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* * *
My face flushes at the thought of my college transcript. My grades had been average at best, indicative of my lack of interest in anything but keg stands and happy hours. “What’s the reason for the blood tests?”
* * *
“A combination of things. A full STD workup, pregnancy test, genetic markers, drugs. Do you foresee a problem with any of those things?”
* * *
I shake my head, though I’m not certain of what they might yield. I've been practically celibate since Scott, the strip club not a conducive environment for meeting quality men. But they say you can get STDs from oral sex, a fairly important piece of information I have conveniently ignored.
* * *
“Great.” He steps away from the table. “I’ll let Mr. Dumont know.”
* * *
I clear my throat. “Please let Mr. Dumont know that I will require my own set of tests. Anything I am being tested for, I would like him also tested for. I may not be happy with the results of his tests.” I huff out the words, frustrated with the tests, the legalese of the contract, and being sideswiped with this life-changing decision. I let out a low growl and pick up the document, attempting to work through the fourth paragraph.
* * *
“Very well, Ms. Tapers. I’ll let Mr. Dumont know your demands. I don’t imagine he will have an issue with that.”
* * *
There is the blessed sound of his exit and I am alone at the table, trying to make sense of eight pages of legal confusion. Ms. Tapers. Proof that they have done their homework, proof that I have been watched, followed, researched. And all I have about my prospective husband is a name. Nathan Dumont.
* * *
I reach out, my fingers struggling to snag the handle of my purse without standing up. When I finally get it, I pull out my phone to Google him, but the battery is dead.
* * *
Good thing these people don’t seem crazy. Next time I decide to be kidnapped by a group of strangers, I’ll pack a charger. I set down the phone and turn back to the document.
CHAPTER 12
The contract loses me more than it guides me, covered in wherefores and hereafters. When I don’t understand something, I forge on, hoping that the next sentence will give me a clearer understanding. When I reach the second page, I pick my purse back up, shifting through it until I find a pen. I return to the first page, underlining, circling, and scribbling words into the margins. I’m not exactly sure what the hell I am doing. It’s a waste of time reading this. I could be in the limo, ten grand richer, headed back home.
* * *
I turn the page.
* * *
The female in question, hereafter referred to as “Wife”, will be restricted from contact with any past relationships, regardless of gender and familial relation, with the exception of Wife’s Father, Harold Tapers. Wife will be allowed weekly visits with Harold Tapers, and will have use of Husband’s private plane and pilot to conduct these visits.
* * *
I frown. Nathan had acted as if I had no family, yet here is my father’s name. Harold Tapers. Weekly visits. Private plane. I underline the words, the line a little wobbly in its execution.
* * *
Husband agrees to pay for any and all medical bills pertaining to Mr. Tapers, hereafter referred to as “Father”, for the duration of the Marriage, in addition to accepting financial obligation for said Father’s living expenses.
* * *
Somewhere inside my chest, there is a release of stress, a cracking of bones, something that opens my lungs wider and allows my first full breath in years. I blink, my eyes damp, and let out a shaky breath.
* * *
Wife will not be given any cash, but will be assigned two (2) credit cards for her personal shopping and travel needs. She will be allowed the purchase of one new car every two years, but current car must be traded in on the new vehicle purchase.
* * *
I continue reading, thinking about my father’s medical tests that insurance denied, the medication copays, the—I force myself to stop, to take another breath, to read on.
* * *
Wife is entering into this agreement in the possession of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00). Such property is listed in Marital Prenuptial Agreement and will be and remains the property of the Wife and the Husband will have no right to or interest in such present property.
Wife will be allowed to have hobbies, given that those hobbies do not take her away from the Marital Home at times inconvenient to Husband. Wife will be allowed to have friends, but they must be pre-approved by Husband, social standing being of primary importance in the Marriage. If friendships become unpleasing to Husband, they will be terminated by Wife.
