"I'm sorry," Alex mumbled.
"For what?" I ask while walking back up the steps to the party.
"I'm sorry for what I said to you at Marinos, and I apologize for the way I've been treating you lately," Alex said sincerely.
"It's okay," I say forgiving him.
He let out a small chuckle. "You forgive too easily doll."
I shrug. "What's the point of staying mad? It won't solve anything."
He just smiled. His smile seemed to want to make me smile. Maybe it won't be so bad being his wife for a year. Wait was it only for a year? Damn, I should've read the contract more carefully. My name is on a contract I basically don't know anything about. Shit, how could I have been so reckless. "Alex I'm going to have to read our contract again."
"Why?"
"I realize that I barely even read it," I reply.
He sighs. "There's one on my laptop, you can read it when we go back to the hotel.
We arrive back to the hotel room around eight. I watch as my boss goes over to the desk and pulls out the chair, but he doesn't sit. He looks my way.
"Come, sit," he gestures for me to sit down.
Come? Sit? What was I, his dog?
Anyways, I walk over and sit. Oh yes, the contract.
I read it carefully and nothing seems to be outrageous until my eyes read, 'You are not to have any other intimate relationships other than the one with Alex Bentley, but he may choose to have intimacy with whoever he chooses.'
What.
The.
Hell.
The thought of Alex being with someone else and intimately made me want to hurl and punch him at the same time. I can't be with anyone, but he can cheat on me whenever he wants!?
I look up and meet his eyes. "I can't be with anyone, but you can cheat on me anytime you please?"
His lips turn into a grim line. "I'm a man, and I have needs that need to be fulfilled."
Seriously, giving me that speech? What about my needs, did he ever think about that? Not that I had ever experienced things like that, but still! Inconsiderate arrogant douche.
I narrow my eyes at him. "What about me? You don't think I have needs as well?"
His eyes seemed to turn dark and hooded. "If you ever have needs, you come to me."
Okay, was not expecting him to say that...
"That's not fair, if you get other women, why can't I have other guys?" I ask.
"Well obviously you're not going to give me what I need so thus the need for other women, but I on the other hand can fulfill any need you have."
I look at him with wide eyes.
"Look if you don't want to come to me with your needs then just stay abstain from sex because I'm not changing the rules," he states.
Well I've been abstinent all my life so what's another year right?
Desperately wanting to change the topic I ask, "Wait why do you need a fake bride anyways?"
A moment of silence occurs before he responds. "I made a deal with my parents that if I didn't get married by the time I turned twenty seven then I would have to marry Valentina."
I look at him with curious eyes. "Why make the deal in the first place."
He raked his fingers through his hair. "It was basically pushed onto me. My father threatened to take Bentley Enterprise away from me if I hadn't gotten married because supposedly the company has to have a family image to keep up with and he can't have someone who is single and a womanizer to run the company."
"Oh, it definitely would've been less costly if you had just married Valentina," I say without thinking.
He frowns at me. "That's true, but our marriage would only last a year, and that's enough time for my father to officially hand over Bentley Enterprise. Then, I can do what I want without him threatening to take away the company."
A simple "oh" was all I could say.
I read over the rest of the contract and I found it funny that there's a whole page describing how Mrs. Bentley should act.
'Mrs. Bentley needs to act mature in all situations and should not engage in anything verbally or physically violent. Mrs. Bentley needs to show everyone kindness and respect, especially Mr. Bentley...
Blah
Blah
Blah...'
Well showing everyone kindness and respect kinda went out the window with Valentina today. Oh well.
I reach the end of the contract without any eye rolling. Surprisingly.
"We leave tomorrow morning at 4:30. We're going to be stopping in at the Sharlene Woodson show after we land.
***
"Wow," I whispered to myself while looking in the brightly lit vanity. I looked like I just came out of a Vogue magazine. My eyebrows were dark and shaped to perfection. A simple brown eyeshadow was used in my eye crease making them look deeper. The gel liner was winged to a perfect point. My eyelashes were curled and coated twice with black mascara. I usually didn't wear foundation but they told me it was absolutely necessary. It did make my look even more perfect. The makeup artists also insisted on contouring my face so I let them. To be honest, I felt like Kim Kardashian or something. Half of my dark hair was teased a bit and then pulled up into a smooth high ponytail leaving the rest of my hair on the bottom sleek and straight. They also pulled out a few tendrils from the top of my hair and from the sides of my face. I was wearing a super expensive dress that was supposedly designed by Prada. It was a ruby red spaghetti strap dress that ended at my ankles. It seemed like two red triangles covered my chest tightly and the rest of the dress flowed from the waist down. The dress was also backless which made me a little uncomfortable, but it was still absolutely beautiful. I was wearing a pair of tall nude barely there Jimmy Choo sandals. The outfit was accented with a pair of large thin silver hoop earrings and of course my necklace that I always wore.
"It's starting people," the director yelled.
I looked at a screen and saw in big letters, 'The Sharlene Woodson Show.' Sharlene was a woman in her thirties I think.
"Good evening everyone!" The raven haired woman entered and waved her hands.
Sharlene flipped her curly hair and sat down in a white leather chair. She flashed a smile towards the camera. "Today, we have a very special guest. The most eligible bachelor in the world right now has stopped by today!"
The crowd cheered and clapped in excitement.
Sharlene got up from her chair. "Please welcome Alexander Bentley!"
Alex entered on stage and I think I had a mini heart attack. I don't mean to sound like a love struck teenager, but I think he just came out of a fairytale. Now that I think about it, he always looks good. Alex gave Sharlene a hug and sat down on a white leather couch opposite from her chair.
Sharlene crossed her legs as she sat down. "Alex how have you been doing?"
Alex smiled showing his pearly whites at the cameras. "I've been great Sharlene, I'm honored to be here."
Sharlene let out a small laugh. "And we are very honored that you stopped by, anyways is there a reason that you've been doing so great?"
Alex's face turned soft. "Actually there is."
"Please, do tell," Sharlene said with excitement.
"Her name is Anastasia Stratford," Alex said.
"Oh! She's actually here today, let's bring her out," Sharlene exclaimed.
"You're on Ana!" The director yelled.
I walked on stage with sweaty palms and a big smile plastered on. Alex stood up and greeted me with a hug and before I knew it, his lips were on mine. I heard the crowd roar. His lips were slow and soft. He eventually pulled away. Wow. He kissed me. Again. I sat down next to Alex and he entwined our fingers. My heart was beating as if I just ran a marathon. This guy seriously needs to stop kissing me without telling me first. One day I maybe just have a mini heart attack and die. I had a feeling that the color of my face right now matched the color of my dress perfectly.
"Good evening Ana, you look beautiful tonight," Sharlene smiled at me. Her hazel eyes were big and bright.
"Thank you," I say.
"Is that a ring I see?" Sharlene cocked an eyebrow.
"Yep, I had to put a ring on her before she could run away," Alex joked.
The crowd laughed and so did Sharlene. "So how did you two meet?"
Damn, we never came up with a story. I was definitely not going to tell the story I told his parents. I wouldn't embarrass him on television, besides I can't even really remember what I told his parents.
"I'm sure Ana would love to tell you," Alex grinned.
Jerk.
I laugh nervously. "Why don't you tell it babe."
A smile played on top of his lips. Alex pushes a loose strand of hair out of my face and looks at me deeply. I feel like my skin is burning, literally.
"Doll, you should tell it since it always makes your eyes light up. Besides, I love how you get all exited you get when you talk about it," Alex smiles brightly.
I take a few seconds to recollect myself.
I look up at Alex and my fierce red lips turn upwards into the biggest smile I could plaster on my face. I put my hand on his chest and my finger makes a swirl on his chest. "Baby, you know I love it when you tell the story, besides you tell it better."
"You two are so cute together! Please Alex, tell us the story," Sharlene insisted.
My hand dropped and my smile widened. Mission accomplished. Alex grinned at me but it seemed forced.
Alex cleared his throat before starting. "We met at the 'Lucky $even' bar a few months back. The first time I saw her, I knew she already had my heart. Her gorgeous dark thick hair flowed down her back and she had the prettiest smile on her lips. What drew me in were her eyes. They were dark and held a mystery I couldn't solve. We didn't really start off on the right foot considering I was being a jerk, but she ignored me like she didn't hear anything I said. She didn't retort to my rudeness, she just simply ignored me. It drove me absolutely crazy. Ana's the kind of girl who doesn't care what others think about her and that something I love about her. A few weeks later we met again when she took my order at Marinos, but I was with a date then. I didn't know it was her at first and I of course was a complete ass to her again. When she came back I realized I knew those dark mysterious eyes and that beautiful dark thick hair. She of course continued to ignore me and I don't blame her. I was being an arrogant ass. After a week of coming into Marinos and apologizing she finally forgave me and that's when I asked her out on a date. We continued seeing each other for a few months until I had to travel to France for a month. She thought it would be better if we broke it off for awhile. I of course was not happy about that but I eventually agreed with her to make her happy. Coincidentally, she ended up applying for the P.A. Assistant at my company. She didn't even know that Bentley Enterprise was my company because I don't like to tell woman that I am the CEO. I want them to love me without my money. I love the way that she puts up with me even though I know I can be hard to deal with sometimes. The best part is, she's got a heart of pure gold. So I guess that's the story."
I think my heart just skipped a beat. He should be an actor, even I almost believed his performance.
*
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"On a date," Alex stated as he focused on the road.
"Date, why?"
Alex gives me a quick glance. "You know, it hurts that you wouldn't like to go on a date with me."
I shrug. "No, it's not that, it's just why go on a date when we're already 'engaged."
"Well doll, I know absolutely nothing about you. I would like to get to know my 'fiancé'," Alex said.
He was right, we didn't know anything about each other. I knew nothing about him at all. "Oh."
He smiled. "I hope that's okay with you."
I let out a small grin. "Of course, I mean for all I know you could be a murder."
Alex chuckled. "Don't worry, I don't murder people. Well, I mean some women have fainted when they saw how sexy I was in person but I assure you they didn't die."
I roll my eyes. "You just had to add in the sexy part didn't you?"
"You know it's true," he winked at me.
I force out a scoff. "I don't see you in that kind of way at all."
He casually rubbed his chin with his hand. "So you're not attracted to me at all?"
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Nope."
"I'm hurt that your lying right to my face."
I take deep breathes to calm myself. "I'm not lying."
"You bite your lip when you're lying," he responds.
I do not do that. Do I? "Shouldn't you be paying attention to the road?"
Alex sighs. "I get it, you're intimated by my good looks."
How much bigger can his ego possibly get? "For the last time, I'm not attracted to you."
Alex parks the car in a huge parking lot. "That's too bad, because I'm attracted to you doll," Alex says casually and then gets out of the car.
What?
♥️
Thank you for reading my story! Some big things are about to happen between Alex and Ana! I hope you're as excited as I am.