“Gift is, uh, a bit of a stretch, actually,” he starts, seeming…off his game suddenly. “The contents are as expected, it’s the presentation I put some thought into.”
“Wha?” I ask, mouth full. He opens the box and pulls out a…document?
“The promised contract, m’lady,” he says as he hands it over, “but broken out into terms even a pretty twat like me can understand, divided by subject, et cetera.”
I open the spiral-bound book. It’ll lay flat for me to write notes in the margins. Nice.
“This is annotated with tabs,” I think aloud.
“You like?” he’s pleased again.
“I mean, it’s okay,” I rein in my awe. “Still a contract for a sham marriage that I’m not signing.”
He steps over to the little hotel room desk and sits, making himself at home.
“Come on, Janelle, let’s at least look over it.”
My head snaps up so quick I’m afraid I’ve prompted a migraine. “No one calls me that.”
“Why not? Janelle Rae Rollins. It’s a lovely name.”
“You ran a background check on me?” I realize, my heart pounding.
“As I said I would,” he chuckles, “and my P.I. warned me you might have had some financial trouble and may not, quote,love me for me.”
I freeze, “Financial trouble is…a bit of an understatement.”
“Your accounts were wiped out, I know. Saw your brother’s arrests, your Gran’s house. All he found was exactly what you told me,” I relax a tiny bit internally, still frozen externally, as he goes on. “I needed to know what the press would find, what they’d try to smear us with.”
“Smearyouwith,” I correct.
“Yes, me, you know, the love of your life?” he smiles. Why is he always smiling?
I shake my head, “No, gosh, I didn’t even think about the press. Yet another reason I’m not doing it.”
“You are, and we both know it,” he says, pointing at the file in my hands, “So, let’s dig in. Covers the confidentiality, your one point three milliondollars, US,in half after the first ninety days, another quarter after the first year, then the last payment after the remaining four. But obviously as my wife you’ll have the Clark name and funds at your disposal as well as the payment.”
I start scanning, even though I shouldn’t. It’ll just make this more real, more tempting.I mean, one million dollars?! Funds? The Clark name?!
The reading actually helps ground me. I read aloud, “Weekly public appearances between now and New Year's?”
I look up at him and he nods as he says, “Should be easy enough in your little hometown, right?”
“I guess.” I scan quickly until I find the interesting part. I hear Benedict huff a laugh across from where I sit on the edge of the bed, as if he knows what I’m reading. “Hold hands in public, like, all the time? Continually? And…” I keep reading, “Kissing with tongue for the press, you put inwith tongue?”
“You told me to be clear.”
“No tongue,” I counter.
“You think that’s how lovesick newlyweds kiss?”
I glare, “In public? Who’s going around making out while they walk down Main Street in a small town? Ew, get a room.”
He smolders, “If you think making out is unpleasant perhaps you’ve not been properly ki—”
“I meant doing itin publicis unpleasant!”
“Fine,” he rolls his eyes. “Make a note. What else?”
