The Married One

by Samantha Drake

  Sophie quickly jolted across the room to retrieve her clutch, and almost rushed out the door before she remembered she had forgotten to put on perfume. After all was set and done, she rushed down two flights of stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator.

  Jonathan had been there already. He leaned against his parked car, a smile set across his face. He was quite a presence, with his tailored black suit and his hair styled back almost to perfection. There was something about him, past his elevated self-esteem and boyish arrogance, that made him incredibly attractive. Sophie wasn’t scared to admit that. It was obvious she thought that way, otherwise she wouldn’t have bothered to even talk to him back at the bar. Of course, that little confession was hers to keep. She would be damned before he got to hear it.

  By the time she’d finished with her internal conversation, she’d stepped out of her building completely, her body now slightly illuminated by the artificial light of the tall street lamps.

  Jonathan rose from the red hood of his sports car, his face now a bit more serious. His gaze took her in, the blue shade of his orbs darkening.

  As much as she hated reacting that way to him, Sophie couldn’t help but be glad that she got that reaction from him. While she was getting ready, it had occurred to her that he’d only seen her as a mess, even at the bar, she must’ve been the only girl that looked like a mess. Her stomach flipped, landing into emotions that others would call ‘butterflies’, her own skin burning under his gaze.

  No, it wasn’t safe to feel like that around him. It wasn’t even healthy, given they had even agreed to a breakup date. But those were all real emotions and she was only human. Her ability to control how she felt went as far as anyone else.

  “Are you sure you’re the same girl that was at my place this morning?” Jonathan teased after clearing his throat. Sophie rolled her eyes, punching his arm gently, although inside, she’d already laughed at the joke.

  Jonathan chuckled, rushing to open the door for her.

  “Is the event taking place at your casino or hotel?” Sophie asked after a few minutes of silence, her eyes still set on the traffic outside her window.

  “The hotel. It’s a charity event and my planner thought it would be better to hold it there.”

  “You didn’t tell me what kind of charity? What’s the cause?”

  “We’re donating money for an art school.” Sophie was surprised. She expected it to be for some kind of hospital or poor families. She didn’t exactly take Jonathan for someone who would invest in art.

  “Do you have any hobbies?” she suddenly asked, unsure if it was to fill the time or because she was truly curious.

  “Want to know me better, dear?” Jonathan chuckled, looking at her for a second before returning his gaze to the road.

  “Wouldn’t you want that to be true!” she teased as she shook her head. “Would you rather enjoy an awkward silent moment?” She arched a brow, although she wasn’t sure he caught that action, his eyes too focused on the road as he tried to take a turn.

  “Not really. As much as I hate to disappoint.” He chuckled. “I’ve always been too busy preparing for the day I would become chairman. It seems I didn’t prepare enough.” Sophie wasn’t sure she was meant to hear the last part. It had been said more like a scold, whispered so low, it had been barely audible over the sound of the engine. “I do love to ride horses. My uncle owns a ranch. He’s only ten years older than me, my grandfather had him with a mistress when my dad was already married. When I was about fifteen, I started going there, as a getaway–much to my grandmother’s disapproval.” He chuckled at the last part.

  “Does your family get along well with him?”

  “Yea. I mean it started out as a rough patch, or so I’ve heard. He refused to mingle in the family business, he’s opened up his own restaurants back in South Dakota. He also has his ranch. He sells racehorses–that is a pretty profitable business might I say.” None of them had noticed, but time seemed to have slipped right through their fingers, and they now found themselves in front of the five-star hotel.

  Sophie, had been so intrigued by Jonathan’s story, that she’ forgotten all about the nerves and worries she had for the event. Of course, the minute they stepped out of the car, they all flooded back, taking her by surprise.

  There was a carpet leading up to the entrance, and outside, on each side, men with cameras and flashing lights screamed and shouted for their attention. Sophie felt her breath hitch, her entire body frozen in place. They all screamed, seeking their attention, but Sophie couldn’t make out the exact words. They were far too many, but all seemingly related to their wedding.

  She hadn’t noticed when Jonathan came around her, but she eventually felt his hand. It grabbed hers, their fingers intertwining. There was a wave of fire in her body, ignited by the very touch of his hands. Slowly, Jonathan leaned in, his breath fanning her neck.

  “I’ll be here. You don’t need to be scared.”

  Had he done it for the cameras? Probably. But she felt the words. They made her heart skip a beat, the simple act of breathing now a burden to her. Sophie imagined herself on stage, she threw on a smile and followed him gracefully inside the hotel.

  Chapter 4

  Sophie stood in the corner with a drink in hand, her fingers constantly playing with the stem of the glass. Her gaze went over the crowd, the room filled with people she’d only seen on T.V.–that is if she’d ever seen them at all. Jonathan had abandoned her shortly after their arrival, after Malcolm had come to fetch him for an important call with some investors from Europe. He had just introduced her to some people from the office. They were all lovely, but far too curious in regards to their relationship, so, Sophie only naturally excused herself after just a few minutes.

  She was unsure how long she’d stood there, but it sure felt long. She’d counted the seconds in which she stood in that corner, eyed down by the curious glances of the people passing by. The music had been loud, but not loud enough to mask the gossip going over her shoulder.

  People had already guessed who she was. And her presence seemed to have stirred some bets as to how long she would last with their boss. Sophie wondered how they could gossip so freely with her so close by, in earshot nonetheless. People were truly shameless.

  Sighing, Sophie decided that it would be best if she waited for him on the balcony she saw across the room. If she was lucky, it would be empty. She was about to take her first step towards the balcony, when a familiar voice called her name.

  “Sophie?” She knew that voice anywhere, and while she’d hoped she’d never had to hear it again, there it was, not even a day later.

  “Nina! What a wonderful surprise!” Sophie said as she came face to face with the woman. “I didn’t know you would be here.”

  “Of course I would be here. My parents just invested a fortune into the Hunter hotels. Besides, it’s me who’s surprised to see you here.” The sarcastic tone told Sophie that what Nina actually meant was that she didn’t expect someone like her to be invited to such a grandiose event.

  “Dear, there you were!” Sophie never imagined she would feel that kind of relief upon hearing Jonathan’s voice. She felt his presence behind her. Before she even turned to smile at him, his hand snaked around her waist.

  If there was one good thing Sophie got from playing wife, it was seeing Nina’s surprised look as it traveled between Jonathan and her. With an open mouth, she looked between the two, her eyes as puzzled as they could get.

  “I see you met Nina!” Jonathan exclaimed.

  “Actually, Nina is–well, was my colleague.”

  “That was until I got into LaRouge Ballet.” Sophie tried hard not to roll her eyes, but she succeeded. “But, how do you know each other. It’s absurd, but I keep thinking that maybe she’s–” Nina trailed off, her voice dripping with an unamused laugh.

  “That I’m his wife?” Sophie asked with an arched brow.

  “Well, yea. I mean I heard the news, but I learn
ed not to believe anything unless I see it with my own two eyes.” Nina was nervous, Sophie had never seen her that way. She was desperately trying to make sense of the situation, denying the obvious, because she feared that for once Sophie got something she couldn’t have.

  “Well, since you really want to see it.” Sophie extended her left hand. The wedding band she’d woken up to a few days prior, shone beneath the brilliant lights of the chandelier.

  The ring wasn’t dazzling or amazing. God knew where they’d even found them. She guessed they sold such rings around the Chapel, or maybe the Elvis Impersonator himself had them. Who knew? The details were no longer important. What was important, however, was the look on Nina’s face as she took in the ring. Sophie wasn’t sure, but she heard him chuckle, the sound vanishing soon, as he recovered his posture.

  “Sorry, Nina. But I came to steal my wife for a bit.” Jonathan pulled her behind him before she could even bid the woman goodbye.

  She wasn’t sure where they were going, but she was glad Jonathan had pulled her away. That way, she got her grand exit. Sophie giggled as she walked beside Jonathan and into the dancing crowd, her eyes tearing.

  “Well someone’s using the Hunter name for their own entertainment,” Jonathan joked, a wide grin spread across his face.

  “I’m sorry. It just felt so good to see her face!” Sophie sighed, her cheeks hurting from the smile.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Well, I’m inviting you to dance. People need to get a nice view of the new married couple.”

  Finally, something she liked doing. Without objection, she allowed him to bring her closer, one of his hands resting on her waist, his other hand holding hers at arm’s length. He wasn’t a bad dancer. He moved gently, with fluidity, guiding her across the room, following the soft pattern of the song.

  “Do you know Nina well?” She asked, as he brought her back from a twirl, a few strands of hair sticking to her face.

  “Our families have been friends for years now. But I’ve been in New York a long time. I just got to know her recently. Of course, my mom hoped I’ll get to know her better. If you know what I mean.” Sophie could imagine what he meant. Nina was exactly the kind of girl his mother wanted. Beautiful and rich.

  “What about you? You don’t seem to get along too well.”

  Sophie wondered where she could start her long speech about why they never got along. There were so many reasons one could use to explain.

  “Well, aside from the fact that she bribed her way into LaRouge, there’s also her arrogance and sharp tongue.”She shrugged. “Along with so many other things.”

  “Is that why you need my help? For the audition, I mean?”

  “The jury didn’t give any of us a chance. At the auditions, they barely looked at us. They’d already reserved the seat. I don’t want to bribe my way in. I just want a fair shot. You know?”

  “I do,” Jonathan whispered, as the song ended. They both stopped, and suddenly, he got closer, pressing his lips to her cheek. “This one’s for the haters,” he whispered, his smile pressing onto her skin.

  *****

  Jonathan sighed and sank deeper into his leather skin chair, rotating the fountain pen with his fingers. Across the room, the clock slowly ticked it’s way to noon. Not that it made any difference to him. Jonathan rarely had a lunch break outside the office, and even if he did, they were usually with some investors. His back hurt, he’d been there since the early hours of the morning, way before his secretary even showed up. He had a lot to do, and so little time to get it done.

  Even in the blur of work, his mind seemed to wander back to Sophie. She’d moved in with him the day before and he couldn’t help but wonder how she was accommodating. Just as she’d promised, she’d taken over his bedroom. Her things were now all over the place, scattered over every smooth area in sight and taking over most of his closet. In just one single day, she’d managed to settle in, and if he wouldn’t have known any better, he would have guessed she’d been there for years now.

  Sighing, he stood up, ready to stretch out some of the tension in his limbs and neck. Of course, Jonathan barely got to extend one single-arm before he was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a knock.

  “Come in!” he said, wondering who it would be. Both his mom and Malcolm had been there already, he wasn’t expecting anyone.

  To his utter surprise, none of the usual faces peeked from behind the door. Instead, Sophie’s wide green eyes emerged, her long lashes fluttering over the two orbs as she shyly smiled. He could tell she felt awkward to be there, her body nervously sliding through the open space between the door and wall.

  “Hey!” he said in surprise. Slowly, he rested his body against his desk, his hands folding over his chest.

  “Sorry that I came unannounced. I was at rehearsals and my phone died, so I couldn’t call,” Sophie said, as she secured her bag on her shoulder.

  “It’s okay. Is there anything you need or–”

  “Well, I came to talk to you about something. If you want, we can have lunch. I saw this–” Jonathan would have strangely loved to have lunch with her. He didn’t admit it to himself at first, but after the first wash of regret flooded over him, he quickly realized that was the case.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t. But you can tell me here. If you want, I can have someone get you some coffee.” He was about to reach for the phone on his desk, but Sophie stopped him with the shake of her head.

  “No. It’s fine. I just came to invite you for this dinner my friends are having. Apparently they want to congratulate us on our marriage. I know you have a lot of work, but I thought I’d at least ask you.”

  At that moment, with her looking all nervous, her hands anxiously fidgeting with the strap of her bag, Jonathan felt something he had never felt before. It was a rush that surged through his heart, going all the way to his stomach. The feeling was foreign, it resembled adrenaline in so many ways, but it was far more pleasant. And far scarier.

  Of course, the mood had to be ruined. The sound of his phone boomed all of a sudden, making them both jump. Jonathan moved quickly to answer, but not before smiling and saying:

  “Send me the details. I’ll be there as soon as I finish work.”

  Sophie smiled and nodded, rushing out the door after waving him goodbye. Meanwhile, Jonathan had already answered, the familiar sound of his cousin’s voice coming almost immediately.

  “I thought we agreed that I would be the one who gets married first. What will Aline think, now?” Jonathan could tell his cousin was joking. He knew better than anyone who he was, and had probably figured out something was wrong almost immediately.

  “Well, it’s only been a couple of months, but I won’t hold it against you if she scolds you. I told you to propose the minute you told me your relationship was official.” Sebastian chuckled on the other end of the line and Jonathan felt happy to hear it.

  To him, Sebastian was like an older brother. Knowing he had his support was everything to Jonathan. He could have the whole world fooled, but he knew he could never fool Sebastian, and frankly he didn’t want to. He needed his advice.

  “Now, tell me what the hell you have been doing. I swear, I had a heart attack when your mother sent me those articles.”

  Jonathan rolled his eyes. Of course his mother had sent him the articles, she probably did it so she could scold Sebastian, ask what he’d taught him while he’d been staying in New York. Sighing, he explained everything. He told his cousin everything that had been going on ever since his arrival. He told him about the stocks, about the board members, and lastly how he came to be a married man. While he talked, his cousin listened, he only answered briefly every now and then, to confirm he was still present.

  Jonathan hadn’t realized it up until that moment, but it had all been extremely hard on him. It wasn’t until he opened up, and allowed those bottled emotions and thoughts out, that he realized how stressed and pressured he had been.

 
“Listen, be grateful that you at least got married to a decent girl. Now, as bad as it seems, you seem to have everything under control. Just be sure to sign that contract with her soon, you don’t want anyone to find out about this,” his cousin eventually instructed. “Now, as for the board members, you knew from the start this was how it was going to be. I went through the same thing when I took over. You just have to earn their trust.”

  “And how do I do that?”

  “You get those stocks back up. You can even use your marriage as an advertisement. Get people to talk about you. Make you. Remember what I taught you. Everything can be used to your advantage.” He was right, no publicity was ever bad publicity. “Have a wedding. Invite important people to it, show them the power of your love for Sophie. You know people fall for that kind of thing. I know it’s wrong, and if Aline hears I advised you to do this, she’ll probably have my head on a spike–but, you already embarked on this boat. You might as well make use of the ride.”

  Jonathan couldn’t help but smile, even through the thousands of thoughts that now rushed through his head, he still smiled. He was grateful for having Sebastian as his mentor. He just hoped that one day, he would be able to truly follow in his footsteps.

  “Listen, I have to go. Think about what I said. I’ll call you tomorrow to see what you decided.”

  Jonathan thanked him and bid him goodbye. Sighing, he placed the phone on his desk. There was still so much work to do, and now, something else had been added to his plate.

  *****

  Night had fallen by now, the sun had set beyond the tall buildings. Night as it was, the city was still blazing with light. The streets were bright. It wasn’t any coincidence that the city was known as the city of light. Sophie had spent numerous nights sitting on her balcony, admiring the way they displayed across the black canvas of the night. She would have rather been there now, silently sipping on some tea or having a warm bath to relieve the tension in her muscles. But she had to attend the dinner, she owed her friends that much.