I played those games myself for a long time...then I got played.
Brandon Cates was willing to be that he himself was about to get played. It would be one for the record books.
There was no stopping it now.
Chapter 16
Marj had awakened alone, showered and dressed in what she thought of as her airplane outfit. Sleek ponytail, chic neutral makeup and she was ready to be put on display. Her first public appearance as Mrs. Brandon Cates. There was one more thing she had to do.
Marj messaged Britt:
Always said I was wilder than u. U slept with your boss the night you met him. I can beat that. I married mine the night I met him.
She snapped a picture of her rings and sent the text. Almost instantly, her phone lit up with Britt’s incredulous reply.
You did what??????
Marj smiled. She thought her situation deserved six question marks.
Hitched in Vegas! Tho come 2 think of it, I didn’t shag him till after we got married so maybe ur wilder after all! ? XOXO M
Then Marj shut off her phone and braved the living room. She found Brandon hunched over his laptop as expected. A room service breakfast stood on a cart awaiting her. She sipped orange juice from the goblet and lifted the silver dome from her plate. Instead of eggs and toast, she found a velvet box. She glanced over at Brandon who continued to type without looking up, but with a telltale mischievous grin on his handsome face.
She opened the hinged lid and squealed. There on a bed of black velvet was the sapphire and diamond pendant she’d coveted in secret ever since she saw Titanic as a kid.
“I love it!” she squeaked and ran over to him, “Put it on me!”
“That’s counterintuitive. I prefer to take things off of you, but just this once I’ll comply,” he said wryly.
“I should totally have pinned the bigger one,” she teased.
“So you’ve realized I trolled your Pinterest boards. I would prefer you not disclose that rather embarrassing fact to the press,” he said.
“It’s every woman’s dream, to be with a guy who cares what she likes!”
“Imagine for a moment how it galled me to order that from a mall jewelry store instead of getting a higher quality pendant from Harry Winston or Cartier. My credit card company, my accountant will see that charge and think me a complete miser with my new bride.”
“Your ego will recover. You got the one I want, and that’s what counts. I love it! And it reminds me of my favorite movie ever.”
“I thought you watched those zombie films,” he grimaced.
“Just to protect my badass street cred. If anyone knew I’ve watched Titanic like thirty times, I’d never live it down. I’d be reduced to a cliché, eternal bachelorette addicted to sad romantic movies.”
“Bride, not bachelorette. So if you were pining for the starring role in a reality show, your dreams of televised courtship are over for the moment.”
“So when we’re divorced I’m free to go on TV and find the next Mr. Marjorie Reynolds?”
“I’d rather you didn’t but you may need to hold auditions to find a man who can be my successor,” he said with one raised eyebrow, which made her laugh.
“At least you’re not preventing me from a reality show career after we’re through. I may need to do a tell-all Real Housewives style gig to revamp my image from photo ready corporate wife back to wild child.”
“If necessary, a gag order can be part of the divorce settlement.”
“Right. Like that would ever work on me,” she laughed.
“Then I will have to keep you incredibly happy with flashy mall jewelry, so you don’t divulge all my dark secrets,” he said.
“Hmmm....there wasn’t any other major jewelry in Titanic. I may have to watch that Gatsby movie Leo made just to diversify my diamond options,” she said.
“Was Gatsby too literary for your zombie tastes?”
“Nah, too boring. I tried to watch it once and I fell asleep. That blond chick—-ugh. What a whiner. Now I get how he’d want Kate in Titanic. She’s awesome and smart and outspoken but Little Miss Fragile had her some mental problems in Gatsby, I’m telling you.”
“You are, without a doubt, the first person ever to refer to Daisy Buchanen as Little Miss Fragile.”
“I mean, she’s going to get Leo killed.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t he die in Titanic?”
“That was the iceberg’s fault!” she said vehemently.
“Remind me not to go up against you with DiCaprio on the line,” he laughed, “you take him pretty seriously.”
“I’m a passionate woman. That shouldn’t surprise you.”