Desperate Measures Required Mr. Jacobs
1818 Words
Josephine Brooks
I gathered the plates on the table and made a decision I was going to regret.
"Nikolai." I kept my voice completely even. "Come help me with the desserts." I met his eyes. "Unless you've suddenly forgotten how to be useful."
Leo snorted.
“I didn’t realize I was taking instructions from you now.” Nikolai responded, setting his glass down
My dad shot us a look. “I believe there was an agreement, something about behaving like civilized people for just one evening?”
Nikolai gave me a firm smile. “Lead the way.”
I turned without waiting for him, my pulse already picking up.
This was it. I couldn’t believe I was going to ask him to marry me
No backing out now.
My heart pounded so loud that I thought they could all hear it. I half walked, half skipped to the kitchen and waited for Nikolai
I moved things that didn't need moving and rehearsed four different ways to say it. None of them were good. I should've kept the rose.
Then again, neither of them deserved it.
He finally walked into the kitchen and leaned on the counter as he watched me busy myself in my nervousness.
“Where’s the dessert? Don’t tell me you dragged me here to organize the cutlery.”
I turned to him, noticing three buttons of his shirt were undone, the dark hair on his chest doing absolutely nothing for my concentration.
It was fine. I was fine.
“Jo?”
I blinked and dragged my eyes back up to his. “Yes.”
“You’ve been tense since I saw you. Look at your shoulders. What’s wrong?”
“Oh please. Don’t act like you care.” I talked back, folding my arms.
He opened his mouth to defend himself, maybe throw something back, I don’t know because he closed it and took a breath.
“Just tell me what’s wrong.”
My heart was doing a frantic tap-dance against my ribs.
“You said you needed a wife.”
“Yeah?” His expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes did.
“Well, I found one for you.”
His brows spiked up. “Who?”
I held his gaze, there was still time to pretend I had dragged him here for the desserts.
“Marry me, Nikolai Jacobs.” I said after rehearsing multiple ways to ask in my head and finally going with this one.
For a second, I thought he hadn’t heard me, then his brows drew together slightly. “Excuse me?”
He got up fully from the counter, towering over me, his eyes looking at me in disbelief and something else I couldn’t name.
“You’ve lost your mind.” He said, immediately heading for the door like he was trying to get out of a danger zone.
I held his large palms, struggling to pull him back. “Wait. Just listen to me.”
He stopped but refused to turn around, my hand still holding his.
“You need stability for your custody case. I need a husband for my trust. This solves both problems.” I explained.
He turned around and I stepped back letting go of his hand. “What do you mean you need a husband for your trust?”
I pushed my hair back. “Okay. Before I tell you, I need you to promise not to tell my dad. You know his health condition and I don’t want to bother him.”
His face seemed to melt with concern. “Jo, start talking.”
“Promise you won’t tell him.”
“Fine. I won’t. What’s the problem?”
I told him about the condition of the foundation and what was at stake and the requirement to get my trust fund.
“Jo. You should’ve called me, sent a text or email. I could’ve sent you a check.” He stepped forward
“Drop the act please. I really don’t want your charity. And even if I did, how long are you going to keep donating?” I sighed and stepped back from him as we were too close for my liking. I needed his help, I shouldn’t be trying to piss me him off.
“Look. The only way you can help me is by marrying me.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Josephine, I can’t. I cannot marry you. Your dad will literally maim me and you’re… you’re a child.”
“Oh for goodness sake, Nikolai. I’m twenty three.” I snapped. “And my dad doesn’t have to know. Just do this one thing for me please. I just need to be married for a year and you get a wife you need for your custody. If there was anyone else who was over seventy million rich I could ask, I wouldn’t be standing here.”
He paced the kitchen, his hands in his hair. “This is insane.”
“I know. But it won't be a real marriage. We’d draft the contract for one year. We don’t even have to see each other every day.”
“And what happens when the contract is over?”
“We walk away. We both get what we want.”
His voice dropped to a conniving whisper. “Okay let’s assume I…agree to this. By the time your one-year marriage ends, my custody case begins.”
“…So?”
“So a one-year marriage followed by a divorce makes me look worse, not better. It tells the court I can’t keep a woman. That my home is unstable. That my son shouldn’t live with me.”
“Fuck.” I didn’t think of that. I bit my lip, pacing around. “Okay. Then we won’t let the marriage end.”
“What?!”
“Hear me out. I could find you a wife during the one year of the contract. I’d matchmake you and hopefully you’d find a woman you like and after the one year contract she would replace me and it would be like I was never—.”
I paused just for a second because the words I was about to utter somehow left a feeling in my chest.
Then I forced a shrug. “—like I was never there.”
His lips twitched and he took a step toward me and I should’ve stepped back but I didn’t and I didn’t know. It felt like my legs were frozen in place.
The space between us was so close that our shoes were almost touching. My pulse pounded in my ears, this time not from the nervousness of proposing to him.
My eyes landed on his exposed chest again. Curse his muscular frame.
The last time we were this close, I was nineteen and had just made the worst decision of my life.
“This is so insane. I could list a million things that are and could go wrong with this and…”
I lifted my head to look at his eyes. “..Please?”
He ran his hand over his face. “God, you’re trouble.” He muttered, his eyes lingering on my lips before meeting my eyes.
He paced the room and then stopped. “Fine. I’ll do it. Only because those kids need your help. And your dad should know nothing of this arrangement or we’re dead. Deal?”
I released a thankful breath, my lips breaking into a smile. “Deal. Thank you for the one good thing you’re about to do for me.”
He scoffed. “I’m doing you a favour, you should be nice to me.”
“This is the nicest I can go. Really.” I responded, not letting my eyes stray. “You’re still insufferable.”
“Fair enough. I have to do this right. Josephine Fred Brooks, will you marry me?” he asked
Two proposals in one day. To anyone who didn’t know better, I was living the dream.
“You’re not going to get on your knees?”
“Don’t push it.” He replied and I pressed my lips together before answering: “Yes.”
We stood there for a moment that had no name. Then I cleared my throat and reached for my phone. “Let me call the trust fund lawyer."
He nodded and went back to lean on the counter while I dialed Arthur
“Arthur,” I said the second he picked up. “I found someone.”
There was a pause. Then, “That was fast.”
“I’m hot like that,” I muttered. “We’re getting married tomorrow. So… you can start counting the one year from the date, right?”
“Of course. What time would it be tomorrow? I’d have to be a witness.”
I glanced at Nikolai. Mouthed: “nine?”
He shook his head. “Ten”
“Ten am.” I replied
“Okay then. Text me the address for the wedding and the house address where you both would stay together.”
What?
“House address?” I mumbled, my panic looking at Nikolai
“Yes.There will be periodic checks,” he continued. “The board will want to confirm that the marriage is legitimate.”
I frowned. “Define ‘checks.’”
“They may visit. Ask questions. Observe your living situation.”
My grip tightened around my phone.
“You’ll be residing together, of course?”
Of course.
Of course I would.
Because why wouldn’t my life get worse?
“They can come anytime?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“And ask anything?”
“Yes.”
“And expect us to know answers about each other?”
“That would be the expectation, yes.”
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
“I’ll call you back,” I said, already ending the call before he could ruin my life any further.
I turned slowly.
Nikolai was still standing there, arms crossed now, watching me like I was about to say something he wouldn’t like.
“What did he say?” he asked.
I exhaled. “We have a problem.”
His jaw tightened. “What now?”
I pointed vaguely between us. “Apparently, this has to look real. Very real.”
“That was the plan.”
“No, I mean real real.” I ran a hand through my hair. “They can show up anytime. Ask questions. Observe. We have to know things about each other. Personal things.”
He went still.
“And?” he asked.
“And…I have to move in with you.”
His expression turned to pure horror.
“You’re moving in with Nik?”
We both turned and there was Leo standing in the doorway waiting for me to answer
Could the universe please just grant me a single hour of peace?
- Writer
