Marry Me For Money

Terran

I should have been having a blast instead of feeling as if I were facing the most important decision of my life. It was one of those rock and hard place decisions. Damned if I did and damned if I didn’t.

“I need a drink,” I mumbled.

“I’ll get you one, sweetie.” A pretty blonde woman sitting on a leather couch across from me quickly jumped up to do just that.

Zach looked at me and smiled. “That was easy.”

It hadn’t exactly been what I meant. I needed a drink, but I didn’t expect her to fetch it for me. She was a guest. She returned a minute later with a margarita, the rim of the glass lined with salt. It wasn’t exactly the drink I had in mind, but it would do.

“Thank you,” I said, unable to remember her name.

She smiled. “Any time, Terran. If you need anything, you only have to ask.”

I smiled and nodded my head, ignoring the flirting. I wasn’t in the mood to flirt, which was out of character for me.

“Can you ladies give us a minute?” Zach asked.

The four women who had followed us downstairs quickly jumped up to leave us alone. We were relaxing in the mahogany sitting room below deck on my yacht. The sound of loud music coming from the top deck reminded me this was a party. As if I needed the thumping music as a reminder. Zach Bailey, my best friend in the world and the guest of honor at this little shindig on the Pacific Ocean, a few miles off the coast of Los Angeles, had been telling me to loosen up for the past hour.

“Dude, relax,” Zach said from his seat beside mine. “Get loose. This is my birthday party, and you’re killing the vibe.” 

I shrugged. “I’m relaxed,” I lied. “I needed a minute out of the sun.” 

“You’re not relaxed. You’re walking around as if you are personally responsible for holding up the world.”

I chuckled. “Sorry. I don’t want to be a downer. Let’s go up.”

We walked up the stairs to the top deck where the party was happening. I had spared no expense to give Zach a stellar party with excellent food catered by one of the top chefs in the city and a lot of alcohol. I heard a splash and knew someone had just hit the water. I had hired lifeguards as well, knowing alcohol and water could be a deadly combination.

“You need to do that,” Zach mumbled.

“Do what?” I asked, walking in front of him up the stairs.

“Jump into the water, shake off the worry,” he suggested.

I looked down at the swim shorts I was wearing. Bathing suits were the dress code for the party.

“I might,” I shot back.

He laughed. “I doubt that. You’d get that pretty little mop of hair all messed up.” 

I self-consciously ran a hand through the shaggy black hair on my head that was currently free of hair products. When I was going to a formal business meeting, it was usually gelled back. On a normal day at the office, I kept it tamed, but today, it was free to fall around my face in somewhat of an old-school Johnny Depp way.

“Don’t let me hold you back,” I told my blond-haired, blue-eyed friend. Although celebrating his thirty-second birthday, he didn’t look a day older than twenty-five.

We hit the top deck where the alcohol was freely flowing, fueling the gyrating bodies on the makeshift dancefloor. I could hear more splashing and knew someone else had just used the slide. Everyone was having a good time.

“Happy birthday,” a lovely redhead said, kissing Zach on the mouth before running her hand across his bare chest and walking away.

He was grinning like a fool.

“Who was that?” I asked.

He shrugged a shoulder. “Not a clue.”

I laughed at the boldness of the woman. The amount of skin showing was alarming. I was sure some of the bathing suits the women were wearing were illegal in some countries. Dental floss would have covered more.

I sighed. That was the goal. Two things Zach loved most in the world were beautiful women and being on the water. It was a little hard to get the guy who had everything he wanted a meaningful birthday gift.

“I need a real drink,” I said.

“Good, I’m going to say hi to a couple people I do know,” Zach said before walking away.

I walked straight for the bar, asking for scotch, neat before turning and heading in the opposite direction of the festivities. I was usually the life of the party, but today, it just seemed like another day ticking away until I had to make a decision. I rested my arms on the railing and watched the waves roll in, thinking about my life.

It wasn’t long before Zach propped his elbows on the railing beside me. He was quiet for a while.

“Are you still upset about your dad’s will?” Zach asked.

I shrugged. “Not upset, a little stressed.”

He laughed. “I think that’s the same thing.”

I pushed back a chunk of my unruly black hair from my forehead and turned to look at him. “I stand to lose all this or get saddled with a ball and chain. It isn’t a decision I can make on a whim.”

He slowly nodded his head. “I understand. I wouldn’t expect you to. I think you need to decide what is more important to you.”

I groaned. “I don’t know. I like my life the way it is. A wife would just add a dose of drama. I don’t want a relationship. I don’t want the hassle of checking in with someone.”

“Or getting in trouble for cheating or having a wandering eye,” Zach added.

“Exactly. I like my freedom. I like the luxury of flirting with an attractive woman if I want to. I don’t want the proverbial ball and chain holding me back.”