A Perfect Business Arrangement

by Gemma Arlington

  Chapter Eight

  Asher

  Blake and I were the perfect pair. She was sweet, kind, and a very, very attractive woman. In all honesty, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to obtain her. I had secretly kept a close eye on her when she moved from the States, and at the request of her mother, to bring her back home with a job offer, I did just that. Her mother knew nothing about the real reason I had paid for Blake to return to me. She knew we shared a past but she didn’t know that I was planning on marrying her daughter to keep my company.

  “Blakey, I know there is something you want. Name your price and we will discuss this little marriage like two adults. I am more than happy to negotiate,” I smirked, thinking about how I could legally wager in certain factors into the contracts, if I was going to have to be married to her for the next two years I might as well reap some benefits.

  “If I am going to marry you, and I am not

  saying yes to your little arrangement just yet,” she smiled, “then a few things are going to change. First, you can stop calling me ‘Blakey.’ You know I hate it, so find another name that doesn’t offend me so. That five hundred thousand you paid me you can triple it and pay me in instalments, if you wish, for the duration of the marriage. I suspect I will have to live with your sorry ass, so if we do move into together, I want my own room. I’m not bunking with you, Asher,” she scoffed.

  I shook my head; she could drive a hard bargain, and she seemed determined to make me pay for the wrong I had done her in the past. When I thought about it, it was a small price to pay to keep my company, that and a two-year marriage to Blakey Boo would be more than worth it.

  “Sit,” I said, pointing to the chair she had stood up from. If she wanted to negotiate, then I was going to throw one-point-five-million dollars’ worth of legal ideas into this arrangement too.

  “If money is what you want, then you will get it. I am more than happy to provide for my wife if she needs anything, but if you get to negotiate things, then I get to throw in some ideas too,” I stated.

  “And what do you want, Asher? Eye-candy on your arm for events; a big white

  wedding; someone to please mommy dearest; sex? Name your price,” she grinned. I would take them all if I thought she would give them to me, but I knew better than to try and ask for something she wouldn’t give-up freely.

  “The arm-candy is always nice, but as you know if you’re my wife it’s a given with the territory. I host many events and charity balls so you will have to attend them with me and you will have to try and look like you are enjoying yourself. Besides that, yes you will be living with me in my penthouse, or we can live in my suburban home. I’ll give you that choice. As for sex, we can leave it off the table for now as I know it’s not something you wish to discuss. My mother, well, unfortunately you will please her very much. She has never met any of my so-called friends, and when I finally take you home and tell them the news about this marriage, then that big white wedding is going to be a reality,” I remarked.

  She smiled, a big white wedding was something she had always wanted but knew better than to dream about. I had played with her when we were younger and to some degree I might have even hinted that I wanted to one day marry her, but at nineteen, young, dumb and totally interested in fucking every pretty female that showed me interest, I wasn’t ready to settle.

  “You have the contracts written up, we’ll

  negotiate again, and then I’ll sign them,” she pronounced, standing from her chair and heading to the door. She turned back to look at me, a cheeky grin splitting her face.

  “Just so you know, I would have married you for nothing, however, the money will come in handy. Because by the time I’m finished being married to you, you’re going to wish you’d never asked me… bye Asher,” she smirked, blowing me a kiss and leaving me sitting at my office desk wondering what on earth this devilish woman could do to me to make me regret this.

  The worst part of this was I could think of a million things she could do to me to make me suffer for my past mistakes.

  Blake

  Holy fucking shit, I just agreed to marry Asher Crawford, all because the manipulative son of a bitch knew how to play me. Deep down I had always wanted to marry him, and ten years ago it would have been a possibility, or at least I thought it was a possibility at the ripe age of seventeen. That was right before Asher broke my heart by telling me he had no intention to be wed.

  This could potentially be a total disaster, but the truth was I wasn’t marrying him for his money, for his looks, or even for his charms. No, I was marrying him because secretly I intended to exact revenge on him. He was going to wish he never married me; he was going to pay for leaving me jilted and broken all those years ago. The inconsiderate prick hadn’t even discussed the possibility of sex. ‘Sex machine’ was a slight understatement when it came to him. He enjoyed a romp in the sheets as much as I did. As for his mother, however, this was going to kill me. I hadn’t even met her yet and I was already flipping out and a little nervous as to how she would deal with me.

  Life throws some pretty fucked-up

  curveballs and this one was going to be mine. I rummaged through my handbag, looking for my cell.

  “How did it go?” Lily’s voice rang out through the phone.

  “I’m getting married,” I whispered.

  “What?” she shrieked.

  “It’s complicated, but I’ll give you one clue… Asher Crawford,” I responded.

  “Holy fuck, the Asher Crawford? Like, as in your fucking-annoying-control-freak-ex, Asher?” Lily knew everything, and even when she seemed like she knew nothing, she usually knew more than anyone.

  Asher had once destroyed me. It’s why I had built up so many walls to protect myself from his charming ways. Stupid… I was so stupid, for I would now have to watch those walls like a hawk. I didn’t need them caving in and crumbling on top of me. I knew I wouldn’t have the strength a second time to pick up my shattered heart.

  “You’re seriously getting married?” she enquired.

  “Yes and to Asher, of all people,” I groaned, thinking about how irresponsible this was to even consider accepting his hand.

  “Are you thinking clearly? You’re always telling me to watch my heart and I think it’s time I tell you to watch yours. It took you seven years

  of being in Australia to build up walls against that man. Walls he knows you have in place. I just don’t want to see you get crushed because you opened up to him again,” Lily sighed. I wasn’t sure if she was pissed at me or him.

  Asher and I had been together through the majority of high school and had planned a future, one I thought we were destined to experience together but just before he left for college he called things off, and declared that he was no longer that into me and that I should move on. Now that I thought about it, Asher had never really given me a proper answer as to why he broke it off.

  “I know; I promise I’ll be careful this time. Besides, things are already different; this is an arrangement to benefit the both of us. It’s not just a one-sided deal anymore,” I said, hailing a cab to take me back to my newly-bought apartment that I was probably going to have to rent out. It at least was another investment I could add to the portfolio, and with the amount of money I had in the bank, not to mention the amount I was going to be paid to stay in a relationship for two years, I figured investing in more would be something I would have time for.

  “It might seem different, but you need to see if he has changed. The last time he fucked around with your life, you pissed off for seven

  years, and I am not having my best friend flee the country again because of some good-for-nothing, rich, cocky playboy,” she snarled. I laughed; Lils always knew how to get me to smile. She was so protective.

  “I’d better go,” I said as the cab pulled up outside my apartment. A million things were running through my mind and the first was deciding how to break this news to my mother and make it seem that Asher and I we
re a serious couple.

  Chapter Nine

  Asher

  Blake was freaking out. Meeting my parents was only mere minutes away and I didn’t know how this was going to go. We had managed to agree on a number of dot points in our contract but there were still a few things being ironed out. We had chosen an engagement ring and been snapped having coffee and lunch all over town. The gossip magazines ran with all sorts of stories, but once they spotted the massive diamond ring on her finger, everything seemed to be confirmed.

  My mother was so joyful that she kept me for about two hours on the phone. I warned her not to overwhelm Blake when we arrived. I didn’t need an upset fiancée on my hands. I knew what my mother was like. Blake wasn’t one to fuss over things; she was more of a simplistic woman. My mother, on the other hand, was a fussy, opinionated lady who demanded she get what she wanted, regardless of the toes she stepped on.

  “You’re nervous?” I asked.

  “Of course I’m nervous. I’ve never met your Mom and I’m not sure how I am going to hold up,” Blake addressed.

  As I pulled the car into the gated community a security guard waved us through, and I continued down the maple-lined road toward my parents’ home. This community was posh and sophisticated, and to visitors who had never gazed upon this little piece of heaven before, it would seem that only snobby, upper-class residents lived here. (Technically, they would be correct.)

  “Stop fidgeting,” I warned as I watched her fuss with her skirt and blouse.

  “I can’t help it. I feel like I am underdressed. Like I am going to work or something,” she uttered.

  She looked hot, but I couldn’t tell her that. Besides, my mother was going to love that she dressed like a professional woman.

  Blake

  Asher parked the car in the driveway. The house before me was like no other I had ever seen and that was because Asher and I had always snuck around behind his parents’ backs. I had never met his parents and to be honest, I wasn’t at all sure if Asher even had siblings. His parents wanted him to focus on his studies rather than having a girlfriend, but it never stopped us from being together, in fact it probably fuelled our desire at seventeen to be sneakier when it came to hooking up.

  The whole place appeared to be owned by the Crawfords. It was a massive estate with pristine gardens and a swimming pool, which I could see some hot cabana boy cleaning. The front porch wrapped around the whole house and gave the impression of an old colonial style home, even though the house looked like it had just been built yesterday. The windows had shutters and planter boxes; the only thing missing from this home was a white picket fence and the happy family playing outside on a tire swing.

  “Blake,” Asher called, his voice interrupting my appraisal of the home he grew

  up in. I turned to see him looking at me with a glint in his eyes. I wasn’t sure what that sparkle was about but for a brief moment I liked it.

  “Blake, stop worrying, my mother will love you. Try not to stress and just be your charming self,” he stated. I took a deep breath, which was a mistake since my nose was suddenly filled with the sweet, crisp scent of Asher’s cologne. I opened the door, needing fresh air to clear my head. Asher had already rounded the car and was now taking my hand, leading me to his parents.

  Now would have been the best time to bow out and tell him no, but the truth was, I needed him just as much as he needed me, and I couldn’t back out now.

  “Mom,” Asher called as we stepped inside. The house was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on outside.

  The entrance was something to be seen, with its double staircase that was joined together by a balcony above. The high ceilings had the most intricate designs carved into the woodwork; it was, for lack of a better word… beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful.

  “I can’t believe you grew up here,” I whispered.

  “My sweet boy,” Asher’s mother called out as she rounded the corner and stepped into the entrance.

  “Mother,” he smiled, stepping forward and embracing his mom in a hug.

  She pulled back. “Now boy, where is this future daughter-in-law of mine?” she asked.

  “Momma, this is Blake. Blake this is my mother, Felicity,” he introduced.

  “Wow, very well done, Asher. She is gorgeous,” Felicity declared as she embraced me in a hug. She was small, petite, and it appeared that Asher shared a few things in common with his mother. They dressed well, had the same colored hair, and had the exact same eyes.

  “Dude, where is this hot chick you’re shacking up with?” someone yelled out. I pulled back and looked around. A dashingly handsome younger version of Asher was standing at the top of the stairs staring down at us.

  “Chase,” Asher smirked.

  “Blake, this is Chase, my younger brother,” Asher announced.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I smiled, extending my hand out to shake his.

  “Come on, we’re family now. You can hug your brother, can’t you?” he joked.

  I turned to Asher and swallowed the lump in my throat. “Back off, Chase,” he warned, taking my hand and leading me further into the house.

  “Hey, I had to try,” Chase yelled out.

  “You touch her and you die,” Asher called back, a smirk on his face.

  Brotherly love; there was nothing quite like it. I personally didn’t know because I was an only child, but I did wish for years that I had a brother or sister to squabble with.

  “I hear you two are going to be moving into the city apartment. I would have thought you would take the country home. I do expect some grandchildren in the near future,” Felicity cheerfully spoke as she placed herself down on one of the deck chairs outside on their amazing deck.

  I almost choked on the drink I was taking a sip from just as she made the comment. Children were not written into the contract I was going to be signing, and to be sure of it, I was going to have my lawyer go over it with a fine-tooth comb.

  “Momma, we will have kids when we are ready, and not a minute sooner, so please don’t pressure Blake or me into having babies,” Asher warned. “As for the city apartment, I gave Blake the choice to pick which of the homes she wanted and with her position at Crawford enterprises, she decided it would be easier to live closer to the office. I agree,” he added.

  “You’re a numbers wiz, aren’t you?” Chase asked.

  “I am,” I smiled.

  “I bet you could help me with some homework,” he asked.

  “You’re in high school?” I enquired. Chase looked young but I wasn’t sure, when Asher said he was his little brother I couldn’t guess just how old he was.

  “College,” he answered.

  “Well, I could help you, but it will cost you,” I joked.

  “I charge a fee to make-out, so prepare to break even,” he teased, making me chuckle.

  “Chase, have some respect,” his mother advised.

  “It’s alright Mrs. Crawford; I enjoy a little witty banter. It’s nice to know Chase has a sense of humor,” I said.

  “Your mother is in politics?” she enquired. This was going to be a long night, an extremely long night.

  Thank goodness lunch was presented not long after the discussion turned to how my parents were wealthy dignitaries. What money had to do with anything was beyond me, it wasn’t like the Crawford’s were poor, in fact, they were far from poor.

  “Do you want me to give you a tour of the grounds?” Asher enquired as we placed our plates into the sink.

  “Anything to get away from your mother,” I whispered with a smile. He knew I had suffered through her questions, not to

  mention her prying eyes. She kept staring at me trying to find some fault, a crack she could peel

  open. It was almost like she didn’t believe I was in love with her son, which to be honest was true. I liked Asher, but I didn’t love him.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think she would be so intense with her questioning,” he apologized.

/>   “What are you two whispering about?” Felicity enquired.

  “I’m going to take Blake for a tour of the grounds,” Asher remarked, taking my hand and ushering me back outside to the deck.

  “Don’t forget your father will be home soon. He is very excited to meet Blake,” she called out.

  Asher rolled his eyes and continued to escort me from the deck to the back lawn, which was a large expanse of greenery. This would have been a kid’s dream home to grow up in.

  “I’m sorry; my mother can be overbearing and the only one who can rein her in is my father,” Asher sighed.

  “Have you met my mother?” I replied. He thought his mother was overbearing and controlling — my mother was a whole lot worse. I was grateful that I didn’t have to see her all the time. My parents lived halfway across the country from me and I was a much happier person for it.

  “You don’t like your mother, do you?” he asked with a smile on his lips.

  “Look, don’t get me wrong, she means

  well, but I’m twenty-seven and she still thinks it’s ok to control me. Why do you think I agreed to marry you? You said I needed you more than you needed me, but it seemed that maybe this marriage of convenience is actually going to benefit the both of us equally,” I stated.

  “And here I thought you were marrying me because you thought I was a charming gentleman,” he joked.

  “Charming gentleman: it’s a laughable concept,” I rebutted.

  “You can marry my twenty-four-year-old brother, but it will cost you,” he laughed.

  “Your brother is a little young for me,” I smiled.

  “I doubt that, the politician’s son you got with was barely legal,” he remarked.