Page 216 of The First Time
Chapter Three
Iwant you to marry me.
What the fuck?
What the actual fuck?
I stare back into Blake's eyes.
They're still beautiful and blue and dead serious.
I fold my arms over my chest. "You don't even know me."
"I need a wife. And I want it to be you."
"But…"
"We'd start dating, get engaged, get married. After a few months, we'd divorce and go our separate ways."
"Why?"
His eyes turn down. "I can't explain."
"Then I can't agree."
"I'm willing to meet your price. Whatever that means. Think about it. You could graduate college debt free. You could buy an apartment in the Village. You could spend the next ten years in Paris." He pushes himself to his feet. "Whatever you want, I can make it happen."
"I… I've never even had a boyfriend." I press my lips together. "I don't know how to be a girlfriend, much less a fake wife."
"It's like your job. You smile and convince people you like them."
So he does know something about the service industry.
Blake pushes himself to his feet. "Think it over. Call or text me anytime. I need someone soon, and I want it to be you." He pulls a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet, places it on the table, and leaves.
* * *
At home,I pour my thoughts into my sketchbook. It's an old habit. One I've ignored for a long, long time.
It feels good putting pen to paper. Even if my drawing is only okay.
I need practice. And training. Art school isn't cheap.
But if I have a blank check?
That could be the end of the mortgage.
It could be Lizzy's tuition.
It could be anything.
God, the thought of destroying the mortgage, of being free of that monthly obligation…
Blake may be an ax murder. He may be a jerk. He may be criminally insane.
But he's not lying about being a billionaire tech mogul.
There are pictures of him in a few dozen news articles. He made quite the stir when he founded Sterling Tech as a teen. He turned down a few million dollars for his company then.
