Marriage Of Convenience: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story (16 page)

Sheila opened her mouth
to interject and Jonathon pointed at her with his fork. “Which
will not include dodgy teenagers running amok in my house.”

“
Please.
We’re not teenagers. How old are you anyway?” she
grumbled.

Jaime laughed into her
napkin.

“
People!”
Jonathon tried to quell the derailment of his proposal and the table
quieted again. He turned to Raychelle. “Mrs. Masters, three
weeks ago, I married your daughter in front of a judge. I did that,
without asking your permission. That was wrong. And even though I’m
late, I’d like to correct that.”

Raychelle folded her
hands together and lifted her eyebrows at him in a manner so
reminiscent of Leila that his heart melted.

“
I
want you to know why we did it like that,” he said.

“
Jonny,”
Leila half stood from her seat but Jonathon lifted a quelling hand,
looking her in the eye. “New start, remember?” he said.

She sat back down.
Raychelle looked intrigued.

“
My
grandfather is a billionaire as you may or may not know. I’m
his only heir but he put a coda in his will that I must marry by the
age of thirty in order to be eligible to inherit. My thirtieth
birthday is coming up within the next five months.”

There was a collective
sigh around the table, of understanding maybe or disappointment,
Jonathon couldn’t tell.

“
When
my car ran Leila off the road and she was injured, it felt like, and
has continued to feel like, providence. I thought that first day as I
drove her home she might definitely make a good candidate for a fake
wife. She was beautiful, poised, self-sufficient, sassy, brilliant,
caring, strong-“

“
You
got all that from a car ride?” Leila interrupted, clearly
embarrassed at the never ending compliments.

“
Did
I mention sexy?” he said smiling at her. She groaned loudly as
everyone else laughed.

“
Anyway,
so I stalked her a bit,” he continued.

“
Oh,
so that’s why you kept turning up everywhere,” Leila
interrupted again. He smiled but ignored her.

“
And
I determined, she indeed was the right person. But I knew she wasn’t
the kind to marry me for my money-“

“
Damn
straight. You should have asked
me,
”
Sheila said and her mother hit her in the back of the head.

Jonathon smiled but
ignored them in favor of continuing. “So I looked for what she
needed; which was help with your medical bills,” he said
looking at Raychelle. Her eyes sharpened with understanding and she
narrowed her eyes at her daughter in a ‘you and me have things
to talk about’ way. Leila grimaced and glared at Jonathon in
turn.

“
I
managed to convince her it would be a good deal so here we are.”

“
Why
are you telling us all this now?” Sheila’s mother asked.

“
Because
my grandfather has withdrawn the coda; has said I don’t have to
be married anymore. In fact, he wanted me to get my marriage
dissolved as fast as possible.”

There was a collective
“Oh” around the table and sympathetic looks cast Leila’s
way.

“
Well,
that is not happening,” Jonathon said making everyone laugh,
mostly with relief he suspected, “In fact, it's as if
providence is at work again, giving me the chance to do this right.
So I’d like to ask you Raychelle Masters, if I have your
permission to ask your daughter for her hand in marriage.”

“
Aww,”
Sheila said.

“
Shut
up,” her mother whispered to her and they all looked at
Raychelle who looked thoughtful.

“
Well.
I must say I am surprised to hear about your reasons for marriage. I
know my daughter well, and she’s not one to be so coldly
practical about anything. As for you young man, I could tell you were
smitten the first day I met you; half blind from oxygen deprivation
as I was. You may have told yourselves what you needed to, to make
this a safe bet for yourselves; to justify moving so fast…but
I’m sure.
Sure
I say, that love was always at the heart of your marriage. So I give
my permission, post-nuptially for you to ask for her hand.”

Jonathon bowed to her,
“Thank you Raychelle.” Then he turned to Leila who looked
up at him in surprise when he came around the table to her and got
down on one knee.

“
Oh
my God!” Sheila shrieked picking up her phone and aiming the
camera at them. She wasn’t supposed to have it at the table but
no-one had yet managed to separate her from it.

Jonathon took his
mother’s ring from his pocket, “I know I already gave you
a wedding ring Leila, but this ring is the engagement ring my father
gave to my mother. He got it from his mother. Would you do me the
honor of wearing it?”

Leila’s hand was
over her mouth and she was staring at Jonathon like she didn’t
comprehend a word he was saying.

“
Leila?”
he prompted.

She held out her hand
speechlessly, tears flowing down her cheeks. Jonathon slipped the
ring carefully onto her middle finger and then sat back on his
haunches, staring at her hand in his.

“
Perfect,”
he said.

The sound of Jaime’s
chair scraping back brought them back to the here and now as she
hurried around the table to envelope them both in her arms, she was
crying unrestrained which made Leila cry even more. Not to be left
out, Sheila also began to leak at the eyes, coming to join the group
hug as did her mother. Only Raychelle and Peter remained seated,
grinning happily at the group.

“
Peter,
get the tissues,” Raychelle ordered and he got up to go find
some. “Alright alright people, enough with the suffocating my
daughter. Leila come here.”

Leila disentangled
herself at once from the circle and went to her mother. She leaned
down and pressed a long kiss against her cheek and then straightened
up smiling. Raychelle took her hand and looked down at the ring as
everyone resumed their places at the table.

“
All
I’ve ever wanted,” Raychelle began, voice cracking on the
last word, “Is for you to be happy. Are you happy my child?”

Leila reached down and
threw her arms tight around her mother. “I’ve always been
happy mama,” she said. “Always. As long as I have you.”

“
You
never lose your mama child. Whatever you do. But now,” she said
disengaging Leila’s hand from her shoulder and reaching out to
Jonathon for his hand, “I give you to this man. May he always
be your happiness.”

Even Jonathon was
leaking at the eyes at this point. There was laughter, there was
tears as the caterer brought in champagne and even Peter was allowed
to have a glass, just this once.

*****

The wedding was held at
the local chapter of the Mary Emmanuelle Church where Leila and her
mother worshiped. The church was full to capacity. Jonathon’s
friends had come from as far away as Milan and Australia to attend as
well as from around the country. His Leary cousins filled up his side
of the church having traveled mostly from New York for the ceremony.
The city’s whiskey supply was running very low as a result of
their presence. They had thrown Jonathon a bachelor party he wouldn’t
soon forget and hopefully Leila would never find out about. There had
been male strippers, female strippers, kamasutra performers, sex toy
demonstrations…it had been mad, embarrassing and more than a
trifle disturbing. Jonathon hoped they could behave themselves during
the service and reception because most of Raychelle’s friends
were church members and he did not want to get on their bad side.
Almost the entire Venture-GRAD staff were present as well as a few
former students who Leila had personally seen through difficult
times. The church service was open to everyone after all, except
paparazzi. Security had to be hired to keep them out with only one
authorized camera man allowed in the actual ceremony.

Jonathon was surprised
to find that he wasn’t nervous at all. Especially considering
what he was throwing away by taking this step. Sure he was terrified
of what the future might hold for them, but he had no doubt he’d
made the right choice.

*****

There were a lot of
women screaming around her, trying to get her ready on time. It felt
like a whirlwind was surrounding her, one that smelled of perfume and
feminine hygiene products. She closed her eyes, withdrawing into
herself to get away from it for a moment. Being the bride was
definitely tiresome. You couldn’t just stand up and walk away
if the fussing got too much. You had to stay and endure the primping
and fuss and noise and be excited about it. Whose dumbass idea had it
been to do this again? Suddenly, she realized that the room had gone
quiet.

“
I’d
like to speak to the bride alone if I may,” a male voice said,
not Jonathon though…Leila turned around in her seat to see who
had dared breach the veil of estrogen to speak to her.

James Maitland stood
there, a cane in his hand, looking tired and old. He bowed to her.

“
Ms.
Masters,” he said.

Leila stood up. “What
are you doing here?” she asked. At her words, the room emptied
and she was left alone with him.

“
I
came for two reasons. The first is to find out whether my grandson
informed you that you will not be inheriting any of my wealth by
marrying him. No matter how many times you do it.”

Leila stared at him,
wondering what the hell?

“
I’m
aware,” she said coldly.

James lifted one
eyebrow. “Yet you still wish to go through with it?” he
asked in surprise.

“
Yes,”
she said.

“
His
businesses…they’re built with loans you know? Loans that
were obtained using
my
money
as collateral. When the financial world hears he’s cut off, you
won’t have it so easy,” he warned.

Leila shrugged her
shoulders but said nothing.

James looked at her
with quiet consideration and then nodded. “Then why?” Why
him?”

“
I
fail to see how that is any of your business,” she said.

James smiled. “Perhaps
not. I would consider it in the most positive light if you answered
me anyway.”

“
What
you consider or don’t consider is none of
my
business. you tried to manipulate your
family with your money. You lost. Get over it. Now, if you’ll
excuse me, I have a wedding to get ready for.”

James’ eyes
glowed with anger. He opened his mouth to retort but then closed it
again, turned around and stalked out. Leila slumped on the seat
feeling like her heart might just leave her chest, it was pounding so
hard.

What the hell was he
doing here?

She picked up her
phone, intending to text Jonathon and tell him but then decided no.
There was no need for him to be perturbed. She texted his mother
instead to inform her. Just in case.

*****

It was a beautiful
ceremony. The groom and his mother cried, while the bride and hers
provided tissues and wide smiles. There was a procession through the
street between the church and the reception led by a marching band.
There was a lot of dancing in the street and the bride at one point
alighted from the horse drawn carriage they were in to dance a jig
with her cousins. The groom looked on and laughed. The reception
continued in much the same vein, laughter and tears and embarrassing
speeches from both sides. Jonathon could not remember when he’d
been so happy.

They drove off halfway
through the festivities.

“
God,
I can’t wait to consummate this bitch, it's all I’ve been
thinking about all day,” he said as he bit into her ear.

“
Really?
Even when you were saying your vows? That’s what you were
thinking about?”

“
Yes,”
Jonathon said trying to burrow into her dress to get to her breasts.
They were tightly ensconced in a corset so she wished him luck with
that. He did eventually manage to scoop them out though, and sucked
happily and so loudly that Leila was embarrassed for the driver. They
reached their apartment and Jonathon covered her bared breasts with
his coat and carried her upstairs. It was an impressive feat and she
made sure to reward him with kisses. There was a package waiting at
their door, with a note attached.

“
What’s
this?” Jonathon asked as if they hadn’t both just arrived
together at their door. He put her down and picked it up, studying
it. It was long and heavy, wrapped like a present.

“
Hey,
maybe Carlyle sent it,” Leila suggested. “Its probably a
bong.”

Jonathon snorted and
opened the door, placing the package just inside, he turned around to
pick Leila up in his arms again.

“
Well
whatever it is, it can wait until after,” he said.

“
After
what?” Leila asked in feigned ignorance. Jonathon didn’t
deign to answer. Just slammed the door behind them and hurried to the
bedroom, dropping her unceremoniously onto the bed.

“
Hi,”
he said with a lascivious smile on his face, discarding his shirt as
he did so.

“
Hi,”
she answered, pulling her dress up and showing all the nothing
underneath.

Jonathon’s eyes
glazed over. “You always know exactly what I need don’t
you?” he said as he dived between her legs. Leila let out a
scream as his tongue touched that sensitive nub inside of her.