Marriage of Convenience (The Raven Brothers 1)

I smiled sweetly. I also learned that men seemed to like the idea of a woman being innocent. It was another thing about them that baffled me. They liked purity and yet wanted to do impure things to us. Even Glen used to tell me all the things he planned to do to me on our wedding night. Some sounded impossible, and quite possibly illegal. Too bad for him, that wouldn’t be happening, at least not with me.

“I’d be so honored to have you personally mentor me. I promise to make you proud. You won’t regret it,” I said.

He smiled at me, his gaze drifting from mine down to my lips and then my breasts. Finally, he looked back into my face. “Let’s get the paperwork finished, shall we?” He brought his arm from around my shoulder and leaned forward to a little coffee table with a folder on it. He opened it. “I’ve already started filling it out, but need a few more items. What is your cell phone number?”

I gave him my number, which he wrote on a sticky note, not the form.

“Just in case I have more questions later,” he said, moving the note to the outside of the folder. He filled out the form and signed it, then handed it to me. “You’ll be at the home office of one of the most powerful businessmen in Manhattan. There are people who’d do anything to get this internship.”

His emphasis on “anything” had me swallowing back my revulsion. Instead I focused on “Manhattan.” I’d be able to get off Staten Island and into the heart of New York. I loved the city; the lights, the energy, the possibilities it offered. The problem was that it was expensive.

“It does offer a stipend,” he said as if he were reading my mind. “But it’s not much. As far as I’m concerned, it won’t be enough to live on in the city. You’ll be better off commuting from here, and it would give us the opportunity to see each other more regularly.” He set his hand on my thigh. Thank goodness I wore pants instead of a dress today, I reflected.

I smiled and nodded, having no intention of staying close to him. I signed the paper, putting it in my bookbag. “I really appreciate this, Professor Fellows.” I stood and headed to the door.

He rose and stopped me from leaving. “When shall we meet? We can discuss your internship and perhaps your appreciation.”

My stomach roiled. “I have my last econ class in ten minutes.” Remembering he wrote down my number, I added. “Text me.” Then I hurried past him and out the door. I didn’t have a class, which possibly he knew, but he didn’t stop me. I went to my dorm room and tossed my bag on my bed ignoring my roommate’s dirty look.

I didn’t know what her problem was. She was the non-marriage material that Glen would sometimes use to take care of his “manly needs.” Had we been friends, I might have asked her about it. Did he really do those things with his mouth that he said he’d do to me? It seemed like it would be gross, just like having his thing in my mouth sounded gross. Of course, I’d read about oral sex in Cosmo, but I couldn’t imagine people really liked it.

But my roommate and I weren’t friends. She hated me because Glen wanted to marry me. But as far as I was concerned, if she wanted him, she could have him. I told them both that. Of course, since she wasn’t a virgin, thanks to Glen, he didn’t see her as anything but someone to get his rocks off with. Clearly, she wanted more, but that wasn’t my fault. I didn’t make her sleep with him.

I pulled the internship agreement out and studied it more carefully.

Raven Industries is pleased to offer you the position of marketing intern reporting to Daniel Larson.

I’d chosen marketing as a major because it seemed to me that the ability to sell something would always be something businesses were willing to pay for. I was behind when it came to the digital aspects of marketing, but committed to catching up. Besides, the real power of marketing came from understanding people and writing words or creating images that made them take action and buy. For that reason, I was minoring in psychology, and taking a few classes in copywriting.

I scanned down the page for the payment information. Professor Fellows was right, the stipend wasn’t enough to live on. Maybe I could get a second job. Whatever it took, I had to get to Manhattan.

New York City wasn’t far away. I could see it from Staten Island. But for most of my life it felt impossibly far from my grasp. Now I was one step closer to getting there.