The Marriage Deals

Episode4

A Deal with the Devil in Pinstripes

The fancy restaurant ads buzzed around me, but all I could focus on was the infuriating man sitting across the table. Nick f*****g Moretti. Once upon a time, he was my best friend's annoying older brother. Now? He was my soothing husband. Fanfuckingtastic.

I stabbed at my salad, imagining it was his stupidly handsome face. God, when did Nick" Pretty Boy" turn into... this? His jawline could cut glass, and those piercing blue eyes... s**t. No. I wasn't going there.

"You're going to eat that lettuce or murder it, Lex?" Nick's deep voice cut through my internal rant.

I glared at him. ""Don't call me Lex. We're not friends.""

He leaned back, a smirk playing on his lips. ""No, we're not. We're engaged.""

"Don't remind me," I muttered, taking a swig of my overpriced wine. "This whole thing is batshit crazy."

""Crazy or not, it's happening. So we might as well hash out the details.""

I set down my glass harder than necessary. ""Fine. Let's talk about how I'm supposed to play wifey to New York's most eligible douchebag.""

Nick's eyes narrowed. ""Watch it, sweetheart. I'm doing you a favor here.""

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I be on my knees thanking you?"" The words dripped with sarcasm.

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. ""Careful what you offer, Alexa. You might not like what I'd do with you on your knees.""

Heat rushed to my face—from anger or... something else—which I refused to analyze. I hated how easily he got under my skin.

"You wish," I spat back. "I wouldn't touch you with a tenfoot pole."

Nick's laugh was low and dark. ""We'll see about that. A year's a long time to play pretend, baby."

I grated my teeth. A whole f*****g year of this. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

"So," I said, desperate to change the subject. ""Ground rules. How are we selling this sham to the world?""

Nick's eyes glinted. ""Oh, we're going all in. Public dates, lovey-dovey social media posts, the works. You'll be the perfect little spouse.""

"Spouse?" I nearly choked on my wine. "In your dreams, asshole. I have a career, remember?""

He waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. Manager by day, a devoted wife by night. The public eats that shit."

I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they might fall out of my head. "Whatever. As long as it gets my family out of debt, I'll play along. But don't expect me to swoon over your every word."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Nick replied, his tone dripping with false sweetness. "Now, about our... private arrangements."

Oh f**k. Here we go.

"What about them?" I asked warily.

Nick leaned in, his voice low. "I think it's best if we keep things... professional. No need to complicate matters with sex."

I blinked. "You want us to be celibate?" The word felt foreign on my tongue.

"It'll keep things simple," he shrugged. "No messy emotions, no drama."

For a split second, I felt... disappointed. What the actual f**k? I shook it off. "So, you're saying you'll be celibate too, right?"

Nick hesitated, and I knew. I f****d knew.

"Rosella doesn't count," he said quickly. "She understands the situation."

Red-hot anger flooded my veins. "Are you f*****g kidding me? You want me to play the perfect little wife while you screw your sidepiece?"

"Watch your tone," Nick growled, but I was too pissed to care.

"No, you watch it," I hissed, leaning across the table. "If you think I'm going to sit at home like a good little girl while you get your rocks off, you've got another thing coming."

Nick's jaw clenched. "It's not like that. Rosella and I have an understanding."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," I sneered. "Well, here's my understanding. Either we're both in this 100%, or the deal's off. No Rosella, no side pieces, nothing."

"You can't be serious," Nick scoffed.

I crossed my arms. "Try me."

We glared at each other, the tension crackling between us. Finally, Nick let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine," he growled. "No Rosella. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic," I replied dryly. "Now, about living arrangements..."

Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. "We'll need to live together, at least part-time. My penthouse has plenty of space."

I snorted. "Of course you have a penthouse. Let me guess, it's a total bachelor pad."

"It's tastefully decorated," he said defensively.

"Uhhuh. I'm sure." I took another sip of wine. "Well, I'm not living in your man cave. We'll need a new place. Neutral territory."

Nick's eyebrows shot up. "You want me to buy a new apartment just for this charade?"

I shrugged. "You can afford it. Unless you'd rather I move all my stuff into your precious penthouse?"

He visibly shuddered at the thought. "Fine. We'll find a new place. But I get the final say on the location."

"As long as I get to decorate," I countered.

Nick's eyes narrowed. "Within reason. I don't want to live in a PeptoBismol nightmare."

I rolled my eyes. "Please. I have taste, unlike some people."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

A wicked grin spread across my face. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about all those Yankees posters I'm sure you have plastered everywhere."

Nick's expression darkened. "Don't start with the baseball s**t again."

"What? Can't you handle a little friendly rivalry?" I taunted.

"The Yankees are superior in every way, and you know it," he shot back.

I gasped in mock horror. "How dare you! The Mets are New York's true team."

"Keep dreaming, sweetheart."

"Oh, I will. And while I'm at it, I'll be dreaming of burning every piece of Yankees merchandise you own."

Nick's eyes flashed dangerously. "You wouldn't dare."

I leaned in, my voice a challenge. "Try me, Moretti."

For a moment, I thought he might actually lunge across the table at me. But then, to my utter shock, he burst out laughing.

"Jesus Christ, Alexa," he chuckled. "You're something else."

I blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift. "Um, thanks?"

Nick shook his head, still grinning. "Tell you what? I won't wear any Yankees gear in the new place if you promise not to fill it with Mets crap."

"Deal," I said quickly before he could change his mind.

Nick must have felt it too because he quickly cleared his throat. "Right. So, living arrangements are settled. What's next on the agenda?"

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "The wedding."

Nick's expression sobered. "Ah. That."

"Yeah, that," I echoed. "How big of a spectacle are we talking about here?"

He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up in a way that was definitely not attractive. Nope. Not at all.

"It needs to be convincing," he said slowly. ""But not overthrow. We don't want people questioning why it's so elaborate when we've only been 'dating' for a short time."

I nodded. "Agreed. A small ceremony, maybe? Close friends and family only?"

"That could work," Nick mused. "We'll need to come up with a good story about how we got together, though."

I snorted. "What, 'I've secretly been in love with my best friend's brother for years' isn't good enough for you?"

Nick's eyes locked onto mine, something unreadable flickering in their depths. "Is that so?"

My heart skipped a beat. s**t. "I was joking, dumbass."

He smirked. "Sure you were."

"f**k off," I muttered, feeling my cheeks heat up. "It was just an example."

"Mhm." Nick leaned back, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Well, we can workshop the details later. For now, let's focus on the basics. Small ceremony, intimate reception. We'll need to be convinced."

I raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Meaning," Nick said, his voice dropping low, ""we'll need to act like we can't keep our hands off each other. Think you can handle that, Lex?""

The way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. I hated it. I hated him. I hated this whole f*****g situation.

"I'm an excellent actress," I replied coolly. "Question is, can you keep up?"

Nick's eyes darkened. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm always up for a challenge.""

The double meaning wasn't lost on me. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the heat pooling in my stomach.

"Good," I said, proud of how steady my voice sounded. "Because this is going to be the performance of a lifetime."

Nick nodded, his expression serious. "Agreed. We can't afford for anyone to suspect this isn't real. The stakes are too high."

Reality came crashing back down. Right. This wasn't some twisted game. This was about saving my family from financial ruin. About securing Nick's position in his father's company. We both had too much to lose if this fell apart.

"So," I said, forcing myself to focus. "What's our timeline looking like?"

Nick pulled out his phone, scrolling through his calendar. "We should aim for a wedding date about three months from now. That gives us enough time to plan and for the news of our relationship 'to spread."

I nodded. "Okay. And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime," Nick said, looking up at me, "we are dating. Publicly. Often."

Great. Just f*****g great.

"Fine," I sighed. "But I have conditions."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"One, we alternate who plans the dates. I'm not letting you drag me to stuffy galas and boring business dinners every night."

He rolled his eyes but nodded. "Fair enough. What else?"

"Two, we each get one veto per week. If there's something we absolutely can't stand, we can call it off. Within reason."

"Agreed," Nick said. "Anything else?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah. One more thing. If we're doing this—really doing this—I need to know I can trust you."

Nick's expression softened, just a fraction. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," I said, meeting his gaze, "no more secrets. No hidden agendas. We're in this together, for better or worse. I need to know you've got my back."

For a long moment, Nick just stared at me. I felt exposed and vulnerable. But I held my ground.

Finally, he nodded. "Okay. No secrets. You have my word."

Relief flooded through me. "Good. Then we have a deal."

Nick raised his glass. "To unholy matrimony?"

Despite everything, I found myself smirking. I clinked my glass against his. "To unholy matrimony."

As we drank, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd just made a deal with the devil. A very handsome, infuriating devil in a perfectly tailored suit.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

The rest of dinner passed in a blur of logistics and thinly veiled insults. By the time the waiter cleared our plates, I was exhausted.

"One more thing," Nick said as we stood to leave. "We should probably practice."

I frowned. "Practice what?"

Before I could react, Nick's arm snaked around my waist, pulling me flush against him. His breath was hot against my ear as he whispered, "This."

My body betrayed me, melting into his touch even as my mind screamed in protest. I looked up, ready to tell him off, but the words died in my throat.

Nick's eyes were dark, intense. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

"You okay there, Lex?" He murmured a hint of amusement in his voice.

I snapped out of it, shoving him away. "I'm fine. Just... warn a girl next time, would you?"

Nick chuckled. "Where's the fun in that?"

As we walked out of the restaurant, his hand resting possessively on the small of my back, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was way over my head.

This was going to be a long f*****g year.