Real Love, Fake Marriage

by Vesper Young

  “Tuesday,” I admitted.

  “And you didn’t even invite me!”

  “Like you said, it was sudden. But I promise, Kara, I know what I’m doing.”

  She nodded and hugged me. “Congratulations, hon. I hope you’re right and you know you’ll always have a place with me and Ryan, right?”

  I gave her a grateful smile. I knew she meant it. “How is Ryan, by the way? Still into saving the bunnies?”

  She grinned. Just the thought of her son made her light up.

  “He’s good. Thankfully, he’s now into dinosaurs and has been convinced that eating the cute little creatures is part of the circle of life. And I will kill you if you tell him stegosauruses were herbivores. They’re his favorite.”

  I mimed locking my mouth and throwing away a key. “My lips are sealed.”

  “Good.” Her phone beeped. “Shoot. Ms. Galloway says she wants to start watching Law and Order so I need to get Ryan. But we need to catch up soon, for real,” she said.

  I walked to the entrance with her. “Definitely. Don’t be a stranger.”

  She left, even her hurried steps seeming elegant. I hoped to channel that same grace and returned to our party.

  Deacon 19

  Business came in two flavors: what I could do by myself and that which required other people to do. The first part was no problem. I could immerse myself in work for hours until I reaped a modicum of satisfaction that justified the day.

  The second part was worse. I wasn’t bad at it, but I would’ve chosen to be in the office with set markers rather than hoping this gathering accomplished the nebulous task of introducing my wife to the business world.

  The party was… not a disaster. Rose was always difficult to handle, so I hadn’t blamed Mindy for heading off, though I didn’t appreciate being left to deal with her on my own. I got the sense Rose had something to prove, and as much as I knew this contract could benefit us both, she enjoyed stringing out our interactions.

  I hoped to speak to her father, but he was missing. I’d been trying to get a direct meeting with Dukas for months, but the closest I’d gotten was his daughter. As it was, he spent most of his time in Europe, though I knew for a fact he was in New York at the moment.

  Donna had arrived and I’d greeted her, but she understood this event was of the same ilk my father had held. It was good I’d gotten to tell her about the marriage in person. She was a traditional woman, believing in marriage and family and children. I usually humored her, but she knew my heart belonged to the business.

  I spotted Harold a short distance away and discreetly disentangled myself from my latest bit of chitchat. It would be to blatant to approach him and rub his nose in the fact I was married. As it was, Mindy and I were skating the edge of plausibility. I had to convince him of two things: this was a real marriage and we had the potential to explode on an international front.

  I hated this side of the business. Especially since I wasn’t sure either was true.

  The sight of me open was irresistible to Harold, as predicted. The top of his head had a vague sheen from his excitement.

  “There’s the man of the hour. I understand congratulations are in order.”

  “Too kind, Harold. Thank you.” The words were accompanied by a fake smile.

  “Quite the rushed wedding,” he remarked.

  No shit.

  “After my father died, I realized what was important and reoriented my life to reflect that.” That, or some variant of that, was the line I used to keep all the prodding questions away.

  “It wouldn’t have anything to do with his will, would it?”

  I narrowed my eyes. He gave me a smug look, since we both knew it had everything to do with it.

  “Of course not.”

  “Because that would be highly immoral,” he added. “Probably invalidate your position.”

  I ached to tell him exactly what I thought. But this was business, which meant I had to do what was good for the business, not my ego.

  “Snookums, there you are,” a familiar voice said.

  I turned just as Mindy came over and embraced me, pressing a feathery touch against my lips. It was the mildest taste of her, but it was addictive. I wanted to grab her back and taste her more deeply, to feel her against my body.

  Mindy pulled away, unaffected. She looked happy, exuberant, and it was utterly believable if you didn’t know her better. She was in silly, happy wife mode. Of course, that was the only reason for the kiss.

  “Hi, I’m Mindy,” she said.

  Harold had been set off-kilter by her appearance. Good. “Harold.”

  “Of course, I remember. You basically run the board, right?”

  He coughed slightly. Harold held power, but he was not the head authority.

  “Not quite. I’m sorry, have we met?”

  “Oh, I was my snookum’s secretary before I was his wife. I saw you around during the quarterly meetings.”

  That got his attention. “From secretary to wife, eh? How’d that happen?” It was a rhetorical barb, but Mindy ignored it.

  “Oh, not by my choice,” she said. I froze next to her. She was deviating.

  Mindy seemed not to notice my panic, instead trailing a hand over my arm.

  “When we first started working together, I couldn’t stand him,” she whispered. “But he was relentless. You know how he gets when he has to have something.” She shot me a sultry look. “But what won me over was his dedication to the company. Have you ever met a man more committed? Who could resist that?”

  “He is very hardworking,” Harold hesitantly agreed.

  She nodded vigorously, then leaned against me. “So hardworking! I mean, the rock-hard abs, that face, and his, ah, his body didn’t hurt, or at least not in the wrong way, if you get my drift”—she curled her fingers against my chest, giving me a long, promising look before turning back to Harold—“But it’s the mind of a man that makes you marry him.”

  “Um, I suppose.”

  Harold looked distinctly uncomfortable at the affection. Harold, like a few others, had one mistress and that was money. I suspected he hadn’t been on a date in years, let alone ever dated someone as striking as Mindy.

  “His mind,” Mindy repeated. “It’s so sexy when he talks shop. He’s so into taking Blake Enterprises international.”

  That got Harold’s attention. A hint of gossip to take to the board. Mindy was playing the dumb trophy wife, but in the process, she was leading him exactly where I wanted him.

  “Oh, no need to get into that, babe.” Yes, Harold, I have plans for this company and you’re gonna want to be part of them.

  “But you’ve been working so hard and I want to tell people how smart my hubby is! You know it started with the Berlin contract, but that was only the beginning.”

  “I’d thought the Berlin was a one-off,” Harold said, looking at me.

  The Berlin had been a footnote at the last quarterly meeting. It was worth mentioning, but it would take time to turn it into a real foothold so I’d downplayed it.

  “Noooooo,” Mindy said. “No, no. Berlin is the beginning, Harold, just the start of my brilliant hubby’s work.”

  Harold leaned in like a dog waiting for its treat, trying to remain polite but practically drooling.

  But board members who played hardball didn’t get treats. “Well, we won’t keep you. But thank you for coming by.”

  “It was so delightful to meet you,” Mindy cooed.

  Harold desperately seemed to want to stop us from leaving, but all his training told him to stay in his lane. “Thank you for hosting.”

  I placed a hand on the small of her back and led her away. Once we’d gotten a suitable distance, she leaned over.

  “Hope you don’t mind. Thought you could use a save.”

  “I could’ve handled it,” I told her, even though she had saved me from doing all the politicking on my own.

  “Sure thing, Snookums. I know how tough you are.”

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nbsp; “It’s my abs, isn’t it.” I gave a dramatic heave.

  “They don’t hurt,” she said cooly.

  “Clearly, or you wouldn’t keep sleeping on them.”

  That earned a flush all the way to her ears.

  “So that was one of the board members.”

  I let her change the subject. “Yup. You turned his curiosity away from our marriage and towards my plans.”

  She batted her eyes. “Oh, my husband is so brilliant.”

  I let out a snort. “Laying it on a bit thick.”

  “Half of these people think I’m pregnant and this is a shotgun I’ve trapped you in, and the other half think I’m your arm candy. The bar is low, Husband.”

  “You do look delicious,” I remarked.

  It was true. The dress was stunning, and she wore it well despite the battle it had taken to buy it. She filled every edge of the dress. The kid in me wanted to drop my hand lower and feel her round ass for myself, which would be excusable for newlyweds but was just a bit too far outside our contract for comfort.

  It wasn’t long before we were stopped by another couple eager to greet their hosts. Business seemed like a numbers game, but the dangerous part was a lot of people used their feelings instead of their numbers to make decisions. These parties gave a chance for people to develop good feelings.

  You never knew when a decision would turn on an off-hand bit of praise or sour memory from a night just like this.

  I was used to my role and wore it like a familiar suit. Smile, praise, small talk. I hated it, but I knew how to play the game. The pressure had increased since becoming CEO, though it was nominal since I wouldn’t return to the office until Monday. For now, it was the same charade with one extra layer.

  I’d been concerned about how Mindy would handle it. I figured there would be nothing irreparable so long as she stood next to me and didn’t look miserable. I would accept delicious arm candy for the evening.

  To my surprise, Mindy took the interactions in stride. Her answers were charming and witty, though she managed to flavor every remark with some type of compliment. She minimized the comments about my work ethic and instead focused on humanizing me. It made sense, since my status as a workaholic wasn’t in question. Unfortunately, for some parts of business, I needed people to like me.

  Mindy was a natural. A pro. Almost instinctively, she highlighted whatever people would want to see in me. A secondary feature of the party had been to strengthen my contacts as CEO, though I would’ve settled for convincing Harold this wasn’t a sham of a marriage. Instead, Mindy flounced through the party, effortlessly speaking with the guests and playing the doting wife.

  People were enchanted by her. Some men were a bit too enchanted, which irked me for some reason. I rationalized, even if this was a marriage of convenience, they didn’t know that.

  I was leading her away from one too-eager guest when I caught a glimpse of a man seated in the chair. I’d never met him in person, but I’d seen pictures.

  Elias Dukas.

  Mindy followed my gaze and we angled closer. He had arrived, as Rose admitted after sufficient prodding. I grace a quick glance around to see if she was nearby. As easily as Mindy positioned the topics where she wanted them, Rose derailed any effort towards productive conversation.

  A quick chat with her father, without interference, was irresistible.

  “Hello,” she said, taking one of the empty seats by him. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Mindy Blake.”

  He shifted slowly in his seat, taking in our sudden arrival. “My name is Elias Dukas.”

  “Elias, I’m Deacon Melzer. I’ve been in contact with your office. This is my wife.”

  “Ah, the office.” He loosed a grumble from his throat. “I hate the office.”

  The remark was said with a blend of contempt and disinterest only older folks can make. How could he dislike the company that was named after him?

  “I don’t spend any time there if I can help it,” he continued.

  I know, I thought. That was what made getting in touch with him so difficult.

  “Offices can be… stifling,” I agreed. “Still, it’s the nature of the beast, isn’t it? The work itself can be quite rewarding.”

  He gave me a disinterested look. I was losing his attention.

  “I’ve been hoping we could speak about working together,” I continued quickly.

  He guffawed. “This is a party celebrating your nuptials, yes?”

  “It is.”

  “Your lovely new wife sits beside you, and you talk business instead.”

  I was taken aback. Yes, this was technically a part announcing our marriage, but like everything in the business world, it was a chance to make deals and alliances.

  “That’s my husband! When he focuses on something, he goes all in,” Mindy interjected.

  “But he should be focused on you,” Elias said as if stating the obvious.

  “Don’t worry, Mr. Dukas, he gives our marriage the same level of attention he gives his business. He cares deeply about both, and I understand that.”

  Mindy had abandoned her lackadaisical air. Her tone was still friendly, but there was iron behind that soft voice.

  Dukas took notice.

  “This one has fire in her,” he said. His disapproving expression had become more considering.

  “I like to think I have a range. Tell me, Mr. Dukas, what type of person do you like to do business with?”

  He stroked his chin. “I like a man who can think for himself. I don’t want a slave to a timetable. I want a person who attacks a problem directly and deals with people one on one, rather than through others.”

  Mindy nodded. “Of course you do. My husband is the same way. He’s hands-on with every aspect of the business, which bleeds into events like these by design. But as you’ve said, enough of that. Do you come to New York often?”

  “On occasion. I refuse to do business over the phone, so it’s a necessity. I usually prefer to be somewhere warm in Europe. I fly back tomorrow.”

  I was losing my window. “When will you be back?” I asked.

  “Always with the business,” he grumbled, his interested veneer crumbling.

  “What my husband meant to ask is when you’ll be around so we can take you to dinner. And Rose, if she’s available.” The smile Mindy gave him at that was less than kind.

  Dukas didn’t seem to notice. “Of course. It’s clear you balance him out. I’ll be back within the next few weeks.”

  “You’ll have to let us know so we can grab a bite. I wish we could spend more time; it really was lovely meeting you.”

  We excused ourselves and resumed mingling. As the clock continued to make its rounds, the guests slowly trickled out. By three, the staff had finished cleaning and excused themselves after I tipped them.

  Mindy still set about fidgeting, moving the pillows from one end of the loveseat to the other, inching the chairs.

  “If it’s not to your liking, I can have someone come by tomorrow to deal with this.”

  “No, no. I’m done. And ready to sleep.”

  We headed towards the bedroom. Over the course of a few days, we’d settled into a comfortable rhythm.

  “Exhausted?” I asked. Of course she’d be. Everyone had been focused by her. She was a curiosity, while I was a known quantity to the attendees.

  “It really wasn’t so bad,” she said, making her way towards the walk-in to change.

  I turned my back to her and set about removing my tie.

  “You did well,” I said. She’d done better than well if I was being honest.

  “Really?”

  “Yes. You work well within a crowd.”

  “Thanks, Deacon. Really.” She knocked lightly from behind the door. “Decent?”

  “Yup.”

  She came out. As hot as she’d looked in the dress, I’d come to enjoy seeing her in her nightclothes best. Her hair was slightly messed up, loose and curling around her neck.
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br />   The looks she’d given me had been like those of a wife eager for a night with her husband, though I knew they were fake. At some level, I knew I reciprocated, and it wasn’t all an act. The evening had made the attraction growing between us dangerously attainable. The kisses had been brief, performative, but there was no way I imagined the hitch of her breath each time I leaned down against her lips.

  I wanted to take her head against mine and give her a kiss even if there was no one to see. A look at the curve of her body under the tight tank top and a look at her toned legs made me want more.

  “Actually, I’m gonna take a shower to wash up,” I said.

  She gave me a slightly surprised look, but I ignored it. I kept my back to her, aware there was something I had to take care of before sleeping next to a half-naked Mindy Blake.

  Mindy 20

  I woke up alone the next morning. My head was propped on a pillow instead of its usual perch. The bed was cold, though only the faintest rays came in the room. It was early.

  It felt odd to be alone in the bed. I’d gotten used to sleeping next to a warm body, or rather one body in particular.

  It was Monday, and the honeymoon was over. Deacon would begin working as CEO today.

  A small part of me hurt he hadn’t woken me before he left. For what? I wondered. There was no reason to.

  At least I could have wished him luck on his first day. Not that he needed it.

  I decided to fire off a quick text anyway, telling him just that. No response came. Still groggy, I stretched my arms over my head, unsure of what to do since I didn’t have to work.

  A bit of fiddling on the phone allowed me to set up the library app on my phone, so I read for a bit. For years, a quick and dirty romance novel had been my drug of choice to escape the crushing reality I lived in. A bit of indulgence for the acetic, I supposed. This morning, my cheesy romances failed in their task.

  I looked around the apartment some more. In one room, Deacon had a gym set up. Not just what I’d pictured as a home gym, though even that was a luxury to me. But what could’ve passed for a state-of-the-art private gym. A treadmill, a recumbent bicycle, and the weight rack stretched along the wall made up a fraction of the room.