CHAPTER TWO
CHRISTIAN
I've just finished one meeting and the next one is about to start. Andrea, my secretary, stands at my side, holding out a phone for me to take. I eye it and with one look from him, I know it's my mother. I roll my eyes but take the phone anyway, because I know she's just going to call back if I don't.
"I've got about four minutes before my next meeting. What couldn't possibly wait until dinner tonight?" I say, shuffling papers on the table in front of me.
"I'm going to pretend you've had an aneurysm and you've forgotten that you don't speak to your mother that way."
I fall down in my seat and lean my head back. I let out a heavy sigh and try to apologize for my tone.
"Mom…" I begin, but she's not having it today.
"Christian, what in the hell have you done?"
I sit up in my seat as blood rushes to my ears.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" She goes on without letting me speak. "How could you do this to me?"
"Mom, it's not what you think," I try, but I can hear her pacing.
She lets out a grunt of frustration, but it sounds like she's stopped pacing. "A mail-order bride, Christian? What is this, the eighteenth century?"
Bride?
Oh yeah! seems like the plan is working.
"I don't think that time period is correct," is all I can manage to say in response.
"Watch your mouth, smart ass," she grumbles.
"How did you find out?" My back straightens and I worry about information leaking to the press. If my mother can find out, maybe someone else will.
"Calm down," she says, like she can sense where my train of thought is going. "Paul came over here this morning to look over new contract with your father and I accidentally saw the folder in his bag."
I sigh, knowing good and well she probably snooped in my lawyer's bag for it. The woman has no shame.
I miss my old mom, but truth to be told, I love this new Grace as well.
You see old Grace was courteous, soft-spoken, never in my life before that day I have heard her swear and now... she had alway given me space and now she's alway in my space. I know she thinks that couldn't save me from Elena before and she's willing to do anything to protect her son from any bad. She still sees it as abuse but I love my mom and she has turned into a Mama-bear all of the sudden.
But my mother should know better than anyone why I'm doing this. She's been hounding me for a year now since she found out everything, even going so far as to get women to pop in on me, hoping that I'd take a shine to one of them. Every time I turn around she's got another "friend" or "friend's daughter" she wants to introduce me to. It's gotten so bad that I refuse to go to her house anymore because of all the extra guests she would invite when she'd have me over for dinner. It's becoming maddening. Not only that, My sister, Mia decided to join in mom's campaign to get her brother settled down.
I've made my business what it is today, and I've built an empire. My company prides itself on "transforming what is possible" and is a global leader "in communications technologies, eco manufacturing, and next generation farming solutions." Basically they're innovating products and projects for a better, brighter future. Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.
People who want to invest with me want to be able to trust me. It doesn't matter how smart I am or that I'm the best in the business. At the end of the day, they are signing on with someone they intend to be with until their grandkids have grandkids. Those things weren't important when I was Gay to them but now it's a matter of importance all the sudden. I've also become a bit of a celebrity after making People magazine's most eligible bachelor list. I didn't want to do it, but it happened and don't ask how. But having women in prison send you letters is a bit creepy.
I want to end all the talk about me being single and get back to what I do best—business. I don't have time for a wife and family. But a fake marriage? Sure, I've got time for that.
With Elena out of my life, I don't have any Sub but a man need release so I went to an upscale club, Elites it's not any ordinary club it's a BDSM club for upholding society members and it provides complete discretion and perfection. You have to wear masks, so no-one knows your identity. Elites is an expensive place it only provides membership to billionaire and it's worth every penny. It was okay at first but it's start getting boring after few months.
Then there was Mail-order Slave and Mail-order Sub for our entertainment. It was easy, you give them your preference (Brunette, Blue eyes, etc) and pay the right price they found the right person for you and for the next six months they belong to you. So I order a Sub for myself instead of a Slave.
There's a catch, Slave are well trained submission and ready to your bidding. You say " jump", they say "how high". But Subs are new to our world you get to train and mold them for your pleasure.
Once I found a young woman willing to meet my terms it was set. My mother doesn't need to know the details, or that in a year or two I'll be single again. All she needs to know is that she can stop trying to set me up, and the rest of the world can go back to ignoring me.
"It's honestly just a dating service, Mom," I hedge. I don't want to give her the whole truth yet. "I've agreed to meet with a few prospective clients and see if any offer a good return."
"How romantic," she says, and I can practically hear her eyeroll.
"You know how I am." I look up and see people enter the room. "We'll discuss this later."
"I'm sure we won't. But I'll keep pestering you until I get the whole truth."
"I love you, Mom," I say, and hear her say it back before I end the call.
FEW HOURS LATER
Andrea brings me my phone again at the end of my third meeting. There's a message from my driver Jason Taylor saying he's picked up the woman from the Elites and they are on the way to the penthouse.
I get this idea of fake marriage when I decided to get a Mail-order Sub for myself. She will be living with me for next six months starting from today but I had modified the condition to my liking. James Blackstone, Elites owner and I became fast friends and he is aware of my current situation, ready to make an exception for me, if only she agreed to my terms. And she sign NDA to keep the club's name confidential. Which I agreed.
Hoping to get this over quickly, I text back that I'll be home soon and finish up what I need to before I leave for tonight's dinner event. I want to make sure I'm there by the time they've finished with the initial paperwork so we can formally meet.
I know I'm treating this like a business acquisition, but it's better for everyone this way. This marriage is in name only, no place for emotion but when others are around we are to be the doting, loving husband and wife.
If only she agreed to my terms, after all she isn't aware about the changes. Whats if she doesn't agree? Don't think like that Christian.
I have another driver, Luke Sawyer pick me up outside of my offices and I climb in the back of the SUV. There's traffic, and though it shouldn't annoy me, it does. I pull out my phone and then click on the program that shows the cameras in my home. If I'm lucky I'll get a chance to see her before I get there.
James, said they sent over a picture, but I didn't bother looking at it. It doesn't matter to me what she looks like, as long as she's young and can play the part. I know that perception is a part of it, but I left it up to the club member to decide.
As I wait for the app to load, I catch glimpses of her walking from the car, and then taking the elevator. Traffic starts to move and I'm getting closer to home as the images become clearer.
The video is black and white, but I can see her hair is dark in color, but her eyes are light. She smiles at something Taylor says, and for half a second I feel a rush of anger.
"What the hell?" I mumble to myself in surprise.
Why am I getting upset that she's smiling at him? And why does she keep doing it? What's so damn funny? Taylor's never said a funny thing in his entire life.
"Can you hurry it up?" I bark, and the car picks up speed.
I watch on my phone as she exits the elevator and my lawyer, Paul greets her. I don't like the look he's giving her, and I squeeze my phone tighter.
Authors note: please ignore spellings and grammar mistakes, if any. This is my first fanfiction so I know their will be mistakes. I hope you like work. Thank you.
