The McCain Marriage Contract

"Well, damn," I whispered under my breath. I was surprised I had any breath left because she took it away the minute she stepped into the restaurant. For one moment I forgot about everything else -- the insanity of this marriage contract, my unwillingness to part with my singlehood, the strong need to avoid her -- and I took in all of her beauty with my hungry eyes. A lump grew in my throat and I swallowed hard.

The last time I saw her, that day in my dad's office, I was barely able to catch a glimpse of her; I would have stalked her to get a better view but all her social media accounts were private. The time before that, all those years ago, she was just a teenager devoid of curves. Now she was made of perfectly sculpted curves situated in their proper places. Her breasts, which were only budding then, were ripened now and part of me wondered how they would feel in my hands and in my mouth. I noticed a hardness was beginning to form in my pants and I was grateful I was seated at a table and not standing. I needed to get my mind out of the gutters if this meeting was to proceed as smoothly as possible. I was no stranger to the female anatomy; I had sex with almost all the women I met, singly or in groups. And yet Valerie's hold on me was firm. She wasn't even doing anything in particular to grab my attention; she just had it. All she did was show up looking graceful in that floral dress and wearing very minimal makeup. Like the dress she wore to the office, this floral dress was a lot longer than her beautiful legs deserved, those legs that were created to be flaunted; very few women wearing a lot less had been able to evoke this kind of intense feeling from me. Her shiny, blond hair, was styled in a messy high bun and a pair of dark sunglasses rested on the base of the bun, providing a beautiful contrast. Her face was the same cherubic one I fell in love with years ago when I thought I understood and appreciated the concepts of love and loving. It was as if she had not changed a day, and yet had changed so much. I found myself wondering if she still liked me, if all of this wasn't a complete ruse. If she still longed to kiss me...

My dad waved her over to our seat, but it was unnecessary because she'd already seen us and was headed our way. She didn't wait for either of us to pull a seat for her, she did so herself and sat down. "Hello, gentlemen," she said, smiling. I found myself growing angry suddenly. How was she okay with this? How could she just act like this was a business meeting or a casual hangout? In a way, it was business to her. She was the one willing to exchange her standards and values for god-knows-what.

"Good to see you, Valerie," my dad said, a little too pleasantly for my liking. He pointed across the table to me. "I'm sure you remember my son, Raymond."

She looked at me like she was seeing me for the very first time and gave the faintest nod. "Why, yes, I do. The years have been kind to you, Raymond McCain."

I gritted my teeth and wanted to yell at her: Fuck you, Valerie! Are you some cheap gold digger all of a sudden?

"Hi, Vee... Valerie," I said quietly.

She seemed restless and a tad nervous, and she checked her phone every other minute like she was expecting some important message or call. But I didn't care about any of that. I was disappointed in her. Utterly disappointed. "Isn't J. J. coming?" my dad asked.

She sighed. "I need him to not be involved in any of this for the time being. He's... he's going through a lot." She explained quietly.

I looked at my dad. "Dad, if it's an heir you want I can have sex with just about anybody. No one has to stoop this low!"

She froze in her seat. When she was finally able to look at me, I saw tears glistening in her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. "Oh, yeah? I think you must be sterile because, for the number of women you hook up with, you should own a daycare already!"

I winced and I felt a pang of -- what was that? -- shame? I had never been ashamed of my sex life before, but with just a few words she had changed that. One thing was certain: I did not want to marry Valerie Jensen.

"You both are bickering like those kids from back in the day," my dad said, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "Now, Raymond, I'm no fool. If all I wanted was an heir, there are so many ways to achieve that. But the future of the family businesses rests on you, and you would be taken more seriously by potential clients if you're a family man. You of all people should know how much appearances matter in the business world."

"This is the twenty-first century, dad. No one reasons that way anymore. Besides even if I must get married, I can pick my bride myself." I said with an eye roll.

"Call me old fashioned, then. My money, my contract. Besides, it's just for a while; you can get divorced after a year."

"A year?" Valerie and I asked simultaneously. Apparently, neither of us planned to put up with the other for that long.

"Yes, a year. That way it doesn't seem suspicious. Now is there any problem or are we ready to sign this thing?"

I snatched the file containing the contract from my dad's hand. If I was going to have any part in this, I would not be kept completely in the dark. What I read fazed me:

I

benefits.

promise to uphold this contract with the greatest respect, especially in the public eye. I will never speak of the details of this agreement to any non-member of the two families directly involved or forfeit the attached