Julia POV

We are both standing facing each other. As expected there were no friends or family. Just Renée and Miguel. Both are standing in as witnesses. They both look surprised, I don’t blame them. Just yesterday I didn’t think I’d be wearing a white lace mermaid dress holding a bouquet saying I do to a man who saved my life six months ago.

I thought Vincent was the most influential and powerful man I've ever met. Too bad he used it to subdue me. But Jerome, He wants me to walk side by side with him. What can I possibly ask for? A powerful husband, who might not offer love. But offers everything else. And is ridiculously good in bed. I can’t stop having flashbacks of the bathroom.

How he turned me over to the wall and went deep inside me, every thrust felt like he wanted to be there. His fingers and tongue, both in me at the same time. Ugh, what a magician. He treated me like my own satisfaction mattered. He kept asking if I’m good, if I like it, and how I wanted it. He took full control. But not in a way that makes me feel helpless.

“Miss Adams, I will now repeat the question” the priest pulling me out of my daydreaming.

“Do you take Jerome Moretti to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish till death do you part”

Well none of this is part of our agreement but oh well

“I do”

“I now pronounce you husband and wife”

I can't believe I just got married. Maybe I’m not as happy and in love as a bride should be, but I’m content. I hope my parents smile at me from wherever they are. And be proud that I’m making a decision that is best for me even though I wanted to marry for love. I had lost them to a car crash when I was ten alongside my older brother. He was only twelve.

My father was wealthy and I was his princess. Until that tragedy happened. But unlike my parents, they never found my brother's body. I dream about him every day and hope that he was saved and raised by good people. Still, I wish we had grown up together. My life wouldn’t have gotten so bad. He was my prince, and I loved him very much. And I wish he were here with me right now.

“Congratulations Mrs Moretti,” Renée says as she bows her head slightly

“Thank you Renèe” Jerome moves further away from us

“Finally there's someone in this house, my master won’t feel so lonely”

“He’s lonely?” I say dropping my bouquet on the table close to me, “there are lots of people in this house, I don’t think your master cares so much about company, Renée. He seems to be holding his own well”

“That's what you think. But ever since the death of his parents years ago he has mostly been alone, we are just here to help with the house and food. There's only so much we can do. I know he won’t admit to it. But there’s a part of him that is glad you are here. I know he let you stay back then because of the critical state you were in, but you healed. And yet here you are”

“Oh… oh my God. He never told me he was an orphan. I always thought his parents were out on a long trip. You know how these rich people like to travel”

“My master has been alone since he was seventeen, and apart from Celine, you are the only woman who has lived in this house”

My heart dropped. I don't know why it did at the sound of another woman's name but here I am trying to slow down how fast my heart is beating.

“Who is Celine”?

“She's a childhood friend of my master. Their relationship grew into a romantic one but that's all in the past. Nothing you should worry about”

So much for not being capable of love, my conversation with Renèe brews thoughts in my mind. Perhaps I didn't know Jerome after all. But how can I blame him, I never asked I just went on my assumptions especially about his parents.

Now I feel sorry for him. And that Celine girl, does he still love her, did she destroy him to the extent that he isn’t capable of love? Is the room where I sleep her old room? It did have a walk-in closet. I want to ask Renée but I’ve gotten too much information in one day for my brain to process. I don’t need to add more.

“Thank you for your wishes Renée I’ll go rest now, apparently getting married is a lot of work than I thought” I fake a laugh. I walk straight upstairs I could feel Jerome's eyes following. I went inside my room. Or apparently the room of his first love, or maybe even the only one he has ever loved. I hear Jerome open the door behind me. “I have some important things I need to take care of, I might not be home tonight”

I turn to him

“Why are you telling me that”

“Well we are married, and as much as this is a contract I will take the liberty of allowing you to feel married. In that sense why are you here, you should be in your husband’s room”

“Um.. well my things are here so…”

“Well then we’ll get new things”

As much as all this is thrilling I still had thoughts in my head.

“Jerome… I notice your parents weren’t here for the wedding” I say trying not to sound too forward.

“Do you have something you want to say,” he says looking straight at me. I swallow hard.

“I’m so sorry about your parents” I manage to say.

“It happened a long time ago, I’m sure they are here in spirit,” he says almost too cheerfully.

“You never told me”

“You never asked”

I rolled my eyes “Touché. Well, in the spirit of spilling, I’m an orphan. You already established that from my pathetic ex. My parents died when I was ten. Forced to live with my aunt who hated my mother her sister for reasons I don’t know.

Two years later she dropped me off at the orphanage. I got adopted a few times but kept being brought back. I don’t blame them, I did crazy things because I didn’t want a make-believe family. Eventually, I ran off from my third adopted parents.

I was getting molested by my adopted dad which sucks because I was finally ready to give the idea of a new family a chance and well, life’s been shity ever since” I didn’t mention my brother, I wasn’t ready to talk about him.

“I knew all that,” I looked into your background the night I let you into my house. Needed to make sure you are not a pawn sent by my rivals”

I was too stunned. What the hell. So then he probably knows about my brother. But since he didn’t mention it, I won’t bring it up either.

“Then why did you let me keep talking”

“I wanted to know if I just married a liar”

“Hmmm… I see,”

I continued

“And Celine”? He takes a deep breath.

“Renée sure did say a lot. Anyway, that also happened a long time ago. Don’t worry she won’t be a problem in our contract”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear but oh well, I knew what I signed up for. And I'd better stop getting emotional. I didn’t get into this marriage to fall in love. But although my mind says one thing my heart says another. Something about being his wife makes me feel like I have a claim to him. And I didn’t do too well hiding the expression on my face either.

“Come, let’s go to my room,” Jerome says holding me by my arm”

“Didn’t you have something important you needed to take care of?” I ask

“Well my wife's mood is sour, let’s fix that” he leads me to his room, which is much bigger and better anyway, and whoever Celine is. She’s not wearing a three-carat diamond ring right now.

He carefully lay me on the bed on my stomach while he unbuttoned my wedding dress. He slowly slid the dress out of me revealing my panties

“Such a gorgeous body you have, let me show you what it feels like to be mine” he whispers in my ear. He kisses my back down to my waist as he flips me over while he continues kissing my belly. He slowly takes my panties off and buries his face between my legs. His tongue moves gracefully on my clit.

He eats me like he is starving while his hands are stretched to my boobs fingers caressing them. Slowly sliding his other fingers inside of me alongside his tongue. There it is, that trick I love so much. He remove his hands and starts to thrust inside of me with only his tongue. I moaned so loud that the entire house could hear me.

I didn’t care, not right now. He stops and reaches in for a kiss. I don’t blame him, I taste good. Slowly he slid inside me. Thrusting down hard like he’s at war. It didn’t hurt, at least not in a way I didn’t want. “Beg for it,” he says “please don’t stop, please” I moan. Running my hands through his beautiful thick hair.

“Such a good girl” he slides out and turns me over to my stomach facing the bed. He drags me by my hips closer to him. And slides right back in. With each thrust harder than the next, his hands on my hair. I was close I could feel it.

My body vibrating, and I feel like I'm having a seizure. He notices I’ve reached my climax and chases after his own satisfaction releasing all his nuts inside me. We were both panting, especially me. I feel like I just got hit by a bulldozer and worse, I want to get hit over and over again.

“Hold still,” he says. He walks into the bathroom and comes back with a towel. I lay there staring at him while he cleans me up. No one has ever taken care of me like he does. And even though love is not what he can offer I’m willing to live with it. For now, I’ll just enjoy all of this while it lasts.