"So how did you two meet?", Tori asked with a teasing smile on her face. She and mom were looking at us expectantly. We just had our dinner and now we were getting cozy outside the balcony overlooking our mom's little garden.
Eric sat next to me in the bamboo-made chair, while mom and Tori were sitting opposite to us. I secretly nudged him with my elbow hoping he got the message that I didn't want him that close to me but to my surprised, he wrapped his right arm around me and hugged me to his side tightly.
My protest died in my throat for he squeezed my arm, as if warning me not to struggle.
"As a nice gentleman, I'll let Nicolaa do the talking", he gave me a boyish grin.
I glared at him.
"She won't tell", Tori said with arched eyebrows. Mom was just sitting there, looking amused.
"Well babe, tell them our story", he kissed my cheek chastely then leaned back and started humming.
Oh the gal of this..!
I took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
Vengance was sweet!
"We met at... the park, the one near the hospital. I was walking there alone after one of my morning shifts when suddenly I heard him crying", I pointed at him with my thumb.
"Crying?!", both he and Tori asked.
Him, bewildered. Tori, curiosed.
Tori couldn't comtain her giggles while he was sitting straight now.
Serves him right.
"Yes, you were crying. Remember? You were snivelling too", I grinned like a cat who just caught a mouse.
"What was he crying for?", Mom asked, more amused now.
"He just broke up with his girlfriend. She dumped him."
Oh my! I was such a big liar.
"Women never dumped me!", he muttered under his breath but only I heard him and I do believe that. He sounded a bit annoyed.
"Oh, poor Eric", Tori was looking at him with pity.
"I walked towards him and asked him what's wrong, so we started talking. Then after that he asked for my number and that's how it all started", I finished with a huge grin on my face. I was so proud of myself.
"That was a lovely story, baby. Now, why don't you tell them the truth, eh?", he said with a bit of sarcasm and a devilish glint in his eyes.
"What truth?!", my heart started tripping.
Oh my God! No! I can't tell them.
I looked at him with huge, shocked, pleading eyes.
"The truth about how we've met. Don't tell me you forgot how I caught you gawking at me at the hospital?", he said with voice laced with amusement.
"Oh... that, I can explain-"
"I went there to visit a friend of mine who had a surgery. I badly needed some coffee so I went to the cafeteria first and I saw her there, watching me intently with a dreamy look on her face. That made me think, she's interested so I asked her out then we dated. However, I got so busy at work afterwards that I wasn't able to return all her calls. So she started stalking me and calling me at my office number."
I choked. He continued.
"Still she can't reach me so she came to my office and told my assistant she is my girlfriend, so she would be allowed to come inside."
"I would never-" huffed.
"You were wearing that tight, liitle black dress (Mom and Tori gasped) and sexy stilettos, remember? You set out to seduce me and you succeeded", he ended his story with "So after that I didn't have any choice but to say yes to you. Who could resist you anyway?", he grinned sheepishly.
"I- I-", so aghast was I, my face was all red. Red with anger and of embarassment.
How dare he?! He made me look like a hothouse girl starving for a man in front of my family!
"Wow! Nic, I never thought you could be that bold", Tori chuckled.
"I don't blame her Tor for running after him", mom laughed.
"Mom!", I wailed and glared at her.
"Oh, don't mom, mom me. Don't be shy now. You got what you wanted", then mom laughed again.
"Yes, she has me now and I'm all hers", he said in a husky voice that dissipated my anger.
We stared at each other for a long time. My mind went blank. All of my protests were gone with the wind.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!", Tori teased.
And so he did, just a smack on the lips but it was so sweet I heard my heart started singing.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
The next day after that visit, he brought me to a high-class wedding boutique. I was forced to take a 'sick leave' for he wouldn't let me go to work that day. He was so domineering and arrogant but all I could do was keep my mouth shut.
The best part of being away from work though was, he let me chose everything for the wedding. From colors to scrumptious dishes to bridal entourage gowns, designs, motiffs and all.
He just sat there while the wedding planner's troops were attacking me. I was overwhelmed, I had never experienced being served at my beck and call. I felt like a little girl in Disneyland.
It was exciting. He was looking at me with that lazy smile of his and I couldn't stop myself from blushing every time especially when a lady server came to me with volumes of negligees and nighties.
"I want the red ones", Eric said, he was paying avid attention now.
"Re-red?", I gulped.
He grinned. The one he chose was so sheer I would look as if I wasn't wearing anything but laces on.
"Also that black ones, too", he nodded his head, pointing at a mannequin behind me.
I wanted to turn around and checked it out but his eyes captivated me. He looked as if he was making love to me with his blue eyes already and I could feel myself getting hotter by the minute.
His smouldering gaze made me weak and my breasts started to swell and my pussy got wet.
Wow! I never had this kind of reaction to any man before!
Someone cleared his or her throat beside me. I wasn't sure who. That shook me to reality and decreased the level of heat between us.
I blushed profusely.
Oh my! Can I really do this marriage thingy with him?
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
"Eric?"
"Hmm..."
"Is this a real marriage?"
We were inside his car again. He was driving on the way to my apartment. It was almost midnight and only a few cars were cruising the streets.
"It is a real wedding to me, so I guess it is a real marriage." Eric glanced my way and smiled.
"I see", I frowned and bit my lower lip.
He swerved the car slowly and stopped infront of a closed coffee shop.
"Why? What's wrong?", he looked worried. Watching me intently.
"Do you want a we-wedding night?"
He bursted out laughing.
"Is that what you are afraid of?"
"Yes... N-no!"
"Okay. Why yes, I want a honeymoon, Nicolaa", him teasing.
I frowned more.
He sighed, resigned.
"Nicolaa, we won't do it if you don't want to".
"Really?", I smiled and sounded relieved.
He didn't like that.
"You seemed happy, huh?! Let's see about that!", he sounded angry and turned his car engine on again. He drove wildly and faster. I was afraid we wouldn't live longer till the wedding if he wouldn't drive slow.
A thought came into my head.
He wanted a real marriage? But this is just a contractual marriage, isn't it? So what's got into him?