This was not going to end well.
“Cutie, there you are!”
I jumped at the sound of that shrill voice, so high-pitched it could break glass. Rosa and Macy stood behind me, along with a couple of her other friends. They'd already gotten started drinking, from the look of things.
Rosa threw open her arms and choked me in a hug. As I gasped for air, I glanced at Macy. She only shrugged and sipped on her drink.
What the hell had my sister gotten me into? I was starting to feel like this was all some horrible prank, with me as the unwitting victim.
“It's so sweet of you, giving away all these expensive goodies to homeless children,” she twittered, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “You know what they say about generous men, don't you, girls?”
She addressed her pack of friends. They all giggled like hyenas and looked me up and down, clearly jealous that Rosa had been the one to “win” me.
The woman wore even more makeup than she had on earlier, however that was possible. Her lacy top had a plunging neckline that, were I inclined to peek, could give me a very good view of her chest.
I was your average guy, and like most, I never passed up a chance to ogle a pretty girl's tits.
Except for this time.
“Macy,” I hissed, grabbing her arm. “I gotta talk to you. Over there. Alone.”
She complained when her drink splashed on her dress as I dragged her away. I was thankful that Rosa didn't follow us. She was too busy flirting with some other guy, thank God, to notice us leave.
I pulled her into a dark corner, folded my arms, and gave her the look. She knew exactly what I meant without saying a word.
“Don't get mad at me!” She raised her hands in defense. “I didn't know she was, uh... so outgoing.”
“You must be kidding. She's your friend. You told me she had a boyfriend.”
“She does. Er, at least, that's what she told me.” She quieted and stirred ice cubes with her straw. “And she's not really my 'friend,' per se. I told you I only know her from class. We've eaten lunch together a few times, that's it.”
“So you set me up with a girl who's clearly batshit insane? We've barely just met, and she already has her hands all over me.”
Macy did not seem concerned. “So what? I thought you liked that sort of attention.”
“Not from her. The only reason I'm even speaking with this girl is because of dad's stupid contract. You assured me this would be a quick, on-paper-only marriage. Seems to me more like she's trying to get in my pants.”
“You think every girl in this city is trying to get you into bed. I don't think I've ever met a man with such an inflated ego.”
Rosa's donkey-like laugh resounded over the thunderous music. She was rubbing up on some other poor sucker, trying to get him to buy her another drink.
I was getting awfully bad vibes from her. Still, what else could I do? Just think of this like a business transaction. Try to stay detached, no matter how much she flirted.
“Why don't you just talk to her and hear her out?” Macy suggested. “If she's your only chance at keeping Slicker Image, wouldn't you go for it?”
“Yeah, but...” Sarah's teary face flitted into my thoughts. “This seems wrong.”
Macy did not hear me. She was already pushing through the crowd to go back to her friends. Rosa's eyes met mine. She winked and waved me down.
“How about a dance, hmm? I love dancing,” she purred. I pulled my hand away before she could grab it.
“I think we have a lot to discuss. My sister said you were interested in obtaining a certain something for yourself.”
She pouted, but sat down across from me at a table. “Yes, it is true. I know that a marriage would be a quick way to get one – but I cannot marry for that alone. My family is quite religious, see. They would never forgive my sin.”
Given the way she was throwing herself at any man who'd look at her, she'd probably sinned a hell of a lot.
“I thought you had a boyfriend, back in Mexico.”
“I did,” she said, shifting about in discomfort. “But after so long apart, he became jealous of me. I'm here on a temporary visa for school while he was not able to get one.”
Something about this whole thing, and about Rosa, seemed super messed up. She was hiding things, maybe some very bad things. If I married her, I'd be legally tied up in her problems too.
Was saving the store really worth that?
“I understand you must marry quickly, by the year's end. That is good. I must move fast as well.”
“And why are you in such a rush, exactly? You're still in college, with that visa. I doubt they'd deport you for a long while.”
Instead of giving me an answer, she pursed her red lips and sipped her beverage seductively through a straw. Then she came to me and put an arm around my neck.
“I want to help you, Asher. Macy told me how much you will lose if you don't find a bride soon.”
“Yes, that's correct, but –”
She sank into my lap. I was too shocked to try and push her off me.
“If we are to wed, we must make our relationship look real. Don't you think?”
The club door swung open, letting in a gust of icy air. Something else, too. It was a familiar smell, the aroma of Sarah's shampoo. She'd used the same one for so long that I got hard from just a whiff of it.
There she stood, holding a bag of
