This is going to be one helluva long day!

I stared into yet another face that sparked no interest within me. She was telling me about herself—how she grew up on a farm, all the money her family had, her plans of having quite a few children, and the kind of wedding she wanted. None of it was my taste, nor was I even slightly attracted to her.

“I’ll let you know,” I told her eventually and watched as she hesitantly left the room.

The afternoon continued in that vein for another eight women or so. They had interesting profile pictures that sometimes didn’t look anything at all like the women I’d expected. The ones with matching faces were dull and boring or had too many demands. I needed a bride who would be submissive, not bossy, one who didn’t complain or have many expectations, and one who would understand this wasn’t going to be a real marriage.

I skipped to a different profile and saw Davina Rosewood. I knew her family, and I thought she might make a good bride. She had high cheekbones, a slender and lovely body, and appeared to be extremely confident. A nice arm-piece, I thought.

I picked up the phone and called Marissa, who I had brought with me to assist with the women. “Marissa, could you ask Davina to come in?”

“Right away, sir,” the woman replied cheerily.

In another few minutes, Davina stepped into the room, and I rocked back in the chair as I watched her. She walked like she owned the space, and her eyes held mine as she sashayed closer. I felt like her prey.

“Nice to see you again, Ray,” she said in a sultry voice, as if we were old lovers.

“Have we met before?” I asked as I searched my memory for the answer.

“Not formally,” she continued and crossed her legs slowly. I noticed her long, toned legs and the smooth texture of her skin. “I was at the cocktail party at the Birmingham’s estate last year. I saw you.”

“Oh,” I replied. “I must have missed you.”

“Must have,” she echoed.

I didn’t want to waste any more time. “How do you feel about children?”

“Oh, I love them,” she answered excitedly. And then her voice mellowed. “I mean, we could have one or two, but there are boarding schools for when they get older. I imagine you wouldn’t want them around all the time either. Think of how much time they’d take up.” She relaxed into the chair and fluffed her hair.

“I see,” I said and lost interest in her. There was something about her I didn’t appreciate. She would be trouble for me. She’d make demands and would eventually annoy me.

We didn’t say much more except, like the others, I told her to wait in the other room in case I needed to speak with her again. She wasn’t so bad in the grand scheme of things. As a matter of fact, she might not be in my hair most of the time. And she was the most interesting woman I’d met since beginning this plan.

I looked at the profiles of the women who remained, and my eye landed on Anna. I hadn’t seen her yet, and I was anxious to. I had to see her before I made a decision, and I hoped she had showed up. But for now, I needed to take a break.

I thought the warm air would do me some good. Luckily, my mother hadn’t called all day, a habit she’d acquired over the past couple of weeks, each time trying to force me into marriage. If she had known about this ‘viewing’ I’m sure she would have been there, if only to belittle me as she had grown so proficient at doing. I didn’t need the embarrassment.

The sun was warm on my face as I shoved my hands into my pockets and circled the block, perhaps for the last time as a single person. Me! Married! I still couldn’t wrap my head around the thought of a woman in my space. I noticed a small child with a head of black curly hair, licking an ice cream cone as she stood next to her mother at the curb. She looked at me, smiled, and waved shyly. I felt my face tug upwards, followed by a slight motion of my hand before I hurried past her. I still wasn’t sure I was ready for this—a bride and a child.

I was still flustered when I got back to the hotel, and as I rounded the corner that led to the hallway, someone crashed into me. I caught the woman reflexively and stepped back to steady her. I was pleasantly surprised it was the lovely redhead I had spoken to on the site. She was even more beautiful in person, and I swallowed the ball that had suddenly seemed to have risen in my throat.

“Oh, sorry,” she said as she tried to tug herself free. She looked uncomfortable, like someone was chasing her.

“It’s all right. Are you okay? Were…are you leaving?” I knitted my brow and waited for her answer.

“I-I…” She paused and looked around before inhaling deeply. Then she smiled. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

She was leaving and I didn’t want her to, not before assessing her further. Something about her electrified me, and though I felt compelled to pursue her, I wasn’t sure if it would be prudent. Still, I couldn’t dismiss her.

“It won’t be so bad. I promise, I won’t bite,” I joked as I held my hands up in surrender.

She looked around again like she was trapped and considering whether I really would bite her, which was unusual. The women I knew were more arrogant and condescending.

I found myself reassuring her. “It won’t take a minute.”

She fluttered her lashes and her lips moved seductively, and my cock jerked. I moved away before my body could betray me more openly.

“Okay,” she all but whispered and followed me inside.

What was I thinking, goading a woman into my mess? If she wanted to leave, I should have let her. One less to deal with. Yet I felt compelled to beg her to stay.

Marissa was coming out of the office I used when we walked in, and our entrance caught not only her attention, but that of all the other women who still waited. “Mr. Jameson, will she be the next interviewee?” Marissa asked out of a sense of duty. I had been working with her long enough to know she disapproved.

“She is,” I replied sternly. “Is there a problem?”

She pulled me aside, something she never did, and it surprised me. “Don’t tell me you are seriously considering her,” she whispered when she was out of the woman’s earshot.

“What’s wrong with her?” I wanted to know, and I glanced at Anna, who did look strikingly out of place. She stood in the center of the room, her red hair a glaring contrast to the black attire she clinging to her, revealing her curves and a peek of her cleavage. The other women remained withdrawn from her, like she was some kind of scourge, and it fascinated me.

Marissa stopped walking and looked back. “Look at her,” she said, like whatever she was showing me was obvious. “She doesn’t carry herself like the woman she claims to be. Look,” she said and pulled me aside as she rifled through the sheets in her grasp. “This says she is in the fashion industry and comes from money. The girl can barely stand straight in her stilettos.”

I hadn’t noticed, but as if in punctuation, Anna dipped as she made a bad step. She rocked into a group of women who promptly pulled back. She steadied herself against the chairs, and I could detect traitorous tears as they formed in the corners of her eyes, just above bright red cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The entire picture was one of innocence, and I chuckled.

“Still, she came here. I’ll see what she’s about,” I told Marissa and signaled for Anna to follow me into the office.

She seemed unsure of her next stop, and I was amused a little as I watched her wobble on her first step. She appeared to be focusing on her movement, or maybe she was just conscious of the stares from the other women after her embarrassing stint earlier. She looked up at me, and a smile worked its way across her face as she regained her composure and held her head high as she followed me. When she got to the office, she stood tentatively by the door, waiting for me to acknowledge her before she sat. I nodded at her and she quickly sat, her back not resting against the cushion as she perked up and locked her fingers in her lap.

“So,” I began after she was seated. She was perched on the edge of the seat, obviously nervous. “Are you nervous?” I glowered at her, intimidating her intentionally. I thought that might be a good sign, and that she, after all, might be someone I could control.

“N-no,” she began. Then, “Yes, maybe a little.” She smiled. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’ve never done this before either.” I smiled, hoping she would open up a little more and make this process easier for me.

She stared at me through eyes of deep shades of brown and waited for me to continue. Unusual again. Women of her stature were normally chatty. All the women I’d seen so far had been, and a few had even tried to tell me how they thought our life together would be. But I needed a bride, not a master, and the more subservient, the better.

“Not many people know this, but I’m technically being forced into this…marriage. By the looks of things, you don’t want to be here either. Am I right?” That was the only conclusion I could draw based on her body language. Maybe she was nervous because she had to do something she didn’t want to do either. Which made her even more perfect for me.

“Yes,” she eventually said. “This wasn’t something I planned for. It just came to me, and here I am.”

“Makes two of us.” I didn’t want to drag this out any longer than I had to. “So, here’s the thing. I’m looking for someone to be my bride. This isn’t about love. It’s strictly business. You will go with me to social engagements, we will have children, and you’ll…well, look pretty. I don’t have any expectations from you other than showing up with me in public.”

She had a dazed look on her face. “I-I don’t think I understand. So this is a marriage, but not really one?”

“Something like that,” I assured her and relaxed into my chair. “Does that not work for you, because if it doesn’t then—”

“Oh, it’s fine,” she hastened to say, but her disappointment was evident on her face. “I wasn’t looking for love, or a fairytale, or anything like that either.”

“It’s probably best this way anyway,” I ventured to say, but I didn’t look at her when I spoke. “Love isn’t my thing, and this is less complicated.”

Her face fell and I wasn’t sure why. I made it clear on the site what I wanted, and she said she didn’t want love either. And now she was disappointed? But even in her disappointment, there was something mysterious about her that drew me to her. I wanted her to be my bride, and I didn’t need to interview the other women in the other room to know that.

“If that is all right with you, we can go ahead with the necessary paperwork,” I said, my tone business-like. “I’ll call you with more details as soon as I have them, but this will be immediate.”

Her eyes widened. “You… does that mean… are you saying… what?”

I couldn’t help smiling. “It means I’ve made my choice. You will be my bride.”

I didn’t know if I expected a celebration of some sort, but her face remained blank. She sat robotically still, blinking rapidly with her mouth slightly ajar.

“Okay,” she muttered, but she remained immobile.

I got up, assuming my action would spur her. She slid back in the chair and stood too. I extended my hand to her—a strange way of interacting with one’s bride—and gave her a half smile. Her face twitched as she placed her small hand in mine—a hands that wasn’t as soft as I had expected.

I accompanied her to the door and signaled to Marissa. My decision didn’t go over so well with her, but it was my decision and she could only be disgruntled in silence. I watched Anna as she exited the room and noticed the other women’s eyes following her out. The whisperings began, and they all turned back to me.

“Thank you for your time, and I want you to know that I’ve made my decision. Thank you all for coming.”

I turned and returned to the room. Before I closed the door, I heard whisperings and unpleasant remarks hurled at Anna and at me. But what did I care? I had found my bride.

Now all I had to do was find out exactly who she was!