The Marriage Game: love in a lie

Amara.

There was only one word that could give right definition to social functions and gatherings; BULLSHIT.

Everything about it is false. People who wouldn't hesitate to stab a knife into your back while smiling into your face with hopes to gain something from it always, always made sure to attend it.

Today's gathering was a charity for Black-footed ferrets that nobody gave a shit about. I mean, I felt pity the animals were endangered and all but, I was certain none of the people in the room actually cared about the animals. They were all here for the scene, for business deals and for people like my parents, to force their children into the shackles of eternal misery called marriage.

It was an endless pattern for the rich and socialite -a gut-wrenching pattern.

From my position at a corner of the room, I swirled the remaining content of my glass as I ran my eyes through the crowd in search of nothing and everything at the same time and to give people a better fitting of their choice of dressing in my head.

"Oh shit," the cuss slipped through my lips just as I turned my head to the right and caught a glance of a piece of shit in human form. Of course he'd be here. Mom and Dad -Mom especially- wouldn't have missed inviting him. But hell no, there was no way I was letting him see me tonight. Even if it meant pissing Mom off.

Drowning the small wine remaining in my glass in one gulp, I spun on my heels to dash into the crowd but a brick wall appeared on my path and I dashed into it. My forehead must be red if I checked but my pain I felt was the least of interest at the moment. I needed to get away from him.

Far, far away.

"How come I wasn't told we were also doing a race for this charity." A deep voice which I suppose belonged to the 'brick wall' said.

Without caring to respond, I looked over my shoulders to the person I was trying to avoid, shit, he was nearing me and of course he had that stupid smug on his face.

"Hey," I said to the man before me, "can you be my boyfriend? Just for five minutes." He raised a brow and corked his head. Clearly, my request was insane but I couldn't care less. "You're not a serial killer or something, right?"

"How many times do I have to do it to make it serial?"

"Five?" I replied, my nerves bustling with the need to run farther into the crowd.

Up until a year and half ago, me and my cousin would have locked ourselves up in my room, binge watching an available comedy show while stuffing my faces with ice cream and pretending as though there was nothing going on underneath us. Or peeking through the window to mock those uptight women about their choice of dressing while stuffing our faces with ice cream of course.

And speaking of my cousin, where the fuck is she?

"Well then we're good to go." He sneered, a hint of mockery evident in his voice.

My brows furrowed instinctively at the insolence, my tongue twitching to give him one of my classic comebacks but I bit my tongue to keep myself from saying anything. I needed to deal with that asshole first then, I'd come back to deal with this asshole.

Sucking in a deep breath, I pressed myself to his side as I picked his hand -which was very heavy for the record- and wrapped it around my waist.

"Amara," I heard his stupid aristocratic voice call out as he approached us. A scowl fought its way up my face in response but I clenched my jaw and lifted my face with the best smile I could muster.

"Vincent," I chimed -croaked. The man next to me chuckled lightly and I jabbed him while flashing Vincent my bright smile.

"I have been looking for you everywhere. Your Mom even permitted me to break your door and drag you out if you had been there." The fuck you would, I wanted to yell but I kept my cool, forcing my smile to stay on.

Vincent looked different today, save for his dressing style that screamed British patriarch, I would have assumed he was a decent man but, I knew better than be fooled by his...whatever.

I kept my eyes on him as he roamed his on my body. I was wearing a cream-coloured dress that gave out my dark brown skin. Mom had chosen it for me herself after I had refused to pick out one. After putting on the dress this evening, I found out the reason she chose it was because of what it did to my body.

An applause to Mom for at least knowing my dress size enough to reduce it by half.

Vincent raised a brow, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he slowly licked his lips. The fucker was looking at me like I was some dessert on the table. And he didn't even mind that be was eye-fucking me. Publicly!

My fists curled with the need to disfigure his stupid nose and I would have if Mom and Dad had not constantly warned me for days not to do anything stupid to ruin their 'big event.'

Lucky bastard.

"Come on, let's go. We have to make a formal introduction to people." He ordered, and turned on his heels immediately obviously expecting I'd follow behind but I stayed pressed to my stranger's side. His grip on me wouldn't have let me follow Vincent even if I had wanted to.

When he noticed I wasn't behind me, he paused and walked back to me, " is there an issue?"

"I suppose I should be the one asking you that question," a smirk spread across his face as he looked down at me, " what did you say his name was again, babe?"

Babe? Wow, he really was playing the role.

"Vincent." I responded, my eyes on Vincent.

"Ah, Vincent." He nodded, " is there an issue, Vincent?" A bright smile spread across his face albeit his question.

Vincent's face contoured and for the first time in the past few minutes, he noticed the guy beside me. He darted his eyes between me and the guy and his eyes finally fell on his grip on my way.

Not very observant, are you Vincent?

When he noticed me unmoving from my position, his brows narrowed, obviously appalled by my resistance.

"Who the fuck is this, Amara?"

"Her boyfriend," he replied sharply, his smile brighter "And you are?"

Vincent's frown deepened, and he chewed his teeth to keep his growing anger down.

"Come with me now, Amara." He growled, his voice hushed. He knew the crowd he was in and of course, wouldn't risk doing anything that would make people look down their nose at him. With that status he was vying for, he couldn't risk it.

"Can't you show my boyfriend," I stressed, "a little bit of respect and recognition?" I shook my head, "I am having every reason to believe your morals suck, Vincent."

"Come with me now, Amara or I will report this to your Mother."

I roll my eyes just as my 'boyfriend' says, "report to her Mother that Amara was enjoying the beautiful event with me? Her boyfriend?"

"Mr. James McKenna, did you just say you are Amara's boyfriend?" One of the reporters who was covering the charity event yelled as he turned to us, not failing to stick the cameras and microphones in our faces. The hall fell silent for a minute, a million and one pair of eyes turning to us. In a split second, the hall turned rowdy as people began to crowd us.

Oh shit, this wasn't meant to get to this. And wait, did she just say James McKenna?

I raised my eyes to look at the man holding my waist and for the first time since this night, my mind registered on the face; cold and dark blue eyes, thick dark brows and lashes, high cheekbones and chiseled jawline and a face that would wear a bright smile while sucking the soul out of a person. How on earth did I miss that?

And did he really lie that he wasn't a serial killer?

He looked down at me and his gaze met mine. His eyes narrowed at me and I gulped, what have I done? And to James McKenna of all people.

"This isn't the five minutes I agreed to." The amusement in his voice was gone and now replaced with something dark. I whimpered and I raised a sorry shoulder to him.

"We didn't expect the public to find out this way but since you've caught us, I guess we have no option but to give you guys what you want." He flashed a bigger smile at the camera to his right just in time for the cameraman to capture it.

I dug my nails in his back, pinching his flesh through his suit but he ignored me and continued flashing his smile to whomever cared to capture it - every reporter and guests obviously.

"Yes, Amara and I are dating." He announced. With his smile still plastered on his face, he picked my hand and kissed it. "She is the love of my life." I froze. This was way too much than just giving the public what the want.

I looked up at James and his eyes darkened, the corner of his lip tipping up in a small smirk. I gulped, this was more than just keeping Vincent away.

And speaking of Vincent, I did a quick search through the crowd and saw him at a corner standing next to Mom and Dad and uncle Paschal and aunt Sheila and Keith and Ife. And they were all glaring at me.

Oh shit.

Amara.

If eyes were guns, the looks Mom and Dad were giving me would have been enough to send me six feet under, but I couldn't care less, they were not half as angry as I was but they didn't see me reacting in any strange way. Tightening my robe around my waist, I adjusted comfortably in my seat, they couldn't even wait for me to have a shower before summoning me.

After the 'official statement' last night, all the guests turned out too stunned to continue with the charity event and ended up living half way through. Vincent threw a fit afterwards and Mom and Dad tried everything they could to calm him while promising to bring my back to my senses.

Amidst everything, all I wanted was to lay down with Ife and rant about my terrible mistake while she consoled me but no, she had to leave with her parents. Of every night they could have slept over.

"Do you know the gravity of what you have done, Amara?" Mom bit out. If I peered over the table, I bet I'd see Dad holding her from physically attacking me. Mom hated when any of her events was ruined. Fabian, her ex-bodyguard, got a fair share of her anger once.

I shrugged nonchalantly " what did I do?"

Mom tried to jerk up from her seat but Dad held her down. "Amara," he called while glaring down at me.

I fought myself from rolling my eyes, not like I was afraid of their reaction but it was too early for their whining. Literally.

"Do you know how long I planned that charity event? The stress I went through for it to be perfect? Do you?"

"Do you feel sad because you didn't raise enough money to save those poor animals or because you didn't get the chance to announce your interest to re-run for Mayor?"

"Amara!" Dad called this time pummeling towards me. I quickly stood up from my seat and created a safe distance between us and crossed my arms against my chest, waiting for them to get this over with.

Mom shook her head, "everybody would be talking about the atrocity you've committed, Amara. You've been hellbent on bringing shame to this family and I hope you're happy now that you've done it."

"Happy?" I scoffed, "this wasn't the reaction I was expecting of you seeing that you've wanted to ship me off to the nearest available man since the day I could walk. I thought you would be over the moon, Mom."

"Amara June Livingston, shut up!" Dad yelled, his chest obviously swelling up with anger. "Can't you be considerate for once? Can't you see what you've done to your mother and apologize for it?"

I chuckled to my Dad's dismay and his brows shot to his forehead. "I thought we were here to talk about my announcement last night. Come on, Mom has plenty of other opportunities to make her announcement, besides, everybody already knows of her interest to be reelected."

"And yesterday was supposed to be my night. I was supposed to make an official statement yesterday."

I threw my hands up in defense and took back my seat, "sorry not sorry. I didn't plan for it to go that way but since it has happened, you'd stop bugging me about this marriage issue especially with that asshole Vincent Sinclair. It is now official; I have a boyfriend."

To the public and my parents, I did, an issue which I have no clue how to handle but I'd rather stick to the lie and avoid any other 'Vincent' drama and my parents constant bugging than tell them the truth.

"Come on, I thought you guys would be really excited that I have a man in my life. Mom? Really guys?"

"James McKenna?" Dad asked, his eyes boring holes into mine before he turned to look at Mom. "Just how did you lure him into this because I know James would never choose to be with a girl like you."

"Ouch, Dad. Way to bruise your favourite child's ego." I scrunched my face.

It hurts. It hurts so fucking much. It wasn't the first time Dad was making such type of comment but it still hurts. It hurts everytime he says something like that. Everytime he says I'm not good enough, everytime he reduces me to nothing even though I try really hard to show them that I can be something.

Didn't they say Dads were their daughters' best friend? Why wasn't my own father kind to me? Both my parents.

"You are basically half that man's age." Mom commented.

I lazily shrugged a shoulder, "blame it on love."

Dad chuckled as he exchanged glances with Mom whose eyes were widened in surprise. Gee, I was expecting shock.

"Love? You, Amara?"

"Maybe if you didn't try forcing me into early marriages, you would have found out that I was capable of falling in love." Lies, all lies. I wasn't capable and even if I was, it would be the last thing I did.

"You are in love with James McKenna," Dad's tune rose as his chest rose and fell, "James McKenna of all people, are you fucking stupid?"

I bit back a snarky retort when I saw Keith from the corner of my eyes climbing down the stairs. He didn't like it when I fought with Mom and Dad. Most times, he ended up crying for hours because he thought I'd move out again. Which wasn't exactly correct because I moved out because Mom and Dad wouldn't let me do what I loved in their houses.

Keith, my little brother, was the reason my rent was frittering away in someone else's pocket. Maybe I should rent out that house.

"Amy?" I didn't want to look a him coming down the stairs because I had planned to avoid him all morning but his little voice...how could I resist that?

"Hey?" I turned to him with a soft smile.

"Is everything okay?" I nodded and motioned him to come closer. Letting off the railings, he half-ran towards me and I lifted him and rested him on my laps.

"Morning Mom, Morning Dad." His tiny fingers found mine as he nervously swung his legs.

"Morning, Son," Dad said softly before returning his eyes to me, his glare deepening.

"We will continue this conversation later." Mom said. Her eyes left me before I could respond and she turned to Keith, "I believe you have school, young man, don't you?" Keith stilled for a second before quickly bounicing off my laps and ran back upstairs to prepare for school.

I couldn't help but feel pity for him because, all his life, neither Mom nor Dad has been there for him. I was somewhat lucky because I could fairly recount six years of my life where Dad had tried to be involved before their ambitions got in their way and he got totally distracted from me and their other kid who they had twelve years after me.

Unlike me, Keith has only known me and his nanny, Jessie. The best mother figure, I must say.

"You should have at least said 'hi' to your son."

Glaring down at me, Mom smoothened her hair and stood up, Dad steadily following her. I would have been surprised if they weren't already dressed for whatever nonsense they do in their offices.

"You shouldn't have had another kid if you knew you'd treat him like this." I called after them and just like always, Mom gripped her bag and Dad, his briefcase as they headed for the door.

"Mrs. Mayor, Mr. Livingston." Cold shivers ran down my spine as that cold deep voice with a deadly baritone fell on my ears. I stilled in my seat for a second before slowly turning my head to the door to confirm I wasn't just imagining things.

What the fuck was he doing here?

"James McKenna." Mom's voice gave out her surprise as she darted her eyes between James and me. "To what do we owe this early morning surprise?"

James's eyes fell on me and I gulped. I didn't need anyone to tell me he was a few steps away from strangling me to death because his cold, dark, dangerous eyes did the talking more than anyone could.

He was going to tell my parents that the announcement yesterday was not true, that we're not really together. He was going to tell them that I made him do it and my parents will ship me off to Europe to marry Vincent. That's if I survive them skinning me alive of course.

"I'm here for Amara." His cheeks rose but I'd be a fool to believe that smile was genuine. I gulped again. I have imagined my death in many ways but I never imagined I'd die in the hands of James McKenna.

He's here for me? God, I should have just been with Vincent till I found a way to get him off me. Kill him maybe.

"Hey, Mamma." His eyes sparkled with a suspicious excitement and a whimper slipped through my lips. Mamma? Is that how we're going to do this now?

"Hey, babe." I raised my hand to wave at him but my muscles failed me.

The tip of his lip rose up slowly as he stalked towards me.

Someone please, fucking kill me now.

James.

Maybe my eyes were playing games with me but the Amara I was walking towards was totally different from the one I saw yesterday. Even more different than the pictures of her I had seen.

Her green eyes which offset her spotless brown skin shined brighter as they widened with fear. I could tell, from the way her hair was all messed up and the fact that she was still in her nightwear that she had just rolled out of bed but damn, was she sexy?

She was the perfect person to model for a face cream or all those types of shit that women were interested in. She was beautiful, gorgeous even, but that wasn't what I was here for. She wasn't. Well, not exactly.

"Look, Sir, before you kill me, can you give me a few minutes to apologize and save myself from death? I am too young to die." Her tiny voice croaked as her eyes followed me till I occupied a seat before her. Looking at her now, she appeared tiny and fragile and not the bold and wild Amara that fitted perfectly in my...woah, woah James.

I narrowed my eyes down at her and she gulped before shrinking into her seat. Was she scared of me?

"Why would I want to kill you?" I made sure to keep my voice stern. It was best if she feared me.

"Because I- you-. Everyone thinks we are together now and you must hate it."

I raised a brow and laid lazily on one side, "are you happy that everyone knows?"

She shrugged, "I don't know? In a way, yeah. But we can go to a public place, pretend to have an argument, you'd break up with me and this thing will die off as soon as he started."

My brows narrowed, many women would throw a fit if their boyfriend raised their voice at them and here she was, asking me to do that and also break up with her publicly. "You want me to publicly break up with you?"

"Would you rather I broke up with you? We could tell the public that I didn't want to make the relationship public and since it's out that we can no longer be together."

I chuckled lightly and wiped the smile away before it could get comfortable. " A very dumb reason to break off a relationship, if I must say but, instead of calling it off, why don't we take it to another level, hmm?"

She blinked. And blinked again, probably trying to wrap her mind around my proposition. Of course she'd find it hard to say yes because she must have heard or rather, read everything about me.

"Take it to the next level? I'm not sure I understand, sir."

I nod once, "marry me, Amara."

"What!" She blurted, eyes widening, almost popping out of their sockets. "Marry you? I'm sorry if I led you on in some way but I am not attracted to you in the least." She pinched her thumb and forefinger together to accentuate her words.

I threw my head back, held my stomach and laughed. I laughed so hard a tear clouded my eyes. Sniffing, I blinked back the tears and wiped the smile away, "me too, baby girl. Me too."

"Ouch?" She pouted. "You don't have to mock me to make your point clear. Just so you know, many men will not hesitate to throw themselves at me once I declare myself single and ready to mingle."

My brows narrowed and I sat up and rested my elbows on my knees, bringing myself closer to her. "But that won't happen because you are getting married to me."

She frowned, "wh- how. Why would you want me marry me when you just clearly demonstrated that you don't even find me attractive?"

Except I did. She was a very attractive young lady but that her beautiful face was not my interest. "I never said that."

"Hmm, so what then? I am too young for you?"

Too young, too distracting and too much of everything I didn't want. Especially not when her parents are the Mayor and that man toddling behind her.

"Are you angry that I seem to not want you? Is that a big blow to your ego because men are always throwing themselves at your feet?"

She opened her mouth and closed it when no words seemed to escape it and pouted. "Whatever," she finally said, causing me to chuckle, "I said what I said, I don't like you and I don't want to marry you."

I sat up straight, my eyes narrowing down at her. There was no way she could really mean that, not when I know what every other lady does to get my attention even for a second.

"You don't like me?" I asked with a raised brow and she smirked.

"Why? Is that also a blow to your ego?" She scoffed, her eyes glaring up at me.

I nodded once and pushed myself an inch forward out of the seat. "You don't like me, I don't like you. That's the perfect thing we need for our marriage."

I was still finding it hard to believe that she doesn't want me but that wasn't the main issue. I'd deal with that after I passed my message across and rope her into it.

"Marriage? Haven't you been listening to all I said? I. Do not. Want to marry you."

"It's either me or that douchebag, Vincent or any other man your parents will force you to marry."

"How- I." A sigh escaped her lips and she sank into her seat. With a shrug she asked, "so?"

"Good. We don't really have to get married, we can just get engaged and tell the public we're taking our time with the wedding. One year after the engagement, we'll call everything off and go our separate ways. I'm sure nobody will force you to get married immediately after being separated."

"But they will eventually."

"You can leave town and start a new life somewhere. After what will happen, nobody will be that eager to marry you."

She scoffed, "of course." Her eyes narrowed down at me as she sat out in her seat. "You've only said ways this thing of yours could help me, so, if I may ask, what's in for you, sir?"

"My line of business involves attending many functions and gatherings and I always need an escort for every one of them. With you as my fiancée, I will be saved from the stress of selecting a fairly sensible lady each time."

"Why don't you just stick to one lady then?"

"I tried but they always develop this sense of attachment and that is excruciatingly stressful and a big pain in my ass." Her eyes left my face and slowly trailed down my body and focused below my waist. "Metaphorically." I added, she bumped her head up and down yet her eyes still didn't leave my ass. "Amara."

"So, let me get this straight." She said in the most casual tone as her eyes met mine as though she hadn't just been checking me out. "You want to marry me just because you need an escort."

"Engage. Just engagement. And yes, since the public already knows of our relationship, it would be weird seeing me attend parties with a new woman that is not you everytime."

She nodded again. Her eyes staring into space as though she was giving my proposal a deep thought.

"So what are you saying, Amara. This would save the both of us a whole lot of stress."

"I never imagined myself getting married."

"We are not getting married."

"But I'll still wear your ring."

"You can wear yours if you like."

She turned to me, "no way am I getting myself a diamond ring. You are to surprise me with one."

"Done."

"I- I didn't say-"

"We are doing this, baby girl."

She exhaled deeply, "one more question before that."

"I'd advise you choose your words carefully."

"Jeez," she rolled her eyes and my eyes widened. Did she really just roll her eyes at me? "Why don't you want to get married?"

"I do. And I will, when I'm ready."

"When you're ready?" She scoffed, "aren't you like...old?"

My lids flung open and I glared down at her, "I am 33."

"Oh." She said in a small voice as if I told her my pet bunny just died. Leaning closer to me, she signaled me to pull closer and I did. "There's this anti-aging cream my grandaunt uses, I can recommend it for you and I'd really advise you to use it. It works wonders." Slowly, she leaned back into her seat and carried her face in her hands as she watched me.

A chuckle erupted from my chest before I could catch myself as I slowly moved back. "Okay, I'd need the name of the cream."

"Good for you." She whispered.

"I'll be proposing to you in three days." I took back my stern voice as I wiped the smile off my face. "I'd send you the location and every other thing you'd need."

"Three days? That's too early."

"It's best we exhaust the spotlight while we can, you don't want them publishing your face in every newspaper again in the next two months or so, do you?"

I, for sure, wouldn't like that. Especially when it involved my personal life. Both our faces were already all over every social media platform and newspaper and that alone has been so fucking uncomfortable.

The public, media especially, just do not know when to stop.

"O-okay?"

"I'd propose and we'd do whatever it is newly engaged couples do."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Again. "No way I'm kissing you."

My eyes narrowed, "now that you've brought it up, yes. Yes you will, it's essential that people in love, a lady who just got proposed to by the love of her life will kiss him out of excitement and likewise. How else are we going to convince them that we're in love if we don't as much kiss."

"But we aren't."

"That, they don't know."

She visibly shuddered. "Fine, just a few kisses, nothing more. And I know you are a sexually active man, but don't expect me to satisfy your needs." She looked down at my groin and kept her gaze there for a second before returning it to me, "if you need some activity, you'd go get it where you usually do, don't expect me to do it for you."

Blood shot straight to my cock as I imagined her for a split second with my cock in her mouth. And my hand in her hair. Her face twisting out of pleasure.

"And likewise me."

"No." I blurted.

"No?" Her brows knitted.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because, you'd be engaged to me and no other man."

"But it's not real."

"Still doesn't change anything."

"But-"

"Amara, if you so much as breathe in another man's direction, I'd feed his bones to the dogs."

She gasped, "you can't do that, sir."

"Allow any other man to touch you and we'd find out."

"I'm not a kid!" She protested.

"Neither am I. I can spread you out on this table and show you that."

She gasped again, her eyes shooting down straight to my waist.

"When you get needy, Amara, you'd come to me. Get it?"

She scoffed, her eyes finding my face once more. "I'd never. I'm adding two new vibrators to my cart."

I chuckled, "Alright. In three days, we'd be getting engaged, commit that to memory." I stood to my feet, indicating my leave and she stood up too. I fished out my card from my pocket and passed to her, "call me tonight."

She took the card and lazily took a glance at it before placing it on the table.

"I'm serious, Amara, call me."

"Okay, sir. I will."

"And drop this 'sir' thing, you'd be my finaceé in three days, babygirl."

She raised a shoulder, "okay, Daddy."

Another rush of blood shot straight to my cock, awakening it a little. I have always thought people to be a little bit extra with pet names and all until I heard the word 'Daddy' from her lips. With my dick rising another inch, I turned to the door and headed straight for it.

She winked as she raised her fingers and wiggled them at me, "Talk soon, Daddy."

Oh, we will. We most definitely will.