“You expect us to be married and not live together?” Chandler asked as he poured himself a glass of wine. “No wife of mine will have a separate domain.”
“Then I suggest you find us a house!” I replied sharply as I turned toward him. “The compound is for the Boudreaux family, and regardless of what this marriage entails, you will never be one of us. Until we are married, our time will be spent at my condo and your residence. You will provide us a home, and I’d prefer one that you haven’t fucked multiple women in.”
My mother hissed and glared at me “Noemi! Watch your mouth!”
“Wow…” I laughed humorlessly before sipping from the glass of water. “Not only do I not have a say in a marriage, I can’t voice my opinion or make requests?” Looking toward Dre and a pissed-off Rosier, I waved my hand toward them. “Please, enlighten me on what I can and can’t do to ensure I’m the perfect little wife.”
Placing his arm on the back of my chair, Chandler leaned in closer until his lips were directly at my ear. I stiffened at his closeness, pushing down the urge to gag. Pushing my locs behind my ear, he spoke where only I could hear him. “I’m going to enjoy correcting that smart-ass mouth of yours, wife.”
He kissed my cheek, and it took everything in me not to slap the shit out of him. My body began to shake as anger overtook me. There’s no way I was going to sit here and deal with this today. Jolting from my chair, I grabbed my things to leave.
“Noemi, sit back down!” Rosier stood from his seat as I approached the door. “I didn’t say you could leave. We’re not done here!”
Spinning to face him, I could see the rage in his eyes as he reached me. I gripped the strap on my purse as the othersstared at our engagement. I glared at the one deemed as ruthless because, in my eyes, he was just that. How dare he marry me off to the likes of someone like Chandler Gourneau.
“You’ve said all that’s needed to be said, Rosier. You all have made it clear that my input and wishes don’t matter and will not be honored.”
“Noemi, please sit down,” he spoke lowly and calmly. “Please…”
Defeated, I nodded and did as he asked. Rosier was not one to beg, and I knew that. I wouldn’t dare embarrass him or our name by being stubborn, even though, at this moment, neither he nor our family deserved my loyalty. I knew what being in this family meant, but I didn’t like it, so my attitude was warranted, in my opinion.
Retaking my seat, Jules cleared his throat to speak, so I gave my attention to him.
“While this is unexpected, I took the liberty of composing documents to detail what this union would consist of.” He went into his briefcase and pulled out sheets of paper before handing them to Chandler and me. “I know this isn’t what you want, Mimi, but this doesn’t have to be a sentence for you.”
“So, I really can’t move onto the compound?” Chandler sounded off from the side of me. “And five years for a child is absurd!”
Looking over the document, I said nothing as I read it. While I was pissed with the arrangement, I was happy that my brothers and cousin thought enough about me to where Chandler couldn’t force himself into my homes or uterus.
“It doesn’t rule out sex!” Rosier spat as if the idea disgusted him. “While those are part of her marital duties, she doesn’t have to bear a child until she’s ready. An heir is conditional after year five. Also, you know how things work here when itcomes to adultery.” Rosier gave him a knowing look. “I can’t tell a man what to do inside of his home, but publicly?—”
“You can fuck off in private but respect me in public.” I turned to Chandler, who was aggravated. “I don’t care what you do, but you will not embarrass me. You want the doting partner in public, I understand. This marriage will be loveless, and I understand that too. Just know that I will not be anyone’s doormat.”
“Three million a month is a bit much to pay my wife for a marriage.” He frowned as he looked from the paper to my brother. “Why should I consent to this?”
“My sister has expensive taste…” Rosier smirked as he eyed him. “It’s not enough if you ask me.”
Hearing the guys speak on things that were no longer of interest to me, I zoned out of the conversation. With a woman who had her own funds, no amount of money could compensate for my misery.
“Noemi, say something, baby,” my mother asked as she reached over to grab my hand. All chatter ceased once she spoke. “How do you feel about this?”
Looking between her and the men, I shrugged as I pulled my hand back.
“It doesn’t matter what I have to say; the deed is pretty much done.” I gathered my things once more. This time, Rosier didn’t stop me. “Your minds are made up, and at this point, all I have to do is walk down the aisle.” Turning to my brother, there was a look of annoyance on his face. “There will be an aisle, right? Shit, who’s going to give me away at the wedding? Wait.” I stopped and tapped my chin. “You’ve pretty much covered that already.”
Even with me knowing an arrangement was a possibility didn’t take away the betrayal I’m feeling at the moment. Rosier could have found another way to mend things between bothfamilies, but he chose to use me as a bargaining chip. As I left the room and closed the door behind me, I knew I was closing the door on my relationship with my family as I knew it. Things will never be the same with us again once I became a Gourneau.
“The crowdin here is on fire tonight, Boss!” Jerome greeted me as soon as I rounded the corner behind the bar. I’d come over to see if they needed any help. I didn’t know how to mix a drink, but I could help pass a beer or clean up shot glasses. “What the hell are you doing, Skip?”
“Nigga, this is my shit.” I mugged him as I took the money from the customer and handed it to him. “Ring this nigga up for a Corona.”
Tittering lowly, Rome did as I asked, and I moved on to the next customer. I never thought I would meet another nigga that worked my nerves more than Wild. It’s been around a year since Dre and Denim have been together, and in that amount of time, Jerome has become an annoying addition to our family. He was also the perfect addition to my club as a bartender, so I saw him more than everyone else now.
“Hey, handsome! Is a shot of you on the menu?” a pretty brown-skin broad asked as I walked over to see what she wanted. “The only thing I want to slide down my throat is you.”
Leaning forward, her large breasts all but sat on top of the bar top. Her eyes shone under the lights, and I could see the lust in them. The look she was giving me was nothing new, being that I was Jordan Mills. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she scanned my frame, and I knew I could have her if I wanted her.
“One taste of this will have you drunk for life, baby.” I winked at her before acknowledging the next guest. “You want something that’s actually on the menu or not? It’s too many muthafuckas in line for you to be playing with me.”
