The Marriage Contract (PUBLISHED!)

Chapter Ten

            Though he was twenty eight, the impish glint in his golden brown eyes, made him appear no older than ten.

            Placing my palm against my forehead, I stared incredulously at him. My eyes raked over the slight grin against his lips, to his black Armani t-shirt, which probably cost more than my rent, before stopping on his shoes. Leather skin from an alligator or snake, I couldn’t tell- covered his feet, which I assumed only the highest paid masseuses had touched.

            In his mind, he was a Prince of sorts, who could obtain whatever he wanted with only a snap of his fingers. To him, I was nothing more than his personal marionette- someone he thought he could pull in whichever direction he pleased.

            Well, he was wrong.

            “I’m not going anywhere with you.” I spoke slowly. “It’s been three days since we met, and the only reason I agreed to marrying you is for the shelter. You can’t take advantage of me like this—“

            He shook his head, taking slow steps towards me.

            “Dorothy, sweetheart, you’re getting it all wrong,” he said. “You’re thinking with your heart, not your head—“

            “He’s right,” said April.

            I snapped my eyes to my friend, who sat on the couch next to Judy, the supposed “nurse”. I narrowed my gaze, focusing on the older woman, who, now that I looked closer- appeared to be a mix between Italian and Japanese. She had a poised stance- her back straight against the soft woolen couch.

            Ugh. My head was spinning, as I didn’t know what to focus on first—the mysterious nurse, or James’s stupid idea that I should move in with him.

            “Don’t take his side,” I told April.

            Narrowing my eyes at the woman, who stared blankly at me, I turned once more to James.

            “Can you leave?” I asked quietly. “This is getting out of hand, and I know you’re used to getting whatever you want, but you’re never going to get me to move in with you, so just lose the dream—“

            He laughed. “Can you hear me out at least?—“

            “No,” I snapped. “There’s no reason we should live together. None—“

            “There are plenty of reasons,” he insisted. “Number one, you’re married to one of the richest heirs in the world. Number two, Paparazzi’s will follow your every move, and believe me, they will find out that you’re stilling living in this shack you call home, and when they do find out, our entire plan will come crashing down like fucking dominos—“

            “That’s not true,” I said. “There has to be a way. I can’t live with you, I just can’t!”