved being in charge in her own way, organizing and bossing people about. Her smile lit up her face and she nodded. "I'd love to."
Logan still didn't look happy. "I still think this is a farce."
Cherrelle groaned. "Would you stop being so suspicious, Pa, and be happy for me for once? I'm married and you're still not satisfied."
"This is fake and he's only after your money," he snapped.
"Not interested in money." Brad grinned and kissed Cherrelle's cheek. "Just your daughter."
"Don't play soppy, boy."
"Okay, I won't."
The two men stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Logan backed down and looked at the floor. He sighed, sounding defeated.
"Come to our house on Saturday at nine. We'll get going with the wedding details then." He looked up and locked eyes with Cherrelle. "And we're not waiting until Christmas. Next month is sufficient."
Cherrelle knew exactly what he was saying. And her antennae tingled. He was up to something, but she couldn't figure out what. "That's fine."
Logan nodded stiffly and beckoned Emily to him. Then he stormed out, Emily following more sedately. Brad closed the door behind them.
"Phew, I thought they'd never go."
"Same."
Cherrelle sagged onto the couch and rubbed her hands over her face. Brad sat beside her and urged her to shift so she was facing away from him. Then he began to massage her shoulders, something Cherrelle loved. She began to slowly melt and the tension began to unwind.
"I wonder why your father said next month."
Cherrelle snorted. "Because the 15th of next month was meant to be the date of my wedding to Jason."
"You think he's going to get the wedding plans sorted and replace me with Colney at the last minute?"
"I wouldn't put it past him." Cherrelle closed her eyes and sighed. "God, this is a mess."
"Hey." Brad pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He rested his chin on her shoulder. "I'm not deserting you now. We'll get through this. You're just going to be stuck with me for a while longer."
His support had Cherrelle immediately relaxing. Maybe choosing him to be her husband had been a better idea than she realized. She nuzzled his cheek.
"You're beginning to grow on me," she said teasingly. "I think I can manage."
"I'm glad to hear it." Pressing a kiss to her cheek, Brad moved her away and stood. "Let me call for Chinese and then we can forget about it for now. Watch a film and put our feet up as planned."
Cherrelle smiled and sat back against the cushions while Brad went into the kitchen for the takeout menu. Brad was a good man. He knew just how to cheer her up.
Whoever he married was going to be a lucky woman.
*****
"How long until the wedding?" Jim asked.
Brad slowed on the treadmill long enough to answer Jim's question without gasping for breath.
"Two weeks," he replied.
Two weeks until his second wedding to the same woman. It was almost like renewing their vows barely six weeks after the original wedding. There had been nothing wrong with that one, but to placate the family and notify Brad's family of what was going on, they had agreed to go all out on a new wedding.
"How are the preparations going?"
"Not too bad." Brad slowed the treadmill to a walk. "Emily is actually being a big help. I think she's warming to me now."
"That family is scheming," Jim warned. "They're always up to something." He stopped on the rowing machine, his legs flopping off the foot rests and slapping onto the floor. "Don't let your guard down around them."
"I don't plan to." Brad stopped the treadmill and reached for the water bottle he had left on the floor. "Not with that little brat of a sister."
While his relationship with Logan hadn't improved, the older man choosing to stay in his office whenever Brad was around, Emily was softening towards him. They talked about a lot of things, and Brad found Emily was actually a kind woman under the uninteresting mask she wore. It was odd that she didn't show it more often, but considering the man she was married to, Brad wasn't really surprised.
The younger sister, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.
"Is she still flirting with you?"
Brad snorted. "She actually came into the room while we were deciding on what flowers to have and sat on my lap without a by your leave!"
"Shit. She did that in front of Cherrelle?"
"Right in front of her. Then she proceeded to nibble my ear." Brad rubbed his ear. "She's got sharp teeth. More like fangs."
"What did Cherrelle say?"
"She picked up her sister and carried her under her arm like a rugby ball to a couch at the far end of the room before dropping her." Brad laughed. "Emily told her off for being rough, but it kept Serena away from me for the rest of the afternoon."
Jim laughed as he stood. "I can imagine Cherrelle doing that."
"I had no idea she was that strong."
Brad had discovered a lot about his 'wife' in the last couple of weeks. He found out what her favorite foods were, what she laughed at, and what she cried at. She was the first thing he thought about when he woke up and the person he called before he went to bed. They had conversed several hours into the night many times, both forfeiting sleep. But Brad felt it was worth it.
Cherrelle was worth the pain that this was just pretend when his feelings were getting involved.
"You're starting to have feelings for her, aren't you?"
Brad looked up. Jim was watching him thoughtfully. He sighed and sat on the edge of the treadmill, toying with his water bottle between his hands.
"I am." He couldn't hide anything from his best friend. "When you're in someone's company for a period of time, you are guaranteed to develop feelings for them." He looked Jim in the eye. "I think I'm falling for her, James."
"I wouldn't blame you if you were. Your crush on her in college was strong." Jim sighed. "I'm sure this will be strong as well."
Brad blinked. "You're not going to talk me out of it? Tell me I shouldn't have got involved?"
Jim sat cross-legged on the floor in front of his friend. Both of them were red-faced, streaked with sweat, and gulping in air.
"You shouldn't have, but you're the type of person who helps when asked. You don't walk away unless for a very good reason." Jim gave him a wry smile. "And you will always help a damsel in distress."
"Not every damsel. Just Cherrelle." Brad sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "This is a mess. She still sees this as a marriage of convenience. I c
an't tell her I love her; she'll run the other way screaming."
"You should tell her. It might make things awkward, but at least you'll know where you stand."
Brad didn't want to tell her. He knew what would happen; Cherrelle will tell him not to be silly and cut off their time together unless absolutely necessary. He found it soothing when he could talk to her after a hard day, see her when he needed a breath of fresh air. He didn't want to lose that.
"I want to see what happens in the next few weeks," he said quietly.
Jim shook his head. "You're in for heartbreak the longer you wait."
Brad had no doubt that he was.
Chapter 6
"Cherrelle? Hello, Cherrelle?"
Cherrelle jerked out of her thoughts when she saw a hand waving in front of her face. Starting up, she blinked and her friend's face came into view. "Sorry, what?"
"Are you okay?" Sarah frowned at her. "You've been out of sorts the last few days."
Cherrelle sighed and sat back. They were on the couch in her office, going through preparations for the bride and bridesmaids' dresses. But Cherrelle's mind had been wandering. She couldn't keep it on one thing for very long.
And she knew the exact cause of this.
"I guess I'm a little rundown." She gave Sarah a tired smile. "Things have been getting on top of me."
"I know the feeling." Sarah put down the folder she had been holding and leaned forward. "But you've got more than things getting on top of you. What's wrong?"
Cherrelle wanted to tell Sarah. She really did. But she didn't want to be laughed at. With her tiredness playing into it, she was worried she would burst into tears if Sarah mocked her. She swallowed. "You'll think it's silly."
"Try me." Sarah didn't blink. Cherrelle knew she told Sarah everything. She was the sister Cherrelle had always wanted. She closed her eyes briefly.
"I've screwed up big time, Sarah. I wasn't supposed to have feelings for someone who's only doing this for money."
"What are you saying?" Then Sarah's expression cleared as she understood. "You're having feelings for Brad?"
"Yes." Cherrelle snorted disparagingly at her foolishness. "The most stupid thing I've ever done."
Being Harrison Bloom's Girl (That Forbidden Love Book 2) Page 19