Chapter 9 #2
“Well, hopefully, he will back off once he catches wind of the fact I’m married to Kieran.”
“So, why Kieran? Why not one of the other brothers?” She props up on an elbow.
“I didn’t exactly get to choose. Ronan decided it was the best move in terms of optics.”
“And how does Kieran feel about all this? I bet he’s thrilled to be tying the knot to a hot redhead,” Lucy teases.
“Trust me, I think he’d rather throw himself into traffic than marry me.”
“Seriously?”
“The only reason he agreed to any of this is because Ronan told him to.”
Lucy rolls over to rest on her stomach with her feet up in the air. “Still, he’s way hotter than Sean.”
I laugh, choking slightly on my sip. “I was expecting you to warn me to stay away from Kieran, not climb into his bed.”
“I’m not blind, Riles. The man is sexy as hell and also a lot more trustworthy than Sean O’Keefe, who, by the way, is going to be majorly pissed off when he finds out about this.”
I sigh, leaning back to rest against the pillows. “I know. But I trust that the Sullivans will take care of him.”
“You do realize you just used the words ‘trust’ and ‘Sullivans’ in the same sentence right?”
I stare up at the stark white ceiling, trying to ignore the tightness in my chest.
If I close my eyes, I can easily pretend that Lucy and I are back in her tiny apartment, sharing a bottle of rosé as we catch up on trashy reality shows.
Only a few days ago, that was my reality, and my biggest worry was passing my finals. But now, my life has been handed over to a man I barely know, and yet I’m expected to blindly trust.
If I think too long about it, I’ll throw up. “I hope I haven’t made the wrong choice.”
“How did you even get them to agree to this? The Sullivans and the Walshes aren’t exactly...friends.”
My mind goes to the folder of evidence that I tucked away inside one of my college sweatshirts and placed at the back of my closet.
I might have agreed to hand it over to Ronan once I have a firm contract in place, but the thought still makes me feel uneasy.
This is the final move I have left to play. Once that folder is in the Sullivans’ hands, my fate is up to them.
“I can’t tell you everything. The fewer people who know, the better. But let’s just say... I have something Sean wants to keep buried, something bad. And it’s something Ronan wants.”
“You blackmailed them? Riles, are you sure that’s the right thing? I mean, are you safe?”
“Honestly, I’m safer here than I’ve been in a long time.”
“What about your uncle?”
“Rion? I don’t give a damn what he thinks. He showed up after my dad died, trying to act like he had authority over me. But my father hated him. He never trusted him, and neither do I.”
She hands me the wine. “Do you think Oscar does?”
I take a sip. “Fuck knows. Oscar’s desperate to keep the family name out of the gutter, and marrying me off was his idea of a solution.”
“Urgh, men are exhausting.” Lucy rolls her eyes as if we’re talking about nothing more than who got eliminated on the previous night’s episode of The Bachelor.
It’s so refreshing and brings me such a sense of normalcy that I almost start crying.
“Tell me about it.”
For a moment, we both lie there on the plush bed.
All of a sudden, Lucy springs to her feet and grabs her bag.
“Enough of the heavy talk. I want to talk about tonight. I mean, Riley Walsh is going on a date!”
“It’s fake, Lucy,” I remind her.
“It doesn’t matter, it’s still a date with an actual real man.”
The fact that my friend’s eyes are so lit up with excitement over the fact I’m going on a fake date has me cringing.
“Trust me, Luce. This is going to be hell. Kieran is cold and standoffish and extremely suspicious about me. He thinks I'm going to stab him in the back and hand him over to Sean.”
“Perhaps… But he’s still hot.”
“Oh, my god.” I groan, covering my face with my hands.
“What are you even going to talk about? Do you have anything in common?”
“Does mutual hatred for each other count?”
“Stop being so dramatic. Besides, I think when he sees you in the dress I picked out, he’s going to have a couple of things to talk about.”
That gets my attention.
I bolt upright and stare at the dress that she pulls out of her bag.
It’s pale blue and silky with a low-cut halter neckline and a slit up the side that somehow manages to be sexy and chic at the same time. It’s the kind of dress that demands attention just by existing.
“Lucy, are you serious? I can’t wear that!”
“Yes, you can.”
I can already tell without putting it on that this dress will not leave much to the imagination, which is exactly why Lucy chose it.
“He’s going to be staring at my boobs the entire time if I wear that.”
“And?”
“I do not need to give this man any more reasons to stare at my rack.”
“So, he already has?” Lucy tosses the dress on the bed and claps her hands together. “Riley, this is amazing!”
“Sometimes, I have no idea how we’re friends.”
“Come on, you’re going to be stuck to this man’s side for god-knows how long. All I’m saying is that you might as well make the most of it.”
“I’m not sleeping with him.”
“I’m not saying you have to, but having Kieran drooling all over you isn’t a bad thing. You need to make tonight believable after all.”
“So, you’re saying people will believe our relationship if he’s staring at my breasts?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
I shake my head. “Fine, I’ll wear the dress, but only because I have no other options. Please tell me you also brought some heels with you?”
She grins as she pulls out a towering pair of stilettos. “I’ve got you. And if it all goes to shit, you can always stab him with your heels.”