The Convenient Wife

His demands are set in stone. Period.

“Shame on him for giving you a hangover right before a ten hour flight.” Slapping my ass, she jumps off onto the floor. “All right, the cab will be here in twenty minutes, time to get up.”

Pushing myself up, I grunt, rubbing my face. “I’m up.” With sluggish feet, I walk to the dresser, take out some clothes, and pull them on. Going into the bathroom, I turn on the water and splash my face.

“You hungry?”

“No.” Wiping my face off, I dry my hands and stare in the mirror. “I look like shit.”

My eyes are blood shot, my hair is all over the place, and my skin is clammy and flushed. I swear, I can still feel the alcohol in my veins.

“Yeah, you do,” she says with a wink. Her smile makes my heart stop for a moment before returning to its normal beat. “Want some coffee?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Walking back into the bedroom, I grab my bag, setting it on the bed and opening it up.

“All right… she says reluctantly. I can feel her watching me, trying to figure out why I’m so short with her. “Well you should at least eat something, let me make you breakfast.”

“I’m not hungry.” Keeping my eyes on my bag, I move the clothes around making sure I didn’t forget anything.

“Okay.” Starla stands behind me and slips her hands around me to my stomach. She starts to squeeze, and fuck, I want to hug her back.

Only I don’t. I can’t. It’s not fair to her.

Pulling her arms off, I close my suitcase and zip it up quickly. “Come on, get dressed, the cab will be here any minute.”

Her arms are dangling at her sides and she looks stunned that I pulled her off. “Sure, yeah, you’re right.”

I hear the disappointment in her voice first, and then I watch it as it seeps over her body. Her lips fold down, her eyes gloss over, and she sinks into herself.

My heart splits in half as I see her, as I watch the way my words have stung her. I want to hug her and kiss her and tell her she’s beautiful. But I don’t.

Because I’m not supposed to have feelings for this girl. That was our arrangement. That was an agreement between us. We are nothing more than a business transaction.

And somehow we ended up here. Having sex all the damn time, spending every moment together, living like husband and wife.

We gather our things in silence. I have nothing else to say, and I don’t think she knows how to react.

Quiet and reserved, I don’t touch her at all. It takes everything in my power to not grab this girl and kiss her, run my hands over her body, and hold her close.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I pull it out and see it’s the cab. “They’re outside.” Taking both our bags, I walk ahead of her.

Starla tries to stay with me, attempting to slip her hand into my arm, but I pull away quickly. I can see it on her face that she knows something isn’t right. But she doesn’t ask, she simply folds her arms across her chest and follows me to the car.

We sit in silence all the way to the airport, through the check in, and in the terminal. I’m just trying to distance myself a little. I’m trying to separate these feelings that are starting to take over. I want to control them, but it feels like they’re controlling me.

It burns me to not have any control over what I’m feeling. I’ve always been in charge, knowing exactly what I’m doing. Not now. Starla is in charge and she doesn’t even know it.

Settling into our seats, her eyes keep darting to my face and then away. She bites her bottom lip, gnawing on the skin softly. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I don’t know, you just seem off. Are you nervous about this weekend? Is that it?”

Turning to look at her, I shake my head. “No. Should I be?”

Opening her eyes wide, she shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know, maybe, but I don’t know your family like you do. I know I’m a little nervous, though.”

“I’m fine, it’s not a big deal.”

“Do you think they’ll like me?”

Damn it. Why do you need to ask me that?”

“I don’t know, Starla.” Twisting away, I look out the window. I can’t look her in the eyes. I know exactly what my family will think, and I can’t bring myself to tell her.

“Well, at least the batch of Ivory Gold is ready, that shit’s delicious too. I bet that will impress your father.” She has hope in her voice, but that hope won’t do a damn thing to save her from my father and his judgment.

The gavel will fall, his ruling will be heard, and her soul will be shattered.