The Convenient Wife

I’m going to need it.

4

Bolt

Pouring her another shot of whiskey, I watch her as she throws her head back and sucks it down immediately.

I can’t take my eyes off her. I’m drawn to her, to the way her throat bulges as she swallows, and her eyes gloss over as the alcohol hits her veins.

Starla is the prettiest thing I have ever seen. I didn’t expect that.

Her hair is deep red, reminding me of copper. Small freckles trace the bridge of her nose, fading out as they reach her eyes. She has on a cute white blouse that doesn’t hide her pert, little nipples.

Fuck me, my eyes move down her body, watching the way her tits lift higher with the deep breaths she’s inhaling. Her skin is no longer ivory, but the sexiest shade of pink as she gasps for air and wipes her lips with the back of her hand.

“You want me to do what?” The question explodes from her mouth, her voice scratchy as she coughs. Setting the glass down in her lap, she asks me, “What are you asking me to do exactly?”

“I want you to be my wife.”

“This is either a sick joke or you’re fucking crazy.” Shaking her head, she lifts the empty glass to her lips and tries to suck the remaining drops out. Letting out a sarcastic chuckle, she looks down at her hands. “You can’t be serious. Who asks someone they don’t know to do that?”

Picking the bottle up off my desk, I grab her hand, and pull it in closer to me. I can feel her shaking, her hand trembling in mine as our eyes connect and I fill her glass a third time.

“I’m not crazy, and I’m not joking.” Refilling my glass, I set the bottle down and hold my cup chest high. “It won’t be real, it’ll just be for show. We’ll tell people we eloped over a weekend, you meet my family, and we act like we’re married until I tell you it’s over. That’s it, that’s all you have to do, nothing more. I’m sure you played pretend as a little girl.” Smirking, I think about how much I would have loved to play house with her as kids. . . Or doctor.

Her thumb runs back and forth over her glass as she looks up at me under a canopy of lashes. She’s shaking her head no, holding her eyes on mine. She almost looks like she did something wrong and she feels bad for it.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do that. I make whiskey, that’s what I do, that’s what I’m good at. I’m not a wife, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not asking you to really marry me, it’s all fake. I’ll make it worth your while. I’ll pay you whatever you want, give me a number and it’s yours. I’ll even write you a letter of recommendation, and you’ll still be able to put Sheckler Distillery on your résumé. All I ask is that you do this, follow my lead, and make it look legit.”

“Look, Mr. Sheckler—”

“Please, call me Bolt.”

“Bolt,” she says, my name rolling off her tongue with a sexy little pitch at the end. “I didn’t come here for this. I came for the internship, not this.”

“And you can have it, that’s not a problem.” Holding out my arms, I soften my voice. “Look, we both know you need this; you need the money, you need the recommendation.” Placing a hand on my chest, my eyes open wider. “You need me, especially if you ever want to go anywhere in this business, we both know that. I’ll give you all of it, I can open all kinds of doors for you.”

Her eyes shift and I can tell she’s thinking about it. The bright brown globes dance around my face, her brows scrunch into the bridge of her nose, and the corner of her lip twitches.

What are you thinking, Starla?

Just say yes, that’s all you have to do.

We both know what it takes to thrive in this business, she wouldn’t be here if she didn’t. It’s an easy deal I’m offering her, a fucking free pass. Who could say no to something so sweet?

“It’s all pretend,” I remind her, slicing my hand through the air. “All of it. We won’t really be married, we’ll just tell people we are. You can still do the internship here, I don’t want to take that from you. This will be the easiest thing you’ve ever had handed to you, Starla. All you have to do is say yes.”

“It’ll all be fake?” Lifting her fingertips to her mouth, she plucks at her lip.

“Yes, all of it.”

“No actual wedding?”

“Nope, just us telling a little white lie.”

“That’s not a little white lie, Bolt.” She looks down into her glass, then lifts her eyes quickly back to mine. “I’m curious, why—what’s the purpose of this?”