Two days later I was sitting in a restaurant called The Gilded Lily. It was the kind of place that served water and charged a lot for food and I felt like a fake just sitting there.
After Vivien Sterling had kicked me out of her car reality hit me hard. The hospital had called again. My grandfather had collapsed. The insurance company had denied the claim for his treatment saying it was experimental. I was staring at a bill I couldn't pay. A promise I couldn't keep.
In a moment of despair I had opened a Sugar Daddy app that Noah had installed on my phone months ago as a joke. I had filled out a profile with a name and a desperate heart.
The man across from me Richard was least fifty with a bad comb-over and a suit that didn't fit. He smelled of cigars and cheap cologne.
You're even prettier than your photos he said, his voice greasy. He reached across the table his hand near mine. "I like them young he said." Teachable.
I felt a wave of nausea. I mentioned in my profile that I have expenses I said. My grandfather -
We can talk about the money later Richard said, his eyes looking me up and down. He lunged forward his hand clamping down on my wrist. His grip was strong his fingers digging into my skin. You give me what I want I give you what you want he said. Now lets go to my car.
I looked around the restaurant my eyes pleading for help.. The waiters were busy and the other people were in their own conversations. No one was coming. My heart was. I felt stupid.
Then a shadow fell over the table.
I believe the lady asked you to let go a voice said. It was the sound of ice cracking.
I looked up to see Vivien Sterling. She looked like a goddess, dressed in a silk blouse and black trousers. Her eyes were cold, murderous.
Richard blustered, his face red. Who are you he said. This is private -
I am the person who will have you arrested for assault if your hand is still on her wrist in three seconds Vivien Sterling whispered. Her voice was quiet. Scary.
Richard looked at Vivien Sterling at the two big men in suits, behind her. He dropped my wrist. Ran out of the restaurant.
I was sitting there shaking like a leaf rubbing the marks on my arm. Vivien did not even bother to give me a hug or say something to me. She just sat down across from me in the booth. It was like the whole room was hers.
Vivien said to me "Harper you are really bad at picking dates." She pulled out a folder from her bag and threw it on the table.
I opened the folder. It was like a book about my whole life. It had my bank statements, my school records, my grandfathers medical papers and my old track records from middle school. Vivien knew everything about me.
Vivien said, "I do not like it when people tell me what to do.. I like it even less when I am trapped and have no way out." She told me that her company had a meeting and they gave her a deadline. Vivien said, "I need someone to marry me who will do what I say and not cause any trouble. I need someone who will depend on me completely."
Vivien tapped the folder. Said, "You owe a lot of money sixty-two thousand dollars. Your grandfather is very sick. He will not live much longer without the right treatment. You are in a spot. When people are desperate they will do what you want them to do."
Vivien told me what she wanted me to do. It was like she was planning a robbery. "We get married tonight. You move into my apartment. You go to all the parties and events I want you to go to. You. Look happy for the cameras.. I will take care of all your debt and your grandfathers medical bills."
Vivien looked at me with eyes that seemed to burn. ". Harper, let me make one thing clear. This is a business deal. We will not be close or intimate. We will not touch each other. We will be like strangers who just happen to have the last name. Do you agree to my terms?"
I looked at the bruise on my wrist. Thought about my grandfather. I did not really have a choice. "Okay deal."
Two hours later we went to City Hall. It was midnight but the building was still open. I guess when you have money you can make things happen. The wedding ceremony was in a room with fluorescent lights that made Vivien look like a statue.
The judge was a man who looked like he would rather be else. He rushed through the vows. When he finished he said, "You may kiss the bride."
I was surprised. I thought Vivien would just shake my hand or walk away.. Instead she stepped close, to me. She put her hand behind my neck and her fingers in my hair. She pulled me to her and before I could even breathe she kissed me.
It was not a kiss it was like she was claiming me. It tasted like mint and expensive wine. For a second everything seemed to spin around me. My heart was. I felt like I was melting into her.
Then as quickly as it started she stopped. Her face was cold and unreadable again. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and looked at the judge.
"Done," she said.
She turned and walked out of the room without looking back, leaving me standing there in the cold light, a married woman with a heart that wouldn't stop screaming.