“We love her!” my mother squeals when Dahlia finally leaves.

My heart is still thumping away. I was terrified that she was going to rat me out, but she didn’t. And all it cost me was a brand-new Ferrari.

But honestly, I don’t care what it costs. As long as she’s willing to keep up the charade for a while longer, I’ll pay whatever she wants.

“Good choice, son,” my father says, patting me on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you. It’s a good decision to settle down. You’ll see in the long run that family life beats the bachelor life. Diapers, Friday nights in, and minivans may not be as luxurious and exciting as models, parties, and fine Italian cars, but it brings the type of happiness that money just can’t buy.”

He can keep his type of happiness all to himself. I only want the type of happiness that hot models can provide.

“Thanks, Dad,” I say. “I hope you’re right.”

“Come,” he says, waving me to the backyard. We walk outside as my mom grabs the phone to call her friends and brag all about her new daughter-in-law. My chest tightens when I see how happy she is. I might have gone too far this time.

She’s going to be crushed when she finds out that Dahlia and I are nothing but strangers who shared an intimate moment that neither of us can remember.

But they’re not leaving me with much of a choice. They refuse to sign the company over to me until I ‘mature’ and drop the party lifestyle. My father has told me many times that he didn’t work nights and weekends for the past five decades, building up a fortune to hand over to me and see it get wasted on private jets, expensive cars, fine champagne, and pretty girls who only like me for my money. I take offense to that. The girls like me for my big cock too.

“Sit,” he says as he pulls out a chair by the pool. “I think it’s time to talk about the future of the company and your role in it.”

My heart starts racing as I sit down beside him. This is what I’ve always wanted.

“I like the new changes you’ve made in your personal life,” he says, nodding as he looks at me. “It gives me hope.”

A thickness settles in my throat as I listen to him. My father’s always been the type to put work before fun. Even after he made his first ten million, he was still driving a rusty old car that you could hear from down the block. That’s why I was so surprised to hear him so excited about getting Dahlia a new Ferrari. It’s so not like him. He must really like her.

“It makes me think that you might be ready to take on a bigger role in the company,” he says, looking relieved that he can finally take his retirement.

“I am,” I say, nodding excitedly. I may like to party hard on the weekends, but that doesn’t mean I don’t bust my ass every day in the office, working as hard as I can to grow the company. But try telling my stubborn old man that. It’s hard to teach an old dinosaur new tricks.

It’s always been my dream to run the company. I’ve wanted my father to hand me the torch so I can run with it and show him what I’m really made of. I want to show him what I can do.

I can definitely run faster than my cousin, Nick. I’ve always feared that he would hand the torch to him and not to me.

“Good,” he says, nodding as he sizes me up. “That’s what I like to hear. I was surprised to hear that you were married, but now that I think about it, it’s pretty fitting. You’ve always flown by the seat of your pants and been a little too carefree for your own good. I was worried that your live-in-the-moment attitude and lack of concern for any consequences would get you into trouble someday, but it seems to have worked out for the best. Dahlia seems like a good catch for you. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. I think she’ll keep you in line.”

“Life has definitely become more interesting since she showed up.”

“The good ones always have that effect on men,” he says, smiling as he looks back at the house where Mom is still blabbing away on the phone.

“I’m done with the partying,” I lie. “I’ve sewn my oats. I’m ready to settle down, and I want to run the company.” I lean forward, locking eyes with him. “I can do it, Dad.”

He takes a deep breath as he leans back and looks away. “I know you can,” he says, looking uncomfortable as he stares at the pool. “You definitely have the business sense and skills to run it, but I have thousands of employees to think of. I have to pick the person who will be the perfect fit to lead the company into the next few decades. You shouldn’t get any special treatment because you’re my son. McMillan Worldwide Inc. is bigger than us. Thousands of families depend on the paychecks we give them. If the person I choose is not up to the enormous task of running it, those families may see their only source of income disappear. I can’t have that. I have to consider everyone and pick the absolute best.”

“Nick,” I mutter. I know he’s on my father’s mind right now. He always had a close connection with his brother’s son. Sometimes I was jealous of him growing up, thinking my father wished he was his son instead of me.

My father nods. “I’m not going to lie to you, Tyler. You’re a man now. Nick is a consideration. He’s smart, clever, resourceful, and a hard worker.”

He’s also a lying, stealing creep. My father doesn’t know him like I do. All my father ever saw was Nick’s good grades and polite attitude. He never saw the darkness that Nick has buried deep inside. My uncle, Nick’s father and my dad’s brother, died years ago, so Nick and his brother Jason grew up without a dad. I think my father has always ignored Nick’s negative side out of pity.

He always chooses to ignore the missing money from the departments Nick runs, attributing it to accounting errors instead of what it clearly is: theft.

“But don’t worry about that right now,” my father says, standing up. “This is a good step in the right direction. We have a marriage to celebrate.”

I swallow hard as he stands up with a smile on his face, feeling like a liar and a creep myself.

* * *

It’s midnight when my phone lights up. It’s my beautiful new wife, probably telling me to have a good night with some sweet dreams.

Nope.

Dahlia: What the hell did you get me into?

I text back.

Tyler: What are you wearing?

Dahlia: Sweat pants and a Garfield hoodie. I’m married now. I’ve stopped trying.

Tyler: Send me a pic… minus the Garfield sweater.

Thirty seconds later she sends me a photo of her hand giving me the finger.

Tyler: Not quite what I had in mind.

Dahlia: What are you doing to me? I’m freaking out over here!

Dahlia: How many people do I have to meet tomorrow for this thing???

Tyler: Only about a hundred. Don’t worry. The new car will help calm your nerves.

Dahlia: A hundred people?!? Did I say I wanted a new car? I changed my mind and want a new yacht.

Dahlia: Bring ALL of your credit cards.

Tyler: It won’t be that bad.

Dahlia: Your mom looked so happy today. I feel bad.

I sigh when I read the text. The last heart I want to break in this world is my mother’s. She never thought I would settle down with a girl, so she had it in her head that she probably wasn’t getting any grandkids. This changed it all.

But it’s something I have to do. I can’t let the company fall into Nick’s hands. He’s going to undo everything my father worked for. I can’t let that happen, even if my father can.

Tyler: It’s all going to work out. Everything always does.

Dahlia: I believed that until I woke up married next to a stranger.

Tyler: A naked stranger.

Dahlia: Oh, believe me. I haven’t forgotten that part. It’s etched into my brain forever.

Tyler: I impressed you that much?

Dahlia: Traumatized is more like it.

Tyler: You don’t remember anything???

Dahlia: Nothing. You?

Tyler: Nada.

Dahlia: So strange…

I lower my phone and take a sip of scotch, thinking of the girl on the other end of the line. The girl who is my new wife.

I don’t know much about her besides the fact that she’s smoking hot with a bit of an uptight bitchy attitude, but in all fairness, she has every reason to be a bitch with me right now. I could have gotten the annulment, but I didn’t.

If that doesn’t bring the bitch out in a girl then I don’t know what will.

My phone lights up when I’m thinking of her smile and the cute freckles that dot the tops of her cheeks.

Dahlia: I’m going to sleep now. I want to be fresh and alert for when I buy a car that’s way too expensive.

Tyler: Goodnight. Any chance of a last minute nude pic? We are married…

Dahlia: Any chance of a last minute annulment? I do hate you…

Tyler: You don’t even know me.

Dahlia: Yet we’re married. I guess we’ll never know what happened that night.

Tyler: I guess not.

What a waste. I had sex with that stunning girl and I don’t remember a thing.

What the hell did happen that night?