The Contract: Sunshine

by McCarver, Shiree

  Yoon laughed. “Touché.” With a smirk, he added, “This is why this time I’m not resorting to blackmail. I’m asking you... to you know.”

  “Marry you.”

  “To continue your role as my supposed lover by upgrading your part from fiancée to ‘wife’ instead.”

  “Oh you don’t want me to really marry you,” Sunshine deduced. “You want to pretend we ran off and got married in Vegas. Oh be still my heart, you sure know how to woo a girl,” she laughingly feigned a faint on the sofa.

  “No wooing and no pretending,” Yoon said. “We would really have to get married Sunshine if we’re to be believed. My parents aren’t idiots. If we don’t get married, there will be no marriage certificate on file for them to find and they would know it’s a lie.”

  “Sex?” Her eyes popped open and she sat up again tugging the t-shirt down over her bare knees since she noticed at the very mentioning of sex his eyes went to her lower body part.

  Yoon looked at her speculatively. “As often as I can get it.”

  “To be specific...” She grinned and felt her cheeks foolishly reddening. “Will you expect me to have sex with you?”

  “We will be married, won’t we?”

  She raised a halting hand. “A marriage in name only under the circumstances.”

  “Are you a virgin?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Unless you’re the best kissing virgin in the world...the answer to my question would be a resounding no.”

  “The entire world, you say? If I’m that good, maybe I shouldn’t marry for any reason less than love after all.” She gave him a knowing look.

  “Stop bragging,” he uttered. “It’s the reluctant acceptance of my physical attraction to you that has me behaving irrationally. Mind you, if you keep me waiting too long for an answer, my common sense might come back.”

  “I must admit kissing is like ballroom dancing,” she teased. “When you have a man that can lead, you can dance like a pro.”

  “I think I heard a compliment in there somewhere.” Yoon looked her over seductively. “Are you saying sex with me is a definite part of the deal?” He asked. “You can take me for a test drive before you give me an answer, if you like.”

  She could feel the magnetism that made him so damned sexy and knowing that he desired her was at least a good beginning.

  Sunshine never thought she would actually and seriously consider an offer of an arranged marriage in order to gain financial independence. Was she truly her mother’s daughter after all?

  Instead of taking him up on his offer, she said, “If we are to do this, we need to take some time getting to know more about each other.”

  “I agree,” Yoon nodded. “You can make a list of questions and I will do the same.”

  “Okay.”

  “There must be complete honesty between us, Sunshine. No more lying or pretending.” He stared. “You can start by telling me who you really are.”

  “I’ve told you who I am, Yoon,” she laughed to cover her annoyance. “I really am Sunshine Sophia Dupree.”

  His response held a note of impatience. “I’ve seen a picture of Sunshine Dupree and there is no way you and she is one and the same.”

  “I can show you my driver’s license--”

  “Driver’s licenses can be faked or you could have legally changed your name,” Yoon pointed out. “Also, your last name could be Dupree and your mother got a kick out of naming you after the heiress.”

  “Short of taking you to meet the grand madam—my grandmother—herself, what else can I do to convince you that I’m telling you the truth?” she exclaimed in irritation.

  A loud “ding” came from the kitchen reminding Sunshine she had another batch of cookies in the oven.

  “Shit! I forgot about the cookies,” she exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and rushed past him only to be caught by the waist.

  “The glass, remember? You can’t go in there until after I clean up things.”

  “But my cookies will burn,” she protested.

  “I will get the cookies out of the oven,” Yoon said.

  “You? What do you know about anything going on in the kitchen? You didn’t even know what the cooling rack was for.”

  “I...I did know,” Yoon countered. “I just didn’t know I had one since I’ve never seen it before.” His chin lifted a notch as if daring her to dispute his declaration.

  Amused, Sunshine shrugged her shoulders and said, “Okay then; but make sure you use the proper oven mitts or you will burn yourself.”

  “I know.” He headed towards the kitchen.

  “It’s the one with the--”

  “Sunshine,” he stopped in the doorway and turned to look at her with his fingers on his hips. Was that attitude she was seeing? “If I can settle multi-million dollar transactions, I know what a freaking oven mitt is.”

  “Do your thang,” she smiled.

  “No worries.” Yoon saluted her. “Not only can I leap tall corporate mergers, but I can also save fellow Korean immigrants’ American dream with a single phone call. So I’m sure I can save your little cookies from a burning oven.”

  “You the man, baby,” she quipped with two thumbs up.

  She leaned against the wall with a smile on her lips, listening and waiting as he whistled off tune.

  Yoon had been in the kitchen less than two minutes before she heard a string of “f-bombs” and the pan hitting the floor.

  “See, that’s why God made woman,” she yelled out. “So she could tell her man to use the oven mitt with the red rubber palms so he wouldn’t burn his hand through the thin cheap one.

  “What the hell is a cheap anything doing in this kitchen?” He bellowed. “Sunshine, first thing tomorrow we are going shopping. Today I want you to go through this entire kitchen and throw away all no name-brand items and replace them with that...that...”

  Her eye brows shot up in question as Yoon stuck his head out the kitchen door down the hall.

  “Does this mean I got the housekeeping job?” She asked.

  “What’s the name of that woman with the cooking show? You know she has a husky voice and laughs and smiles a lot.” Yoon’s brow puckered.

  “Rachel Ray, maybe?” She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

  “Yeah, that’s it. We will buy all her stuff from now on!” His head disappeared back into the kitchen.

  There was a lot more slamming cabinet doors and cursing. Lots of cursing and in at least three different languages. One she knew from her studies to be French, one word she already heard him say she knew to be Korean and she wasn’t quite sure what the other language was.

  She was learning some new things about him already. Seemingly mild mannered, Yoon Young had a temper and he could at the very least curse eloquently in more than one language.

  Sunshine brought her hand up to stifle her giggles when she heard another crash. She knew what that was......the utensil drawer.

  “Remind me to call the maintenance man to fix this drawer!”

  “Yoon, do you want me to go put on some of your shoes, go in there and help you find whatever you’re looking for?”

  “Where is the damn broom in this place?” He yelled.

  Sunshine shook her head. How long has he lived here?

  “It’s in the pantry closet off the butler’s pantry,” she yelled back.

  “Why the hell they build a butler’s pantry in this place without supplying a butler to go with it? If I had a butler in the deal when I bought the place, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble with housekeepers abandoning me.

  “Yoon?”

  “What!”

  She cringed and snorted on a laugh. “Are you going to hire me or not? It sounds like you could use my help around here.”

  He came to stand in the hall outside the kitchen door. His hair had dropped boyishly in his eyes with whips clinging damply to the sides of his face.

  Her eyebrows raised in question.


  “Get dressed,” he ordered instead of asked. “We’re going to get married.”

  “What about you not believing me when I tell you I am Sunshine Dupree of Dupree Foods?”

  “Look,” he spread his hands wide with his palms up. “I’m sure you have your reasons for not wanting to tell me about yourself. I’m hoping within time you will trust me enough to open up to me. But it’s not necessary for us to agree to do business together.”

  “Business?” The thought of what was supposed to be a happy time in her life, the one she’s dreamed of, being a business transaction sickened her.

  “Sunshine, I don’t know what you’re running from when it comes to your family, but you’ve seen only part of what I’m dealing with,” he sighed. “When I woke up, I had twelve messages and missed calls on my mobile phone.”

  “Leslie again?”

  “Leslie. My mother.” He started popping his thumbs against his hand but this time she didn’t stop him. She felt like doing a bit of her own knuckle popping right about now.

  “Do you think Leslie has spoken to your mother...about me?”

  “My father was one of the missed calls on my phone. So if he is calling, you can be sure they now know about you.”

  Oh great. Not only will I be in a loveless marriage with a practical stranger but I will also be the cliché Black woman whose in-laws hate her before they get to know her.

  “I know I’m a real son-of-a-bitch for asking you to do this Sunshine, considering you’ve never been married before. Have you been married before?” He asked with a scowl.

  “No...I haven’t,” she confirmed.

  The scowl on his face faded into a relieved smile. “Good...good,” he nodded. “If you had been divorced, it would have made matters worse.”

  “Can it get any worse?” Her voice grew loud with frustration and she hated the tears that welled up in her eyes. “My mother sets me up on a blind date with a creep. There is no way she will reimburse me for that expensive outfit and shoes I wore last night like she promised. My grandmother won’t accept my calls until after I’ve proven myself and...and...” she hiccupped.

  She looked at him as he approached. He quite openly studied her tear stained face. He came close, bracing a hand against the wall she was leaning against, looking down at her intensely.

  “And to top off your day,” he spoke softly cupping her cheek and brushing away the tears with the padding of his thumb. He sucked in his breath when her salty tears hit the singes left from the baking pan incident.

  “Your hand...”

  “And to top off your day,” he repeated. “A crazy Korean man comes along and threatens to have you put in jail if you didn’t lie for him. Then the son-of-a-bitch has the nerve to ask you to marry him knowing he’s being completely unfair to you because he’s too much of a coward to stand up to his family on his own.”

  “I’m not too brave when it comes to my family either,” she whispered. Her eyes dropped to his mouth as he leaned in even closer.

  “I’ve thought about doing this since I came in here and found you sleeping on the sofa. But I was afraid to wake you after you exhausted yourself cleaning up for me.” His voice lowered to a huskier tone. “All that after the way I treated you.” His lips brushed against hers as he spoke.

  “I was bored,” she murmured.

  He let out an audible sigh against her mouth, the only warning she had before his tongue traced the fullness of her lips. His mouth was more persuasive than she cared to admit as he gently covered her mouth, devouring its softness.

  Sunshine was shocked at her own eager response to Yoon. It was a feeling she wanted to explore more, even if nothing ever came of it. Maybe within time with something feeling this wonderful...something else would develop.

  Was she insane for hoping something good would come out of this crazy situation she found herself in?

  Chapter 8

  What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas...

  “Good morning, Mr. Young. I wasn’t expecting you in today.”

  Yoon glanced over at his Executive Assistant, Jamal Parks, as his tall figure fell in step with him as he strolled into the Yoon Young Investments office building.

  “Where else would I be?” Not waiting for an answer to a question he wasn’t really asking, he continued onward to business matters. “Jamal did you get the transcript of the video meeting with Tokyo typed up and copied?”

  “The typed and printed transcript along with all the collaborating documents that were mentioned during the meeting are on your desk awaiting your initials, sir.”

  “Thank you,” Yoon nodded. “After I look it over and sign off on it, I want you to make sure all interested parties are sent a copy.”

  “Yes sir,” Jamal nodded.

  “Also, make sure that it’s signed for personally by the individuals,” he instructed.

  “I will make sure of it, sir,” Jamal assured him. He pressed the elevator button for up.

  Both men stepped into the elevator and the doors eased closed. Jamal pushed the number for the tenth floor, the executive staff floor.

  Yoon stifled a yawn. It had been a long night and he would have enjoyed it more if he and Sunshine could have spent at least a day or two in Las Vegas, but unfortunately now wasn’t a good time for him.

  Even though she hadn’t complained or asked, Yoon found himself promising her that they would take a trip to Hawaii for a honeymoon once he scheduled some time away from work.

  Of course she argued how unnecessary it was considering it wasn’t a real marriage. He didn’t know why, but each time she reminded him that their marriage was a farce, it just pissed him off.

  “Is there a reason why we’re doing it differently this time with the Tokyo offices?” His assistant interrupted his private thoughts.

  “I don’t want anyone trying to buy more time on this deal by pretending they didn’t get the final draft agreements. This is too important,” Yoon replied.

  “Oh yeah, your mother has left several messages. She said something must be wrong with your phone because she is going straight to voice mail.”

  “I will call her,” Yoon murmured. Later. Much later.

  “Also, the phones have been flooded with calls from reporters all morning. How do you wish for us to handle it? Did you want me to have the Public Relations Department type up something to hand out?”

  Jamal asked while standing aside instinctively putting his arms across the elevator door slot as Yoon stepped out of the elevator into the corridor with him following close on his heels.

  “What’s the deal with the reporters?” Yoon scowled. “Did they do another article about us in the financial magazine? They didn’t get wind of the crisis in the Tokyo office did they?”

  He walked through the busy outer office on his way to his office and received several, “Mr. Young, congratulations, sir!”

  He nodded to his grinning enthusiastic employees. Hopefully Jamal could give him a rundown on what was going on around here.

  Hurrying into his office he instructed Jamal to shut the door and close the curtains that opened to view the outer office activities.

  Jamal did as he was instructed and poured Yoon coffee, black with two sugars in his personal coffee mug and placed it on his desk in front of him.

  “Sit,” Yoon barked. “Tell me what’s going on around here this morning. What am I being congratulated for exactly?”

  “Why your marriage, of course,” Jamal beamed. “Congratulations, sir!”

  Yoon’s thick black eyebrows slashed together in a deep scowl. How did they find out and why would the media be interested in who he married?

  His lawyer was the only one that had been privy to his and Sunshine’s nuptials. Yoon immediately dismissed him as being the one to leak the news because he’d had this particular lawyer taking care of his affairs for years and paid him too well for him to be so careless about his personal business.

  Yoon’s thoughts drifted to the only oth
er person that knew what had taken place last night. Could Sunshine have gone behind his back after agreeing it would be best to wait until he told his family before she broke the news to her own? Would her true colors start to show? Had she agreed so readily to this marriage because she has her own agenda?

  He dismissed that idea also. If Sunshine wanted something out of all of this, it wasn’t his money. She had readily agreed on having a prenuptial agreement and to his amazement declined the generous amount he had allotted for her troubles.

  However, Yoon insisted on a compensation for her helping him, regardless of her protest. He had the lawyer include the stipulated amount and even though it wasn’t as generous as he was prepared to pay her, it was generous enough to give her a few years of the independence she craved until she could figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

  Even now as he replayed last evening in his mind, he couldn’t understand how a woman that was practically homeless with only three suitcases of clothing and nothing else to her name be so damned prideful? She should be taking full advantage of him and her situation. It wasn’t like he hadn’t expected at least that much.

  He’d learned a long time ago the world was made up of “users,” including the ones you trusted to put your welfare before all others. The first time Yoon had learned about betrayal started with his parents pushing aside his happiness for their own.

  Yoon had fallen in love with a girl he met in school. However his parents had other plans for him. He was duty bound as the only son to marry the woman they had chosen for him and all his illusions he had that his parents supported him and his decisions one hundred percent were shattered.

  Sunshine not wanting anything from him was refreshing; except now he did wonder about the one thing she had insisted upon. She had said the only way she would marry him would be they had to remain married for one year, no matter what. Even if she or he were to fall in love with someone else during that first year of marriage, they had to follow it through until the end.

  He didn’t have a problem with her request. He just wondered why a year? Why not six months or two years? It was another thing he hoped within time as she came to trust him more, she would share more about herself with him.