Two

CHAPTER 2

IRENE'S POV

He was one hell of a fine man!

Part of my mind kept buzzing over the man who just walked in a moment ago, and even as I tried concentrating on something different from mere looking at him, I couldn't.

He was handsome in every sense, I decided— staring down from his beautiful face to his breathtaking physique, sending embers of his alpha male aura through my nerves as my female

hormones were leaping around in a frenzy of attraction for him.

I’d caught a glimpse of him strolling in through the door and decided he was the right distraction that was needed at this point.

When he’d settled on the chair not far away from where I was, it took a lot to resist the impulse to showcase to him my interest.

He was the right thing I required at that point, the missing puzzle in my life at that moment.

The truth was, considering how desperate I am, I would have totally gone for anyone who walked through that door.

Here I was at Twenty-five, sitting still at the spot of waiting for my prince charming to walk in through the door like a knight in shiny armor-

I sipped from my cup, cutting off my unrealistic girly thoughts, before glancing at the watch on my wrist.

He was running late, he had called me late last night to inform me of a deal he thought I might be so interested in.

I rolled my eyes at the fact that I had been sitting here for close to twenty minutes, and he was still nowhere around.

Bored again, I looked around at the handsome man seated across from me and this time I found him glancing in my direction, prompting me to look away.

I had my pride as well, in a way, I guess it contributed to why at twenty-five I still had no man in my life.

Easy on the eyes, I could easily charm my way into any man's heart. The bad side about it was I had a notch for attracting a lot of scum as well.

He glanced over and met my gaze again as if he’d felt me observing him, I could feel his indifferent stare still finding a way to touch my skin even after looking away again.

When I looked in his direction this time just so I didn’t look like a coward, I held his gaze there for what felt like a breathless second, only looking away when I saw him stand up from where he was

I was conscious of my pulse leaping into a gallop as I walked toward where I was.

“Hello, Are you alone?” He asked, sounding so charming like his face.

“Not really expecting a friend.” I made more emphasis on the word friend just in case Marcus showed up, and he did.

**************************

The man had barely said his name when Marcus made his way in.

“Irene.” He called out my name as I leaned in for a hug.

“Meet my friend Marcus.” He shook the stranger's hand.

“Marcus meet, err…” I paused, realizing I didn't know his name as well.

“ Nathaniel.” He said, taking Marcus' hands again.

“Let me excuse you guys.” He muttered.

I could tell this was not the way he had pictured the evening ending.

He took my hands in his, kissing it as he slid me his card, before making his way back to his seat.

“Quite an interesting man.” Marcus said, soon as he was away.

“You took quite a hell of a time.” I grimaced.

“ Yeah, I am sorry that I had to take care of something.”

“You talked about a deal.”

He got closer as he spoke. “ Yeah, I am pretty sure you will like what I am about to say. “

“ Yeah, I can't wait to hear what it is telling me already.” I sounded curious.

I looked around again only to see the man who was talking to me earlier on walking out without even looking back.

Feeling a bit disappointed at the turn out of things, I concentrated on what he was about to say.

“Well, it is a type of marriage deal.” Marcus said quickly.

“ I don't get you.” I narrowed my eyes at him hoping to get additional information as I looked completely confused.

“There is a friend of mine who is about this arranged marriage sort of-”

“ So you dragged me down here for all this?” I sounded pissed, cutting off whatever he was about to say.

Marcus glanced at me with a remorseful expression. “I’m sorry, Irene. Didn’t know it’d go that way. Honest.”

My heart squeezed. “I don't know, what made you think I am that desperate?”

He laughed weakly. "Not saying that.”

Marcus usually had a bold, convincing look on his face, but this time he didn't—he was confused—he looked out of options.

As much as I had been angry a while ago, I thought I should give him some time to speak.

He had barely said anything before I had cut him off. I had this notion that sometimes it felt like you needed to be hard on some things to survive in this world, but this didn't look like one of them.

“So who is this person?” I asked.

I saw his face lit up with expectation.” A friend.”

“ His name?”

“ James Fraser.”

His name sounded familiar, but I couldn't think of where I had come across the name.

“Well give me some time to think about it.” I muttered.

“ Thank you, I am sure you'd be-”

“Don't thank me yet.” I said cutting him off. “ I am yet to decide, just give me time.”

“ Can you make it within a week?”

I shot him a killing look.

“ Very well then, I'd keep in touch.” He muttered.

James Fraser… I couldn't help thinking.

JAMES'S POV

His voice, deep and indifferent, sounded from the other side of the table.

Even though I stared at the magazine, I was hyper aware of what was happening and moved the magazine away when he reached to grab it.

“Take a look in a mirror and see what you are doing to yourself.”

He was right, I was still in my yesterday's slack and had barely left the study in two days.

“Do you realize how important this deal is?” I asked, looking for a sort of expression on his face.

“Take it easy.” Marcus said. “I told you Irene will come around. "

Irene, the beautiful bimbo he had talked about nights ago.

He had sent a few of her pictures and while she might not be as most of the models I had in mind, she looked like a prospective wife.

It would be easier to convince them that I was married to Irene than any of the women in the magazines.

The room fell silent for a minute, and I could imagine that we were both in deep thought about a way out of the maze I had in my mind.

“I still can't believe she turned down that sum of money.” I muttered with a bit of disappointment.

I could have sworn that it was enough to convince any woman, but Marcus had come back with a big no from her.

“Yeah.” Marcus drawled. A couple of seconds passed before he added, “It is still two days away.”

I was tense. It sounded like time was ticking away very fast.

My pulse drummed in my ears as my heart tripped up in what could only be called anxiety, I could feel my body succumbing to an unwilling rush of annoyance.

“I don't know what to do.” I admitted to standing up from where I was sitting and walking to the table, grabbing a decanter and filling two cups with whiskey and no ice.

I pushed it over to where he was at that table, and he caught it as it slid toward where he was.

“Just give it time, man.”

“Two days! Do you realize that? I sounded pissed. “Two days and the deal is -”

His phone buzzed, distracting me from whatever I was about to say.

He looked at me and mouthed Irene, before picking the call.

I tried to give myself reasons for why she could be calling.

Could it be that she had come to a conclusion that she can't do what I was asking of her?

I focused on the drink, pretending not to care about what he was talking about, but my heart faltered at the thought of what the call could end at.

I held my breath as he slowly set the phone back on the table as a shiver ran down my neck.

Marcus filled the empty glasses with more whiskey.

“What did she say, man?” I asked curiously, my heart racing.

“She said yes.” Marcus said, smirking.

I gave Marcus a playful smack on the back while throwing my hands in the air.

“You are the best, won't let you down.” I said with excitement.

“You better not, she is family, remember?” Marcus said, chuckling.

********************

My wife was only supposed to be a woman that would just get me the deal I wanted and that, was it, right?

Yet with this woman sitting right across from me, I couldn’t think straight.

In this life, I was unable to afford the distraction that women came with, at the same time, having one felt like the last puzzle missing from my life.

Though, as regrettable as it was to be attracted in a way to her, I couldn’t help but to be excited about seeing Irene.

It was getting to the point she couldn’t make a move without my notice, no matter how little it was.

In the past, my attraction to women had been mainly sexual, but with this woman, all I could do was listen to her speak so freely and obstinately with me.

Everything that was going to happen during the marriage had to be consensual, including the sex.

For a minute, I thought of how she would react If she got to find out she was a pawn in some

large-scale agreement. How romantic.

Even so, we had spent the last couple of minutes together and while I held no expectations for love in the marriage, I could easily admit there was something about her I did like.

The problem was, how long would it take…

How long would it take for either of us to get tired of all of this?

Her phone buzzed and Nate popped up.

“Sorry, I have to pick this.” She muttered, excusing herself from the table.

I looked around the table, wondering how fast all of that was happening.

How fast I was becoming a married man the next day.

“Nate…” I found myself thinking.