The McCain Marriage Contract

I finally told her and I was free. The next hurdle was my father. Dad had always been a difficult person for one to reason with. While he was generally a cool person and never prevented me from expressing myself no matter what or where it was very difficult to convince him at any point. Whenever he stood his ground the decision was final. I remembered that he used to have a very soft spot for Valerie back then and so whenever I needed something, maybe a new PlayStation or some extra cash, I would find a way to get Valerie to do the asking on my behalf. I was sure he still had a soft spot for her because that would explain why this whole marriage thing was going on in the first place. I didn't mean to react the way I did that night when I was having an erotic session with Valerie. I didn't mean to jump off the way I did when I felt the extent of her scars. But something in me just snapped, something I thought was ancient and forgotten. I remembered what happened back then. I remembered finding out about the accident that brought about the scars. And even though I was no longer seeing her then, nor was I still in Jacksonville, I felt pity for her. Of course, I had no way of knowing exactly how severe her injuries were seeing as I never showed up even once by her bedside at the hospital, nor did I go to her house after she recovered. Seeing her now in my house and feeling those hideous scars that made her trade the kind of cute dresses she used to wear for these ones that were several inches longer made me feel a new form of pity for her and hate for myself. And I knew now more than ever that I could not go on with this sham of a marriage.

The next morning I showed up bright and early to meet my dad in his office. A part of me dreaded going to work that day because I expected the fuss and the escort of the nosy paparazzi. I was, whether I liked it or not, the son of a renowned billionaire and in the public eye, a billionaire as well. So it was expected that if something as significant as my wedding happened it was simply going to be the talk of the town. But I was surprised that my dad had kept his end of the bargain. He wanted it to be a quiet wedding and indeed it was quiet, seeing as for almost five days now we had not heard anything from anybody besides the handful of people that were in the room that night. Even Sylvia, his highly endowed secretary who seemed to be more informed than the CNN, did not say or do anything to hint that she has any idea whatsoever of my new marital status. She still flirted with me, giving me that kinky wink and turning around to give me a more than gracious view of her behind. The woman had no shame. She was screwing the father and yet could not keep her nose off the son. Deja vu much.

"I can't do this any longer, Dad," I blurted as soon as I got in. I was so desperate to get it off my chest that I did not mind my tone and I did not even mind that the door was open.

Dad shushed me and rushed to close the door. "You must have forgotten where you are, Raymond," he said.

Indeed I had and it didn't matter to me, because the wedding was about to be off in a matter of minutes. "I'm done, dad. I can't do it any longer with Valerie, not after all the things we did to..."

My dad shushed me again, much louder this time. "You must have lost your mind, Raymond, for you to think you can waltz in here and say just whatever you want. Have you been doing cheap drugs?"

"I truly wish I was intoxicated. At least then I would know that things were not actually so bad. But my senses are as sharp as anyone else's and yet somehow I cannot control what happens in my own life. A whole adult male," I said miserably. My dad snorted. "So all of this noise is to remind yourself that you have a set of balls dangling between your legs?"

"I can't do any of this any longer, Dad. It's that simple. And if you try to make me, I swear I would go to everybody that cares to listen, including Valerie herself, and tell her everything that happened." To deal with a person like my dad one had to speak his language, the language of Instilling Fear.

"You really think you can blackmail me?" he asked scornfully. "No problem then, go to Valerie. But before you get to the front door of this office I would have called her and told her every single thing. I mean every single thing down to the very last detail. I need you to remember that you are every bit as guilty as I am about what happened back then. Besides, remember the contract. You stand to lose your inheritance."

"Are you trying to blackmail me, dad?" I asked in horror. "What kind of a father are you?"

"The kind that has saved your spoiled ass uncountable times over the years. Now, I know you better than anybody else, Raymond. And I know all the things you have done. So, like a good son, you will keep quiet and stay in this marriage and if possible get a grandchild out of it. There's no big deal in any of this. I really need you to understand how important this is for us. It's going to look good for you in the face of prospective and even existing clients. I need you to understand that I am doing this for you and all I'm asking is that you play along, just for a year. I'm not trying to hurt you, son. I just want us to do what is best for business as well as the family. This bloodline just has to continue," Dad concluded. I give a frustrated sigh and ran a hand over my hair, ruining the effort I put in that morning to make it appear sleek. "Okay, Dad," I said. "Fine. We would stay married for a year as you asked. But please, for now, help us keep it silent." "Of course, son," he said as he gently patted my shoulder. "Of course."

By the time I left the building, I saw a new headline on Tech Insider's official blog page: "Billionaire Heir Ties the Knot with First Love in Secret Wedding."