Ex Beauty Queen

After the chaos of the morning, Mary left the estate, armed with strategies to handle the social media nightmare we had found ourselves in. My father poured me a glass of whiskey.

"Drink up, son," he said, sliding the glass across the table. "So, three weeks for the wedding, huh? You ready to be a married man?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure. I mean, one minute I'm having a greasy burger, and the next, I'm planning a wedding to a woman who thinks my cologne is overwhelming and my suit looks ridiculous."

"She's not wrong," he said, raising his glass. "You did look stupid in the picture."

I groaned, finishing my drink. "Thanks for the pep talk, Dad."

"She's a good girl, Richard,"

"I know, Dad, that's the problem. I don't know if she can handle the pressure. I mean sometimes, I feel like I am going to break her. How is she going to handle a world full of sharks and looking for one opportunity or the other to wreck your reputation,"

"Sounds like you already like this girl," my father smiled and then chuckled. "I am so glad I am retired. I have all the time in the world to watch this unfold,"

I stood up to drop my glass in the kitchen when I heard my mother's voice. I stood behind the door eavesdropping, I have no idea why I did that but I assumed I might get a glimpse of the side Nita refuses to show me.

"I know that this might seem overwhelming and I also know that I haven't been helping with the way I push you… I also know that this marriage isn't something you want… I'm old, not stupid, dear. I just need you to know that Junior is a good boy. He will do right by you. Just, please take care of him for me because he won't let me do it,"

I didn't hear Nita say anything so I walked in just as she gave my mum a hug.

"A hug! You must be feeling generous today. You won't even let me hold you,"

"Well, no holding until the wedding night," my mum snapped and headed out of the kitchen. There was an awkward silence at first before she quietly said

"Wedding night? I totally forgot about that. What are we supposed to do?"

"Take a chill pill, woman! I know what to do, I can teach you…" I teased.

"Don't even play Jun… Richard. We had an agreement," Look at that, she is learning.

"I know, I know. We will work something out, don't worry."

"How can we work something out when it seems like someone is always watching your stupid ass at every corner. What if the press gets suspicious and uncovers our arrangement?"

"Now you are just being paranoid. It's going to be fine. Trust me,"

The rest of the day passed in a blur. At 10pm, my mum chased me out of the house to head to my own house a few blocks down. As I walked to the car, my phone beeped.

Nita: I love your mum more every day. Can she join us on our honeymoon?

Me: You actually think my mum will chase me out after we are married. In three weeks, she'll be requesting for grandchildren.

Nita: shit!

*****

The next morning, the news broke. Numero's heir is getting married. The press was parked in front of the office building. My personal assistant had to open the private entrance for my personal guests to get through.

 Towards lunchtime, I was about to call for lunch when Gwen barged into my office. Our relationship was sort of complicated. She was not my girlfriend, she was just the girl I called to have sex. She was the ex-beauty queen and the influencer for Numero Jewelries.

"Richard!" she snapped, slamming a newspaper on my desk. "Care to explain this?"

I glanced at the headline: "Corporate King Set to Marry Burger Queen."

"Hello to you too, Gwen," I said, leaning back in my chair. "do I have to explain?"

"I had to find out about your engagement from a tabloid? Do I mean that little to you?"

"I am guessing my account balance will be doing the apologizing?" I began, standing up to close the office door. "My mother arranged the engagement … it's a family thing."

"Arranged marriage?"

"You could say that. Can we not discuss personal issues, Gwen? I'll see you during the week. I have a lot of work to catch up on," I said rubbing my forehead.

"Richard, it concerns me too. Are you just going to toss me aside after marriage?" she put a hand on her hips feigning anger.

When did I become so disinterested in Gwen? "I don't think so. If things are going to change, I will let you know."

"Alright, sugar. I'll see you." She planted a kiss on my lips while my door opened and of course, my fiancé was standing there.

"Hey, hi, Nita," I said, as soon as my lips were free.

"Hi to you too," she said, her eyes darting to the paper on my desk. She was dressed in a pair of pants trousers and a suit jacket. She looked like an executive. My mother must have been the one to style her before leaving the house.

Gwen, always wanting to be noticed, introduced herself, extending a hand. "Hi, I'm Gwen. Ex-beauty queen and the face of Numero Jewelries. You are?"

"I'm the burger queen," Nita said flatly, accepting the handshake.

"Excuse me?" Gwen asked,

Nita pointed at the newspaper on my desk, it took almost a minute for Gwen to get it. Sometimes I think the woman exchanged some of her brain cells for beauty.

"Oh!" she mouthed. "Well, nice to meet you,"

"Gwen, thank you for stopping by, I'll see you soon."

Gwen huffed, grabbed her bag, took another look at Nita, and walked out.

"You look amazing," I complimented. She really did, she had her styled in a bun and minimal makeup on.

"and you've got great taste in women, the former beauty queen, are you kidding me?" Nita said, breaking the silence.

"Nita…,"

"I mean seriously. I could lick her skin,"

"Nita, are you gay?"

"uh… what?" she gave me an incredulous look.

"I mean if you are, it's okay. It's just… that would explain so many things. Like the way you flinch when I touch you,"

"Have you been drinking?"

"Come on, you can tell me," I continued. It was getting hard to hold back my laughter.

"Richard, stop playing…,"

"Okay fine. It just seemed like you are more attracted to her than I am," I laughed enjoying her discomfort. "by the way, what are you doing here?"

"Your mum took me shopping and then made me play dress up. I feel like a doll being poked and prodded. So I snuck out of the store while she was getting her hair done and found myself here. I should probably head back before she gets a heart attack when she assumes I have been kidnapped."

"you have to get used to it until the wedding. You are going to get lots of beauty treatments for the engagement and pre-wedding. If you going to be officially introduced as a Numero to be, you going to have to endure it,"

"The things I go through for you…" she smiled and rolled her eyes.

"You can punish me later for it,"

"you bet your sweet ass I will,"

I raised an eyebrow and then she replied, "Oh, grow up!"

*****

I arrived that evening at my parents' house to check on Nita and found Mrs Williams – her mother already there busy with my mum and Nita. They were going through some bridal magazines, the older women didn't notice my entrance, they were in a blissful world of their own. Nita looked in my direction with large eyes and mouthed 'Save me,'.

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders like a child refusing to do as instructed. I cleared my throat and said hi to the woman, Mrs. Williams, looked up at me and said "Oh great, you're here. I have been waiting for you,"

"oh shoot me," I grumbled and Nita chuckled enjoying the instant twist of fate.

"I scheduled you both for your engagement photo shoot and I need you to look at some colors and designs for you. We have only tonight, the designer will have yours ready as soon as you pick something," she pulled me by the arm and dragged me to the floor to browse through magazines.

"I don't think this is my strong suit, just throw me in anything, I approve," I tried to get out of the torture.

"oh, don't be silly. It's your wedding, you get to make your own choices," is it really?

"Look this one will be perfect for you and the background will accentuate the blue suit," my mum suggested. Okay, why the fuck do they need me when they already had their own ideas.

"I mean really, anything you pick out, I am sure will be perfect,"

"I am going in the kitchen for some coffee. Anybody want anything?" Nita said enjoying herself a little bit too much.

"Don't leave me, please," I begged almost sounding like a baby.

"Suffer in silence," she said making the exact shoulder motion I had given her earlier.

Almost an hour later, I was finally free and I had just sat down there and agreed with whatever our mothers chose. I joined Nita in the kitchen who was on her third cup of coffee since I arrived.

"So, photoshoot tomorrow then,"

"I thought you would be used to that. There are loads of pictures of you online,"

"Yeah, but I am not in some fancy studio smiling at a camera and being forced into ridiculous poses."

She smirked, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, come on, Richie. Where's your sense of adventure?"

*****

Early the next day at the studio, we started off with holding hands, sitting positions, pretending to spin her like a ballerina; that one may have ended badly cause she tripped and fell on her ass and I just stood there laughing which earned me a balloon to the head.

The photographer, a middle-aged French man, with a strange sense of fashion kept clicking away at the camera. He was eating every move up.

"Magnifique! Oh, the joy of young love!" he declared, "now, let's spice things up."

"Spice?" Nita echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Are we supposed to reenact Titanic?" I asked.

Nita giggled nervously.

"No, no, no!" the photographer exclaimed. "Mr. Numero, I want you to face Miss Williams, hold her close, hands around her waist, and lean down like you're about to kiss her, you know… just think about your wedding night when looking at her."

I chuckled a bit. If only he knew there would be no wedding night at least in the context he was implying.

I glanced at Nita, whose smile had disappeared and I could see her stiffening.

"Come on, I promise I will make your wedding night everything you always wanted," I said reassuringly knowing she would figure out my real meaning. I held her into position, wrapping my arms around her gently. I stared into her eyes, Just pretend I'm a big, cuddly bear,"

She let out a shaky laugh but didn't relax.

"Now tilt your head back, Ms. Nita," the photographer instructed. "I want you to look in his eyes like you can see his soul, closer to his chest. Perfect, yes, just like that!"

Nita's breathing quickened, and she suddenly stepped away, shaking her head.

"I…I can't, I'm sorry. I can't do this" she stammered before running out of the studio.