Husband by Penelope Skye

“I don’t know where to start.”
“Have dinner with me tonight. We’ll talk then.” I couldn’t wait until she was mine, until I could rip off
her clothes and take her as my wife. Fantasies played in my mind on a nightly basis, dreams so vivid I
could actually feel her pussy around my dick. Other women felt like trolls compared to the woman I
actually wanted. I was committed to a woman I wasn’t even fucking, and it caused me to lose my
mind.
Maybe dinner and some wine would loosen her up, would get her to drop her walls and let me in.
Maybe she wouldn’t make me wait until our wedding night. Maybe she’d let me have her sooner.
It was the longest I’d gone without having sex…so I was hard anytime I was around her.
She took her time before she answered. “Alright.”
I ALWAYS HAD shit to do, so I walked into the meeting late.
Members of the board were talking to each other quietly even though Sofia stood at the front, going
over different ideas she had for the hotel. The energy in the room was chaotic, with people’s thoughts
in different places. It had a casual feel—like no one was taking it seriously.
Sofia continued to do her best, even though only two men were paying attention. “Most of our
restaurants are outdated and designed to attract an older clientele. I think we need to breathe new life
into this place, possibly turning the main bar into a hipper space. There’re a lot of locals who would
love a new hangout spot.”
One man made notes on his paper, while Charles and Tim spoke about golfing this weekend. It wasn’t
Sofia’s fault this was happening. For several decades, they’d been dealing with authoritative men,
and Sofia was a poor substitute in their eyes. She belonged at home, taking care of the cooking and
cleaning.
Sofia had never had a chance to be successful…not on her own.
“Charles.” I stopped at the head of the table, making my presence known. “Tim.” I stared at them both
for a few seconds, my irritated tone conveying my displeasure at the situation. “Gentlemen, maybe
you haven’t heard the news yet, but Sofia has agreed to be my wife. After this Saturday, you will
address her as Mrs. Lombardi.”
Sofia didn’t cop an attitude like she normally would.
“We had no idea,” Charles said. “Congratulations.”
I buttoned the front of my jacket. “Thank you.”
“Does that mean you’ll be running the hotel from now on?” Tim asked, unable to mask his eagerness.
“No. My fiancée can do a much better job than I ever could.” All she wanted was her family’s legacy,
to take pride in her work. Her gender had made that impossible, but that was all about to change. “If