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Orion met my gaze, no hesitation, unwavering. “You become my wife and I make sure Nectarneverdies.”
The silence was deafening.
For a long moment, I couldn’t do anything but stare at Orion, lips parted,stunnedby the suggestion that had just left his mouth. Then, my head whipped to my father and Alan, neither of whom had reacted as if they’d heard the same outlandish idea I had.
In fact… it kinda looked like they were…thinking about it.
Thatbrought me out of my speechless statereal fast.
“Have you lost your goddamn mind?!” I asked Orion. “Have youalllost your minds?” That time, the question was for everybody. “This is not… it’s not… I’m not a fucking consolation prize or some damn trading card to pass around!”
“Oh, but you are,” Orion argued. “A prize, that is. And no, not the participation trophy either.”
My face wrinkled into a frown. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that you are, like I said, educated, well-raised, incredibly attractive, reasonably successful,andBlack,” he answered, in a tone that clearly indicated he was complimenting me, thought it somehow didn’t feel like it. “You were on the cover of Sugar & Spice last year, with word going around that you werethemost sought after woman in the city. Did you think it was a lie?”
I raised an eyebrow. “I would think someone in your tax bracket would do their choosing from women of a similar… pedigree. Or perhaps among the aspiring kept women of the world?”
“No, that’s exactly what Idon’twant,” Orion argued. “A bit too typical. I’d prefer a woman whowasn’tgroomed into this shit. One who is thoroughly uninspired by my perceived wealth.”
“Perceived?”
He grinned. “I think you understand very well what I’m saying.”
“My comprehension isn’t the problem here,” I snapped. “If you understand that I’m at no loss for eligible potential partners and your wealth doesn’t move me… why thefuckwould I marry you?”
He sat forward. “Because I’ve got you by the balls, Nala. Remember?”
Shit.
I’d been so caught off guard by his proposition that Ihadlost sight of where this started.
He did, indeed, have me by the proverbial balls, and I knew better than to think he was bluffing about it. He could buryNectartoday and there wouldn’t be shit I could do about it, not when the account balances I’d been so proud of before now were chump change to him.
“What do you get out of this?” I asked as soon as it occurred to me to wonder. “You have the advantage already, why is thisinsanesuggestion of marriage even an option?”
He shrugged. “What can I say? I like adeal,” he preened. “And this is the best thing I’ve lucked up in the last five years. It satisfies two things. I need to settle down and I need a foothold in the heart of Blackwood. And I wantboth… right now.”
“What ifI’mnot for sale?”
“Everything is for sale,” he countered, pushing away from the table to stand up. “I can see you need a chance to think it over, so—”
“I don’t need to think aboutshit, I’m not some virgin on auction to pay my family debts,” I snapped, standing too. “Everythingelsemight be available to you because you’re a Sterling, but I personally could not care less.Fuck you.”
Orion shrugged and turned for the door. “Fine by me, I’ll choose someone else.” He stopped, snapping his fingers as he turned to speak as if something had just occurred to him. “And I can give herNectaras a wedding gift or maybe a push gift,” he mused, then shrugged. “Either way, she’ll love it, I’m sure.”
“Wait!” I called out, against my better judgement when he was halfway through the door.
He turned again, waiting, but I couldn’t seem to form any words.
“Think it over.” He smirked. “I’ll be in touch for your answer tomorrow.”
And then he was gone.
As if he hadn’t just dropped a pipe bomb on my life.
“Okay,” my father spoke, after being firmly on mute for that whole…thing. “There’s a few ways—”
