Marrying My Fake Boyfriend

Chapter 5

“Hello, gorgeous.”

Cherrelle looked up from her computer and groaned. Jason leaned against the door frame, flashing his white smile. Dressed in black tailored slacks and a white shirt pressed within an inch of its life and a pale blue silk tie, he looked every bit the businessman. But Cherrelle couldn’t bring up any enthusiasm seeing him. She closed her laptop and stood.

“What’s the point in having a personal assistant when you can just barge in uninvited?”

“Our wedding day is looming.” Jason pushed off the frame and entered her office, kicking the door shut behind him. He leered over her. “I thought I’d take you to lunch and discuss some details.”

Cherrelle couldn’t believe his gall. He had to have something wrong with him if he couldn’t take a blatant no for an answer. She planted her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

“Are you really that desperate to have my company? Because if you actually loved me and you realized that you could never have me, you would’ve bowed out gracefully by now and wished me all the best.”

“Or maybe I’m so enraptured with you I don’t want to let you go.”

Cherrelle rolled her eyes.

“Right,” she drawled. “If I didn’t have the money or this company, you wouldn’t look twice at me. Marry me as I am, and you get both. I just get added into the mix for you to shove into a kitchen and force me to spread my legs when you fancy it. You do realize I’m a sh*t cook?”

Jason looked over her, his eyes pausing on her bre*sts before traveling down. “Are you saying you’re sh*t at s*x as well?”

Cherrelle realized what she had said and flushed angrily. “That’s none of your business.”

“I guess I’ll find out soon.” He snapped his fingers. “Get your coat and purse. We’re going out.”

“Sorry, Brad’s picking me up for lunch.”

“Cancel it,” Jason said breezily. “A wedding is more important than a fake boyfriend.”

Cherrelle smirked.

“Who said he was fake?”

“Your father. He didn’t believe you two were engaged for a minute. And he told me to tell you if Brad comes sniffing around again, I have his permission to kick him to the curb.”

“And my husband has my permission to kick you out of my office and out of my building,” Cherrelle shot back.

It had only been a week since their quick marriage in the courthouse, but Cherrelle was finding it surprisingly easy to call Brad her husband. That worried her since it was only supposed to be a marriage of convenience until people got the message but she was going to make the most of it. Chances were she wouldn’t be able to find a man who couldn’t see past her money so she was going to enjoy being ‘married’ while she could.

Her statement seemed to throw Jason off-balance. He squinted at her. “Husband? What husband?”

“Brad and I got married last week.”

It wasn’t the most romantic of situations but Cherrelle and Brad had been happy with it, liking the simplicity of it. They went their separate ways during the day and met up in the evenings or the occasional lunch break for some time together to keep up the facade. Cherrelle wasn’t going to admit it out loud, but she was enjoying it. It had been a long time since she had been on a date where the conversation hadn’t turned to money.

“What?” Jason was still reeling from the news. “That’s impossible.”

“In the right place with the right amount of witnesses.” Cherrelle smirked at him. “We’ve got the paperwork. It’s all legal.”

Jason stared at her like she had gone mad. Then he recovered quickly and shook his head in disbelief. “You’ll really do anything to get away from what’s been planned for you, won’t you?”

“What I should do is move state and cut off all ties with my family.” The door opened and Cherrelle looked at the newcomer with a relieved smile. “Ah, here’s my husband now.”

Brad stood in the doorway, dressed in a navy suit with a dark green tie. He looked just as good in a suit as he did in jeans and a t-shirt. He just looked good enough to eat.

Brad seemed to size up the situation immediately because he sauntered into the room and rounded to Cherrelle’s side of the desk.

“Hey, honey.” He gave her a one-armed hug and a gentle, sensual kiss on her neck that made Cherrelle’s panties damp. “Sorry I’m a little late. There was a bit of traffic down the block. You ready to go?”

“I sure am.” Cherrelle gave Jason a pointed look. “Jason was just leaving.”

Brad looked up and frowned at Jason, who was staring at their affectionate embrace. “Are you making the moves on my wife again, Colney?”

Jason recovered quickly and glared at Brad before looking at Cherrelle. “Your father is going to be furious when he finds out you disobeyed him.”

“Jason, I’m thirty years old. I’m not sixteen and I haven’t lived at home in years. I can do what I like and he does not own me. He’s going to have to realize that.”

Jason glowered. With one last furious look at Brad he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Brad glanced at Cherrelle. “Should I be worried?”

“Unless Pa is able to pay off the judge who witnessed our wedding, then yes. He can’t get us out of it.” Cherrelle sat and bit her lip. “But brace yourself, all the same.”

The road was about to get very bumpy.

*****

Their lunch date was pleasant enough, but Cherrelle had her mind on other things. Chances were Jason had already bleated to her parents about the quickie marriage and they were planning an attack. She wouldn’t put it past them.

They didn’t seem to understand that an adult could do what they wanted, and while they were still parents, they couldn’t tell her what to do. But Logan had never cared for her feelings. He loved control. When Life and Love had exploded overnight, he had tried to get Cherrelle to sell it to the highest bidder. But Cherrelle refused. She fought long and hard to keep the company, both from other bidders and from her father. He had attempted to make her work less hours or no hours at all when she got herself a staff, but Cherrelle wanted the normality of a nine-to-five job. He just didn’t understand.

Cherrelle wondered if he had been stuck in the past where the parent controlled everything until the daughter was married. He would be perfect in that era. But she wouldn’t.