Marriage Of Convenience: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story by Cher Etan, BWWM Club Page B

first stroke, I was twenty
two and something of a wild child. At least that’s what he
called me. I prefer the term free spirit myself. That’s when he
called me into his room and explained to me the terms of his will. I
had until the end of my twenties to get the wild child out of my
system. But on my thirtieth birthday, I better have settled down and
be a respectably married man if I intended to collect on my
inheritance. Failure to which, the entire fortune goes to charity.”
    “ Wow,”
Leila said.
    “ Yeah,”
Jonathon agreed nodding.
    “ And
why are you telling me all this?” she asked.
    “ Because
I’ll be thirty in six months…I’m running out of
time,” he said.
    Leila stared at him,
“And…?”
    “ I
need a wife,” he said.
    “ I’m
going to need you to spell out exactly what you want Jonny, ”
she said imitating Ken’s tone when she said his name.
    Jonathon took a deep
breath, “I think that you and me would-“
    “ No,”
Leila said.
    Jonathon stared at her
and then nodded, “I expected that that would be your first
answer,” he said. “That’s why I chose you.”
    “ You
chose me because you knew I would refuse?” she asked confused.
    “ No,
I chose you because you have integrity,” he said.
    “ And
you know that how?” she asked.
    “ I
know because I’ve been studying you, researching you, watching
you…”
    “ And
yet you come here with a paid bill as if it’s an obligation you
wish to lay on me,” she said. Jonathon smiled.
    “ The
paid bill was an opening gambit. A way to say to you, ‘I’m
serious about this’ so ‘let’s talk’. That’s
all. It's no obligation; it’s a demonstration.”
    “ A
demonstration of what? Your vast wealth?” the sarcasm was thick
in her voice.
    “ A
demonstration of my good faith. There are advantages in this for you.
Your mother is ill; she needs more care than her health insurance is
willing to provide.”
    “ You
bastard,” she replied.
    Jonathon shrugged,
“It’s a good deal.”
    “ What
exactly do you want from me? Don’t spare the details,”
she bit out.
    “ A
valid marriage certificate. An undertaking to live with me for at
least three years. Your signature on a pre-nup and an NDA,” he
said.
    Leila nodded her
understanding, “And what do I get for all this?”
    Jonathon shrugged
again, “Anything you want.”
    Leila looked down at
the floor. “Can I think about it?” she asked the rug.
    Jonathon stood up.
“I’ll be back for your answer on Tuesday,” he said
before making his own way out. Leila exhaled and flopped back on the
chair, staring up at the ceiling.
    “ Fuck
my life,” she said.
    *****
    Leila didn’t know
if she was authorized to discuss Jonathon’s proposal with
anyone. After all, she was supposed to sign a non-disclosure
agreement which assumingly included not disclosing stuff to her own
family. When Jonathon left, she also exited the apartment and walked,
in spite of her bum leg. She thought better when she was on the move
anyway…
    She thought about her
mother’s health, and the care they would need, probably
continue to need for a long time. She wondered if there was a fund
she could access to take care of the medical bills. They’d
probably have to prove her mother’s illness was a direct result
of her work at ground zero. Leila didn’t know how long it would
take to prove that, and what the prognosis on her mother’s
health was. She looked down at the bill she was still holding in her
hand.
    “ And
what do I get for all this?”
    “ Anything
you want.”
    “ Anything
I want,” she repeated out loud. “Can you make my mother
better?” she asked the piece of paper.
    ‘ I
can for damn sure make sure she gets the best care available’
    Jonathon’s voice
spoke in her head clear as a bell. Was her mother’s health
worth bartering three years of her life?
    Leila knew the answer
to that question. She just didn’t want to face it.
    *****
    Jaime Leary flew in the
following day and