Shine Bright Like A Diamond: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story (2 page)

“Hi,” said Almasi timidly, “My name is Almasi Quinn? Mr. Adamson gave me his business card. He said he would like to have lunch with me today.”

“Oh, he did, did he?” The voice sounded annoyed. “I am sorry, how do you know Mr. Adamson?”

“He, uh, bumped into me this morning and spilled coffee on my shirt. He said he would make it up to me.” She heard a mutter that sounded something like “Typical.” Almasi felt embarrassed. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have called. I can just—”

“Wait, no.” The man on the phone suddenly sounded interested. “Mrs. Quinn, was it?”

“Ms. Quinn, actually. I’m not married.”

“Hmm. Yes, good. Mr. Adamson will meet you at Tall Oaks at one o’clock, and,” his voice was lowered to a hush, “make sure you have changed into a clean shirt.” He hung up.

The nerve of some people. Well, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to make a good impression on Mr. Adamson, no matter how grumpy and cryptic his receptionist might be. Almasi looked at the clock. It was now a quarter to one. It was time for Almasi to get going and meet her mysterious date.

*

Jacob sat at his reserved table, waiting. The Tall Oaks restaurant had been one of his parents’ many investments, and although it had been sold off to a distant cousin now, there was still a special spot for him right by the air conditioner where the view of the window was perfect.

He looked at his watch. It was only 12:57. She still had three minutes to be on time.

“Stop being such a nervous Nellie,”
Jacob thought, wryly. It was Jacob’s turn to roll his eyes. Why had he allowed Jeremy to talk him into interviewing this girl for the role of his—his wife? It was not that Jacob had any complaints with her. She seemed smart and feisty, and of course, she was a beautiful woman. Most importantly, she was black, which would go over well with the Ghanaian diamond deal. It still seemed odd, though, to be taking a woman out to a meal to interview her for an arranged marriage. It felt barbaric, even.

“I did some background research on Ms. Quinn,” said Jeremy, interrupting Jacob’s thoughts again. “You know, looking at her file and all that.  The perks of being the company nerd. She is twenty-four years old, single of course, never married before, and comes from a fairly low-income family. She did her BA in Commerce on a full scholarship. Pretty impressive brain in that head, and if she truly is half as pretty as you say, she will be a fantastic match.”

“I don’t know, this still seems weird to me,” said Jacob.

“Buck up. It is only just for a month. And who knows,” Jeremy smirked mischievously, “you may even find ‘
true love at long last
.’”

“Oh, shut up.”

“You know what they say, ‘Don’t knock it until you have tried it,’” said Jeremy. “Oh, look, here she comes.”

And there she was, walking in the door and then talking to the maître d’. She was wearing the same well-fitted black slacks as before, but now she had on a colorful red blouse. As she came closer, Jacob noticed that it matched her lipstick. He waved, and she waved back. “Almasi!” he said. “A pleasure to see you again. I see you found yourself a coffee-free shirt.”

“I did indeed,” said Almasi with a nervous laugh.

“Please, sit down,” said Jacob. “Allow me to introduce you to my assistant, Jeremy Sanchez.”

“Good to meet you, Ms. Quinn,” said Jeremy brusquely, reaching across the table to shake her hand as she moved to sit. “Now, let us get down to business, shall we?”

Business? What was this uptight assistant—whose voice Almasi recognized from the phone call earlier—talking about? Here Almasi had thought she was being taken to a nice apology lunch, a “sorry-I-spilled-your-coffee-and-ruined-your-morning” date. But no, of course not. There was always a catch with these people. You could never trust them not to want something from you. Almasi frowned.

“Jer,” said Mr. Adamson, in what sounded like a warning tone. He smiled kindly at Almasi. “I’m sorry my assistant here is being so rude. Let’s order our food first. I recommend the chilled cucumber soup, it’s absolutely delicious.” Mr. Adamson’s charming smile, and gentle tone seemed to melt away the tension in the room. “And please, Almasi, call me Jacob.”

Well, this was not going how she had expected it to  at all.

Over the course of the meal, Jacob and Jeremy explained the situation to the bewildered young woman. How she would play his wife for a Ghanaian diamond miner, how she would get to live in the Adamson mansion  with him for a month, and how she would be paid one million dollars for her discretion. It was the last fact that made Almasi’s jaw drop. One
million
dollars? Clearly they were insane. This must be some kind of trick.

Jacob explained that no, it was not a trick. He simply needed a favor, and he could compensate for her trouble.

“But why me, though?” Almasi asked. “Of all of the girls around, the interns, the assistants, the secretaries, even the managers, why would you choose me?”

It was Jeremy who responded. “Mr. Adamson saw the potential for a sort of—how do I put this—chemistry between the two of you. And you are a student, yes?”

Ignoring the chemistry comment for fear of embarrassing herself, Almasi said, “Yes. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce, and I am applying to grad school this year.”

“Then you’ll be perfect,” said Jacob. “Right, Jeremy? She can even advise me on financial matters.”

Jeremy frowned. “Well, I am not so sure about
advising
you,” he said, scoffing a little at the idea, “but yes, she is a good match in that sense.” He turned to Almasi. “So, what will it be?”

Almasi didn’t know what to say. “I… how long do I have to decide?”

Jeremy looked at his watch. “About twenty minutes,” he said. “I want to get back to work by two thirty.”

Almasi gave him her best ‘
you have got to be kidding’
look.

“Listen,” said Jacob. “This is a really good job, and we need you almost as much as you need the money. We’ll hold the wedding this week, and then you and I will move into the mansion. You will get all sorts of gifts, and your family will no doubt be happy to find that you are marrying someone who will provide for you.

They don’t need to know about the ruse until later, and you will sign a contract promising not to tell them the truth. You will be fed and clothed lavishly and be served by my personal maids, cook, housekeeper, butler; you name it.

We’ll even give you the month off your internship with no problems from your supervisor. Then, at the end of the month, we can make an annulment and go back to normal. But we need you to decide right now.” He looked so earnest.

“All right,” said Almasi. “I just have one question.”

“Yes?”

Her face suddenly felt too hot as she tried to phrase it. “Will I, um…will I be expected to perform, uh… wifely duties?” She hoped they knew what she meant, and by the way Jacob was blushing beet red, he did.

“Well, no. I mean, uh, not if you don’t want them. You will sleep in my room with me to keep up appearances, but as far as sex goes… that’s up to you to decide,” he said, recovering his composure quickly and winking. “You might even get a bonus for it.”

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “I may be agreeing to this arrangement, but I am not a, a—
prostitute!
”

“Now you have done it,” muttered Jeremy. “Getting her angry. Okay, Jacob, go ahead, forget Jeremy’s advice. Just anger your future bride. That sounds like a great way to start a relationship.”

Jacob laughed. “Okay, sorry.”
She really is feist
y, he thought.
I like that
. “Then it’s a deal?”

“It is a deal,” said Almasi. This would certainly be one hell of an adventure.

***

After piles and piles of paperwork, Jacob, Almasi, and Jeremy left the restaurant. Jacob took care of the check and thanked the waiter on his way out, while Jeremy turned to Almasi.

“Pack up your things at your office,” said Jeremy. “I will make a call to your supervisor and give him an excuse. We will have a car sent for you, and you will get a total wardrobe makeover and be fitted for your wedding dress.”

Almasi felt dizzy. Could this really be happening? To her, of all people? She had dreamed of her wedding day, as all young girls did, as a far off, fantasy sort of time, but it had never occurred to her that it would happen so soon. She had been so busy studying and getting good grades that she had never even had much of a chance to date.  Of course, there had been a few men who’d shown interest, but nothing serious had happened. Certainly nothing like this.

As she bid Jacob and Jeremy good-bye and took the elevator up to her office floor, anxiety began to sink in. What if she made a terrible wife? What if she was completely unable to keep up the charade?
For a million dollars,
she told herself sternly,
you can and will do anything
. And so what if it was a little unconventional? There was nothing inappropriate going on.

It was not
really
like they were eloping, because she had no intention of having sexual relations of any sort with the man, although the very idea of such things with him did admittedly make her heart flutter a little. Just a little bit. And the marriage would be official and proper. With that thought in mind, Almasi swallowed her fear and went to pack up her things.

***

A limousine arrived at the front entrance at three o’clock, just as she had been  promised. When the driver opened the door, Almasi saw that there were already two women sitting in the back seat. One was about her age, with glossy black hair and a cute floral dress with a sweetheart neckline, and the other was an older woman who was dressed somewhat more conservatively in a long blue skirt and a white blouse. They both smiled at her as she stepped into the limo.

“Hi!” said the younger woman. “My name is Yifeng. I will be your personal shopping assistant today. We are giving you a total wardrobe makeover!” She looked excited and enthusiastic, and Almasi couldn’t help but smile back.

“And I am Mrs. Nettle,” said the older woman. “I am here to consult you at the bridal boutique and to make sure that your selection is both beautiful and appropriate. We would not want a media blitz, now would we?”

Almasi was a little bit startled. She had no idea how to respond to such a comment, so she just reached out to shake their hands, first Yifeng, then Mrs. Nettle. Yifeng’s skin was soft, and Mrs. Nettle had a firm grip. “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Almasi.”

The women laughed. “Oh, we know,” said Mrs. Nettle.

“We’ve read your file,” added Yifeng.

“My… file?” How fast did this company run? It seemed like Almasi had only made her decision minutes ago, and already Mr. Adamson’s —
Jacob
’s people knew everything about her.

“So, uh… what do you know about my marriage arrangement?” Almasi knew that she was never to divulge any information about her contract. The grumpy assistant, Jeremy, had made that very clear in the restaurant. Then what did these women think was happening, since she had evidently not been in the picture until today?

“Don’t speak a word of it, dear,” said Mrs. Nettle. She leaned in conspiratorially. “What the boss  does is his own business. If he chooses a bride, she clearly must be something special.”

“And what a new dream luxury life it must be for you, living as a billionaire’s bride-to-be,” sighed Yifeng. “I can only hope that I will someday make such a fortunate connection. Either that or make the billions myself!”

Mrs. Nettle tutted. “This girl here is one of those damned feminists,” she said derisively, gesturing to Yifeng. “She thinks she can do just as well as any man, and be as successful even though she is just a silly girl.”

Almasi finally spoke up. “I don’t see a problem with that,” she said. “With hard work and perseverance, anyone should be able to accomplish their goals, no matter their gender.”

“Well, you may want to keep that to yourself, dear,” said Mrs. Nettle, pursing her lips. “Some of your bridegroom’s clients and business partners are more traditional folk who don’t want to hear such blabbering from the mouth of a fine young lady.”

Almasi frowned.
That’s right
, she remembered. Mr. Arko Kumi’s company was all about so-called  traditional family values, and he was the reason she was playing this whole wife game in the first place.

Before she could reflect any further, the limousine had stopped, and Yifeng was exclaiming “We’re here!”

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a whirl of dresses, and Almasi soon forgot her concerns. With the generous budget from Jacob, Almasi was able to buy dresses more expensive than some of her heaviest textbooks. One outfit even cost more than her laptop had. Amazed at this new, lush life, Almasi allowed herself to sink into a simple world of colorful swatches of fabric and endless disposable income. And what a carefree world it was.

***

At six thirty, Jacob’s mobile phone began to buzz. It was Jeremy again. “Hello?” said Jacob. “What do you need, Jer?”

“The house is ready. We really had to put a rush on it, but I called in some favors with old staff. Is she on her way?”