Chapter 9
Kenzo and his father’s voice carried into his apartment, so I crept up the stairs to eavesdrop on their conversation. I wasn’t sure what made me make my presence known, but my gut told me that Kenzo needed to be saved.
“Kenzo,” I said softly.
Two pairs of identical eyes looked my way, and I almost ran back down the stairs.
“You good? Do you need something?” Kenzo asked.
“I have an emergency. I really need to get home,” I lied.
“Okay. I’ll be right there.”
I turned and went down a few stairs, then stopped to eavesdrop again.
“Who is that? She looks familiar,” Mr. Goode said.
“She should. She works in the kitchen at SSG. Her name is Malyah Brownlee.”
“The head cook?”
“That’s her.”
“Son, please tell me you’re not fucking one of our employees after I told you explicitly never to do that. Do you know how messy that could get when you stop giving her the attention she desires?”
“We’re not having sex, Pops.”
“With the way you’re smiling, I hope you don’t think I believe that shit. What the hell is she doing here? You never bring women home. This could get ugly real quick, Son.”
“Malyah and I are good. You have nothing to worry about. Let me get her home.”
I rushed down the stairs and to the couch to pretend I was watching TV. When I heard Kenzo behind me, I turned around.
“You ready?” I asked, forcing a smile.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
I didn’t bring anything, so I grabbed the bag with my cum stained shorts and followed Kenzo. He didn’t speak again until we’d driven off his family’s property and were on the road.
“What’s the emergency?” he asked.
“Huh?”
“You said you had an emergency. What happened?”
“Oh. I, umm, there was no emergency, and as you know, I don’t have a home to go to.”
“I didn’t think there was. Why did you lie?”
“It sounded like you needed to be rescued.”
He glanced my way for a moment before turning back to the road.
“I did. Thank you.”
Neither of us spoke for the rest of the ride. When we arrived at the hotel, I thought he might come up, and when he pulled in front of the entrance, I was disappointed.
“You’re not coming up?” I asked, even though it was obvious he wasn’t.
“Nah. I got some things to sort out. Maybe I’ll hit you up later.”
I nodded in understanding and let myself out of his car, which I didn’t recall ever doing in his presence. He waited until I entered the building before pulling off, and I made my way to my room.
Before taking a shower, I ordered room service because Kenzo didn’t feed me as he promised. It was cool, and I understood that he had a lot on his mind. After a quick shower, I dressed in some loungewear and waited for my food.
“Damn. I wish I had some friends because I need someone to talk to about this shit.”
A lot had happened in the past week, and it sucked not having anyone to help sort out my thoughts. Kenzo was easy to talk to, and I enjoyed talking to him, but I couldn’t talk to him about him.
My food arrived, and while I ate, I thought about the pros and cons of marrying Kenzo, and the pros far outweighed the cons.
The money he offered would help me pay off all my debt, and I’d have plenty left over to open a savings account, I could go to school full-time and finish the program sooner than I anticipated, and I’d also have a place to live.
I didn’t even want to think about what sex with him would be like. Based on the length and girth of his dick, I’d be walking funny if he knew what to do with that monster.
The only con that concerned me was falling for a man who married me for convenience. There were others, of course, but that was the one nagging me. After spending two days with Kenzo, I already knew falling in love with him would be easy.
I’d feel horrible if my feelings were one-sided, but if I ended up with a broken heart, at least I’d have my education and a nice savings to fall back on. I’d do almost anything to ensure I didn’t end up in this predicament again.
Did anything include marrying a virtual stranger for financial gain? I thought.
I finished breakfast and put my dishes on the tray to place in the hallway. When I opened the door, I was startled by Kenzo’s presence and almost dropped the tray, but thankfully, he caught it just in time.
“Kenzo, what are you doing here?”
“I never left. I’ve been sitting in my car in the parking lot.”
“Why?”
He shrugged before placing my tray on the floor next to the door.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
“Of course.”
I stepped to the side, opening the door wide enough for him to enter. I followed him to the couch, and we sat on opposite ends. The couch wasn’t that big, so we were still relatively close to each other.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked.
“For the first time in my life, I wish I didn’t live with my parents.
After I dropped you off, I realized if I went home, I’d be forced to talk to them.
They respect my privacy, but this situation has brought out a side of them I’ve never seen.
My mother is determined to find a wife for me, and although my father and grandfather claim they don’t agree with her shenanigans, neither of them is trying to stop her.
My feelings about it don’t mean shit. I’m still confused as to why my being married is so damn important all of a sudden, but I refuse to marry anyone my mother chooses. ”
“I’ll marry you.”
Confusion covered his face.
“What?”
“I said, I’ll marry you.”
“Malyah, I didn’t come here to manipulate or guilt you into changing your mind.”
“I know, but I’ve been thinking about your offer, and if you haven’t changed the terms, marrying you would really help me get back on my feet.”
I thought I saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes, but he recovered quickly.
“Are you sure?”
“I am, but will there be a contract of some sort?”
“I can have my lawyer draw up something tomorrow.”
“Okay. How soon do you want to do this?”
“As soon as possible. Are you sure, you’re sure?”
“This is a mutually beneficial arrangement between us. As long as you still promise to pay for my schooling and give me one hundred thousand dollars, I’m sure.”
“Do you feel like going ring shopping?” he asked.
“Now?”
“It’s as good a time as any. I want to be married by the end of the week.”
“That soon?”
“The sooner we get married, the sooner my parents will stop harassing me about this shit and leave me the fuck alone.”
“Let’s do it.”
“Anika, can I talk to you about something?” I asked as she prepared to leave for the day.
“Of course, girl. Your tone sounds serious, and you’re making me nervous.”
I shook my head.
“There’s no reason to be nervous. I just . . . I don’t have a lot of friends . . . Well, I don’t have any friends, and I really need someone to talk to.”
“First of all, I’m low-key offended because I thought we were friends. Granted, I don’t have your number, and we don’t talk outside of work or hang out, but I still thought we were friends.”
I laughed.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, but for the reasons you stated, I considered us cool coworkers or associates, at best, but I really need a friend right now.”
“I gotchu, girl. What’s up?”
“Let’s go to my office.”
She followed me to my office, and I closed the door behind us. My office was small, and the front of my desk was pushed against the wall. I sat in my chair, and Anika sat in the chair next to it.
“You’re not dying, are you?” she asked with a serious look.
“Eventually, but hopefully not any time soon. I guess I need to start from the beginning.”
“Please.”
“Last week, I caught my boyfriend in bed with my roommate.”
“Cole?” I nodded. “That corny-ass nigga got nerve.”
Cole had come to my job a couple of times, and Anika had the opportunity to meet him.
“Corny niggas cheat too. Anyway, I packed as much as I could and left with nowhere to go. As you know, I just paid half of my tuition for school, and unfortunately, I’d just paid my portion of the rent, so my funds are low.
I got a room the first night, slept in my car for a couple of nights, and planned to sleep in my office for the weekend. ”
“Malyah! Why didn’t you say something? You could’ve—”
“No, Anika. I couldn’t have. You have a whole man to consider, and I didn’t want to impose on anyone. My goal was to make it to my next paycheck and hope and pray I could find an apartment I could afford with my horrible credit.”
“But you’ve been sleeping in your car and this tiny office. I could’ve at least paid for a few nights in a hotel.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m okay. I actually didn’t end up sleeping here, because the young Mr. Goode caught me.”
She gasped and covered her mouth.
“Oh goodness. What did he say and do? Did he fire you?”
“He didn’t fire me, thank God.”
I proceeded to tell her about my weekend after swearing her to secrecy. While I shared, her mouth opened and closed several times as her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Girl, it sounds like the young Mr. Goode is sweet on you.”
I shrugged. “He’s definitely attracted to me, and who wouldn’t be attracted to a man like him, but I can’t think too much into it.”
“I don’t see why not. This could be a real-life fairy tale. A handsome, rich man swoops in and saves the poor princess, and they fall in love.”
“Well, speaking of falling in love, I did leave one thing out.”
“Please tell me you had sex with him, and the dick is immaculate.”
“Anika, he’s my boss.”
“And you should’ve let him boss that pussy around. I’m sure Cole wasn’t hitting it right.”
I laughed. “You’re right about Cole, but I didn’t have sex with Kenzo . . . unless you count the way he ate my pussy like a man on death row eating his last meal.”
She slapped her hand over her mouth and screamed.
“Girrll!” she sang when she uncovered her mouth. “Tell me more!”
I told her how Kenzo’s face ended up between my thighs, and we ended up at his house making oatmeal cookies from scratch.
“Oatmeal cookies? Are you telling me he didn’t give you the dick after he ate the cat?”
I shook my head. “It was baffling to me, too, but he told me I wasn’t ready.”
“Oh shit. He’s probably right. You’d better start preparing yourself.”
“He asked me to marry him.”
Her eyes almost jumped out of her head as she gasped again.
“Hold on one damn minute! Are you serious?” she questioned.
“I am, but it’s not what you think.”
“Malyah, if you don’t hurry up and tell me the whole damn story.”
“Fine.”
For the next few minutes, I explained to her the reason for his proposal and what he offered me if I agreed.
“Please tell me you agreed,” she said.
“Not at first, but after overhearing a conversation he had with his father, I kinda felt bad for him. I thought about my current situation and finally agreed.”
“Thank God, because I was about to call you all kinds of stupid.”
“He genuinely seems like a nice person, although I’m a bit nervous about how his family will react, especially his mother.”
“Did you meet her?”
“No, but she’s already chosen a few women she considers suitable for her son and wants Kenzo to go out with them and ultimately pick one to marry. I’m sure I don’t compare to any of the women she chose.”
“Don’t do that, Malyah. You’re an amazing person and have a lot to offer the right man. Yes, you’re a bit down on your luck, but trouble don’t last always.”
“I know, but the whole idea is very intimidating. We are from different worlds.”
“Don’t let fear talk you out of having a place to live, money in the bank, and a free education. How long do you have to stay in this fake marriage?”
I paused to think about it and realized there was no timeframe stated.
“We didn’t discuss it, but I guess that’s important.”
“It is if you’re truly marrying him out of convenience, but if you fall in love with each other . . .”
“That’s not what this is about. I figured we could stay married a few years, have great sex, and go our separate ways.”
“You don’t think falling in love is possible?” she asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.
“Anything is possible, and we’re definitely attracted to each other, but this is a business arrangement. We’re doing each other a favor, and that’s that. I’ll ask him about the length of the marriage later. Anyway, I’m still starting school in the fall, and that’s what’s most important.”
“Hell yes!”
“I’m so excited, especially since I don’t have to worry about how I’ll pay for it anymore. That’s a huge weight off my shoulders."
"I bet. So, when is the wedding?” she asked.
“Friday.”
“Well damn. He’s wasting no time.”
“We’re just going to the courthouse.”
“Still, that’s really quick.”
“I know, but he’s trying to get his family off his case and hopefully stop his mother from playing matchmaker.”
“This is crazy, but I love it. Just think about the stories you’ll have to tell in a year or two.”
“I’m not telling anyone he paid me to marry him, and you were sworn to secrecy. Don’t even tell your man.”
“I promise, your secret is safe with me.”
A knock on my office door gained our attention.
“Come in,” I called out.
The door opened, and Kenzo appeared on the other side.