“You don’t say, and what’s your specialty?” he asks.
“Well, I trained in emergency medicine, but currently, I work for a small practice.” She says, almost with embarrassment.
“And why not an emergency room?” he asks, genuinely interested.
“I applied but didn’t get my foot in the door.” She says, holding her head up high with confidence.
Mayfield reaches into his coat and pulls out his money clip. He unfolds the contents and pulls out his business card from the fold.
“Your husband has my number, but I would like for you to have it too. Send me your resume, and how about we have dinner together next week?” He smiles proudly at the both of us as if he just scrubbed out from a successful surgery. “My wife is itching to eat at The Saundry, I hear that they just hired a Michelin starred chef.”
“It would be an honor and thank you sir.” Connie gushes and bounces on her feet despite the heels that she’s wearing which showcase her beautiful calves.
We turn away from Mayfield and I can feel the excitement pulsing off of her for the remainder of the evening.
“Thank you.” She tightens her hold on my arm as we walk away. I look at her and see the genuine smile on her face and it feels good to have been the one to put that smile there.
I feel good about tonight. While we were forced to do this reception slash party or whatever my mom wanted to call it, it worked out for the best. Friends came in from out of town, I likely started to change what the media thinks of me and I set the tone for getting Connie the job she’s always wanted.
And I made her smile.
Chapter Seventeen
Connie
I’ve been living with Devin for two weeks now. We have had dinners with our respective parents and even enjoyed time spent with friends who were in town for—what I like to refer to as—our coming out party.
We haven’t had any accidental make-out sessions, but we sure have come close a few times after a few drinks or when it’s late at night.
I can feel the sexual frustration between the two of us and it has me questioning why I’m not allowing this to become a sexual relationship.
Oh, that’s right. Because this marriage isn’t real. It’s a fake marriage, and if we get involved, and I start to catch feelings, then I’m fucked when the arrangement is over. And besides that fact, he likes men too, not just women. So, a relationship with me would never be enough, there would be that part of him that would want what a man could give him.
And last time I checked, I’m not a man.
“There’s rumors coming out of the marriage between young Richards and his wife not having the most conventional of relationships. Sources involved in the whirlwind of their beginning days of the marriage say, it’s a sham. A witness to the couple at a popular nightclub here in the city, stated that they didn’t even know one another until that night.
What is the mayor’s son hiding?”
“Penny for your thoughts?” I’m shaken out of the daze that I was in from the news report this morning still playing on repeat in my head and clue back into the here and now, dinner with friends.
“What’s that?” I look over to my friend, Becca and her new boyfriend, Josh sitting beside her. They’ve been dating for a month, and so far, he seems like a solid guy.
“What’s up? You’re looking a million miles away. Is there trouble in paradise already?” Becca asks.
“No, nothing of the sort. I’m just tired, I didn’t get much sleep last night, anxious and all.” I explain.
“Oh yeah? When do you start the new gig?”
“Tomorrow,” I tell her.
“That’s exciting. I can’t believe one dinner changed your life!” Becca clasps her hands in front of her like a proud parent.
“I would like to think it was my resume that changed my life. I feel bad for quitting so quickly on Dr. Peters, but it’s not like the foot traffic wasn’t anything the CNA couldn't handle until he gets someone new in the position.”
“I’m sure he knew that you would go onto bigger and better things,” she replies.
“That’s exactly what he said as I was saying my goodbyes.”
“And how is married life?” Josh asks with both of their gazes landing on me, waiting for an answer.
“It’s interesting, a lot of schmoozing.”
“Well, what did you expect when you married the son of a political figure.” Becca jokes.
“First, I didn’t expect to get married? And second, I didn’t know that he was, well who he is.”
“Wait a minute, what are you guys talking about?” Josh looks between us.
I freeze, realizing that I spoke so candidly.
“Nothing. Nothing, it was just a very short relationship before we got married. Kinda got swept away in the romance.” I shrug.
“Do you regret it?” he asks.
“Yeah, do you regret it?” Becca leans in.
I hold my head high and push my shoulders back. “I don’t. It feels like a romance movie or book. I’m enjoying the married life.”
Josh elbows Becca and wiggles his eyebrows at her, “what do you say, babe? Wanna get hitched? Want me to sweep you away?”
“Not one bit.” She replies with a roll of her eyes. “No offense, but I don’t think I ever want to get married.” She takes a sip of her Moscow mule.
“Why would you say that?” he asks.
“Not everyone is cut out for marriage. Personally, I feel that I’m not someone who wants to be with someone til death do us part. I enjoy being in relationships, but not the feeling of being confined.”
It would appear this is a conversation that neither of them have discussed before, by the shocked look on Josh’s face. Watching this unfold is excruciating, as I’m seeing Josh mentally retreat. I’ve been privy to several of her relationship woes from many a failed relationships purely due to the fact that she isn’t the most truthful individual when it comes to what she wants out of them.
“Confined? So, what happens if you get in a relationship and you fall in love?”
Oh, here we go.
“There is no such thing as love. It’s lust that drives the human race.”
Josh shakes his head in disbelief. “Um, I can say from experience, that I’ve absolutely been in love.”
“How do you know? Love isn’t something that you hold, it’s not something that’s tangible. It’s a fluke. Humans were not made to be monogamous. Sure, for a little while, it’s great, but then things change, people change, and the lust burns out.”
“Have you ever had a pet?” Josh asks.
“Guys, I think this is more of a private conversation,” I say trying to alert them that this conversation isn’t meant for a restaurant.
“No, I think this is the perfect venue,” Becca replies. “I can guarantee that I’m not the only person in this room who thinks this way. I’m not saying that marriage isn’t for everyone, I’m just saying that marriage isn’t for me. I didn’t think that we were at the place in our relationship to start discussing marriage.”
“I would think that any relationship has a potential to become a marriage, why be in one if you don’t want to get married?” He asks.
“Human connection, sexual satisfaction, and companionship.” She counts on her fingers.
“Becca had a cat once. But it ran away.” I say, answering his previous question, feeling a little uncomfortable.
“And with those factors, those needs—having a partner is essential.”
“I agree, you need a partner, and that doesn’t necessarily have to equal out to marriage.”
“She also had a dog when she was little. His name was Spencer, she still has photos of him.” I pop a fry into my mouth as they continue to ignore me.
“So, then what are we doing here?” Josh asks.
Oh boy. Here it comes. Broken hearted boy, coming in three, two…
“We’re hanging out. But now that you know that there’s no chance for marriage,
what is your game plan?” Becca turns her body toward him.
“Well, I want to get married. Every relationship is the potential for forever, I want that.”
“I think you know now, that I don’t.”
“She also had a fish, but he died.” I try to cut into the tension between the two.
Josh stands and fishes out his wallet from his back pocket, then throws a twenty on the tabletop before looking directly at me.
“Connie, I wish you the best in your marriage, I think a romance like yours is exciting,” he nods to me and genuinely smiles before his expression contorts into pain when he looks to Becca. “I hope that one day, you find yourself and become happy, but I’m sorry, I can’t stick around when what I want in the end is something that you don’t believe in.”
“That’s fair,” Becca says quietly staring back at him.
He looks like he wants to say something more but shakes his head and turns on his heel.
I look at Becca in shock, that this just happened.
“Wow,” I say taking in a breath.
“I know right, bummer.”
“Bummer? That’s all you have to say?”
“Yeah, he was a killer in the sack.”
Chapter Eighteen
Devin
“Fuck!” I tilt my head back and it hits the wall.
The warm mouth around my cock combined with the fist pumping my shaft is applying the perfect amount of pressure, that while it feels amazing, I can hold off from coming until I’m inside.
Heavy breaths expel from my lips as I look down.
His head looks up at me as my cock spreads his lips.
“Yeah, just like that.” I say with a heaviness in my chest as my hand threads into his hair and pressing my cock further down his throat.
His eyes stare up at me as I grit my teeth.
I fuck his mouth with vigor, holding the sides of his head as I guide him in the rhythm that I need to come. It’s felt like forever since I’ve come by something other than my hand.
I don’t warn him when my pleasure rips through me and I start to come into his mouth, but he sucks harder and swallows everything that I give him without any issues.
I choke him with my cock and then pull out of his mouth.
“Fuck,” I breathe out. It’s all I can manage to say. “I needed that.”
“You ready for round two?” he wipes his mouth and stands from his knees with his erection standing at attention.
I look at him and appreciate his body. He’s a tall, toned Latin man, with a baby face, and a large cock. I lick my lips thinking of all the things that could happen with his cock.
But the time on the clock reminds me that I should likely call it a night and take a raincheck. Something is bothering me about having this man here in my home, that I share with my fake wife, who I want to be more than fake. I feel like I’m breaking the rules and I know that I have to put a stop to this. I school my features and pretend that I’m not feeling the remorse that is running through my body.
“Maybe next time, I have an early morning.” I reply.
He gives me a pouty look and fists his cock then begins stroking.
“You sure? I can be fast?” He squeezes the crown of his cock until it turns an angry purple.
“You know I’m good for the raincheck,” I tell him grabbing my shirt from the chair a few feet away.
“You’re such a cock tease sometimes,” he tsks.
“I gotta keep you wondering and coming back, don’t I?” I wink.
“Such a tease, such a tease.” He shakes his head. “You’re lucky that I have no doubt that you’ll be calling me in a few days. Honey, you have patterns,” he says cupping my cheek, then lightly slapping me.
We put the rest of our clothes on and leave my bedroom.
Just as we’re coming out of the hallway, the front door opens and light shines on us as if we’ve been caught in the act.
Technically, we have.
My stomach plummets at the thought that this situation will hurt her. And that’s the very last thing that I want to do.
I never had the conversation with Connie about extra-curricular activities and judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t expecting this to be a thing, at least not tonight.
“Hi, um, I’ll just, um, get out of your way. Yeah.” She stutters, rushing past us.
“New roommate?” He asks.
“Something like that.” I motion for him to move to the door, “it’s a little complicated.”
A moment later, I’m panicking with my back against the wall. How do I handle this?
I put one foot in front of the other until I’m standing at Connie’s bedroom door. I knock gently and then don’t know what to do with my arms as she answers the door.
“Sorry if I interrupted anything, but—yeah.” she says and looks around behind me.
“You didn’t. It’s okay, but I think we need to talk.” I say, “nothing bad, but we should probably talk about some of those ground rules that we never really got to.”
“Yeah, you’re totally right. Give me minute and I’ll be right out.” She nods, then shuts the door.
I sit impatiently on the couch until she comes out, wearing short shorts and a V-neck t-shirt that hugs her breasts like a glove. Reminding me of the time she was on my lap with her top off.
“Okay, this is going to be awkward, huh?” she asks getting comfortable on the couch.
“We’re two grown adults and I’m pretty sure that us having the sex talk couldn’t be more awkward.” I grin.
“Where do we begin?” she asks.
“You know where I stand on something more than friends between us, what about you? Now that some time has passed by, has that remained something that you want to keep separate, or…” Please say no, please say no.
She looks at me with a blank look and it’s killing me to not know what she’s thinking. Her fingers are fiddling with the string from her shorts as she’s looking off just over my shoulder.
“To be truthful, I have thought about it here and there. But I think that if we were to be—you know—intimate, that it would possibly confuse things between the two of us.”
“How would you think that it would confuse things?” I ask leaning back on the cushions. I’m not an idiot, a sexual relationship would absolutely confuse things between the two of us, but it could also change our outcome of this marriage and turn it from fake to real.
Her eyes catch mine and she turns her body, angling in my direction and taking in a steady breath.
“I think that feelings would get involved somewhere and when this all comes to an end, then feelings would get hurt, and I would rather avoid that.”
I nod, completely understanding what she’s telling me, and wishing that there was a part of her that didn’t feel that way.
“Can I ask you a question?” I start, waiting for her to nod then continue, “have you ever had a relationship without a title? Like you just kinda dated someone and that was that? Or maybe even a friend with benefits situation?”
“I’m just not wired that way. I like the thought of love and I enjoy being in a relationship, I haven’t been in any relationships where it’s just loosey goosey.”
“You know I’m not asking you to abandon what you believe in or change who you are, right? We’re just talking about you and me, about what we could be like if given the chance.”
“I know, I know. I’m just not sure if I can be in a relationship with an expiration date.”
“How do we know that there will be an expiration date?” I ask.
“This whole thing between us started out on a farce. We were drunk, we got married to help one another out. We didn’t marry for love, we’re based on a lie, why would that become anything more than a convenient relationship? I don’t know—if we even tried—if it would be for the right reasons.”
“What if—” I start.
“Devin, I think that this is an endless battle and we can agree to disagre
e. I’m not sure that you and I would be something lasting, in the way that we started.”
“The other night?”
“The other night was a drunken moment, nothing more.”
“Okay.” I say, “where do we stand with other people?”
“What if word got out that you were dating someone else? Or me for that matter? Wouldn’t that be the opposite of what you wanted when we apparently made this agreement?”
Chapter Nineteen
Connie
The conversation seemed to have gone on forever. I told him that I was not wanting to take our relationship to the next level and that I was completely fine with him doing whatever he does, as long as he was discreet.
But all of that was a lie.
I’ve enjoyed his company and I did feel a twinge of jealousy when I came home and saw him with another man.
Why? Am I already that invested in him? In whatever this thing is that we’re doing?
I lied to his face and said that our relationship couldn’t possibly be anything more than what it was, a friendship. As those words were leaving my mouth, I felt something inside of me die, just a little. I was lying to him, to myself, and nothing was making sense anymore.
We’ve attended some events together, and during those events we were very affectionate with one another as part of the plan. Could that be why I’m feeling these things?
And the dinner tonight is no different from any of the very public events that we’ve attended together. We’re going to a dinner at Devin’s parents’ house where they will have a whole lot of influential people from all around the Bay Area attending.
A whistle interrupts my internal thinking and I turn from my mirror to see Devin, wearing a suit - or rather the suit is wearing him as he leans casually against the door frame and my thoughts go from clean to dirty in an instant.
What Happens in Miami (What Happens In. Book 2) Page 6
