She sent a grin and a wink to Brad, who winked back. They hadn't gone over the exact details, but they were managing to play off each other. The story sounded incredibly plausible. At least, it did to Brad.
"I take it you don't live too far away, Brad?" Emily asked as she sipped her wine.
"I live on the far side of Fort Worth."
"Interesting." Emily's expression was bored, but Brad could tell she was intent to sniffing out anything suspicious. The woman was as devious as her husband. "I wonder why you two didn't connect before."
Brad shrugged. "I was always traveling with my architect job. Then when I took over the car business, I was so focused on working there I barely had a social life. That was why I agreed to join in with Cherrelle's friends so I could actually have a life outside of work."
"Work," Serena scoffed. "It's so boring."
Brad frowned at her. "You're not even out of high school, are you?"
Serena gave him a saucy smile. "Another month until graduation. Then lots of sun and sea for me."
Her foot was getting even higher, running across the top of his thigh. Her knee was above the table now. Brad was sure someone would notice, but when he looked at the parents they seemed oblivious. They couldn't be setting him up, surely?
There was a sudden clang and Cherrelle gasped. "Oh, dear, my fork's on the floor."
"Let Madge get that later," Logan said dismissively, shoveling a hunk of beef into his mouth.
"It's okay. I can easily get it." Cherrelle ducked under the table and Brad heard her scrabbling around. Logan heard it as well and growled.
"What the hell are you doing under there, Cherrelle?"
"Sorry, it got away from me. Ah, here we are."
Suddenly, Serena let out a pained squeal and the leg she had in Brad's lap shot back to her own chair. She was rubbing at her ankle as Cherrelle climbed back into her seat. She held up the fork.
"Here we are." Then she gave Serena an insincere smile. "Sorry, Serena, your foot must've got in the way."
Serena didn't respond; she simply rubbed at her leg and glared at Cherrelle. Brad sent Cherrelle a grateful look. Her effort to get rid of her annoying sister had worked better than his attempts to push her away.
Emily didn't seem to notice the interaction. She nibbled on her bread roll. "So, when's the wedding?" she asked suddenly.
Brad glanced at Cherrelle. This was the part they hadn't agreed on. Cherrelle looked just as worried. Brad spoke first.
"I only proposed to her last month, Mrs Mason," he said calmly. "We're still going through the preliminaries. There's a lot to organize, you know."
"Not that much. I can help, if you like." Emily's eyes glinted. "I'm good at organizing."
"So am I," Serena piped up eagerly.
"You're good at something, but I'm not going to say it out loud," Cherrelle muttered.
Logan frowned at her.
"Don't be unkind to your sister, Cherrelle," he scolded.
Cherrelle scowled but didn't respond. Brad felt sorry for her. He was glad his father had never been like this and that he got away from his stepfather when he did.
"We'll marry when we're ready," he said hurriedly. "With our schedules, it'll be hard work arranging but we'll get there."
"When?" Logan demanded.
So, they weren't going to be let off the hook that easily. This time Cherrelle piped up.
"We've got an initial date of around Christmas," she said confidently.
"A white wedding." Emily exchanged looks with Logan. "How beautiful."
Brad glanced at Cherrelle, who smiled sweetly at him. "Anything for my girl," he murmured.
*****
The rest of the visit passed quickly, although Cherrelle kept looking at the clock to see when would be the most convenient time to leave. Her parents were intent on grilling her and while she wanted to get away from their constant questions about her relationship with Brad, she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of letting them know their questions made her nervous. Hurrying off would signify that she had something to hide.
Brad took things in his stride. He batted away Logan's questionings without blinking and praised Emily enough that Cherrelle saw her softening somewhat. Serena was still a problem, however, sitting very close to him after dinner but Brad, ever the gentleman, politely told her to move away. Serena didn't, so Brad did, sitting on the other side of Cherrelle on the couch. Serena didn't give up, though, following him around the room and sitting very close to him. Cherrelle had no idea what Serena was up to but was sure her father was behind it. She wouldn't put it past him to see if Brad would snap and stray.
But she was happy with how things had gone. Brad had appeared to be warm and affectionate to her and didn't seem fazed by Logan or Emily, only by Serena. She believed they had done enough to make her parents realize that she wasn't on the singles list and to back off.
Brad let out a sigh of relief as they went down the steps once Madge had let them out and shut the door.
"Well, that was an event and a half."
"It was." Exhaustion and relief made Cherrelle lean against Brad, resting her head on his shoulder. "But it's over."
Brad didn't say anything about her leaning on him. He simply put his arm around her and let her lean. It felt comfortable, almost natural.
"I was surprised your father didn't run me out of the house."
"From the look on his face I think he was tempted."
Cherrelle had been glad when Logan had escaped to his office and they had been left with Emily, who seemed to have got considerably warmer to Brad and they were chatting away happily about anything and everything. He certainly knew how to make women eat out of his hand.
A wave of jealousy hit her and Cherrelle pushed it back fiercely. Brad was technically hers. She had no right to be jealous. She smiled up at him.
"Thanks for helping out."
"No problem. What are friends for?" Brad grinned. "And thanks for getting rid of Serena's foot. I've never had a foot job and I don't intend to have one anytime soon. She's put me off."
Cherrelle laughed. Pinching Serena's leg had been very satisfying. She poked him in the belly. "What are friends for?"
They reached Brad's car just as a flashy black Mercedes swung into the drive and pulled up behind them. One look at the car and Cherrelle knew who the sudden visitor was. She groaned. "Oh, you've got to be joking."
"What?" Brad turned and saw the Mercedes. His expression was blank. "Jason Colney."
"Unfortunately."
And it was the man himself who climbed out from behind the wheel and sauntered towards them, clicking on his key fob to lock the car without looking round. Cherrelle resisted the urge to back away as he stalked towards them. Tall with dark blond hair tousled about his head and cobalt-blue eyes and a body any man would kill for, at first glance Jason Colney was a gorgeous man who was the envy of his social group. But then you looked past the superficial outside and you would see the evil glint in his eyes, the nasty twist in his mouth, and the permanent leer in his expression.
Cherrelle had met Jason seven years before shortly after she had launched Life and Love. He had been charming and they had gone on one date, but Cherrelle had figured out pretty quickly that Jason, while a millionaire in his own right, was after her money and her project rather than her. That became obvious when he was always asking about those topics instead of about her. She had had to use Sarah to help her get out of the date nearly two hours after they went on the date.
He had tried to ask her out since but Cherrelle did everything from telling him an outright no to giving him the cold shoulder. And he just kept coming back. The bastard loved to be in control and having someone say no to him had him wanting them even more.
It may work in romance novels, but it didn't work in real life.
Cherrelle could guess why he was here and that it was no surprise Logan had sneaked off to his office. She clasped her purse in front of her and faced him with a blank
expression.
"Jason. What a surprise."
"Cherrelle." Jason leaned in for a kiss, but Cherrelle stepped back and turned her face away. Jason straightened up and raised an eyebrow. "What, no kiss for your future husband?"
"You're never marrying me, Jason, and we both know it," Cherrelle snapped.
"Your parents arranged it all. I must admit I was surprised you proved to be a stubborn brat for seven years about it, but your parents agreed with me that you needed a firm hand."
Cherrelle wasn't sure what she was hearing.
"You approached them about marrying me?" she demanded. "We only went on one date and that only lasted two hours."
"Because you had an emergency. I know, and I've been trying to rearrange it."
"I think after seven years of saying no you would've got the message that I don't want to rearrange it."
"Your parents were confused about that. They couldn't understand why you'd turn away an eligible bachelor."
"Because they don't have a good sense of character." Cherrelle stepped back and felt Brad's arms go around her waist. That gave her some strength. "Besides, no way can I marry you. Unless you want to have me jailed for bigamy."
"What?" Jason blinked in surprise. "You're not married already?"
"As good as." Cherrelle looked up at Brad, who smiled down at her, and her stomach fluttered. "This is Brad, my fiancé."
She watched as the news hit Jason and he realized what he had heard. He stared at them as if they had grown extra body parts.
"He's your fiancé?" he exclaimed. "What the fuck were you thinking, Cherrelle?"
"Let me see." Cherrelle pretended to think. "I'm thinking I'm in love and I want to get married to the man I love."
She felt a squeeze of Brad's arm at her waist and sensed Brad shifting her so her bottom wasn't against his groin. She wondered at that but was focused on Jason, who was staring in amazement.
"How come I never heard of this before?" His eyes narrowed at Brad. "You've attended functions without him. Surely you'd want your fella on your arm at those sorts of things."
"Have you ever heard of privacy?" Cherrelle shot back. "I'm not parading my love life in front of the press."
She waited for Jason to realize that she was no longer available and back off. But it didn't come. Instead Jason's face darkened and he looked angry. He jabbed a finger at Brad.
"He's only after your money, you do know that," he growled.
"Right. And you're after Cherrelle for her looks and not the fact that she's a billionaire," Brad countered. He pressed a kiss to Cherrelle's head. "I'm with Cherrelle because I happen to love her. So, why don't you admit that you're not going to get her and fuck off?"
Cherrelle knew before Jason spoke that he wasn't going to back off. Her heart sank. This was going to be harder than she realized. Why she thought simply parading a boyfriend in front of the people she wanted to leave her alone would work she had no idea. But it was clear that Jason wasn't taking this rejection.
She had never met anyone who was that desperate to marry someone for their assets. Jason stepped up close and Cherrelle resisted the urge to step back, keeping eye contact with him as he went nose to nose with her.
"It's not over yet," he whispered. "He is nobody. I am somebody. You are going to be mine in every way and the fact you're supposedly getting married isn't going to stop me." He straightened up and adjusted his tie. "I'll call you later, honey."
Cherrelle made a mental note to turn her phone off. Nudging Brad into motion, she leapt into his car and locked the door, buckling up quickly, and huddling in the seat as Brad hurried around to the driver's side and clambered in. The car shot away and Brad focused on getting them out of the area, toeing the line but not going over the speed limit. He seemed to sense that Cherrelle needed to get away as fast as possible or something was going to happen; something neither of them would like.
It wasn't until they were out of Oak Lawn and heading towards Cherrelle's apartment that Brad spoke.
"Charming man," he snorted "I don't think."
Cherrelle had been staring out the window since they had left, watching the building whizz by. Jason's words stayed with her and, with a heavy heart, knew one thing for definite. "He's right."
"About what?"
"He won't stop until he's got me. And the fact that you're engaged to me isn't going to deter him." She turned to look at Brad, who was focusing on the road. "I think Pa called him when he went into his office after dinner and had him come to size up the competition. And he's dismissed you as nothing to worry about."
"I'll try not to take offense." Brad glanced at her before turning back to the road. "So, what are you going to do now?"
"You mean what are we going to do now? I still need your help." Cherrelle knew there was one option left. She took a deep breath. "Is your best suit clean?"
"As far as I know. Why?"
"Because we're going to the nearest courthouse in the morning and getting married."
*****
Brad checked his watch for the fifth time in fifteen minutes.
"She's cutting it close."
"Cherrelle will be here," Jim assured him. "She likes to be punctual."
"There's punctual, Jim, and then there's giving someone a heart attack."
After Cherrelle’s sudden outburst that they should get married, Brad had been on edge. The surprise of having the decision thrown on him was still lingering. He had tried to talk Cherrelle out of doing anything drastic, but Cherrelle was adamant that if they were married, her parents and Colney couldn't do anything about it. She surmised that it was easier to get rid of a boyfriend than a husband.
In a sense it was logical. But it didn't stop Brad's nerves from taking over.
Cherrelle had said he could get the rest of the money that evening and they didn't need to live with each other, simply to have it for appearances. She didn't give a time line on how long it would take, which worried Brad. Her parents didn't seem like the type to back off after she's given them no choice. That was probably why there wasn't an end date on this fake boyfriend - now fake husband.
This was going to be hard.
"I thought this was meant to be a charade." Jim stood and watched his friend pacing about. "When did it turn into the real thing?"
"This isn't the real thing. We're just making it real so Colney will back off." Brad rubbed at the back of his neck. "They can get rid of a boyfriend easily but they can't get rid of a husband by rubbing me out of existence."
It was lucky that his cousin Liz worked in the courthouse registry office or they would still be waiting round for a slot to get married. All they had needed to do then was bring documents to say who they were and a witness each. Brad had chosen Jim, who had agreed to help out at short notice.
Even though he was here supporting his friend, Jim still didn't look too happy. "You're playing with fire, Brad. How long is this going to go on for?"
Brad took a deep breath. Honestly, he didn't know but he wasn't going to say that out loud.
"As long as it takes," he said finally.
"That might mean years. It could mean you losing the chance with a woman you like because you're in a fake marriage."
"Maybe." Brad turned as the door to the courthouse opened and his heart stuttered when he saw the woman dressed in a white pant suit enter, her witness at her side. "Maybe not."
Cherrelle looked lovely. Her skin color was in stark contrast to the white suit, her skin clear and smooth. Her hair was freshly washed and dried and she had simple diamond studs in her ears. Sarah wore a similar pants suit but in pale blue, her hair wrapped into a twist on her head.
Brad's mouth went dry. He swallowed as Cherrelle approached and managed a smile of greeting. Cherrelle looked up at him, her expression serene. He could tell she was nervous. "Ready?"
"Ready."
Cherrelle took a deep breath and straightened her jacket. She gave Jim a grateful smile. "Thanks for helping out at short notic
e, Jim."
"I take it I can't talk you out of it."
"Can you talk my parents out of my arranged marriage?" Cherrelle turned away and slipped an arm through Brad's. "Let's go in."
Chapter 5
"Hello, gorgeous."
Cherrelle looked up from her computer and groaned. Jason leaned against the door frame, flashing his white smile. Dressed in black tailored slacks and a white shirt pressed within an inch of its life and a pale blue silk tie, he looked every bit the businessman. But Cherrelle couldn't bring up any enthusiasm seeing him. She closed her laptop and stood.
"What's the point in having a personal assistant when you can just barge in uninvited?"
"Our wedding day is looming." Jason pushed off the frame and entered her office, kicking the door shut behind him. He leered over her. "I thought I'd take you to lunch and discuss some details."
Cherrelle couldn't believe his gall. He had to have something wrong with him if he couldn't take a blatant no for an answer. She planted her hands on her hips as she glared at him.
"Are you really that desperate to have my company? Because if you actually loved me and you realized that you could never have me, you would've bowed out gracefully by now and wished me all the best."
"Or maybe I'm so enraptured with you I don't want to let you go."
Cherrelle rolled her eyes.
"Right," she drawled. "If I didn't have the money or this company, you wouldn't look twice at me. Marry me as I am, and you get both. I just get added into the mix for you to shove into a kitchen and force me to spread my legs when you fancy it. You do realize I'm a shit cook?"
Jason looked over her, his eyes pausing on her breasts before traveling down. "Are you saying you're shit at sex as well?"
Cherrelle realized what she had said and flushed angrily. "That's none of your business."
"I guess I'll find out soon." He snapped his fingers. "Get your coat and purse. We're going out."
"Sorry, Brad's picking me up for lunch."
"Cancel it," Jason said breezily. "A wedding is more important than a fake boyfriend."
Being Harrison Bloom's Girl (That Forbidden Love Book 2) Page 18
