Her eyes stare up at me the same way they did last night as I pinned her to the door, the same way they did before she closed them and ran. It was the only show of weakness I’ve seen from her since this whole fiasco started.
I feel my balls tighten when I hear her scream, “I love him” and I cum all over the bathroom wall.
“Fuck.”
25
“Hello Mrs. Williams. Maverick,” Collin shakes both our hands.
I make a sour lemon face at Collin and Beth rolls her eyes at him.
“Just Beth is fine, thanks.”
“Actually dear, it isn’t. I understand you managed to move in together. Great choice. Thank you for listening to me for a change.” He nods towards me before offering us refreshments which we both refuse. He leaves them on the table just in case.
He’s dressed more casually than he would be in the week, but he’s still maintained his corporate appeal in his dark blue jeans, burgundy Oxford shirt and a black sweater vest with black Louis Vuitton shoes.
“Going forward, you’re both going to have to get accustomed to titles...well just you Mrs. Williams since Maverick’s name hasn’t changed.”
“Well neither will mine… technically,” she informs him. “I don’t intend to take his surname.”
“I see. Well, I took the liberty of getting your lease adjusted, Maverick, to reflect your upcoming nuptials. Under the law, you’re now a legally abiding tenant.” He addresses Beth and she looks genuinely surprised. “I’ll have them amended to change your name back to the original.”
“Thanks.” She nods, not looking pleased or displeased. Why the hell is it always so damn hard to get a read on her?
“How much do you two actually know about each other?” he asks with a neutral expression.
Beth glances up at me then shakes her head, “not much…he’s British?” She shrugs and I scoff at her half-hearted effort.
Collin chuckles then nods. “Maverick.”
“She plays the violin. She calls it Eloise for some reason.” My voice starts trailing off at the mention of the name and adopts the reverence it deserves. I stifle a chuckle as I watch her eyelids turn into butterfly wings. Her mouth opens slightly as if to say something, but she remains quiet. Collin smiles at her reaction, stealing a glance at me with so small a nod that I’m sure Beth missed it.
“He seems to be paying attention. Don’t worry Beth. I’m as surprised as you are.”
He isn’t. He knows why the name of her violin would stand out to me, but I’m grateful that he chooses to say nothing. Her expression seems softer than it was a few moments ago and I’m strangely pleased to have offered that detail. She seems to have a deep appreciation for the violin.
I could tell her affection is second nature to her. I knew she wasn’t paying attention to me last night but even then, her fingers had gently caressed the edges of her case the way a mother would gently stroke its young.
She reminded me of someone I hadn’t allowed myself to think about for years.
I still don’t want to think about her now. Those thoughts hurl me into a blackness unlike anything else in this world. A soul-sucking train wreck down memory lane with me blindfolded by a kind of palpable grief that is enough to change a person, no matter if child, man or monster.
“I have a standard form for situations like this.” Collin interrupts my darkening thoughts.
“This does not surprise me at all.” I mock him light-heartedly, grateful for the distraction.
Collin is one of the best Attorneys in the state and by best, I mean richest. Most of his success can be attributed to the fact that he is very open-minded in his approach to the law.
He’s my kind of people.
“I’ve created a list of questions that I need you both to answer and when you’re done you can exchange it. Read it through carefully. Talk it over. Memorize it. It’s quite a list and I don’t expect you to complete it today. Well, certainly not here. We have other things to go over. I’ve considered the process and I think a month in between your wedding and the petition would be good. In that time, I need you two to rack up photos and other forms of evidence that prove a legitimate marriage. Take a vacation, go to his games, I don’t care. I need you to start acting like a teenage couple in love.”
“Well he has some games coming up,” Beth says, and I smirk at her. She’s been paying attention.
“Great. Be at all of those. Take pictures before, during, after, whatever. Open a joint bank account,” he advises, handing us both a list of instructions.
I glance down at the document and the heading reads ‘Tips for a happy marriage.’ I suppose that’s one way to cover his tracks. The tasks are basic enough and the list itself looks like it could have been created by either of us.
“Just be believable. I’ll get all the paperwork in order for the interview.” He walks over to the table and takes a sip from a small glass of water.
“There is one other thing that we need to discuss, and it is the matter of the prenuptial agreement. Beth, as you can imagine - ”
“Collin, feel free to skip the lecture and the justification. I don’t want anything other than what was agreed on from Maverick. I’ll sign the prenuptial agreement.” She shrugs and her face twitches, betraying her silent irritation.
“Well I do advise that you read it before signing it, and you have direct access to me if there are any questions.”
“I’ll return it when we come for the next visit,” she says matter-of-factly.
It’s all business with her and I’ve come to respect her laser focus, even if it is annoying.
She takes the manila envelope from Collin and rests it in her lap. I can’t stop glancing over at her. She seems so zoned in on this mission. So determined to win. I know she’s doing it for herself, but there’s a silent part of me that is grateful that we’re both gunning for the same thing.
Chapter
Beth
After we left Collin’s office, Maverick dropped me off at his place. A part of me is surprised he’s actually allowing me to roam free in his prestigious “flat” without him being here. As my fingers slowly trail the coolness of the granite countertop in the kitchen, I find my smile broadening. There’s so much that I could do with a kitchen like this. I have no idea if he’ll ever let me use it the way it was meant to be used, but as I start to salivate over the smart oven, I can’t help but hope that he does.
A quick rummage through his cupboards and fridge reveals a reality that is actually laughable. If I don’t use this kitchen today, I’m sure to starve. All my options are alcoholic and I value my liver enough to know that I best not turn to alcohol in order to fill my belly.
Eyebrows in a furrow, I search some more because honestly, who doesn’t have actual chewable food?
Was this deliberate? It might very well be.
Maverick has training all day today so there’s no likelihood of him returning soon with sustenance, though let’s be fair, I would probably starve with him here just the same. It’s already been a couple hours and the granola bar I had for breakfast has long since left my stomach.