JAMES
Her name was Destiny. I couldn’t stop laughing. Be careful what you wished for, James old boy, you just might get it.
“What’s so funny? What’s your name anyway? Maybe I’ll find that something to laugh at.” She said, pouting.
I guess she wasn’t all that bad looking, pink hair and all. She had a nose ring which surprised me somewhat. I supposed she could clean up nicely.
“James.” I didn’t add Barrington the third, not that I thought it would matter to her anyway. I got up and gave her my hand to shake. “Pleased to meet you, Destiny.”
“Well, nothing weird about your name. So, you’re not in a band?” she asked, and I might have imagined it, but she looked a bit disappointed.
I turned around to look at the wreck of my Hayabusa. The old rust bucket of a Beetle didn’t have that much damage. Fucking hard piece of metal! I sighed. My leg started to smart. Probably getting infected.
Grabbing the handlebars, I tried prying the bike off the monstrous car.
“Damn it!” It wouldn’t budge.“Let me help you.” Destiny offered.
“Hah! What the devil are you going to do?” I glared at her. This was all her damn fault. But she is going to pay for this. There was no going back now. She had no choice but to follow my suggestion which I was forming in my mind.
She walked back to the driver’s side. I watched her hips swaying in those tight jeans. I could work with that. I smirked to myself.
I heard the engine sputter, the starter whined like a tortured soul and then the thing started, rings and pistons pinging like crazy. Jeez.
“You pull while I pull away.” She shouted over the engine noise. The Beetle – or Susy, as she called it – revved up, gears screeching.
I gritted my teeth. Goddamn woman! Push in the damn clutch! Using all my strength I pulled back on the handlebars while she searched for first gear.
“Okay, let her rip!” I yelled back to her.
The Beetle hopped forward as she accelerated. I pulled. There was a horrible scrunching sound as the bike broke free of the car and the force of it sent me sprawling face down in the tar.
“Sorry!” she yelled. “So sorry.”
I pushed myself to a sitting position, spitting out dust and gravel. Yeah, sorry wasn’t cutting it, Lady. Dusting myself off, I got up. The bike was heavy, but I had to get it out of the road. I will call a towing truck to collect it and take it to my house in Lake View later.
Calling my father for help was out of the question. He would have a bitch fit that’s for sure.
“Are you okay?” Destiny hopped out of the damnable Beetle.
“Just fine.” I groaned. My muscles were aching from the strain. I’m fit, I go to gym regularly, but this was torture. I pushed my broken motorcycle into the grass at the side of the road and let it fall. Well, there goes the side fender.
“Can I drop you off somewhere? I really need to get to work, if I still have one.”
“About that.” I took out my cell phone. “What’s your work number and your boss’ name?”
She looked at me all funny. She had deep olive-green eyes, I noticed. “Why?”
“Just give it to me, Destiny.” I glared back at her. I had no time for arguments. She gave me the number and I called a guy named Ken.
“Yes, Ken I’m calling regarding one of your employees, Destiny.”
“Yeah? Destiny Richards. Something happened to her? She’s late.” Ken sounded worried.
“Yes, she’s asked me to tell you that she’s resigning as of today.” I told him.
“What!” Destiny’s mouth dropped open. “What the hell are you doing? James!” she tried to reach for my phone, but I was way taller than her. I turned away from her.
“Resign? Are you sure? Let me speak to her.” Ken sounded pissed off.
“I’m sorry, she can’t come to the phone right now. She’s a bit occupied now. Good day to you.” I disconnected the call.
Destiny pummeled my chest with her tiny fists. She started crying again. Angry tears, I suspected.
“What have you done! You’re so mean!” she sobbed. “Now I’ll have to sleep in Susy, because I’ll be homeless.”
“Okay, stop this crying and listen to me. Take me to your… home, trailer whatever you call it.” I know it was mean of me to do this, but she had it coming.
“What?” she looked at me as if I had just killed a puppy.
I grabbed hold of her arm, pushing her in the direction of the driver’s seat. There was no way I was going to drive this piece of junk.
“Home. Yours. Understood?” I got into the back of the Beetle, cringing, there were dirty laundry at the back.
“What are you going to do to me?” she sniffed.
“Are you scared?” Hell, I didn’t want to scare her. But here I was, a stranger, forcing her into her own car and demanding she take me to her home. God, she probably thought I was going to murder or rape her or something.
“Y-yes. Are you on drugs? You must know I don’t have any, I don’t use the stuff and I don’t know anyone who sells them at the trailer park.” She rambled on.
“No, Destiny. I need a place to rest up. My leg hurts, my head hurts from your noisy crying and I am fucking tired. I don’t take drugs and I have no intention to do anything to you.” I snapped at her.
“O-Okay…” She turned the Beetle around with a screech of tires on the tar road and I cringed once again. Heaven, help us get to wherever we’re going in one piece.
***
She stopped the beaten-up faded lemon-colored Beetle next to an even worse trailer. This was perfect. I’m sure once she hears my proposal, she won’t be able to refuse. Not that I would tell her that I’m a billionaire or stand to inherit the Barrington fortune. Not right this minute.
I forced my aching body out of the cramped interior of the car. Destiny dropped the keys on the steps of the trailer. She bent down to retrieve them, her tight ass in the air. Jeez, she had no idea what that does to men.
Eventually, she got the damn door open, and I got my eyes back in their sockets. The inside didn’t look as bad as I expected. It was small, but clean. She had a bed on the left side, a tiny kitchen on the right and a sofa with stuffing coming out of it on the edges. A tiny coffee table stood in front of it. I plopped myself down on her bed.
It was like lying on concrete. Damn.
“James?” she stood there wringing her hands.
“What?”
“If you want me to clean your leg up, you’ll have to take off your pants.” She suggested.
I snorted. “Wow, usually I like being taken out for dinner and a movie before I take my pants off, Sugar.”
Her face was priceless. “Oh my God! You’re impossible.” She sat down hard on the sofa, unsettling a cloud of dust. She started sneezing.
I laughed. “I’m just kidding. I’ll be fine. Let’s get down to business.”
“Business?” she repeated.
“Yeah. You owe me and I have an idea how you can repay me.” I grinned at her.
“Look, if you think for one minute, I will sleep with you or any other man for payment, you’ve got another thing coming.” She stood up from the sofa, shaking her index finger at me. “I am not a whore. So, you can take your business elsewhere. Take me to court or whatever.” She picked up a book from the table, ready to throw it at me.
“Jesus! You think I’m a pimp?” Now it was me gaping at her like an idiot.
She lowered the book. “You’re not?”
“No!” Okay, this is not going as I had hoped. “Just listen, Destiny. I need a wife.”
“Get out of my trailer. Now!” Up came the book.
I got off the bed, holding my hands out to ward of whatever she was going to throw me with. There were a lot of stuff about.
“Hey, now. Wait, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Please, just listen. It could solve all our problems. You wouldn’t have to work, have a decent place to stay and after three years you can divorce me and…”
Whap! The book hit me on the side of the head.
“Ouch! Stop it!” I yelled. That fucking hurt! “It won’t be a real marriage. We can have legal documents drawn up.” I tried again. This time a cushion flew past me.
“What? Why?” She put down the ornament she was about to launch. Thank God.
DESTINY This man! “Why would you want to fake marry me?” Gosh, maybe he was touched in the head. Or he could have escaped from some asylum, and I brought him to my home. Good going, Destiny. I always attract the weirdos. “Like I said, Destiny… You owed me, have you any idea how much damage your rust bucket caused? That motorbike cost more than this entire property.” “Well, now you’re exaggerating.” I shook my head at him, does he think I’m stupid or something. “Okay, but still. My father and grandfather have threatened to disown me if I don’t get married and settle down. And I really like my lifestyle.” He explained, sitting down beside me on the sofa. I shifted up, not trusting to be so near to him. “Are you rich or something?” I frowned at him; I was not going to be some rich boy’s plaything. “No, nothing like the sort. I work for my father. I’m the only child.” He smirked at me. “Would you want to be married to a rich man?” “I’m no gold digger!” I have always managed well e
DESTINYWhen I entered the house, I stood still in the middle of the entrance hall. I’ve never been in a house this big before. There I was with my two shopping bags of all my worldly possessions standing in this impressive place that smacked of wealth. Gosh, and he said he wasn’t rich! The carpeting on the floor was worth more than my Susy. Not that I know that much about carpets. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. Who has chandeliers, even?“Hey! What are you standing there for?” James peered down from the banister on the second-floor landing. “Come on up. I’ll show you to your room.”“Okay.” I started up the stairs to where he waited. “Jeez, don’t look so scared.” He said, frowning at me.“I’m not. Do you live here alone?” I couldn’t believe he had all this space to himself.“Of course.” He pulled me behind him down the corridor. There were four rooms on opposite sides of the passage. He opened one door and pulled me inside. “This is your room.” “Wow!” I couldn’t help but stare
JAMES“Well, that’s done.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Arthur left after two hours of trying to convince him I knew what I was doing. We gave him our notes on our expectations, and he promised to have a draft ready by Monday latest.Destiny had a pensive look on her face, she chewed on her lower lip, staring into space. She’d better not be having second thoughts about this.“Penny for your thoughts, Ms. Johnson?” It scared me how much I sounded like my father just now.“Your lawyer friend doesn’t like me much.” She looked up at me with those big olive-green eyes. Actually pretty, I thought.“Does it matter? We need to do some serious shopping. I can’t have my future wife looking like a homeless person, now, can I?” Her sense of style sucked seriously.“Excuse me?” she huffed, “What’s wrong with me?” she sounded miffed.“Where do I start…?” I pulled her up from the couch and twirled her around. I liked the tight jeans. She had a nice ass, and I could tell her boobs were just the size
DESTINYThe way James and Giovanni stared at me made me feel self-conscious. I hardly recognized myself in the mirror. I don’t think I’ve ever looked this good. I used to hate the color of my hair until today. Giovanni really knew his stuff.“Thank you, Giovanni, James.” I blushed like a teenager.“My pleasure, Bella!” Giovanni kissed me on both cheeks like he greeted James. It felt strange to me, I wasn’t used to affection from strange people.James held out his hand for me to take. He looked pleased with himself, a smug grin on his face, like he’d won the Lotto or something.“Let’s go, gorgeous.” he said.Wow! I wasn’t expecting that. I took his hand, and we strolled out of the salon.“Mr. Barrington! Mr. Barrington!” Someone called out and James stopped in his tracks, swearing under his breath.Barrington? Was that his surname? Why did it sound so familiar?James looked over at me, “Can you run, Destiny?” He grasped my hand firmly. “Come!” We ran to the car. He opened the door and
JAMESShe really had no idea what she was doing to me. Damn, what have I gotten myself into? I can’t remember when last I had a girl as innocent as Destiny. I think when I was thirteen. No, scrap that. That girl took my innocence, and she was three years older than me. She was no innocent little virgin that’s for sure, I remembered and grinned. What was her name again?“James?” Destiny broke me out of my thoughts.“Yeah? Sorry, I spaced out for a moment.” Watching me with those big olive-green eyes of hers while sucking on her milkshake… Oh, my God, James! Stop it! This girl drove me nuts! I wanted her, that thought sobered me enough to choke on my beer.I spluttered and coughed, tears stinging my eyes.“Gosh! Are you alright, James?” She got up to pat my back, her cleavage almost in my face. God, she smelled amazing. I wanted to press my face against those pretty mounds.“I’m fine…just fine.”She handed me a napkin to wipe my face, trying to hide her smile. She had no idea how gorgeo
DESTINY“Good afternoon to you too, Grandfather. Let me introduce you to Destiny Johnson, the girl I am intending to marry.” James said just like that, beaming a smile at me.The two men stared at me as if I came from another planet. I was dumbstruck, hanging onto James’s arm like he was a lifeline. “Good afternoon.” My voice managed to slice through the heavy silence that seemed to press down on us.James’s father was the first to react. He stood up and reached out well-manicured hands towards me. His grip was firm enfolding my hand in both of his.“I must say, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Destiny.” He was an older version of James, but more polished. It was clear that James got his handsome looks from his father.“Yes,” the grandfather drawled, wrinkling his nose as if he were smelling something unpleasant. “More like surprised to see you actually exist.” He placed his newspaper down on the table next to his chair.James pressed my hand reassuringly. He did warn me his grandfather
“Oh, my God that was exhausting.” I told James when we were on our way home.“You did well, Sugar.” James chuckled, “Sorry about that South Africa thing, I don’t know what came over me. It just slipped out.”“Your grandfather is scary. And your father knows we’re lying. I’m sure of it.” I wasn’t being paranoid.James laughed it off. “Don’t worry about it. Even if he does, he can’t stop us.” James turned a corner so fast I was thrown towards him. My hand landed on his thigh to steady myself.I pulled it away so fast like he was hot metal. “Sorry, sorry.”James glimpsed at me a cheeky smile on his lips. “You have nothing to apologize for. If you want to touch my leg it’s fine by me.”“Oh, get over yourself, will you.” I stared out the window and he chuckled.“By the way, I got a text from Arthur saying he’ll see us tomorrow with the draft of our agreement.”“Really? Wow, that’s fast.”I was sure that Arthur didn’t like me at all. He must think that I was after James’s money.“Have you t
Driving to town he had the car radio on full blast playing alternative rock, his fingers drumming to the beat on the steering wheel. He seemed to be in a good mood. He winked at me when he caught me staring.“First were going to fill our tummies and then I’m going to find you the biggest, shiniest rock I can.” He said waggling his eyebrows at me.“You really don’t have to.” I grumbled.He laughed, “You can choose whatever you want, Sugar. Don’t pout unless you want me to kiss you. You have such an irresistible little mouth.”“Ugh! Stop it!” I slapped him on his thigh, and he grabbed my hand and held it there, the heat of his skin warming my palm. When I resisted he just chuckled.“Practice, Sugar. If we’re going to convince people, we need to feel comfortable touching each other.”“When you say it like that it sounds dirty.” I snapped at him. Why is he doing this? He is playing with me, must have some idea how I’m crushing on him.He looked hurt. “No, nothing like that. Jeez!”My chee