Billionaire's Contract Engagement / Money Man's Fiancée Negotiation
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“Then my mother called and she begged me to come. She was worried that I wasn’t over Bettina and that’s why I wouldn’t come. The woman has a heart of gold, but she obviously knows nothing about me or she’d realize that Bettina was nothing to me the moment she left me for what she perceived to be the better catch.”
“Harsh,” Celia murmured.
“Is it? I’m only speaking the truth. Bettina was calculating. She hedged her bets and went with Mitchell as soon as he was named my father’s successor in the family jewelry business. To her it seemed a more glamorous life. I’d like to be a fly on the wall when she realizes how wrong she is.”
Celia’s lips curled in amusement. “Not feeling a wee bit vindictive, are you?”
He gave a short laugh. “I may not harbor any love for the woman, and I may not be a bit sorry that she’s out of my life, but she is a manipulative cat, and I won’t be sorry to see her suffer for the choice she made.”
“So your mom doesn’t think you’re over Bettina. That has what to do with me and this hoax you’re perpetuating? Which I really resent by the way because your mom is nice. I feel like pond scum for deceiving her.”
“I’m getting there. Just bear with me. When I got off the phone with Mom, I was angry because I let her talk me into going and I said as a last-minute thing that I was bringing someone. I fully intended to look up someone I’d seen casually in the past. Then I remembered that Friday I was supposed to be meeting you and that this meeting was extremely important to me. It seemed logical to combine the two and bring you out with me. I didn’t lie about needing to move on this fast. I’ve wasted weeks listening to pitches. I’m ready to move.”
“I’m still seeing a but here,” she muttered.
“The but occurred when Bettina herself came to see me. She was steamed that I had the audacity to bring someone to her wedding. She felt like it was a poke in the eye at her, and if you can believe, she honestly thinks I’m still pining over her. She basically accused me of being a fraud and of trying to upstage her at her own wedding.”
Celia burst out laughing. God, he didn’t even see it. How typical a clueless male was he.
“What’s so damn funny?” he demanded.
“She accused you of doing exactly what you’re doing! The audacity. You crack me up.”
He blinked and then looked a little sheepish. “Okay, I get it. I’m an immature, egotistical man. The male ego is obviously a fragile creature. I think we can agree on that. Yes, it occurred to me to get a little of mine back on her by showing up with a gorgeous, stunning woman. Sue me. I even hatched the whole engagement scheme complete with the ring because I figured it was the best way to get them all off my back.”
Her shoulders shook and she closed her eyes. The man was nothing if not honest. She had to give him that much.
“Celia, look at me, please.”
His entreating tone had her turning once more to stare into those intense green eyes. He looked earnest, and he looked. worried.
“I didn’t do any of this to hurt you, I swear. I thought if I just came out and asked you to do me this favor, you’d have never agreed to come with me, even with the promise of listening to your pitch.”
“So you lured me here and ambushed me instead,” she said drily.
“It didn’t go exactly as I’d planned. I’d hoped to have a nice dinner together in our suite and I was going to ask you to do me a personal favor then. I was going to outline the entire charade and ask you to play along. Just for the time we’re here. But that all went to hell when we immediately ran into my parents.”
His hand crept over hers, and she didn’t pull away. She should. She should already be on her way back to San Francisco, and she should be calling Brock to tell him that there was no way in hell she was delivering Evan Reese on a platter to Maddox Communications.
She pressed her lips together and tried to collect her scattered thoughts. “So you want me to pretend to be your fiancée.” She lifted her hand to angle the huge diamond in the light. “Complete with a really gorgeous ring. What happens after the wedding?”
Evan shrugged. “We break up quietly later. They’ll never know the difference. We don’t see each other that often. One day Mom will call and I’ll say ‘oh, by the way, Celia and I broke things off.’ And that will be that.”
She shook her head. “All of this because you couldn’t stand the thought of your fiancée thinking you weren’t over her?”
Evan scowled. “It’s not that simple. There are other factors. Besides, we’ve already established the fact that I’m an egotistical, immature male. We don’t have to go back into that territory.”
“Poor baby.” She patted his arm and then laughed at his disgruntled look. “I can’t believe I’m even considering this.”
His eyes glinted predatorily. “But you are.”
“Yes, dammit, I am. I’m a sucker for immature, egotistical males. But we need to establish a few ground rules.”
“Of course,” he said solemnly.
“My reputation is everything to me, Evan,” she said quietly. “I won’t have any notion of impropriety attached to this account. I won’t have it bandied around that I got the account because I slept with you.”
Something that looked an awful lot like lust gleamed in his eyes a second before he blinked and adopted a more serious expression.
“This favor is separate. If I don’t like your ideas, you’ll go home without my business. It’s that simple. Agreeing to be my fake fiancée doesn’t buy you anything but my gratitude. It won’t land you Reese Enterprises. Are we clear on that?”
“Crystal,” she said. “Tell me something, Evan. If I refuse to play the part of your lover, are you still going to hear my pitch? Are you even going to consider Maddox?”
“Well, I do have a fragile ego, remember?”
“Will you be serious?”
A grin worked at the corners of her mouth. She should be mad as hell at this man, not entertained by his self-effacing wit. And she definitely shouldn’t be attracted to his boyish charm or his straightforward handling of this entire ridiculous affair.
“I tell you what, Celia. The plan was always to have a quiet dinner in tonight where I could explain my plan and beg you to go along. Then tomorrow morning we were going to have our business meeting, again, in the privacy of our hotel suite. Afterward we would perpetuate my silly hoax on my brother and his grasping, manipulative bride-to-be. See? Completely separate.”
“You are completely irreverent, and I’m disgusted that I like it so much.”
He smiled, and his eyes twinkled with amusement. “You’re as diabolical as I am, face it.”
“I could have used some of your evilness in the past. That’s for sure. I’m a little envious of how you don’t mind poking your finger in the eyes of those who have screwed you over. I need to learn how to do that.”
He cocked his head to the side. “What happened to you, Celia?”
She flushed and turned away. “It’s nothing. Definitely in the past and that’s where I want it to stay.”
“Okay. Fair enough. But I hope one day you’ll tell me.”
“We don’t have that kind of relationship,” she said lightly.
“No,” he murmured. “We don’t. Not yet.”
Her gaze lifted but his expression didn’t betray his thoughts. She swallowed the knot in her throat and hoped she wasn’t making a huge, huge mistake. So much could go wrong with this.
“You’re so worried about the position I’ve placed you in,” he said. “But the truth is, if I don’t like your ideas tomorrow morning, what’s to say that you don’t leave me to face the festivities on my own? I’d say that gives you all the power and none to me.”
“Or you could just say you like my ideas to keep me on the line long enough to get through the wedding,” she pointed out. “Nothing to say that you don’t dump me the minute we get back to San Francisco.”
He nodded. “True. All of it is true. Looks like we both have some trusting to do.”
She looked down at her hand that was still underneath his. His thumb pressed into her palm, and his fingers lay still over hers, but the warmth of his touch spread up her entire arm and into her chest.
She liked this man. Genuinely liked him, stupid ambush aside. He hadn’t sugarcoated any of it. And above all else, she liked honesty. He hadn’t shied away from how the entire situation made him look. It certainly didn’t make him appear very noble, but she couldn’t get beyond thinking he was just that. Noble and honest.
The ring on her finger sparkled and glinted in the light. For just one moment, she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like if it were all real. Two seconds later she mentally slapped herself silly and told herself to get over her foolishness.
She had a job to do. She had to impress this man with her brains and her creativity, her drive and her determination. She could do all that. And if it meant she had to go beyond the call of duty to do a personal favor for him, then she needed to suck it up and just get the job done. Too many people were counting on her.
It was silly. She felt like an idiot and she was sure Evan didn’t feel any better, but it wasn’t up to her to question his motives. For whatever reason, he didn’t want his brother and his fiancée to see him bleed. She could understand that. She would have died rather than let her old boss and his scheming wife know how much they’d destroyed her.
“All right, Evan. I’ll do it.”
Triumph mixed with relief flared to life in his eyes.
“Thank you for not bashing my skull in and leaving, but more than that, thank you for not reacting in front of my family. It was more than I deserved given how I sprang it on you. I swear, that was not the way I wanted to approach you with my proposition.”
“If we’re done with all that, can we eat? I’m starving. You can tell me all I need to know about your family and also tell me how it was we met and when you proposed, but not until I get something to eat.”
He leaned forward, caught her jaw in his hand and turned her toward him. Their lips were so close that his breath blew warm over her mouth. She swallowed nervously, wondering if he would kiss her. And then she wondered if she’d let him. Or if she would kiss him instead.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
Slowly, he withdrew, and to her chagrin, disappointment washed over her.
Seven
Evan watched as Celia sat sideways on the couch, her back against the arm and her knees doubled in front of her. She looked comfortable and completely relaxed, which was more than he could have hoped for given how stupidly he’d sprung the whole engagement thing on her.
After her initial fury, though, she’d calmed down and had taken it well. Damn, but he liked this woman. Oh, he was definitely attracted to her sexually, but beyond that, he genuinely liked spending time with her.
If he was smart, he’d take that as a huge warning sign to stay away and not become involved, but he’d never claimed brilliance.
She’d changed into nothing more glamorous than a pair of sweatpants and a San Francisco Tide jersey. Odd, but she hadn’t struck him as a baseball fan.
Her shoes had long since been shed, and her toenails, painted a delicate shade of pink, teased him. Hell, he was even attracted to her feet. Small and dainty.
He was officially losing his mind. Never before had he lusted after a woman’s feet.
She forked another bite into her mouth then sighed and made a low sound of agony before putting her plate down on the coffee table.
“That was fabulous. I’ve eaten so much that I won’t fit into that sparkly dress I brought for the wedding.”
That statement brought a whole host of splendid ideas to mind. Namely that they could both skip the wedding and stay in bed where clothing was entirely optional.
He shifted in his seat and wondered for the sixth time why he was so bent on torturing himself.
“So tell me something, Evan,” she said as she leaned farther into the sofa cushions. Her eyelids lowered and she tucked those pink toes underneath a throw pillow. “What made you walk away from your family’s business and start your own in a field that was so different from the jewelry trade?”
It didn’t surprise him that she knew so much about his background. She would have researched him tirelessly. Still, he debated how much to tell her.
Their gazes locked, and he saw only simple curiosity. No ulterior motive, just interest.
“There were several reasons,” he finally said. “Emotion has no place in business and yet I find myself making emotional decisions.”
Her eyebrows rose. “I’m surprised you’d admit that. Doesn’t jive with your big, bad, ruthless businessman persona.”
He smiled ruefully. “Okay, so part of it was emotion based. I didn’t agree with my father’s style of management. The fact is his company is in trouble. I saw it coming years ago and he was in flat denial. He saw no reason to change the way he ran things since it had worked for decades before.
“The other reason was I don’t exactly get along that well with him and Mitchell.”
“You don’t say,” she said drily.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I know, hard to believe. Mitchell… there are lots of more appropriate words for him, but I’ll go with the fact that he’s a lazy, unmotivated brown noser. All his life, because he was the baby, he’s never had to actually work for anything. He’s been handed everything since he was a child. As a result, his sense of entitlement is huge. I would work for something and he would want what I had worked for. Dad would give it to him.”
“Ah, I think I’m beginning to understand the fiancée thing more now.”
He nodded. “Yes, I don’t harbor any illusion that Mitchell and Bettina are some great love match. I had Bettina, so Mitchell decided he wanted her. Bettina saw Mitchell’s appointment to CEO as her ride into a life of glamour.”
“And were you and Bettina? A love match, I mean?” she asked gently.
He pursed his lips and blew out a long breath. “This is where I look like the jerk.”
Celia chuckled. “Jerk? You? Surely you jest.”
“All right, don’t rub it in,” he grumbled. “I’ve admitted my shortcomings.”
“Do continue. I’m dying to hear all about what a toad you are.”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief and amusement. He’d never wanted to kiss her more than he did right now. Instead he found himself telling her stuff he’d never tell a woman he planned to take to bed.
“Bettina didn’t pose a challenge. That sounds bad but when I met her, I was devoting all my time to making my business a success. It was exciting and exhilarating. I exceeded even my wildest expectations. Everything was falling into place at the speed of light. All that was missing in my mind to complete the image of perfection I had built up was a wife and a family. Perfect house in the suburbs. I’d come home after a hectic day and she’d have dinner waiting. The kids would all be bathed and well behaved. Even the dog would be the epitome of good behavior. I wanted—still want—a woman who’ll put me first.”
Celia snorted, covered her mouth and then dissolved into hoots of laughter.
He regarded her dubiously. “I do believe you’re mocking me.”
“Mocking you?” She wheezed between words and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. “Oh my, Evan. You do dream big, don’t you?”
“Well, it was a good fantasy while it lasted,” he grumbled. “I looked around and there was Bettina. I didn’t have time to figure out what my ideal woman was. I wanted my perfect life then and I didn’t want to wait. So I asked her to marry me, she said yes, I gave her a ring and that was that.”
“And yet here you are. With me. The fake fiancée.”
He scowled ferociously at her only for her to dissolve into laughter again.
“Okay, so what happened? Other than Mitchell stepping in and being an overindulged twit.”
He liked this woman. She was good for his ego even when she was tearing it down.
“Bettina wanted to set an immediate date. She had a grand wedding planned. Even had the honeymoon destination picked out. She littered my office with brochures. Hell, she even had our children’s names picked out.”
“I would have thought given your fantasy that you would have eaten that up with a spoon,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, so did I. Only I found myself backing off. I kept making excuses to extend the engagement. I was busy. This deal had to take priority. That deal needed immediate attention. Before I knew it, we had been engaged a year with a wedding scheduled another year beyond that. And moreover I was content with that.”
“Did you never love her?” Celia asked quietly.
“No. No, I didn’t. Which is why I can’t really blame her for wanting out. Our marriage would have been a disaster just as soon as I figured out the reality didn’t live up to the fantasy I’d created in my mind. I just didn’t think she’d dump me for Mitchell or that Mitchell would have been poaching on my territory.”
Celia winced. “Yeah, I can understand that.”
“I found them in bed, you know. How clichéd is that? The sad thing is, when I found them together in my bed, I just laughed, because to me it was just the next step in an already farcical relationship. I tossed them out of my apartment and washed my hands of them both.”
Celia’s expression grew thoughtful. “Hmm, so you don’t necessarily object to the fact that she found someone else. Or that she cheated on you. Just who she indulged herself with.”
Evan nodded and rubbed the back of his neck to ease some of the tension and fatigue. Just talking about it raised his ire all over again.
“Yeah, it’s stupid I know. I mean, she could have cheated on me with my business partner, or my vice president or, hell, even my driver. I wouldn’t have cared. I might have even given the man a raise. But my brother. My spoiled, overindulged brother. No, that was the one thing I couldn’t forgive.”
“Well, if their relationship is based on all you say, then I’d imagine they’ll suffer enough in the long run without you wishing them ill.”
He regarded her for a long moment. “You’re not going to lecture me about harboring childish grudges?”
She smiled, and those gorgeous green eyes cut right through him. She took his breath away until he was helpless to do anything but stare back.
“Nope. Not a word. Considering I have my own grudges and I don’t plan on forgetting them in this lifetime, I could hardly chastise you for the same.”
“Oh, do tell. You sound so … vicious. I like it,” he teased.
Her expression grew serious. Pain flickered in her eyes, and she turned away, her mouth drawn into a tight line. He was immediately sorry that the light mood had dissolved. As much as he wanted to know her secrets, he wanted to see her laughing and smiling even more.
To cover the sudden heaviness in the air, he got up to pour a glass of wine. Without a word, he offered one to her, and she took it, gratitude easing some of the tightness around her eyes.
He wanted to touch her so badly. Wanted to ease the strain and the unhappy tilt to her lips. He wanted to kiss her plump mouth until he owned her very breath.
He forced himself to return to his chair. The remains of their dinner was scattered across the coffee table. Some had fallen to the floor, but he wasn’t inclined to clean it up. They sat there sipping their wine as evening fell all around them.
Finally he could remain silent no more.
He leaned forward to set his glass on the table. For a moment he looked down at his hands and imagined her flesh beneath his fingertips. Then he glanced back up to see her studying him with the same keen interest flashing in her eyes. She wasn’t immune. He wasn’t the only one who felt the magnetic pull between them.
“What are we going to do, Celia?” he murmured.
He saw her swallow nervously. She hadn’t misunderstood, but neither did she respond.
“I want you so damn much I hurt. I’ve hurt for weeks. Every time I look at you, I get so many knots that I can’t function. I’ve thought of all the ways I can explain to you that our business relationship has nothing to do with the desire I feel for you. But the simple truth is I don’t give a damn. I want you in my bed, and I don’t care what has to be done to make that happen.”
Her eyes went wide and frightened. He hated that. He didn’t want her to be afraid of him.
“You feel it, too. Don’t deny me that much.”
Slowly she nodded. Her fingers went to her forehead and she dug them into her hair. Still, he could see them shaking, and she swallowed again, her slim neck working with the effort.
“Please,” she whispered. “I can’t do this, Evan. It’s the one thing I can’t do. Don’t ask it of me. If you want me to admit it, fine. I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted another man.”
Savage satisfaction gripped him. Didn’t just grip him but lunged for him and wrapped a hand around his throat and his groin. His entire body reacted to that simple statement. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone else.
She turned on the couch until she faced forward and her feet met the floor. She looked in turns miserable and scared. Her eyes closed in what looked to him like self-condemnation. He swore, startling her with the force of his curses.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I don’t like it,” he said flatly. “I have no idea what the hell kind of blame you’re placing on yourself, but I can guarantee that you didn’t use your feminine wiles to seduce me into signing with your agency. I wanted you from the first moment I saw you. Want to know when that was, Celia? Go ahead, ask me.”
He stared at her in blatant challenge, waiting, wanting her to take it up.
Her eyes went wide with shock, and her face was pale and drawn. “W-when?”
“At the Sutherland’s reception. You were there with one of your clients. Copeland, if I remember correctly. The grocery-store giant.”
Her mouth fell open. “But you were still with Rencom.”
He nodded. “Precisely. I looked across the room, and you took my breath away. Want to know another of my sins, Celia? I was still engaged to Bettina. It was a week before I found her in bed with Mitchell. I didn’t care. I wanted you so much. Now tell me how big of a bastard that makes me. Try to tell me this has anything to do with your pitch.”
In the course of their conversation, he’d moved to the couch. He moved closer still, stalking her like prey. Her scent lured him, and he inhaled the delicate, feminine smell that he’d come to associate with only her.
Her eyes were flush with awareness and caution. There was confusion in her deep green pools, but something else, too. Desire. Matching desire. She wanted him. Maybe as much as he wanted her. It didn’t matter because he would have her.
“Want to know something else?” he murmured. “I almost didn’t consider Maddox for the account. Want to know why? Because I didn’t want it to interfere with my pursuit of you.”
He was close now. So close he could feel every little puff of breath that came from her lips. He could see the tiny little nervous swallows that worked her throat up and down. And her mouth. Her luscious, sweet mouth. He wanted to taste it, devour it like candy.
“W-what changed your mind?” she whispered.
“I’m perfectly capable of separating business from pleasure,” he said evenly.
“Evan, we can’t.”
She put her hand on his chest. Big mistake. A current of electricity singed him. They both jumped, but before she could withdraw, he caught her fingers and trapped her hand between his and his chest.
“Just one kiss, Celia. Just one. I have to kiss you. It’s all I’ll demand for now. I can wait for more until we have this ac count settled.”
Without waiting her consent, he swept his mouth over hers. Finally. Her sweetness exploded onto his tongue the moment he licked over her lips. Her mouth parted in a gasp, and he took full advantage, delving deep into her moist heat.
She made the sweetest sounds. He swallowed them up as he devoured every inch of her mouth. He was transfixed by her full bottom lip. He nipped lightly at it, teasing it to fullness and then he sucked it between his teeth.