agreed to this engagement, I didn't realize just how crazy this infuriating woman would drive me.

Every five seconds, something completely out-of-the-blue came out of that pretty little mouth of hers that left me speechless. It was entirely my fault, as much as I hated to admit it. I should've done my research. I should've known that nothing would have been easy.

When Alex first told me about the hopes of a formal alliance between the two companies, I obliged for the sake of finally being able to do something for him. It seemed simple enough: marry the heiress, run the company until she was ready, and keep her out of trouble.

But, like an idiot, I didn't think that Kimberly Nyla Astor would be such a pain in the ass.

Would be so damn infuriating.

Would be a force of nature, destroying the sense of normalcy I developed.

Would be the loud distraction I tended to avoid.

Would be so... so... fucking sexy.

It didn't help that she embodied both of the stupid nicknames I had for her, Venus more than anything. Even though I didn't admit it at the time, the goddess was my true inspiration for her. Mentioning the toxic planet had just been a defense mechanism because I was the idiot who would gladly be in her presence, even if it meant burning up and dying.

Idiot doesn't even begin to cover it.

Everytime she opened that smart mouth, I would imagine those red-painted lips wrapped around my cock, finally getting her to shut up with those sly and cheeky remarks. I didn't want to feel this way. It complicated the shit out of things given the contract I impulsively signed.

The contract made it impossible for me to find any type of sexual release in another woman for two years. Any woman who wasn't the woman who didn't want to fuck me was off-limits for two-fucking-years. I could do this.

This was bad. It hasn't even been forty-eight hours since I met her and I've lost any hold I had on my brain.

I couldn't do this.

I didn't do things impulsively. Yet, something about her made all rational, reasonable thoughts fly out of my brain.

I was expecting her to be more of a—for lack of a better word—mess. Except, she wasn't and this was the issue. Alex warned me about how she was 'troubled', so I was expecting some grungy, I-don't-give-a-fuck-about-anything girl to show up in my office the day she unexpectedly popped by.

Instead, a classy woman showed up without a single hair out of place. Long, tan legs. Tits meant to worship. An ass made to grab. Hair meant to pull.

Stop.

God, this is not what I should be reminiscing about while she was sitting next to me in the small space of my car looking like that.

When I first got to her apartment, her teasing comment about not going to her room unless I wanted to see her naked sent dangerous images into my head. Her coming up to me—her chest merely inches from my chest—didn't help my need to fuck her against those windows for everyone to see.

The damn red too.

The heat that rushed down to my cock at the thought of her wearing red under that dangerous dress was enough to make me want to pin her down to the couch, lift up that dress, and pull down her—what I'm assuming to be—red panties to shove into her mouth.

Inadvertently, my grip on the wheel tightened. I could feel her eyes on me, but it took everything in me to not turn my head.

I wasn't the type of person to have these thoughts. I didn't do relationships. I didn't have the time or patience to go about them. No-strings-attached described my sexual history for as long as I could remember.

So, hearing the words coming out of her mouth while she had no intention of doing anything about them made me want to fuck her even more.

Stop, Jace.

If my mom saw me now, she'd be so fucking disappointed. Speaking of, Mom was over-the-moon when I told her about my upcoming marriage. At first, she was disappointed that I wasn't marrying for love and instead business. But she understood.

Now, she was desperate to meet my fiancée.

Kimberly's voice cut through the silence of the car. "This morning, when the media mentioned the tabloids about me, you didn't bat an eye."

"And?" I didn't need to look in her direction to know she was rolling those beautiful brown eyes at me.

"Have you read any?" Her tone had the slightest hint of insecurity. Something I never expected from her.

"Any what?" I know I was riling her up at this point, but I wanted to hear her explode. Hear her talk back with the annoyance she kept reserved for me. It was better than the vulnerability that was clearing making her uncomfortable.

"Any of the fucking tabloids, jackass." She seethed through her teeth, doing her hardest to not yell.

And she was back to her usual self. The one with an attitude I so badly wanted to fuck out of her, knowing it'll keep coming back each and every time.

Shut the fuck up, Jace.

We were almost at the Kingston residence. Even though I was technically a Kingston now, I didn't consider this place a home. I was still a D'Angelo at heart, despite what my new legal last name was. I looked out the window, feigning complete concentration on the roads, knowing it would drive her insane.

"Kimberly, I don't know how many times I can make it clear that I genuinely don't give a fuck about what the tabloids say."

It was the truth.

The brutal, honest truth.

She stayed quiet, which was very unlike her. "So, you don't know anything about me?"

If I did, I would've been able to avoid this mess.

Obviously, it was no secret that the Astors, especially Kimberly, were famous. In the business sense, I knew everything about the runnings of their company. In the personal sense, I didn't give two shits.

In the past, her name has been thrown around a few times in my presence, especially by Savannah, but I never paid enough attention to learn anything about her other than the surface-level things. I didn't even know what she looked like, for fuck's sake.

If I had, I definitely would've been able to avoid this mess.

"It's concerning that you think I'd be able to learn more about you through tabloids."

Thankfully, I pulled into the large driveway, cutting the conversation short. As expected, the Kingstons lived in a large mansion, very similar to that of the Astors, so Kimberly must've been feeling right at home.

I wasn't blind to the bitterness of that thought. Kimberly knew more about my family than I did. She knew my father, stepmother, and half-sisters better than I did. It wasn't her fault, but it didn't take away from how badly that sucked.

She was the type of person who belonged more in this life than I did. I happened to stumble into it because of my mom's sickness and sudden admission that my father was alive. I didn't belong here, even though I was able to fake it so well.

I didn't do well in big events, like I was sure our engagement party would be.

I didn't fare well in a place where you had to fake a smile and talk to people you didn't give a shit about.

I didn't do bullshitting.

"I can already tell Aunt Luce went all out." Kimberly stepped out of the door I held open for her, looking completely unfazed by the number of cars and large crowds we could see through the window.

Shutting the door behind her, I held my arm out for her to take.

We might as well play the part of a happy couple.

"Alex mentioned something about that. She's your father's sister, right?" All these people, names, and relationships were already giving me a headache.

"Yep," she replied.

I could feel the anxiety crawling up my neck as we reached the door, despite the cool facade I had on. Kimberly rang on the doorbell, and it was answered in mere seconds by Efthymia, my stepmother—or whatever the fuck our relation was—with a bright smile on her face.

Efthymia was a nice woman, given the situation we found ourselves in. I mean it's not everyday you find out your husband had a child he knew nothing about with another woman he loved before you two were married.

Yes, very messy.

Despite the odd predicament, she never once showed any hint of animosity towards me. "You two look so beautiful together. Come in." She waved us into the large party.

Instantly, people started congratulating us on the engagement. I recognized other prominent members of society and business-people. I gave a quick nod with pursed lips to the party-goers, but Kimberly instantly slipped into the role she was born into and plastered on that fake smile she had on hand.

I had to admit, considering how last minute this party was, it was amazing that all these people were here. Although, anything was possible when you were related to the right people.

Servers were bustling around with trays of appetizers and drinks, handing them to people who didn't even bat an eye in their direction. The elitist mindset is exactly what I wasn't comfortable with. Not too long ago, I was among the crowd who worked for the rich.

I didn't belong.

And that fucked with my head more than I wanted it to.

A light tug on my arm brought me out of my thoughts. I hadn't even realized I was grimacing at the last round of guests Kimberly was talking to.

I took the hint and brought my ear down to her mouth, close enough to smell the subtle jasmine on her. "This shit isn't everyone's cup of tea. If you get uncomfortable, there's a private garden through those doors. No one can see out there, so you should be fine. I can handle the introductions, and—if anyone asks—I'll tell them you're getting me a drink."

The urge to kiss her senseless was strong. It's the discomfort talking.

She didn't even bother asking if I was okay or not. She somehow just knew. I don't even know how she had such a perfect solution, but I was surprised. I normally did a great job at keeping my emotions under wraps.

"Thank you."

With that, I made my way to the door she pointed to and slipped out.

The cool night breeze nipped at my skin, but I had enough body heat to be unaffected. The walk down the private path was nice, but it proved my point further.

She even knew more about my father's house than I did.

Eventually, I stopped at what I believed was the private garden but was alarmed by another presence. She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place a name to her face in the dark. She must've sensed me because she turned her head fully.

Of course.

Vivian Liu. I didn't know much about her, but I knew enough to know that she is my fiancée's best friend and roommate. That, and the fact that she was a successful business lawyer. I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say, as she looked me up and down.

"God, this must be killing her."

It didn't take a genius to realize that the 'her' she was referring to was Kimberly. "What do you mean?"

She raised a quizzical eyebrow in my direction. "You're hot. Like, very hot," Vivian replied with absolutely no emotion in her response.

I was stunned at her admission. She was definitely blunt, considering she was talking about how attractive her friend's future husband was. "Um-"

"Don't worry," she cut me off. "I'm not into dicks, in the very literal sense."

Oh... that's one way of putting it.

"Do you mind if I take a seat?" I nodded towards the spot beside her.

"Be my guest. After all, it's your dad's house." She looked away, uninterested. I wanted to correct her but couldn't bring myself to.

She was right. It was my father's house, but I felt like such a stranger here. Regardless, I didn't feel like oversharing with someone who was practically a stranger to me.

"So, you're friends with Kimberly?" What prompted me to ask that question was a mystery to me. There was something intimidating about her presence, which, quite honestly, scared the shit out of me. She had this 'I want to kill everyone' look in her eyes.

"Yes."

"How long have you two known each other?"

Shut up, Jace. Just stop while you're ahead.

"Practically birth."

"Cool."

Seriously... "cool."

She must've been equally uncomfortable by the atmosphere because she suddenly turned to look at me with Medusa-like eyes. "Listen, if you do anything to hurt Kim, I will literally come for your ass."

I wasn't a small guy. In fact, most people would say I had an intimidating quality to my demeanor, but this girl shattered that in a few seconds. "I have no doubt about that."

"No," she replied nonchalantly. "I don't think you understand. I love Kim more than anything in this miserable world. She's been through a lot, so if I find out you did something to hurt her or make her cry, I will literally chop your dick into tiny pieces, shove it up your ass, and launch you into the fucking Hudson River for all the mutated fish to take a bite out of your rotting flesh."

A very vivid picture. Wait... love? Like 'love' love?

Just how many people were in love with my future wife?

"Noted."

"Good."

Suddenly, it hit me like a ton of bricks. "Wait... is she... does she-"

"No," she cut me off, sparing me from the question I didn't know how to form. "She's straight... for the most part. And, don't worry, I'm trying to get over her. Pining over a soon-to-be married woman isn't cute."

I stayed silent, knowing a response wouldn't help. I was grateful this wasn't some type of ploy to break them apart, but I also didn't peg either Alex or Liam as the homophobic type. Despite this, sharing the bench with someone who had an unrequited love for the woman I was going to marry sent a sense of guilt into my mind.

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, before another presence made itself known.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but for once, I'm glad to see Kimberly here. Apparently, so is Vivian given the way her face brightened and eyes warmed up a miniscule amount.

Okay, so it's definitely 'love' love.

"Vivi!" My fiancée exclaimed excitedly. "I had a feeling you'd be out here when I didn't see you inside. So, how are you two getting along?"

"For the last time, we met at the event last year," Vivian replied.

"I know, but know you're meeting him as my fiancé." Kimberly dramatically shuddered at the word, leading me to roll my eyes.

At that point, I questioned if Vivian either had an icy edge in her tone because I was engaged to the girl she loved or if her voice was just naturally softer to the girl she loved.

Probably both.

"He's fine," she replied, indifference slipping out.

"Wow, what a stamp of approval," Kimberly teased, a warmth to her voice that I wasn't on the receiving end of. "Anyway, I came out here for a breather. I need another drink to make it through tonight. If I have to kiss up to more old rich men, I might pass out."

I'm not much of a consumer of alcohol, but even I knew that saying you needed a drink to make it through anything, is an indication of a problem.

Vivian sighed, "Kim, you drank a quarter of a bottle of vodka before I left. You're fucking done for tonight."

In response, Kimberly groaned, the sound going straight to my dick.

This is how crazy she made me.

I should be worried at the fact that she drank a decent amount of alcohol and wasn't tipsy in the slightest when I saw her, but instead, I was getting turned on by a fucking groan.

"We're going to revisit this later."

"No we're not."

Kimberly shot her friend a glare. "Anyway, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I won't be able to hold them off any longer."

I stood up, fixing the buttons of my suit and readjusting the tie. Wrong choice. My mind immediately went back to when her nimble fingers were so close to my skin. "It's fine. I think people figured it doesn't take this long to get your fiancée a drink."

"Valid point." Vivian nodded.

"Does this mean you're actually getting me a drink?" Both our heads shot in Kimberly's direction, making her roll her eyes. "I'll take that as a no, party poopers."

♕♕♕

The few seconds I saw of her in the beginning of the party was only a glimpse into how natural she was in a crowd like this. We entered the living room, her hands resting on my arm, talking to all the guests.

People were drawn to her.

Drawn to that devastatingly radiant smile that could have people eating out of her hands.

It didn't matter that it was fake. Because there was something about how well she was able to fake it. To anyone else, it looked completely genuine.

More than that, if anything.

Occasionally, the two of us would stop to make small talk with the guests. I say "we," but it was mainly her. The way she talked was an artform in itself. Rich people were absolutely brutal, with their sly comments and judgment. But Kimberly handled them in a way that they didn't realize they were insulted until after we left.

One older lady mentioned how her son saw Kimberly stumbling out of a bar a few weeks back. The oldie had her lips stretched into a tight smile, clearly indicating her judgment. Kimberly, without batting an eye, replied with "Would you look at that? Your husband and I have something in common."

I was standing right next to Kimberly, but even I didn't process the insult given how cheerfully it was delivered.

Like I said, artform.

The two of us came across a familiar face that we stopped to talk to: Addison Raines. I had first met Kimberly's cousin when the two of us were getting our MBAs at Wharton. She was nice enough. She rarely talked to me, but I'd always find her looking in my direction in the lecture halls.

"Hello, cousin," Kimberly greeted, her smile faltering. Did these two have bad blood?

Addison rolled her eyes and replied, "Stop being so dramatic, Kim. Hi, Jace."

"Hi, Addison. It's been a while. How are you?" I asked for the sake of conversation.

Abruptly, Kimberly's hands left my arm, leaving it feeling strangely cold. "You two have fun talking. I'll go find anyone else to talk to. Toodles!"

Okay, so they definitely have bad blood.

"Sorry about that. Kim and I aren't the... closest and she has a flair for the dramatics," she stated, turning around to see her cousin hug her brother.

Strangely enough, my eyes were on them as well. Because, at that moment, I saw Kimberly flash someone her genuine smile for the second time that night. Granted, it was directed at her cousin, Vivian, my two half-sisters, and another girl I didn't recognize.

I didn't realize how long I'd been looking at her until Addison called out.

"Jace?"

"Huh, sorry," I replied apologetically. "Did you ask me something?"

She had a knowing look in her eye as she briefly glanced to where Kimberly was standing. "Yeah, how are things at the company?"

"Pretty good. This merger is definitely pointing in the right direction." I didn't need to worry about being careful with discussing the alliance, considering she and Kimberly were family.

"Yeah, Laurent's been a real pain-in-the-ass lately," she sighed. "How's your mother?"