“Is there a reason your family wouldn’t approve? My experience with Ms. Nichols has been quite good. She’s smart and competent. And from what I can see of her, she’s quite lovely. What more could a man want?”
God, just what I needed, to be exhorting the physical features of my assistant. I really was going to get the company sued.
“She’s all that and more,” I said. She was too. She was competent in her work, often able to anticipate my needs. And she was pretty, I suppose, although I tried not to look at her that way. Her long brunette strands were always worn up. She wore business attire that was professional but didn’t hide her femininity. Fuck, I couldn’t think of her like that.
“So how long has this been going on?” LaMont asked.
“It’s been some time, but we’ve kept it under wraps. We didn’t want to be accused of mixing business and pleasure. I am her boss, after all.” My stomach rolled as I wondered how much her lawsuit against me would be for. I wondered if I could convince her to just sue me and not the whole company.
“Ah yes, you Americans are so concerned about mixing business and pleasure.” He shook his head. “Such a shame. Business is so much better when pleasure is involved. So, when will the nuptials be?”
Jesus. I looked up at her, waiting for her to out me at any moment. She wasn’t saying anything which was good, except wouldn’t a blushing bride be happy? She looked more stunned than anything.
I turned my attention back to LaMont. “We hadn’t really set a date yet. We’re both quite busy with work.”
“I’ve wanted to elope,” she said, surprising me, as well as giving me a sense of relief.
“Vegas isn’t that far away,” I added. “It’s definitely worth considering.”
“You know, I think I will do this deal with you, but on one condition,” LaMont said.
I couldn’t decide if I was happy that we were getting the deal done or terrified of the condition. “What’s that?”
“You must allow me to host your wedding. My wife knows how to pull these things off beautifully. And she loves it. I have a home in Tuscany with the perfect place for a ceremony.”
Ah fuck no. “I couldn’t have you do that—”
“Nonsense. You both must learn the importance of celebrating life. What good is all that money when you simply hide in your office? Love is to be celebrated, not merged in an impromptu ceremony by an Elvis impersonator. There’s no better place for joining two lives than Italy? You don’t have to do anything. I and my wife will take care of all the details. You won’t be disappointed. Surely you want to give your fiancé a fairy tale wedding.”
I smiled, but I was concerned it looked like a grimace. I wasn’t planning on actually getting married. I could only imagine what was going through Ms. Nichols’ head.
At the same time, how could I say no. Not just because I needed this deal, but because he was being extremely generous.
“I don’t know what to say,” was all I could manage.
“Say yes. My wife will be very excited. You bring the paperwork when you come, alright?” LaMont turned his head, looking to his side for a moment like someone was talking to him. When he looked back at me through the computer, he said, “Speaking of my wife, she’s eager for me to come home. I’m very excited for this deal. I’ll be in touch about the details of the wedding. Good day, Ryan.”
He was gone from the screen before I could answer. Tentatively I looked up at Ms. Nichols. I realized my hand was still on hers. I pulled it away.
“I’d been hoping to simply say we were married without actually having to
get married,” I said, wanting her to know my intentions.
“I’ve never known you to lie,” she said, making me feel even worse. I’d put her in an awkward position and now I was disappointing her by not being the best man I could be.
I winced. “This deal is important to me. We can still pull this off if we don’t file for a license.”
She gaped. “You’re thinking about doing this? Going to Italy for a wedding ceremony?”
I nodded. “If you’re willing to help. We can go through the motions and then just go our own ways when the deal is done. I’m happy to throw in a bonus for you. And think of it this way, you get a trip to Italy.”
“It feels unethical.”
I couldn’t disagree with her on that. “It’s perhaps a bit deceptive, but we are a family company whether I’m married or not. Someday I might be—”
“Might? You’re not sure?”
I tugged at my tie, as it felt like a noose around my neck. “I don’t know. I have to meet someone to get married and that’s just not a focus for me now. Someday it might be and when it is, I may meet someone and get married and have some kids that will then be part of the business too.”