I grinned at her. “You really do read too much fan fiction. No, they’re gonna ask for compensation. The club will pay and I will pay the club.”
“So they’re not gonna ask for body parts or some shit?”
“Luckily for us, this isn’t the wild west.”
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what Sunny would ask for. I did know that Tank had a reputation for ruthlessness and mayhem. He wasn’t someone to be trifled with. That’s why I invoked his name. No doubt it would get complicated, but Nico didn’t need to know that.”
“I’m soo sorry about all this.” She looked like such an earnest puppy with the eyes and the sincerity, I just wanted to pat her on the head and tell her that everything would be fine.
Instead, I shrugged, one-shouldered. “It’s no biggie.”
“No, it is. It’s huge. I owe you big time. If he asks for money, I can pay it. Don’t even worry about that.”
“Hey. Relax. None of that now. It’s going to be fine. I promise. It’s handled. Can we talk about something else? Engagement rings? What do you prefer? Diamonds? Emeralds? Gold or platinum?”
She blinked at me as if taken by surprise. “Engagement rings?”
“Yeah, I mean you gotta have a big ass rock to flash around, don’t you?”
“No big ass rocks, please?” She looked quite horrified.
I smiled. “Fine. I’ll get you something simple yet elegant. Leyland will put an announcement in the paper, probably tomorrow. That’s okay, right? We should also probably go out to dinner. Somewhere people can see us.”
She swallowed, looking quite pale. “Uh…I…okay.”
“Great.” I looked at my watch, “Oop, your lunch hour’s probably almost up. We should go back.”
“Yeah.” I got up and helped her up. I kept hold of her hand as we walked, and I think she was too dazed to object. Watching her from the corner of my eye, she seemed quite lost in thought and I wondered what concerns had put that furrow in her brow. I kept quiet, waiting to see if she would fill the silence.
But she just walked by my side without speaking.
Somehow though, it wasn’t awkward. In fact, it was quite peaceful and restful. Our hands swung back and forth between us, our shoulders occasionally brushing. It was more like a real date than most of my recent dates.
I dropped her off at the FDA building with a kiss on the cheek and watched color bloom with amusement. She nodded to me before hurrying into the building and as I watched her, the thought flashed through my mind with horror.
What if she’s a virgin?
I mean…how many people do you know who blush at a kiss on the cheek? I walked back to my car, pondering that possibility and wondering if I could possibly pop her cherry as part of a contractual agreement.
I shuddered, shaking my head. “Nope, no. She’s twenty-six years old. Ain’t no way in hell she’s a virgin.”
Starting my engine, I aimed my Mercedes Jeep at the traffic and wondering if I shouldn’t have just opted to take the train to Manhattan where Leyland had his offices. By some miracle, I was able to drive there and still be in time for my appointment. Now that I’d secured the bride, there were other issues that needed straightening out before my meeting with Tech Dyne.
All these hoops I was jumping through better be worth it.
10
Nicolette
“He’s not my boyfriend.” Jacinda was ready with mockery as soon as I stepped back into the office. I sighed, shaking my head.
“He really isn’t.”
“Pull the other one, Nico. I was born at night, not last night.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my fiancé.” Might as well start living this new reality. Jacinda’s jaw was on the ground. My mouth twisted. “Surprise!” I said faintly.
Jacinda screamed. “What?”
“Yeah, I know. It was a little sudden.”
Jacinda leaped off her stool and skidded across the room to perch on the one next to me. “Tell me more.”
I shrugged deprecatingly and grinned. “It was last night. I went off with that Rooster guy like a dumbass. Dom and my brother had to follow me. Rooster took me to this biker clubhouse in Queens.”
Jacinda gasped.
“I swear I thought I was done for.”
“Oh God, and there I was just drinking and thinking you were having a good time.”
“Yeah well…I was being a stupid ass; that’s what I was doing.”
‘So then what?”
“Well, when Dom and my brother followed me; they found Rooster dragging me to some backroom. Dom got into a fight with him, telling him that I was his fiancée.”
“Aww.” Jacinda looked at me all soft-headed.
“Anyway, so once he got me out of there, we went to my place and well…I guess it was the spark we needed to really understand what we meant to each other.”
“That is the most romantic story I’ve ever heard. But marriage? Aren’t you at least going to date first?”
“We’ve known each other for so long. And he was worried about that guy Rooster coming back. It felt like kind of counter-intuitive to wait.”
Jacinda sighed. “And I can’t even get a text back.”
“I thought you were engaged to that guy from Mumbai.”
“Oh my God, so not the same.”
“Those scorching hot emails you exchange beg to differ.”
“Anyway,” Jacinda replied loudly, “We were saying about your fiancée.”
I laughed. “There’s not really much else to say really.”
The door opened and Danna strode in, coming straight to me. “Well, well, seems there’s more to you than meets the eye. What’s this I hear about you having lunch with Domenic Cliff?”
“How did it become any of your business?”
“Hey, I’m just curious. I would have thought you’d not miss the opportunity to boast about being his flavor of the week.”
I cocked an eyebrow, noting the envy in her eyes. I sensed there was more to this than met the eye. “Well, unlike you, I do not have time for gossip, so if you’ll excuse me…”
Her face underwent this metamorphosis as if the glamor had dropped and now I was seeing her
