Chapter Four
CORA
I tried to find information on the internet about Wife for Hire, but there is nothing. It's like their SEO is blocked or something. Maybe they're on the dark web, I must ask my friend, Spider, who is into computers and stuff.
I climb out of bed, rubbing my eyes to clear them of sleep as I make my way into the kitchen. The coffee machine is on and I turn to see Louisa, sitting at the island with a cup of coffee. "Morning sleepyhead," she says.
I pour the coffee and join her at the island. The smell of the coffee is great and I take a deep sniff with my eyes closed.
"So, today is the day that you go in to see Miss May. right? Do you want me to come with you? I can wait in the waiting room for you." She smiles and reaches out to touch my hand.
"Thanks, Louisa. I think I need to do it on my own. I appreciate you though. Maybe if you are free we can go out for lunch afterward."
"That sounds like a great idea." Louisa gets off her stool and walks over to the coffee machine to grab another cup, then she comes back over to the island.
We sit in silence for a while. "Cora, do you have something to wear today? You'd want to wear something elegant and professional looking, these jobs pay a fortune so you need to look the part." She gets down from her seat again and begins to go toward her bedroom. "Come on, let's do some trying on."
I follow her and we walk into her huge dressing room. There are rows of clothes hanging around the outside of the room, there is a dresser with drawers in the center and there are two walls full of shoes. "Wow this is like walking into Carrie Bradshaw's dressing room." I laugh and she smiles.
"That's what I was going for."
We spend an hour in the room. I'm so hot after trying on so many clothes, but we've settled for a beautiful dress. It's the kind of dress someone would wear to a garden party, not over dressy, but just enough.
"You look gorgeous in that dress. It suits you. Now you just need to get Miss May to love you and you'll be set."
"I'm nervous what if she doesn't find anyone that would suit me. I know it's not a dating site, but it feels like it."
"I know, but, Cora, you will make her love you, I know it. I bet you will get a job within the first week."
"Within a week? Lou , I'm not sure I'm ready for that."
She laughs. "You are ready. You were born ready to be a fake wife for a rich guy." She laughs again. "Cora, stop panicking, you'll be fine."
After Lou helps me with my makeup and hair, she drops me into the city and I walk into Bride for Hire. There's not much in the room, but then I see some lovely artwork. I look at it and stop to stare at a painting with a woman hoisting her dress up and she's wearing sneakers under her dress and she's running in the opposite direction. I chuckle. "A girl after my own heart," I say, quietly.
"Really, you've jilted someone, Cora?" a voice comes from behind me.
"No, but I could have been." I turn to look at her and realize it is her in the painting. "Oh god, I didn't mean to upset you, it's a great piece of art."
Miss May laughs. "It's not a problem, it's my favorite piece of art, because it's what happened that day that set me on the path I am on today. No regrets. Never look back and regret anything. You made the right decision at the time, however heartbreaking it was." She holds out her hand to shake mine.
I take her small hand in mine. "Come this way," she says and opens another door. I enter a small room and take a seat.
"Welcome, Cora. I'm so glad Louisa referred you to us. We are looking for more women who want to take part in Bride for Hire. There are a few traits you need to have though. You need to be able to pretend to be in love with someone and not actually fall in love with them."
"That's not hard. I was burned once, I'm never doing that again." I smile at her.
"Super. Let me go through everything you need to know, then we can have a look at availability and such like."
"Great, thank you."
Over the next hour, Miss May asks me lots of intimate questions as well as general ones.
"Do I have to sleep with the men?" I ask. I know Lou said I didn't need to, but I need to hear it from her.
She smiles at me and leans back in her chair. "That is a good question. No, you do not have to sleep with them, we actually discourage it. You are not a prostitute or high class escort. However, if there is a mutual attraction then go for it, just be prepared because at the end of the assignment then men don't tend to stick around. They are moving on with their lives until they need another wife to hire."
"Okay, that's good because I don't think I'd feel good about myself if I had to sleep with them."
Miss May leans forward toward her desk and takes one of my hands. "I think I have a good job for you, Cora. Wait a minute, let me grab some details." She gets up and walks out into the other room and I hear her on the phone.
"Yes, I think I've found someone for you, when could you meet her?" I hear her walking around in the room. "I've yet to finish her induction as she is new to the agency, but I'll see if she is available on Monday to meet with you."
I get excited thinking that she might have someone for me already. She hangs up the phone and comes back into the room.
"So, I have had a new client this week looking for someone. He wants to take a wife with him to a wedding. The wedding is that of his ex-fiance and his nemesis. He's not happy to be invited, but then decides he's going to go and wants to take a wife with him. Yes, to rub his ex's nose in it, he wants to get one up on her by saying he is already married. He wants someone for three days before the wedding and three days after the wedding so that you get to know each other and that gives you both time to read over the files we created for both of you. He is free on Monday morning to meet you, if you like."
"So would this start soon?"
"Yes, I believe the wedding is in two weeks so it would be the week after meeting him."
"Oh wow, that's quick. I might as well rip it off like a band-aid, right?" I chuckle.
She does the same. "I'm sure he wouldn't like to be compared to a band-aid. You're his type and I think the two of you would get along. Now I also have another assignment that you might be interested in. The gentleman is a little older than you, but he's very influential and loves having a pretend wife on his arm. The assignment could last three weeks or so, depending on whether he likes you or not. A lot of our girls have been on assignment with him, he doesn't try to sleep with you, he's actually gay, but no one knows that. He is going to a family event in Italy, it would mean traveling. Do you have an up to date passport?"
"Wow, Italy? I've never been, that would be amazing. Yes, my passport is up to date." What the hell? They both sound great, but having a chance to go to Italy would be super amazing. "And when could I meet him?"
"He's not available until a week today on Friday, so there's plenty of time to see both of them next week and if they both give the go-ahead, then you can make the choice between them."
"Fantastic, thank you so much. Is there anything else you need from me, or is it time for me to leave?"
Miss May, looks over my head at the closed door. I can hear someone moving around.
"Sorry, have I made you late for your next appointment?" I look at the door too.
"No, I don't have anyone until this afternoon. I don't know who is out there. I'll see you out and then deal with the interloper."
We both stand and walk out of the door. The stranger is a man in a very expensive suit. He is stood in front of the painting that caught my eye.
"I'll see you soon, Miss May," I said as I made my way to the door. My eyes are on the back of the stranger, he has a broad back, he's wearing designer clothes and he smells so good. I wonder if he is a client. Whoever gets him would be very lucky.
At that moment he turns and locks eyes with me. I stand at the door. A second earlier and I could have escaped. But today is really not my lucky day.
Miss May looks between the two of us. "I don't know why you are here Caleb, but this is one of the candidates that I am sending over to you today to pick from."
He is still staring at me. I can't seem to pull my eyes away from his. I never expected to see him again. Not since the day he broke my heart.
Still looking at me he says, "Miss May, I want her."
"It doesn't work like that Caleb." Miss May is staring between the two of us. I can see her head moving out of the corner of my eyes.
"I'll pay double."
My eyes open wider. Can I be in the same house as Caleb for seven days? Will I survive seven days with him? Probably not, I don't know whether I can pretend to love the man that left me all those years ago. I want to scream at him. I want to slap him, punch him, but I just stand there staring at him and taking in his scent. He moves toward me slowly, ignoring Miss May. “I'll pay double and I'll take Cora for a minimum of two months. I'll pay it all up front, Miss May. I'm serious. I want Cora."
Miss May steps between us, breaking the hold he has on me. "I take it you know each other?"
I nod my head, turning to face the door. I never expected to see him and certainly not to be so close to him. I've had a lot of thoughts about him over the years and they haven't all been nice, but he's been the man in my dreams, the man I think about when I pleasure myself. The man whose name I cry when I come.
"Yes, we do." Caleb says, stepping out from behind Miss May.
She looks at him and then looks at me. Her eyes widen. "She's the one who you broke her heart, isn't she? She's the reason you can't commit?"
I rest my head on the door. I know I should move. I should walk out and close the door behind me, go to the bar and meet Lou, but I can't leave the small room we are standing in. My feet are betraying me. My heart is betraying me by racing when he talks. His smell, his everything is making me want to turn around and jump into his arms, but my head is telling me to cut and run. Run as fast as I can and don't look back.
He clears his throat. "Miss May, she's the woman I want for the job. I want a minimum of two months."
"Two months, Caleb, we were talking about two weeks." Miss May says surprised, her voice hitching at the end of the sentence. I feel a small hand on my shoulder. "Cora? What do you want to do? I know that you are both suited on paper, but if you don't want to spend two weeks with him let alone two months, then I will find him someone else. My ladies are important to me and I want you to be comfortable with him and I can see you aren't."
I turn, slowly, taking in his handsome face. I used to look at every part of his face and kiss it. The feeling of his hands on me runs through my mind and I shudder. His eyes sparkle as he takes me in. What am I doing? I need the money, I tell myself. I need somewhere to stay. I'm down on my luck and if he wants to pay me to live a better life for two months, then I'm down for it. The only thing is that I need to make sure I escape with my heart.
I look him in the eye. "I'll do it, but there will be conditions."
"Anything you want, Cora," he sounds desperate himself.
"I won't be having sex with you, so don't even ask." When I finally look up at him I can see his tongue tracing his lip. I can imagine what is going through his mind. I've had that tongue over every part of my body and I can't help the hairs that rise up on my arms at the thought of what his tongue did to me.
He smiles. "Done. What else?"
"If I want to go out on the town with my friend, Lou, then I will."
"Done. Will you be dancing and drinking?" he says looking at me with a smirk on his face. We used to dance together all the time, well it was foreplay for after the club,
"Of course I will. If I meet someone and want to go home with them, then I can."
His eyes darken and he takes a step toward me, grasping my arm. "Absolutely fucking not." he pulls me so that I fall against his chest.
"I don't expect you not to sleep with someone else. You get free reign too."
He starts laughing. "No way. The only woman I'll be sleeping with is you."
We hear a throat being cleared and we both look over to Miss May. "Seems like you really have unfinished business here. Cora, do you want to take the assignment, or do you want him to leave."
I slowly look at her and her face takes a while to come into focus, as I finally take my eyes off Caleb. "I... I'm not sure."
"Not only will I pay you double, May, but I will pay Cora double and cover all her expenses."
"That sounds like an offer that you shouldn't refuse, Cora." Miss May is betraying me.
"Fine. I'll do it, but remember I won't sleep with you, Caleb. I'll play nice whenever you need me to, but that's it. I'll need my own room at your house and I'll keep out of your way."
"Deal." He tries to pull me into his arms, but I stand fast.
I look at Miss May. "When you've finalized the details let me know Miss May." I turn to look at him. "I answer to her and not you. Remember that." With that I turn and walk out of the room. I can't breathe and I can feel the tears about to overflow. I just need to get out of the building and over to the bar. Hopefully Lou is still there.
I walk in the bar and I see her sitting at the table with two cocktails. She looks up and sees my face. She stands and moves toward me. "Cora, what's happened?"
"My fake husband is Caleb." I fall into her arms and sob. "Caleb wants two months. I don't think I can survive that long in his company. After how he hurt me I'm not sure I can even be civil to him, but I have to be."
"Caleb? Caleb Masters?" Lou asks. "You know what you need to do, right? You need to make him fall in love with you all over again and then you need to ditch him and break his heart."'
I stare at her. That is so mean. "I guess karma's a bitch, right?"