Page 5 of The Princess & the Prospect

Chapter 2

Iwas married. There had always been this illusion in the back of my mind that when I finally got married one day I would feel different somehow. Complete. Having met the other half of my soul and tied myself to him for the rest of our lives was supposed to mean something. It was supposed to make me feel different. All I felt sitting in the passenger side of Joker’s truck as he drove us away from the courthouse was infinite sadness. He hated me, and what was worse, I couldn’t blame him for it one bit. I had lied to him about who I was and how old I was. It was something that could have ruined his life, and I’d done it out of selfishness. It hurt my heart to think of what kind of person that made me. I rubbed the little baby belly I was starting to get and knew it didn’t matter anymore because I could never regret anything that made my child.

Still, it was hard for me to even look over at my husband. That word didn’t bring elation like I once dreamed it would. Instead, it felt false rolling around my head. I’d probably never say it out loud, because we weren’t really married. He’d made that clear when he refused to supply wedding rings, or even kiss me when the Justice of the Peace told him he could. No, what we were was a business transaction on paper only. The tears burning my eyes threatened to spill over again. I refused to let him see any more of them though. When the clubhouse came into view I finally glanced his way. I thought we’d been headed to his house so he could show me around and I could get settled in.

Of course, there had been no plans for a honeymoon. I didn’t think there would be, but I hadn’t been prepared for being dragged to the clubhouse where I would undoubtedly be humiliated by being the ‘blushing bride’ paraded around even though he’d been reluctant to marry me. Reluctant probably wasn’t a strong enough word, actually. I knew the way the guys at the club gossiped about one another’s lives. They already knew this was a sham of a wedding and only being done because I was pregnant and… Yeah, so it was going to be humiliating.

When we parked Joker didn’t bother to say a word to me. Instead, he got out of his truck and took off toward the clubhouse, leaving me there to sit in the truck. He didn’t even offer the courtesy of helping me down out of the truck that was way too high for me. I sighed and opened the door, but before I could contemplate jumping down my father’s friend, Crow, was there. “Come on little lady, let me help you out. You shouldn’t be hopping around when you’re in your condition.” He helped me down and then glanced around the parking lot finding it empty of any other people. “Were you supposed to wait here for Joker?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “He didn’t say what we were doing here. He just went inside.” I told him as my face heated with embarrassment at having to admit that my now husband couldn’t even offer me that courtesy or help getting out of his monster of a truck.

Crow gave me an odd look before he pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. “Everything will be okay, Princess. It’ll get better. You guys just need some time to adjust.”

A bitter laugh erupted from my dry throat, nearly making me choke on the coughing fit it produced. Crow squeezed me tighter. “It’s kind of you to say anyway,” I told him before peeling myself out of his arms and moving towards the clubhouse door.

“You have my number, if you need anything, you just call. You hear me?”

“You’re not coming in?” I asked Crow, worried that none of the older crowd would be there to take my back in case things got dramatic or out of hand.

“No, honey. I was on my way out just now.”

“Okay, well see you around,” I told him and turned my back as quickly as possible because once again those tears were starting to burn my eyes. I knew what my dad said to me earlier today was true enough. I’d done this to myself and there was no use crying about it. More to the point – if I needed to cry, I would have to do it where no one could see.

Once I pushed the door open the only way to describe the scene was loud. The music – it sounded like something from Disturbed – was cranked up so loud I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts. I could make out some laughter and yelling from across the room though. I glanced around and noticed that Joker was standing by the pool table talking to another newer member that I hadn’t gotten to know yet. There were a few women standing around with them too, which I found strange, because I thought – after what happened with Toby – that they weren’t allowed to be here anymore. I shook off the thought and moved over to the bar to park my ass on a stool until Joker was ready to take me to his house. The prospect behind the bar gave me a pitying look before leaning in to ask what he could get for me.

“Can you just get me a Gingerale?”

“Sweetheart, we don’t have that back here. You want a sprite or something?”

“Sure,” I mumbled, my stomach feeling even queasier then.

He slid a glass my way and plopped a straw down in it as he did so. “I’m not sure it’s my business to say anything, but this doesn’t look like the kind of place where someone in your condition should be,” he offered up as he glanced down at my slightly rounded belly. I just shrugged my shoulders.

“Looks like I’m stuck here for a while.”

I watched as Joker finished off a bottle of beer and tossed the empty into the trashcan near the pool table. Then he swatted one of the girl’s asses and she turned to head to the bar. She stood right beside me as she ordered two beers. One was for her and the other was for Joker. I knew the second was for him because as soon as she had them in hand, she gave me a quick smile and took off for the other side of the room and handed it to him while leaning her body into his. She was a pretty redhead with long legs and curves in all the right places. She wasn’t overly done like some of the fake women that used to creep around this place, but still. It was obvious she was flirting with him and getting cozy. She probably didn’t know he’d come straight here from getting married to me. I wondered if he would even tell her that he had. He didn’t seem to care that her boobs were pressed into his side, and the amount he cared about the display was proven when he threw his arm around her and pulled her closer. She leaned in, giggling, and I turned around unable to see anything else without bawling my eyes out.

Seeing my empty drink the prospect smiled at me. “Can I get you another?”

I shook my head knowing that if I overdid it with the soda I would have to pee – a lot – and I didn’t want to have to walk past the man I’d only just married as he carried on with another woman hanging all over him.

“Is there anything else I can get for you? Are you waiting for anyone in particular? Need me to call someone for you?” The prospect rambled off the list of questions, obviously uncomfortable with having to deal with me sitting at the bar.

“Nope,” I told him. Then I gave him my full attention. “I’m waiting on Joker. He’s supposed to take me to his house at some point.”

The prospect gave me a doubtful look. “He’s working on his fourth beer at this point.” He pointed over to the small crowd that had gathered around the man in question. “Looks like they’re starting in on the shots too. Are you sure he knows you’re supposed to be going to his house later?” I could see why he was doubting me since Joker had traded out the redhead from earlier and now had a brunette wrapped around him, dancing on him like he was her own personal stripper pole.

“I’m pretty sure that’s where he was supposed to take me.”

“Do you need me to take you there instead? I’m sure I could get someone to cover for me for a little bit.”

I shook my head, blushing with embarrassment once again. What did that make? At least five times today so far? I made a noise in the back of my throat that signified how fed up I was with the fact that I kept having to play off my own embarrassment. “I don’t have a key yet. He was supposed to have all that taken care of for me today.”

The prospect gave me a dubious look then. “Are you sure?”

I sighed. “Well, I was when he brought me here. Now, I don’t know, but either way I have nowhere else to go for now.”

“There isn’t anyone else you can call?”

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