Page 23 of Vicious Vows

She stormed into the room behind me and walked straight over to the closet to get her dress. I watched as she reached for the pinkish number she picked out yesterday; unfortunately, that wouldn't do for tonight.

"Wear the purple one."

"What? No. I don't want to wear that one." She shook her head and turned back to the closet.

My annoyance was getting the better of me. It felt like everything between us was a fight. Seeing as she was here against her will, it made sense, but I wasn't used to dealing with shit like this. I walked over to the closet and snatched the purple dress off the hanger before I pressed it against her body.

"Either you put this dress on, or I can hold you down and put it on you myself. You're meant to be Farrah. Your sister would wear something like this."

The whole point of bringing her to this party tonight was to show everyone that I'd indeed gotten married, and everyone thought I'd married Farrah. My brother's warnings about people catching on sooner than I wanted them to ring in my mind. If Faye didn't play this part perfectly, we would all be up shit's creek.

"Fine!" She hissed at me and dropped the pink dress on the ground before stomping over to the opposite side of the room to get dressed.

With her in motion, I focused on making sure I was ready myself. I wanted to make a good impression. After going over my outfit one last time I sat down in one of the lounge chairs and waited for Faye to finish. While I did, I went over exactly who I thought would be at this party, all the people I wanted to make sure saw my new wife on my arm.

The Nicoli family was known for controlling most of the ports in the area. My father had a strained rapport with them but I wanted to build a better relationship. If I could get on their good side I would never need to worry about how I got my merchandise in the city again.

I'd spent most of my life working to make a name for myself outside of my father, but families like the Nicolis only respected the man at the top. It's the reason I needed this marriage to Faye to work. Soon, they wouldn't need to speak with my father anymore; to do business with the Lochley family, they'd have to talk to me.

Twenty minutes after I pulled her out of the shower, Faye announced that she was ready. "Are you satisfied, or do I need to do something else to appease you?" The words struck a chord in my gut, but they were laced with sarcasm.

"You need more makeup." I focused on her face, realizing it was mostly bare.

She huffed and walked back over to the things that I bought her, pulling out the most garish red lipstick in the bunch. She expertly put some on and a bit of mascara. When she turned back in my direction, I almost couldn't tell the difference between her and her sister. This is exactly how Farrah would look, and the thought nearly made me vomit.

Faye was a natural beauty unlike her sister, who needed tons of makeup to make people look twice in her direction.

It was amazing since they were identical twins.

"Satisfied?" Faye questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. I nodded once and got up from the chair I'd plopped down in to wait.

I nearly cringed when she came close to me. I wanted to wipe that mess off her face, but I knew we both had to keep up appearances for this game to work. Now it was time to play it.

* * *

On the ride over to the Nicoli estate, I'd filled Faye in on exactly what I expected from her. Told her that all she needed to do was walk around with me for a while, acknowledge that she was my wife, but besides that keep quiet. She barely responded to my instructions.

By the time we made it to the party, it was already in full swing. The backyard had a tent erected, and there was a live band playing in the center of the room. Guests congregated on every side, and just like I didn't want, all eyes were on us as we strolled into the party.

"Is it always like this?" Faye leaned up and whispered near my ear.

"Not always, most of the time the parties I go to have a plethora of strippers and drugs on the tabletops." She gasped, and I chuckled at the fact that I was able to scandalize her so easily. "Remember what I said about what you need to do." I spoke softly as I continued to lead her through the party.

We were stopped moments after we stepped foot on the dance floor.

"Mr. Lochley, I thought you might not be able to make it." Kelvin Roche stopped in front of me, impeding my progress. Kelvin owned a string of businesses downtown, and he helped me launder money from time to time when the need arose. He was a sneaky fuck, but I needed him for the time being.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world. You know I'm always up for a celebration." I responded.

My muscles clenched hard as I watched him eyeing Faye as she stood by my side. She held his gaze but didn't say a word.

"This must be your lovely wife, nice to see you again Farrah." Kelvin leaned forward, picking up her hand and kissing her knuckles. Before he could let go, I grabbed hold of his wrist and held on tightly.

"Let this be the last fucking time I see your hands on my wife without my approval. That is unless you would prefer not to have a fucking hand." I warned, and he instantly let her go.

"I meant no disrespect, Dominic. Farrah and I go way back. I only meant to congratulate you. We all know about your nuptials. I'm happy you two managed to come together." Kelvin rubbed his wrist subtly before taking a step back, his attention purely on me now. Exactly how I wanted it.

"Thank you, Dominic was the very best choice for me. I'm surprised it took us as long as it did to come together," Faye responded, giving Kelvin a sultry smile. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was flirting with him right in front of me.

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