Business as Usual (4 page)

 “I see your point,” I acquiesced. “But…
how can you be so calm? Why aren’t you taking this seriously?” Ethan was way
too nonchalant about the whole ordeal.

“Why would I be upset about marrying a pretty
American girl?”

Despite my Ivy League pedigree and the fact
that I was vice president of an upscale hotel chain, the only thing Ethan saw
was a pretty girl standing before him. A flash of unabashed desire flickered in
his eyes.

“Whatever!”I exclaimed dismissively, rolling my
eyes. I suppose we better get this thing started. What are we supposed to do
now?”

Ethan grabbed my hand. “You can follow me,” he
said, pulling me toward the door. “How’s that for starters?”

“Where are we going?”

“We’ll go get our marriage license, shopping
for something to wear then to the jewelry store to pick out wedding bands. We
can go to the chapel later tonight. How does that sound?”

Ethan opened the door and the both of us walked
out.

It sounds like I’m in a shit load of trouble…
I thought.

CHAPTER 3

After
leaving the Concord Business Center, Ethan used his cell phone to summon the
driver of the sleek, navy blue Maybach 57s he rented to courier us over to the Palazzo,
an upscale mall about a mile out from the strip.   

En route, he phoned concierge at our hotels and
had someone ship his belongings to my room. He then removed his suit jacket and
tossed it on the seat while absently rolling up the sleeves of his button down
shirt, showing smooth but muscular arms. He spoke with a level of authority in
his voice, detailing how he preferred to have his clothing packed, and where to
leave them in my room, referring to me as Mrs. Yu. I stayed in a one bedroom
penthouse suite at the top of the Luxury Grand Tower Hotel. I waited for him to
request a roll-away bed, but no such command was ever made.

The five minute ride to the Shoppes at the
Palazzo took an eternity. My mind was in a haze and I felt a headache coming
on. When we finally arrived, Ethan climbed out of the vehicle, walked around to
the sidewalk, then opened my door. He immediately took my hand, gripping it
firmly in his as he pulled me out of the car. He studied me with the air of a
man used to being in control. 

“Let’s walk the rest of the way,” he said.

“Why?”

“So people can see us. I want to be seen with
you.” He grazed the side of my face with his fingers until he was cupping my
chin. I resisted the urge to smack his hand away.

The walkway was deserted, save for the tall,
muscular, olive-complexioned man exiting a vehicle two cars behind us. He stood
on the sidewalk, wire plugged into his ear, arms folded across his chest. Our
eyes connected and he gave me a hard look. I averted my gaze and clung to Ethan’s
hand. What if someone took a picture and Danny saw it? How would I explain it
to him? I rethought the gesture and slipped my hand out of Ethan’s grasp, only
to find him reaching out to grab it again.

I
was growing more and more annoyed by the minute. Not only was the situation
highly irritating, but the five-inch heels I wore pinched my toes, adding to my
misery. “That’s fine,” I said, feeling a bit like a push over.

We stood on the cobbled walkway outside of
Barney’s, the warm desert breeze blowing on our faces. The imported palm trees
lining Vegas streets for miles on end was the perfect backdrop for my fake
relationship.

 Ethan’s phone rang. We held hands as he
spoke Mandarin in a rushed manner to the person on the other line. My ears
perked as I wondered who he was talking to after hearing “Byron” float by in
the conversation. But Ethan spoke so quickly, I could only comprehend a few
words at a time. Was he talking to his father?
Or someone else?
I heard
something about “the company” and “dropping stocks.” He turned his back,
plugging a finger into one ear and lowering his voice so I could not hear. What
was the young man plotting and would my father know anything about it? I
wondered if this was the reason why my father insisted I learn to speak Mandarin
and now, I wish I had practiced the language more often.

When Ethan hung up I said, “There’s a dress
boutique just down the walk called Maria Bella’s. You can buy something at
Barney’s and I can go there to shop for a dress.” He’d like Barney’s. It was a
high end department store, a good excuse to go separate ways. I needed a moment
to clear my head.

“I already have a suit. I bought it a few weeks
ago.” He shoved both of his hands into his pockets and casually followed me to
the store.

How long ago had Ethan, Mr. Yu and my father
been planning this?

I felt an overwhelming desire to tell him to
get lost as we walked the block and a half to Maria Bella’s. I hadn’t a
moment’s peace since I agreed to marry him and could hardly catch my breath.
The hand holding, the ring, the shopping and the planning…it was all too much.
Ethan walked at a breathtaking pace and was soon leading the way. I studied his
lean but muscular physique from behind. It seemed for every step he took, I had
to take two to keep up.  Deportation had to be imminent. It was the only
explanation I could come up with as to why he was in a hurry to marry a woman
whom in the past, he’d barely made an effort to talk to.

When we walked into Maria Bella’s, one of the
sales girls greeted me by name, even though I had only visited a few times. No
doubt they remembered the commission they earned from my previous visits. It
didn’t take long for Adriana, the 60-ish, Italian boutique owner to get wind of
my visit. She dutifully met us at the front of the store to personally assist
us. I told her what I was looking for and without making a fuss, she went to
the back to have a look at her inventory.

I’d forgotten how much I liked the boutique’s
elegant look and its authentic Victorian styled gold-trimmed furniture. I
studied the décor as I sat on a nearby chaise absently gathering a sofa pillow
to my chest. Ethan stood with a sales girl at the front of the store, openly
admiring a Victorian ivory inlaid gold cabinet. The young woman grinned
playfully as they chatted then placed a hand on Ethan’s arm. I felt an
inexplicable prick of jealousy. Feeling my gaze, he looked up, catching my eye
but I quickly turned away, putting the pillow back where I found it.

A few minutes later he joined me and Adriana at
the back of the store, much to the manager’s surprise.

“Congratulations! I can’t believe you are
getting married. I haven’t seen anything in the papers about it. Is this
handsome young man your fiancé?” Adriana teased, peering curiously at Ethan.

“Oh, I’m sorry, this is Ethan Yu…” I replied,
ignoring her question.

“Nice to meet you,” he answered shoving both of
his hands into his pockets. I spied a look of irritation on Ethan’s face as we
followed Adriana to the other room.

“This is truly a blessed event,” the woman
chattered. “We can tailor a gown for you if you need it. Are you going to one
of the chapels?”

“Yes, we’re going to Blue Bird Wedding Temple.
Why don’t we have a look at some of your new inventory? I’m looking for a cream
or white dress. Maybe something with a vintage design... I’m thinking 1930s
chic.”

I pulled the raven haired Sophia Loren
lookalike by the arm as quickly as I could, doing my best to leave Ethan at the
front of the store. We were already feeling too much like a couple, even if
only on the surface.

“Actually,” he interjected, “white is bad luck
in Chinese culture…it represents the color of death.”

 “Then what am I supposed to wear?” I
asked.

“Red is lucky,” Ethan replied.

 It
was my fake wedding and I couldn’t even get the dress I wanted? What difference
did it make if red was lucky?

“Red wedding dresses are quite common
actually,” Adriana said. She then pointed an accusing finger at Ethan. “Stay
here. It’s bad luck to see the gown before the wedding.”

She pulled me by the arm and escorted me to a
room in the back, leaving Ethan to chat with the sales girl at the front of the
store again. I sighed, grateful to get away.

“Because of the color, you’ll want to avoid a
big poufy dress… red can be so overpowering.”

Adriana went to the storage room at the back of
the store and returned a few minutes later wheeling a clothes rack behind her.
Several dresses zipped into beige dry cleaning bags hung from the stand.

“I have a vintage 1930s satin organdie dress
with spaghetti straps in a rich vibrant red. It’s lengthy though not quite a
fishtail design. It has a loose-fitting shape but manages to frame the womanly
curves of your body. Your fiancé won’t be disappointed, I promise you.”

I ignored her last comment as Adriana unzipped
a dry cleaning bag, revealing the red satin dress. ‘
Ethan and I are not in
love and never will be
,’ I thought. What did it matter if he liked the
dress?

Nevertheless, when Adriana revealed the gown I was
overjoyed. It was exactly what I wanted only in a different color.

“It’s gorgeous!” I exclaimed. “Can I try it on?
If it looks as good on me as it does on this hanger, I would love to buy it off
the rack if possible?”

“I knew you’d love it. And of course you can
buy it off the rack for your special day. It’s one of a kind. If alterations
are needed, I have a seamstress who can assist you.”

I scurried into the fitting room.

As I slid into the dress I couldn’t help but
wonder… why did it matter if white was unlucky or the color of death? If
anything, we needed a little bad luck as the marriage was
supposed
to
fail.

I gazed into the floor length mirror in the
cozy little fitting room and loved the way the beautiful satin organdie gown
clung to my figure, the way the spaghetti straps slipped down my shoulders, and
how long and tall it made me feel. I also loved the way it dipped in the back
down to my lower spine, how soft it was against my skin… this dress deserved a
man who loved me, not some fake wedding to save a business deal.

I came out of the fitting room and spun around.
“I’ll take it!”

“Very good,” Adriana said. “But you need
something for your hair.”

A veil wouldn’t look right. “Maybe a comb, or a
flower?” I suggested.

Adriana chewed the end of her fingernail. “I
may have something for you. But it’s expensive. I’ll have the seamstress make
some adjustments to the dress while I look for it, if that is okay with you?”

“Of course,” I said.

While Adriana looked for the accessory, a woman
of seventy or so years with silver hair came out to do the alterations. I tried
not to move as the woman fixed my dress. She even pricked me a few times while
complaining about my inability to keep still between probing me with questions
about my nuptials.

“How long have you been engaged?”

“Just a few days,” I lied. What was I supposed
to say? That I’d been engaged for roughly an hour, give or take a few minutes?
I winced when the woman pricked me again.

“Sorry!” she exclaimed. “I’m almost done.” The
woman licked the end of her needle then stabbed at the dress once more.

“I’m not a fool. My daughter eloped when she
was seventeen!” the woman huffed. “Shame on you! Young people, breaking your
parents’ hearts. Aye!” she scoffed. “You can step down now.”

I climbed off of the wooden stoop and thanked
the poor woman, wondering how she had arrived at such a conclusion. I then
walked to the front of the store where, for reasons unknown to me, I found
myself looking for Ethan.

I waited by the register and soon, Adriana
appeared with a small white box in her hand. Inside, there was a beautiful gold
plated comb in the shape of a butterfly fitted with red jewels.

“Are those rubies?” I gasped.

“The comb is very expensive… but worth every
penny,” she beamed.

Adriana pushed the comb into my hair, pinning
it up on the sides. I turned around so I could see how it looked in the mirror.

“See how beautiful it looks against your dark
hair?” she smiled.

“It’s very beautiful,” I said. “I’ll take it.”

Adriana gave the items to a clerk who took it
to a room where she packaged them for me. When the young clerk returned, I gave
her my credit card, ready to settle the bill, when the young woman told me
Ethan had already taken care of it. The man was too much!  

The young clerk carried the box outside to the
Maybach, where Ethan waited. I climbed in. We went to the court house directly
to buy a marriage license, few words passing between us when others were not
around. Though there was a moment, when I looked up and found him gazing at me
with through hooded eyes.

CHAPTER 4

“It guess it’s official…” Ethan said, a
self-congratulatory smirk on his face.