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Eleven
Clementine
My body is a traitorous bitch.I try desperately to catch my breath. I can’t believe that just happened. I’ve never been touched like that before. His touch was rough, yet gentle. Hard, but soft. I’ve never been that turned on in all my life.
I climb off the bed and smooth down my hair with shaky hands. How did he know about the kiss?
I didn’t ask for Ronin to kiss me. And the thought that Gabriel thinks he can bully me with fear about my friendship with Ronin pisses me off.
Before I head down for the party, I glance around the room. Above the mantle over the fireplace, is a picture of two young boys with a dark haired man and woman. I walk closer and recognize Gabriel and Ronin, not much older than Tennyson. Gabriel clings to the woman’s side with a wide grin. It’s unsettling to see an innocent Gabriel before life had a chance to taint him. It makes me think of my own son, and what kind of man he’ll grow up to become.
Metal catches my attention, and on the far end of the mantle sits a drone. Such a boyish hobby for the man Gabriel is. I run my finger over the cool material of the back propeller.
“These drones cost more than my house,” I mumble before I leave his bedroom to find Tennyson and Erin.
I wander through the house, getting a bit lost, as I check out each elegant room after the next.
When I make it to the top of the staircase, strangers are assembled behind Gabriel, and their eyes land on me, watching me descend each step. Gabriel waits for me at the bottom of the stairs with Tennyson. They hold hands like father and son, and a lump forms in my throat.
I try to swallow it down, and plaster on a fake smile, playing the part Gabriel requested.
“Are you ready to meet the world?” he asks me. “These people are going to ask us some questions.”
I shake my head, trying my best to play the part, but there’s so many people in my face all at once, and I can’t do this.
“You look pretty, Mommy,” Tennyson tells me.
I smile at him. “Thank you, honey.” I look at Gabriel. “I need to talk to Tennyson privately.”
His dark eyes bore into mine, and then he gives a slight nod. “This way.”
Still holding Tenny’s hand, he leads me into his office and rests his back against the door, while I spend the next ten minutes explaining that the party is for mommy and her friend, Gabriel. And how we’re getting married for a little while, because Gabriel needs my help. He’s four, he couldn’t care less.
“Do I get to bring all my toys?” he asks when I tell him we’ll be living here until we’re done being married.
“Of course,” I answer.
And that’s all he needs to hear. His grin makes me feel a little better. Gabriel’s does not.
“Ready to do this?” he asks.
“Yes,” I lie.
When we return, questions fly from every direction, asking how Gabriel and I met, and how we fell in love.
I smile until my cheeks hurt, while Gabriel answers questions like a pro. He never once falters, or trips over his words. Meanwhile, I can’t make anything come out of my mouth. So, I just become a mute accessory on his arm, waiting for it to be over.
After another fifteen minutes, the interview ends, and we head back to the ballroom to feign happiness.
“I can’t believe this is your life,” I say to Gabriel as we step into the space filled with people ready to celebrate our impending forced marriage.
He kisses my hand, and even if it’s for show, the warmth from his lips causes an eruption of goosebumps. “It’s our life now.”
We spend the next few hours in a whirlwind of introductions. Gabriel’s esteemed guests include an assortment of politicians, CEOs, and anyone with a Roman numeral at the end of their name.
“Wow, you look…wow,” Erin says, as soon as I get a break from my duties. “Like you were born to do this.”
“I definitely wasn’t born to do this.”
