Dominic

I didn’t know what reaction I expected Vivianne to have when I gave her the ring, but shock wasn’t one of them. Perhaps snarky indifference? That’s not to say I wasn’t pleased with the outcome, because I was. Happier than I should have been. I wasn’t actually marrying her. She made that very clear.

There wasn’t much time to be distracted, anyway. I had a call with the Kingsley group in fifteen minutes. Just long enough to take a walk to the men’s room, splash some water on my face, and come back. Damn hormones, that’s all it was. Never once had I thought of Vivianne as anything more than a business partner, and I wasn’t going to let a fake marriage change that. 

All I had to do was approach this thing like any other business deal: efficiently, strategically, and without any unnecessary emotion. And next on my list was ensuring that the guest list was as chock-full of important people as I could manage. Powerful investors, business moguls, actors and actresses, and as many elites as possible. 

Within the week, the business world was buzzing with the news of my engagement. Just as I’d hoped, those who had worked with Vivianne and me exclaimed that they knew something was up between us the entire time. News outlets began running stories on our upcoming wedding, and pictures of Vivianne began appearing in all kinds of tabloids. 

I could tell that annoyed her. But so far things were going according to plan, and I was pleased. The biggest remaining step for me was my suit fitting. While I had resolved to treat it no differently than any other fitting, I couldn’t stop Enzo from bullying me into taking him along. 

“I’m your best friend and your best man. You can’t just leave me out of things!” 

Arguing with that man was like attempting to fight a stone wall, so I agreed. Once again we braved the New York streets in my Mustang, which gave him plenty of time to talk my ear off. “I seriously never pegged you as willing to marry. Much less Vivianne. How are you going to explain this to your grandmother? You know she and the rest of the family are going to want to approve her beforehand.” 

I had no idea. That was a problem I’d have to solve when I came to it. Rather than answering, I gave a noncommittal shrug and turned into the parking lot. We were meeting with Vincelli at his small, private office in Manhattan. I’d been there only once before, but was pleased with myself for being able to find it again with no issues.

“Up we go!” Enzo burst out of the car and hit the pavement running. I followed at a much more appropriate pace, making a mental note to take him for a run soon. He had far too much pent-up energy, and that was the last thing I needed with my wedding right around the corner. 

Vincelli met us at the door with a wide smile. “Good to see you, Mr. Voss. How is your previous suit treating you?”

I followed him into the private fitting area and gestured for Enzo to sit down. “Very well. Just as high-quality as I was led to believe, which is why I’m entrusting you with ensuring I have the perfect tuxedo for my wedding.” 

“You’re in the best hands, Mr. Voss. And congratulations are in order.” He pulled a bottle of champagne from the fridge in the corner and popped the cork. I accepted a crystal flute and sipped the bubbly drink. He also handed one to Enzo before leading me to the wardrobe.

It was a double-doored, solid cedar piece. He opened both doors to reveal a selection of six suits. “I incorporated the colors you sent over in each piece, so no matter which you choose, it will fit the ceremony perfectly.” 

“Your attention to detail is another reason I came back.” I stepped forward and began pulling the suits from the rack one at a time, carefully examining their features. The white ensemble with a sky blue vest and tie caught my eye, and I held it up to myself. While black was certainly the standard, I knew I’d look ravishing in the white. 

“Unsurprised you chose that one.” Vincelli smiled and gestured to the small changing room in the back of the studio. “Will you require assistance?” 

I shook my head and stepped inside to strip. I hung my current jacket and pants on the provided hanger and pulled on the new. My measurements must not have changed much, because to my untrained eye, everything I put on fit perfectly. 

Once it was on, I stepped back into the main room and examined myself in the full-length mirror. Vincelli began circling me, poking and pinning as he did so. 

“You actually look nervous,” Enzo teased from his seat in the corner. He smirked and I opened my mouth to deny it, only to realize that would be a lie. “I knew it! It’s all starting to get real, isn’t it?” 

I still remained silent as the tailor finished the fitting. When he stepped away, I let out a low whistle. The white suit stood in stark contrast to my black hair and dark eyes, and accented the tan I’d worked so hard to obtain. The jacket followed my well-toned physique and the pants made my butt look great. Even Vivianne was sure to find me handsome in this.

Not that I cared about that.

“Perfectly shined black shoes and a matching pocket square, and you’ll be on the cover of TIME as this year’s most attractive man with that suit.” Vincelli observed his handiwork in the mirror and nodded. “Did you want to try on any of the others?” 

My gaze lingered on the other options for a moment, but I shook my head. “That would be a waste of time for both of us. This is the one.” 

Vincelli clapped twice and motioned toward the changing area. “Very good. I’ll make the alterations tonight and you can pick it up in the morning. I’ll take the payment after you’ve approved the final product.” 

I nodded and very carefully removed the tuxedo. The last thing I needed was to stab myself with a pin. Once it was returned to the hanger, I redressed and returned to see Enzo finishing another flute of champagne. 

“Don’t drink the whole bottle, you idiot. You still have meetings this afternoon, and I won’t have you drunk on the clock.” I took away his glass and checked my watch. “Speaking of, we need to get back to the office. Thank you, Vincelli. I know you aren’t fond of rush jobs, but you’ve outdone yourself so far.” 

He capped the champagne and handed it to me with a proud nod. “Of course I have. That’s my job. I will see you tomorrow, Mr. Voss.” 

Enzo and I returned to the car, and I fought back the nerves that were causing my well-toned stomach to shiver. Ever since Enzo had pointed them out, I couldn’t take my mind off them. I resolved to distract myself with meetings for the rest of the day, none of them having anything to do with the wedding. 

But before that, I had one more stop to make. “You down for a quick trip to Cartier? I need wedding bands for both of us. Since Viv loved the engagement ring you picked out, I’d be smart to let you help me pick the wedding ones, too.” 

“Hell yeah!” Enzo pounded the dashboard like a set of bongos and settled back in the seat. “After that, you have pretty much everything, right?” 

“Everything that the wedding planner isn’t handling.” Thankfully. I was sick and tired of running around town spending money on this farce. I hadn’t allowed myself to sit down and calculate the final cost yet; just the thought made my stomach feel sick. But the Kingsley deal would be worth it. 

Inside Cartier, I felt just as lost as at Tiffany. Enzo took one look at me and rolled his eyes. “For a rich guy, you really don’t know your way around jewelry. You better fix that, because Vivianne deserves nice things.” 

“Since when have you gotten so fond of her?” I asked as I followed my best friend toward a saleswoman. “You’re acting like the two of you have been close for a long time.” 

“Since you got engaged to her! You’re my best friend. If you’re fond of her, I’m fond of her. Besides, I actually pay attention to people that aren’t myself.” He winked and greeted the employee, who cheerfully led us to the display of matching wedding sets. 

This time I did my best to be more invested. I was going to have to wear one of these things, after all. And this time I was armed with a little bit of knowledge on what Vivianne might like. “Do you have anything that would match this?” I pulled up the pictures of her engagement ring that I’d taken on my phone. 

The saleswoman examined the photos, thought for a moment, and grinned. “I think I have just the thing, sir. Give me a moment.” She disappeared through a door marked ‘employees only’ for a solid ten minutes. Just as I was beginning to think she’d skipped out for a break or something, she returned with two small boxes. “Sorry for the delay. I knew we had these back there somewhere, but they’d been moved. What do you think?” 

She opened the first box and handed it to me. Inside was a thin band of white gold, cast in curling vines just like the engagement ring. Twelve small blue diamonds accented the leaves. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought it was the second half of a set with the original. 

The second box contained a thick yellow-gold band with inlaid vines of white gold and matching blue diamonds. I ran my finger over the surface and felt a smile spring to my lips. “Yes, I think these would do quite nicely.” 

“I’m so glad! They were a custom set ordered a few years ago by a gentleman who never picked them up. Turns out his fiance was cheating on him, so he called the wedding off. It was a real shame. He was so excited to marry her that every detail of those rings was hand-crafted by our artisans. No one else in the world will have the same rings as you and your partner.” 

Perhaps the rings were cursed, being owned by two sets of couples that would never be. But I kept that thought to myself and smiled, hoping it would reach my eyes. I paid for the rings at the front while the saleswoman packed them up for me, and soon found myself back in my office. 

In the quiet, private space, I opened both ring boxes and held them in my hand. Something about the symbolism made my stomach twist. Even though it was only six weeks, was I really ready to be married?