Married at First Sight

NOAH

Noah looked up when Barry told him to and he couldn’t believe his eyes. She was beautiful, dark-haired, and slender, but she kept her eyes down, not looking at him or anyone else.

He was so busy feeling sorry for himself that he never thought about how she must have felt about the arranged marriage.

She looked like a wounded sparrow being dragged to her death by her father as they walked toward him.

A twinge of guilt coursed through his veins when he thought of what her life was going to be like living with him.

CORA

Before her father walked her up the aisle, Cora tried once again to talk him out of making her marry a stranger, but he refused to consider it.

She wouldn’t even look up at the man she was about to marry, not even throughout the ceremony.

It was only when they were pronounced husband and wife and he was told he could kiss the bride that she looked at him.

She felt his strong hands cupping her face, and it was then that she looked into his eyes when he kissed her. It wasn’t a soft peck on the lips. It was a deep, passionate one.

She was in shock, not having expected him to do that. But the worst part was how her body reacted. She felt a strange pulsating sensation in her lower region.

Even her heart was pounding inside her chest, and her legs felt weak.

He laced her arm through his as they made their way past the guests, getting congratulations along the way. Then it was time for the pictures to be taken.

He glanced at her and whispered in her ear. “Can you at least try to smile while they take our picture?”

“I have nothing to smile about,” she replied. But then, she did put a fake smile on her face.

After it was over, Noah needed a drink. “I’m going to get myself a scotch, can I get you something?”

“I don’t drink,” she said, not looking at him.

He walked away and over to Barry and asked the bartender for a scotch on the rocks. “I really needed this,” he said, swallowing it and asking for another one.

“Your bride is very beautiful, and I bet you weren’t expecting her to be.”

“I’ll admit she is, but she’s not my type.”

Barry turned to look at him. “If I had to marry her I don’t think I would be able to keep my hands off of her. I can’t see you sleeping in the same bed and not being tempted to make love to her.”

“I have amazing self-control. It won’t be a problem.”

“What if she expects you to fulfill your husbandly duties?”

He looked over at Cora and back at Barry. “Then she will be out of luck. I will let her know right away that I will not consummate the marriage.”

“What do you hope to gain by that?”

“I’m hoping she will get fed up and ask for a divorce. My father can’t say anything if she’s the one to break the marriage, so he won’t be able to blame me.”

He nudged Barry when he saw dinner was about to start. “We better get over there.”

During dinner, they sat side by side but never spoke a word to each other. No one even noticed; all were busy eating and drinking and having fun.

Only both sets of parents knew what was going on and were not happy with the way the newlyweds were behaving.

When it was time to cut the cake, Noah stood behind her. His arms went around her, and with his hand over hers, they sliced into the cake.

His lips were close to her ears. “Smile, wifey, or everyone will think you are mad at me.”

Once again she put on a fake smile and spoke quietly so that only he could hear. “If only they knew how I’d rather slice out your heart instead of the cake.”

Even saying this, she couldn’t help but feel goosebumps rise on her body from being in his arms and from his warm breath on her neck.

“Oh my, you are one hot-tempered little lady. I think I better not turn my back on you when we’re in bed together.”

Seeing the look of horror on her face, he chuckled and kissed her cheek before letting her go.

As he walked away from her, he couldn’t help smiling. He knew he was having an effect on her when he saw how her chest was heaving.

A little later, his father walked over to him. “Go get your bride, son. It’s time for the two of you to start off the dance.”

Rolling his eyes, he looked over at Barry. “I guess I better get back to the ball and chain.” Reluctantly, he went over to where she was sitting with a group of women and held out his hand to her.

“It’s time for our first dance, sweetheart.”

She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. But instead, she put on a smile and took his hand as they went over to the dance area.

“There is no need to hold me so close,” she said when she felt him pulling her closer against him.

He kept a smile on his face when he spoke to her. “Oh, I disagree. You see, we have to put on a show for everyone. So look at me and give me your sweetest smile.”

“No,” she replied, and refused to look at him. She swallowed the lump in her throat when she felt his hand moving slowly up and down her back, giving her goosebumps.

Even she couldn’t deny how very attractive and sexy he was with his dark looks. His scent was intoxicating.

If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine what it would be like to be his wife in every sense of the word.

But having watched him and the way he was with other women, she had a feeling that he was a bit of a player.

The women were all drooling over him and whenever they got close, they would flirt with him. He really seemed to enjoy it. If only there was some way of getting out of this marriage.

Once the other guests started getting up to dance, he released her and said he was going to get another drink at the bar. Before she could sit down, Barry came over and asked her for a dance.

“I must say that my buddy is a very lucky man. You are a very beautiful woman. I imagine you will miss Greece once you move to France.”

“Yes, I will miss it very much. I’ve lived here all of my life.”

“I suppose you’ll also miss your friends and family.”

“I don’t really have any friends, and I’m sure that my parents will come to visit often.”

He looked at her face and could see how sad she was. “Surely you must have some friends.”

She shook her head. “I’ve never really been anywhere to make friends. I was homeschooled my whole life and the only time I went anywhere was with my parents.”

He couldn’t help but feel sorry for this woman. She had been kept a prisoner in her home, away from the outside. “I’m sure that once you get to France you will meet people and make lots of friends.”

“If my new husband will allow me to.”

“Noah may be a lot of things, but he is not one to keep you from making friends. Look, I know this is an arranged marriage and that neither one of you wanted it.

“But there is one thing I can guarantee you. He will never lay a hand on you in anger.”

NOAH

When the dance ended, she went and sat back down. Barry went back over to where Noah was talking to a redhead. A few minutes later, she walked away, leaving the two men alone to talk.

“So, I saw you talking to my wife, I hope you were singing my praises.”

“I did talk to her. She’s really a nice person and I feel sorry for the way she grew up. She was telling me how she was homeschooled and wasn’t allowed to have friends.

“I assured her that you would not stop her from having friends if she chose to.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “Sounds to me like you’ve got a bit of a thing for my new bride.”

“Not in the way you’re thinking, but I do like her. I hope you don’t hurt her. She’s very shy and naive, so please try to take it easy on her.”

“You’re my friend, but that doesn’t give you the right to tell me how to handle my wife. Now if you will excuse me, I have a cute little redhead waiting to have a dance with me.”

As the night progressed, the drinks were flowing, the music playing, and everyone was having a great time, except for Cora.

Not many paid attention to her, not even the man she’d just married. She felt invisible, which made her even sadder than she already was.

It was getting late. It would soon be time for the newlyweds to jump on the jet which was taking them to Spain for their honeymoon.

Before that was to happen, Oscar asked to speak to Noah in private. They went inside the house and were given permission to use Adonis’s office.

With another drink in his hand, Noah leaned up against the wall. “If you brought me in here to tell me about the birds and the bees, I already know, so save your breath.”

“Always a smart-ass, aren’t you son? I brought you in here to have a talk with you about your future. I want you to treat your bride right.

“Be nice to her, show her the sights when you get to Spain. Make love to her, let her know how special she is.”

“Father, you forced me into this marriage and I went along with it. But you cannot force me to make love to a woman I don’t want to.

“We may be married, but it doesn’t mean that I am going to consummate the marriage.”

Oscar started pacing back and forth, sporting a smirk on his face. “That’s where you’re wrong, son. You will make love to her and plant your seed inside her.”

Noah stood up straight, anger flashing in his eyes when he looked at his father. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’ve watched you for years running around with different women, young women, married women. You’ve embarrassed the hell out of me and your mother.

“It’s time you settled down and became a family man. I want a grandson, and since you are my only son, I expect you to give me one.

“I don’t have much confidence that you can run my businesses on your own. With the right influence and upbringing, your son—my grandson—will become your partner.

“It’s already in my will that if something happens to me, the two of you will split everything fifty-fifty.”

Noah was so angry that his father had tricked him that he wanted to strangle him. “What if it’s a girl?”

“Then you will keep trying for a boy.”

“What if they’re all girls?”

“I don’t give a damn if you have ten girls before you have one son.”

Noah started laughing out of anger. “So what happens if I have more than one boy?”

“The firstborn son will be the one to inherit. Now get out there and show your bride some affection before it’s time for you to leave.”

Noah stormed out of the room and went outside. He headed right toward the bar and ordered a double scotch on the rocks.

Barry came over and placed his hand on his shoulder. “You look like you want to kill somebody.”

“Yeah, my father.”

“What the hell is he up to now?”

Noah swallowed his drink, asking for another one. He then told Barry everything that his father said.

“He couldn’t tell you this before you married her?”

“That prick knew that I would not go along with the wedding if he had told me ahead of time.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Well, I’m not going to impregnate her just to please him. But he doesn’t have to know that.

“If he asks me later on why she’s not getting pregnant, I’ll just lie and say that I’m trying but it’s not happening.” He looked around and realized that it was time for them to say their goodbyes.

“Damn it, I guess it’s time for me to go. What the hell am I supposed to do with her for a week in Spain?”

“Well don’t be a prick to her. Take her sightseeing, to see some plays and some nice restaurants. Go shopping, dance, go to the beach and try to enjoy yourself.”

Hearing what his friend said, Noah just scoffed. The thought of entertaining Cora for a week was not something he was looking forward to.

After they said their goodbyes and all the hugs and congratulations were given, they got into the limousine still in their wedding outfits.

They headed toward the airport, where his father’s jet was waiting for them. It was only about a three-hour flight to where they were going, so they didn’t bother to change their clothes.

Neither one spoke to the other. Oh, it was going to be a long flight for these newlyweds. Once they arrived, their luggage was put on the plane.

Noah followed behind Cora as they walked up the steps to go inside. The first thing he did was go over to the bar and pour himself a double scotch.