Marriage by Business (Darius POV)

Two (Full)

"Are you going to order or just stare at your phone?"

Adrian's voice made me lift my eyes from the screen and clear my throat, "Just get me whatever you're getting." I wasn't that particular about what I ate. It was just sustenance. 

Adrian grabbed my phone out of my hand before I could go back to what I was doing, "What the hell is more interesting than food right now?" he swiped the screen only to be met with a password and I smiled seeing his irritated look.

"I'm not giving this back till we finish dinner."

I shrugged leaning back in my chair looking around the restaurant, there were a lot of people for a Wednesday night, almost like there was an event going on. But I paid no attention to such detail, "Where is Jesse?"

Adrian ignored my question ordering what seemed to be food for the whole restaurant. I reached into my pocket to get my other phone. 

"Darius!!"

I looked up at the mention of my name and smiled, standing up just as lanky arms were thrown around my shoulder, half way out of my seat and I stilled as the woman jumped up and down dragging me with her. 

"Hey Stacey." I greeted.

"Hey Stacey," she mimicked rolling her eyes pulling away, "Is that it? No sorry I didn't invite you or anything?"

"Great, do I get a hello?" 

Stacey looked at Adrian smiling, "Don't feel jealous, I'll give you a kiss too." 

Adrian beamed, "You just got a hug, I got a kiss too." Stacey laughed slapping his shoulder and I held out the chair for her, "Where is Jesse?"

"He's just parking the car, thanks darl."

I nodded sitting back down.

"So." Stacey turned towards me with eager eyes.

"So what?"

"Where is she?"

"Where is who?"

Stacey frowned at me and looked at Adrian who was still reading the menu, "Your wife, duh."

I looked up, wife. The word was so strange and unfamiliar I didn't even want to say it. "I presume she's back in Melbourne," but that was just a guess, I pulled out my other phone. She could be on a holiday or something. 

Stacey exchanged a look I didn't understand with Adrian as they both looked back at me and I frowned, "What?" I queried, why were they looking at me?

"You didn't bring her?  You got married last week without telling any of us, well okay not telling me, and then you just left her there?"

I shrugged, what else was I meant to do. Besides it was a business deal, the term marriage was...odd.

"But you guys didn't get a honey moon!"

"Sorry I'm late, what did I miss?" Jesse rushed towards the table grabbing a spare chair form the table next to us.

"If you want to go on a honey moon that much, why don't you marry Jesse and he'll take you."

Jesse turned a bright red as Stacey cackled making a disgusted face, "No!! We're just friends! Aren't we Jesse?"

I looked up to meet the blue eyes of Jesse and he cleared his throat, his face red, "Uh yeah of course"

"Told you, but stop this isn't about us! I want to meet her. Do you have a picture?"

"No."

"Does she have Facebook."

"How am I meant to know?" I said getting irritated, this wasn't an interrogation. "When is the food arriving?"

"So it wasn't her profile you were stalking earlier?" Adrian questioned and I looked at him narrowing my eyes.

"I wasn't stalking anyone."

"I dunno cuz the blue screen looked familiar."

"I don't have Facebook."

"Doesn't mean you can't still stalk-hey, stop looking at me like you're going to stab me with that butter knife."

I wasn't looking at him like that but the idea of the butter knife was a good one. Why did I have to take him on business trips. It would be much more efficient if he was out of the picture. I would actually get work done. 

"Adrian look her up, what's her name again."

I shrugged.

"Something tusky," Adrian rubbed his chin leaning back in his chair as he grabbed his phone.

Ivory

"Or maybe it was a colour?"

"It's Ivory Hiddleberg." Jesse interrupted Stacey's and Adrians conversation rolling his eyes. I went back to scrolling through my emails, I had so many to reply to, as they fussed over some stupid profile. 

Could they do it a bit more quieter?

"She's gorgeous."

"Look at those eyes, and that smile aww."

"Is she holding a bat?"

"She didn't look like this at the wedding."

Because you couldn't see her face

"She looks really young are you sure she's legal?"

"That picture is from three years ago." I pointed out looking up from my phone annoyed with all their childish remarks. It was like they've never seen a woman before.

Three pairs of eyes flicked to me, Stacey raised an eyebrow, "How do you know?"

"Yeah, how do you know how old the picture is." Adrian pestered.

My phone buzzed in my hand alerting me of a new message but with three intent pairs of eyes I couldn't look down, I rubbed the back of my neck stretching my legs out, "I did a..background check on her, just to make sure she wasn't a man" I looked around, "Where the hell is the food we ordered?"

* * * 

The clock ticked closer to midnight as I stared at the laptop screen, the report needed to be finished and it wasn't going to finish itself.

I looked up at the hotel TV that was playing the news, the same old news on repeat and changed the channel to the Italian news. A change.

Would Jesse still be awake? I needed the Botman report to analyse to finish this one. I looked at the time again, or would he be asleep? I should wake him. 

Or I can ask him tomorrow before the meeting, I saved the document closing it realising that in another five hours I would have to get up and I should get some rest. I noticed the safari was still open pulling it up and my eyes followed the screen as it pulled up onto a profile I was looking at earlier.

A picture to be exact. 

I pursed my lips scrolling through what little was available, a few pictures with friends and barely any 'posts' or statuses or whatever they were called. It was mostly her tagged in other things and pictures. 

Might be a private person

I scrolled back up to look at the picture, it looked different to the one I was given by her parents, but it looked even more different to what I felt like she looked like at the wedding. 

My laptop dimmed notifying me of low battery and I looked at the time, how was it already one?

Closing the lid I let the light disappear as I set a timer for tomorrow, it was big day.