One Wild Night

The butterflies in Kimberly's stomach performed a frantic ballet as she pulled into the restaurant's valet lane. Eleven AM had arrived far too quickly, and the pep talk her mother delivered about Ryan being a "wonderful gentleman" did little to calm her nerves.

Taking a deep breath, she adjusted the straps of her purple dress and stepped out of the car. Although Kimberly had been to that restaurant a couple of times in the past for business meetings, she had never felt this anxious as she walked through the doors.

Inside, the restaurant was a symphony of soft lighting, warm chatter, and the clinking of silverware. A hostess with a welcoming smile guided her towards a corner table where Ryan sat waiting.

He sat by a window, a bored expression etched on his face. He looked up as the hostess led her towards him, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features before he schooled it into a charming smile.

"Kimberly, you look stunning," he said, rising to greet her. His voice was deeper than she remembered, a smooth baritone that sent a shiver down her spine.

He held out a chair for her, his gaze lingering on her for a beat longer than necessary.

"Thank you, Ryan," she mumbled as she settled into the plush seat.

"Sorry I'm a bit late. Traffic was horrendous."

A white lie, but she wasn't sure how much honesty this date could handle right now. The silence that followed stretched on uncomfortably as Ryan watched her.

"I hope you won't always use this excuse in the future," Ryan finally spoke, breaking the awkward tension. "By the way, you look more beautiful than I remember."

They had both known each other for years since they had attended middle and high school together and usually hung out in the same circles growing up until Ryan left the country.

"Thanks. You don't look bad yourself," Kimberly said, hoping that he would have changed and wouldn't be as bad as she remembered.

"So, tell me about yourself, Kimberly," he said and she shrugged.

"What's there to tell? You know me," Kimberly said and he shook his head.

"Nope. We may be acquainted but we don't really know each other. Tell me about you. Something other than the basics," he said as a waiter joined them.

After the waiter left with her order, Kimberly launched into a rehearsed spiel about her job, her words sounding hollow even to her own ears. Ryan listened politely, nodding occasionally, but his gaze seemed more interested in the bustling scene outside the window than her.

"You know, I've been waiting for you to tell me about your illegitimate daughter," Ryan said and Kimberly raised a brow.

"Illegitimate? What gives you the right to refer to her as that?" Kimberly asked, not liking his tone.

"Isn't she illegitimate? Are you married to her father?" he asked flatly.

"You asked me to tell you something other than the basics. The fact that I have a daughter is a basic detail of my life that I'm sure everyone in the country knows about. And I believe you know about it too," Kimberly said, choosing to ignore his rudeness.

"So, what happens when we get married? Would you want her to live with us? Or will you be taking her to her father's family?" Ryan asked as he raised his glass of wine to his lips.

"When we get married? Isn't it too soon to be talking about marriage? And do you have a problem with my daughter living with me?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Not at all. I would love to see her. I've heard about her and how brilliant she is. And no. It's not too soon to talk about marriage since I'm sure we would be getting married. You look good enough for me and your background is okay regardless of the fact that you have a child. And I know I'm a catch. I'm good looking, wealthy, charming, funny and all that any woman in her right senses would want," Ryan said and Kimberly smiled wryly.

"What's funny?" He asked and she shook her head.

"You're exactly like I remember," she said, not knowing whether to be pleased or not that she had not misjudged him.

"Everyone says that," he said with a pleased smile as their order arrived.

As the date continued, Kimberly found herself struggling to find common ground with Ryan. He regaled her with tales of his latest business venture, his voice laced with a self-importance that grated on her nerves. There was no spark, no genuine curiosity about her life.

Halfway through the main course, she excused herself to visit the restroom, stealing a moment to check her phone. A single text from her mother sat on the screen: "How's it going?"

With a sigh, Kimberly typed a reply: "Not great. He is all I said he is, and boring too."

Hitting send, she leaned against the cool marble counter, a wave of despair washing over her. Was this really her only option? Sacrificing her happiness to secure Dawn's future?

Well, if Dawn was happy, then she could be happy regardless of who she was married to. Dawn's happiness was her priority right now. She had selfishly brought Dawn into this world so she owed it to Dawn to secure her future.

As Kimberly returned to the table, she saw Ryan flirting with a lady and when they saw her approaching, they quickly exchanged numbers and the lady walked away.

"So, when do we meet again? We have to talk about the wedding details," Ryan asked as she took her seat.

"Already?" She asked, surprised that he seemed like he was more in a haste to marry her than she was.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Shouldn't we take some time to get to know ourselves better? I mean, there is no hurry," Kimberly said and Ryan shook his head.

"What's there to know that we can't figure out while married? I'm more interested in our sexual compatibility. Perhaps we can check that before getting married? You don't have a problem with that, right? I mean, it's not like you're a virgin. You had a kid for such a geezer after all," he said, and Kimberly's hand balled into a fist under the table.

"Whose idea was this arrangement?" Kimberly asked curiously.

"Our parents. Why?"

"I'm just wondering if you are being this way because you are interested in me," Kimberly said and Ryan snorted.

"Women are all the same to me. But then again, you're more suitable for marriage than most because of your background, so I can overlook the fact that you are a single mom," he said with a condescending smile.

"So, why do you seem in a hurry to get married to me?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I'm at risk of losing my inheritance. I was given an ultimatum," he said and she nodded. They seemed to be in a similar situation.

"But don't you care that I might not like you?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Although there is nothing not to like about me, it's better for us both if you don't like me too much much. That way you won't pester me with your affection, and I can do my own stuff without you getting in my way. If you think about it, we are a good match. All I will be needing from you is an heir and maybe sex once in a while. You will also be by my side when we have public functions and family stuff. Aside that, you can live as you want with your daughter," he said, and Kimberly considered it for a moment.

"Why sex from me? I don't expect fidelity from you, so you can get sex from whoever you please," she said, and he smiled.

"That was actually for your sake, not mine. I'm glad you do not expect fidelity. So, we can leave out the sex after you have a child for me. Is that okay?" He asked, and she pursed her lips as she considered it.

Live with him as housemates, and be a couple for fancy. She wouldn't mind having another child. Dawn would be less lonely if she had a sibling.

She could do that. She could live with his arrogance and self-centeredness as long as they stayed out of each other's way, Kimberly thought with a nod, "Yes. It's okay."

"So, deal?" He asked, extending a hand.

"I have a condition," Kimberly said and he raised an eyebrow as he withdrew his hand.

"What's that?"

"A Prenup. We have to sign a prenup," she said, and he smirked.

"Let's do that then," he said as he extended a hand again.

"Deal," Kimberly said as she shook hands with him.

"How soon can we get married?" She asked as she withdrew her hand.

"How soon do you want us to? A month is fine by me," he said and she shook her head not wanting to leave Dawn alone for that much time.

"What about two weeks?"

"Will that be enough time to plan a wedding? We are both from influential families and our guests need to be given an invitation…"

"Let's work with that. Discuss with your family and I will discuss with mine," Kimberly cut in, and he smiled.

"See? I knew we were a perfect match," Ryan said as he rose.

"I will send an engagement ring across to you tomorrow. What's your ring size?" He asked looking at her hand.

"Size 9," she said and he nodded as he dropped some bills on the table.

"You will get your ring tomorrow. It was nice meeting you," he said with a wink before walking away.

Kimberly drew a deep breath as she walked him walk away, and after a moment she left too.

The moment she got home and walked into the house, she saw her mom in the living room, "How did it go?" Her mother asked, rising to meet her.

"We are getting married in two weeks. Does the date work for you?" She asked, and her mother frowned.

"Two weeks? I thought you didn't…"

"Dawn will have to be here before the wedding, right? Please talk to, dad. She has to be here," Kimberly cut in.

"Kim…"

"You can begin the wedding preparations. I'm going in to get some rest. I have a headache," Kimberly said, and walked away without another word.

She was never going to forgive her parents for taking things this far. She was going to get married to Ryan and after she got back all that was hers from her father and had secured them, she would be sure to cut him off the same way he had cut off Dawn.