Chapter 4

Eli

First thing I did after I left the estate was to call my friend Rich. He’s a childhood friend, and we went to the same boarding school together. We’re like brothers, and when he became a lawyer, I was his first client. He was always full of grand and wild ideas, and we had a lot of fun growing up together. And maybe that’s what I need for my situation right now. Something completely out of the box. He’s already had a look through the contract, and as far as he could tell, it was ironclad. The fact that I need grandfather’s approval sealed the deal. And though he was old and in poor health, he had all his mental capacities. There was no way around it. It seems that I would have to play by my grandfather’s rules one last time. Thirty years old, and I’m going to be tied down at last.

I need to find myself a woman, one that my grandfather would approve of. Someone good and pure most likely, which ruled out almost all the women in my phone. Though all of them would be thrilled to be married to the Copeland fortune, none of them are women I would trust not to spill things to the press after the fact.

Still, I dismiss Rich’s plan as soon as he says it. Buying a wife? That sounds absurd. Ridiculous. Men like me don’t need to buy wives. But he looks dead serious from across the Formica table. We’re at a cheap burger joint, somewhere far from our usual haunts, and hopefully from any stray journalist that would catch wind of our plan. The jukebox blares music, and the loud hub of screaming children and weary parents covers our conversation nicely. As Rich lays out the plans though, I find myself coming around to the idea, if somewhat reluctantly. What were my choices after all?  That doesn’t mean I like it though. I don’t do love. I don’t do relationships.

“But could you pretend for the sake of the company?” Rich asks me as we head our separate ways for the night.

I think about it hard. The chance to expand, to push our company into a multi-national corporation doesn’t come often. The threat of my grandfather’s death, which would trigger the sale of the company loomed large. He said he had three months, but it was no guarantee. The old man could go any minute. If I’m to gain my inheritance, the fruit of all my labors, I had to act fast and decisively. It would be a business transaction, like countless others I’ve made.

“I can,” I say at last. “I will.”

Rich claps me on the shoulder.

“Then let’s do it. I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll find you a wife.”

The idea sits uneasily in my stomach as I drive home. Halfway through the drive, I get a call.

“Rich?” I say as the Bluetooth connects the call.

“Eli. I’ve got some good news. I’ve lined up someone I think will be perfect. Remember the waitress you were eyeing? The one who couldn’t stop looking at you. Turns out she’s an actor, and she’s desperate for the job.”

Alarm shoots through me.

“You told her already?”

“No, what do you take me for, an idiot? I told her she could audition with me tomorrow. We’ll see how she plays at being your girlfriend, and then you can decide.”

“I don’t know about this,” I say. “I hardly know her. She could have some skeletons in the closet that would blow this thing apart.”

“I’ll do some research. I have a guy I can call up to investigate these kind of things. Besides, it seems like you wanted her too, and that’ll sell the idea to your grandfather if you’re somewhat attracted to your fake fiancé.”

I think back to the waitress, with her long legs, pert ass, and that innocent, wide-eyed look she had the whole time. My cock hardens. She’s gorgeous, yes, and I would enjoy corrupting her immensely. I’d be willing to bet that she’d never had a good lay in her life. But she seemed young, and certainly not an actress what with the way she telegraphed her desire for me. One look had her in a melting puddle. I found it hard to believe that she’s an actress.

“Your grandfather would approve of her,” Rich adds when I stay silent. “And that’s what you need. A good, wholesome woman to bring back to him that will let him sign over the company to you.”

“You don’t think she’d try to turn around and sell the story to the press when we get a divorce three months later?”

Rich snorts.

“That girl doesn’t look like she had a bad bone in her body,” he says. “You should have seen how nervous she was when she came up to ask me for an audition. Hollywood hasn’t gotten to her yet, and I think that’ll work in our favor.”

“We’ll find out tomorrow,” I say. “Send over the details when you have them from your P.I.”

“Got it.”

I end the call. Rich is right. The waitress is exactly the sort of woman that Grandfather’s envisioning for me. He probably thinks a woman like that could tame me down. Well he’s in for a surprise. I’ve never been much for family, especially after what I’ve experienced growing up. I don’t think of warm, fuzzy feelings. I think about obligations, burdens, connections made out of necessity. If my grandparents had another child, would they have taken me in after my parents died? Somehow I didn’t think so. My one and only marriage would be more of the same.

Maybe that’s fitting, I muse as I pull into the parking lot of my building. At least I’ll know exactly how it will go.

And so I decide to commit. Because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that in business, half of success is committing to your decision.

********

We meet up with Grace Edison the next day at yet another nondescript restaurant. The file that Rich sent over late this morning sketches out her details. Nineteen, comes from a middle class family, still married, with one sister. She went to acting school for a year, and as far as could be told, has no debts. No boyfriend, no arrests or priors, and her social media is completely clean. Lives with a roommate currently who also seems to be perfectly normal. It’s a good start. Almost every man has a fantasy of making the good girl bad, and I’m no different.

She shows up a few minutes after us, and I add another check to the list. I expect a low cut top, or a tight-fitting dress, something to physically attract me to her. But Grace does none of that. True to her name, she wears a soft pink dress that covers her shoulders, and skims her curves. The hem ends just above her knee. She looks full of grace and elegance. Her heels are just high enough to accent her legs, but not so much that she’d fall on her face. Her hair’s curled around her heart shaped face, and her makeup is minimal, drawing my attention to her features without being over the top. She bites her lip, and I feel an urge to want to do the same.

Rich leans over.

“She’s nailed the girlfriend look,” he says approvingly, and I give a slight nod.

That she has. Somehow, by covering it up, I want to know even more what’s underneath. I want to unzip that dress, have her beneath me, naked and writhing as I fuck her hard enough to make those pert little breasts bounce. A beautiful sight, made more so because it’d be something no other man would get to see but me. I’m surprised by how quickly I’ve slipped into this thinking, but there’s no time to analyze it because she sees us and waves, threading her way through the busy restaurant to come to our table. I stand up to let her slide into the booth, before sitting back down.

She seems different today, more confident somehow, I think as I study her. The only sign that betrays her are her pupils, which dilate as I lean in to kiss her cheek. I can feel her whole body stiffen slightly. She smells of vanilla and flowers, sexily feminine and delicious. When I pull away, I see that I’ve cracked her composure for a split second, and my cock stiffens. Still, she’s a better actress than I thought. That nervous colt that I saw yesterday at the diner is almost completely hidden, and I debate between whether I want to push her further or not.

“Are you ready to order Eli?” Rich asks, distracting me.

I draw back.

“Sure, if Grace is,” I say.

“Oh, I always go for a burger when I’m at places like these,” she says. “They’re usually the safest choice.”

We place our order and conversation flows. Grace is doing a fantastic job, and despite the fact that she knows nothing about us, she doesn’t drop the ball on being my girlfriend even once. When blunders come up, and I did create a few, she covers for herself easily. Her acting is good, and I wonder why she hasn’t gotten a gig up until now. Would there be a better choice if we took the time to go through everything? Perhaps. But the less people who know the better, and I want this farce done with quickly before it has a chance to unravel.

And okay, I wouldn’t mind it if I got to take Grace with me to bed too. Her laughter is like music, and the way she tosses her head, showing that delicate neck, makes me want to taste her now.

After lunch is over, Rich and I exchange looks. She’s passed the test. We pay for the bill and get up.

“Let’s head back to the office,” I suggest.

“That sounds good to me,” she says.

I put my hand on her back, playing the part of the boyfriend, and once again, her whole body jumps from my touch. I steer her through the restaurant, and my hand tightens as I catch the glances of the other men, pulling her towards me slightly. A natural reaction, I think as I release my hold again.

Since Grace drove herself here, we give the address, and make our way over to Rich’s office. It’s actually in a building across from our own HQ, but I didn’t want to conduct this where my employees would speculate. There would be enough of that without adding a mysterious meeting before the marriage. At least this way, we can say that Grace came to sign a pre-nup. Once there, he closes the door securely and locks it. We sit down at the desk, and he clears his throat.

“So, I think the two of us both agree that you would be perfect for what we need,” he begins to say. “However, before we proceed further, I need you to sign a confidentiality clause.”

Grace takes the paper and skims it, then carefully signs her name. I watch as she makes large flowing loops on her signature.

“Okay, let’s begin,” Rich says, rubbing his hands together. “What we need, is someone to play the part of Eli’s wife. Well, not part. You will have to actually marry him. For a duration of three months, with a possible extension if necessary.”

She blanches, and I don’t blame her. It sounds absurd when he says it out loud.

“Marriage?” she asks, completely confused. “I thought you needed an actress.”

“We do. We need you to act as though you’re in love with him.”

“But why?” She glances at me. “I’m sure you have no trouble finding someone who would love to date you.”

The blush is back.

“You’re right, but that’s not what I need. I don’t want a relationship. And it will get very complicated, not to mention it’s a douche move, making someone fall in love with me only to end it afterwards. So I’m treating this like a business transaction. My grandfather has tied my inheritance, and the whole company to getting hitched. I don’t like it, but that’s what it is. If I don’t, he’ll sell it all, everything I’ve worked for and known. I can’t have that.”

“So instead you want someone to play your fiancé and wife,” she says slowly.

“Yes. You will be compensated handsomely. Name your price, and we can make it happen.”

I watch as she nibbles on her lip, emotions warring with each other written clear as day across her features.

“How long would it be for?”

She hasn’t said no, which is a good sign.

“Three months I think should do it,” Rich says quickly. “Once the marriage goes through, Eli’s grandfather should have no more objections. We’ll keep things going long enough to hopefully deter anyone from connecting the dots, and you will be able to divorce easily enough after that. Irreconcilable differences and all that. A settlement will be drawn up, and you’ll be on your merry way.”

“A divorce,” she repeats.

“I know that it can be difficult having one of those attached to your name, but we would be happy to compensate for it in whatever fashion you deem adequate.”

At this point, I feel that maybe she’s going to back out entirely, but when she looks up, there’s a determined expression on her face.

“Okay,” she says. “I can do this.”

I let out the breath I’ve been holding.

“I have a few conditions though. I need five hundred thousand dollars. My sister is sick, and I want to go back to college.”

“Done,” I say quickly. “You don’t have to explain your reasons to us.”

Rich nods eagerly.

“I’d also like for your company to make a sizable donation to cancer research, leukemia if possible.”

“Absolutely. We already give towards several charitable foundations, and I’d be happy to add to that list.”

Grace nods.

“And... Aside from touching in public, I don’t want anything physical between us when we’re alone.”

It takes a few moments to digest what she’s asking.

“You mean you don’t want to fuck?” I ask bluntly, and her cheeks color furiously.

“That’s- That’s right,” she says, her whole body stiff with embarrassment. “It’s just a business arrangement like you said. I don’t need things to get complicated.”

I open my mouth, because how will we sell the idea that we’re into each other when we can’t even touch, but Rich cuts me off.

“Perfectly reasonable conditions I think,” he says. “Why don’t I draw this all up right now?”

Grace gets up, and she moves over to the window. Her face is turned away from me, and I can’t tell what she’s thinking. I start to get up too, but Rich shoots me a warning glance. She’s agreed. Don’t fuck it up because you want to stick your dick in her. I scowl, but stay seated.

After a few minutes, Rich prints out the contracts.

“Here you go, take a look at these if you will and sign. The second one is a pre-nup. States that the property you have before the marriage stays separate, that if you divorce you will hold no claim over either the Copeland assets or the company that Eli will own, and a healthy allowance should you have kids- which you won’t,” Rich adds quickly. “It’s a pretty standard agreement, which should look perfectly good on paper.”

Grace look through each page, taking her time. I can appreciate that. Too many people get scared of the legal jargon and sign without knowing everything they’re entitled to and will be expected to do. After reading everything thoroughly, she signs on the dotted lines and hands it back to Rich. He photocopies a set for her, which he slides into an envelope.

“Here’s your copy. The funds you have requested will be transferred into your account as soon as you give us the banking information. It is of course, contingent on completion of the contract.”

“Okay,” she says. She takes the envelope with both hands. “Is that everything then?”

“Not quite,” Rich says. “There’s still the celebration dinner that we’ll have to put on for the family to announce your engagement, and of course, you need a ring.”

He opens up a desk drawer and pulls out a large velvet box. The man has literally thought up every last detail. I’m glad that he’s in my corner, that’s for damn sure. Rich places the box on the desk, opening it up so that it faces Grace. The diamonds sparkle in the light. There’s every cut and style in there, ranging from a simple solitaire, to a dramatic diamond band twisting around the stone, to even a colored yellow diamond surrounded by even more gems. Grace’s mouth drops.

“Am I supposed to pick one?”

“Whichever one you like,” I tell her. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Not exactly the kind of proposal a girl dreams about,” she says a bit dryly. I can tell that her initial awe is wearing off, that she’s getting a little more comfortable around me.

“A beautiful woman like yourself will have plenty more of those,” I assure her.

She flushes at the compliment, turning quickly back to the rings. I can see a hint of a smile on her lips as her fingers hover over the box. Slowly she reaches for the heart shaped one, a single stone set into a platinum band.

“I’ll take this one,” she says softly.

I reach over to take her hand, plucking the ring out of her grasp. Her hand feels small, her skin soft as a petal, as I slip the ring onto her finger. It looks perfect, as though it should have always been there. My gaze lifts up to hers, and I hold her with my eyes far longer than I should have. Grace is the first to break eye contract, drawing her hand back quickly.

“We should get started,” she says.

I feel like a bastard, but I can’t help it. I want her, and I love seeing her react when I touch her, or hell, even look at her.

“Yes, we should.”