"Dude you are now a married man. Official. Trapped in a fucking jar" Josh said chortling like it was the funniest joke in the world.
"Ha ha laugh it up". Ash returned taking a sip of his champagne. All four were sitting on one of the tables decorated with white and peach in the Hurley’s’ pool area. This was where the reception was been held; it had been transformed beautifully with a white and peach décor, and pillars of peach flowers scattered all around the area. As beautiful as it was, Ash was not impressed; this was the last place he wanted to be at the moment.
"Look on the bright side, your wife is hot" Jeremy said looking at Emily speaking with Sherri and the rest of the Hurley's help. She could be hot all she wants, Ash was determined to never touch her again. His attraction was long gone.
"At least she knows her place regardless of her marital status" Josh added. Ash laughed talking another sip of his drink. The bitch probably had never been in a room with three of the richest men in Atlanta, Ash thought grimacing. He couldn’t believe his dad invited his closest friends to the sham of a wedding.
"I see why you fell for her. I would do her too. But more careful than you though" Jeremy said laughing.
"Dude shut up. I got carried away" How many times was he going to explain himself? This was the main reason he didn’t want his friends to know about the pregnancy; they wouldn’t let him live it down.
"I wouldn’t even dare to not use condom with people like that. Forget not wanting her to get pregnant, I wouldn't risk contracting anything from her" Jeremy continued, still looking at Emily but this time with a look of disgust.
Ash wiped his face "She is clean" if there was anything he knew to be a fact about Emily, it was her clean bill of health
"She told you that?" Josh wanted to know.
Ash mentally shook his head. Like he would ever believe her. "No. I got checked after the first time"
"The first time? You mean you fucked her raw more than once?" Jeremy asked.
Ash groaned. Not again.
"I thought this was a one hit wonder. You know the one time you don't use a rubber, she got pregnant" shaking his head Josh continued "You were asking for it then"
"Dumbass" Jeremy added.
"Both of you can stop reprimanding me now okay?. I fucked up. I am paying for it. I'm married to the bitch until I prove that that thing is not mine" He didn’t think the punishment was fitting but that was something he had to take up with his dad. The man was just doing anything and everything to piss him off. Ash couldn’t hide the shock on his face when he saw his dad walk her down the aisle. Why his dad had to give her away was beyond him; she was probably too pathetic for any of her family members to walk her down the aisle. What a loser.
"You better hope there is someone less fortunate than you because this is 50/50 now" Jeremy commented earning a chuckle from Josh. That had always been Ash’s hope and prayer; he hoped someone else would come forward to claim the child. He was fully aware he might be the father but he hoped someone else was more deserving; he wanted nothing to do with Emily or her meal ticket.
"I am going to talk to that red head over there, see if she will come home with me tonight" Josh said saluting his friends before walking away.
"Ash can I take the other one to your room?..I don't want her coming home with me" Jeremy asked with a smirk. Ash grinned at Jeremy. Always the womanizer.
"Suit yourself man". At least someone was having fun on the worst day of his life.
"Will do. Not all of us have a hot wife to go home to" Jeremy said walking away. Ash ignored Jeremy’s comment; there was no wife to go home to, he had no intentions of ever treating Emily like a wife.
When both Jeremy and josh left for their “catch of the night”, Ash turned his attention to Michael who had remained quiet beside him. Turning to him, he could see why. Michael was staring at Emily with a smile on his face, he was so carried away he didn't even notice both Josh and Jeremy were no longer at the table or the silent that ensued. Ash watched his dad approach Emily, whispered something to her before taking her away from the helps she was talking to then introduced her to his friends. He watched Michael follow her every steps with his eyes.
"You okay?" He nudged him. Michael turned blinking several times. "What?..Yea I'm good"
Ash eyed him warily. He knew something wasn’t right and his friend was hiding something; what and why were questions bugling him. "Is there something you would like to say to me?"
"About what?" Michael asked instead confused. "Emily...what's your deal with her?"
Michael looked back at Emily briefly before turning his gaze back to Ash. "There is no deal".
"I don't believe you. You have never lied to me so please don't start now. Did you fuck her or something?" there had to be a reason why his friend was acting like a love-sick puppy and he was dying to know why.
"No I didn't fuck her. I just.." He trailed off taking a sip of his champagne "I like her a lot"
"For real? Like you really like her?"
Michael nodded "Yea I do".
"Fuck!!" Ash swore. "Why didn't you tell me before?" The last time Michael really liked a girl was when he was in the 11th grade and now Emily? The bloody maid? Ash just couldn’t wrap his head around that declaration. There were far more girl better fitting for his friend’s feeling, Emily sure as hell wasn’t one of them.
Michael shrugged. "I didn't see the need. She doesn't like me. She choose you I guess"
Ash tugged his head, messing up his perfectly styled hair. "This is fucked up"
"It's not. I will get over it. It's just odd to me you know? I don't understand why she told me you didn't have time for anything right now then.." He trailed off. Ash felt disgusted with Michael’s sappy attitude. What was so special about the girl anyway? Absolutely nothing.
"Why is it so hard for you to believe she is a manipulative bitch. She stands to get more from you than you so she went for me" He tried to help his friend see reasons but Michael wasn't having it.
Michael shook his head " No. She is not like that. I don't get that vibe from her" Ash groaned, his frustration clearly evident.
"You see the good in people too much even when there is none there" he used the same words used on his dad; both Michael and his dad were too similar, always trying to save the world. They both deserved to be father and son, at this stage Ash was ready to swap fathers; he wasn't very fond of his own dad at the moment.
Ash watch his friend take another slip on his champagne, his face scrunched up in thought; perhaps pondering on his best friend’s words. An idea popped in Ash’s mind at that moment; it involved using his best friend but at the end everyone would be happy.
"Fine, you can have her" he declared. He knew he was being ridiculous but desperate time calls for desperate measure; he had to get rid of Emily whichever way possible.
"What?" Michael asked looking around them to make sure no one else was listening in on the conversation.
"I said you can have her. You like her that much then be with her. She won't feed you that bullshit anymore about focusing on her job since she has none now"
Michael stared at Ash with his mouth ajar "You can't be serious. This is your fucking wedding reception. I'm not going after your wife and mother of your child" Ash rolled his eyes at Michael unwanted concern.
"C'mon I don't care. I don't want her at all. You will be doing me a huge favor. That could be my way out of this marriage, she falls in love with you then divorce me since I can't divorce her. You get your woman I get my freedom. Everyone is happy" he continued when Michael remained silent "I have no intention of touching her again so you don't have to worry about us sharing her or something. She is all yours man."
"What about your child?"
Ash rolled his eyes again at the unwanted concern "It may not be mine. Even if it is, you can adopt him or her as yours because I don't want the child..I want absolutely nothing to do with her"
"Why do you feel this way towards her?" Michael asked puzzled.
"The girl irritates me so much" Ash deadpan
"Then why did you sleep with her? What were you trying to prove?" Michael challenged. Ash was aware his reason for sleeping with her was as superficial as it get; he wanted her so he did, there was nothing else to it.
"I was just curious that's all and as much as it kills me to say she is pretty"
Michael smiled "Yea she is"
Ash nodded. He didn’t want to comment on the stupid look on Michael’s face; the guy was whipped already and he hadn't even slept with the girl yet.
"But that's adultery. She is married. To you" he pointed at Ash.
Ash was prepared for that, he knew that would be a concern for his holier than thou best friend; luckily for him though, he had an explanation that would put his friend at ease.
"She is married to me for show. That's all. No feelings are involved in this marriage. Well, except my hatred for her"
"Why do you hate her so much?"
"She is ruining my life and she is just so fucking stupid. It’s ridiculous how stupid she is but that's what you want so.."He trailed off. All his life, Ash had never met anyone as stupid as Emily and he had met plenty of dumb girl but Emily lead the pack.They would have avoided this whole mess if she wasnt so stupid; she had plenty of options but chose not to.
Michael let a breath out "This is a crazy idea bro. What if you end up developing feeling but she loves me, what happens then?"
Ash snorted. "That's NEVER going to happen so don't worry about it" There would be no you-don’t-know-what-you-have-until-you-lose-it and that was a guarantee; he would make sure of that,
"I don't know" Michael uttered softly wiping his face.
"C'mon mic, it wouldn't be hard. Get her to fall for you so she can get the hell out of my life" Ash was never the one to beg but in this case he would grovel if he had it. His suggestion was the best so far; if Michael could get her to fall in love with him, both of them could live happily ever after with their white fence and 2.5 kids. How hard could it be? Ash knew she had no feelings for him and according to Michael she never said she didn’t like Michael, just that she was focused on her job so it shouldn’t be hard for Michael to get the job done. Besides the girl was too damn gullible.
Michael turned to look at Emily. She was sitting down with her head bowed; she looked like she was pinching the bridge of nose like she had a migraine. He frowned. Hope she is ok, he wondered.
"This is your opportunity to swoop him. The reception is ending soon. Go" Ash encouraged. He released a breath when Michael got up and left the table. This better work; he was running out of options.
*******
Emily was ready for the party to be over. She was incredible tired and was starting to get a headache. She sat down to get herself together for a few minutes before resuming with the party. "Hey" she heard someone say. She looked up to find Michael standing over her.
"Hey" she smiled weakly at him. Anything and anyone that reminded her of Ash always put her in a sour mood.
"You ok?" He asked concerned sitting down. Emily sighed. She wanted to bitch about him just sitting down without asking her if it was okay but she was too tired for that.
"I'm fine. Just tired and feel like I'm starting to get a headache" she confessed.
He nodded. "Do you need Tylenol or something? I could get you one from the house". Emily couldn’t tell if he was being genuinely nice or this was another game plan. She wondered what they had planned now. What was next? Maybe get Michael to sleep with her or worse get Michael to blackmail her into sex. Well they were both in for a rude awakening; she was determined to not take the bait.
"No. I don't need it. I think I should just rest for a while. All that standing is getting to me." She tried to dismiss him as nice as possible, hoping he would leave her alone.
He nodded instead "Yea. Especially with your condition" He glanced briefly at her stomach.
Emily nodded taking a sip of her water. Maybe a silent treatment would work; bore him to death so he would have no choice but to leave.
'"You look beautiful by the way. I have being meaning to tell you that for a while" Emily blushed despite herself. "Thank you" she appreciated the compliment even though it wasn’t sincere, any compliment is better than none. Ash had said not more than ten words to her and a compliment wasn't one of them. He had refused to leave the company of his friends and she didn’t want to approach him with his friends around, who knew what he would say to embarrass her some more.
"So how are you in general? How is the pregnancy? Any morning sickness?" He asked staring at her eyes. Emily saw something in his deep blue eyes. Could he really be sincere with his concern? And why would he be worried about her? Emily decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"I am doing well. I was dehydrated for a while but I'm good now. The pregnancy has been easy so far. Knock on woods and I have no morning sickness"
"No morning sickness? You lucky bitch. My sister had morning sickness throughout her pregnancy"
"No..that's awful" Emily couldn’t imagine what that must have felt like. She knew she was very fortunate with her pregnancy and was praying it continued to be a breeze.
"Yep. Her husband almost divorced her because her bitchiness was out of this world. I felt sorry for the poor bloke" Emily laughed "Yea feel sorry for the guy". Leave to guys to feel sorry for each other when they are not the ones growing a human being in them.
"I love my sister but my God she was terrible" he said smiling. He was cute she thought. With his deep eyes and longish blond hair that was tugged behind his ears. Why didn’t she go out with him again? Yea that’s right, she was trying to focus on her job; the job she no longer had. Even if it was a game, at least he had the courtesy of actually asking her out instead of making demands like he was God’s gift to women.
"You are not bitchy are you?" he asked squinting at her.
"No. Well not yet. My hormones are still at bay" She answered grinning, finally letting her guards down.
"Phew..I feel sorry for Ash when that time comes" Emily's face fell at the mention of his name.
He caught it "What?" he asked.
"Nothing" She forced a smile. She didn’t want to discuss Ash; for once she wanted her focus to be on something other than him.
"Don't do that. Don’t pretend like the mere mention of his name didn't cause your mood to change in a second"
Well your friend has a gift at souring my good moods, she wanted to say but settled for something less dramatic. "It's nothing"
"Em..What is it?" he inched closer looking worried. The use of her nickname brought a familiarity Emily couldn’t explain; at that moment, she felt like she could talk to him about anything.
Emily sighed "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure"
"Did you and Ash have a bet of some sort on who will sleep with me first or something like that?"
He frowned "No..why?"
"Why did you ask me out then?"
He swallowed "At first, I thought you were gorgeous then I saw how hard working you are. Each time I come here, you are always doing something and I liked that about you. After I asked you out and you said no because you wanted to focus on your job, I admired that. Even though it hurt, I like how driven you are" Emily felt her heart swell at his words; she was glad he saw something more in her than her looks. It had always ever been about her looks.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you" she said softly. "I didn't have time for a relationship. I just started working here a little over a month and I didn't want to start slacking because I'm too busy with a boyfriend" She honestly confided in him. If he had approached her after six months of working for the Hurley’s, she was sure she would have gone out with him. He nodded.
Playing with his cuff, he asked softly "Why Ash then? Was it because it was convenient?"
Emily played with her fingers. How was she going to explain her deal with Ash? "Ash...he came to me first and I told him the same thing I told you. He didn't like it at first but he let it go then he kept pushing it but I remained adamant. He didn't take the rejection so the first chance he saw me slip up, he used that against me"
"What do you mean?".he asked bewildered.
"He has some pictures of what looked like I was stealing his mother's jewelry which he threatened to show her if I don't have sex with him. She would have fired me if she had seen them so I slept with him to avoid getting fired" There! She said it. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulder; it was nice to tell someone else what really happened. She was sure Ash had painted a horrible picture of her to his friends.
"What?! He blackmailed you?" Michael half-yelled.
Emily nodded "Yea. I thought it would be a one-time thing but he kept coming back" From Michael surprised look, Emily knew Ash never told his friends how he got her to sleep with him; it would have been too embarrassing for him to admit to his friends.
"Fuck!. I'm sorry. I didn't know he would stoop that low." He shook his head then continued "Here I am thinking you choose him because you felt he was better than me"
"No!" Emily grabbed his hand between her and inched closer "You are a much better person than Ash is and probably will ever be. I know I don't know you that well but the few times we have talked you have shown me much more respect than Ash. Don't ever doubt yourself okay?.
He nodded then smiled, a legitimate smile. She really should have gone out with him when he asked; he was really attractive.
"Why marry him then?" he asked after a couple of seconds of silence "I know it was his dad's idea and he had no choice but you did. You could have said no"
Emily bit her lips. "I married him because I felt it was the only way he would be in the baby's life. He said he didn't want anything to do with the baby but I can force him to be there if we were married. It’s pathetic I know but I rather this than let this innocent child go through what I went through". She released his hands feeling embarrassed. It was pathetic for her to force not only her baby on Ash but herself as well; the guy had made it clear he didn’t want either.
"What do you mean?" he inquired.
"My mom died while giving birth to me. I was given to the states since I have no relative. My father wasn't in the picture. I figured if anything were to happen to me, the baby will be in Ash's care instead of the state"
"Oh" he uttered, sympathy in his eyes. "I'm sorry about your mom".
"It's ok. I never met her" she waved him off.
He grabbed her hand "Still. I'm sorry" he rubbed the back of her hand soothingly. Emily blinked back tears. He was so sweet, treating like she was indeed a human being like him and nothing that was beneath him. Why wasn't Ash like this? she wondered.
"I get your decision too. It kind ’a makes sense in a sad way. Sad in the sense you have to force him to be in his own kid’s life". Michael shook his head at Ash absurd behavior towards his own flesh and blood.
"I don't know why he is acting like this except the fact that I am a common maid"
"You are not a common maid. There is so much more to you than that. Beside he knew that and still blackmailed you into sex"
Emily smiled at him. She really liked him, she thought. Leave it to her to let a good one slip out of her fingers.
He smiled back. "He will come around. No way he wouldn't be in this baby's life" he glanced at her tummy. "You think so?" She asked, voice filled with hope. She was having a hard time believing he would despite all the reassurance she was getting.
He nodded "He is my best friend. Right now, he feels like he is been punished by his dad and will take it out on you. Hang in there. He will come around"
She nodded feeling slightly positive. Michael would the best person to give her hope; he knew him better than his dad or the helps. She knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park; she was going to have to put in work to make the marriage work and she was ready to do anything if it kept him in the baby’s life.
"So enough of the sad stuff, dance with me?" Michael asked standing up. Emily looked around her. "You want to dance with me?" She asked stunned then pointed at herself.
"Yea. if you are up to it that is" she just stared at him with her mouth slightly open. Was he serious? Why would he want to dance with to her?. She thought to herself.
"Please?" He gave her a puppy dog eye look. Emily busted out laughing. "How can I say no when you look so cute?"
"well come on" he smiled then helped her up. "Not all of us are self-centered rich pricks. He couldn't be more true.
Emily giggled. "You are right"
They walked hand in hand to the small area used as the dance floor. He put his hand on her lower back and the other enveloped her small hand. "Let me know when you get tired okay?.. I don't want you to overdo it" she placed her other hand on his shoulder
"Okay" she whispered. Her heels put her eyelevel to the tip of his nose. She looked up and locked eyes with him. She had the overwhelming need to press herself closer to him; she just wanted to be held. He must have sensed it. He brought her closer to him and she laid her head on his shoulder. She heard him inhale.
“You smell good” he commented taking another whiff. Emily smiled. Thank God somebody noticed; her effort wasn’t in vain.
“Thanks…its va..”
“Vanilla” he completed. “I like it”. Emily face broke out in a huge smile.
They danced to the slow soft music and Emily forgot about Ash and the rest of the world and truly enjoyed her day.
A/N
hey guys..please vote, comment, share or leave feedbacks on the wiriting. I would greatly appreciate anything.