Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
I didn’t have a memory of leaving the club or where we had gone to next. There were images of the chapel and Elvis, but that was mostly a blank spot in my memory. I could see us outside and her walking barefoot along the edge of a fountain while I held her hand and her high heels. Her laughter and the way the lights of the city seemed to illuminate just her. That had been the opium, but still, I’d thought she was a goddess.
The parts I could recall in the best detail was fucking her. We’d ripped off each other’s clothes the instant the door to my suite closed. I picked her up and impaled her with my cock for the first time up against the wall, unable to go any further. Although I could still see her face when she had gotten off and hear her sexy moans, I could not remember taking out a condom at any time. That could have been the moment I’d knocked her up. I wasn’t sure because there was also a memory of taking her in the shower, on the bed, bent over the counter in the kitchen, and on the balcony as she gripped the railing and I took her from behind. I’d had only two condoms.
At some point, I’d apparently told her about the family that night. I was pissed at myself for getting that messed up, but also glad she’d been aware and it wasn’t one more thing I’d had to explain today. She hadn’t seemed to have any questions about it though, which surprised me. It wasn’t like she could google it and find the answers. There was an odd sense of surrender to her expression, in the way she spoke to me, that was causing an odd reaction from me. It wasn’t the way women normally responded with the want and need controlling their every move. She didn’t want me. She’d made that clear with more than just words.
I turned from the window as one of the men still in my office cleared his throat.
Stanz held out the new paperwork to me. “She needs to sign these. It’s the NDA and prenup. Although you’re already legally married, we need these signed so that when the year is over, she isn’t going to fight you for half of your assets or demand alimony. There’s also the custody agreement for the child. We added another clause that covers the things you went over with her about security detail for her and the child, as well as the bank account you will set up in her name and keep funded for her needs while she is living here without a job.”
I took the paperwork and placed it on my desk. I had let Branwen go to be with Stevie already. The longer she was away from her, the more stressed I got about her safety. I trusted Jayda, but the food allergies and choking shit had me on edge. I hadn’t asked if Stevie could swim. We needed to get special locks on the doors and an alarm at the pool in case she ever got away and went out there alone. My mind started reeling at all the things I needed done to make the house safe.
“Are you sure you don’t want to end the marriage now? Waiting a year will cause more issues. It would be best if you didn’t live together while married. That will make the marriage seem real. Legally, that can get dicey if she chooses to fight you for anything when this is over.”
Stanz was only repeating himself. I’d heard this when he said it the first time.
“If you do your job correctly, it won’t. She will sign whatever I give her. Make sure it is clearly stated that the marriage is for convenience only and will terminate one year from tomorrow,” I told him, not liking the way he felt he needed to question me.
“Yes, sir. The changes have all been made, and we will redo the filing when we are back at our office,” Hoyt replied, not allowing his partner to say more.
“I’m not questioning your decision, Mr. Shephard,” Stanz said, his voice cracking, betraying his anxiety. His fear was palpable.
“If we are done here, then I have things that need handled,” I told them.
Both men nodded, taking their bags and heading for the door without another word. I waited until they were gone to pick up my phone and decide on who to call first. The security concerning the pool, making sure Stevie couldn’t get near it while alone outside, seemed the most pressing. But first, I needed to send Jayda to buy things that they needed now. I didn’t want them leaving this house again without me setting up their security detail and assigning a driver for Branwen to use when they needed to go somewhere.