Contract Marriage by Ashleh Queen (read e books online free txt) 📕

"That's Mrs. Black you are talking about," I said and turned my gaze over Jane. My lips were close to her cheek. Though I wanted to kiss them, it was not the time.

I could sense the tension in everyone's body. But Hyde's reaction was priceless. He could not close his mouth for a minute.

"When exactly this happened?" Anthony asked. I could see he was shocked and a little bit embarrassed too.

"Yesterday," I replied nonchalantly.

"Why you didn't tell me?" This time Hydes asked.

"I am telling now. And by the way that was a private function. Only family and friends were invited." I said looking at Hydes. And Hydes was visibly hurt.

The dealer reached to start the game on our table. Everyone straightened themselves and was looking anywhere but on Jane. Yea, they know me very well to not to mess around with me.

My one hand was on Jane's thigh and I could sense that she was relaxed now, much to my relief.

"Congratulations. I might have bought a gift only if I was informed." Hydes said in sarcasm without looking at me or Jane.

"Well, now you know and yea remembers that she is allergic to cheap things." I try to get a point over him. And I could see that he was pissed. The dealer was done arranging the table for five people to play when another man came to our table.

"May I have this seat please." He asked and before I could say anything Hydes and Anthony spoke.

"Of course Hukas." Anthony slurred. 
"Our pleasure," Hydes said while stretching out his hand to shake.

He took the seat right beside Anthony. But the seat was the next one to Jane too. And if I was not wrong the person's eyes were all set on the Jane. And I felt Jane's body getting too much tense. She was looking at him like she had seen a ghost.

Not again. I screamed in my mind. But then I noticed that he was Mason. I had seen him at a party before but didn't seem him important enough to remember his name. A waiter came and give a drink to Mason. He caught the glass and forward it to Jane. Jane looked at the drink and then looked at Mason. Her eyes showed that she was scared. And I think I am not the only one who got intrigued when Jane's eyes show her crystal clear emotions.

"A drink to the most beautiful girl." He flirted with Jane still holding the glass in his hands. The whole table became tensed again except Mason who didn't know that he was flirting with my wife.

 A waiter was passing my table. Getting the drink from his tray I forward it to Jane.

"She doesn't accept drinks from dirty hands." I told Mason with a frown on my face.

Jane looked at the drink and then look over my face. But in the next moment, she accepted my glass and held it close to her mouth.

Jane's POV.

I was relaxed that no one was looking at me anymore. Alex's right hand was resting on my thigh with his finger lightly digging in my inner thighs. Sending a tingling feeling I really don't want to have. But now I know if it was not for his presence here these persons would eat me alive. But then again his very existence is the reason that I am here. And now I know why he acts the way he acts. He has a very bad company to call his friends. But I still wonder why he admitted something like this in front of his friends. This whole marriage thing is absurd. And it was more than good if nobody knows about this. Now almost four other people know this. And it was really making me uneasy.

"May I have this seat please?" Someone said and I looked above to find the very same figure I encountered before. I don't know what other persons on the table told him but next, I saw him taking the seat right beside my corner of the table. This whole time his eyes were locked on me. Even when other people said their greetings to him, he didn't pay them any attention. He seemed important to all the people who were seated there, but not paying them any attention he forwards a glass of champagne to me and said. "A drink to the most beautiful girl."

His face was screaming only one thing. You can't run from me. He was surely in his 40's. His head had baldness from the temples. Had a beard but not too long. His face was long. And though he was tall, his fats were still so visible. But he still looks so intimidating. His presence screamed authority.

I was still looking from his drink to him when Alex said. "She doesn't accept drinks from dirty hands." and he too forwards me a drink. His conversation with that person relaxed me. The way Alex treated him, made me sure that he is not someone important. Because there was no way he was going to talk to him like that. Right?

Hoping, that my gesture will get that guy off me, I accepted the drink from Alex. But the moment I held it close to my lips. I thought.

Only if Alex knows how bad my Alcohol tolerance is, he would never offer me this drink.

I could feel the daggers that baldy was throwing at me but I chose not to look at him. The whole table was tense. And before that baldy guy could say something, Alex's friend who was most affected by the news of us getting married spoke.

"Mr. Hukas this is Alexander Black I am sure you have heard about him a lot. And this is his wife Mrs. Black."

Everyone could sense that he introduced me as his wife so he could stop his flirting already. I didn't look at that Hukas but I know his face would be a sight.

But then the information he provided for Mr. Mason Hukas took me by surprise as I was never ready for it. 
"And Alex, this is Mr. Hukas. He is a minister in turkey and is also among the richest of Asia."

Minister? Richest of Asia? I turned to look at him just to realize that he was still ogling. Not really caring that I am a married woman and off-limits. I shifted my gaze to my drink again. Despicable old hag. I screamed in my brain.

Alex and Mason were just introduced and they were supposed to exchange their greetings but they never did. And it was becoming awkward with each passing second. Everyone seemed tense except Alex and that Hukas.