Married by Mistake

Karen's POV

I woke up with a slight headache, I slowly got off the bed. Yawning, I looked at the other side of the bed. Emily was already awake, she was obviously thinking, her hair was messy and it looked like she had a nightmare.

"Good morning." I greeted her with a smile.

She didn't seem to hear me. I yawned loudly again and covered my mouth, this time she looked at me with a smile. "Morning."

Emily was my best friend from high school and wanted to stay in my house before she could find an apartment, I agreed to it because her aunt had maltreated her for a very long time.

"How was your night?" I asked her pensively.

She stood up and walked to the door. "I'm fine, I'm sorry for sleeping in your room. I was just scared last night." She answered and walked out of my room.

I walked into the bathroom and splashed water on my face, I slowly turned on the shower and had a quick bath.

Coming out of the bathroom, I slumped down on the sofa. I needed a job, I couldn't just stay without getting a job, I was almost getting used to the insults from my friends.

I stood up and opened the wardrobe beside me, I brought out a short blue gown and wore it. I didn't even bother looking at my face in the mirror. I stepped out of my room and went straight to the parlor.

I was surprised to meet Emily chatting with Henry. I thought they were both enemies, Henry was my neighbor and we were close friends until Emily started living in my house.

"Good morning." He said when he saw me.

"Hi," I simply replied and frowned. "When did you guys become friends?" I asked, surprised.

He folded his hands and tutted in disbelief. "I was always friends with Emily."

I blew out an exasperated sigh. "Great!" I replied and sat down on the sofa, they did the same and I tried to avoid his gaze.

"You don't have to be a sad bitch." Muttered Henry.

"I'm not sad." I defended, aghast.

"You should cheer up. I'm hosting a party this evening in my apartment, you should come." He advised.

"I love parties." My face brightened up as I smiled.

"Of course, you'd love parties," Emily said and let out a little sigh. "The party's going to be a bummer." She added.

"A bummer?" Henry asked, slightly offended. "It's going to be fun, there are going to be lots of rich men." He added giggling.

"Rich men?" I asked and chuckled. "You didn't have to add that because you and I know that they won't attend your party." I replied.

He cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed. "I'm going to surprise you on that day." He answered and stood up.

I grimaced.

"I can't wait to see the surprise." I shot him an annoyed look as he walked towards the door.

"Are you going already?" Emily asked.

"I can't cope with her, I don't want to see you at my party again." He said through gritted teeth.

"I love money, I don't attend low budget parties." I replied genuinely and he walked outside angrily.

I blew out a long breath and relaxed on the sofa. "I can't believe that Henry's asking me to come to his party without proper invitation." I said and she laughed.

"I'll go to his party, I'm sure it's going to be fun, you should come." Emily replied and stood up. "I don't think it's a good idea to go to his party, he doesn't have a house of his own, he stays in a rented apartment like us." I reminded her.

"We're also staying in a rented apartment, remember?"

"We're ladies, men should work hard not us," I answered and stood up. "I booked an apartment with my therapist, I'll be going over to his office."

She frowned and folded her hands. "You're going over to Mr Bill, I thought we agreed not to see that man?" She asked, a little fake sarcastic amusement drawn across her face.

A raspy breath scratched my throat. "I didn't say that, I still hang out with Bill. I love how he thinks, I would have wanted to marry him but he's already married." I answered, a little bit sluttering.

I walked into my bedroom and did a quick make-up. I picked up my phone and placed it in my bag, I yawned before walking out of the door.

Heading downstairs, I found her watching a horror movie. "Emily, I'm going already, take care of yourself." I said.

"I'm not your pet or your child." She reminded me and I frowned.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You shouldn't be watching horror films alone, you might as well find a psycho killer in your home."

"I won't, horror films are not real."

"Aren't you going to eat before you go?" She asked.

"There's no food in the house except the leftover pancakes, I left them for you." I answered with a smile.

She smiled. "I'll be sure to pray for you." She replied with sarcasm in her voice.

Picking up my bag, I headed for the door, I took a glance at her before walking out of the door. "Where are you going?" Henry asked as soon as I saw him washing his car.

"I'm going to my therapist office." I answered.

He continued to stare at me, watching me through his beautiful eyes. "I'm also going somewhere, I can take you there." He suggested. The light smile playing on my lips faded immediately, a smirk played in my lips as I stroked my chin.

"You're washing your car." I told him with a smirk.

"It's best if I drive you." He urged quietly.

I blinked. "I don't want to spoil my chances of getting a billionaire husband." I replied and walked out of the gate.

***********

I heard a man's low, husky voice as I stepped through the arched front door of the building in the Dallastown area.

It was Mr Bill, my handsome therapist. He seemed to smile when he saw me. "Call me back, I'm with a client." He told whoever he spoke to on the phone as he saw me.

Spoken like a true workaholic, I thought as I walked into his office.

"Miss Karen, I'm surprised to meet you, I didn't know you'd be coming." He said and I smiled.

"I always come when I need money, you seem to have the inspiration I need, we both love money and you know that." I replied and we chuckled.

"Have a seat." He offered as I pulled a chair and sat down. For a moment, the only thing we could do was to stare at each other. I had a crush on Bill since high school before he got married and became a therapist.

He was my senior in high school who always stood by me and protected me against bullies. "You remember Laura?" He asked, breaking the silence. I nodded.

How could I forget Laura? Someone who made my life miserable in high school.

"She got married during the weekend." He added and I smiled.

"Really, I feel everyone's getting married but yet, I'm not still married to a man of my choice." I told him trying to stop myself from crying.

He reached out and ruffled my hair. "I have a contract for you." He muttered.

Karen's POV

He smoothed his silk tie against his crisply ironed shirt. "You'll surely get married, you should probably explore before getting married." He suggested.

I chuckled. Folding my hands in front of me, I stared at his handsome face wondering why he got married without inviting me to his wedding. "I'm certainly angry with you." I muttered.

He frowned, his expression troubled. "Why?" He asked me.

"Why didn't you invite me to your wedding?" I demanded, aghast.

He laughed. "I knew you had a crush on me, it won't be the best time to invite you to my wedding."

"Your wife's lucky, I wish I was the one who got married to you." The words pooped out of my mouth before I could control myself.

He looked at me and sighed. "You caused everything." He reminded me. He was totally right, I lied to him that I didn't love him when he asked me two years ago. I didn't know what to tell him, I wanted to tell him the truth but I later figured out that he had plans to marry another lady.

We exchanged uneasy glances. He stood up and walked towards the door, he stepped outside to make sure no one could hear our conversation before shutting the door behind him. He went back to his seat and looked at me.

"What brought you back to me?" He asked dryly.

"I need money."

He chuckled. "Your love for money is out of this world."

He knew what I wanted. He knew my preference and I giggled excitedly. "Of course, money is exactly what I love."

He looked surprised but pleased. "Well, there's a huge contract now," He said and paused. He folded his arms in front of him. I felt restless, I wanted to know of the contract. "A rich billionaire's family is coming to town and he needs someone who will pretend to be his girlfriend for the meantime." He added and I frowned.

"For how much?" I asked.

"I haven't asked him for the price yet but considering the fact that he's a billionaire, it should be a great deal and it would be good if you can pretend to be his girlfriend." He answered reluctantly.

Maybe he was jealous? I thought.

Standing up, I walked over to the windows, I looked at the streets before walking towards my chair.

"So what's his name?" I asked.

"Maybe Brody, I don't know his other name, he just told me Brody for security reasons." He answered seriously.

"So he wants to hire a woman?"

He chuckled. "If you put it that way."

I studied Bill's face, noting the ray of sun across his nose and cheeks and his wonderful smile which always seemed to melt me. "I'm not interested." I replied.

"Can I know your reason?" He asked, obviously confused. Looking at him, his face seemed to glow in my eyes, I avoided his gaze almost immediately.

"Maybe I'm scared." I answered.

I looked at his face, his brow furrowed. "You're confusing me, scared of what?"

"I don't want to lose you."

"I'm married." He reminded me.

Must he always remind me that he was married, I wanted to just forget about him but I loved him.

He chuckled. "It's not funny." I replied trying to stop myself from making a sharp comment.

"Have you had breakfast?" He asked, changing the subject.

"No, I haven't." I answered truthfully.

"You should probably eat now, I'm on my way to a restaurant." He said and I frowned.

"Your wife didn't cook for you?"

He paused and looked at me, he tried to lie or probably not, he couldn't lie to me. "She didn't, we're actually having a disagreement now and she swore not to prepare my meals for the meantime." He said and my expression changed into a sad face.

"She won't do that, would she?" I ventured cautiously standing up. "How about I become your maid for the main time and cook for you?" I asked and his eyes widened. It was definitely a stupid idea.

He didn't answer, he stood up and picked a book on the floor, he pulled his drawer, picked up some money and closed it back.

"I love you, I can't help myself." I told him and he ignored me, he ushered me out of his office and walked out too. I paused and gazed at him hopefully.

"So there's a new restaurant in town, we should probably go there." He said, changing the subject completely after slamming the door behind him.

We walked to the main building, he walked over to his secretary and talked with her for a minute before heading towards the door, I followed him outside the door.

He got into his car and I also opened the car's door and entered. "Your car is nice, it's actually the first time you're giving me a ride and I'm excited." I said.

There was a particular aspect of me that I loved, it was because I was very outspoken.

He chuckled. He massaged the muscles at the back of his neck before starting the car's engine. He zoomed off before I could even put on a seat belt.

It looked like he was going to be silent for long as he drove on the quiet streets of Dallas.

I drew a shaky breath. "So do you actually think I should take up the offer?" I asked breaking the silence, an angelic expression on my face.

"It totally depends on you." He answered.

"I'm confused."

"Don't take the contract if you're confused." He replied and let out a broad smile as he parked his car in front of a building.

"Is this the restaurant?" I asked, looking at the beautiful building in front of me.

I came down from the car and he also did the same thing, I smiled at him as he held my hands and we walked into the restaurant.

We occupied a seat at the back and he called the waiter. "What will you like to have, ma'am?" The waiter asked.

I looked around the restaurant before answering him. "I'll love to eat Pork tenderloin sandwich," I answered and James looked at me. "What?" I asked with a smile.

"I'm shocked, I haven't eaten it before." He answered.

"You should try it sir, it's one of our customer's favourite dishes." The waiter added and I grinned.

"Fine, I'll also eat whatever she's eating." He said and the waiter left.

I laughed at his remark. "It's not whatever, it's actually an Indiana dish, I love it so much."

"So how is it prepared?" He asked.

I shot him an excited look, I was excited he asked. "So, it features a hammered-thin piece of pork tenderloin that's dipped in flour, egg, breadcrumbs and then you deep fry it." I answered and he smiled at me.

"I actually wish my wife could be like you for a second but she's nothing like you." He replied.

I blushed.

Karen's POV

We walked out of the restaurant as soon as we finished eating. "Thanks for everything."

He grinned. "I can drive you home, I was actually less busy and it's already in the afternoon, we wasted time chatting and having fun." He proposed.

I pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Fine, you can drive me home." I said and entered his car.

He waited for a few seconds as if he was contemplating before he entered the car.

Starting the car's engine, he drove off. My mind drifted to the contract, I wanted to sign it but I didn't want anything that would stress me. I was lost in thoughts as silence hung the air. He gave a cough that was supposed to sound scoffing but sounded sort of mockery instead.

"You've been thinking for a while now, you didn't even notice that I already parked outside your gate." He said. It dawned on me that he had already parked in front of my compound.

I managed to smile. "Thank you Bill."

"You don't look happy, what happened?"

"I'll think about the contract." I answered and opened the car's door. As I tried to go out, he pulled me back in and kissed me. My eyes widened and I pushed him quickly.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized immediately in a small panicky voice.

Of course, I wanted him more than anything but it was very wrong. I just couldn't kiss him because he was married. "You're a married man, you shouldn't do such things." I corrected and came down from his car. I noticed he was embarrassed as he drove off quickly.

Walking into the compound, I looked at Henry's apartment, he was already getting ready for his party. I walked into my apartment and was surprised to find Emily still sitting down on the sofa watching a film on the television. She didn't even notice me when I came in.

I cleared my throat and she screamed in fear. I chuckled as she turned back and discovered that I was the one. I forced a light laugh.

"First, I didn't know you were this fearful." I mocked and dropped my bag on the table. Sitting down on the sofa, I removed my shoe and kept it in front of me.

"I wasn't afraid, the horrific film I watched this morning probably made me scared a little." She defended herself and I laughed.

She fiddled with the remote control and later dropped it on the table. I took a deep breath and pushed my hair out of my eyes. "I can't bear to watch horror films, I'll be scared all day and that's the only thing I'll think about." I joked.

She yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm really hungry." She said, her voice thin with stress.

"Don't tell me you haven't eaten?" I reprimanded.

She shook her head and I frowned. "I haven't eaten."

"Go and eat the leftovers. You won't die or better still, get a job."

"We don't have a job, remember?"

I chuckled. "I was expecting you to ask about my date with Bill." I said, giggling excitedly.

She looked up, confused. "Huh?"

I sat up on the sofa. "So I went to his office first and he told me about a contract," I hiccuped and continued. "A billionaire needs someone who will act as his girlfriend when his family comes back from their trip."

She also sat up and stared at me. An impish grin tugged at her lips. "So did you agree to the contract?" She asked.

I frowned. "I didn't."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at me confused. "You didn't see any pen to sign on the contract?" She asked and I chuckled.

"I didn't want to sign, I don't know what to expect."

"Well, you said the man is a billionaire so expect a lot of good things."

"I'm actually not interested."

"That's great, I'm interested. I can pretend to be his girlfriend even till death." She said hilariously and I laughed.

"You should actually be his wife." I joked.

"Give me his address or name, I'm interested."

"I didn't say that I'm also not interested, I'm just thinking about it so I can decide on it fully so for the meantime, I'm still in the game." I replied standing up.

"You're just being selfish, nothing more." She insulted jokingly.

"I'm not selfish." I said and bent down to pick my shoes with my left hand and held my bag with the other hand.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

I took a steadying breath and stood up. "I'm going to my room. Once the party starts, please call me." I pleaded.

She frowned and hissed. "I love money also, I won't even come to your room to call you for the party so it's best if you don't sleep." She advised.

"Aren't you a wicked friend?" I asked and hit her gently with my bag. "I and Bill went to a restaurant and he paid for my meal. I picked an Indiana dish and it surprised him, he told me that I would cook that food for him one day."

"Why do I feel like this is from a recent film you watched?" She asked and I chuckled..

"You're insane. It actually happened today, he later kissed me but I slapped him." I lied.

Her eyes widened. "You don't possibly look like someone who would slap a man." She said in a causal tone as the door slowly opened and two men walked in.

I recognized the first man to be Henry but I didn't know who he brought along with him. "Hey ladies, I brought a friend along. He came quite early, can he stay at your place until the party?" Henry asked.

Looking at the tall, handsome and muscular man, I wondered if I could even refuse him. He smiled at me and I blushed. "Of course, he can stay." I answered, my voice soft with affection.

"Thank you." The man appreciated as he sat down comfortably on the sofa. Emily stood up and walked outside the house with Henry following her.

I looked at him and sat down on the sofa too.

"What's wrong with Emily, she doesn't seem to like me?" He asked, confused.

"She's always like that."

"Really?"

I nodded. "So how long have you been Henry's friend?"

He looked at me, contemplating whether to tell me. I smiled at him, giving him a flirtatious look.

"Well, I've been his friend for two years and he's really a nice person."

"Yeah, he seems like a nice guy."

"You're beautiful." He commented and I blushed again.

Looking at his face, I wondered if I should tell him how handsome he was but I couldn't. I wanted to get to know him better. "So what's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Brody..... Brody Taylor."