Chapter 13
BURY
When they were done talking in the living room. Alex give her quick tour of the house, which was in no way quick sering how big the place was And then when they were done, he showed her to his bedroom–their bedroom,
“This place is enormous” She exclaimed when they reached his door
“Yeah he laughed nervously running his hand through his hatte It’s like that so everyone has their own quarters and a bit of privacy. If they don’t come into the main living room and kitchen, you might probably forget that they even live here.”
“Him” I mused, nodding slowly. “That makes sense.”
Alex’s room was a loft–like space. The room was large and luxurious, with its own seating area, a huge king size bed and impeccable artwork. It was obvious that he had spent a lot of time working on and designing the room to his taste. And the had to give it to the man he did have good taste.
He led her to the seating area and she picked the chair across from the one he had chosen to sit on, instead of seating next to him. She was purposely creating some distance between them. She still felt overwhelmed and embarrassed with everything that was gonig on, and she could barely think straight Her mind kept wandering back to the gentlemen’s club, and the way he had touched her–or barely touched her. She kept thanking about the look he had in his eyes as he looked at her. She hated herself for enjoying it, for wanting it. Her own body had betrayed her and she could only imagine what Alex thought of her right now. He looked down at her, giving her the same look that he used to give to her and Scott as children, when he wanted them to confess to something they had done. A few minutes ago downstairs, it had felt nice to tell somebody everything. It felt nice to get it off her chest. But with the way he was looking at her right now, I just wasn’t sure anymore.
“What are you going to do?” He finally asked. “Even if you were able to go through with your plan and sold your body at the club, you would have made at most twenty thousand dollars a month, and that’s even if you would’ve been able to keep at it for months. And then what? That amount probably won’t even be able to cover your mother’s bills for most months, and then you also have your own bills to think of
She shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know, I have another week until my mother’s bill is due, or they’ll take her off life support. I figured I’d go to the club and take it from there,” she looked down to her toes as she said it, shame colouring her checks. “I really don’t have other options. I’ve asked my dad for help countless times but he won’t budge. I don’t have any close friends I was forced to cut contact with everyone that I used to know. And I know your mom and Scott offered to help. but I cannot bear to leech off of them like that I already feel like I’m disrupting something by being in this house.”
That’s nonsense. You’re my wife” Alex argued.
“Yeah, on paper. I reckon it means nothing to you outside that.”
Her heart felt heavy, and the thought of her mother being taken off life support sent shivers travelling down her spine. She was terrified. And she hated the feeling of helplessness that came with it. Alex looked at her and then looked away.
“I can help you under one condition”
She sat up straight, suddenly filled with hope again. “I’ll do it. Whatever it is just say the word and I’ll do it. She hated that she could hear the desperation in her voice, see it in her eyes and in her actions, but she was way past the point of caring One look at Alex and she could see that his eyes had turned angry. She knew that he was thinking about what she was abour to do at the club but she simply did not have the luxury of trying to regam her dignity and moral compass right now.
“Ruby, you don’t even know what I’ll ask of you. But then again, there is nothing that you wouldn’t do, is there?” he asked with an emotionless face
She followed the movement with her eyes as his hands moved down to his belt clasp, and she swallowed the lump that had lodged itself m ber throat
If I asked you to let me take you right here and right now for thirty thousand dollars, would you do it?” he asked in a tone
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Chapter 13
that sounded like he was daring her.
She bit down on her lip, unsure of what to say. That was exactly what she had gone to the club to do, but now that it was Alex asking her, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed of herself. She looked up at him, feeling frustrated to the point where she as about to cry. “What is it that you want me to do, Alex? what are you offering me! Because I do not care how you perceive me. If you want me to give you my body in return for the money, then I will! Because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to save my mother’s life. You’re telling me that if you were in my shoes, and it was your mother’s life on the line, then you wouldn’t go to hell and back to make sure she was okay!?”
Alex clenched his jaw, staring at her for a while before he finally spoke. “You might not have been a part of our lives for the past few years, but that doesn’t mean that we forgot about you, my mother especially. She was devastated when she learned of what she thought your mother had done. She didn’t believe it at first, but there was no way for her to find out what was actually going on And she didn’t just lose our mother, she lost you too, you were like the daughter that she always wished she had. She always adored you, and whenever stopped. I could see it in the way that she hugged you just now. And honestly, watching her dote over you like that, she looked like her old self again like the mother I had known when I was a child.”
Ruby sighed, feeling sad for him but not knowing what to say. She didn’t know what exactly had happened to Alex’s mother, but she couldn’t deny the fact that there was a distant and unfamiliar look in her eyes.
“You’re from a good family, Ruby. You went to the best schools and you’re well educated. I know that you won’t take handouts, and honestly, I wouldn’t too if I was in your position. I would never be comfortable with putting my life in someone else’s hands, especially when there was no way of knowing when their goodwill would run out.”
Ruby nodded, grateful that he understood her.
“Like I said, I’ll take care of everything I just need you to be my wife in return.”
“Huh? We’re already married..” she said in confusion, letting the words hang in the air.
“I know. But like you said, it’s all on paper. A fucking business deal. What I’m asking is that we make it look as real as it gets. That way, we can keep my mother happy and I can keep seeing those glimpses of the woman that she used to be And maybe one day, she’ll come back to us again
“That’s it?” she asked.
Alex nodded.
“So this has nothing to do with you wanting to flaunt me around just to get back at my brother.”
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