Chapter 7 The Deal is Done #3
My mouth wanted to smile at the way she sidestepped the obvious to avoid giving me any credit for my advice. Since she wanted to be combative I would give her a worthy opponent.
“That was my attempt at being helpful but I can see that’s not something you need or want from me.”
“I’m not sure why you felt as though you were being helpful by saying my friend wasn’t my friend. What observation could you have made so quickly that so completely discounted her and her character in your opinion?”
Her arms went across her chest and I felt something tighten in mine.
Even as we argued I could tell she was letting her guard down.
Not even in the sense that she had to because of our arrangement but that she didn’t mind me in her space.
Her enjoying me in her body was one thing, a big thing but still not the biggest thing.
She’d been at Explicit to take a risk and I was the only person who met the challenge to fulfill it.
If I confronted her on her behavior she’d brush it off as an experiment and one she probably wouldn’t repeat.
Keeping her talking was my goal and the only way to do that seemed to be to annoy her.
Her comfort in speaking with men seemed to only be derived from arguing with them so I was going to give her what she wanted.
This union might not be about love but with the way I’d grown up I couldn’t have a home life that reflected the one I was born into.
“The way she was far more interested in our being there than why we were coming there to see you.”
“She’s curious.”
I laughed off her insistence because she was being blind.
“If nothing else, she’s jealous. Anyone else should’ve given you the heads up via text or left us where we were to come and warn you.
She lingered. Wanted to make her presence known to both of us as though she were the more viable option if we needed help. ”
“She said that?” Genuine shock covered her face and I almost felt bad.
“Not plainly because she’s not stupid but it was definitely implied. Her escorting us to your office was filled with her discussing her accolades and how she might be of service.”
If I’d mentioned the way her homegirl looked like she wanted Alec and me to run a two man on her I knew Asha would only think I was speaking with my ego. I had no desire to be near that chick again so there was no use in blowing up their relationship that way.
“She knows that I don’t like things like this. Being in the center of attention.” Her counterargument came so swiftly I could tell she was used to defending her coworker.
“And I’m sure she’s always been there to bask in it instead of you, despite it being your work that was being praised.
” When I was met with silence I knew I’d struck a nerve and we probably wouldn’t be any more productive today than this.
Besides, I had somewhere else to be. “You’re going to come up with an excuse no matter what I say aren’t you? ”
“Ori—”
“It’s fine. I’ve given you the warning; you’re more than welcome to ignore it. I’m sure you think she’s harmless but time will tell.”
“Why does that feel like a threat?”
“It’s not. I promised you the very first night I met you that you were going to be safe with me. I meant that for more than just the time we spent together in that room making each other cum. You’re always gonna be good with me, Asha. I put that on my life.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you for allowing me to stop by. I’ll talk to you later in the week about when I’ll get my stuff moved in.” I turned to the door and grabbed my shoes from where I’d left them. The double doors had a table next to them and I made plans to have a weapon strapped beneath it.
“Moved in? Wait—” She all but ran behind me to gain clarification but I wasn’t going to provide any. That would make her think we were negotiating but my word was final on this.
“I’ve got a meeting. If you finish with those case files let me know. I’ll pull whatever else you need to review.”
I fought the urge to lean down and kiss her on the cheek. Instead, I rushed through the door before I did something as asinine as being affectionate to my real but still fake fiancée.
ASHA
“You’re WHAT?!”
Her screeching was loud enough to have me moving the phone away from my ear.
Was I surprised? Not at all. Out of the two of us, Sasha was the more dramatic every time.
Even when we acted they wanted her to show off her acting chops by always being the demure twin and forcing me to play the loud one to come out of my shell.
It was strange when you thought of how manipulative people were when we simply could’ve played further into our natural personalities.
But this world was built on exploitation no matter what industry you looked at.
“I should’ve known better than to say it to you like this.”
“You think?”
I’d gravely underestimated the surprise my sister would have at my words.
Which was ridiculous, since I was still walking around in a state of shock.
Maybe shock was too light a word. Sasha was the first person I’d uttered those words to outside of my father.
I mean we were once the same egg that split so it felt only natural that I shared everything with her before anyone else.
Definitely should’ve expected this reaction.
“I’m getting married.”
“Yes, I heard that. And again, YOU’RE WHAT?!”
I looked around the room still feeling the man who’d walked through this apartment only hours before. “I’m getting married.”
“To whom? For what?!”
“For the same reason that anyone else would get married.”
“Oh, that’s a cartload of bollocks if I’ve ever heard it. People get married for two reasons: love and power. That’s it. In our world, it’s normally money and or power. You don’t crave power and you’ve got plenty of money with or without dad so tell me what is going on.”
“It’s a complex situation, Sash.” She hated the way people would shorten her name so I did it purposefully to irritate her the way she was irritating me.
“Un-complex it Ash.”
“That’s not a word, Sasha.”
“You and your big brain are going to make me call in everyone we actually like to have this conversation. Do Mum and Dad know?”
I cringed at the way she’d brought up that woman, like I would have shared news like this with that lady for any other reason besides being forced to.
“I need you to be so for real right now, Sasha. Abo is informed. He knows the man.”
“Who is this person? Some old miser that Dad is trying to woo for business?” Her protective instincts were on high alert but I wasn’t about to have her cursing out our father without cause.
“Come on, you know abo isn’t like that.”
“Not normally, but I’m trying to understand what has happened.”
Well, abo would have to be the one to tell her the truth because I wasn’t stepping in the middle of this.
Trying to tell my sister anything like this would be the litmus test on whether I could pull off the deception with anyone else.
I needed to tell her about him because he was clearly moving in.
I thought I would have time, a few months or so, before I needed to alert anyone.
I could think of a good excuse or incorporate him into my life slowly.
But his arrival today was proof that I was wrong.
“I need you to talk to me as though I’m in primary school.” I knew she was at the end of her rope by how tight her voice got.
“You know that being married is the thing that people do.”
“You can’t even complete the lie!” The shrieking was back again and I pulled the phone from my ear.
“What lie?”
“When they love each other. Because it’s not something that you do. I’m probably the only person you love in this world besides Dad. And of course, Tee and Nev. And sometimes WJ.”
“No idea what he’s been on lately but I know for sure that I’m not giving him a reason to be madder at me than he is. The last thing I need is for her to have yet another reason to harass me.”
Adding more family members into this mess wasn’t what I needed but my father seemed oblivious to the trouble within his empire.
“She will be alright because in the scheme of all this she’s the least important person. But I’m still trying to hear about your latest role of being a sacrificial lamb. As always.”
I sucked my teeth at her words because she made me sound like a victim. Which she knew I abhorred. “You make me sound like a bloody martyr.”
“Maybe, but you haven’t denied it either. Get to nattering.”
So I told her what I knew of the situation that could be discussed openly.
I was unsure what type of business he was involved with besides shipping but it had to be something.
The men who were in power in our government weren’t going to be convinced with diplomacy.
That meant that what he was doing was very illegal and I wasn’t worried about it.
The government is guilty of far more crimes than the people.
When she hadn’t responded I waited anxiously for her to say something.
Sasha was the only one I had a soft spot for.
Sharing a womb meant we were naturally protective of each other and I wasn’t surprised that she was trying to calm her temper before she went off.
The silence was about to wreck my nerves and my manicure as I sat picking at my nails.
The lack of response got so bad that I had to speak up.
“Sasha—”
“Don’t. Just don’t. I cannot believe after all you’ve battled in this world you’re willing to lie down for the betterment of an entire country of people over saving yourself.” Her voice, a mirror of my own, was frigid. Lacking the usual joy that I sometimes envied.
“Yes. Yes, I will, actually. If it means that things somewhere get better, then yes. What is the suffering of one for the salvation of millions? And it wouldn’t even be suffering because nothing about my life would really change.”
A lie I could tell her, since it would be awhile before she came to visit.