The Bosses Pretend Bride

Rory felt like her body was on fire. She felt like she had been run over by a Mac truck. Everything on her hurt, but she was not sure why that could be. As she lay there, everything suddenly came flooding back to her from yesterday.

Rory sat up and looked around her wildly. She was in a room she did not recognize. The bed was a luxurious dark cherry wood bed-frame with what felt like silk sheets on them.

'Did the men get a hold of me? Am I a prisoner now?' She thought frantically as she tried to think of how to escape this room. Rory's thoughts were interrupted by the bedroom door opening, and a young woman entered. As soon as she saw Rory sitting up, she opened the bedroom and called down the hall.

"Let the master know she has awakened." The young, pretty maid yelled.

Rory could not understand what the young lady was talking about. 'Master?' She couldn't help wondering what she had gotten herself into. Rory did not have to wait long. Moments later in walked the most handsome man Rory had ever seen.

He was tall and striking with his slicked-back black hair and jade green eyes. Rory felt her heart skip a beat as his intense gaze fell upon her. She was not sure, but he looked to be fit beneath the well tailored jacket and shirt, not to mention his pants.

"I see you have finally woken up." The stranger murmured his rich, deep voice, sending sparks down her spine.

"I am so sorry, but who are you and where am I?" Rory tried to remain as polite as possible, remembering the good manners that her mother had taught her since she was little. The man just raised an eyebrow at her in return before answering her.

"I am Jason Carrow, and this is my home. I saved you from being assaulted last night and brought you here to make sure you recovered." As he spoke, Jason walked over to what looked like a mini bar and poured a drink before walking back over and handing it to her. Rory tried to reject the drink, but he pressed it into her hands anyway.

"I don't drink." She tried to explain, but he just turned away from her and sat in the nearest chair, crossing one leg over the other. Rory had a feeling that this man was not accustomed to hearing the word no.

To appease him, she took a sip and instantly began coughing. He just looked at her and smirked, not saying anything. Rory took another sip after her throat stopped burning.

"So would you like to inform me of what I saved you from last night?"

Rory took a deep breath, not sure if she could trust this stranger with such information, but also realizing she had little choice in the matter. Her mother was gone, her father was missing, and there was no one else really to turn to. Rory tried not to let her emotions overwhelm her, but it was easier said than done. She felt her lip begin to tremble slightly as she remembered everything that happened in such a short amount of time.

Jason noticed her hesitancy, so he chose to give her the time she needed to collect herself. When she did finally speak some minutes later, her voice was soft and utterly heartbreaking.

"First, let me say that you have my thanks for saving me from those men." Rory said with complete sincerity.

Jason did not utter a word but let her continue uninterrupted.

"Secondly, I found out just yesterday after visiting my dad from college that he had vanished without a word and apparently collected a lot of debt that I was unaware of." She looked away, feeling a mixture of emotions boiling up inside her. She didn't wish for him to see her in such a state, seeing as he was a stranger.

"I see, so you had no knowledge of how your father incurred this debt, but he left you to clean up the mess? Am I understanding this correctly? He linked his fingers together in front of his face. His elbows upon his knees as he leaned towards her with an indescribable look in his eyes as he gazed at her.

Rory nodded and took a sip of her drink once more, trying to hide her nervousness as he continued to stare at her without saying anything. After a few minutes, the alcohol had begun helping to soothe some of her frayed nerves. She continued to drink, feeling warm and fuzzy, until all of it was gone.

Jason noticed the glazed look that crossed her face and reached over to take the glass from her fingers. He figured she couldn't handle her alcohol after she admitted to never having drunk anything before.

He knew she had about the right amount of alcohol, to be honest, but to hopefully remember what she needed to and to give him an honest answer. So he began asking her questions about her life. Some of it he knew but much about her life he didn't and wished to find out.

"How did your father get wrapped up with people like that?" He asked as he reclined in the chair.

Jason didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but he didn't know any smooth way to ask such a question outright. Thankfully, she didn't seem to take offense and answered honestly.

"My mother died some years ago, and my dad couldn't take it. He turned to drugs and alcohol to cope, and I let it slide being a child and unable to deal with such things." Rory murmured softly as she stared down at her hands upon the covers of the luxurious bed she lay upon.

Hearing her words, Jason did not know what to say. He was at a loss for words. He knew something about her past from the files he had dug up, but never anything like this. Of course, if it had never been reported, it would never have come to light. He knew of such things living the life he did. It was not uncommon to see.

"I am so sorry you had to deal with such hardship." He stated it sincerely.

Rory looked up at the man sitting across from her, a little blurry-eyed because of the liquor he had given her.

"You do not have to apologize." She stated a bit sleepily. "You saved me from a fate worse than death, most likely, so you..." She hiccuped between her words due to the liquor consumption. "You owe me nothing."

Jason watched as she slowly fell back to the bed after consuming the glass of brandy he gave her.

"Note to self: she is a light weight when it comes to alcohol." He smirked as he sat in his chair and watched as she collapsed upon the bed in a drunken sleep.

Eventually, he removed himself from her quarters and headed to his office to get some much needed work done. There was nothing else he could do here and Ms. Whitney seemed to be sound asleep for the moment. He turned back to her once more. His gaze travelled over her before shutting the door.

"Sleep well Rory." He said softly as he strolled down the hall, his long legs carrying him away from her and towards his impending responsibilities.

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