I looked at my car one more time. I parked right in front of the Old Velvet Café and I had been standing there for a good fifteen minutes but I just couldn’t wipe off the feeling that this might be one of the last dates I ever go to using this car. If I didn’t convince my parents I was the right guy to inherit their wealth, I might have to let go of this beautiful thing just to pay my bills.

Of course, I didn’t need Noelle to know about that. I was pretty sure she already got a good idea judging from all the media coverage we got lately. It was hard just to go to a gas station or the mall without someone bugging me. They were always asking about my parents’ decision to wager the inheritance between me and the Vice President, Donald Graham.

“Well, I can’t stand around forever,” I whispered when I saw Noelle get off a bus, cross the street and walk towards the café. I almost felt my legs quiver when I saw just how damn gorgeous she was.

Noelle was always a beautiful girl, but in the five years since we last met, she grew a little taller. She was probably a good five-foot-six, only an inch shorter than I was. Her long hair reached down to her hips and she had a bombshell of a body.

She didn’t notice me in the nearby parking lot so I took the time to check myself in the mirror one last time before heading in too.

I could only hope she’d like what I wore. I decided to go with something simple; just a pair of skinny jeans, a gray shirt and a leather jacket. I went for an old-school 1980s look. To be honest though, I didn’t know why I was trying to impress Noelle. Perhaps it was just the fact we hadn’t been together for a while.

When I walked in, I saw her seated by the far corner and she was blankly staring out the window. I took the time to order two cups of coffee and some donuts before heading to our table.

“Hey,” I greeted when I finally came over. I slid the tray on the table and handed her a cup of coffee and then a small plate with a donut. “It’s so nice to see you. You look freaking amazing.”

She smiled at me and took a sip of coffee. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself. Have you been working out?”

I grinned and looked at my own biceps as I said, “Yep. Well, I used to but you know, ever since my brother died it’s been hectic lately. I’ve been busy trying to reassess what the fuck I have to do to convince my mom and dad to give the family business to me.”

Noelle took note of that and pointed a finger at me, “You need to explain that to me. First off though, I truly am sorry about your brother. He seemed really nice. I never got to meet him back in high school but he was always like a star. How’s your sister taking all this? She was really sweet to me last time I saw her. That was, oh, five or six years ago.”

It was really sweet how she still remembered my sister. “Oh, Sonya? My sister’s been busy with the funeral arrangements and she’s got a book-signing tour coming this year.”

“Wow,” Noelle commented. She started telling me about a time she and Sonya spent shopping together but all I could focus on were her luscious lips. Noelle was wearing some kind of pink lip gloss and it just made her mouth look so delicious. I couldn’t help but glance at her body too. She was wearing an off-shoulder blouse and the sight of her neck and shoulders was starting to get me a little horny.

“So what do you think?” she suddenly asked me, popping me back into reality.

I looked at her with a look of surprise. I knew I was in trouble. I didn’t hear what the heck she was talking about. “Huh? Oh yeah, yeah.”

“Really?” she scrunched up her face. “You think I’d do good as a porn star?”

Wait a minute, what? I thought we were talking about her and my sister, how did we get to talking about Noelle doing pornography?

“W-well, you’re definitely hot and I bet a lot of guys fantasize about you,” I blurted out, hoping to catch up with the conversation somehow. “I mean, I know I would, seeing how damn gorgeous you are.”

She looked at me with raised eyebrows. “I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or just you being a pervert.”

I laughed and pinched her cheeks, “You’re beautiful, trust me. However, I don’t think you need to get into porn for money. Why do you need that kind of money anyway? What’s your job right now?”

“I’m a stripper,” she said with a sigh. I could see her blushing and I could tell she was a little ashamed of her current situation.

That was a little intriguing though. “Wait, you’re a stripper? Like a dancing-naked-on-tables stripper? Don’t you earn a lot from that?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “You’d think guys would pay a lot to see me show off my body but the reality is, a good percentage goes to the bar. I’m buried in debts and I don’t know what to do. I’ve seen ads for porn stars and to be honest I’m on the verge of walking into one of those.”

For a moment, I felt really bad, but then she cut my train of thought and suddenly asked, “I thought you were getting married? What was your girl’s name? Janine? Jenna? The one from our school.”

“Jenna,” I answered and gave her a sad look. “We broke up a few weeks ago. It’s my fault, to be honest. I was screwing around with some other girls at Mercury Wild and she caught on.”

Noelle looked at me with a frown, “Well, that is your fault. I just don’t see you sticking to one girl, much less getting married to one.”

Hearing those words made a light bulb flash in my head, “I have a crazy idea. It’ll help me convince my parents I deserve the inheritance and it’ll help you with all your financial problems. You have to hear me out on this.”

“Wait a minute,” she cut in. “Why aren’t your parents being more considerate with you? They just lost their eldest son, their daughter rejected their money and now they want to pry it away from the last son they have left?”

I rolled my eyes and nodded, “My dad’s really old fashioned. He doesn’t want to give the money away if he thinks I’ll just waste it all on fast cars, girls and alcohol.”

“So how’s your genius idea going to help us both simultaneously?”

I rubbed my hands together and just blurted it out, “Okay, before I say it, let me explain a little bit on how this will work. What I’m planning will impress my parents and it is guaranteed to get you out of the financial hole you’re in now. I swear this is going to work out.”

“What is it then?” she asked.

I winked and answered, “Let’s get married.”