I got in the driver’s seat, holding my hand out for the keys. We took off, Louis Armstrong filling the silence with his crooning voice until we arrived at Nico’s block of apartments. I dropped Morgan at the door and drove off, my mind still churning with scenarios.
What does a marriage of convenience even entail? Do we have sex? What about kids?
I decided that I definitely needed to talk about all this with Leyland. He looked like exactly the kind of lawyer that had a template ‘Arranged Marriage Contract’ for all his blue blood clients who married for strategic reasons rather than love or lust or stupidity or whatever.
Married.
The word alone had me shivering with revulsion. My own parents’ marriage was nothing to write home about. The screaming and fighting weren’t so bad. But when my dad brought two-bit hookers home with him, drunk off his ass, and threw my mother out of the bedroom so he could screw them both; or when my mother disappeared for days in a haze of meth and anger…well. Let’s just say that when the elephants fight, it’s the grass that takes most of the damage.
It’s no wonder I thought joining a motorbike gang at sixteen was a great idea.
My phone rang just as I was parking the car in the underground garage and I pulled it out to see that my mother was calling.
Speak of the devil.
I sighed, picking up the call. “Yeah?”
“Domenic, darling, how are you doing?”
Great, she was high. My mother only said my full name when she was tripping balls.
“Hey, ma. What’s up?”
“Well, I ran into that friend of yours, whatsisname? Buzz? Hawk? Something…”
My heart sank. “You mean Tank?”
“Yeah! That’s his name. Anyways, he was asking about you.”
Of course, he was.
“Oh yeah? And what’d you tell him?”
“Nothing. I said I hadn’t heard from you for a while.”
I unclenched my fist. “Thanks.”
“If you really want to show gratitude, you could send me some money.”
My chest tightened even as I gritted my teeth. “Sure, ma.”
I hung up without saying goodbye, leaning my head against the seat rest with a sigh. My mother is why I have trust issues.
4
Nicolette
I wasn’t surprised when my doorbell rang. I knew that the discussion wasn’t over when I left. Morgan wasn’t happy with me and I couldn’t blame him. It was a crazy thing I was suggesting, especially with a man I clearly didn’t like.
I had barely gotten the door open when he was in my face. “Why are you really doing this? You carryin’ a torch for Dom I don’t know about?”
I had to laugh out loud at that one. “Yeah, because that’s the only reason I could possibly suggest this, right? Honestly, Morgan, sometimes you’re such a Neanderthal.”
Morgan honest-to-God pouted. “Forgive me for being worried about my sis. What an asshole I am.”
“I survived fifteen years of Eugene. Dom can’t even compare.”
Morgan frowned. “Dom is nothing like Eugene.”
I shrugged because well, agree to disagree. One abusive asshole is as good as another. “So why are you so worried about us getting married?”
Morgan crossed to my minibar and poured himself a brandy before flopping down in my red bean bag chair. I settled myself on the recliner and waited for the inevitable lecture. “It’s not about Dom. Well, it is, but it’s also about you.”
I made an expansive gesture with my hand. “Do explain.”
“We’re not the only ones who come from abusive backgrounds. And he might not say it or even realize it, but it would hurt if he thought a friend was using him the way that his family has, his club did… the way everyone in his life always and forever wants something from him.”
My eyebrows quirked in surprise. “So you’re worried about him?”
Morgan twisted his lips wryly. “Believe it or not, he’s as human as you are. He has feelings too.”
I shrugged. “Fine then. You don’t want me to marry him, I won’t. I just thought he was looking for a bride and…”
“No, your idea is great, but I gotta know you’re doing it for the right reasons. Because if things go sideways, it’ll make the difference between us all coming out of this intact or destroying our relationships.”
I wanted to point out that Dom and I had no relationship, but that wasn’t really true. Because Morgan was my brother and apparently, he was also Dom’s only friend, we were inextricably linked. So I nodded seriously instead. “Okay, I get it. I do.”
Morgan nodded. “Good. Now, how about you break out your gnarly PS2 and let me kick your ass?”
I smiled, going to the box beneath the television where I kept all that crap. My brother and I have that awkward relationship where if we bear our souls too openly, we have to retreat a little; hide behind everyday things for a while – like playing video games. We loved the hell out of each other, but sincerity was difficult for us.
So we played PS2 for the rest of the night before Morgan called an Uber and returned to his first love.
I arrived at work the next day feeling kind of hungover. A long night, intense conversation, and not enough sleep had me feeling like I’d downed a bottle of whiskey by myself. I found Jacinda already at her station, eyes hovering over the microscope.
“Morning,” I mumbled, digging up my research. I had seven days to finish it, so ironically, Dom and I were on the same deadline. Danna Powell had money and power. All I had was a great idea. I was a nobody; she was someone.
I tweaked a few concepts and checked over the biochemistry once again, quickly getting absorbed. The aromatic scent of coffee wafted towards
