The Millionaire’s Fake Wedding

Chapter 8

In the morning, Belle woke up alone and naked in Allen’s bed. The sun was out and blindingly bright. She got out of bed and walked to the glass wall that overlooked the massive backyard. It was magic – waking up to the fantastic view, and then being able to walk around naked. Allen was nowhere to be seen. It was too hot to be playing outside, so Belle assumed he’d be down in the basement, working out or practicing throws on the more private court. Belle washed her face, but didn’t dress. Now that it was okay to walk around without needless shyness, she would use the opportunity.

She only put on her underwear, and stepped out of the room and went down the hallway towards the staircase, looking outside the whole way. It was still hard to comprehend all this beauty: the vast lawns, the sports courts, and the swimming pool. There was so much she hadn’t seen, hadn’t experienced, and now that she’d gotten a taste of it, she couldn’t help but wonder what else was out there, and how much of it she would be able to explore together with Allen. Would he even want that? Belle told herself that of course he would, yet now that it was the morning after, some doubt started crawling back into her head.

As she reached the staircase, she realized there was someone downstairs. It was likely Natalie, there to talk about an upcoming event, but either way getting caught naked in the middle of the house was not among Belle’s morning plans. She tiptoed to her room, where she put on a bra and a sweet summer dress. She figured she’d pick up last night’s clothes from Allen’s room later in the day.

Whatever was waiting for her downstairs – she’d be ready. After one last look in the mirror she stepped out of the bedroom and made her way to the stairs.  She stopped at the top for a minute and listened. Seemingly in the kitchen, Natalie said:

“Alright, do your thing, Al. I’ll meet you there. Don’t be late. There will be reporters crawling all over the place like bugs. They liked the trick, you know. So you’re almost back on their good side.”

She couldn’t hear what Allen replied to that, but the ‘trick’ part worried her. Was it really a trick? Had she been stupid? She couldn’t be, because Allen had proved to her time and again that he was not messing around. This might have started as a ‘trick’ (to think this was only two days earlier!), but now it was real. They had a serious relationship. So much so that even her father approved of it. Belle made a mental note to check her phone later, see if Da had called last night.

When she was sure Natalie was out of the house, Belle started her descend. Outside she heard a car start, back out, and drive away, the sound of its engine fading until it was gone completely. By that time, Belle had made her way to the kitchen, but Allen wasn’t there. He must’ve gone to the basement, she thought.

She was right in her assumptions: as soon as she opened the door that led downstairs, she heard the sound of Allen’s sneakier and the ball bouncing; there was a pause as Allen made a shot, and then the ball bounced again, and he caught it and continued dribbling.

“Morning, Al,” she said timidly, the doubt eating at her.

It evaporated as soon as he turned to look at her, with a fool’s huge smile on his face. He dropped the ball and started her way, wiping sweat off his forehead.

“Morning, babe.” They kissed. “Slept well? I didn’t want to wake you up. Decided I’d work out. Get those beer calories out!”

She couldn’t help but be amazed by his persistence. It took willpower to wake up early for a work out after a night of drinking and fantastic s*x. Belle’s legs still hurt, but she guessed Allen was used to the feeling. She said, “I slept well, although I wish you were there when I woke up.”

“I’m here now. You wanna join me? Get your blood flowing?”

Belle considered. She wasn’t a huge fan of active sports – pilates was her limit – but playing with Allen sounded like fun. Still, she refused when she realized she had no proper footwear, or strength, for that matter.

“Well, that’s too bad then. No worries. Do you want me to throw some food together?” he asked.

“No, I’ve got it, hon. You get back to your training now. I need you to be in shape.”

She winked and saw him lick his lower lip; there was a spark in his eyes. She kissed him and said, “Later, lover.”

She left him to the exercise and went to make herself breakfast. There was French toast, so she made that, adding some fruit and maple syrup. It was delicious, and only when she started eating did she realize how hungry she was.

The TV broadcast the regular nonsense, and none of the channels said anything about Allen Rodgers and his fiancé. Belle didn’t really want to watch a broadcast about Allen and her, but for some reason its absence annoyed her even more. To her, this was the best news ever, worth broadcasting globally. She couldn’t wait to go to the next game and meet the press and to answer their questions. She didn’t feel like a star or anything, but she wanted to share her happiness with the world, to tell everyone how nice of a man Allen really was. And it was so much easier now that the feelings were genuine, as opposed to being merely an assignment. Belle came to the conclusion that she couldn’t have done it if it were a farce. How does one fake such deep, intricate emotions? And even if she tried – people would’ve seen right through it. When it came to love, people could always tell a fake from a genuine article. And Belle believed what they had now was more than genuine.

An hour later Allen came up and joined her, drinking one his shakes. He had already taken a shower after the workout, and smelled of shower gel and shampoo, both strong and manly. He was wearing only a towel around his waist, like when they’d first met. Only this time it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. On the contrary, there was a warm tickling in her belly, and she couldn’t control herself, jumping at him. He took her on the kitchen counter, sweeping plates off the table, sending them to the floor. The forth time…

“Oh, God!” Belle cried in ecstasy. “Don’t stop!”

He didn’t, not then.

Afterwards they spent a long time kissing, with Belle still sitting on the counter, and Allen standing close to her.