Betting with the Bride

Chapter Three

Ivory

A faint gasp leaves my wide lips, and I almost forget he's speaking to me. My hands become hot and clammy, and my cheeks burn. His tan, flawless face stares up at me as if he knows exactly what I'm going to say, and I guess he does. I can't just let him down. Sure, he's a jerk, and he is an incompetent fool for putting me on the spot, but I would feel at least a tad bit guilty, even if it's microscopic. I should become an actress because of how well I'm dealing with this, but I think I'll stick to hotel management. 

I eagerly nod. "Yes," I whisper. He slips the flashy ring onto my left ring finger, and then he engulfs me in a tight hug. 

The whole crowd erupts into cheers and applause. A warm, soft object touches my lips, and my eyes widen. I'm being kissed and not by just anyone, by Hunter Richardson. My lips don't respond, and I just stand there stunned and paralyzed. 

As we walk back to our table, he slyly whispers in my ear, "You call that a kiss?"

I scoff, but sit down without a rude retort. There'll be plenty of rude retorts tonight when I yell at him.

I bravely endure the rest of the night, and I receive many congratulations and a glower from an extremely displeased Kiran. Hunter possessively keeps me by his side the whole night, sending scowls at any man that dare look at me. When we finally leave, he leads me to an awaiting limo. As soon as we are securely locked into the car, I turn on him.

"What is your problem?" I shout furiously. "First, you force me to attend a ball with you, and then you pressure me into marrying! What is your problem?" I repeat.

Hunter innocently stares at me. "Why are you so upset? Any girl would be glad to have spent the night with me, not to mention marry," he arrogantly states.

"Well I am not glad by any means! I do not like being forced to do anything, and I certainly do not like being manipulated and used! Do I make myself clear?" I sternly demand.

Hunter angers me more, "Now just calm down, Princess. Just let me explain."

"I will absolutely not let you 'explain!'" I interrupt. "I am not going to marry you, and there is nothing you can do to change my mind!" Hunter doesn't look intimidated or slightly guilty at all, he just smirks at me, not uttering a single word. I thrust the expensive ring back into his palm. "And take your damn ring back!"

Satisfied with my outburst, I fold my arms and grumpily stare out the window until the limousine pulls up at my apartment. I slam the door in Hunter's face as he calls out a cocky good-bye, aiming to infuriate me even more.

I swing open the front door, and harshly shut it again. As soon as I enter the apartment, I kick off my heels, and collapse onto the sofa exasperatedly. I groan into the couch's cushion loud enough for my mother to enter the room curiously. 

"Ivory what could be wrong this late at night?" she incredulously asks, her petite frame standing by the couch.

"I've been at a stupid ball," I mumble into the fabric.

"So why are you complaining?" she questions, obviously not understanding my dilemma even though it is written on the wall.

"I went with a man, and he wishes to marry me, but I will not wed, and certainly not him! He is demanding, bossy, disrespectful, impulsive, and completely arrogant!" I exclaim as I hoist myself to my feet.

"Oh, he can't be that bad. What's the poor lad's name?" my mother asks.

"Hunter Richardson," I bitterly reply.

She falls deadly silent, speechless by my answer. Her reaction only confirms what I knew. He is wealthy, no doubt, but an utter player. 

Sleep clouds my brain, as I struggle to dress myself and prepare myself a bagel. I smother the top of the blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese, and then I toss the butter knife in the sink and snatch my purse. On weekdays I'm not required to wait tables at Sal's, so I stick to managing the hotel. A yellow cab pulls up beside the building, and I climb in the back. After I pay the driver, I review a few notes from the meeting last week while I wait a few minutes until we arrive. 

The Clarion has two wings branching off to the left and right, but the main section is the tallest. The building has 15 floors, including the penthouse. There's a small library, a daycare, a pool by the garden, and a fitness room. The hotel is maintained and reasonably priced. Overall, I would give the hotel five stars, but I have been employed as the general manager for two years now, so my opinion is bias.

The front desk worker, a young brunette, greets me as I enter. I smile politely at her, and wave. She ushers me over.

"Ivory, Mike wanted to see you upstairs in his office right away. I'd hurry, he looked a bit upset," she advises me.

"Thank you, I'll head up there now," I tell her before leaving.

What could my boss possibly be mad about? Nothing ever upsets him, unless I did something wrong, which I rarely do. He told me just last week that I always meet his expectations, so I doubt I am the reason. Maybe the brunette is wrong; maybe Mike isn't upset at all, just a bit stressed. That's all, right?

Mike is setting at his cluttered desk, conversing with a man sat across from him. His door is slightly ajar, but I still lightly rap on the door. The man doesn't turn around as Mike waves me in his office. 

"Mike, you wanted to see me?" I ask.

"Ah, yes, Ivory, sit please," he instructs me, gesturing to a chair beside the man.

Hunter

At the mention of my runaway fiance's name, I turn around to see... her. Instead of a waitress' uniform or a tan gown, her hourglass frame is clad in a black pencil skirt, and a white button-up blouse. Her professional expression doesn't even falter a bit at the sight of me, she just sits down in the seat beside me and crosses her legs at the ankles. 

"Hunter, this is Ivory Fleming, the general manager of the Clarion. She can give you an inside look on how we run things while I am at my meeting, you won't be disappointed. If the meeting flows smoothly, then I will return at approximately 2:30," Mike informs me. 

I nod, and follow him to the door. "Thank you for meeting with me. I'm positive the transition will be done by next week," I tell him.

All three of us exit the office, and Ivory and I guide him to the front doors. He bids farewell to each of us, and then climbs into his car, leaving us alone. With a forced smile, Ivory faces me.

"Shall we begin your tour?" she asks with the same tone you would use with a customer.

"We probably should," I reply.

"Follow me please," Ivory commands sweetly.

As we walk, I assure her, "You do know you can speak to me like you normally would, right?"

Ivory shakes her head, "If I spoke to you how I wanted to then I would surely be fired."

I chuckle at her response. "You are something else, Princess," I mumble.

She maintains a cheerful smile and a respectful tone the entire tour, but a few times I caught her rolling her eyes at my comments. We end at 2 o'clock, leaving us with thirty minutes to kill.

"Well, I am going to finish some paperwork in my office, so you can go do whatever a Hunter does," she announces.

"Will do, Princess," I push her buttons.

She sighs before striding down the hall, not bothering to snap at me. I take pleasure in watching her backside as she saunters away.