After The One (The One Series Duet)

by Danielle Allen

  Ummmm…isn’t that the premise of your whole show? I stared at him, my eyebrows flying up.

  I shook my head. “Wait, what? I thought that’s what your show was all about: getting engaged to someone you barely know after dating them for maybe three hours and twenty-two minutes one-on-one.”

  Julian chuckled beside me and after a brief pause, Robert joined in.

  “You’re funny,” he said to me before looking at Julian. “She’s funny.” He finished off the whisky and slammed the glass down on the table. He made a face as if it burned going down. “The show pays for a ring…period. Most assume it has to be an engagement ring, but it doesn’t explicitly say engagement ring. The bachelors pick out a ring and if the relationship falls apart, the ring comes back as property of the show. If the relationship makes it, the wedding is part of the series and they keep the ring. But I would never mandate an engagement and force people to get married. I just finished going through my third divorce.”

  Julian sat up, leaning forward. “So if you don’t want to force people to get married, don’t try to force us to get married on your show.”

  “It would be ratings gold,” Robert argued.

  Julian looked over at me. “I’m more concerned about giving Zoe the wedding we planned for ourselves and the marriage she deserves.” He looked back at the creator of the show. “The ratings don’t have anything to do with us.”

  “This could be mutually beneficial. We are willing to pay you each one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars and we will cover all wedding expenses.”

  That’s two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Two hundred fifty thousand dollars for us to get married, which we were already going to do anyway. A quarter of a million dollars for us to get married which we were already going to do anyway and they are going to pay for the wedding?

  I had to admit, it was tempting. My eyebrows seemed to have permanently relocated to the center of my forehead, and I shifted my stunned gaze to Julian.

  “We don’t need the money.”

  I mean, technically he doesn’t need the money. But okay…

  “I know you don’t need the money, but law school was expensive I’m sure. School loans—”

  “Her school loans are paid off,” Julian interjected.

  In early November, for my twenty-seventh birthday, Julian couldn’t be home since he was on tour and they were on the East Coast. So, he sent a romantic card, beautiful flowers, and a receipt letting me know I didn’t owe the government any more money.

  I took my hand off the table and placed it on his thigh. He covered my hand with his, running his fingers over mine.

  Robert snickered under his breath. “I get it. I get it. You don’t need the money. But ask yourself this: if a small wedding costs an estimated fifty thousand dollars, are you willing to walk away from this table knowing you’re giving up three hundred thousand dollars?”

  We have to stay strong… I gripped Julian’s thigh. Even though that would be an unbelievable nest egg for our child…

  Neither Julian nor I said anything. I knew my hesitation was because the offer sounded good. It wasn’t until Julian glanced at me that I knew he was also considering it.

  No, stay strong, baby, I encouraged him silently as I stared at his profile. The only way for the show to be entertaining is for there to be drama and I don’t want drama or people I don’t really know sharing our day with us.

  “It’s a really good offer and we appreciate it, but we must decline. We aren’t trying to be reality TV stars. We don’t want to get married on camera. We are asking you to respect that.”

  Something happened. I wasn’t sure what it was, but as the silence descended upon us, the mood changed.

  Robert stared at Julian. “And I’m asking you to respect the contract you signed.”

  Julian stared at Robert. “And I’m asking you to release me from the contract.”

  My eyes shifted back and forth and then I sighed.

  This isn’t going anywhere good. If there is no loophole and Robert isn’t budging on letting Julian out of the contract, we’re just going to have to suck it up and do the wedding special.

  Robert tapped his finger against the table.

  Although I could feel Julian becoming rigid in his chair, I hoped to prevent the conversation from going from bad to worse.

  “Gentlemen—,” I started speaking at the same time as Julian.

  “I signed that contract and agreed to your terms, but Zoe didn’t. You can’t have a wedding without two people.”

  “Well…” Robert stretched the word out and smirked. He continued tapping his fingers against the table. His eyes focused on the heavy fabrics that draped from the ceiling high above the chandelier. His fingers stopped abruptly. “You can’t have a wedding without two people, but we can film a wedding with you. If we have to get a stand-in for Zoe, we’ll get a stand-in.”

  My jaw dropped. “Seriously?” I interjected. “A stand-in?”

  A stand-in? On my wedding day? Oh my God!

  “Absolutely not,” Julian barked, his jaw clenching as he noticeably ground his teeth. “I’m not walking down the aisle with anyone but Zoe.”

  Robert leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. “I don’t want you to walk down the aisle with anyone else either. I want you and Zoe. I want…” He gestured to us and our body language. “…this. You two may be my golden couple. You two may be the only couple to survive the show and actually marry. This is good TV.”

  What the hell? This isn’t good TV. This is our life!

  “This is fucked up, Brady and you know it!” Julian roared, pushing his chair away from the table and standing.

  “No. This is business, Julian. I had my lawyers review the contract for any way you can get out of it and there isn’t one. If you want to get married on January first because—what was the reason again? Your families are going to be in town?”

  Neither Julian nor I answered the question so Robert rose to his feet and continued.

  “Whatever the reason, it was your decision to wed before the contract runs out in April. You knew what the terms were. You made the decision, not me, so don’t come in here grandstanding about what’s fucked. You want to get married on January first, then you get married on January first and we will film it and we will both get richer off of it. That’s the only option here. Your soon-to-be wife can explain to you that if there are any issues with a contract, you don’t sign it. If you have a problem with the contract, you negotiate. If you sign the contract and then do something in breach of it, you will wish you took my offer because I’ll sue you for everything you’re worth. I’ve been following your album. It’s been a slow, but steady riser. By the time we’re done in court, I wouldn’t doubt you’ll be seeing a decent return. Don’t let me take all that away from you.”

  He’s right.

  Julian took a step forward and I jumped up. “Wait!” I grabbed Julian’s arm, tugging him back. I looked between both men and sighed. “We’ll take the money. We’ll do the show.”

  Julian’s brows furrowed and his head tilted in confusion. “What? We can still try to fight this.”

  Turning my entire body toward him, I placed my hands on the center of his chest. “I love that you would do that for me, but Robert’s right. There are no loopholes to find or your team would’ve found them by now.”

  His eyes burned into mine with unrelenting passion. “I want to give you the wedding you want, not the one we’re being forced into, so for us to get married on January first, we have to keep looking.”

  I slid my hands up his chest and rested them against the sides of his face. “I want to marry you on the day we decided. I want to be your wife. If we have to do it on TV, fine. But I am marrying you on January first and no other woman is walking down the aisle with you on our wedding day. That’s not happening.”

  Julian wrapped his arms around my waist and it was as if Robert and everything else disappeared. “So you’re okay with this?”


  I gazed up at him, my heart swelling. “Is it ideal? No. But I’m going to be your wife and I can deal with anything that makes that happen.”

  Julian brought his forehead to mine. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you,” I returned breathily.

  Robert cleared his throat. “So I take it we have a deal?”

  The excitement in his voice made my stomach turn.

  “Once we have the paperwork and review it, we will be in touch,” Julian answered, releasing me out of his arms.

  Robert sat down in his chair, grinning from ear to ear. “This is going to be good. This is going to be really good. I’ll have the team put together an entire wedding package. We will have one-hour specials with all the couples that happen to still be together and then finally, the crowning achievement of The One.” He gestured to us with both arms. “You two will complete the wedding miniseries. All the other couples and former contestants will be there to witness it. Everyone will come together to celebrate the one couple to make it. Not only will it make everyone believe in the idea that they can find love on this show, but it’ll really reel in audience members for the third and fourth sessions.”

  His entire focus was on the wedding special and not on the fact that it was our wedding.

  I spoke up, folding my arms over my chest. “I have a few things that are deal breakers for me.”

  Robert laughed but picked up his phone. His thumb flew over the screen before he looked up and said, “Ready?”

  “Our planner continues to plan the wedding.”

  “Hmmm.” Robert sat up and pointed. “Your planner continues to plan the wedding, but at the location of my choice.”

  I looked at Julian who nodded succinctly.

  “Fine,” I relented. “Also, all music and fashion choices are decided by us.”

  “That’s reasonable.” He nodded. “But everything about production and editing is up to me.”

  “No,” Julian and I said in unison.

  I smiled over at him. When he winked in response, my smile grew wider.

  “You want production. Yeah, okay. That’s fine,” Julian started, running his hand across his jaw. “But we’ll make the final editing decisions. It’s our wedding.”

  Robert looked at us for a long time, seeming to mull over the request. Just as he started to part his lips, the waiter entered the private room. He stopped short with a surprised look on his face because Julian and I were standing.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked nervously, approaching us slowly.

  Robert waved his hand so he would bring his meal to the table. “Everything is fine. Please. I’m starving.”

  Me too, I thought as the heavenly smell of the Mediterranean phyllo cheese roll wafted into the air. My stomach rumbled.

  The waiter eyed us suspiciously as he sat the plate in front of Robert. When he exited the room, Robert returned his gaze to us.

  “Would you like some fries?” he offered, holding up the plate of eggplant fries.

  “No, thank you,” Julian answered for the both of us.

  I hoped my face didn’t give away how hungry I was. The various foods in front of him looked as delicious as they smelled.

  “But back to what we were saying,” Julian continued. “It’s our wedding, we deserve to have a final say in what footage is presented to the public.”

  “Julian, Julian, Julian… I’m really not a bad guy and this partnership we just formed makes me happy. You know why?” Robert popped a fry into his mouth. “Because it’s going to make me money. And money makes me happy. Very happy.”

  “So then we agree that the final cut of the special will have to be approved by me and Zoe before it can air?”

  Robert shook his head before popping a fry into his mouth. “Now, I can’t do that! This is my show. I have to have final say, but I will take what you two think into advisement.” He chewed loudly as he smiled.

  Although I was disgusted by him chewing with his mouth open, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was parmesan cheese sprinkled on the eggplant fries.

  “No, no deal.” Julian’s face was darkening and his eyes were narrowing. I put my hand on his back. “I’m not going to let you bully us into this and then make a joke out of us for ratings.”

  “Make a joke?” The older man wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You two are the success story. You two are the one couple that made it and will give these suckers hope that they can find love too. I want this shit to be a fairy tale. I’ve already talked to Finance about the budget. I don’t know what you two were planning to spend on your wedding, but take that number and triple it.” He laughed. “But at the end of the day, this is my show. I want to tell the story that needs to be told, the story that’s best for business and a love story is good for business.”

  “Drama and fights trump the love story every time in ratings and you know it,” I interjected, ripping my eyes away from his plate. “So what about this: we have final say regarding the wedding ceremony. That’s sacred and special and ours. That’s non-negotiable. Every image of us and our family and friends at the ceremony must be approved by us. Any of our family or friends who choose not to be on TV has the right to refuse and they will not be approached by producers or filmed. If we have total control of the ceremony and what you can and cannot do, you can have the major reception moments. Obviously, our input should be taken into consideration and if there’s anything we’re not comfortable with, it stops immediately. But the reception is where you’re going to get your money shots anyway. Unlimited drinks and pseudo celebrities looking for love. That’s your story and that can be your focus. If you must find filler conversations and drama, you can look for it within the former contestants of The One if they’ve already consented.”

  Both men were quiet as I looked from one to the other.

  “I can live with that,” Robert decided after a moment of silence.

  “Me too,” Julian agreed.

  “Also, we will have a contract drawn up for you to sign as well so we will all be under obligation to adhere to what we’ve discussed tonight.”

  Robert laughed. “I like her,” he mentioned to Julian. “You made a good choice.”

  Julian slipped his arm around me protectively and pulled me into him. He dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “I know.”

  Chapter 6

  “Are you ready yet?” Julian asked as soon as I answered my cell phone. The sound of music and laughter in the background reminded me that I needed to get downstairs.

  “I’ll be down in a few minutes,” I promised as I closed my laptop. “Love you!”

  I’d been mostly ready for the last twenty minutes, but I was reading over the contracts Julian’s lawyers had put together. Based on the verbal agreement we’d made with Robert at the dinnerless dinner a week prior, everything seemed to line up. Robert and the lawyers from The One had put something together over the weekend and had it sent over to us on the following Monday. There was a negotiation back and forth between the two groups, but by Friday night both groups had agreed. Although I was confident in Julian’s team of lawyers, I couldn’t help but look over the final drafts myself.

  Just appeasing my curiosity, I told myself as I hopped on the computer twenty minutes after I got dressed.

  I tucked my phone away in my black clutch and gave myself a once over in the mirror. The leather pants were tight, sticking to my body like a second skin. My sleeveless white top dipped low, showing the swell of my breasts. The clingy shirt was longer in some areas than others, giving the sexy material a cool asymmetrical edge. I shrugged on my black leather motorcycle jacket and felt like I was in a motorcycle gang.

  Or Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video.

  “This is a lot of leather,” I muttered under my breath as I turned around. My ass looked fantastic in the leather pants. “But damn.”

  Over the last seven days of my vacation, I’d made a point to wear my most formfitting outfits. Julian and I went out and d
id something new and different to make up for the time he was on tour and each night, I was in something clingy. The reality was that I knew I would likely never fit into most of the items again.

  I ran my hand down my sides and took a step back, smiling at my appearance. From my burgundy, peep-toe booties to my hair, which was smoothed and pinned into a bun in the center of my head, I was pleased.

  “You look beautiful,” Julian commented from the doorway.

  I looked over at him as I put in white gold earrings that dangled, highlighting my exposed neck. “Thank you. I’m sorry for taking so long. I’m ready now.” I smiled at him as I walked in his direction.

  He slipped into the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as I was close, Julian put his hands around my neck. Leaning his face down to mine, our lips were just millimeters apart.

  I inhaled, breathing him in. He always smelled so good, clean with an earthy undertone.

  “Hi.” The word was small but the effect his voice had on me was big.

  I wanted to kiss him so badly I could almost taste the amaretto on his lips. “Hi,” I breathed, sliding my hands inside of the fitted suit jacket he wore.

  His lips brushed mine softly, gently. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to succumb to the warmth of his body and the fire in his touch. His hands tightened around my neck slightly as he moaned into my mouth. I squeezed my thighs together in an attempt to relieve the tension he’d just created.

  He pulled out of the kiss and my eyes fluttered open.

  We stared at each other, motionless. My lips tingled and my eyes dropped down to his lips.

  “I came upstairs to see if you were okay,” Julian informed me with a hint of concern as he searched my face. “You were taking a long time.”

  “I’m sorry. I was distracted on the computer and then with the realization that this will probably be the last time I wear these pants. I wanted to bask in the glory. Because I mean, come on…” I stepped out of his arms to turn around.