RAINI LAVERNE
“Oh-em-gee! It's on! It's on, it's fucking on!” My sister squealed, leaping for the TV remote like a model frog with a bad case of arthritis so that I felt the balls of my eyes grease the moist foams of my frontal lobe.
“Goddammit River, turn that shit off,” I gritted through clenched teeth, watching the brown melon of her head bob up and down as she settled on the floor, slapping her back on the tart green foam of the low cushion as the man’s face flashed across the small screen.
I allowed myself a few seconds, my hands stilling on the silver knit of spools in my hands as I took in the angular cut of the man’s face, the way he appeared large even while he was seated.
Zavier Cross. Oil magnate, richest man in upstate New York, billionaire of the century, and the stuff of every sensible maiden’s wet dreams.
Something about the jet-black fade of his wolf-cut hair made my stomach clench in a way that usually had me running for the white porcelain of the toilet.
I disliked men like him, power magnets who used and discarded women as they pleased. I was not a sensible maiden. Not like my sister who was yapping on about the interview.
It was only the second time the ‘Wife for thirty days saga’ had been aired and I was already tired of it.
I was this close to rinsing my ears with bleach! If it would be enough to drown the sound of his deep baritone from my memory.
It was like he had the whole city swooning under his thick thumb. The one he was running through the forest of his hair now.
“Focus Raini! Bloody goof!” I swore inwardly, moving the spool into the wool until it looked more like a tablecloth than Freddy Kruger’s halloween mask. Before my sister’s sing-song cut through my reverie.
“You should REALLY think about this Raini! What if you win? Everyone in the city’s talking about it! Even at work!” She groaned, her face pale against the harsh light of the television as she turned to peer at me over the foam of the couch.
I stifled a long-suffering sigh as she inched forward, wringing her hands in her white flare skirt with faux meekness.
Would winning the wife lottery be a good step for my modeling dream? Maybe.
Would I absolutely lose my mind playing house with a man I’ve stabbed excessively in my head, several times over? Absolutely.
Nothing would put a dent in my aspirations like a murder and absconding charge.
“Know why he’s stuck looking for a wife on TV River?” I hissed, fixing the olive-colored imp with a deathly look, my eyes narrowing at the smirk on her face, steeling myself when she let out another loud squeak.
Good Lord, stick a pine needle in my fucking eye already! How in the world had I gotten stuck with a pair of harried chickens as family?
“Because he’s searching for his soulmate?” The girl crowed, pointing pink-tipped fingers at me and I felt a blush rise on my cheeks despite myself. I struggled to hold the scowl on my face, pursing my lips and rolling my eyes when she didn't stop smirking.
“BECAUSEEE River, none of those air-head bimbos he's fucked came back for seconds!” I harrumphed, throwing up my hands when my mother yelled “Language!” slapping her tray down on the dinner table and eyeing me meaningfully.
I rolled my shoulders until they popped and crackled like a dried out hag’s, taking my mother’s evil eye as my cue to set the table.
There are three plates only.
It had been like that since my father died. Something I still struggled to believe at some point everyday.
“You should listen to your sister Raini. I’ll be throwing you both out of my house soon. I’m tired of cooking for grown women as it is.” The Armenian woman with a gold tooth hidden in the sides of her mouth grumbled, tearing off her apron.
“A-all the more reason why you should apply! You’re not going to be working at Giselle’s Fashion forever!” My sister stammered, widening her eyes when I turned to face her.
I’d watched River cut in with a measure of amusement, thankful that she had saved us from another spiel about having grandchildren to liven up the space.
Did I mention the flowery green of the wallpaper was the exact same as the cushion?
Precisely. Not even Cinderella’s freaking godmother could lighten up the space.
“Yeah, trust me munchkin, I'll be better off oiled and slapped up on a gurney ready for a fucking lobotomy.” I deadpanned, damn near snorting the soup when my mother smacked her left hand against the back of my head.
Dammit were they trying to kill me? That was her strong hand!
“I will not have my daughters cursing like a gang of ill-fortuned sea pirates!” My mother scolded, and I affected a look of submission, meeting my sister’s wary eyes as she watched me over the corpse of the turkey propped like a trophy on the table.
I didn’t like the somber gaze in her watery brown eyes, or the pitying look she gave me. I snapped my eyes away from her, turning my green glare to the window where the sepia blackness was rolling over the mid-sized compound of our cottage house.
I felt the ball of anxiety rumbling in my gut tighten as the icy draft of the night’s air stung at my cheeks and nose before my eyes rested on the crack in the glass, the gaping hole where the wind came through.
The entire house was like that, Broken and hurting.
However bubbly River tried to make things, it wasn’t enough, not for me.
There was something lingering in the air. Something that made goosebumps rise on my skin as I sat hunched in the small wooden chair, watching the whirl of the women around me.
RAINI”You’ve got to be freaking kidding me,” I growled, tip-toeing into the grand lobby of the glass office where the wash of overhead conditioning hit me like a freight train.Five months! That was how long I had been working at Giselle’s Fashion, And I was this close to sticking my head in the sewer pipes!”Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” A woman’s sugary drawl had me tearing my lips from my teeth with trepidation and I turned to find that it was the impeccably dressed manager watching me with hawkish eyes.Giselle Galloway was one of those plastic barbie dollies who based their entire personality around being the stuff of every man’s fantasies. Flaunting her luscious curves in her tight vomit-yellow gown that had some of the socialites swiveling to stare at her.I was itching to tell her off before I caught the look on Trinity Fay’s ruddy face, my best friend from junior high.The buxom redhead shook her head wildly to discourage my antics, her jade-green eyes swimming wit
ZAVIER CROSSThe obese woman’s hand trembled from its lock in my iron grip as I hesitated, before shaking her loose and watching the broad jowls of her face puff and redden in embarrassment as she stumbled away.“M-my apologies Mr. Cross, I didn't realize...Dear God,” The woman wheezed, whipping her head back and forth between me and the lady before she trailed off, spasming as the estate wives rushed to catch her.I turned to see that the curly-haired girl with the razor tongue was watching me curiously, her green eyes meeting mine boldly.“You didn't have to do that,” The girl muttered blithely, much to my surprise as I stifled a derisive snort.Well, riddle me color blind! If I hadn't stepped in when I did, I had no doubt the round woman would have leveled her.I opened my mouth to respond to Raini’s less-than-enthusiastic greeting before a bright-eyed blonde woman cut me off.She was the leggy one I had seen prowling the grounds like a hungry lion looking to devour young, robust c
RAINI LAVERNE“What the fuck was that?” Giselle Galloway thundered as she whirled round to face me the second the billionaire stormed through the revolving glass doors of the fashion house, snapping me out of my reverie.I struggled to catch my breath, feeling the crimson heat creep up my cheeks as I felt the eyes of everyone in the store on me.Had I really won the billionaire’s soul search? The thought made my tongue floor about dryly in my mouth.“My resignation Giselle, effective immediately,” I grumbled, happy to realize I had managed to keep the tremor from showing in my voice as the people gathered around huffed dramatically.I wasn’t sure quitting was the best idea, but I couldn’t have just stood there and done jackshit when the Disney princess just fired my sister right in front of me.We were Lavernes, and my mother had always taught us to stick up for each other!“Raini! What are you-” Trinity Fay gasped, pinching me on my arm before I shrugged her off, a sliver of courage
RAINI LAVERNEI had tripped on the puffy umbrella-looking bodice of the red-jeweled gown when I finally settled in beside the striking man.“Hi,” I brayed, gritting my teeth and blowing off the choppy bangs of the hair my sister had butchered in her effort to make me look less like a grumpy nana and more like Cinderella.It had not worked, and now I was stuck looking like one of the botched science experiments from one of our nightly horror flicks.The dark-haired man only nodded, snatching up the menu with more grace than I could have imagined possible, and the impression of the long, ringed fingers he had curled around the purple plaque curled on the meat of my breasts rose unbidden in my mind.What the hell was wrong with me? Ugh! I shook my head imperceptibly, choosing to focus on the run of Italian words on the plaque instead of the non-too-gentle sway of the boat we were cruising on.I’d never had any foreign cuisine in my life, past the watery mimosas my mother made every now
RAINI LAVERNEI am fucking moving to the house of Zavier Cross, it is absurd how my life went from being remotely boring to moving to a mansion across town where I would probably get decapitated; I am not even joking.I choose to blame River, I still feel like strangling her to death or sucking her life out with a straw while she sleeps, but I think the latter will be more pleasurable to watch, my mum would probably be mortified and murder me afterward but that would be a worthy trade."I still feel this is the worst idea in the history of worst ideas ever," Trinity Fay muttered bitterly as she angrily shoved my clothes into my back, I am reconsidering inviting her to help me pack but how do I kindly tell her to go home without breaking her heart more than it already is."Don't listen to her," River interjected before I could reply to her, she wasn't helping me pack my clothes, just trying out my different shades of lipstick in front of my vanity mirror."She should listen to me becau
ZAVIER CROSSIt’s been fourteen hours, five minutes, and ten seconds since Trinity Fay and River have left me alone with Zavier Cross, but who is counting, I can't help but feel nervous as I pace around my enormous room. I glare around and wonder how I would survive the next 30 days living with this total stranger. A lot of thoughts rage in my mind, and my pessimistic attitude believes it will turn out really bad.As I pace around, the door opens and a young lady about my age enters the room. She introduces herself as Karla and tells me that Zavier has put her in charge of everything I would need. “ I will be the one who will cater for your every need, be here at your every beck and call even when you don’t need me, in other words, I will be the ultimate pain in your ass,”I can't help but chuckle. Karla has a wonderful sense of humor, and I soon warm up to her.We have a wonderful conversation, and I can't believe how funny and engaging she is. We joke and tease each other, and I st
POVII do not like being humiliated in front of anyone,especially because of some spineless celebrity wanna-be like Raini Laverne. "I need you to do something for me," I wasn't asking because I knew when I wanted something, I get it."I am sure you know whatever you want, I will give it to you, no question asked," Jason said, he was a muscular tall man with broad shoulders."I know that I do,"I walked majestically, close to where he stood, gazing at me and began touching his shirt, " I know you are one of the guards of Zavier Cross,"He let out a chuckle, "You women and how you are so infatuated by Zavier,"He dare called what I feel for Zavier an infatuation, I would have slapped Lucifer out of him, if not that I needed him."Well call it what you want, I know you are aware of his new TV wife,""Yes, Raini, she is hot,"This guy is really getting on my nerves but I won't bite."I want you to tell me everything she does when she is in the house, what is her relationship with Zavie
ZAVIER CROSSI walked into Raini's room and found her in a much better mood than I had left her in. It seemed like she had hit it off with Karla, which was a relief to me. I told her that we would be having dinner together and that she should get ready. I noticed her looking at me intently as if she was sizing me up. I could understand why, I mean, I was a stranger to her, a billionaire TV sensation that she had won in a contest."Hello, Raini," I say, giving her a smile.She looks up at me, a mix of apprehension and curiosity in her eyes. "Hi, Zavier. What's up?""I just wanted to let you know that we'll be having dinner together tonight," I say. "I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better."Raini looks like she's about to protest, but then she seems to change her mind. "Okay, sure. What time?""Let's say seven o'clock," I say. "And feel free to wear whatever you're comfortable in. We're not exactly formal around here."Raini nods, looki