Chapter 10
“Whoa.” River spots me as I get out of my Uber in front of the Grand Ole Maison. He lets out a low whistle. “Holy shit, Pearl. You are really something else.”
His eyes travel down, drinking in every inch of my body in the clingy, full-length, champagne-colored velvet dress he had sent to my house. With the tall gold heels, I feel like Frankenstein’s monster stomping around.
That isn’t how he makes me feel, though. His eyes glitter with a mix of lust and admiration as he catches up to me at the curb of the venue.
“Thanks,” I say. I flash him a small smile. “I feel ridiculous. This dress is definitely not my style.”
River eyes me up and nods. “Yeah, it’s more form-fitting than what I’ve seen you in so far. But damn, girl. You’re going to be the sexiest woman in there.”
He jerks his head behind him to the Grand Ole Maison. An old but impeccably kept up antebellum mansion, it’s built out of gray stone and glass, with two floors of huge floor-to-ceiling windows. At four stories high, it is easily the tallest building for fifty miles in every direction.
But I’m not even looking at the venue. My eyes are fixed on River’s tuxedo. It’s immaculately tailored, the lines long and lean, making his muscular arms, chest, and thighs stand out.
Dayum.
“I know what you’re thinking.” River sees me staring and grins. He offers me his arm. “You can’t wait to jump my bones. I can see it in your face.”
My lips twitch even as I flush. I take his elbow, and allow him to usher me toward the building. “I’m just looking at you like that because I’m imagining the genetic contributions you’re going to make,” I tease. “I’m not even thinking of myself.”
That is a bald-faced lie. It’s written all over my expression and it makes him laugh.
“No?” He cocks a brow at me as he walks me inside, leaning his head close to mine. “Just for that, I’m going to make you beg me to make you come when I feast on your pussy.”
My eyes widen and my cheeks feel hot.
But I can’t whisper anything back to him, because there is a red-vested greeter rushing toward us. She pulls out an iPad and holds it at the ready. “How y’all doing?” she asks. “Can I have y’alls names?”
“We’re great.” River gives the woman a polite smile. “River Taylor. And this is my plus-one.”
He slides his arm around my waist as the woman looks at her tablet for his name. I bite my lip and shiver at his touch. He shoots me a smirk and winks.
Be cool. Act like you’ve been on a date with a hot guy before.
But if I’m honest with myself, I’ve never been on a date with anyone as hunky as River before. I mean… I can’t even think about how great he looks in his tux or I might get all tongue-tied.
It’s fake. Remember that it’s all fake.
Steeling myself, I try to calm my nerves. When the greeter waves us through toward the ballroom, River whispers in my ear. “ I’m going to introduce you as my secret girlfriend. We can quote-unquote ‘get engaged’ later. Okay?”
I give a stiff nod as he propels me through the main door. For a second, I’m overwhelmed by the sheer opulence of our surroundings. Baroque gold touches on the walls, and dusty pink velvet drapes, surround the massive ballroom. The crowd is glitzy, the women wearing floor-length dresses in every color of the rainbow, the men in expensive tuxedos. The smell of perfume wafts through the air, mixing with the soft jazz notes of the live string quartet.
If it were raising money for a cause, I would die to do it in this ballroom, with these fancy rich people.
River uses my arm to steer me to the left, using a free hand to make enough room in a little circle of people.
“Scuse us,” he says. He jostles people to the side. Then he looks at a glamorous older couple. The silver haired man is tall and broad, the tiny blonde is in a silver sequined number that shows just a hint of cleavage.
She was introduced to me ever so briefly at the engagement party, but now she beams at me like I’m a precious diamond.
“River!” the woman says, her expression jubilant. She never looks away from me. “You came!”
“As promised. Mom, Sam, this is my girlfriend, Pearl. Pearl, this is my mom, Sarah and my stepdad, Sam.”
At the word girlfriend, Sarah looks shocked. “Girlfriend?!”
Sam’s creased face turns toward me. He thinks for a second, probably trying to remember where he knows me from. Then a lightbulb switches on and he smiles.
“Pearl. It’s nice to meetcha. You work at Gem’s, right?”
I swallow tightly and nod. “Yes sir, Mr. Bennett.”
“Call me Sam,” he replies. His smile is easygoing, but I don’t miss the questioning glance he aims at River.
Sarah cuts him off by flinging herself at me. I flinch, but she hugs me so hard that I can’t breathe for a second. She seems to be over the moon.
“Pearl!” She releases me but grips my upper arms, beaming up into my face. “I’m so happy you’re here! River has never brought a girlfriend to meet me. You’re the only one.”
“Mom. Please. Let Pearl go,” River says. There’s a slight edge to his voice.
Sarah immediately drops her hand and steps back. She wraps her arms around her waist and bites her lip. Sam eases over to her, comforting her with an arm around her waist. “Why are you suddenly interested in introducing us to your dates, River?”
Sam pins River with a look. I have to give him credit because he doesn’t even miss a beat. “I just felt like it was time.” He drapes his arm over my shoulders, casually. “We just celebrated our two-year anniversary.”
Sarah’s jaw drops. Sam narrows his eyes.
“River!” his mother cries. “You’ve been dating for two years? Where have you been keeping her?”
“You sat at the dinner table and complained about the monogamy mindset way too many times for me to believe that, son.” Sam looks disbelieving.
My heart rate soars. I see River stiffen. His jaw clenches and something in his eyes hardens. “When have you ever given me the benefit of the doubt, Sam?” he tosses off.
Sarah jumps in, putting herself between the two men.
“Boys, please. We aren’t going to rehash old grievances here and now. This is a benefit for kids, for god’s sake.” She smiles gently at me. “I hope River will bring you around again. I would love to get to know you better when it’s a little quieter.”
I smile nervously at her and tip my head. “Yes ma’am. I’d like that.”
A tall man with dark hair and dashing good looks elbows his way into the circle. “Dad, can you give me your car keys? I forgot the cue cards for my speech in the car.”
River’s arm tightens around my waist.
“Pearl, this is my brother Rhett. Rhett, this is Pearl.” His lips form a thin smile. “My girlfriend. Rhett’s the doctor of the family.”
Rhett shoves a hand through his hair, squinting his eyes at the pair of us. His examination of me is a little longer, his eyes traveling down my figure. His lips part, surprised. “Girlfriend?” He offers me a handshake and the hint of a smile. “I think I recognize you from Gem’s, right? You must be amazing for River to bring you to meet our parents.”
Stiffening, I force a smile. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Rhett chuckles. “Sorry. I was just caught off guard. It really is a pleasure.”
He rumbles the last bit, looking contrite. He’s very attractive, as are all River’s brothers that I’ve met. But add a sparkling pair of light blue eyes and a white doctor’s coat to the mix?
Yeah, I can see that Rhett is probably a lady killer. He turns back to Sam and holds his hand out.
“Keys?” he prompts.
Sam hands them over just as a bunch of middle-aged ladies in their silk gowns and rustling crinolines inject themselves into our circle. The circle is demolished, quickly turning into small cliques of two and three.
“Sarah, darling!” crows one of the ladies. “This is such a lovely soiree. Thank you for inviting me. Have you met Loretta Haines?”
River looks down at me, his lips quirking. “I think this is our chance to escape.”
He pulls me away from the group, heading for the bar. I let out a huge breath and roll my shoulders a few times.
“That went better than I expected,” I admit. “Your family was nice.” I pause, wincing slightly. “Well, your mom and brother were, anyway. It seems like your dad wasn’t really convinced by our playacting.”
“Sam’s my stepdad,” River corrects me. “And you were perfect. He’s just really skeptical of me. There’s a lot of history there. It’s a long story, honestly. Too much for tonight.”
With that, he steers me forward to the full bar.
“What can I get for you?” the bartender asks.
“What kind of whiskey are y’all serving?” River asks.
“Buffalo Trace, High West, and Blanton’s.”
“I’ll have a double of Blanton’s with a little ice.” He looks at me. “What do you want?”
“Do you have cinnamon whiskey?” I ask the bartender.
The bartender shakes her head. I purse my lips. “Just your fruitiest red wine, please.”
“You got it.” She starts uncorking a bottle of wine.
I reach in my purse to pull out my money, but River frowns and stills my hand. “Everything is paid for.”
“I can still tip, can’t I?”
“Nuh-uh.” He pulls a money clip from his pocket and drops a twenty-dollar bill in the overflowing tip jar. “If you were my real fiancée, I wouldn’t let you reach for your wallet. We are trying to be as real as possible… while we are here, at least. Keep your money in your purse.”
I give him a tart look and then accept the glass of wine from the bartender.
After we get our drinks, River leads me over near the string quartet. A few couples are dancing slowly to the tinkly sounds the musicians are playing. River pulls me into his arms, swaying. I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“What?” he asks, pulling me closer. “Am I amusing?”
“This is just a strange event. Everyone is so quiet. There’s no buffet. Cupid Shuffle and the new Beyoncé album aren’t playing on repeat. If my family were in charge, it would be way less…” I search for the right word. “Subdued. Black folks like to have a good time whenever they get together.”
River smirks. “I’d rather go to that event. It sounds more fun.”
“You know it.”
I gaze up into his handsome face, pressing myself against him as we sway to the music. One of his hands presses against my lower back. He presses his hips against my belly in a gentle motion. Heat fills my cheeks and a shy smile spreads across my face.
Yeah, this relationship is fake as a Barbie doll’s hair. But the promise that River is making with that intense look on his face is all too real.
We’re going to bang,he’s saying. You’re going to love it.
He cocks a brow. “You know–”
“What the hell are you two doing together?”
I look to my right and see Bishop nudging an older couple aside to get to us. He’s dragging Anitta behind him by her hand. She’s dressed like Glinda the Good Witch in a glittery pink ball gown.
My blood pressure skyrockets. I can hear my heart beating in my ears. I wasn’t expecting a face-off with Bishop. Or needing to defend my fake relationship. Not here, not yet.
But luckily, River seems born to play the role of my defender.
“Bishop!” he calls out. “So nice to see you here. You know, I didn’t have you pegged as the charitable type.”
Bishop grimaces and turns to me, as if River hadn’t spoken. “Pearl, why are you slumming it with this guy?”
The laugh that bursts past my lips is genuine. “Slumming it?” I shake my head, perplexed. “Why are you so worried about who I’m here with, anyway? We are clearly quite broken up.”
I nod at Anitta, who scowls at me. She wraps her arm around Bishop’s bicep possessively. “Pearl’s just jealous,” she hisses. “She wishes she was in my place.”
“Uhh, dream on. If anything, I need to thank you, Anitta. You pulled a snake out of my garden. Now my life’s all roses.”
Anitta’s expression darkens. “You need to watch how you’re talking to me.”
“Don’t you worry about Pearl, baby. She’s going to regret falling into bed with just any old man.”
“Are you kidding? You’re one to talk. You’re dating your ex’s cousin!” River cries, getting heated.
I place my hand on his bicep and squeeze it to draw his attention to me. “Calm down, honey.”
Bishop points at River. “We have a problem. If we weren’t surrounded by all these fancy people, I’d beat your ass.”
River gives Bishop a feral grin. “I would love to see you try.”
“River!” I hiss. “Look around you! You’re drawing a lot of attention to us. This is not the time nor the place for a fight.”
He looks around to the gathering crowd of onlookers and his mouth thins. “Sorry, darlin. You’re right.”
Bishop sneers. Anitta pulls at his arm. “Let’s go, baby. I see some people that I want to talk to,” she says. She shoots me a murderous glare as Bishop shakes his head and walks away.
As soon as they are swallowed up in the crowd, River slides his gaze back to me. “Where’s your engagement ring?”
“Uhh…” I stammer. “In a Ziploc inside my purse. Why?”
He gives me a smug look. “Because. It’s time that we told the whole town just how serious we are.”
River gestures for me to hand it to him, his eyes on the crowd. Feeling my stomach drop, I juggle my wine and look in my purse. “What are you going to do?” I whisper. I sneak the ring into his hand and he puts it in his pocket.
“You’ll see.” A malicious grin breaks out across his face. “Stay put.”
Draining the contents of his whiskey glass, River wades through the crowd. I’m left alone with my glass of wine, nervously clutching it. I don’t even take a sip but feeling it in my hand grounds me somehow. My eyes dart around the ballroom.
What is River planning? I can’t guess, but I don’t think I’m going to like it.
Before me, the sea of brightly-colored ball gowns and black tuxedos ebbs and flows. I empty my wineglass and turn toward the bar for a refill. A second glass is definitely something I’ve earned tonight.
I’m almost to the bar when I hear someone tap a microphone. Freezing in place, my eyes widen.
He wouldn’t.
“Hello, everyone,” River says.
I squeeze my eyes closed for the briefest moment. My heart pounds. I turn ever so slowly, looking for River.
“Everyone having a good time? Be sure to open your hearts –and your checkbooks – for this event. My mom, Mrs. Sarah Bennett-Taylor, would kill me if I didn’t mention her charity first. Thank you all for supporting the Bennett Foundation for Pediatric Health.”
I finally find him. He’s standing across the room on the small stage that was set up for the jazz quartet. I see him scanning the crowd. “Where is my girlfriend?” he says. “Pearl, come up here, if you will.”
A sudden buzz ripples through the crowd. As if by magic, the crowd steps back from me, leaving me standing alone.
Oh god. Am I dead? Is this a nightmare?
River catches my gaze and smiles encouragingly. “Pearl is shy. Come on, darlin’.”
I shoot him a pleading look, but start moving toward him, feeling as though I’m slogging through wet sand. My cheeks are on fire. My head dips down.
Why didn’t I tell River that being called out in public like this is the very last thing I’d ever want?
The crowd parts like the Red Sea, forming a narrow path up to the stage. I plod along it until I find myself being helped onstage by my friendly fake fiancé.
His sapphire eyes twinkle as he grips my cold fingers. “Hello, darlin’.”
I look at him, kicking myself for not being able to just play along. If he has any idea how nervous I am, he doesn’t show it.
“For those of you who don’t know, Pearl here has been my loving, supportive girlfriend for over two wonderful years. Pearl, I am honored and awestruck every single day we are together. Your smile lights up my world, baby.” River pauses for dramatic effect, wiggling his eyebrows. “I want everyone to know that you are my world.”
My stomach flip-flops. I could die at this moment. And I do not mean in a fun, happy way.
“I… love you too?” I say. It comes out as more of a question.
River stares down at me, seeming enraptured. “You complete me. If soul mates exist, you’re definitely mine.”
Gag. His playacting is way over the top.
I nod, forcing myself to speak. “You too, baby. You’re… my other half.”
River looks to the audience for support. “Isn’t she great? How about a round of applause for my lovely girlfriend?”
The crowd breaks into gentle cheers and whistles. Before I can respond in the slightest way, River pulls me in his arms, dips me backward, and kisses me.
His lips are hot and sweet. He molds me against his body. For a moment, I fall under his spell. I kiss him back.
I forget, for just a second, that we’re deceiving everyone.
River breaks the kiss and smirks down at me.
“Well done,” he whispers in my ear. “I think it’s fooling everyone.”
I swallow and give him a tight smile. “Think so?”
Maybe I’m fooling myself. But I feel like maybe… just maybe, it means something.