by B. B. Hamel
But that might be a lie.
I don’t know if it’ll be okay. We need to start convincing the board, but I can’t do that if she’s only going to bolt in a few days. First, I need to make sure that she’s in this.
It’s hard to say one way or the other. I can tell she wants that seven percent and wants this plan to succeed, but the thought of what it’ll take terrifies her, and for good reason.
Her father did a shit job preparing all this.
Or maybe it’s my fault. I should’ve been more up front about what this’ll take before we got married. Maybe I should’ve explained more that this isn’t just some few weeks, few months sort of thing. This is a long-term game, a long-term con.
We’re going to get what we want in the end, but we’ll both have to sacrifice for it.
Not like this is something I wanted.
I sigh and rub my eyes before picking up my phone. I hit my first speed dial and it calls up my secretary. She answers on the second ring.
“Hi, hon,” she says. “You in today?”
“I’m in. Can you bring me some coffee? I want to chat.”
“All right then, hon.”
She hangs up and I look out the window. If anyone knows what to do, it’s Maeve.
I’ve known her since I was a toddler. She was my father’s secretary, started back when she was just a young girl. She used to come over and babysit for my parents sometimes. I thought of her as an aunt or something like that, and my father never really disabused the notion. When he passed, she spoke at his funeral, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
She’s the only one that knows the truth about me and Maggie. Hell, she helped me come up with the plan, helped me approach Maggie’s father. Without her, none of this would be happening.
She comes in a few minutes later with a cup of coffee. She puts it down on the desk and sits in the chair across from me with a sigh. She’s in her sixties now, her dark hair cut short, her business clothes fashionable but comfortable. Maeve is the best paid secretary in this whole company, and makes as much as most of the managers. My father always valued her, and I’m not stupid enough to shake things up.
“Well now,” she says. “How’s the new bride?”
I sigh and sip the coffee. “She’s fine,” I say.
“Is she?” She frowns. “Shouldn’t be.”
I laugh. “Why not?”
“Because she just married her father’s rival in some high-stakes game.”
“True. That’s a good point.”
“So really, how is she?”
“I think she’s starting to realize what this all means, and it doesn’t feel good.”
“That sounds about right.” She tilts her head. “You’re being nice to her, right?”
“Of course I’m being nice to her.” I move my chair back and cross my legs. “Why would you think I’m not?”
“I know what you’re like with women.”
“Maeve.”
“I’m just saying, I’ve known you your whole life, hon. You’ve never had a girlfriend that lasted more than a few months.”
“That’s not because I’m mean to them,” I say. “That’s because I get bored.”
She gives me a look. “Same thing.”
I shake my head, grinning, and sip my coffee. “Honestly, Maggie’s interesting.”
“Pretty too,” Maeve says. “I saw her Facebook.”
“Very pretty,” I agree. “Lucked out there.”
“But you’re not going to mix things, are you?”
I raise an eyebrow. “That’s a new way of saying it.”
“Stop it,” she scolds. “You know what I mean.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I admit. “Right now, I just need to make sure she’s in this.”
“That makes sense.” Maeve sighs and stretches her legs. “Getting old stinks.”
“I bet.”
“You’ll get old too, you know.”
“So they tell me.”
“You need to show her that this is real,” Maeve says. “I don’t know how. But make sure she knows she’s not alone.”
“She’s not,” I say. “I’m in this with her.”
“But she doesn’t know you.”
I nod a little. “That’s true.”
“You have to let her know you’re not a total jerk.”
“That’ll be hard.”
“I know.” She grins at me. “But you’ll have to try anyway.” She glances away and out the window. “That board’s going to fight you on this. Your father used to complain about them all the time. There’s no way they’ll ever want to merge with Bushings, even if you are married to the girl.”
“But marrying her helps,” I say.
“Definitely helps.” Maeve shrugs a little. “Do you know who you’ll go to first?”
“I was thinking Elizabeth,” I say.
“That’s good. She’s your best bet. I suspect she’ll agree without much of a fuss.”
“Then Janet. Since she’ll be a bit harder.”
“Ease into it.” Maeve laughs. “How do you think your new wife will perform?”
“Who knows. She’s smart and capable. Negotiated a good deal out of me. So I think she’ll be an asset.”
“You just have to make sure she’s on your side first.”
“I need to make sure she knows I’m on her side.” I grin and sip my coffee. “Damn, this is more complicated than I thought it would be.”
“Oh, really? You’re just in a fake marriage to fool your board into agreeing to a merger they don’t want to do. Sounds simple enough to me.”
I shake my head and laugh. “It’s really insane. How did you talk me into this?”
“I don’t know,” she admits. “I guess we’ll both do anything to keep this company alive.”
“You know I will,” I say, my voice soft. “Maeve, I don’t want to be married. Never wanted it. Even though Maggie’s beautiful and smart, marriage was never on my list of things to do.”
“I know, hon.” She stands up with a sigh. “But you’re in it now, so you might as well make the best of things.”
“So pragmatic.”
“It’s why your father kept me around.”
“And why I pay you the big bucks.”
She laughs and waves me off. “Don’t be like that. You pay me the big bucks because I’m smart and capable, unlike half the idiots out there.”
“True.” I frown and shake my head. “A merger… you know that won’t be pretty.”
“No, it won’t. Lots of lost jobs. But better than all their jobs going away.”
“So pragmatic.”
She laughs and waves as she leaves my office.
I sit there for a long moment, staring out the window again. Maeve’s right, I need to make sure Maggie knows I’m on her side. I need something that’ll convince her that, no matter what, I’m not going to screw her over. We’re a team now, for better or for worse.
Slowly I come up with an idea, pick up my phone, and make a few calls.
I head home in the middle of the day, just after lunch. I unlock my door and step inside. I find Maggie sitting at the kitchen table, a book in her hand, a half-eaten salad from the deli around the corner in front of her. She looks at me and blinks before frowning.
“Isn’t it early for you to be home?” she asks.
“Yep,” I say. “I wanted to see you.” I walk over and sit down across from her.
“What’s up?” She puts her book down, concern in her eyes.
I read the book’s cover. “Interesting,” I say. “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
She laughs. “I know, I know. It’s a little… self-helpy. Did you know it came out in 1936?”
“No,” I admit. “I figured it was from the ‘80s or something.”
“Nope, 1936. It’s super dated. Basically, the whole idea is to be nice to people, find something to like about everyone, and praise them about it.”
&nb
sp; “Sounds like good advice.”
“I don’t know.” She picks up a pen and chews on the end. “Seems like you’d end up being pretty… cheesy, I guess.”
“I’m guessing you’re reading it for a reason.”
“Well, we need to convince people, right?” She shrugs. “I figured it can’t hurt. Saw it at the used book store around the corner. You know your neighborhood is amazing, right?”
“I know,” I say, grinning. “This place cost a fortune. Worth every penny.”
She chews her pen for another second, studying me. I look back at her, head tilted to the side, before she puts the pen down.
“So what are you doing here?” she asks.
“I came to talk to you.”
“Figured. What’s up?”
I put my bag down on the table and open it. I take out a small box before passing it over to her. She frowns at it, opens it, and stares at the ring inside.
“I didn’t get you a proper engagement ring,” I say.
She takes it out and holds it up. The ring sparkles in the light. A single, enormous diamond surrounded by multiple smaller diamonds with a simple white-gold band. “Holy shit,” she says.
“I know.” I laugh and shrug. “But I wanted you to have something nice. Go ahead, put it on.”
She hesitates then slides it onto her ring finger. It fits perfectly and matches the simple wedding bands she picked out.
“This is… really nice.” She frowns and takes it off. “I can’t take this. Seriously, it must have cost you so much.”
“It cost me a lot,” I agree. “Took a really nice chunk out of my savings. But it’s yours and you have to wear it.”
“No way.”
“Seriously.” I push the ring toward her as she tries to hand it back to me. “Listen, Maggie. I’m not joking.”
“I can’t take something like this. It’s too expensive, it’s too…” She trails off and slumps back, staring at the ring.
“It’s too real?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she admits. “It’s too real.”
“Put it on.”
She hesitates and looks up at me. I can see the uncertainty and fear in her eyes. I understand what she’s feeling.
“Go ahead,” I press. “Wear it.”
She slides it back onto her finger. She bites her lip, staring down at the enormous, beautiful, and stupidly expensive ring.
“Do you like it?” I ask. “And be honest. I can get something else if you don’t.”
“I love it,” she says, her voice soft.
“Good.” I smile, genuinely pleased and a little surprised about that. “I need you to understand something.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m serious about that.”
She frowns at me. “I know you are.”
“No, Maggie. I’m serious about this. About you and about the companies. I’m not going to backstab you, I’m not going to throw you to the wolves. We’re in this together and I’m going to take care of you.” I learn toward her, staring into her gorgeous eyes. I feel my heart beating fast as a strange desire pumps through my veins.
I picture kissing her again, tasting her lips. I picture grabbing her hair and pushing her down on my bed, her breasts spilling out of her shirt, her pussy soaking wet and open for me, waiting for my thick cock to take her. I picture her body sweating as I fuck her, cock pumping deep and rough, her hot breath on my neck, her moans in my ear, my cum deep between her legs.
“You’re my wife,” I say, my voice low. “And I take care of what’s mine.”
“But… it’s not a real marriage.”
“That doesn’t matter.” I tilt my head. “You’re mine.”
She stares at me, lips parted. Fuck, she’s beautiful. I’m tempted to go around this table and make that little fantasy very much a reality, but I hold back. I know this isn’t the time.
“Okay,” she says finally. “I believe you.”
“And you’re in this with me?”
“I’m in.” She looks at the ring. “How much did this cost?”
“Three hundred grand.” I stand up.
Her eyes go wide and she stares at me. “Wait. Josh. What?”
“Three hundred grand.” I shrug. “Not a big deal.”
“That’s so much money. Are you joking?”
“Nope.” I grab my bag and throw it over my shoulder. “I have to get back to the office.”
“Wait!” She stands up. “Three hundred…”
“Wear the ring, Maggie. I’m in this for real, don’t forget.” I walk to the door and look back. She staring at me, a look of shock on her face, and I can’t help but laugh.
I walk outside into the sunshine and feel good, really good.
5
Maggie
I stare at the ring on my finger and it feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.
It doesn’t, of course. It costs more than… well, more than everything I own combined. But that doesn’t even matter so much.
What matters is what the ring symbolizes.
And the words he used.
I’m his. And he’s going to do everything he can to take care of me.
I keep thinking about the way he looked at me and chills roll down my spine. I can’t help myself. He’s so handsome, so intense, and I know what he’s thinking when he looks at me. It’s written all over his face.
I believe him though. When he says we’re in this together, I believe him. I don’t think he’ll try to screw me over or go back on his word, but it’s still hard to accept that this is my life, my future.
The next day, after Josh goes to work, I head out and get an Uber to my dad’s offices. He takes me inside and leads me back to the break room where he makes us some coffee. “How are you?” he asks as we head back to his office.
“Fine,” I say. “Just figured we should touch base.”
“Good.” He nods and smiles at a few of the employees. I stop and chat with his secretary, a woman that’s been working for him for years. When I’m done, he sits behind his desk and I sit down in front of it, sipping my coffee. “Been a while since you’ve been here.”
“I know.” I laugh a little. “Feels weird.”
“How’s Josh?”
“Good,” I say and hold out the ring.
He stares at it. “Wow,” he says. “That guy’s not messing around.”
“No, he’s really not. He says we need to make it real… and he’d give his real wife a ring like this.”
“Makes sense, but man. That kid must be making better money than I am.”
I grin at him. “Well, their company is bigger.”
He gives me a look and laughs. “Fair enough.” He calms down and frowns at me, looking uncomfortable. “So he’s being… good to you, right?”
“Yes, Dad,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Of course. I’d tell you if he turned out to be some asshole.”
“I know that, sweetie. I just don’t want you to think you need to stick this thing out if he’s being… an asshole.”
“If he’s abusive, I’ll let you know.”
He sighs. “I don’t even mean that much. I just mean, is he being considerate? Making sure you have what you need?”
“Yes,” I say. “He actually is. I have my own room, all my own stuff. He even gave me some money to get whatever else I want, like groceries and stuff.”
“Good.” Dad laughs. “I was wondering if I was going to have to keep funding your lifestyle.”
“Or if I’d have to get a job.”
“That sounds too awful to really contemplate.”
We lapse into a comfortable silence as I sip my coffee. It occurs to me that I’m doing this just as much for my father as I am doing it for myself or for Josh. He has as much to gain from this, but I can tell it makes him uncomfortable to ask me to do all this.
“Listen, Dad,” I say, keeping my voice low. “It’s okay, really.”
“I know.” He smiles at me. “It’ll be fine.”
He nods once and I can tell he’s getting emotional. “Thanks, sweetie.”
“Yeah, sure. I just wanted you to know that. And if anything ever goes wrong, I’ll call you first. You’ll owe me big time.”
He laughs a little and looks away. I think he might be blinking away tears, which scares me. I’ve never seen my father cry, not a single time. He’s the sort of man that would rather jump off a bridge than let someone see him cry. But I guess it’s emotional when you ask your daughter to do so much for you. It must hurt him, at least a little bit. But that’s not what I want.
I don’t want his pride to hurt just because I’m involved now.
“Anyway, just so you know, I plan on taking Josh’s name.”
That surprises him. He looks at me again and furrows his brow. “Really? I thought you liked being Maggie Fyall.”
“I do,” I say quickly. “But it’ll look more realistic if I change my name to Maggie Cork.”
“True, true.” He grumbles a little bit. “I know that’s true.”
“Look, it’s not… it’s not personal. I love you, Dad. I love our family. It’s just going to look better.”
“I know, I know. And if you two were married for real, I wouldn’t even question it for a second. This whole situation is so…” He shakes his head.
“I know it’s hard for you. That’s why I’m here, talking you through it. If you want, I can just… stay home. And handle it.”
“No,” he says firmly. “No, you’d better keep coming and updating me. I need to be on top of this.”
“Good, okay. I’ll do that.”
“Good.” He smiles a little. “Might be nice to have you around the office.”
“Don’t get sappy, old man.”
He laughs and I drink my coffee, trying not to let the lump in my throat get any worse.
