Feisty Princess
Page 4
It’s then that I notice Jack leaning against the limo with his arms crossed as he waits for me. Even though his sunglasses shield his eyes, the smirk on his face tells me that I’ve opened myself up to a never-ending line of jokes about my random Vegas nuptials. “Your wife isn’t riding with us?”
I shake my head. “Don’t start your shit.”
“What?” Jack says with a slight chuckle as I slide into the limo first with him following right behind me. “I’m not allowed to ask about your wife?”
“She’s not my wife,” I snap.
This only causes Jack to laugh harder. “Sure, she is. It’s legal and everything.”
“Fuck.” It’s the only word that comes to mind. I’m totally fucked here. “How bad is it?”
Jack raises his eyebrows. “Well, if the two of you didn’t consummate your marriage, I’m sure we could’ve had a quick annulment, but—” I pull my glasses off and give him my best you know me better than that look which cuts him off. “That’s what I thought. We fight it. I’m not exactly a divorce lawyer, but I’m sure we can bring on a few other attorneys who specialize in high-profile cases to help. We might stand a chance.”
“A chance?” There’s a catch in my voice. “You have got to be fucking kidding me! You’re telling me that after being married for one fucking day, it possible Margo Buchanan can take me to the fucking cleaners? This is fucking insane.”
“Buddy, what’s insane is you marrying a woman who’s out for your blood. What possessed you to do it? I mean, I know she’s hot, but was fucking her really worth all this trouble? What the hell were you thinking?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I don’t know.”
I wish I could blame marrying Margo solely on Yamada, but I know that wouldn’t be exactly fair. Being with Margo this weekend was exciting. She didn’t take my shit, and I find that insanely attracted. Hell, maybe Jack can plead a case of temporary insanity because the woman causes me to lose my damn mind. Yamada said it didn’t take much convincing for me to marry Margo, and in my gut, I know that’s probably true. I drank enough liquor to kill a horse, so I know the logical part of my brain was not functioing, and my dick did any major decision-making.
I lift my head and stare out the window as the car cuts through traffic, getting us closer to Manhattan. “How quickly can we get this resolved?”
“Well, that depends,” Jack replies.
“On . . .” I prod as I whip my gaze in his direction.
He sighs. “On whether or not Margo Buchanan cooperates.”
I release a bitter laugh. “She hates me, so that won’t happen.”
“That’s too bad. Dragging things out can cause problems. If the board catches wind about your fly-by-night nuptials, they may begin to question your integrity.”
“My integrity? Are you fucking serious? This little mishap with Margo has nothing to do with my ability to run King Corporation. This business means more to me than anything else.” I shake my head, reeling from the disbelief that Jack’s even bringing this up. “I would rather slice off my own hand than do something to damage the empire my father built.”
“I know that, but the board . . . they don’t know you like I do, and well, you’ve amassed quite a reputation in this city when it comes to women. The board may perceive your rash decision to marry Margo and then immediately divorce her as you being a bit . . . flighty.”
I raise one eyebrow. “Me . . . flighty? I’m an emanate professional. Why does who I fuck and accidentally marry bring my character into question?”
Jack shrugs. “It could cause them to question your decision-making skills—your ability to see what’s best for the company in the long haul—and they may band together to try to go against you on things.”
“That won’t matter. I own a majority of this company. If they don’t like the direction I take this business—tough. It’s my fucking company.”
“It is,” Jack agrees. “I’m not bringing this up to be a prick, but I just want you to be aware. The board can make things a whole lot more difficult if they fight you on every little thing.”
I run my fingers down the back of my neck and take a deep breath. Fuck. If only I could rewind time and go back to the first moment I fucked Margo and let my guard down, then none of this would be an issue right now. I screwed up, and now I have to deal with the consequences of giving in to my dark desires and taking Margo, even though I knew it could fuck everything up.
I meet Jack’s stare. “So what should I do? If Margo refuses a quick annulment, there’s no way I can keep this quiet and keep the word from spreading across this city. You know how people talk around here.”
“Play nice with her,” Jack says as if it’s the simplest thing in the world. “Find out what it will take to appease her and give it to her so she doesn’t fight you on this divorce.”
“I can’t do that!” I protest. “She wants me to bail out Buchanan Industries so her family’s company won’t go under, but you and I both know that if we do that, we’d lose millions on that deal. We can’t afford to do that.”
“Then you’ll have to find a way to meet in the middle. You both are going to have to give a little to find common ground in this situation.”
I scrub my hand down my face. This is horse shit. I hate the fact that she basically has my balls in her purse, ready to zip them in tight and cause me excruciating pain. I so badly want to bash my fucking head against the window as straight-up punishment for allowing shit to get out of control like this.
I shake my head. “Don’t start your shit.”
“What?” Jack says with a slight chuckle as I slide into the limo first with him following right behind me. “I’m not allowed to ask about your wife?”
“She’s not my wife,” I snap.
This only causes Jack to laugh harder. “Sure, she is. It’s legal and everything.”
“Fuck.” It’s the only word that comes to mind. I’m totally fucked here. “How bad is it?”
Jack raises his eyebrows. “Well, if the two of you didn’t consummate your marriage, I’m sure we could’ve had a quick annulment, but—” I pull my glasses off and give him my best you know me better than that look which cuts him off. “That’s what I thought. We fight it. I’m not exactly a divorce lawyer, but I’m sure we can bring on a few other attorneys who specialize in high-profile cases to help. We might stand a chance.”
“A chance?” There’s a catch in my voice. “You have got to be fucking kidding me! You’re telling me that after being married for one fucking day, it possible Margo Buchanan can take me to the fucking cleaners? This is fucking insane.”
“Buddy, what’s insane is you marrying a woman who’s out for your blood. What possessed you to do it? I mean, I know she’s hot, but was fucking her really worth all this trouble? What the hell were you thinking?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I don’t know.”
I wish I could blame marrying Margo solely on Yamada, but I know that wouldn’t be exactly fair. Being with Margo this weekend was exciting. She didn’t take my shit, and I find that insanely attracted. Hell, maybe Jack can plead a case of temporary insanity because the woman causes me to lose my damn mind. Yamada said it didn’t take much convincing for me to marry Margo, and in my gut, I know that’s probably true. I drank enough liquor to kill a horse, so I know the logical part of my brain was not functioing, and my dick did any major decision-making.
I lift my head and stare out the window as the car cuts through traffic, getting us closer to Manhattan. “How quickly can we get this resolved?”
“Well, that depends,” Jack replies.
“On . . .” I prod as I whip my gaze in his direction.
He sighs. “On whether or not Margo Buchanan cooperates.”
I release a bitter laugh. “She hates me, so that won’t happen.”
“That’s too bad. Dragging things out can cause problems. If the board catches wind about your fly-by-night nuptials, they may begin to question your integrity.”
“My integrity? Are you fucking serious? This little mishap with Margo has nothing to do with my ability to run King Corporation. This business means more to me than anything else.” I shake my head, reeling from the disbelief that Jack’s even bringing this up. “I would rather slice off my own hand than do something to damage the empire my father built.”
“I know that, but the board . . . they don’t know you like I do, and well, you’ve amassed quite a reputation in this city when it comes to women. The board may perceive your rash decision to marry Margo and then immediately divorce her as you being a bit . . . flighty.”
I raise one eyebrow. “Me . . . flighty? I’m an emanate professional. Why does who I fuck and accidentally marry bring my character into question?”
Jack shrugs. “It could cause them to question your decision-making skills—your ability to see what’s best for the company in the long haul—and they may band together to try to go against you on things.”
“That won’t matter. I own a majority of this company. If they don’t like the direction I take this business—tough. It’s my fucking company.”
“It is,” Jack agrees. “I’m not bringing this up to be a prick, but I just want you to be aware. The board can make things a whole lot more difficult if they fight you on every little thing.”
I run my fingers down the back of my neck and take a deep breath. Fuck. If only I could rewind time and go back to the first moment I fucked Margo and let my guard down, then none of this would be an issue right now. I screwed up, and now I have to deal with the consequences of giving in to my dark desires and taking Margo, even though I knew it could fuck everything up.
I meet Jack’s stare. “So what should I do? If Margo refuses a quick annulment, there’s no way I can keep this quiet and keep the word from spreading across this city. You know how people talk around here.”
“Play nice with her,” Jack says as if it’s the simplest thing in the world. “Find out what it will take to appease her and give it to her so she doesn’t fight you on this divorce.”
“I can’t do that!” I protest. “She wants me to bail out Buchanan Industries so her family’s company won’t go under, but you and I both know that if we do that, we’d lose millions on that deal. We can’t afford to do that.”
“Then you’ll have to find a way to meet in the middle. You both are going to have to give a little to find common ground in this situation.”
I scrub my hand down my face. This is horse shit. I hate the fact that she basically has my balls in her purse, ready to zip them in tight and cause me excruciating pain. I so badly want to bash my fucking head against the window as straight-up punishment for allowing shit to get out of control like this.
