Contracted To Love

Chapter 5

To Michelle, Creed had an Oliver Queen kind of vibe. It reminded her of when she’d first started watching Arrow, the television adaptation of one of her favorite comics as a child: The Green Arrow. The club was positioned right in the heart of the city and its launch had ensured the growth of the neighborhood’s night life. It was only after Creed was opened that other establishments cropped up, perhaps to compete with the only other club in the area. But then again, the new clubs didn’t really have David Favre’s contact and influence. It wasn’t long before his club outmatched the competition. Soon, no one would dare put up something to compete with him. How could they? He had the money to entertain his revellers with live performances from the biggest names in the entertainment business.

Justin Timberlake.

The casts of Nashville and Glee.

The Jonas Brothers and, for the younger crowds, the British boy band One Direction. At some point he even brought in Justin Bieber just to try and understand why he appealed to so many people. But it was his money that saw beloved girl group Destiny’s Child unite just for a one-night private performance that made his competitors realize that there was no way they could go up against David Favre. There was a Creed club in almost every major city in the United States including Las Vegas and Miami, and none of them had ever registered a loss. With such a line-up and deep pockets that could finance anything, Creed was legendary. Simply legendary. No one would dare go up against it. It was a waste of time and money.

Michelle walked into Creed the same way she walked into every room in her life. With her head held high and exuding confidence. How could she not? The floral flair pants that flowed with every step she took coupled with the green red bottom stiletto was enough to give any woman confidence. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail that she let fall over her shoulder in a loose braid that contrasted quite perfectly with the white round-neck, long-sleeved, bodycon top that peeked out from under her jacket.

“Miss Smith, please. This way,” one of the security guards said, leading her into the quiet club. He couldn’t help but notice how sharply he was dressed. A perfectly tailored Italian suit. It was perfection.

The lighting was sheer perfection and there was something calming about how empty the place was in the daytime. There was some soft music playing as she followed the man upstairs to where David was standing, waiting for her like a master lording over his empire.

“Thank you for coming,” David said. “I thought you’d changed your mind.”

Michelle looked around.

 “I thought about it, but then again this was the only time I was going to have to see your club.”

He frowned.

“You’ve never been here?” he asked and she shook her head.

“I’ve been to the one in Miami, which I believe is much bigger than this one is.”

He forced a laugh.

“It is. As is the one in Vegas… that’s New York real estate for you.”

He took a step forward and stretched his hand towards his office.

“Shall we?” he asked and she nodded.

He led her into his office and helped her out of her jacket before hanging it up on the coat rack next to his own jacket. Michelle looked at him as he walked to a small table that had been set up in the office.

“What is this?” she asked.

“Lunch. I told you I have a very capable chef. His specialty is Brazilian cuisine. What he does to meat… it is divine.”

David pulled out a chair for her.

“You know I almost became a vegetarian,” she started. “But my father wouldn’t have it. You have to chew your food sometime, it can’t be always about juices, he said.”

“Well, it is a good thing that you are still a meat-lover.”

She sat down and waited for him to walk to his side of the table. It was at that moment that she became aware of his rich, musky scent. It was almost perfect. That, coupled with whatever scent he had on had her thinking of other things and not just about food. And then there were the pants: slim-fitting dark grey pants and a burgundy shirt unbuttoned at the top. She’d come to realize that he wasn’t one of those men who liked complete suits with ties. Staying casual was his game.

He’d just sat down when the chef came in with two waiters. The waiters poured their wine and placed a salad platter in front of each of them as the chef rolled his portable grill into the room.

“We’ll be having some kabobs today,” the chef announced. “I would suggest some pico de gallo to go with the meat.”

Michelle nodded as she took a bite of her salad. It took a few more minutes for the chef to prepare the meat before he wheeled his grill outside the door, leaving the two of them there.

“So, you called. I’m here,” she started. He nodded.

“I did.”

She took another bite of her salad before sipping on her wine.

“Our parents seem to agree that a union between us is the best way forward,” David started. “And I’ve thought about it, long and hard.”

She picked up one of the skewers and took a bite.

“Yeah, I could tell from your proposal.” Her tone was sarcastic. “Good God!” The flavors suddenly hit her.

“Good, right?”

“Good is an understatement,” she said as she took another bite. “I should probably take some of this home. There is no way I can do better than this.”

David forced a laugh.

“See, this is what I should have seen the first time we met. This side of you.”

She shrugged.

“Well, it’s not like your ego allowed me to get a word in.”

He sighed loudly.

“I know, and I’m sorry about that… I was powering through just so I could say I had dinner with you but…. I’m not going to do that. Not today.”

She took a long sip of her wine.

“I appreciate that.”

“Well, like I said before,” he went on as she ate. “I don’t want to play with your feelings and prey on your emotions with talks of love. We both know what this is. An arrangement. A business arrangement.”

“Well, word is that you get the keys to the kingdom in this arrangement, which leaves me wondering what’s in it for me. I mean, it’s not like I’m looking to be anyone’s wife again. I don’t have a very good history with husbands, as you may well know.”

“What do you want?” he asked. “What do you value most in your life?”

Michelle ran her finger round the rim of the glass.

“My daughter Andrea and my career.”