A Change of Heart

Chapter 2

I wait outside my house feeling like a king. My new dark suit with my grey coat makes me resemble a mafia boss. I look at my black, pointed shoes with gold lining. I check the time on my watch, enjoying the soft feeling of my gloves. It's 10 minutes to 8.

A black G-Wagon pulls up in front of my house. Some glorious legs in leather heels come out. I know I said I hate her, but there's nothing to hate about her beauty.

"Should I go inside?" I ask her. She walks up to me, examining my clothes, touching my coat. Then she looks up at my hair, parted and gelled down. She starts smiling.

"You look quite sharp," she says.

"You look great too," I reply. I try not to look at her figure, but her skintight velvet dress makes it so hard not to. Joseph makes it seem so easy.

We walk into her car, and she starts driving.

"This is how it's going to go. If anyone asks, you're a brain surgeon in Chicago coming to visit me, your girlfriend." I do everything in my power to not laugh at the thought of being with her. She hands me a paper with notes on neurosurgeons. I read and continue listening to her.

"Whatever I say, you agree. You don't say anything about my business. We met on my business trip. Don't act as if you don't have money and make up whatever you want about your wealth. And most importantly, you must act like you love me," she explains. I nod, processing everything she just said. We get to the party in half an hour, which is enough time for me to study the notes she gave me. We walk inside the palace of a home.

The main entrance has a grand, marble stairway. An enormous chandelier illuminates the room. There're two large door frames on either side. One I expect, leading to the main room. Joanna takes my hand and drags me into the hall.

There are long, oak tables covered in white tablecloth. The chairs have dark cushions. The centre pieces are filled with different roses of different hues, adding just a hint of colour to the dinner.

"Welcome, Ms. Clieves. Is this your date?" a man asks. He has no hair, but one mighty fine suit. He holds a crystal glass of champagne in his giant hand.

"Yes, this is Howard. My boyfriend," she smiles. I shake his hand firmly.

"Pleasure to meet you," he smiles.

"The pleasure is all mine," I smile back. A butler escorts us to a table filled with people in glamorous gowns and expensive suits. A few see us take our seats.

"My, my. What a fine couple," a woman smiles. Her face is drowned in makeup, I can't tell if anything's natural.

"Thank you Gladice," Joanna smiles. Everyone starts chatting, while I down my glass of champagne and order a glass of water. The smell of expensive perfume and rich people is attacking my lungs. I can feel the hatred radiating off of everyone. How do people act so fake? The waiters finally come out with the food.

I'm ready to enjoy something tonight but of course, it's time for the toast. The bald man stands on the stage, with a new glass.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming to this dinner. This is a time to appreciate each other and the wonders we're doing for the state. So, a toast to success," he raises his glass as everyone starts clinking their cups.

We all take a sip and then start eating. I use the utensils and try not to shove my face in the steak. Just then, Joanna kisses my cheek. I feel the lipstick mark she's left on my face. I smile, swallowing my vomit.

It feels like years before the event ends. I walk over to Joanna to ask if we can leave, when a slow song plays. Everyone grabs a partner and starts dancing. Joanna takes my hand and pulls me close to her.

"You know how to dance?" she asks. I play on a sly smirk, ready to wow the crowd. I take her to the dance floor and place my hands on her hips. I do every move I know, from spinning to quicks dips. Once the song's almost over, I lift her up and hold her bridal style.

As I look into her dark eyes, I feel... lighter. Without thinking I pull her in and smash my lips onto hers. Only when the song ends do I stop and put her down. Everyone's staring at us in awe. They start applauding, some women throwing roses at me from the bouquet.

I look back at Joanna. She looks at me in utter shock, but not anger. We leave the mansion and drive back to my house in her car.

"You were quite convincing," she says.

"Thank you," I answer. The rest of the drive is silent, increasing the tension. She finally gets to my house, and I dash out of the car without looking back.

"What did I do!? What did I do!?" I panic. I hit my head on the wall until it leaves a scar. I keep pacing for hours until I look at the time. It's 4 in the morning, I didn't sleep. I think of anything I can do so that I can't make it to work.

"I could get into a car crash, or fall off a building, get myself kidnapped, or just a deadly disease." As weird as they sound, those are the only ways I can get out of going to work.

"You know what? I'm a grown man. Joanna said nothing about what happened. We can act like it never happened." I get dressed and head to work, praying that Joanna won't kill me for last night.