Oh, good grief. She could feel the second hand embarrassment emanating from him like a radiator in winter. And with the awkward silence that follows his question, Jing Mei knowās she doesnāt have to verbally answer for him to know she hasnāt so much as kissed another man before.
Though he assures her she shouldnāt be ashamed, to be so cripplingly inexperienced as a married woman does make her feel as though sheās fallen short of romantic expectations, especially for someone like Carter, whoās likely sampled all types from the feminine buffet at his fingertips. She must appear as incompetent as a child, the precise opposite of attractive.
Asking to schedule a date at this stage of their forced relationship is so ludicrous, Jing Mei laughs, a bright shade of pink spreading across her face as she nods with a slight shrug, āWith your demanding hours, yeah, weāll have to.ā
She still hasnāt figured out what she wants to do career wise, not that it particularly matters at the moment. Her parents insisted that if she was going to quit emergency medicine, then she should focus on being a proper wife for the time being, which included learning to manage Carterās impending business affairs with the Carter Foundation. To prepare for this, Jing Mei meets with Millicent Carter every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon to become familiar with the ins and outs of their organization. John is expected to do similar with Jing Meiās father once heās graduated medical school, which Jing Mei even less thrilled about.
Her second task is children, expected by both sides of the family. Every week, she and her mother meet for tea and sheās asked whether or not she suspects sheās pregnant yet. When she says no, her mother always follows up with queries about how things are going in the bedroom, to which Jing Mei can only half heartedly mumble about it being fine. Neither of her parents suspect her of deception, otherwise theyād be intervening themselves, meddling in her personal life by hiring some kind of sex guru to coach her and John in the act.
āRemain on your back with your lower half propped and legs up for twenty minutes after he finishes,ā her mother would say, much to Jing Meiās horror, āItāll heighten your chances of conception.ā
Once a month, the families would convene for dinner. She dreads the conversations that take place then, for once again sheāll have nothing to show for it. Of course, now that she and Carter are at least attempting to ādate,ā maybe theyāll be a more united front on staving off the pressure of marital obligation. Sex could wait, though. For now, they can simply get to know each other better. Besides, the idea of dating her husband suddenly doesnāt seem so nerve wracking.
āYou donāt work late tonight, soā¦would you like to have dinner together tonight?ā
Why, oh why had she suggested that same day? Itād left very little time ā a matter of hours ā for her to hunt for a suitable outfit and make herself presentable enough for such an occasion. She couldnāt show up looking the exact same as she always does, in casual clothes, her hair pinned up with little to no makeup and an indifferent demeanor. This called for the works. So she called her stylist and begged her to bump her appointments for emergency measures. Thankfully, she arrived with an arsenal of potential wardrobe options as well.
By the end of the endeavor, Jing Mei is wearing a slimming short sleeved black halter dress with a combination pattern of silver cranes, fans, and floral print, matching black wedges, and her hair blown out with a slight curl to the ends. Her makeup is smokey and her lips are a seductive red. She feels ridiculous, like perhaps sheās trying too hard, but the effort sheās making needs to be noticed. After all, Carter deserves to know heās worth all thisā¦well, nonsense. Hopefully, heāll be pleased.
āSmile,ā her mother would say, were she here to witness this, āSmile and care about nothing else but his happiness.ā
For whatever reason, the words reminded her of that movie So I Married an Axe Murderer with Jim Carrey. Or was it Mike Meyers?ā¦Yikes, her dress is so tight and sheās sure sheās sweating too much. Oh, what a show sheās putting on.
When she hears the door to Carterās room, she figures his afterwork ritual must be complete, so she all but stumbles out into the sitting room to meet him.
āUh, heyā¦ā she winces, bracing herself for the impending remarks about her appearance, āI, uh, had Inga make your favorite. You want to have it in the dinning room or should we dine on the patio?ā
