Accidentally Married to the Billionaire (The Billionaire's Touch, #1) (13 page)

“I hate her because of how she’s treated you.”

“What?”

“You don’t trust me as far as you could spit, Brandon. Don’t bother denying it. You’ve got everything lawyered up for your own protection. You’ll barely look me in the eye unless we’re naked. Someone, and I’m betting that someone is the Wicked Queen, has made you damn gun shy of women.”

“Wow. Flippant is fine, welcome even. Trying to psychoanalyze me after a two days’ acquaintance is not. My relationship with my father was always complicated and Lena didn’t help matters. That’s all I intend to say about it.”

“Way to shut me down, cowboy. It’s a shame I didn’t sign any notarized documents about keeping my mouth shut,” she said, “because I’m taking the wife thing seriously. If I think you need my help, I’m helping you. If that means showing off for the evil stepmother, I will. If it means calling you out on your bs, I’ll do that, too.”

“If calling out bs is on the menu, I warn you it works both ways.”

“As it should. Trouble is, I pretty much recognize and take credit for my bullshit. I use sarcasm as a defense and I cry at the end of
Titanic,
and I really don’t want my heart stomped on again. There, that’s about the extent of it,” she said.

“What about your family?”

“What about them?”

“They don’t come to events, I believe you said. Are they in a cult?”

“Ugh, I wish. No, my mom’s a drunk and my brother’s in prison. That about cover it?”

“Good to know. I’ll have my publicist address those concerns before the media decide to investigate you and turn up a checkered past.”

“There’s plenty they could find out if they want to. It’s up to you how you handle it. I didn’t want to be an embarrassment but it’s pretty unavoidable at this point.”

“If the gossip articles show you in that dress, no one will read the words. It is a knockout, or rather you are.”

“Again with the charm,” she rolled her eyes, secretly pleased.

“Our flight leaves in an hour. We need to get going.”

“Right, I’ll change. Again.”

“Anything you don’t want from Nieman’s, the hotel can have sent back,” he said carelessly as if it were a given that she’d just keep whatever she liked.

“Thanks. I pretty much love them.”

“Then you should pretty much keep them. I’ll have Rafael load them in the car.”

“There’s no room in my weekender, Brandon,” she said solemnly, “it’s stuffed full.”

“That is not a problem. It’s our plane. You can bring a mountain of shopping bags. Or rather Rafael can,” he said.

“Gosh, you’re snooty. I could get used to this!” she said.

“I wish you would,” Brandon said, kissing the top of her head.

Marj darted back to the bedroom and changed into her flight ensemble. Once they were on the plane, she started to get nervous.

“The reporters will just want a picture of us, a picture of you really. I tweeted this morning that I was bringing my bride back home to Manhattan. That should create a frenzy, and you’ll be at the center of it. I’m sorry about that, darling. It’s part of the job.”

Brandon patted her leg encouragingly.

“What are you, my scout leader? If you want to encourage me, use tongue,” she said.

Brandon obliged, bending her back over his arm and kissing her breathless.

“Better?” he challenged.

“Lots. Put it on the pros list in your phone,” Marj said a little shakily.

“Are you worried about the reporters or Lena?”

“That depends. I mean, I might look bloated on TMZ, and that’s bad enough, but I have this weird feeling that the WQ may send a woodsman to cut out my heart,” she laughed nervously.

“I told you not to stress. There’s nothing Lena can do to you. You’re not alone any longer. You’re my wife and any disrespectful conduct on her part will be addressed by me. If she doesn’t mind her manners, we’ll leave. Or rather she will, because for the moment she occupies my father’s mansion. However, after the will is probated, that property will belong to us. So if she gets on your nerves, just keep in mind that six months from now, you can tell her to shove her stuff in a U-haul and get out.”

“Your dad didn’t make any provision for her to stay in their home until her death or anything? That’s shitty,” Marj remarked, “no offense.”

“Be glad that I don’t follow his example. You’ll be cared for in the event of my death.”

“Your death? You’re in great shape. You’re not even thirty until next weekend. Why would you even mention that?” she asked, her voice a little squeaky.

“I meant to reassure you that, unlike Lena, you stand to inherit the townhome, the cars and a sizable life insurance  policy.”

“Why would you do that? We’re only married for a few months.”

“First, it has to look real and a man in love would think of his bride’s future. Also, if I get hit by an Uber driver, I’d rather the money and worldly goods not revert to Lena who was my father’s next of kin in the event of my death.”

“No texting while you cross the street, okay?” she said, upset by the idea.

He covered her hand with his.

“I’ve got this. I’ve thought it out from every angle and I’ve made certain that you’re safeguarded. Try not to distress yourself.”

“I’m already distressed. This is basically our third date and you’re talking death benefits!”

“True, but, in my defense, we’re on a fairly serious third date, flying cross country, being married already...I already know everything your Pinterest boards can tell me and there’s a list in my phone of pros and cons for backup. Rest assured, Marjorie, I’m going to take care of you.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed.

“Are you still worried?”

“A little. I’m also trying to avoid turning my phone back on because I messaged Britt this morning about our wedding. I know the notifications are going to explode.”

“Want me to text her for you? You’re facing the paparazzi for me. The least I can do is intercept the bevy of questions she peppered you with.”

“Intercept and bevy are about as hot as sweaty socks,” she said, “however if you’re willing to send Britt a selfie to calm her down, that’d be great. We’ll Skype tomorrow but I just don’t want to get into the meet cute and the sudden wedding just now. I’m too focused on meeting Lena.”

“You must be. You didn’t even call her the Wicked Queen. Here,” he said, taking her phone and powering it on, “Ah, yes, forty-three notifications. Let’s see...” he held her phone at arm’s length and kissed her, the shutter clicking on her phone.

Marj watched in awe and amusement as he messaged the picture to Britt with the caption, “Busy now, ttyl.”

“She’s going to DIE when she sees that. No, wait, do not delete that. It’s about to become my Facebook cover photo!” she said, importing the image.

“That’s what I’ve always dreamed of—kissing a woman until she was overcome with the desire to edit her social media accounts. See, I can be flippant, too.”

“A few more weeks of me and you could be a much less serious person. I may need to take you to play laser tag, to loosen you up.”

“Please don’t.”

“Fine, I couldn’t tag anyone in these shoes anyway. I guess it’s the dinner party circuit for us.”

“The goal tonight at dinner is to be gorgeous, which you have covered effortlessly, and to seem like a real newlywed couple.”

“All over each other? I can deal. But what if she asks me questions about you?”

“This isn’t a game show and no one is going to expect you to know everything about me anyway.”

“Um, help me out...favorite...oh, gosh, I can’t think!”

“Calm down! She isn’t going to quiz you and even if she did, she’d never know if your answers were right! The woman knows next to nothing about me. If pressed she could tell you my birthday because of the will, and that I look like my father.”

“That’s sad. But I’m going to know you better, so you’re not going to be all alone any more. If you can intercede a bevy or whatever, I can stick up for you with the WQ. Trust me.”

“I do.”

“No, that was the love, honor and obey thing. You’re confused.”

“I never promised to obey you. All right, maybe if we’re naked and there’s a blindfold involved.”

“Cates, I think this is going to be one hell of a six months,” Marj smiled, leaning over to kiss him.

To be continued...

Accidently Married to the Billionaire – Part 2

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***

***You can read more about Britt and Marj in
The Boss’s Son
. The story is based on Britt Collier, and Marj is her best friend in the series.***

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Rebecca is an aspiring actress. While at a fancy cocktail party, the socialites begin to pick on her. And that’s when she claims she’s dating the billionaire host of the party. When he goes along with it, Rebecca is in shock. And when this billionaire offers her a proposition she can’t say no to, she dives straight in.