Wife for hire

“Honey, I’m home!” An all too familiar head poked into my office barely seconds after my ass touched my seat. I grunted under my breath. Just what I needed. I had spent the whole day shooing off my family, who had decided it was time to form an alliance with me. It was a relief to finally come to work but I was not ready to spend the whole night trying to get Siren out of my office. 

Swifter than I expected, she was behind my chair, using her soft hands to massage my shoulders, purring against my ear like the siren she was. “How did it go, are you tired? I can make you feel better.” 

“Get your hands off me, Siren!” I snapped. “And drop the stage voice.” 

“You liked it before.” She giggled but thankfully stopped speaking in that practiced seductive tone she used to lure patrons out of their life savings. Siren was the most sought-after dancer at Inferno, and men would give an arm just to see her dance for a few minutes. I couldn’t blame them—she was alluring with sinfully hypnotizing blue eyes and the curvy figure that was all the rage. And although I hate to admit it, she was my highest-priced employee and a good friend when she was not getting under my skin. 

So while she rambled on about wanting a pay raise on account of all the men (and women) that had been lured into die-hard VIP patrons by her charm, I interrupted her mid-sentence. “Marry me.” 

She stopped speaking, blinked a few times to confirm she was not dreaming, and burst into laughter. “Of all the ways to get me to shut up, that takes the cake.” She heaved from laughing too hard. “Just how badly do you want to get rid of me?” 

I raked my fingers through my hair. I didn’t believe I was saying this either. I looked into her eyes as though that would convince her. “I’m dead serious.” 

The confusion played out on her face for moments before she was convinced that I wasn’t pulling her leg. Even then, she was seconds away from feeling my forehead. 

“Who the fuck are you and what did you do to my Curtis?” She dramatically squinted her eyes at me. 

“Ask the old bat that.” I didn’t want to go into detail.

 Luckily, Siren was smart. Understanding crossed her face. “Does this have anything to do with his will?” 

I nodded without explaining. She didn’t ask, merely shaking her head. “I can’t.” 

“Why?” I demanded. “You could get a nice cut out of this.” 

“For starters, you don’t even know me!” She nearly shrieked. 

I didn’t want to rain her parade but I knew her better than she would expect. Siren was her stage name and I had called her that for years, but that didn’t mean my partner Heston had not run a background check on her before she was hired to Inferno. 

“Give me a reason that matters.” 

She shrugged. “You know I would never allow myself to be tied down to one cock all my life—not even if it’s yours.” 

I shook my head. “Why the hell do I still tolerate you?” 

“Admit it, you love me.” She giggled, enjoying the knowledge that it was driving me nuts. Then she turned serious. I was getting used to her rapid personality switches. “How badly do you need a wife?” 

I tipped my head toward the one-way glass window overlooking the dance poles below. “Badly enough that I could go down there, grab a random woman and drag her down the aisle.” I was not joking. It was already bad enough that grandfather had insisted on my being married before 3rd August this year. For a moment, I had assumed I had a year to find a wife. That was before I remembered what date it was. It was 2nd June. I had two months to get married and prove to Maverick that it was a real marriage. Why the fuck didn’t he warn me before? 

To my relief, Siren was more clear-headed than I currently was. “Then let’s find you a wife. You own a strip club, for heaven’s sake. There are more women here than you could count.” 

“That would be an obvious farce,” I told her. She didn’t know the terms but she quickly caught on. 

“Heston has a sister…” 

“No.” 

She crossed her arms impatiently. “Then what the fuck do you want?” 

Anything but for Heston to gain leverage over me. He would have a field day poking fun at my predicament, then I would have to walk on eggshells around his sister for however long our marriage needed to last. I couldn’t tell Siren that. She would make it her mission to tell Heston everything she knew. 

“If it’s any consolation,” she cooed. “I don’t have any private dances tonight. I could be yours if you want,” 

For the first time since I met her, I didn’t understand what she was implying even though she had bared her cards so clearly. When I finally did, I was distracted by the view of Inferno down below. 

What happened next seemed so unrealistic that I had to walk over to the one-side glass wall for a clearer view. A woman walked into the club, eliciting stares with each step she took. Maybe it was the sun dress she was wearing. She looked out of place in contrast to all the women wearing tiny dresses and shorts that barely covered their asses and a ton of makeup. 

As she weaved through the crowd to the staircase, she looked up. I knew she couldn’t see through the wall but I could swear our eyes met. She was looking right at me—until a guard stopped her. Only VIP patrons could be allowed up here. I had the strongest urge to ask them to let her pass but again, I was curious. Where was she going? 

She said something to the guards and the taller one, Beanie, tapped his earpiece and spoke while Dom nudged her out of the way. I guessed she had asked for Heston and had been told to wait. Sure enough, I caught sight of him at the bar just as he ditched his beauty and walked over to her. 

After what looked like an argument, the woman grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it right off her body. 

“Fucking hell!” Siren exclaimed. I had forgotten she was here. Apparently, she was watching the same thing I was. She pressed her hand against the glass. “Is she out of her mind? Who would hide that kind of body under that boring dress?” 

“She would,” I muttered dryly. I felt like a pervert, gawking at a woman’s body when she had no idea I was watching her. But in my defense, this was a strip club. She knew men would be watching when she decided to rip her dress off. Men like me, who wouldn’t be able to look away from that impossibly flawless skin, those full breasts, barely covered by a contrasting red bra... 

“It’s an interview,” Siren whispered, interrupting my train of thought. Was it? I was thinking along the lines of this being some sort of rebellion. A sheltered girl finally deciding it was time to ditch her innocence? A scorned girlfriend taking it out on alcohol after ending it with the loser? It happened every other night. But Siren had a point. She had asked for Heston—he was in charge of hiring the staff and dancers at Inferno. 

I was yet to say a word when she clapped me on the back and giggled mischievously. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

My brows knitted. No fucking way.