2.1 Psychos, deals and wives

(Alexandra)

"Will you marry me?"

Did she hear that right? Or was her ears not working properly because of her hunger?

"What?"

"Be my wife."

Okay, so she heard him alright. There was no problem with her ears. But there was surely a problem with his brain.

She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. He was supermodel handsome, tall and there wasn't an ounce of unwanted muscle in him. Lean, lithe and as he walked, he walked like a predator. He was all male, all sexy and correct her if she was wrong, all psycho.

Her cheeks were red. Fire red. Her eyes, if they had the power to incinerate human, would have burnt him down to his polished loafers, but alas, she had no such super power.

Her fingers, pointing at his face shook as she tried, tried to form a response to what he had just asked, but she just couldn't.

She just gaped and gaped. Opened her mouth and closed as he stood there, in her superiority, with a smile.

Smiling? He was smiling. Damn it.

She was so angry. And hungry. And hunger always made her violence reach a whole new level.

"Tell me where the hell is that hidden camera?" She asked once she gathered her thoughts. She looked around suspiciously, but as far as she could see, there seemed to be no trace of any camera. But then, if it was hidden, how could she see? "Oh, you think this is funny? Haha. I am not foolish enough to fall for that. So, is everything that went on inside is also an effing show?"

"This is not a tv show and there is no hidden camera." He sounded exasperated.

"Dude, come on. Don't mess with me. I am so hungry and I will kill you if you keep messing with me." She said as she glared at him.

"Don't you understand what I am saying?" He sighed a weary sigh.

"I do and that is why I want to know whether this is some effing reality show!" She looked at the man in front of her. The joker, who had just threw a curve ball of a question at her without even blinking an eye. What kind of an idiot would do that? Could do that? He paid for her and she paid back and they shared two words and she didn't even know his damn name.

Now, he wanted to marry her and wanted her to be his damn wife?

"No. No. Listen carefully, I don't have time to waste. So... as I have already told you, this isn't any tv show."

"Ok then." Her eyes sharpened as she looked at him up and down. "Are you insane or really, incredibly stupid?

"I am not either and I hope we can talk about this a little more. Like adults." He said in his most patient voice. He didn't look insane, but looks were often deceiving. She had been deceived by them in the past.

"No, dude, you sure are. You should go see a shrink or something. I mean, who in their right mind would ask a stranger to be his wife? Wife. Haha." She chuckled at him and stopped when she saw his eyes. Uh-oh, angry.

He looked dangerous with that glint in his stormy grey eyes. He looked kind of sexy and all Alpha Male type, but... Yes, there must be some screw loose in his brain.

"What is the problem? I mean, you are broke, yes? You look hungry. And from what I gathered, you are drifting. You don't have a place to stay, right?"

How did he know all that? Did he get it just by looking at her.

Oh. So, dangerous. She thought.

"And I have a place that is much bigger for just me. So you can stay there for an year. So why can't you be my wife?" His eyebrows shot up as if she was the ridiculous one here.

"Man, I'm not going to live with you in your house, alone. I am sure you are not really normal. What if you are a psychopath? What if you marry girls and kill them later for the heck of it?" He waved a hand at her with a frown.

"I am no psycho. I am a well known businessman. And it is strange you don't know me. You are from around here, right?"

"Yes, yes. So you are Mr. Popular. Why do you need me, then?"

"You fit my checklist. Ok, to sweeten the deal, I'll pay you for your help a lot more than I originally planned to so that you can live quite comfortably after the term is up. It is only a year." He shrugged. "And then you can be free, single and rich and eat whenever you want to eat."

That sounded like a brilliant plan. She didn't have a house to stay and the seedy motel was getting dangerous by each passing moment and she had tried to work, but it didn't work out very well for her, --and she didn't even want to work in hotels--what with her naivety and not knowing who to trust and not.

"So, why do you want a wife that bad, that you, Mr. Popularity, will go as far as begging a stranger?" She stared at him with eyes that were dripping with exhaustion and derision.

"I am not begging you. We are talking business here..." He was cut off by her snort. He gave her a glare. "And to answer your question, I want my ex-girlfriend to realize how wrong she was." He answered and his eyes, God, they were totally solemn.

"That so? Man, she must be some girl."

"She is so and so. But I am not... "

"Not the type to take no for an answer? God!"

"Now, will you stop being annoying and come inside? And let us talk this out."

"Why not? But I want to eat whatever I want. As a payment to listen to your totally mental plans. But I am not saying yes."

"Finally."

"Yep."

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