Cheating Time (43 page)

"It's an offer I can hardly refuse, John.
I'm sure you know that," I said with as much sweetness as I could
muster, knowing no matter how hard I tried for compliant, my words
were tempered with the pure hate and loathing I felt at being
brought to heel.

How dare he blackmail me
and only do the right thing if I give in to his demands? I will, of
course, agree, but it pisses me off to no end that he's holding
Tawney's life over my head.

At that very moment and because there was
absolutely nothing left to lose, I decided there were several other
people's safety that needed to be bundled within this whole damn
marriage deal.

"We've talked so much that you've barely had
time to enjoy your meal. I know you have lots more questions, and
we have lots more things to discuss. Let's eat, and we'll talk more
afterward," Barone suggested, watching me to see if I was going to
do as ordered.

I did.

In any other situation, I was confident
Rorie's meal would be better than anything I'd ever put into my
mouth. After hearing Barone's indecent proposal and coming to terms
with my fate, food made of cardboard would have tasted exactly the
same.

We ate in complete silence while I
considered a way to keep everyone I cared for safe. Not just
Tawney. Mom, Dad, Gran, Jayden and his newly found family, and
Thorne and his family.

After I broke apart the chocolate bowl and
moved the mousse around enough for it to look like I'd eaten more
than I had, I cleared my throat.

"John, I've considered your offer and am
prepared to agree to marry you when I'm twenty if you can guarantee
that Jayden will remain the Lead Surrogate for as long as he wants
to hold the position and you can guarantee the safety of my family
and a few other people who've become important to me. Without that
promise… one I'd like in writing and embedded with your genetic
seal, I'm going to have to respectfully decline your offer and work
toward curing lymphoma the old-fashioned way," I bluffed, knowing
full well, I was going to agree no matter what Barone said. Saving
Tawney was my most pressing problem.

Barone sighed deeply in relief. "I think
you'll find, Carlie, that I'll do anything for you. You ask me to
put my promise in writing and signed in blood and I will. You add
the names of these people who mean so much to you, and I will
assure you that I'll do everything within my means to keep them
safe," he promised.

"I don't just want them safe. I want them
with me. It's the only way I'll ever feel their safety is a
priority." I continued bargaining.

"And… they'll be allowed to live wherever
you live and travel wherever you travel… if that is what you
desire. I'm going to limit the number of people under your
protection to fifteen. I know you well enough to know you'll try to
add every person in the nation in hopes no harm will ever come to
anyone," Barone countered with an indulgent smile.

"I understand."

"Are you going to tell me who besides your
family is important enough to warrant presidential security?"

I shook my head. "I'll write the names in
later."

"You'll have your requested fifteen, and the
list can be fluid, meaning you can add others by taking away some,"
Barone said, humoring me, the seventeen-year-old girl he'd
completely underestimated.

I nodded.

Barone grinned widely before tapping the
side of his watch and waiting as the hologram of a man I'd never
met before hovered above the dial.

"Sir, how can I help you tonight?" the uber
professional man sang.

"I need the agreement amended to include the
permanent placement of Jayden Thomas St. Romaine in the Lead
Surrogate position and the unconditional housing and safety of
fifteen people who will live near and travel with Miss Enoche,"
Barone described.

"I'll make those updates, and the contract
will be there in five minutes."

"I look forward to it."

True to his word and after an uncomfortable
five-minute wait with Barone staring at me, the printer spit out a
ten-page contract. Barone put it in front of me, and I did my best
to read through it.

There was so much legal jargon that I really
had no idea what I was signing. Rather than focus too much on that,
I fast-forwarded to the last page, where the fifteen blank lines
were, and began filling in the blanks below the legal verbiage that
would ensure the following people's safety:

1. Sam Enoch

2. Selma Enoch

3. Peter Panzini

4. Tawney LeCroix

5. Jayden St. Romaine

6. Thorne Angleton

7. Rorie Angleton

8. Dr. Angleton

9. Mrs. Angleton

10. Sean Serkis

11. Simon Serkis

12. Jayden's surrogate mother

13. To be named later

14. To be named later

15. To be named later

After I'd completed the names, I signed the
document.

"Please forward a copy of this to Jayden and
me."

Barone was salivating as if he were a dog
and I were his favorite bone when I handed the contract back to
him. I sat at his desk and watched as he read the names. His face
turned beet red and the vein in his forehead popped out when he saw
I'd included Sean and Simon.

"Are you suggesting Serkis warrants your
protection, Carlie?" he asked after he was able to control his
temper.

I remained as calm as I possibly could.
"Yes. We believe they are Jayden's brothers, and as long as he has
family, I'd like them to be cared for and safe."

Standing behind me, Barone did the same
thing he did when he'd signed Jayden's document earlier. He pulled
a pen from his pocket and signed the contract before pushing a
button on the pen, pricking his thumb, and embedding his genetic
code within the document.

He handed me the pen and waited while I did
the same. Less than a minute later, it was done, and Barone took
full advantage of his position. He leaned into my neck and rubbed
his cheek against my skin. I shivered.

Mistaking my response for lust, Barone
chuckled. "There's no rush, Carlie. You and I will be together day
and night soon enough.

Yeah. That's what I'm
afraid of, you piece of shit.

Barone grabbed up the document after
slipping on a pair of MicroGlasses. He snapped a picture and had
his retina scanned in order to certify the signature as his. Then
he handed me the lenses. I stood still while the red light verified
who I was and certified my signature and our genetic codes.

I kept the lenses on until I saw the
document had been emailed to Jayden and myself. Our agreement had
been signed, sealed, and delivered.

I'd sold my soul to the devil in order to
save Tawney and protect my family, Jayden's family, and Thorne's
family. I'd done all I could do.

Resigned to my fate, my shoulders slumped.
Barone took that to mean I was relieved.

"I know you're only seventeen, but I think
this all calls for a toast."

Barone dashed over to a bucket of ice and
pulled out a bottle of champagne. The explosion that came when he
popped the cork was loud enough to make the Surrogate standing
guard quickly poke his head around the tent's flap in order to make
sure the president was still safe. Barone was oblivious as he
poured the champagne into two tall flutes.

Standing in my personal space, he handed a
glass to me and offered a toast. "To the most beautiful woman I've
ever seen… the woman I'll one day marry… the woman who'll one day
have our children. Thank you for agreeing to this. You have no idea
what it means to me."

Barone pinged my glass and took a long
drink. I followed his lead and took my own gulp. It was quite
literally the best-tasting drink I'd ever put in my mouth. Somehow,
I'd gotten thirstier than I'd been hungry earlier. Rather than stop
with one gulp, I drank until the entire flute was empty.

I'd eaten little because I was so upset over
my negotiations, so the drink went straight to my head. The
MicroPharm was having trouble metabolizing the alcohol, probably
because of how fast I drank and because it was already being taxed
while trying to manage the remaining effects of the snakebites.

As soon as my first glass was empty, Barone
refilled it. Ignoring the beginning buzz I was already feeling, I
drank that glass down just as quick.

"Carlie, I'm going to let you celebrate
tonight, but I don't want to see you drinking with anyone but me.
Do you understand?"

I nodded, giggled, and put my glass out for
him to refill.

He chuckled and filled my glass again. I
felt lighter and less stressed than ever in my life. I closed my
eyes and began swaying to the music playing in my head. I
completely understood why people drank. There was something
liberating about not worrying about everything…
about everybody
.

Sooner than possible, I'd drunk my fourth
glass. When I turned in the direction where I thought Barone was
standing, I tripped. Barone caught me and pulled me into his chest
and squeezed me tight.

"Carlie, I think you've had enough. One more
glass and you'll officially be drunk."

I touched the glass to my cheek and said,
"Please… just one more. I feel so good. I-I've never been so worry
free in my life. I like how it feels. I like not feeling like the
weight of the world is on my shoulders. I like feeling like I'm a
normal teenage girl whose worst problem is making friends at the
academy."

I'm not sure where they came from, but tears
sprang to my eyes and I began crying. "I-I've been so sad about
Tawney. I don't want to lose her. I love her so much," I
sobbed.

Barone pulled me into his chest again. This
time he kissed my forehead. "I know, sweetie. You and I are going
to save her. I promise we will. We'll go down in history as the
couple who eradicated lymphoma. Just wait and see," he
consoled.

I nodded and leaned my head back so I could
wipe the tears from my eyes. When I did, Barone bent down and
kissed me. Like before, it was sweet and gentle. There was nothing
urgent or deep about it. It wasn't exciting like Jayden's.

When my drunken self realized I'd never
again kiss Jayden, that I'd never again have my heart race and my
stomach flutter in anticipation, she sobbed more, and I pushed
Barone away from me. I grabbed my knees, bent over, and cried
harder.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I know you're upset. I
promised I wouldn't do that, and a few minutes later, I kiss you
again. I think that proves just how hard staying away from you is
going to be for me," Barone said, swooping his arms behind my knees
and picking me up. "You need to get some rest. You can sleep in my
bed. I'll have them set up another on the other side of the tent
for me."

I wiggled and squirmed. "No. No. I need to
go back to the infirmary. My MicroPharm needs to be refilled. I
have to go back," I insisted.

"The hell I can't go in there!" I heard from
outside the tent and knew Jayden had arrived.

"Humph!"

With that wince of pain, I knew Jayden had
thrown at least one punch.

The next thing I knew, my Surrogate Soldier
was in the tent. He was as enraged as I'd ever seen him, as hurt as
I'd ever seen him.

"What the hell is this?" he asked as he
waved a document my way.

I knew it was the contract I'd just had sent
to him in order to make sure someone besides me knew about its
existence.

"I can explain," I slurred.

I never would have thought he could become
more incredulous, but he was when he saw the condition I was in,
that I was in Barone's arms.

"Are you drunk? Were you drunk when you
signed this?" he asked hopefully.

I jerked until Barone had me once again
standing on the ground, but the tent felt like it was whirling.

"Jayden… I-I was not… drunk… when I signed
that. We need to talk, but… we can't do that with John here," I
said, clumsily slapping John's chest with the palm of my hand.

"
St.
Romaine!
What are you doing in my tent? I know you and
Carlie are close, but you're going to have to learn there are
boundaries where she's concerned," Barone said, matching Jayden's
rage degree for degree.

"What have you done to her? What are you
doing to her? You can't marry her. She's… she's too young for you.
For God's sake, she's not even seventeen."

Barone put his hands up and said, "Nothing
is going to happen until she's twenty. She'll be an adult and able
to make her own decisions. You don't have to worry that I'll do
anything before then."

Jayden looked like he might punch the
president out. It was at that moment that my body's reaction to
extreme stress—and its attempts at detoxification—took over. I
slapped my hand to my mouth and searched for a bucket. I was going
to throw up, and the last thing I wanted to do was to upchuck on
the floor of the president's tent.