DREAM (4 page)

When did he take notes?

Gideon takes the papers and leaves.

Gable comes back over to the table. “When he comes back then I’ll call my contact at the courthouse, and we’ll be married tonight. In the morning, I’ll make sure you have your check for JE.”

Even though my insides are jumping because I’m going through this, I can feel the relief that JE and the employees are going to be okay.

“Fine. Call me.” I grab my purse and leave his office without a second glance.

Chapter 4

When I reach my office, I tell Mrs. Stones to call for Ronnie and I want a meeting with both of them. I toss my purse on the desk and put my head in my hands.

I did it.

I signed my soul away to the devil for JE and the employees. On top of that, for my house, Leo, Mrs. Stones, and anything that mattered to me.

A few moments later they walk in.

“Everything okay, Dream.” Ronnie looks at me.

“The contract and pre-nup will be here today; I’m marrying Gable.” There’s no point in beating about the bush.

Both of their mouths drop.

“I don’t want to hear any backlash on this. It’s for JE. I trust you two; this stays in this office.”

They both nod.

“Ronnie, I should have that check tomorrow. The moment it’s in your hands, you get this company back into the black. I want everything paid off and no more loose ends.”

He nods.

“What do you needs from me, Dream?”

I give Mrs. Stones a small smile.

“Just help me if I need it.”

“Always.”

I nod and they walk out of the office.

~~~

Mrs. Stones knocks on the door and comes through.

“You have a very important package.” She sits the manila envelope on my desk. “It needs your signature immediately.”

I don’t have to open it to know that it’s the contracts.

“There are two copies. Gable has signed them both. One is for you and the other is his.” She continues to stare at me, but I’m unable to move my eyes from the tan envelope in front of me.

With shaky hands, I open it up, and there it is. There is my future staring back at me on white paper and black ink. I flip to the last page of both contracts and there’s Gable’s name scrolled on the line.

Family and Jackson Enterprise are all that you need in your life.

I pick up my pen and swiftly sign my name on the line. I slip his copy back into the envelope and hand them back to her. She leaves without saying a word.

My gaze doesn’t leave the papers. I did it. I’m going to marry Gable Butler and start a new chapter in my life.

This isn’t how I thought my marriage would be. I had always pictured I’d be with someone I loved, with a big wedding, and my dad walking me down the aisle.

I have everything set for 5. Your office or mine?

Gable’s text broke me away from my daydream of having Dad here.

Yours. I’ll be there.
I text back.

There’s no point in fighting this. I’ve signed the contract. I gave him my word. Now, I need to go through it.

~~~

“Dream, are you sure about this?” Leo asks as we pull up to the building.

“No, but I have to be.”

This is it. I’m about to marry Gable Butler.

Leo parks and opens my door. I stiffly walk into the building and security doesn’t even to stop me. I’m sure Gable has already told them who I am.

When I step off the elevator, Gideon is the one to greet me.

“If it isn’t my new sister-in-law.”

I hear a sneer in his voice and I straighten.

“Yes, it is.” I might only be five-foot-seven, but I’m not going to let him intimidate me.

Gideon gives me an evil smirk. I can already see I’m not going to like him. He’s going to cause me problems.

“My brother is waiting along with the justice of peace.” He steps to the side and I stride past him toward Gable’s office.

“Dream.” Gable quickly stands from behind his desk. “Right on time, baby.”

Baby?
I refrain from rolling my eyes and telling him shut up.

“This is John, the one who will marry us.”

I stick my hand out and the older man with gray hair shakes it.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Jackson.”

I smile and nod.

“Now, I know you don’t like to waste time, Gable. Are you both ready?” John looks between us.

No.

“Yes,” Gable answers proudly and calls for Gideon. He walks in with the blonde secretary. “Now, we’re ready.”

“Okay.” John smiles and quickly begins.

I can feel a headache forming behind my eyes and I know it is going to only get worse throughout the night as he begins to talk.

“Gable, do you take Dream to be your wife?”

“I do.” He sounds sure of himself and confident.

“Dream,” John turns to me. “Do you take Gable to be your husband?”

I swallow back the lump in my throat.

Family and Jackson Enterprise are all that you need in your life.

“I do.” I can hear my voice cracking, but I held strong.

“You’re now husband and wife. Gable asked me to skip everything else. Let’s sign the license.”

That’s it?

That’s my wedding.

I can’t move because it’s all so unbelievable right now. My whole wedding had been condensed to a couple of sentences and nothing more. No flowers, music, or even two people who gaze happily into each other’s eyes. It’s just a few syllables.

“Dream.” Gable calls me over to his table. “You need to sign this.”

I make my feet move over to him and sign my name where he is pointing.

“Congratulations.” John shakes my hand.

Gable hands him a small wad of cash and Gideon the license. “Go take care of this. The clerk’s office is still open for me.” Gideon nods and leaves. The blonde and John follow him out the door.

Now, I’m alone with Gable.

My husband.

“Shall we go to dinner? I also planned for a press release in the morning.”

Of course he had. He wants to show off his trophy wife. Oh shit, that’s what I am now. I’m a wife.

“Dream, we can go out for dinner or back to the house?”

“House?” I squeak.

“Yes. You will be living with me now.”

Shit.

How could I forget that
minor
detail? At this point, I wonder if I even know my own name. I can’t believe I did this. I sold myself for thirty million dollars.

I stare at Gable’s blue eyes. It’s like he’s searching my face, trying to figure me out. Well, that’s not going to be easy because I don’t even know what the hell is happening.

“Do you want to sit down? You look very pale.” He takes my arm and guides me over to the chair.

I can feel my heart racing and my chest tighten. I can’t catch my breath. My head is pounding even harder.

“Dream, do I need to call for a doctor?” he squeezes my hand. I didn’t even notice that he had been holding it. He’s kneeling in front of me. He actually looks concerned.

“No. I’m fine.” I’m finally able to push out the words. Even though I’m having a nervous breakdown in his stark white office.

“I know it’s a lot to take in. That’s why I had John do everything quickly. I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

“What?” I feel my face scrunch up in confusion. “Overwhelm me?” He can’t be serious. I know he’s toying with me and what’s left of my sanity.

“I wouldn’t do that to you. I know this is a lot, even for me.”

“Please.” I roll my eyes and jump up to my feet. “Don’t feed me a line. You want this much more than I do. You want me to be some arm-candy you can parade around the city and parties. Am I right?”

“No, you’re not.” He stands in front of me. He towers over me and his blue eyes are piercing me. “You’re different. You’re not a piece of arm-candy. You’re my wife and I’m trying to make sure you’re okay.”

I don’t need this. Besides my dad, I’ve had no one look after me. I’ve kept my nose in the book and my focus on the goal of being the CEO of JE and I’m there. Yes, I married him for the money, but nothing more. I’ll build JE back to where it needs to be and I’ll do it without his help.

“I’m going home. To
my
house. We’ll have dinner some other time.” I race out the door and away from his saddened look.

Chapter 5

Surprisingly, Gable never came after me. I thought he might. By the time I arrived home, I thought he would be in the driveway, throw me over his shoulder, and make me go to his house.

It never happened.

The only communication I receive is a text message as Leo drives me to work the following morning.

I would really like to take you to lunch today, please.

I spent my night, tossing and turning again, thinking about me, us, and this marriage. It’s a sham. It’s a lie and I did it for JE. I did it to save the employees, my name, and my money. I shouldn’t be cowering in the corner like a scared child.

I’m Dream Jackson.

I don’t get scared.

I do it my way and there’s no other way.

I can’t for lunch, but dinner sounds delightful.

It’s time to bring out the real Dream Jackson, the strong, independent, and determined woman that I am. Kill him with kindness. Then figure out how the hell to get out of this mess.

I’ll be there at five.
He returns.

Perfect.

~~~

The press release hit the airwaves at exactly ten in the morning. Mrs. Stones has been diverting calls from the press all morning, but I ignore them. I stare at my phone as I read it again.

In a statement released by billionaire Gable Butler and Dream Jackson, they’re happy to announce they have married and are excited to start their new life together.

I roll my eyes because I didn’t help with this statement. But, what’s the point in arguing? It’s simple and to the point.

“Dream.”

I look up from my phone and see Mrs. Stones standing there.

“Mr. Butler is waiting downstairs for you.”

I glance at the clock. It’s already after five and that means that it’s time for dinner with my husband.

“Thank you and go home. I’ve been overworking you the last few days.”

Mrs. Stones laughs. “That’s what I’m here for.”

I gather up my purse and laptop bag before heading to the elevator. I know there are photographers camped outside the building. I may not really want this marriage, but I sure as hell don’t want a bad picture in the press. I’m the face of JE; I need to be professional at all times. I fluff my chestnut colored hair and double-check my makeup in the reflection of the elevator door. My light brown eyes seem to be brighter than they had been the past few days, but I don’t think about it.

When I walk out of the building doors, the flashes from the cameras begin. I keep my head down until I reach the white Mercedes SUV.

“Hello, wife.” Gable’s blue eyes gleam as they meet mine.

“Gable.” I mutter.

“Oh, if it isn’t my new sissy.”

I turn to see Gideon sitting in the front seat.

“Gideon,” I groan. I’m not sure what it is about this guy, but I don’t like him.

“How was your day?” Gable asks.

“It went well. Thank you.” I need to remember I’m not going to let him get to me, but I need to be civil. “And yours?”

“Okay.” He answers, spying at me. I wonder what he’s thinking about. I’m sure it has something to do with me naked. Too bad he’ll never get that chance with me.

“My day was great, Sissy.” Gideon chips into the conversation.

I roll my eyes. “If you call me ‘sissy’ one more time, I’ll slap you on the back of the head.”

Gable chuckles next to me. I see Gideon shaking his head, and I really do have the urge to slap him. Instead, I put my hands in my lap so as to not to.

“I take it you received my check.” Gable turns the attention back to me.

“I did. Ronnie is taking care of all our debts this week. JE will be in the black by Friday.” My heart actually raced when I saw the carrier deliver it. Even with my doubts about this marriage, I knew that JE employees were going to be taken care of, and that mattered the most to me.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

When I look out the window I notice we’re right outside the city limits. I knew we would be going to Gable’s house. I didn’t figure he would stay in the city to have dinner.

His driver pulls up to a massive, strange looking iron gate and a brick wall surrounds the property. He punches in the code and the gates swing open, when we drive past them I notice the gates are sculpted with intertwining angels. The driver pulls around and stops in from of the ginormous house. It has to be at least four levels. It’s completely white, with vast columns in front of the home. Gideon opens my door for me and I glare at him.

“Mrs. Butler,” he winks. “Your house awaits.” He nods over to the building.

Gable comes up to my side and takes my elbow. “See you tomorrow,” he tells Gideon.

He nods and gets back into the SUV while Gable guides me into the home. I really don’t like Gideon and I know we’re going to butt heads soon.

I have been in mansions all my life. My wide circle of so-called friends is all from millionaire families and it shows in their homes and land. However, stepping into Gable’s house makes me stop.

Stunning, gorgeous, breathtaking, and outrageous are the only words that I can think of when I take in the surroundings around me. I look up and you can see each floor to the top where at the ceiling is a massive domed skylight. Everything is white, as white can be. I can imagine if the sun glares in that I would need sunglasses to move about.

“Let me give you a tour.” Gable drops his hand from my elbow and walks in front of him. He points out the living room, the formal living room, and the dining room, still all done in white. He takes me to the kitchen and I think my whole house could fit in here. It’s huge.

Gable then takes me to his personal elevator and we go to the second floor. He tells me that this floor is for guests mainly and shows me several bedrooms that are set up almost like hotel rooms.

We get back into the elevator and travel to the third floor.

“This is our floor.” He tells me as we get off and head down the hall. Unlike the previous floor, there are only three doors.

“This,” he stops at the first door, “is the security room.” He opens it and there are over thirty cameras inside.

“You have more security than the President of the United States.”

“That’s because I’m worth more than he is.” He chuckles.

I roll my eyes at his lame joke. He shuts the door and we go to the next door. He turns and his dark eyes meet mine.

“Since you’re so adamant about the ‘no sex’ rule, this is for you.” I’m perplexed at what he means until he opens the door and tells me, “This is your room.”

I hold back my gasp. The room looks similar to my room at home. The walls are still white, but the couch is purple and matches the bedding. There’s a white desk and a sitting nook.

“How did you know I liked purple?”

“Your father,” Gable answers without hesitation. “Once we planned out the contract, I had this room done for you.”

“How did you know I would sign it?”

Gable shrugs and for a second he looks a little sad. “I didn’t. I had a hunch you would though, once you knew about JE.”

I didn’t say anything.

He turns to his left. “This is your bathroom. Well, part of it is.”

Of course, when he turns on the light I have to adjust to the crisp whiteness of everything in here.

“And here,” he takes my elbow and we go across the room to a door. “This is my room.” When he opens it, it’s like mine, but all white.

“We’re across from each other?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” I could live with this arrangement and it would help with the no sex.

“Come.” He orders and guides me over to his bed. “Sit.”

I look at him for a moment.

“I’m not going to do anything. I want to give you something.”

I don’t move and I definitely don’t sit down.

“Please, Dream.” His voice is soft and I comply with hesitance. “Yesterday, when you ran off, you forgot something.” He walks over to his nightstand and opens the drawer.

“What did I forget?”

“This.” He opens the small box in his hand and this time I do gasp.

It’s a ring.

A colossal ring.

“What is this?”

“Your wedding ring.” He pulls it out of the box and takes my left hand, sliding it on my ring finger.

It has to be at least a ten-karat diamond, setting high up on another pillow of diamond. It’s platinum because I know Gable wouldn’t do white gold and I know it’s a princess cut. My dad had bought me numerous princesses cut rings over my lifetime. I knew the design well.

“Do you like it?”

I nod.

“Good. Now, let’s eat.”

“Oh.” I yelp. “What about you?” Why should I care if he has a ring or not?

He holds up his hand, and I see the plain platinum band. “I put mine on this morning.”

“Great, then let’s eat.” I stand and head out the door toward the elevator. I try my best to act like I always have huge ten million dollar rings on my fingers.

We travel down to the formal dining room. Gable pulls the seat out for me, just as he did in my office. As I’m situating myself in the chair, a woman around my age, with blonde hair, comes in and sets a salad in front of Gable and me.

“Misha, this is my wife Dream.” Gable introduces us.

“Hello.” Misha nods, but her dark eyes are like steel glancing at me.

“Hello.” I answer back, but she’s already walking away. “Chef?”

“Of sorts. She handles a lot of the house business, too.” Gable begins to pick at his food.

“Could you please explain to me why everything is so damn white in this house?” I stare at the white table with white chairs and my salad sets on a white plate. “It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“I like it,” he states simply.

“Because…” I want the full explanation not a vague one.

Gable stares at me for a moment. “Because I like the way it makes everything bright and it all looks clean.”

“Okay.” That still doesn’t explain a lot, but if he wants to be that way, then fine. “I wondered if we would eat out tonight.”

“I figured after a long day you’ve had that you would want to come home.”

“This isn’t my home.” I correct him.

“It’s our home.”

I scoff. “I don’t think so, but if it makes you feel better to say that, then fine.”

Gable sits his fork down and stares at me. “You’re very off-putting. Have I done something wrong?”

I arch one eyebrow at him. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Outside of how our marriage started? I figured we would get to know each other before you passed judgment on me. Your father told me you were a good judge of character.”

I look away from him. Dad always said that about me, and it makes me miss him. Even though I’m still mad at him for this stupid arrangement, he’s my dad.

I take a deep breath. “You’re right. I apologize. I shouldn’t be so quick to judge you.” I told myself earlier I was going to show my true colors, but that doesn’t mean I have to be a total bitch. No matter how much I dislike this situation, I put myself here, and I need to live with it, make the best of it, and then figure a way out of it.

“Apology is accepted.” He returns to eating.

The silence becomes unsettling and extremely uncomfortable. I’ve never done well with the quiet. Not that I’ve ever wanted it very loud, either. I always liked simple cocktail parties. You can walk a room and socialize, drink your wine or champagne, and enjoy the atmosphere.

Misha comes back in and takes our plates away. A moment later, she brings the entrée of chicken, rice, and steamed broccoli.

“You said you did research on me. What did you find out?” I can’t stand the noiseless room anymore. I might as well figure what he knows about me.

“Well,” Gable cuts into the chicken. “You were active in the community and sports in college and studied hard. You graduated at the top of your class, and you’re an only child.”

“That’s it?” I’m sure he knows more than that.

“Oh, and you like to take a lot
selfies
.”

“I tend to do that a lot.” I take them for no one else but to have them for me. I did a lot of traveling on my own. I love exploring and this past summer I took pictures everywhere I went.

“However,” he studies me closely. “For someone who loves their phone and social media a lot, I haven’t seen you post anything about our marriage yet.”

I shrug. “I know.” In fact, I knew too well. My phone’s battery quickly died when the news hit of our marriage. Everyone wanted to know about it, but I said nothing. “You said all that needed to be said in the press release.”

Gable stares for another moment and then turns back to his food. “What did you find out about me?”

I stop mid-chew.

“Now, come on, Dream. Do you expect me to believe you didn’t check up on me?”