"Actually, this thin body comes from visiting the gym every morning, and I like my food just as I like my men—hot, warm, well-balanced in diet, giving me instant peace the moment I see it, and delicious to the touch, obviously."
Calvin grins and I cringe. It's like I can read his mind. I already know what he's going to say before he says it.
"Cute. I like you already."
I fake a smile just when the waiter returns with our plates. I can already tell what he ordered the moment it's placed before me. Terrines and pâtés. What can I say? I was a hospitality major prodigy.
"First course or hors d'oeuvre?"
"Learned woman aren't you?" Calvin thanks the waiter before turning his attention to me. At least he has manners.
"Master's degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management. Another in business management."
"Ohh. Marry me already."
Good. A bait to get straight to business. I set my fork aside.
"About that..."
"You want to lay out the conditions, right?"
Oh, he's smart too. I have to handle him carefully or I'm toast.
Nodding, I look him in the eyes. "I wanna know what I'm working with. I'm glad that you're not a hopeless romantic who fell in love with me at first sight. I'd have ditched you on the spot if you acted clingy," I raise my wine glass and take a sip. "Just to be sure, we're both on the same page of doing this for business right?"
Calvin sips his wine too, his face turning stoic in an instant. "Don't worry, you're not my type."
"Neither are you," I retort before I can stop myself, making him chuckle. Even his laugh is cold. I feel a shiver crawl up my spine as it rings in my ears.
"Hmmm. Smart mouth and sharp tongue. I see we'll have to tame you somehow."
The way my heart thuds in my chest at his words. He did not just say he wants me tamed right?
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" I ask, squinting my eyes at him.
Calvin sits up straight and places his interlocked hands on the table, pushing his plate aside. "Exactly what you're thinking Leilani. I'm a bit old-fashioned you see."
Nice way to announce he's a control freak.
"Go on," I urge him, losing my appetite in an instant.
"I like my woman like I like my food too. Warm, good-looking, tasty, but most important of all, submissive once they enter my mouth. Knowing her place in my life, supplying the nutrients where they're needed or else she gets discarded like shit if she doesn't do her job well enough."
I grit my teeth. "So basically you want a plaything?"
Calvin laughs again as if all this is amusing. I immediately know I'm not marrying him there and then, but I need to set him straight before I leave. Freaks like him get away with many things against women. Add him being rich into the mix and you have the perfect recipe for a spoilt womanizer right here. I wouldn't be surprised if he runs some underground industry where he sells women for money.
"Oh no, this is business after all. I can't have you being my plaything unless I want rumors to fly now, can I? What I'm saying is you'll need to be respectable and be the ultimate wife I'd be proud of. No dating other men whilst we're in this marriage, and definitely no fucking around."
"What about you then? Will you uphold that end of the deal?" I ask, balling my hands into fists under the table.
Maybe it's because I just experienced a breakup not too long ago, but he's getting on my nerves.
Calvin smirks at me. "I'd like to say yes but I'm only a man, honeybun. My wand needs a little squeezing here and there if you know what I mean."
Bam! Comes the sound from the table next to ours where the guy dressed in cute clothing is sitting behind Calvin. Waiters immediately attend to him and I'm left in awe at their skill. Perfect. Etiquette is on point, exactly by textbook rules. Nothing shocking considering this is a five-star elegant restaurant.
Turning my attention back to Calvin I have to snap my fingers to get him to finally look at me. "You know him?"
He shakes his head, clearing his throat. "Thought he looked familiar but the person I know doesn't dress so...strangely."
The word you're looking for is cute, baldy.
"Back to what you said. So you're saying you want me to live a boring black and white life with no sex, no dates, just me minding my business whilst you get to live a colorful life full of womanizing and well, getting to enjoy the privilege of being a billionaire's husband?"
"Not really sweet cheeks. I want—"
"Firstly, stop calling me names we're not that close. Secondly, I'm not marrying you. You're too much of an asshole and I've had enough drama in my life to handle shitty people like you. Lastly..." I stand, picking up my wine before rounding the table, about to do the one thing I wanted to do so badly since his ugly proposal:
Pouring wine all over his bald head.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, not unless you want me to ruin every other blind date your grandma will set for you. You need to get married before 31 May or else you won't inherit this restaurant's shares don't you?"
I pause. He did research on me. Ha! Grandma was right about these assholes.
"Now why don't you sit down and let's discuss this like two adults?"
I grit my teeth, setting down the half-full glass of wine and returning to my seat, facing a grinning Calvin. Letting my anger cloud my judgment would be a bad decision on my part right now.
"I'm pretty sure you know you don't have an option now right? Either you agree to my terms and we get married thus leading to you inheriting your Grandmother's shares, or you don't and I ruin your dates until your birthday. Which is it going to be?"
Oh, he's good. Grandma warned me about this type. The manipulator. If I show any moment of weakness he'll have the upper hand in an instant.
I squint my eyes at him. "You do realize one word of this conversation to my grandma could ruin your entire career right?"
"Hmm. But I'm confident I can handle her," Calvin chuckles.
Ah. He has got dirt on her too then.
"So? Are we getting married or not, wife?"
Eww.
"No. I'd rather die than marry a control freak."
That manages to slap the smirk off his face. "And who do you think will marry your uptight ass?"
Just then the guy in cute clothes sitting behind Calvin pushes his chair and stands. The chair loudly rasps on the tiles, drawing everyone's attention to him as it hits Calvin from behind, making him hiss as he turns to face it. I immediately fall in love with the cutsey dude. But that's before he turns around and faces us. My belly does a somersault and I have to blink many times to make sure I'm not imagining it.
No wonder his back looked familiar. It's him.
"I'll marry you," comes his voice as he closes the small distance between our table and his, standing next to me the next moment, ignoring Calvin's presence entirely.
"This has nothing to do with you, Desmond. Leave before I call grandma," Calvin hisses at him.
Then it clicks. The highly esteemed Lawrence family worth billions, then there's Desmond being the center of attention back in the day despite being an asshole. Calvin and Desmond are brothers. I should've known.
Desmond places his hand on my shoulder and it immediately burns where he touches. I raise my head right on time to see him glaring at his brother.
"Go ahead, Calvin. As long as I have her, I don't care what happens to me."