Contracted Marriage

7. Spitfire Encounter

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Once we got home, I did not even bother to park the car, I was out and running. I was sure to get a disapproving eye from Elena but at this point I did not give a dime.

I came across Papa in the hall way on his way to his study with some papers, and might I say he was in a hurry. He was tripping over his feet at the speed he was going. What was wrong?
“Papa” I called after him when he was about to get to the door.
He turned to me and turned me off.
“Not now Hannah” He said and walked on, only to turn abruptly with popped eyes.
“Hannah? What…what are you doing…where is your sister?” He was stuttering, I could tell he had broken sweat. He had that annoying guilty look on his face but I did not have time to find out what his latest secrets were. At least he did not recall my running stunt this morning, which was saying a lot. I had a much pressing matter.
“Did you sell Denise too Papa?” I asked the question of the hour.
“What? What are you talking about?” He walked to me looking behind him and ushered me to the other direction.
“Oh don’t give me that dad, some maniacs come out of nowhere and try to abduct Denise and you tell me you have nothing to do with it?” This is unbelievable.
“Somebody did what? Where is she? Denise! Denise!” He went frantic calling out her name walking away from me.
Look at that, he did not inquire about me,huh, you try too hard Lily, he will never see you.
“She’s in the car if they have not gotten her yet” I said the last part under my breath; I did not think he heard me, but he did.
“Denise!” He ran all the way out dropping his papers. I chuckled lightly at the look on his face.
I needed to get Denise some water but I noticed the dropped papers and picked them. They were some contract of some kind.
Off course the contract, I face palmed myself at how slow I was catching up today.
Lily, the study, go and check. Yeah I will do just that.
I was talking to myself again.
Anyway I went to check my father’s study. He had to be hiding something in there, he recently normally is.
I had not been in the study a lot of times before since Papa had a lot of meetings with grumpy business men who normally got on my nerve, so I avoided the place like the plague. He also spent most of his day here and we have not been talking much lately too.
He had a pretty massive desk on my left as I walked in with surprisingly arranged paper filling one side of it. A few more things you would expect on a study desk that I did not know much about. Do not get me wrong, I am doing quite well in my business course but I can’t know every single thing, right? Besides I have other pressing matters I have been working on.
A big glass window covered half of the wall in front of me as i went in further. I remember my mother spending most of her time staring out through it every time I found them together or rather, every time I heard Papa raise his voice at her and I ran to check. I missed her big time.
I was still looking at the window when a shadow to my right woke me from my trance. I assumed a defensive stance and looked for the intruder.
A man sat on one of the couches staring right at me scowling at my ridiculous position. And may I add a very strikingly handsome fellow, quite young; around 26. I felt stupid with my knees bent, my right foot in front of the other and both hands raised ready to fight some demon lacking in the dark. His gaze was making me uncomfortable every second. I dropped the papers.
Something about his stance disqualified him from an intruder. He gave out the aura of power, someone who owned. Judging from the suit he was clad in, he sure did own a lot; a lot of women too.
Look at that body Lily; I’ll be damned if I did not find him the least bit attractive.
I righted my position and took the time to study him well since he did not make a move to speak. I also did not know what to say; what would I say anyway?        Ask what he was doing in my house? Hell! I felt out of place right now.
Was I even in my house? I looked around and sure enough, I was. I looked back at him.
He had a slick hair cut; hair on this side hair on the other, little hair there more hair there…I don’t know the first thing about haircuts so I could not explain his look. Was that a ring? OMG he had a freaking pierced ear. He had his head tilted to his right so I could not see it well, maybe a golden loop ring. His shoulders were broad; like me sitting on them broad.
What are you saying Lily.
I mentally smacked my head. So as I was saying, he was all muscle from my point of view. I could not tell how tall he was, he was seating on one of Papa’s arm chairs, my mother’s favorite actually. He was also leaning comfortably on it too, like he owned it which was wrong.
I could not stand the nerve of him suddenly. He might be good looking and all but: oh…the grey eyes!
Focus Lily, for once just focus! Yeah, he had to get out that chair. He did not own that, like he owns you? What!
He owns you, I can feel it.
No he doesn’t, I don’t even know him, now stop it.
You can’t deny it; I am you by the way, I know what you want.
Okay. “Shut up!”
“I didn’t say a word?” The guy said with both hands raised midway.
Huh, the voice! So commanding and cold; it sent a shiver down my back.
See I told you, he freaking owns you. Then she goes ahead to laugh like an evil witch.
Oh no, he heard me speak to myself. Shut up inner self!
“Off course you didn’t.” I hit my forehead this time.
I felt stupid after that and decided to continue.
“You didn’t say a word. Why didn’t you anyway? Are you mute? No you just spoke, maybe you don’t like talking. You like scaring people and staring at them don’t you? You are weird.” I finished off my ranting which he listened to with nothing but a raised eyebrow.    
I waited for his reply, but he still said nothing.
“Well? You are still not going to something? By the way you need to get out of that chair.” I put both hands on my waist to look intimidating; which worked perfectly.
“Off course, I was not having the best experience on it anyway.” He said with a disgusted look on his face. He then stood and walked right to me.
Holy mother of molly! He was tall; I had to look up high with every step he made. If I thought he was intimidating then, I was weak at the knees now. Both hands fell from my waist when he stood with all his tall glory in front of me. He was looking down at me like he was mocking me; and he was. He wore a smirk and his eyes were dancing with humor in them. He was laughing at me for sure.
I was hardly 5.4ft and he was way past 6.5ft, which was saying a lot. No one looked down on me, I never let them.
“Will you please wipe that look on your face before I wipe it for you?” I said. I was too polite for my own good.
“What look?” He said with that smirk growing slightly.
“C’mon! You know; that annoying smug expression on your face?” He was getting on my nerves now. I could feel the anger rise. He also insulted my mother’s favorite chair. I wanted to stomp my foot on his so hard.
He chuckled lightly at this. I was definitely not threatening enough; this had me wound up tighter than before.
“Be my guest.” He then folded his arms; like he was waiting for me to do something.
“Sure.” I did not need more invitation to do what had been going through my head since I first saw him. I kissed him; phf! I cannot get caught kissing him; over my rotting body.
I was not crazy enough to do such a thing, but I was mad enough to slap the living daylights out of him. It wiped that annoying look off his face alright, but it was replaced immediately with surprise then rage soon after.

Jake
“Sure.” The little chit said with a tinny stretch of her lips to indicate a smile.
I had never come across a quirky little thing before since my line of business needed serious individuals and not this little but very interesting woman who has not stopped talking since I laid eyes on her. This had been a very infuriating meeting that had taken longer than I anticipated since this morning. Now that she was here, I was not as angry although quite irked.
I could listen to this one speak all day and not get bored. Who would get bored any way, she was full of surprises. Ever since I heard of her, she has done nothing but the unexpected. And again she did what I was not expecting for the fourth time today.
She slapped me, and might I add hard?
I do not remember a woman ever laying their hands on me before, not even my mother. Only in different occasions do I require them to conduct such body contact in a pleasurable way, which come to think of it has been rare recently. Who had possessed the little chit to perform such an outrageous act?
It was a wakeup call for me, this was a spoiled brat who was used to getting what she damned wanted and that is why she ran this morning. I had personally witnessed this from where I sat in the living room, waiting for her only to see her ran like a possessed woman to and from the door carrying little shoes; that she was currently wearing.
I was not going to tolerate the chit’s mannerism in my house and I had to start by telling her exactly that so she would not say I did not warn her.
I took her by the neck; I had been thinking of touching this part of her since she walked in, and pushed her to the nearest wall to our right, applying the right amount of pressure; just enough to drive the point and not to hurt her pretty little neck.
The surprised expression suited her well; she was one to be surprised I say. Her big inquisitive blue eyes held terror and were twice as big. She was growing paler by the second and not from the cut circulation of blood or air; I was sure I applied little to no pressure, instead she was downright scared. Her light-blue eyes were turning a darker shade and some tears gathered but remained unshed, like she was holding them back.
She then started shaking all over. Was she crying? This caught me off guard and I loosened my hold on her. Immediately I did, she let out a loud laughter that made her kneel over and supported her body from falling with hands on her knees.
“You think…you think you can scare me…ha-ha…and…and…Oh my God this is so funny.” Then she coughed a little between laughs and stood straight with an amused look, staring at me.
“You don’t scare me, not one bit.” She then said with one hand on her waist and the other poking my chest with every word she said.
Was this woman mentally unstable? 
I would not be surprised if she was. It might be the reason as to why her father is ready to give her to me; more like sell her to me. Or she was bipolar, definitely bipolar. But I could deal with her, put her in her place.
“Then we should change that immediately.” I said with the most intimidating voice I could master. I was good at it, I have come to understand that people respect you more when you take the reins; steer things your way.
I picked up the papers she had dropped and saw that they were the contract. I then tore them to pieces close enough to her face then poured them all over her tinny frame.
“Hey! You just can’t tear things around here. Those are important.” She shrieked rather loudly.
I assumed her and went to my bag on the desk, pulled out some forms and a pen and placed them on the desk; signing every part I needed to. Counter checking twice, I replaced the pen on the paper and motioned for her to sign.
“What…what is that?” She asked unsure and moved forward to take a peak.
The minute she saw what was written in bold letters, she let out a loud gasp and picked them up. Gasping twice as she perused through them, she then looked back at me with an unbelievable expression on her face.

“A marriage certificate?”