“And what did it say?”
“Basically, it says she has to be my domestic partner. However, the major loophole is that the contract uses the term "Domestic Partner," and I’m guessing that’s because we were young and her father wanted us to get married on our own terms. The only thing is, with it saying domestic partner, that didn’t cancel out the option of me getting married to someone else. And with marriage being a higher legal status than a domestic partnership, once I have a wife, she becomes my only domestic partner by law, which makes the contract unenforceable on Nina’s end.”
“Wait a minute, so you have to get married to someone else to cancel out her contract?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, it sounds like you gotta figure that shit out. But hold on, I thought you two were supposed to get married like really soon.”
“We were next week. And I really don’t want that shit to happen because I feel like she’d have even more control over me from that moment. Once Nina and I get married, I will have no way out of that shit then.”
“Oh, I see.”
Everything was slowly clicking for me. Nina seemed to have thought everything out without making sure all the holes in their contract were sealed. Sounds to me like Hawk had someone knowledgeable of the law looking into the agreement, which everyone should. I was dumb myself for signing that contract in that room with her the other night without reading it. Only getting a lawyer in the restroom before a threesome just sounds crazy when I think about it.
“So, Cyn.”
“Yes?”
“How do you feel about becoming my wife and primary domestic partner?”
“Huh?”
The words sat between us, thick and unreal, like the air had shifted without warning.
“Excuse me, what? What does that even mean?”
My heart jumped hard enough that I felt it in my throat.
“It means if I marry you, I’m out of the bond I have with her. I know it might sound like me and you stepping into a contract of our own, but it’s not even like that. Listen, we get married, the contract with her is done. Clean. And if a year from now we decide this isn’t what we want, we go our separate ways. But I trust you, and I always trust my gut about people. I’ll makesure everything is handled right, and you can walk away from this a millionaire when it's all said and done.”
My mouth opened, but nothing came out. My chest tightened, palms damp, thoughts colliding into each other too fast to make sense. My lips moved, but my voice wouldn’t follow.
“You okay Cyn?”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m just so confused. Why, why, me?”
“Look, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I’m in love with you, shit, I’m just getting to know you. But I had a good time with you. You made me feel good. And where I may not know much about you, I can tell that you are the complete opposite of Nina, and that’s what I need right now. Foreign queens and kings have arranged marriages all the time, and they do it for benefits more than love, and that’s kind of what I’m trying to do.”
He shifted closer to me.
“There aren’t many women in Vegas I’d even bring back to my place. But you give me a vibe. You move different. You make me feel like I can trust you, and I’ve always been good at reading people: feelings and energy. I don’t ignore that shit. Everything in me says you’re solid.”
My heart was racing now. Not exactly excitement, not exactly fear, but something dangerous sitting right in the middle. One of those moments where saying yes or no changes everything.
“But what about Nina? What about the contract I already have with her?”
“I’ll pay for it. Whatever she’s owed for you breaking it, she can have it. She can have it all. But she’s not about to leave me with nothing after I put so much time and energy into thiscompany. So, what do you say? Will you be my wife and become a millionaire overnight?”
I didn’t know what to say. My mind was loud, way louder than the car, louder than the city sliding past the windows. I told myself to breathe and just focus. This wasn’t how I imagined marriage, but I’d also never imagined ending up in Vegas watching my friend’s fiancé disappear into thin air either. Life clearly didn’t care about my plans.
Hawk’s words,You don’t have to say yeah,replayed in my head.
That mattered. He wasn’t forcing it. He wasn’t cornering me, but he was making it clear he needed me, and usually people like Hawk didn’t need anyone. Men with power and options didn’t ask. They took. But here he was, offering instead of demanding, explaining instead of commanding. That had weight.
I thought about where I came from—wanting stability and wanting security. Wanting to feel chosen instead of temporary in every man’s life. Wanting a life where I didn’t have to struggle so hard to stay afloat. I’d always told myself I wasn’t materialistic, and I wasn’t, but I was tired of simply surviving.
I know that this wasn’t just money. This was protection. Leverage. A door opening that I’d never even been close enough to knock on.
