Page 21 of The Marriage Deal
"Wooo!!!!" Jess threw flower petals at us. Levi glared at her, his hand, which was still holding mine, tightening.
"We are husband and wife now," I said to him. "Isn't that weird?"
"Do you think marrying me is weird?" Levi asked.
I shook my head. Any woman would think she was lucky she was his wife, but I knew better. At least I would be a wife in name only and not have to deal with his quirks.
We walked out of City Hall, still hand in hand. His large hand covered mine almost completely. Bradley had gone on ahead of us to fetch the car, and by the time we reached the bottom of the steps, he was standing by the car with the passenger door open.
With one sudden move, Levi yanked me backwards and began climbing back up the stairs. I hiked my skirt up, afraid of tripping on the concrete stairs. "What is it?" I asked with bated breath. He didn't respond, but only increased his steps and whisked me back inside the grand building. When we were in the foyer, that's when he released my hand and glanced outside.
"Are you going to tell me what the sudden rush is all about?"
"The dean just passed by."
"Oh, shit."
If there was anyone who was not supposed to see us getting married, it was the dean of the humanities. The stout, bald man looked out of place in the city in his light blue shirt, a sea green cardigan, brown scotch pants, and glasses that dangled on his nose. As though he were a nineteen-forties British character transported into the modern-day concrete jungle. And he just happened to walk by as we were getting out of City Hall? Talk about shit luck. I went to the entrance to see if he was still there. Unfortunately, he recognized Jess and was now talking to her. Jess was gesticulating wildly, making me wonder what she was saying. I hope she was telling a damned good lie. Her clothes and the petals in her hand were a big tell as to why she was here.
"Oh, shit!" I said again as Jess, and the dean began climbing the steps.
"Professor Thompson is coming here," I said to Levi. He grabbed my hand again and marched me over to the steps. Thenthought again and whisked us to a pillar where we went to hide behind it. Like kids in a Disney show. But there was nothing juvenile in the way we embraced. My hands were imprisoned between our chests, while his were down my waist. I trained my eyes to stare at his chest and not wander up to his face. Afraid to see what I didn't want to see. But that didn’t matter. Even seeing his sharp suit and crisp shirt made my mind race with wild thoughts. My hands rested on the lapels of his jacket, adding to the thrill. His hands tightened around my waist as Jess's voice trailed to where we were hiding.
"Yes, a wedding," she said. "I'm just waiting for the bride and groom to finish paperwork and, you know… off to the reception." Her voice was so shaky, she did not sound convincing. I looked up at Levi. He was staring at me. His lips looked inviting up close. His scent, which I had been ignoring, filled my nostrils, like a drug intended to make my body sensitive to his every move. And when his leg shifted, rubbing against mine, my breath caught in my throat. "What are you doing?" I whispered.
"Shhh..." He placed a finger on my mouth.
"…friends of mine," I heard Jess say, her voice now closer to where we were standing. She chuckled at something Professor Thompson said. His voice was usually low, and in the busy hall, it was unintelligible. "You wouldn't know them," she replied.
"They're getting closer," I whisper-yelled.
Levi remained silent. But his hand trailed to my cheek, and he brushed it. Unhurried. Unbothered. As though we were in a world of our own. As much as my body liked it, my much more panicked mind was freaking out.
"What should we do?" I said again. Maybe if I could peek and see where they were, I thought. But when I tried to lean over, Levi pulled me back and placed his mouth on my lips. This kiss was different from the quaint, chaste kiss he gave me a few minutes ago at the altar. This one was more explosive. It turnedme inside out and made me hungry for more. So much more than what he could give me at that moment. His hands went to my face, caressing my cheek as he deepened the kiss. I held onto him for dear life as I let him assault my senses. My hands clung to his jacket lapels as though they were a rope to sanity. This was more than I expected. Than what I thought it could be. It was better. And then, just like that, he let go of me.
My eyes fluttered open, disappointment replacing the euphoria I was feeling before. Why did you stop, I wanted to ask, but he answered the question before I uttered it. "They're gone. Let's go."
9
Elvira
"SO WHY DO YOU want me there exactly?" I asked Levi after taking a sip of the mimosa I was sure was made with prime grade oranges and the most expensive champagne in the world. It sure tasted like it. Acting cool while flying in a private jet for the first time in your life was kind of hard. I had to stop myself from glancing around so I could take in the oak finish on every surface. The plush white leather seats. Levi was sitting opposite me, jotting something in his leather-bound journal. He always carried that thing everywhere, and he would pull it out at odd times, making me wonder what he was jotting in it.
He finished writing his sentence, glanced at me, and said, "Your expertise."
"As a teaching assistant?" He had called me early on a Saturday morning, asking if I wanted to make double my monthly salary in two days. I should have said no. After marrying me, Levi had gone on to act like nothing happened, as though we were still colleagues. He wasn’t even wearing his ring, I had removed mine on cue, which made me wonder why he had bought such expensive jewelry in the first place. I guess that's how things should be, because our marriage wasn't real. But it was difficult for me to act normal after that kiss. But looking at him now, it was obvious that I was the only one affected by it. He, on the other hand, did not seem bothered.
"As an appraiser."
"It's Christie's. I don't think they're trying to bilk you." My eyes darted around the luxurious plane. "Wouldn't a guy like you have someone like that on call?"
Writing in his journal, he said, "And that someone is you."
"Yeah, but I only did that for like six months."
"Did you work with fifteenth-century artifacts?"
"Yeah."
