The Contract Marriage

______________________ . . . Christina John's brand new blood-red heels clicked loudly as she walked along the silent corridor, escorted by a waitress. She stopped in front of a private room and pushed open the large double doors. "Your guest has arrived, Sir." She announced to whoever was inside and showed Christina in. Christina stepped into the room, eyes taking in the black couch and the man seated at the center of it, just the silhouette, his face in the darkness. She removed her coat and stepped closer to the window which overlooked a well-maintained garden. "I hope I didn't make you wait for too long." She murmured. "Not really" Trent Black replied standing up with his hands in his pocket. He turned towards the waitress, nodding at her to be on her way. Trent extended his hand. "Trent Black." Christina turned to him with a smile and raised eyebrows. "I am aware." She took a step towards him and accepted his hand, giving it one firm shake before letting it go. "I think most of Los Angeles is. I am Christina John, by the way." Trent smirked. "I am sure every straight man and Gay woman in Los Angeles is aware of the supermodel." "Ex-supermodel." Christina corrected as she sat down, gesturing for him to do the same on the couch he had previously occupied. A dining table with two wine glasses and an unopened bottle of expensive wine separated them. "I am sure they might have informed you that I will not be working after the... you know." "Straight to the point I see." Trent grinned as he occupied the other couch. A waiter walked in with the menus and the two settled in their seats as he placed the menus in front of them and scurried away after serving the wine. "May I offer to order for the both of us? As the owner, I am well aware of the best delicacies." He gave her a flirtatious grin. "I am one of your frequent patrons." Christina met him shoulder to shoulder. "I am pretty confident that my taste is quite impeccable, like that in hotels." "Still, let me do the honor." He pressed. "Our chef's special steak goes amazingly well with this wine." Christina decided to drop it and nodded "I have nothing against steak. As long as it is well done." "Great." Trent snapped his fingers and the butler scurried back in, taking the order and leaving just like that. "I suppose you talked with your parents yesterday?" Trent took a sip of his wine. "Yep, and I have come to the conclusion that they are trying to barter me off in exchange of a business deal. Me and the company that rightfully belongs to me." Trent chuckled at that as he bit the tip of his finger. "Considering how you reached out to me yesterday, I guessed that might have been what you must have concluded. I have come to the same conclusion, darling, so I am all ears." Christina smiled. "So that means I don't have to beat around the bush, doesn't it?" Trent nodded. Another sip of his wine and a delicate nod at his excellent drink. "J and Co. belongs to me and Black Industries belongs to you. As simple as that. We don't have to sit back and let them make it b*****b Industries or whatever." Trent splurted his wine back into the glass at Christina's words. "BJ." She clarified. "How tackier can it get?" "We can petition for JB." He grinned. "With 'baby baby baby oh' as the tagline." She rolled her eyes as she sang. Trent laughed, his eyes sparkling. This one was a spitfire. "So as we know it, our parents have laid out the same deal in front of us." Trent spoke. "Either get married and merge the companies or have no company at all." Christina nodded, taking the first sip of her wine. "And you aren't actually interested in your father's empire." Trent was surprised. "I follow you, Mr. Black. I have seen the interviews." Christina clarified. "You only care about your own empire - The Felicity Hotel Chains." Felicity was the name of his late mother. "And you have been called the Captain of a sinking ship." Trent supplied. Christina shrugged. "I don't care what others call it. My grandfather ground his bones to build this empire and I am not letting my alcoholic father bring it to the ground." "And this marriage is his last attempt at fixing this mess." Trent nodded. The butler wheeled in the food and served it to the table, refilled the glasses and left. All the while, the two remained quiet. But as soon as he left, Trent started to speak again. "But as you have already learnt about me, I have no interest." Christina gave him one more moment to speak but when he made no such attempt, she tilted her head and raised a brow. "But?" She supplied. "But nothing." Trent smiled at her as he cut into his steak. Christina smirked as she mirrored his actions. "If there was nothing, then we wouldn't be here, Mr. Black." Trent poked the inside of his cheek. She had a point and he realized she was not any ordinary woman with whom he could play games. "My father has threatened to destroy my said empire." Trent sighed. "It is his legacy I should be continuing. Not one of his women's." "The male ego." "Uh-huh." "That's one d**k move." "Uh-huh." "Excellent." She murmured. "What?" Trent was confused for a moment. "The steak. Excellent." She smiled. "I think we both already know this is a done deal." Trent smiled. "You get to keep your company and fix it and I get to protect mine. Who knows, we might even build a multinational empire that no one can touch. We both have other options but none of them has the same benefits that this union could give us. I am counting on you to run my Dad's company after the merger actually." "You have everything already made up in your mind, don't you?" Christina chuckled, dabbing her lips with her napkin. "Sweetheart, we both know your intentions are just the same." Trent's blue eyes shone brightly. "It's one solid plan. The only turn-off is the part about your s*x life. I don't think I am okay with you continuing that after marriage." "Sweetheart, are the rumors about you flipping every guy in town true?" She mimicked his tone. He grinned. "Are you saying..." "I don't sleep with every guy I talk to in a club. I just happen to like making connections. You have done a background sweep I am sure. Every place I go either is frequented by people of the modeling world or the business world. I don't need to jump their bones to make an impression. If I say so myself." Trent nodded in agreement. She was damn right about that. She did not need to bat her lashes to get people to do what she wanted. He waited for her to continue. "Besides, who said it will have to be an actual marriage?" Trent's eyes glinted at the question. "What exactly are you hinting at?" "You don't see movies or read books?" Christina chuckled. "A contractual marriage is what I am talking about. To the outside world, we will be married and 'in love'. A power couple ruling over the biggest business empire in the West Coast. But inside the house, we will be just roommates. Two people sharing a house. No one else has to know. That's my deal to you. We fake it until we both have all that we want." "I will have to think about it." Trent knew he had nothing to think about. The woman had given him all the solution that he needed but he still needed to make himself appear less desperate. "Take your time." Christina got up, keeping the napkin down on the table. "Meanwhile, I have places to be." She picked up her coat and walked towards the door. Trent stopped her. "Or maybe we can go ahead with the plan." Maybe he was that desperate. Christina smiled to herself as her hand hovered over the door knob. "On one condition." "That is?" She turned to him. "My legal advisor will make the contract." "Don't your father and you have the same legal firm?" Christina was aware of everything that needed to be known. "She won't leak it. She is my best friend." He let her know. Christina nodded. "Then I guess that lets my best friend know too." He shrugged. "As long as he or she can keep his or her mouth shut." Christina smiled. "She knows to keep her secrets." "Great. Then how about we see next week in my office to go through the contract?" The gears in Trent's mind were spinning and fast. He knew what he wanted and he was going for it. Christina nodded and then turned back to the door but then turned again. "For the record, I have been with only two men in my entire life, and one of them was puppy love which did not involve anything sexual." Trent laughed. "For some reason, I find it hard to believe." He raked her from head to toe. The woman was a goddess, with soft blond hair and big blue eyes, and it was hard to believe that only one man had gotten to worship her. "Suit yourself." She scoffed which made him laugh more. "And for the record, I am straight as a pole." "Huh." Trent grinned at feigned disbelief. "Get out of here!" He waved her off. Christina grinned back. "Bye Trent." She called him by his first name for the first time and he loved the way his name rolled off her tongue. "Until next week." . . . _________________________