by Hamel, B. B.
I hesitated, staring at his callused fingers and large palm. I wanted to walk away from this, but I knew that if Fiona was on board and was aware of the situation, it wouldn’t get out of hand. I could tell she was the type to never let something go. I could trust her to be on top of him about our fake marriage, and she’d make sure that he gave me a divorce when it was all said and done.
And he was right that it would protect me from Cosimo. Fact was, marrying that mafia asshole scared me way more than marrying Gavin, although neither situation seemed ideal. Still, he was the lesser of two evils, so I reached out and took his hand.
He held it, staring into my eyes. “You won’t regret this. In fact, I bet you’ll have some fun.”
“Don’t count on it.” I dug my fingers into his and he grimaced, but didn’t let go.
“Where should we get married? Atlantic City? Or should we fly to Vegas?”
“Your choice, darling.” I gave him a wicked smile.
He smiled back. “Vegas it is. Now, let me go call Fiona, and we’ll get this settled.”
I released his hand and he disappeared back into his bedroom.
I watched him go, trying to figure out if I just made the biggest mistake of my life—or if I was about to have a lot of fun.
7
Gavin
Fiona showed up an hour later wearing her scrubs, her hair up in a tight red bun, a sour look on her face. I answered the door and she swept into the apartment, looking around the place. “So this is the famous sex dungeon.”
“Glad you could make it, Fiona.” I closed the door behind her.
“Is it safe to touch the surfaces? I know half the nurses have been in here.”
“Half? I’d say I’m at seventy percent, at least.”
She made a fake gagging sound. “You’re disgusting. I really don’t see how you get all these girls back here.”
“Come on, you don’t love the decor?”
“It’s fine.” She crossed her arms and glared at me. “Where the hell is Erica? Do you have her tied up on some sex swing in a back room right now? I’m not getting into a three-way with you, no matter how much you beg.”
“Ah, come no, Fiona. I wouldn’t ruin a good time with Erica by bringing you into the mix.”
She glared at me then her expression softened a bit. “Seriously, how’s she doing?”
“She’s adjusting.” I hesitated and leaned against the wall. “She’s in the guest room right now.”
“Did you get her story?”
“You won’t believe it.”
She opened her mouth then shut it again and nodded. “It’s not my business.”
“She’ll tell you if you ask.”
“It’s fine. I don’t need to know all the details. I just hope you’re taking care of her.”
“I promise, Fiona. I really am.” I cleared my throat and glanced toward the hallway. “Thing is though, we have to ask you something, and I have a feeling you’re going to flip out.”
“Oh, god,” she said, looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t want to know.”
“It’s not what you think. Take a seat, I’ll get Erica, and we’ll talk.”
She gave me a look, but she marched over to the couch, put her bag down on the floor, and sat at the edge of the cushion, giving it a gross look. “You’ve had sex here, haven’t you?”
“Yep,” I said as I headed down the side hallway. Fiona was a pain in my ass, but she was a good person and a friend, although she didn’t act like it, and I was actually glad Erica wanted to bring her into this—even though she was going to freak out.
I knocked on the guest room door then opened it a crack. Erica sat on the bed, looking at her phone, and glanced up at me. “You learned to knock.”
I grinned at her. “See, I’m not so bad.”
“Is she here?”
“Yeah, she’s waiting out there.” Erica climbed off the bed and tossed her phone onto the nightstand. “I didn’t tell her your story, I figured that’s your call.”
She hesitated and tapped her nail against her bottom lip. “I think she needs to know, right?”
“I think she does too, but like I said, it’s up to you.”
“I’ll tell her.” She sighed and marched past me. “This is so messed up.”
“Yep,” I said, and followed her back out to the living room.
Fiona stood up when we entered. “He didn’t touch you, did he?” she asked.
“Goddamn it, Fiona,” I said. “Can you knock it off?”
She gave me a look then nodded. “Okay, sorry.”
“He’s been a gentleman,” Erica said, glancing back at me. “Mostly, anyway.”
“Sounds about right.” Fiona took a step toward her. “Are you doing okay? I checked on your mom. No change yet, honey. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Erica took a deep breath and gestured at the couch. “Why don’t you sit down? I need to tell you what’s going on.”
Fiona gave me a concerned look and I only nodded. She sank back onto the couch cushion and I sat on a chair in the far corner. Erica paced around in front of us and began to talk, telling the same story she told me.
I watched Fiona’s face the whole time. At first, she looked like she felt sorry for Erica—which was hard not to feel, since Erica clearly had a difficult life considering how much of a bastard her father was—but as the story progressed, she seemed more and more skeptical. When Erica finished talking, Fiona leaned forward, elbows up her knees, and looked up with a strange expression on her face.
“Look, honey, you’ve been through a horrible accident, and you’ve got a mom in a coma, that’s a really tough thing,” Fiona said. “But seriously, how much of that is true?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. That was exactly how I would’ve reacted if I hadn’t overheard that conversation in Erica’s room.
“It’s all true,” Erica said, her face pained. “I know it’s crazy, but it’s all true.”
“I can back her up,” I said gently. “Remember when I was eavesdropping on those guys?”
Fiona looked at me and nodded. “I chewed you out for it.”
“Right, and I told you to watch out in case they came back. Well, they work for that Cosimo guy, and I heard them trying to convince Erica to give in and marry him.”
Fiona looked between the two of us and her face turned slightly pale. “I’m having a lot of trouble coming to grips with this story right now.”
“I know,” I said, standing up, and Erica looked almost grateful—though still annoyed. “But I completely believe her, and honestly, it’s okay if you don’t. She told you that story so you’d understand the next part.”
“There’s more?” She looked like she might get up and run out of the room at any second.
“We’re getting married,” I said.
She burst out laughing. She stared between us, and her laughter tapered off as she realized that I wasn’t kidding. Erica was mortified and angry, but she didn’t say anything as she paced across the room, hands shoved in her back pockets.
“You’re serious,” Fiona said. “Why the hell would you get married?”
“A few reasons,” I said. “Mostly to keep her away from Cosimo, but I also need her help— you know that director job opening up in the Emergency Department?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m aware of it.”
“Well, I want that job, and I don’t think they’ll ever consider me without fixing my bad reputation.”
“You think getting married to a patient’s going to help with that?”
“She’s not a patient anymore,” I said, looking at Erica, “and I think getting married will make me look more serious.”
Fiona opened her mouth to respond but whatever she had to say died on her tongue. Instead, she took a sharp breath and blew out her cheeks. “This is nuts,” she finally said.
“I need you to watch out for me,” Erica said, turning to her. “I’m going to marry this guy, but I didn’t want to do it w
ithout someone else knowing. And since my mom’s in a coma—” She shrugged and held up her hands.
“So that neutral third party’s supposed to be me,” Fiona said.
“You wanted to get involved.” I grinned at her. “You could’ve backed out.”
She glared at me. “You got me involved in this.”
“Please, Fiona.” Erica walked toward her. “You don’t need to do anything other than promise to pressure him if he doesn’t give me a divorce when I ask for it. I just need someone on the outside ready to step in and help if he decides to do something crazy.”
I gave Fiona a look and shrugged. “I can’t blame her even if it’s a little insulting.”
“You’re both insane.” She stood up abruptly. “Why don’t you just take his money, Erica? Let him buy off your debt and be done with it.”
She seemed to struggle with that for a moment. I thought I had a good idea as to why she couldn’t do it—I got the sense that she didn’t want to owe me anything, which was why I couched the married idea as a mutually beneficial arrangement. She clearly didn’t want to explain that to Fiona though, and I saw her come up with an alternative explanation on the spot, which also happened to be true.
“Paying Cosimo off won’t necessarily mean he’ll leave me alone,” she said. “He might take the money and still try to force me into something.”
“You can go to the police,” Fiona pointed out.
Erica laughed. “He ran my car off the road as punishment for not doing what he wanted and put my mom in a coma. You really think going to the cops is going to do a damn thing?”
Fiona groaned. “So you think marrying Gavin will keep him off your back?”
“That’s the plan.”
“I’m a big, strong man,” I said. “Very good at protecting small, dainty ladies.”
Fiona glared at me. “Don’t be gross. This isn’t a joke.”
“I’m only partially kidding,” I said softly. “I can keep her safe. She needs a guy around right now.”
“Please, all you have to do is say you’ll help me if the time comes. Otherwise, promise you won’t tell anyone.”
Fiona looked between us, shaking her head. “For the record, I’m against this. I think you should go to the police, Erica. And I think you should get a hobby, Gavin.”
“Duly noted,” I said. “I assume that hobby shouldn’t be sleeping with the nursing staff?”
Erica punched my arm. “Don’t be gross.”
I laughed and grinned at them both. “Come on, ladies, this is great. We’re about to be a little happy family.”
“I’m not part of any of this.” Fiona grabbed her bag and hesitated. “I promise I’ll keep your secret and I’ll help you out if you need it, but otherwise, I’m out of here.”
“That’s all I need.” Erica stepped toward her. “Thank you.”
Fiona walked to Erica and pulled her into a hug. I smiled to myself and looked away. Fiona acted hard, but deep down all she wanted was to help people. And she had every reason to think I was a jerk for sleeping with the nurses.
But as Fiona pulled away, I saw Erica’s small smile, the tears in her eyes, and I knew something, right in that moment—I was going to take this marriage seriously.
I wasn’t really marrying her, that was only for show, only to keep Erica safe until Cosimo got bored and went away. But while we’re married, I’d keep my vows, I’d treasure her, stay faithful to her, loyal to her—and maybe things could grow into something better, into something real.
I wouldn’t get ahead of myself yet. I wanted Erica more than I realized and in that moment it became crystal clear to me how far I was willing to go to have her, but I wouldn’t force anything on her—no, I’d make sure she came to me, willing and begging for it.
“That’s settled then,” I said, beaming. “I have the day off, so we’re flying to Vegas and getting married tonight.”
Fiona looked between us, shook her head, and walked to the door. “I’d say congratulations, but I’m not sure that applies.”
“I think it’s still appropriate,” I said.
“Good luck, I guess.” She lingered at my door and gave Erica a look. “Honey, if you change your mind, call me, okay?”
“Okay, I will.”
“You have my number already.” Fiona gave her a smile, glared at me, and left the apartment.
I stood with Erica then put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against me then seemed to remember herself and shrugged me off.
“This is going to be great,” I said. “You’re a good actress, right? We should probably start getting to know each other. It’s a long flight to Vegas so we’ll have plenty of time.”
“I’m sleeping on the plane,” she said. “We can get to know each other later.”
“Your loss. I’m delightful, after all.”
She gave me a look and drifted back toward the guest room. “I need to pack.”
“Sure, go ahead. I’ll get us seats on the next flight.”
She hesitated and ran her fingers down the wall. “Are you sure about this?”
“I’m sure if you are.” I tilted my head. “Seems to me that it benefits the both of us.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Come on, I’ll be good to you. And when this is all over, you can walk away and do whatever you want with yourself.”
She nodded, gave me an odd, searching look, then disappeared down the hall.
I sat on the couch and stared at my hands before finding the laptop. I needed to get a flight, and book an appointment in a chapel, and find a good spot to buy some rings, and book a room at a hotel. I felt oddly excited as I got to work.
8
Erica
We flew first class, and I knew he did it just to impress me—and I hated to admit that it worked. Still, we had a drink of champagne once the plane was in the air, then I leaned back and closed my eyes and pretended to sleep the whole way to Vegas. He didn’t complain and killed time reading for the most part.
We landed, disembarked, and got a cab to the Bellagio. I drifted along behind Gavin as he strode up to the front desk and checked us in. I couldn’t help but stare all around me, at the people crowding around on the sidewalks outside, people talking and laughing, young and old, women in tiny outfits, men in expensive suits, and the hotel itself—grand was putting it mildly. The lobby had marble floors and this strange, wild installation of multi-colored umbrellas over a large space covered by a red rug. There were archways, plants, and lavish lighting fixtures—everything designed to be as expensive and as inviting as possible.
Gavin took us up toward the top of the building and unlocked a room in the corner. It was sumptuous, with a single, large queen bed, a couple of couches, a blue patterned rug, and an enormous window overlooking the city. I walked over and looked outside, staring down at the lights, at the cars moving slowly along the streets, and I had a sudden and intense moment as I realized that I’d never been outside of Philadelphia before—and now, suddenly, I was in the middle of the desert in this strange place, this wild and foreign place of lights and action and motion, so much motion.
“You okay?” he asked as he dropped his bag on the floor. “If it’s the bed situation, sorry about that. I thought about getting two twins but figured that’d look weird.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes. “No, it’s not that.”
“Right, well, if you’re having second thoughts—”
I waved a hand at him. “It’s not that, either.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Good, because I’m looking forward to marrying you.”
I laughed and turned to him, shaking my head. “Why the hell would you feel that way? I’m going to be so much trouble, you realize that, right?”
“I know,” he said softly, “but I guess I’m a sucker for troubled girls.”
I laughed again, shaking my head. “What a fucking line.”
He spread his hands. “It’s the truth.”
“I’ve never been out of the city before, okay?”
He frowned a little. “Really?”
“We didn’t exactly have a lot of money growing up so we never went on vacation. We visited the shore for day trips a few times, but that doesn’t count. This is the first time I’ve been, you know, away from that.”
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know how it feels.” I turned back to the window. I heard him stand up and come near me, saw his reflection in the window. “So much is happening and I think I’m barely managing to keep up.”
“You’re treading water. I get that.”
“It’s more like I’m halfway under and about to sink the rest of the way.”
He came to me and stood just behind me. His hands rested on my hips and I wanted to whip around and tell him to fuck off—but his touch felt good, and I took an involuntary step back. I pressed myself against him, and he hugged me from behind. I felt his breath on my neck and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to cry more, but god, his touch felt so good. I needed the comfort, needed it so much more than I liked to admit.
“I won’t let you drown,” he said in my ear. “I promise. That’s what this is all about. I’ll keep you afloat.”
“You’ll try, but I’m not sure—”
“I won’t let you drown.” His voice was harder, and I wanted to believe him.
We stayed like that for a few more seconds until I pulled away. He watched me carefully as I slipped past. “When are we getting married?” I asked, wiping my face again and heading to the bathroom.
“Couple hours. I need to head out for a bit though.”
I paused and looked back. “Where are you going?”
“I have to pick up the rings.”
I felt a strange sensation in my gut. “Right, the rings.”
