7. Seven

7

SEVEN

“ I need a drink.”

That was the understatement of the year. I needed ten drinks. The family dinner from Hell made sure of that. I’d barely waited until the door was closed behind my parents to make my announcement.

Zach slid his eyes to me. “I didn’t think it went that badly.”

“Really?” I was starting to regain my footing after the dental surgery and my feisty side was coming out.

“I think my father likes you.”

I snorted. “I’m not sure your father likes himself.”

“Well, that’s true.” Zach scratched the back of his head. “My sisters are going to be trouble.”

“Why do you think that?” I was honestly curious. Ruby, Pearl, and Opal—what an unfortunate set of names—had spent most of their time clumped together in the kitchen. Sure, they whispered to themselves, but I didn’t think they were planning the bloody attack on Zach that he was envisioning.

“They’re plotting something,” he insisted.

“You’re paranoid.” I shook my head and got to my feet. “I’m going downstairs for a drink. I’m going to have Tallulah meet me.”

Zach’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not paranoid, and you’re on pain meds. You can’t have alcohol.”

“My pain meds have worn off and I need a freaking drink.” I also needed someone who was outside the weird little bubble we’d made to help me decide if I’d made the worst mistake of my life. “I’m not going to get drunk. I’m not even going to leave the casino. There are like fifteen bars here. I’ll just meet Tallulah at one of them.”

Zach looked torn. “Why not bring Tallulah up here?”

Why would I possibly want to do that? “Um … because I need air.”

“Yes, and a casino with no windows is a great place to get it,” Zach said dryly. “Also, I’m not paranoid. My sisters are monsters. They’re going to try to do something to screw with us.”

“Your sisters were more interested in watching your father than us,” I countered as I got to my feet. He wasn’t going to stop me from taking my much-needed break. “They were laughing at him. I’m guessing it’s because you caught him off guard and he didn’t know how to react. Your father probably always knows how to react.”

Zach sank into one of the chairs. “You don’t know them like I do. They hate me.”

“They might hate the position they’ve been thrown in because you were anointed prince before you were even born, but they don’t hate you.” How he could think otherwise was beyond me. “If anything, they seemed impressed that you were fighting your dad on a new level.”

“No.” Zach shook his head. “They wish I’d never been born.”

“Zach, I don’t know what the deal is with you and your sisters, but that’s not how they feel about you.” His insecurity felt weird to me. He’d grown up in one of the richest families in the city, and he was the center of the entire Stone family. Like … the diamond between the filler stones. “You need to take a breath.”

I started for the door and then stilled. “Wait … I need a keycard or something to get back in here, right?” I looked around, as if expecting one to magically appear. When I risked a glance back at Zach, I found him looking smug.

“You’re not going out.” He was matter of fact. “You need to rest. You can visit with Tallulah tomorrow.”

Just who did he think he was? “You’re not the boss of me.”

“I’m your husband.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re the boss of me.” I moved back in front of him. “You might be the crown prince of your family, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to bow,” I warned him.

He met my gaze evenly for a long time, then he sighed and dug in his pocket for his wallet, coming back with a keycard. “We’re in penthouse four.”

I snagged the card and continued to glare. “Thank you.” I started back for the door. “Don’t wait up.”

“Don’t hurt yourself, Olivia,” he yelled at my back. “You’re barely back on your feet.”

I had no intention of hurting myself. Drawing a line in the sand was another story. He was not my prince. He was just a means to an end. The sooner he realized that, the better we both would be.

TALLULAH WAS DRESSED FOR A PARTY when she met me in the sports bar downstairs. It was the first one I found—I didn’t spend a lot of time in the Stone Casino for obvious reasons—and I didn’t want to wander all over the place to find a quiet place to drink. I would have to familiarize myself with the casino tomorrow.

“This is new,” she said as she hopped up on the open stool next to me and looked around. “What are you doing here?”

Tallulah didn’t know, I realized. She hadn’t eavesdropped over our conversation at the daiquiri bar because she’d been busy. I left her with a promise that I would catch her up later. Well, this was later … and she wasn’t going to be happy.

I figured it was best to rip off the bandage and let her melt down on her own terms.

“I’m married,” I announced.

Tallulah blinked. Then she blinked again. “How drunk are you?” she asked finally.

I held up my hand so she could see the wedding band.

Her eyes narrowed and she snatched my hand to get a better look. Then she shifted her gaze to my face. “We’ll get you sobered up,” she said, deadly serious. “Then we’ll get the marriage annulled. This happens all the time here.”

I pulled my hand back and sipped my martini. “I’m not drunk. I wasn’t drunk at the time. I did it on purpose.”

“You got married on purpose.” Tallulah snorted. When I didn’t smile in return, she sighed. “I think I’m going to need one of those.” She gestured toward the bartender and pointed toward my glass. He nodded and smiled.

There were women scattered about in the bar, but it was mostly men. That’s why I selected it. I figured men were less likely to care what we were talking about. I didn’t need some sympathetic woman interjecting her opinion on the subject and perhaps telling the wrong person what she’d overheard. I wasn’t familiar with who was who here yet. I had to be careful.

Tallulah was quiet until her drink arrived. I could practically hear the gears in her mind grinding. People often underestimated her intelligence because of the way she looked. I happened to know that she was as brilliant as she was beautiful.

“Tell me,” she said in a low voice when I just continued to stare vacantly ahead.

That was my green light, so I floored it. “Zach needed a serious wife to help him with his father, and the Stone Group has really good insurance. We agreed to a fake marriage so he could figure things out and I could get my dental surgery. It’s done by the way. We spent our honeymoon at the nicest dentist’s office you’ve ever seen. Even the patient chair was leather.”

Her mouth fell open. It was hard to surprise Tallulah. I patted myself on the back whenever I managed it. This situation felt somehow different, though. “Are you freaking kidding me?”

“Nope.” I took another sip. I told myself, as long as I didn’t go in for any froufrou mixers, the alcohol was good for my mouth. Alcohol had healing properties, right? Yeah, I wasn’t so certain either. I was going with it, though.

“You’re married to Zach Stone?” Tallulah gripped my hand so tightly I thought she was going to break my fingers off. “What does he look like naked?”

That was not the question I expected from her. “How should I know? Did you miss the part about it being fake?”

“No, but I’ve read plenty of fake marriage romcoms, and I know for a fact that sex always becomes involved.”

“This isn’t a book. Plus, I don’t even remember anything after the wedding. I had surgery.” I pointed toward my face. “Remember?”

“Well, that’s a bummer.” Her disappointment was palpable. “Do you plan on seeing him naked after you heal from the surgery?”

“No. We’re not doing that.” I was firm.

“But you had a huge crush on him when you were a teenager.”

“So?”

“So … this is your chance to make fifteen-year-old Olivia—you remember her with her braces and unnecessary training bra, right?—really, really happy.”

She just had to bring up the fact that I was still wearing a training bra at fifteen. That late growth spurt I’d been subjected to had fixed that situation, too. Sure, I was never going to be mistaken for a showgirl, but I no longer looked like I was perpetually nursing mosquito bites on my chest either.

“It’s not going to be like that,” I insisted. “His father is demanding he grow up. I’m an accountant. I look good on paper. Plus, his parents know my parents. It’s not as if I’m an absolute stranger. We just told them we’d been seeing each other on the sly so as not to upset Rex, that eventually Rex found out, and on a whim we decided to get married yesterday.”

“And they just accepted that?”

I shrugged. “Weirdly, the dinner went better than I was expecting. I thought for sure Mom and Dad were going to melt down, but they were kind of ‘meh’ on the entire thing.” I swiveled on my stool so I was facing her. “It was a bit anticlimactic if you want to know the truth.”

Tallulah snorted. “Only you would be disappointed that your parents didn’t melt down. How did his parents take it?”

“His dad didn’t believe it at first. When my parents didn’t freak out, though, he seemed to come around.”

“And that’s a good thing, right?”

Was it? I wasn’t certain. I’d been so fixated on getting the surgery I’d been waiting a lifetime for—okay, that was dramatic, I can admit that—I hadn’t really thought through the rest of it. “I have no idea. He’s already being bossy, though, and I can tell you that I don’t like that.”

“Nobody would like that,” she agreed. Her expression was thoughtful. “How is this going to work?”

“Well, he already got me out of my lease. Apparently, the Stone Group owns my apartment building. While I was sleeping off the surgery, he put all my furniture in storage and moved my stuff to his place.”

“Wait … so you’re going to live with him?” She was incredulous. “Oh, you’re definitely going to see him naked.”

“No, I’m not. We have separate bathrooms.”

“I don’t care.” She waved off my statement as if flicking a fly. “I bet you see him naked before the week is even out.”

“I’m not seeing him naked.” I was firm on that. Well, mostly. If I caught a glimpse of him naked through an open door or something, I was definitely going to look. How could I not? I mean… I was an adult now. I wasn’t an idiot. Nothing else would happen, though, and I wouldn’t be returning the favor. “I can’t decide if this was a stupid idea or not. I need you to be honest with me.”

“I think it was a great idea.” Her response came way too fast.

“And if I never see him naked?” I prodded. I knew where her mind was going, and it wasn’t pretty.

She shrugged. “I still think it’s a good idea. You were worried about being out of work. This gives you as much breathing room as him. How much does he expect you to pay in rent?”

“Nothing, and I didn’t even have a co-pay for the surgery.”

“Wow. So … you have your entire severance package still intact. You no longer have to pay rent or bills. Well, except for your car. You can take your time and find the right position.”

“His father said they can find a job for me at the casino if I want,” I mused, more to myself than her. “When he realized I was the one who took down Bucky Junior, he actually seemed to warm up to me.”

Tallulah burst out laughing. “That makes sense in a weird way. What sort of job?”

“Cage counter was the first thing he suggested.” I frowned at the memory.

“Which you promptly shot down,” Tallulah assumed.

“Yup. He said Zach could find me something.”

“Are you going to take it?”

“If it’s a decent job, I don’t see how I can turn it down. I mean … if this goes well, I could have a huge nest egg saved up by the time the year is over.”

“Year?” Tallulah’s brow furrowed. “You guys set an expiration date on your marriage?”

“It seemed prudent.”

“Ah, yes, prudent is the exact word I would use to describe this arrangement.” She laughed into her cocktail. “Wow. This is just … wow.”

“I know.”

“It’s kind of exciting,” she said after a beat. “Like … I think it’s going to be okay.”

It wasn’t what I expected her to say, but it was what I was hoping for. “So, you don’t think I screwed up my life so badly that I’ll never recover?”

“No, I do not.” She shook her head. “I think this is going to be great.”

I could only hope she was right.

AN HOUR LATER, TALLULAH WAS THREE drinks in, and I was nursing a second for looks. I had no intention of drinking it. The bar had turned rowdy thanks to the NBA playoffs, and we were surrounded by yelling men, most of whom had careened past tipsy and were well into drunk territory.

“High-five,” Tallulah said to a twenty-something dude with a backward ball cap. He was attractive, young, and effervescent. In other words, he was exactly her type.

The guy—his name was Kevin—gave her the obligatory high five. “Right on.” The way he was looking at her—as if he were just coming off Lent and she was the juiciest porterhouse on the menu—told me that my friend was going to get lucky tonight.

Well, good for her. She deserved it. Hopefully, if she got some, then she would stop obsessing about the possibility of me seeing Zach naked. I needed her to give up that crusade. Plus, Kevin seemed like a decent guy.

His friend Deacon was another story, though. Since Kevin had glommed on to Tallulah, Deacon had decided that meant I was his best option for the evening. He’d planted himself on the stool on my left and had proceeded to say stupid sports stuff to me for the past hour.

“So, he’s what’s called a shooting guard,” Deacon offered. He was one drink away from slurring his words. “Look there.” Deacon’s hand landed on my bare back as he pointed toward the television screen. “The other guy is the point guard, and he’s going to pass to the shooting guard.”

I gave Deacon an “are you kidding me” look. Was he seriously mansplaining basketball to me as if I was some airhead who didn’t understand anything other than nail polish colors and thongs? “Yes, and that’s the power forward,” I said, pointing. “That’s the small forward. Technically, Ramirez is playing center right now, but he’s another power forward. They’re behind so they’re going for scoring, not defense.”

Deacon blinked. Then he blinked again. “You know basketball.”

“Yes.” I shifted on my stool to get away from his hand but that just caused him to move in closer.

“That’s kind of hot,” he said, licking his lips.

Before I could tell him what to do with his observation, I felt another individual move in at my back. Whoever it was, he was tall, because Deacon suddenly shrank away from me.

“Am I emitting some sort of musk to draw in drunk guys?” I demanded as I turned.

It wasn’t some random drunk sports enthusiast, though. No, it was Zach … and he didn’t look happy.

“Oh, there’s my husband,” I crooned, opting to take advantage of the situation. “I was wondering where you got off too.”

“Husband?” Deacon looked as if he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

I held up my left hand, which he’d had plenty of opportunities to ogle since he’d sat next to me. “Yup. I’m married. This is my Snookums.”

Zach gave me a dirty look. “Okay, I retract what I said earlier about the nicknames.”

There was no hiding my smirk. There was also no reason to comment. He was clearly taking control of this situation, and as much as I wasn’t going to kowtow to him, I was suddenly tired and nothing sounded better than curling up on my ridiculous pillow top mattress and calling it a day.

“Sorry, Snookums.” I also couldn’t help poking him one more time.

“How many of these have you had?” He gestured toward my untouched drink.

“One,” I replied.

Zach tilted his head before shooting the bartender a questioning look. Well, that wasn’t very nice. Was he calling me a liar?

“One,” the bartender confirmed. “Her friend has had a few more.” He gestured toward Tallulah.

“I’m not worried about her friend,” Zach replied. “Although…” He moved away from me and positioned himself directly in front of Kevin. “Hey, this is Tallulah.”

“I know,” Kevin said happily. “She’s awesome.”

“She’s … something,” Zach agreed. “She’s also under the protection of this casino. She’s not going back to your room with you.” He turned back to the bartender. “Get her a room. Don’t let her leave alone. Have the front desk put it on my account.”

The bartender nodded. If he found the situation odd, he didn’t say anything.

“As for you, my lovely wife.” His eyes moved back to me. “I think it’s bedtime.”

“I’m agreeing, but only because I’m tired.” I tried not to frown when he helped me off the stool. “You’re still not the boss of me.”

“Yeah, we’re going to have to discuss a few things tomorrow. You should get some rest first.”

“I’m not going to like these discussion topics, am I?”

He shook his head. “No. You most certainly are not going to like them.”

That’s exactly what I was afraid of. Despite my annoyance, I poked Tallulah. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She waved me off. Clearly, she didn’t believe that the bartender was going to follow through on Zach’s orders because she was still flirting madly with Kevin. “Have fun. Tell me what he looks like naked. In fact, get me a photo if you can.”

Zach’s forehead wrinkled as he slid his arm around my waist. “What did she say?”

I shrugged. “She’s Tallulah.”

“Was that an explanation?”

“She’s just Tallulah. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

Zach left it at that. I knew we weren’t done with this conversation, though. No, not by a long shot.