True Love
(Book 3) – Chapter 106

-Why do you think she fainted? The real reason, not the one her friend told us. Jean asks his brother.

Why doubt? You see what happened to them. They were thrown out on the street. If they couldn’t pay the rent, let alone eat well. Besides, you haven’t seen their faces. They’re in bad shape, both of them.

-Yeah, maybe you’re right… or maybe they’re into something else, they spend their money on something else.

-Jean! Her brother stands up. -If you’re going to doubt her, then forget about this deal you want to make. It won’t work out between you two.

-Of course it will. I’m not backing out of this marriage thing.

-Then don’t go back on it, they don’t need any more trouble. I do think they’re in a bad way financially.

The Frenchman takes the last drink from his glass, when they hear the door open. It was Maya with an empty tray in her hands.

-She’s better! She just needs to sleep, well I think we all do. It’s already very late. She informs the men standing in the middle of the room.

-Yes. -Yes… sleep, Adrien and I… uh, we’ll stay a little longer in case you guys have anything to offer.

-Thank you very much! The brunette smiles at him, but looking at Adrien. -Rest.

-Good night, Maya. The younger blond says to her.

The door closes and they go back to sit on the couch…

-We’re in trouble! Jean says.

-Indeed.

The next morning, Zoé was already awake for a long time. Maya was sleeping like a log next to her, although not so close together as the bed was huge.

The sun was half shining through the window. Although she should have been sleeping, she couldn’t sleep any longer. She preferred to get up without waking her friend.

Carefully she went out into the empty corridor. She reached the kitchen and there was no one there. A couple of sacks lay on a sofa. But the rest of them seemed to be alone in the flat.

-Good morning!

The brunette gasped when she heard Jean’s voice behind her. Finding him only in his boxer shorts. Without being able to help herself, she admired the muscles in his arms, which looked more like trunks.

-What are you doing out of bed? he asked, folding his arms.

-I couldn’t sleep anymore.

-Zoé, we need to talk about something very, very important.

-Really? I asked hesitantly. – On those dates? She points at him from the bottom up. -My friend is here too, aren’t you ashamed?

-Of her, maybe a little. Of you, not at all.

-Oh my God! -He turns around. – I can’t believe you’d say such a thing, I remind you that we’re your guests.

-Okay, okay… I’ll change if that makes you happy.

A few minutes later Jean returns to the kitchen where Zoé is sitting drinking orange juice. When she saw him come in she stood up, as if she was nervous about something.

-What do you want to talk to me about?

-Sit down.

-I prefer to stand.

-I want us to make a deal, Zoé.

-A deal? Repeat the question. -What kind of deal? He frowns.

-I want you to be my wife.

That time Zoé heeded Jean’s suggestion, after that news the girl sat down without taking her eyes off the blond before her. She wondered, had she heard correctly?

How could it be that this powerful, millionaire man wanted a stripper who didn’t have a penny in her pocket to marry him? It was definitely a game on the Frenchman’s part.

-Are you joking? Have you lost your mind, or is this a game of yours and your brother’s?

-Zoé, I’ve never been more serious in my life than I am this morning.

-And what is all this? Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with me, because believe me I won’t believe it.

-In love? He says with a smirk on his lips. -Of course not, Zoé. Don’t be ridiculous.

Hearing how he offended her, she stands up angrily, her cheeks turning red. It was that man who had such a knack for making her angry.

-If you’re going to offend me even if you’re married, forget it. My answer is no, I’m not going to marry an idiot who thinks he has the right to offend me. She crosses her arms.

-Listen to what I have to tell you.

-I don’t feel like it.

She makes an attempt to leave, but Jean won’t let her… he takes her by the arm and wraps his arms around her. Their faces are only centimetres away from a k**s.

-I haven’t finished talking yet.

-But I am! She looks at him angrily.

-I don’t want us to marry for love, it’s more like a job. Where you’ll benefit from it.

-What are you talking about?

-There will be a contract between the two of us, where you will play the role of my wife before the whole world. But behind the door, you will… you will no longer be my wife. We would only share the house.

-What the f**k are you asking me? I don’t understand what you’re asking me, Jean.

The girl separates from him, and starts walking back and forth… nothing that Frenchman was saying made any sense… a wife under contract?

-Listen, my father wants to marry me to a woman of his choice… if I don’t agree to his request, he’ll disinherit me, and worst of all, he’s capable of ruining my business. The ones I worked so hard to build up. As I do not approve of the woman he desires, I have told him that I would marry the woman of my choice.

-And you have chosen me? he asks with a mocking smile. -A stripper?

-Yes. You should be flattered. Out of many who would have loved to marry me, I chose you.

-For what reason?

-You’re different.

-That’s it?

-Do you want more? I’m not going to lie to you Zoé. I don’t love you, and I’m not in love with you. Yes, I like you, and you don’t know the immense desire I have to make love to you. Just at this moment!

The bastard was very frank Zoé thought… but leaving that aside, she felt a little sorry for the proposal. One because he didn’t want to marry for love, two because he didn’t feel anything for her and three because her father seemed to be very cruel.

-What if I accept? What good does it do me?

You’ll have a house, food, a good life, money – everything of mine. You won’t have to work at the bar again, you can do what you want, study, or whatever you like. I won’t object Zoé, I just need you to behave like a wife.

She blinks repeatedly, would I give her all that? She could do whatever she wanted… the girl bit her lips, it was a tempting offer and given her bad situation it really didn’t hurt.

But there was one small detail he didn’t mention in his points…

-What about s*x?

Jean didn’t seem to understand what she was asking. It was a fairly easy question to understand and to answer. So the brunette waited for an answer, everything depended on that answer.

-What do you mean?

-I assume that, since it won’t be a real marriage, we don’t need to be intimate.

-You’re crazy! he exclaims, frowning.

-Not at all… she approaches him. -I don’t intend to sleep with you, it’s not a real marriage.

-Zoé, we’ll get married for real. There must be s*x, don’t pretend I’ll be with a woman in the same bed I can’t touch.

-Then my answer is no, Jean Pierre Dubois.

The Frenchman’s eyes widened as he heard her definitive refusal… it was absurd what he was asking. How could he not sleep with her every night, if that was what he wanted most of all?

-Zoé, you must understand something?

-I won’t sleep with you. She interrupts him. -I’m not going to sleep in the same bed. On the street I’ll be as submissive as you want me to be, but behind that door I won’t be. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

-Zoé! He picks the bridge of his nose. -What you’re asking is absurd. I can’t accede to your commands. You’re practically asking me not to f**k any woman.

Well, the brunette hadn’t thought that through. But she wasn’t planning to sleep with him if they got married either. If he didn’t have any feelings for her, why should she give him her innocence. Jean didn’t deserve her.

-I… would let you do it with other women. I don’t care.

-What? He frowns.

-I’d give you my consent, it wouldn’t be infidelity. After all, it’s not a love marriage, as you said.

-Will you let him f**k other women? -Yes.

-Yes. -But not under the same roof as me. That’s all I’m going to ask.

Jean clenched his jaw tightly, that request was not in his plans. In fact he was already savoring the first night he was going to have with her… and he’d come up with that f*****g bullshit. Putting up with seeing her at home every day without being able to touch her. But either he’d accept or he’d be forced to marry someone else. And he wanted her.

-All right! If that’s what you want, so be it Zoé.