Temptations

20. THE BACHELORETTE

NATHAN

Tomorrow is my wedding.

Most people would be overjoyed while stating such a statement, the other minority would be doubting their decision. I was neither of those.

For me, it felt like nothing more than signing a new deal, where I would get some perks and the other party would get some perks. The other party in this scenario was a feisty brunette who loved to push my buttons. 

And right now, I was in the car parked right in front of the said brunette’s apartment. Mom wanted me to give her a necklace that was our family heirloom. She wanted her to try it on beforehand and that’s why she sent me here. And there were hundreds of other places I'd rather be than here.

I hesitantly left the car and walked towards her building. I haven’t told her that I would be coming so she might not be home and I would get away with seeing her. 

It has been 7 days since I last saw her because she quit the job as my secretary and would be getting transferred to another unit after honeymoon. Oh yes, Mom has also planned a honeymoon for us so this marriage would look as real as possible. Everyone would think we were such a lovely couple and we’ll hopefully get Serena off our backs.

Lost in those thoughts, I didn’t realize that I had reached her apartment. I knocked on the door and waited for her to come out. From inside, I could hear the sound of music. It sounded like there was a party going inside so I knocked harder.

“Who?” A guy opened the door. He had dirty blonde hair but that’s not what took my surprise. It was his lack of shirt and the rock hard chiseled abs.

My eyes furrowed and I pushed him away to look inside and found my wife-to-be sitting in the middle while a group of shirtless men was stripping in front of her. Her friend Max was humping one of those men while her two male friends were sitting by her side, teasing her with innuendos.

One of those shirtless men walked closer to her and attempted to sit in her lap, irritating me. She tried to push him away hesitantly but her friends urged her to calm down.

“What is going on here?” My voice echoed and Ellie jumped in her seat. Her head whipped towards me and she stood up immediately.

“It’s a bachelorette party.” Max answered for her.

“I asked my fiance.” I said rudely.

Ellie’s face flushed at this and she walked over to me. Holding me by my arm, she attempted to drag me somewhere but she had clearly underestimated my size. 

“Come on.” She glared. Rolling my eyes, I followed her to what looked like her bedroom. Leading me inside, she locked the bedroom door and then looked at me with a scowl. She already looked stunning in the baby pink mini dress and the scowl made her look even more adorable.  

“Sweetheart, our wedding is tomorrow. We can wait one more day.” I smirked in an attempt to make a joke.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, putting her hands on her waist, ignoring my innuendo.

“I think the more appropriate question is, why are there naked men in your apartment, giving you a lap dance?” I asked, this time with a more serious voice.

“It’s a bachelorette party.” She replied.

“Right. Why do you keep forgetting that this is a fake wedding?” I asked.

“I am not forgetting anything.” She huffed. “Jacob and Jace don't know this is a fake marriage so I needed to make it believable.”

“I am not sure you are very convincing because your taller friend was getting too cozy with you.” I said and to my own surprise, my voice sounded bitter and jealous.

“Seems like you are forgetting that this is a fake wedding and I am your fake wife. It’s none of your concern.” She seethed.

“But it is. I can’t have the paparazzi saying my fiance is cheating on me.” I quickly reasoned.

Her lips pursed in exasperationa and a frown appeared on her forehead. A lock of her hair was falling over her eyes and my hands were itching to put it behind her ears. 

“That won’t be an issue. I know my limits.” She answered.

“You better.” I replied. 

“Is that why you are here?” She asked in an annoyed voice.

That reminds me.

“Mom sent this. You are wearing this necklace tomorrow.” I said and pulled out the box from the plastic bag that I had forgotten about.

She took the box from me and opened it, revealing the sophisticated and delicate diamond necklace shining in all its glory. It had a delicate row of round, graduated diamonds and one larger oval shaped diamond hanging in the middle. I could see the appreciation in Ellie’s eyes but she was too proud to say anything. 

“Try it.” I said. 

With shaky fingers, she took the necklace out of its box and went to her dressing table. While she did that, I observed her room. It was rather small yet neatly kept, most of the room drowned in purple and white hues. There was a bookshelf by her bed, containing multiple novels and fiction books of renowned authors. I didn’t know she liked reading. 

“Can you help?” She asked and my eyes switched to her. She had moved all her hair to one shoulder, revealing her soft, long neck.

“Sure. What else are husbands for?” I said to tease her and she rolled her eyes.

I went behind her and her floral scent filled the air around me. The skin of her neck looked quite soft but I refrained from touching. I just did what she asked and tied the necklace. The hair on the nape of her neck stood up when my fingers grazed but I ignored

As I eyed her reflection in the mirror, particularly the necklace in her neck, it felt like it was made for her. She looked exquisite and royal, much better than it looked on Serena back when we got married. 

“It’s so pretty.” She whispered, grazing her fingers over the piece. Our eyes met in the mirror and I saw the hesitation in them. “What if I lost it? It’s your family heirloom.”

“Then good thing I don’t have a male heir.” I replied curtly.

I helped her take off the necklace and then she put it back in the box. She carefully hid it in her cupboard and then began to walk out.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“To the party.” She shrugged.

“Oh yes, the party.” I chewed my words. “Let’s go.”

“Where are you going?” She asked in confusion.

“With you.” I said in a duh tone.

Before she could overreact, I gripped her by her wrist and tugged her along. Once outside, all eyes turned to us and I plastered a fake smile on my face. “Please don’t mind me. Carry on.” I said.

Begrudgingly, Ellie walked over to the couch with me and we both sat down. Everyone looked reserved all of sudden and the strippers reluctantly started dancing. Ellie gave me an irritated side-eye that I returned with a toothy grin. 

I stayed there for half an hour. The strippers left early because now there was nothing much left for them to do except do a few subtle moves. Once they left, I said, “I better go now. Big day tomorrow.”

“Bye.” Everyone said in unison, except Ellie who still looked irritated.

“Bye, darling.” I kissed her on the cheeks before standing up. Her eyes almost fell out of the orbits and her cheeks flushed bright red. “Now that’s called being convincing.” I whispered in her ears and walked out, not waiting for her reaction.

The whole drive back home, I kept thinking about her irritated smile and her furrowed brows. Ellie Anderson was anything but boring. She has a weird spark that makes me want to be around her, to push her buttons, to annoy her and get a reaction out of her. And now that I think about it, it was pretty childish for a CEO to act like this. But I couldn't help it.

We are not even married and Ellie was already occupying my thoughts. What was wrong with me?

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