by Nikki Chase
I’ve never been good at dancing. But I’ve never been good at people either, and I’ve calmed down an entire kingdom of outraged people with Rosemary by my side. I’ve even managed to keep my crown safe from Priscilla’s grubby hands.
I feel like I can do anything with my new wife beside me. Her total trust and acceptance of me makes me feel like it’s okay to stop hiding, like maybe I’m not such a scandal magnet after all.
Having been different her whole life, Rosemary doesn’t care if people think she’s odd, and she has taught me that it’s okay to live authentically.
We finish our dance and finally take our seats at a long table on a raised stage. Sitting there with us are the king, the queen, my step-siblings, Rosemary’s father, and her sisters. We’re not exactly alone, but finally we have time to rest and speak in relative privacy as the guests begin to spill onto the dance floor.
“Thirsty?” I ask Rosemary.
She wears her long, honey-brown hair curled today, and it tumbles all over her shoulders when she turns to look at me. “Very,” she says.
Given the somber, proper mood of the celebration, I’ve decided to inject a little secret fun into the day. I flash her a grin, and I can tell she’s suspicious.
“I got you covered,” I say softly.
I raise my hand to catch Albert’s attention. He’s waiting for me at the end of the table. He approaches now, carrying a tray.
Albert still doesn’t know why I want him to do this, but he knows I need his help to pull it off. The banquet manager would’ve thrown away the things on that tray because they’re not new enough, or expensive enough. But my girl doesn’t care about how much things cost, or how long it has been since those things were produced.
While everyone else in the ballroom is busy dancing, Rosemary’s gaze follows Albert’s every step.
“Oh my god,” she giggles as Albert sets down the tray on the table. “I didn’t know you still had it.”
Albert pours some tea from the pot into a familiar cup, which has a small chip on the edge. “Here you are, Rose.”
“Thank you, Albert,” Rosemary says as she picks up the steaming cup and blows on the surface of the tea. Funny how something broken like that little cup can become something so precious. It’s kind of poetic.
“Don’t drop it now,” I say as Albert walks away with the empty tray.
“I won’t.” Rosemary narrows her eyes at me, even as her lips bloom into a smile. Pointing at a small bowl of sunflower seeds that Albert has left on the table, she asks, “What are those for?”
“For you to bring with you to the garden when you need a break from this,” I say, gesturing at all the stiff festivities going on around us. “Take a little detour when you go to the restroom, share the good news with your little friends.”
“I can survive without seeing the birds and the squirrels for one day, thank you very much,” Rosemary says, laughing. “But I love that you remember the little things.”
When she rewards me with such a beautiful smile, how can I not do everything in my power to make her happy?
“I love you,” she says.
“I love you, too.”
I pull her into my arms. And there, in the corner of the ballroom, I share a little private wedding kiss with my princess. My future queen.
Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed Rosemary and Prince James’ story.
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Single Dad’s Fake Bride
A Fake Marriage Romance
Megan
My boss, Ethan Hunter, is a ruthless, heartless monster.
It’s okay, though. Justice will be served.
I’m going to put him in his place. He just doesn’t know it yet.
“Megan, my office, please,” his deep voice suddenly filters through the speaker of the phone on my desk.
I roll my eyes. It’s like he can smell it when I so much as think about him. He’s like a shark that can sense blood in the water.
As usual, his tone is authoritative. His word is law.
I, a lowly servant, must now obey.
“Yes, Mr. Hunter,” I reply through the phone.
I hate that speakerphone thing. It just goes to show how conceited and self-important he is.
We could’ve gone with a normal phone. You know, the kind that rings and lets you decide whether to pick up before the other party gets to say anything.
Instead, we have this thing that leaves me no choice as to whether I answer or not. I have to listen, and I have to listen right away. It doesn’t matter if I’m in the middle of something else.
It has interrupted me many times. I’d be typing, and then a message would come in, and my fingers would just hover over the keyboard of the computer, forgetting where I was before hearing his latest decree.
Mr. Hunter wants me to be at his beck and call, to instantly answer whenever he chooses. He’s always the only one who gets to make all the decisions.
I let out a sigh. I’d better get my ass into his office before I incite his wrath.
I knock on the door.
Even if he’s the one who has summoned me, even though he knows full well that I’m coming, knocking is still mandatory.
I know he’s my boss and I’m being paid to do his bidding. Still, it annoys me that he can demand my time and attention whenever he wants, and I have to get his permission for every little thing.
“Come in,” he says from behind the door.
I grab the handle and push the door open. I never get used to what I see in his office, because it’s so picture perfect, it’s almost unnatural.
This scene belongs on a business magazine. There’s no need for styling of the office or the man; no need for wardrobe tweaks or make-up; no need to even clear any clutter. Even the lighting from the big glass wall behind Mr. Hunter is perfect.
This space is always flooded with light, although somehow that doesn’t help make the space feel any warmer. Mr. Hunter’s office is steel and glass, cold and unyielding, black and gray.
It looks good, but it’s sterile. Soulless. It suits him, I guess.
“How can I help you, Mr. Hunter?” I ask with a smile, standing at the doorway. I can’t step further inside this office without him explicitly ordering me to do so.
Mr. Hunter’s previous assistant, who quit to be a stay-at-home mom, taught me to always address him in this formal, excessively polite way.
It suffocates me, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I just keep reminding myself that I’m not going to be here forever. I’m not really his assistant. This is just a cover—a temporary one.
“Please pick up my daughter, Penny. Her school let out early today, and I have an interview to do,” he says as he flips through the folder in his hands, not even bothering to look up at me. “Normally, I’d ask my driver to get her, but he’s on sick leave today.”
“Yes, Mr. Hunter. Should I take the cab?” I ask, suppressing the urge to yell at him about how rude he’s being.
“Yes. She goes to The Lawrence School and she needs to be picked up half an hour from now. Just bring her here, and please hurry.”
Of course she goes to the most expensive private school in the whole state. Why wouldn’t she? Only the best for little Miss Hunter. I bet she’s an insufferable brat.
Mr. Hunter finally glances at me when he slides a scrap of paper across the glass surface of his big desk. “Here’s her phone number so you can find her.”
My heart races when those steel-blue eyes land on me. They’re so piercing, so perceptive. They scare me. They make me worry he’ll look at me a second too long and figure me out.
I guess it’s a good thing he’s not a big fan of eye contact, or much conta
ct at all.
My heels click-clack on the reflective marble floor as I approach the desk, my heart pounding harder and harder the closer I get.
I avert my gaze, not daring to look directly at him. Maybe that makes me the rude one right now, but it feels too dangerous. I can’t blow my cover.
“I’ll take care of it, Mr. Hunter.” I give him a quick smile as I take the scrap of paper.
As I turn around, I become hyper-aware that Mr. Hunter can see my ass wiggle in my tight pencil skirt as I walk away. The thought makes me quicken my pace, even though I wore it to get his attention in the first place.
But of course he’s not even looking. When I reach the door, I turn around and catch a glimpse of Mr. Hunter, his nose already buried in his folder.
A pang of disappointment ripples in my chest, and I feel stupid.
Of course he wouldn’t be checking me out. The man is a robot. Those angular facial features and sculpted body are wasted on someone like him.
Why would I want him to check my out anyway? He’s my enemy.
Megan
“Please wait here,” I say to the taxi driver as I step out onto the pavement, remembering to swing both my legs over to the side.
After seeing Britney Spears flash the paparazzi her hoo-ha, I could never forget the correct way to enter and exit a vehicle when wearing a skirt.
I wouldn’t be caught dead with such a vulgar picture of me being circulated for men to jerk off to. Not to mention, that particular guy who took the original snap must’ve made a ton of money off it.
Men are going to sexualize women. That’s just a fact. There’s no escaping it.
All I can do is make sure I stay classy. I wear conservative, office-appropriate dresses and blouse-and-skirt combos. Most of my skin is always covered, but that doesn’t mean I’m frumpy.
After all, I need to attract some male attention, just enough for me to get what I want from them.
Which is why I exercise and watch what I eat, so I look good in skin-tight clothes. That’s as much as I’ll ever reveal to people. If men are going to jerk off to me, they’ll have to use their imagination.
I’m not going to put out for any man. I’m not going to let anyone use me and discard me like men do.
That’s why I’m still a virgin, even though most girls my age are changing partners as often as they change their clothes. Their loss, I guess, if they want to trade in their dignity for some male attention.
As I make my way up the stairs into the school, it gets harder to maintain my balance, with how tight my pencil skirt is. I don’t usually have to deal with any stairs at the office. This is unfamiliar terrain.
I have to wonder why I bother at all, if Ethan Hunter—the one man I’m actually targeting—doesn’t even give me a second glance.
“Hi.” I wave and put on a friendly smile as I spot Penny Hunter on the bench where she said she’d be waiting.
She looks exactly like the pictures I Googled on the way here. Despite her youth, she has been featured on some business and gossip magazines. There are pictures of her being out and about with her dad.
She stares at me blankly. She has the same icy blue eyes as his father.
“Penny, right? I’m Megan. Your Dad told me to pick you up.” I keep the same smile plastered on my face. I may hate her dad, but she hasn’t done anything wrong to me.
“Hey,” she says flatly. Seriously, this whole family is horrible at greeting people. Is the lack of emotions a genetic thing or a rich-people thing?
“The cab’s waiting just outside.” I point toward the open double doors that lead outside, through which the yellow car is clearly visible.
“Okay.” Penny slings her bag over her shoulder and gets up.
We make our way into the cab wordlessly, which is fine. But once we’re inside, it gets too awkward to just sit in complete silence. Even the car stereo is turned off.
How do people talk to kids? I don’t get it.
Kids know nothing about anything I’m interested in, and that goes both ways. I have no idea what kids are into. I don’t know much about Pokémon or whatever.
Still, I have to say something.
“Have you been to the office before?” I ask the kid. She must be about ten, or maybe eleven. I don’t know. It’s probably obvious by now that I’m not really an expert on kids.
“Once or twice,” Penny says.
“How do you like it?”
“It’s an office.” She shrugs.
“Sorry your dad can’t pick you up today. That must suck.”
“No, it’s cool. He tries. Sometimes he just has other things to do.” For some reason, her answer surprises me. I was expecting her to be bratty and entitled, but she’s being pretty mature and understanding.
Maybe having a father like Ethan Hunter forces you to accommodate his schedule. Maybe she’s used to being pushed around. I wonder what he’s like at home.
“Yeah,” I say. “There’s a big meeting he has to attend this afternoon.”
“Yeah, he texted me. I don’t know why he acts like it’s the end of the world. He picks me up most days, and he misses one day. It’s okay. I’m not five.”
Ethan Hunter? Getting flustered over not being able to pick up his daughter? I wouldn’t have guessed.
I mean, of course he wouldn’t treat his daughter like he treats other people. Still, I never expected him to be such an involved parent.
“How old are you, Penny?” I ask.
“Almost eleven. My birthday is in two months.”
“I see.” My wild guess was correct after all.
And…that’s it. I’ve run out of topics to talk about. I could never find a common ground with kids. I’m just not a kid person.
“How old are you?” Penny asks, keeping the conversation going, to my relief.
“Twenty-one.”
“You’re almost twice older than me.”
“I’m almost twice your age,” I correct her without thinking about it.
“Yeah. You’re twice my age,” she replies without complaining, admitting her mistake and correcting herself.
“Do you like it when your dad picks you up?”
“Yeah.”
“It must be better riding that fancy car than this cab, huh?” I know Mr. Hunter is really fond of his black convertible Porsche. I stare at it with envy sometimes when I see it at the office.
“It’s okay,” she says in a casual tone that reminds me it’s a mundane, everyday thing for her to ride in a luxury car.
If it wasn’t for her father, maybe I’d have a car of my own. But instead I’m just barely scraping by, even though I take public transport everywhere.
“Sometimes he buys me ice cream after school and that’s nice,” she continues.
“When I was your age, I had to walk to the school and back myself every day.” Damn, I sound like an old grandma, talking about how good kids these days have it, compared to how it was back in my day.
“I used to do that, too,” Penny says.
“Nobody picked you up?” I frown. Surely, even if he’s busy, Ethan Hunter could hire someone to drive his daughter anywhere she wants.
“No.”
“How old were you at that time?”
“Six,” Penny says.
“We’re here,” the taxi driver announces.
I look out and realize he’s right. I’ve been so focused on Penny I haven’t even been paying attention to where we are.
The steel-and-glass skyscraper that belongs to Penny’s dad looms just outside the cab, so high I can’t see the top from this angle.
I give the driver a couple of bills and tell him to keep the change. Ethan Hunter is many things, but he’s not cheap.
As his assistant, I get to use a company credit card and a monthly cash allowance. These things are for work expenses, of course. But there’s not much oversight and I can get away with using some of the money on myself.
I’ve never tried to do that, though. I’ve co
me too far to jeopardize things for just a few extra dollars. If I pull this mission off, I’m going to get a much better reward—and I’m not just talking about money.
“How far did you have to walk to get to school?” I ask as Penny and I wait for the elevator at the lobby.
“Like, a mile or two, I guess.”
As the elevator arrives to take us up to the eighty-seventh level, I wonder why Ethan Hunter would let a small kid traverse that distance on foot. That’s almost torture, considering how young Penny was, and how short her legs must’ve been.
I walk through the empty office and reach my desk, which is just outside Mr. Hunter’s office door. He likes his privacy, so he has set aside this whole floor for himself. Which is why I work alone and eat alone most days. I don’t really mind it, though. I enjoy solitude.
I take my usual seat at my desk and say, to Penny, “Sit wherever you like.”
I assumed she’d sit down on one of the designer couches in the waiting room. Like other things in this office, they look good but they’re pretty low on the comfort factor.
But instead, Penny tiptoes toward her dad’s office door and presses her ear against the wood.
“Penny!” I whisper loudly. “You’re not supposed to do that.”
If Mr. Hunter finds out I’m letting his daughter eavesdrop on his interview, I’ll get in trouble. And then all my hard work will amount to nothing.
Penny doesn’t budge, even though she’s staring right at me. I watch as her eyes widen and her skin grows pale. She looks alarmed.
“Oh, no,” she says softly, her voice shaking.
“What’s wrong?” I ask with concern.
Maybe she’s just being a brat and doing whatever she wants. Maybe I should just yank her off the door and tell her to behave.
But something tells me there’s more going on. She seems like a kid who has grown up before her time, like someone who’s more mature than her peers.
Maybe I’m just projecting, because that’s the way I used to feel myself, when I was a kid.
