Marriage Of Convenience
By: Cher Etan“Of course not Jonny, you know I’m always on your side. I’m just saying…women don’t like it when you pay attention to other women when you’re out with them.”
“I got that thank you,” Jonathon bit out.
“Sometimes though, I wish you’d pressed charges then I wouldn’t have to deal with her at these meetings. She’s always wheedling and crying and begging,” Jaime sighed tiredly.
“Crying for what?” Jonathon asked amused in spite of himself.
“Forgiveness…a second chance…who knows? She wants a meeting with you; said she made a mistake and she’s sorry.”
“No thanks ma,” Jonathon said.
“Well, you might reconsider if you’re really serious about meeting that deadline. At least she’s very available,” Jaime commented.
“I told you, I have a plan,” Jonathon said.
“Yes. That’s what you said about Miriam,” Jaime said with a laugh.
*****
Miriam Cortese was an Italian heiress who was something of a socialite as well. They met through business as Jonathon’s company was sponsoring an event Miriam was hosting. They got on like a house on fire and Miriam had her own money and therefore the prospect of her being a gold digger never came up. Jonathon saw her as the perfect complement to him; physically, mentally and emotionally. Her diminutive yet voluptuous figure complemented his tall powerful frame perfectly. Jonathon’s dirty blonde locks contrasted nicely with her red tresses and his green eyes complemented her dark brown ones. Emotionally, Miriam was all light and happy, floating from one social event to the next without a care in the world while Jonathon worried and sweated his way through life, always bracing for the next problem and covering it up with a cocky grin and a devil may care attitude. Mentally though, they were well matched sharks, always keeping an eye on the prize. They had very different views of what the prize was though. Miriam was out to be one half of a golden couple. She wanted, not Jonathon’s money but his name. She wanted to be associated with the grandson of a great movie star, who was a successful businessman in his own right. Even before Jonathon had decided they would make a good fit, she was in negotiations with an entertainment network to pick up a reality show based on their lives. Jonathon was not against being exploited for profit per se…but even for him, this was just too blatant. And he had a feeling his grandfather would not approve. He was still alive, hale and hearty and well able to change the terms of his will if he felt Jonathon showed impaired judgment. And being on some Keeping up with the Kardashians remake was probably a sign of impaired judgment in his grandfather’s eyes. Jonathon had bowed out, as gracefully as he could. Still he had to contend with months of tabloid rumors as to the reason behind their ‘broken engagement’. The stories ranged from the ridiculous to downright libelous and his grandfather had not been amused to have the family name dragged in the mud like that.
*****
“Who could have predicted Miriam?” Jonathon said in bewilderment.
“Certainly not me,” Jaime said and Jonathon could hear her shrug down the line.
“Still, I have to compliment you for daring to get back into the fray after those two fiascos. But I’d have thought Britney Marshall would have been the absolute last straw.”
Jonathon snorted, “Trust me she was. No more attempted love matches for me. This last one will be strictly business.”
“Oh really. And you say she’s not a gold-digger?”
“Actually, I’ve just known her for a day-“ Jonathon began before his mother interrupted him with a long-suffering sigh.
“Jonny…” she said tiredly.
“She’s no Britney Marshall, I swear.”
*****
He’d met her on the strip, in Vegas; on his annual pilgrimage to Sin City. She was dancing on a pole for the night at a strip club and she’d drawn his eye with long fake blonde hair and her long, long legs and double D breasts. She danced for him and only him, all night. He was drunk, and in love by morning. They spent three days in bed, ordering room service and fucking their brains out. On the third day, they whispered sweet nothings in each others’ ears and Britney proposed that they go down to the hotel chapel and get married. Jonathon had been just drunk enough to think it was a good idea and besides, he had that deadline to keep always in the back of his mind. The bride was dressed in a hot white bikini and Kindra heels by Badgely Mischka. Her veil was a tiara of white flowers artfully arranged in her hair to make her appear as ethereal as a flower child. The combination of innocence and sin blew Jonathon’s mind right out of his head and he said ‘I do’ with no hesitation. They went home to New York two days later and Jonathon smugly sent his grandfather a message that he was a happily married man. He took Britney home to meet his mother and Jaime tried to like her for all of five minutes; but then Britney announced that she intended to keep stripping, much to both Jaime and Jonathon’s surprise. Jonathon hastened to reassure her that he had enough money to keep them both fed and clothed so there was no need for that sort of thing. An image flashed through his mind of his grandfather hearing that he was married to a stripper and he shuddered internally.
