The Billionaire's Marriage Contract

by Avery James

  "Vi!" Amy exclaimed. "This is Ethan, and I thought we talked about how you shouldn't hit on the hospital staff."

  "Well, dear, since he's apparently not my doctor or my nurse, it looks like I'm free to say what I please. Seeing as he's your husband, I'll try to keep things PG." She turned her attention back to Ethan. "It's a shame. He's so handsome. He looks like he'd be great with a sponge."

  Ethan, who had been hit on so many times over the years, couldn't help but blush. He shook his head and tried to figure out a polite response.

  Amy looked at Ethan and then back at Vi. "It looks like you've finally met your match."

  Vi reached over and placed her hand over Amy's. "That's what I was trying to tell him."

  Finally, Ethan cleared his throat and said, "Vi, I don't think I could possibly keep up with you."

  Vi laughed and let out a long sigh. She looked off toward the window. "No man ever could. I have trouble keeping up with myself sometimes. That's what landed me here."

  Amy's sharp wit suddenly made more sense to Ethan. It wasn't her experience dealing with the powerbrokers of the nation's capital that had helped her run circles around him. It was dealing with her aunt. "If you don't mind, I was hoping to steal Amy away for a moment to discuss a few things."

  "Did you and Hank finish your deal?" Amy asked.

  "Not quite, actually. We had to put things on hold."

  "What?" Amy asked. She folded her arms over her chest. "In that case, anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Vi. I think we've established that she doesn't have many boundaries."

  "I think you'll want to discuss this one in the hall."

  Vi spoke up. "Remember dear, I'm fragile. Too much excitement, and poof, my heart will go up like a firecracker." She paused for a moment. "But don't forget that I'm quite old, and if you leave me here alone in this dreadful room, I'll probably die of boredom."

  "I promise it's nothing too exciting," Ethan said. "We're all just going to spend more time together than we had originally anticipated."

  "What could be more exciting than that?" Vi replied.

  "Oh, you'd be surprised," Amy chimed in. "Ethan has a history of overpromising."

  "Ha!" Ethan said. "Well, I guess I'll just get it out then. I think you and Vi should move in with me."

  Vi clapped her hands together. "Splendid!"

  Amy jumped up out of her chair. "What? Are you serious?"

  "My place in DC is all on one level. Plus it's relatively close to the hospital, which would make it easier to coordinate Vi's care."

  "Sounds good to me," Vi said.

  "Hold on," Amy said. "I don't remember giving you two the authority to tell me where to live."

  "Well, you could always just leave the two of us alone."

  "Not a chance in hell," Amy replied. She turned to Ethan. "Alright, you and me, the hall, let's go."

  Once they reached the hall, Amy grabbed Ethan’s arm. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “What are you talking about?” Ethan asked.

  “In there, proposing that my aunt and I move in with you. You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Tell me it doesn’t make sense for her to live in one level place until she’s better. I think it will do her good.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about. And, it’s not your call. It’s her call and it’s my call. Ethan, you don’t have to pretend like you care. I don’t need you to do that, really. So stop this whole chivalry thing.”

  “It’s not chivalry, Amy. It’s just common sense. I’m sorry that Hank and I didn’t get the deal done, but what would it look like if I had let my wife head back and had just gone on with business as usual? Don’t you think that would have raised a few flags?”

  “Who cares if it raises any flags? If you finished the deal, it wouldn’t matter. You’d have everything you’d want, and I’d be free to go back to my life the way it was.”

  “And what would happen if you didn’t want to go back to things the way they were?”

  “What are you suggesting?” Amy asked as they got into the elevator. “You blew off your merger because you want to play house for a few months? That way you can feel better about the deal you made? You want to get your money’s worth?”

  Ethan leaned against the back wall of the elevator and ran his hands through his hair. “Do you really think that’s why I’m here? Do you really think I flew across the freaking country so I could watch out for my investment? I’m here because I want to be here, and I didn’t feel right leaving you alone right now.”

  “I’m a big girl, Ethan. I can take care of myself.”

  “I know you can take care of yourself, but that doesn’t mean you always have to be alone. Think of me as a concerned friend if that helps.”

  “Ha,” Amy replied, “I thought you didn’t care about anything.”

  “You know that isn’t true. Just think about it, ok? Take the night and get back to me.”

  “Give me one reason,” she replied. “Give me one honest reason.”

  Ethan looked at Amy and then stepped over to her, running his hand over the small of her back as he leaned in. Amy wanted to slap him, but as he pressed his lips against hers, a thrill ran through her entire body. She wasn’t mad at him for kissing her. She was mad at herself for liking it so much. She was mad at herself for believing this kiss meant anything to Ethan at all. She leaned back and let Ethan press her against the far wall of the elevator. She could hear the rush of their clothes against each other as she and Ethan kissed and tangled and forgot about everything but the moment. She lost herself in that warmth and comfort, and she wanted to stay there as long as possible.

  Then the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Ethan ran his tongue across Amy’s for a moment longer before pulling back. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked at her. Amy let out a little sigh and followed Ethan out to the lobby.

  Amy looked around to see if anyone noticed them as they walked to the front door. “You really should just get back to work. I’m sure your empire needs tending.” As she said this, Amy realized that she had gone for a considerable stretch of the morning without thinking about her company. It had been a few days since Amy had walked out of her office to get married, and she had no idea what state everything was in. It felt good to be out of the loop for once. She knew she had Ethan to thank for this change in perspective.

  Ethan cleared his throat. He wanted to make sure that Amy understood his intentions. He wasn’t trying to coerce her into living with him. He really wanted to help, but he couldn’t deny the fact that Amy moving in would solidify the appearance of their marriage. “Well, whether or not you decide to stay with me, Vi is always welcome,” Ethan said as he turned for the door.

  “Watch out,” Amy called after him, “she showed up at my house a few years back and never left.”

  “I can think of worse things,” Ethan said as he stepped out into the warm afternoon sun. Then he turned around and added, “I’ll tell you what, how about you come over and take a look at the place tonight?”

  “Inviting me back to your place already? Aren’t you at least going to buy me dinner first?” Amy called across the lobby to him.

  “Of course,” Ethan replied. “We have reservations at seven.”

  “Where?”

  “Don’t worry about that. Just get back to your place and be ready by six. I’ll come pick you up.”

  “Make it Friday.”

  “I’ve already made the reservations.”

  “Then change them to Friday. I’m sure that a man of your means will be able to make that happen.”

  Amy stood there in the lobby, watching Ethan as he walked off out of sight. Now what do I do? she wondered. She got in the elevator and headed to Vi’s room. On her flight back, she had convinced herself that her vacation with Ethan had just been a fantasy, a game the two of them had played, but now that he was back, now that he had asked her to move in, she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe it was so
mething more. She thought about dinner with Ethan, and, for the first time, she allowed herself to admit that she wanted it to be something more than just business.

  ***

  When she got back to the room, Vi smiled and said, “Oh, I thought you had left.”

  “I was just seeing Ethan out,” Amy replied.

  Vi turned and looked out the window. “This is a fun role reversal, isn’t it?” she said after a long pause.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, after all these years, you’re finally my guest instead of the other way around.”

  “That’s one way of looking at it. I’ll stay as long as you’ll have me.”

  “Go,” Vi said. “I’ll have one of the nurses sneak me a magazine.”

  “I don’t think they’re exactly contraband,” Amy replied.

  “Well, I haven’t told you what kind yet.”

  “Violet!” Amy said. She couldn’t help but laugh, and she was glad to see her feeling well enough to joke around.

  “Well, if you can’t do that, make sure your sister hasn’t burned your company to the ground in your absence. I know it’s been gnawing at you all morning.”

  “Actually,” Amy replied, “I’ve barely thought about it at all.”

  Vi made a shooing motion toward the door. “Good. Now go find that handsome man of yours. Do something interesting. Live a little. Have fun. Buy me a magazine.”

  “That sounds nice,” Amy replied. Maybe it was time to have a little fun, she thought. She didn’t know how long her fun with Ethan could last now that she was back in real life, but it seemed worth a shot.

  Chapter 17

  As promised, Ethan arrived at six pm on Friday in a town car. Amy held her breath as she watched it pull up to the curb outside her house. She looked up at the clouds above and wondered if she should grab an umbrella or just hope that the rain held off. She’d only have to walk the few feet to the car anyway, so she figured there was probably little need to worry.

  Amy had spent the better part of the afternoon getting ready. She felt like she had on the day he had proposed to her, only this time, she knew that the chemistry between them was more than just friendly, and she couldn’t stop thinking about what might happen when they got back to his place later that night.

  She wore pearl earrings, ones Vi had given her as a gift years ago, ones she had supposedly received as a gift from a pearl diver in the South Pacific. Their story had always filled Amy with a sense of romance and intrigue, and she felt like she wanted to have them with her as she went on her first proper date with Ethan. She glanced in the mirror at the dress she had finally settled on after hours of poring through her closet. It was a deep navy with a lace overlay that cinched in at the waist and hit a few inches above her knee. She took one last look in the mirror and added a simple drop necklace to compliment the somewhat deep v neckline of the dress. She smiled, perfect.

  She peeked out the window again to see Ethan in a navy blue suit walking up to her front door with something in hand. It was too small to be flowers.

  When she answered the door, Ethan stood at the threshold and handed her the small box. “You look beautiful,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to give you something.”

  Amy looked down at the box in Ethan’s hand. It looked just the right size for a necklace or maybe a bracelet. She wanted to tell him that she didn’t need gifts like this, but she couldn’t help herself. Amy smiled and took the box. She pulled it open and found two keys. “Really?” Amy said. “What am I supposed to do with these?”

  “You could probably sell them for a great deal of money,” Ethan replied. “Or you could, I don’t know, use them when you move into my place.” He looked up toward the roof of Amy’s house, scanning each level as he raised his gaze. “We could turn this place into a museum, or a boarding house for socialites who have fallen on hard times.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “How many people live with you?” Ethan asked.

  “Just Vi. Why?”

  “How many bedrooms does this place have?”

  “Six,” Amy replied. “Though one’s my office, two are for guests, and one is just storage.”

  “My place has three,” Ethan said. “It makes for easier cleaning. You should try simplifying things.”

  “Says the billionaire with a multinational empire.”

  “And a reasonable apartment.”

  “Oh, I’m sure it’s so humble.”

  “Well, I never said anything about humble.”

  “Are you going to feed me or what?” Amy asked.

  Ethan reached out and wrapped his arm around Amy. “Get in the car,” he said. “We’re going downtown.”

  ***

  As their car pulled up to the restaurant, Amy looked out to see several photographers standing by the entrance. She had dealt with enough of them over the years to know why they were there. They wanted pictures of Ethan with his bride. “How did they know you’d be here?” Amy asked, pointing toward the crowd.

  “I have no idea. I can promise you that I had nothing to do with this.”

  “What do you want to do?” Amy asked. She thought about everything she had said about the marriage being a business deal, about trying to keep a low profile, and for a moment, she wondered what it would be like to walk out in front of those cameras with Ethan’s arm around her for the whole world to see.

  “It’s already set,” Ethan replied, “We’ll sneak in through the back. There’s a parking garage below the building and another entrance. I’ve used it before.”

  “Oh, great,” Amy said. “Let’s go.”

  As they sat down at their table, Amy couldn’t help but ask. “Is there a reason you don’t want to be photographed with me?”

  “Yes,” Ethan replied. “You said you didn’t want the attention.”

  “It’s not that,” Amy said. “I mean, I don’t need the attention, it’s just I’m not really sure what we are right now, and I want to know where we stand.”

  “Oh,” Ethan said. He signaled to the waiter. “I’m sorry, but something has come up, a family emergency. Please, send my apologies to the manager, and charge my card for the meal. He pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to the waiter. “For your troubles.”

  Before Amy could ask him what the hell he was doing, Ethan had gotten up and taken her hand. She barely kept up with him as he headed for the door. “Where are we going?”

  “For a walk,” Ethan replied, but as soon as they made it through the front door of the restaurant, he wrapped his arm around Amy and kissed her, leaning into her as he pressed his lips against hers, sending a wave of warmth through her body. Amy felt like fireworks were going off around her.

  It took Amy a moment to realize that those fireworks she thought she felt were really the flashes of the two cameras snapping as many photos of the kiss as possible. By the time Ethan pulled her back up and kissed her cheek, she realized what he had done. There was no going back. Tomorrow morning, that kiss would be all over the Internet.

  “Who’s the girl?” one of the paparazzi shouted.

  “She’s my wife.” He slid his arm over Amy’s shoulder.

  “Do you guys have everything you need?”

  The paparazzi nodded and kept snapping pictures.

  “Come on, guys. We gave you what you wanted. How much are those pictures worth?”

  “A picture of you and a pretty woman is worth at least ten grand. A picture of you trying to fight me would be worth twenty. If you actually hit me, I can sue for ten times that.”

  “How much are your cameras worth?”

  “Ten apiece. Why?”

  “I’ll write each of you a check for twenty grand right now if you give me your cameras and leave us alone for the rest of the night. You can keep your cards with the photos.”

  “Are you serious? Give us the checks and let us keep the cameras.”

  “Make it twenty five grand each. You keep
the photos. I get your cameras. Hell, you can even take your lenses if you want. Final offer.” Ethan pulled out a checkbook. “Do you guys have business cards?”

  “Why?” the first paparazzo asked.

  “Think of this as cultivating a relationship. Plus, it’s easier than asking you to spell your names.”

  The paparazzi popped out the memory cards, took off the lenses and handed the cameras and business cards over to Ethan. They watched incredulously as he wrote them each a check. They stared at the checks for a moment, wondering what to do next.

  “I’ll tell you what. I reserved a table for two. You guys go inside and tell them that I asked you to take our place. Dinner’s already paid for.”

  Without another word, the paparazzi went into the restaurant, leaving Ethan and Amy themselves on the sidewalk. “What do we do now?” Amy asked.

  “I don’t know,” Ethan replied.

  “What happened to keeping a low profile?”

  “You said you didn’t want one.”

  “Is that why you kissed me?”

  “I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you.”

  “How can I be sure?” Amy asked.

  “Do you see the cameras now?” Ethan asked.

  “No,” Amy responded.

  “Exactly,” Ethan said as he leaned in to kiss her again. He pulled Amy tight and ran his hand over her back, squeezing her against himself as their lips locked. Amy felt that increasingly familiar rush of delight and excitement as she and Ethan ran their tongues against each other.

  When they finally parted, Ethan said, “Come on, let’s go for that walk.”

  “What about dinner?” Amy asked.

  “I’ll order a pizza to my place.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  As they started walking, they felt the first drops of rain falling. Amy looked up at the dark clouds looming above the quaint brownstones. As they walked, the small, tree-lined streets gave way to large boulevards, and open spaces. They were only a few blocks past Capitol Hill when the first thunderclap boomed above them and the sky opened up. Amy took Ethan’s hand and started running, but within a block, the rain had soaked through their clothes. She grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him under an overhang. Ethan grinned at her and asked, “What on earth are you doing?”