Propositioned By The Tycoon: Mr Strictly Business / Bought: His Temporary Fiancée / A Win-Win Proposition

Chapter Seven

Catherine gave Gabe directions to the little café just north of the city, where arrangements had been made to meet with the bride-to-be. Annie Collington, a bubbly redhead with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her upturned nose, appeared tense and unhappy.

Introductions were made, and Annie smiled at Gabe with only a hint of her customary zest. “I recognize you, of course. I think your photo is on everything from the society page to the business section to the gossip magazines.”

“I wouldn’t believe a word of anything except the gossip magazines.”

She twinkled briefly before she caught Catherine’s eye and her amusement faded. “Do we really have to do this?” she asked miserably. “I’ve fired you, now that’s the end of it. Nothing you say is going to change my mind.”

Before Catherine could respond, Gabe stepped in smoothly. “Why don’t we sit down and have a cup of coffee and a bite to eat while we figure out how best to settle this?”

“Please, Annie.” Catherine added gentle pressure. “Your wedding is only eight days away. You have such a beautiful day planned. You don’t want to make any rash decisions that might jeopardize it.”

“That’s precisely what I’m trying to prevent,” Annie insisted. “I heard about the Marconi party. It was a disaster. I can’t have that happen at my wedding.”

“And it won’t,” Gabe assured her. Without even seeming to do so, he guided them to the table the hostess had waiting for them, seated them, and ordered coffee and a platter of house specialty sandwiches. “May I make a proposal that might help with your decision?” he asked Annie.

“Gabe—” Catherine began.

“No, it’s okay,” Annie interrupted. “He can try.”

Catherine fell silent, struggling to suppress an irrational annoyance. After all, Gabe was just trying to help, even if it did feel as if he’d swooped in and taken command of her meeting. Still, she didn’t appreciate him seizing control like…well, like a damn pirate.

“How about this, Annie?” Gabe was saying. “If you agree to continue to use Catherine and Elegant Events as your wedding planner, I will personally guarantee that your wedding goes off without a hitch.”

“You can’t do that,” Catherine instantly protested.

“You can do that?” Annie asked at the same time.

“I can, absolutely.”

The coffee arrived in a slender, wafer-thin porcelain urn hand-painted with an intricate pattern of wild red strawberries and crisp green leaves. After aiming a dazzling smile of dismissal in the direction of their waitress, Gabe took over the chore of pouring fragrant cups for the three of them. The delicate bits of china should have looked small and clumsy in his large hands. But instead he manipulated the coffee service with an impressive dexterity that made him appear all the more powerful and male. He made short work of the chore, and Catherine could see that she wasn’t the only one dazzled by the way his raw masculinity dominated and subdued the fussy bit of femininity.

“Let’s see if this offer doesn’t appeal,” he said as he handed Annie her cup. “If you’re not one hundred percent satisfied with your wedding, I’ll personally see to it that you’re refunded every penny.”

She accepted the coffee with a smile. “That doesn’t exactly guarantee that it’ll go off without a hitch,” she pointed out with impressive logic.

“True,” Gabe conceded, while Catherine silently steamed at his high-handedness.

She didn’t want or need anyone to guarantee her ability to pull off this wedding. She was capable. Competent. She knew the business inside and out. But with one simple offer, he’d reduced Elegant Events in the eyes of her client to a struggling start-up in need of a “real” businessman to back its ability to perform successfully.

Gabe relaxed in his chair, very much in charge. “I may not be able to guarantee that nothing will go wrong if you honor your contract. But understand this, Annie. There is one thing I can guarantee.” He paused to add weight to his comment. “Your wedding will be an unmitigated disaster if you try and do it on your own at this late stage. You’re just asking for trouble attempting to be both bride and coordinator.”

Annie gnawed on her bottom lip. Clearly, the same thought had occurred to her. “I might be able to pull it off,” she offered.

“You think so? Then I suggest you consider this…”

He turned the full battery of Piretti charm and business savvy on her and Catherine watched in amused exasperation. Annie didn’t stand a chance against him, poor thing. She hung on his words, her eyes huge as she tumbled under his spell like every other woman who’d come up against those devilish blue eyes and persuasive personality.

“After what happened at the Marconi party, Catherine is strongly motivated to make certain your wedding is perfect in every regard, if only to prove that her reputation for excellence remains intact.”

Catherine shot Gabe a quelling glare. Not that it did much to quell him. The man was unquellable. “I can’t go into specifics about what happened,” she explained to Annie, deftly assuming control. “But I want to assure you that the problems we experienced were not a result of anything I did wrong, but for the most part caused by some mischief maker out to amuse him—or herself by turning on the sprinklers. On top of that there were a few boaters who crashed the party. I know this is a stressful time for you. And I don’t doubt you’re under tremendous pressure.”

“My mother’s insisting I get rid of you,” Annie admitted. “And since she’s the one paying…”

“If you’d like me to meet with her and address her concerns, I will.”

Annie gave it a moment’s thought before shaking her head. “No, that won’t be necessary. One of the agreements Mom and I came to about the wedding was that it was my wedding. I get to make the decisions.” Her gamine smile flashed. “She gets to pay for them.”

Catherine responded with an answering smile and gave one more gentle push. “In that case, I hope you’ll decide to honor our contract.” She kept her eyes trained on Annie’s, hoping the younger girl would see Catherine’s sincerity, as well as her determination. “I promise to do my absolute best for you.”

“But Gabe’s guarantee stands, right?”

Catherine gritted her teeth. “Gabe’s guarantee stands.”

“In that case…” Annie beamed. “Okay.”

“Then it’s settled? We move forward?”

“It’s settled. You can stay on as my event stager.” Her attention switched to Gabe and she shot him an impish look. “Although I have to admit I’m almost hoping something does go wrong so you’re stuck footing the bill.”

He leaned in. “I’ll see what I can do to sabotage something,” he said in a stage whisper. “Something that won’t cause too much trouble, but just enough to get you off the hook.”

Annie giggled. “Nah, don’t do that. It would only make me feel guilty, afterward. If you can make sure there aren’t any screwups, that’s all that matters to me.”

“Gabe won’t have to worry about it,” Catherine inserted smoothly. “That’s my job.” She leveled Gabe with a single look. “And it’s a job I do quite well.”

Lunch sped by, though afterward Catherine couldn’t have said what they talked about or even what they ate. While part of her was grateful for Gabe’s assistance—after all, he’d rescued the account, hadn’t he? The other part, the major part, was hands-down furious.

“Go on,” he said the minute they parted company with Annie and were walking toward his Jag. “What’s eating you?”

She didn’t bother to hold back. “I realize you’re accustomed to being in charge, but I’d appreciate it if you’d remember that this is my business.”

He paused beside the passenger door, key in hand. “You resent my offering to guarantee a successful event?” he asked in surprise.

“To be blunt, yes. I felt like a teenager purchasing her first car and needing Daddy to cosign the loan agreement.”

He considered that for a minute. “Perhaps it would help if you examined it from a slightly different angle.”

She folded her arms across her chest. What other angle was there? “What other angle is there?”

“I’m a businessman. It goes against the grain to lose money.” He thought about it, and added, “It more than goes against the grain.”

“Then you better hope everything proceeds without a hitch, because otherwise you’ll be on the hook for…” She silently performed a few mathematical gymnastics and named a total that left him blanching. “Weddings don’t come cheap,” she informed him. “Especially not ones I stage.”

“Why don’t they just buy a house?” he argued. “It would last longer and one day show a return on investment.”

“Fortunately for Elegant Events that doesn’t occur to most couples.”

He brushed that aside. “My point is…my offer to guarantee your success shows the extent of my confidence in you and Elegant Events. I don’t back losers, and I don’t have any intention of paying for Annie’s wedding. Nor will I have to because I know you. I know you’ll do an outstanding job.”

Catherine opened her mouth to reply and then shut it again. “Huh.”

He closed the distance between them, trapping her against the car. “I have faith in you, sweetheart. There’s not a doubt in my mind that Saturday’s wedding is going to be a dream come true for our young Annie. And I think it’s all going to be thanks to you.”

“You really believe that?” she asked, touched.

The intensity of his gaze increased. “I’ve always believed in you, and one of these days you’re going to let me prove that to you.”

She barely had time to absorb that before he lowered his head and caught her mouth in a kiss so tender it brought tears to her eyes. He believed in her, had done his best to demonstrate that today. And what had she given him in return? Doubt. Mistrust. Secrets. As much as she feared attempting that first, wobbly step to reestablish their relationship, maybe it was time to take a small leap of faith. Gabe was reaching out. Maybe, just maybe, she could do the same.

And with that thought it mind, she surrendered to the embrace and opened herself to possibilities. Opened herself to the dream.

The next week flew by. To Gabe’s amusement, he realized that Catherine was doing just as he’d predicted. She threw every ounce of energy, focus and determination into making Annie’s wedding as perfect as possible. She double—and triple-checked every detail. Then she checked again. She ran through endless scenarios of potential problems that could crop up, endless possibilities that might occur at the last instant. She knew she’d be under intense scrutiny, that any tiny flaw would be blown up into a major catastrophe. Annie’s mother, in particular, was already proving a handful with endless phone calls and demands. And yet Gabe noticed that Catherine dealt calmly with every problem and complaint, not allowing her demeanor to be anything other than polite and reassuring.

“You’re driving yourself to exhaustion,” he told her toward the end of the week. He sank his fingers into the rigid muscles of her shoulders and worked to smooth out the knots and kinks. “You don’t want that exhaustion to show, and the best way of avoiding that is to get some sleep.”

Catherine nodded absently. “You’re right. I’ll join you in a minute. I just want to go over the seating chart one final time.”

Without a word, he lifted her into his arms and carried her—protesting all the way—into the bedroom. “The seating chart will still be there in the morning, as will the menu and the flower order and the final head count. There’s nothing more you can do tonight other than fuss.”

“I do not fuss,” she argued. “I organize.”

“Sweetheart, I know organizing. That wasn’t it. That was fussing.”

She sagged against him. “You’re right, you’re right. I’m fussing. I can’t seem to stop myself.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

He lowered Catherine onto the bed and in less than thirty seconds had her stripped and a wisp of anightgown tugged over her slender form. Then he tucked her under the covers. He joined her ten seconds later, but by that time she’d already fallen sound asleep. Thank God for small miracles, he couldn’t help but think. Sweeping her close, he brushed her hair back from her brow and planted a gentle kiss there. Satisfied that he’d accomplished his goal with minimal effort, he cushioned her head against his shoulder and allowed sleep to consume him as well.

As the end of the week approached, Gabe kept a weather eye on Catherine, ensuring that she ate properly and caught as much sleep as possible. She tolerated his interference, seemed amused by it, even. Perhaps she understood that it originated from concern. And that gave him hope that maybe this time around they’d get their relationship right.

By Friday morning, the day of the reception, Catherine’s calm had vanished and her nerves had shredded through her self-control. “Anything I can do?” he asked over breakfast.

She shook her head. “I have some paperwork to take care of this morning—”

“You and I both know it’s all in order.”

She flashed a brief, tense smile. “True. But I’m going to review it, anyway. Late this morning I’ll head over to Milano’s and finalize the arrangements for tomorrow’s reception. Joe’s outstanding at his job, so I don’t doubt everything will be perfect, but—”

“You’ll feel better after making sure.” Gabe nodded in complete understanding. “What about tonight’s rehearsal dinner?”

“That’s the responsibility of the groom’s family, thank goodness. Once the rehearsal is out of the way, I’ll come home.” He could see her do a mental run-through of her to-do list and wondered if she even noticed that she’d fallen into the habit of calling the apartment “home.” “I want to try for an early night, which shouldn’t be a problem. There will be a few last-minute phone calls to make before turning in, just to confirm everyone knows what time they need to show up tomorrow.”

He covered her hand with his. “No one will dare be late.”

She relaxed enough to offer a genuine smile. “You’re right about that. It’s not wise to tick off a woman clinging to the edge of a cliff by a fingernail.”

His grin faded, replaced by concern. “That bad?”

She hesitated, then shook her head. “Not really,” she confessed. “I’ve got two or three fingernails firmly dug in.”

Maybe he could help with that. “I want to escort you to the wedding tomorrow, Cate.”

She stared blankly. “I’ll be working.”

“I understand. But I’d like to be there to offer moral support, as well as give you another set of hands should there be a snag.”

A frown formed between her eyebrows. “People will think I can’t handle my own business,” she argued.

“I’ll keep a low profile.”

“Right,” she said in exasperation. “Because, goodness knows, no one in Seattle will recognize Gabe ‘the Pirate’ Piretti.”

He tried another tack. “My presence might help keep Annie’s mother in check.”

“I can handle Beth,” Catherine grumbled.

“I don’t doubt it. But it might force her to think twice before causing trouble or throwing a fit over some trifling problem.”

Catherine turned white. “There will be no trifling problems. There will be no problems at all.”

Hell. “That’s what I meant to say,” he hastened to reassure her. “I’ll just be your muscle.”

To his relief, she relaxed ever so slightly, and her smile flashed again. “Fine. You can be my muscle. Muscle remains in the background and blends in with the wallpaper.”

“Got it. I can do wallpaper.”

Catherine simply shook her head in open amusement. “Good try, but you couldn’t do wallpaper if your life depended on it.”

He lifted her hand and kissed it. “Why, thank you, darling. Allow me to return the compliment.”

She visibly softened. “You don’t have to come, Gabe. I won’t need help.”

“You’re right, you won’t. But I want to be there for you.”

She debated for a few seconds before nodding. “Fine. This one time you can come.”

He struggled to appear both humble and grateful. If she hadn’t been so distracted, she wouldn’t have bought it for a minute. “I appreciate it.” That decided, he pushed back from the table. Bending down, he tipped her chin upward and gave her a slow, thorough kiss. “I’m off to work. If you need me, call my cell.”

She stopped him before he’d gone more than a half dozen steps. “Gabe?” When he turned, she smiled in a way that had his gut clenching.

“Thanks.”

The day of Annie’s wedding proved perfect in every regard. The weather couldn’t have been prettier. Everyone showed up exactly on time. And best of all, the entire affair ran like clockwork. To Catherine’s relief, her nerves settled the minute she stepped foot in the church. She fell into a comfortable rhythm, orchestrating the progression with an ease and skill that impressed even Annie’s mother.

There were the expected last-minute glitches. Someone stashed the bridal bouquet in the wrong room, causing momentary panic. The ring bearer managed to get grass stains on his britches during the ten seconds his mother wasn’t supervising him. And one of the bridesmaids caught her heel in the hem of her gown and needed last-minute stitching. But other than that, the flow continued toward its inevitable conclusion, slow and smooth and golden.

Once the ceremony began, she had a moment to catch her breath and stood in the vestibule with Gabe, watching the timeless tradition of sacred words and new beginnings. It never failed to move her, and this time was no different.

“We never quite got there, did we?” Gabe said in an undertone.

It had been a long day. An exhausting week. Perhaps because of it, the question struck with devastating accuracy. “No,” she whispered. “We never did.”

The couple had reached the point where they were exchanging their vows, promises to love and cherish through good times and bad. When she and Gabe had hit those rough patches, she hadn’t stuck. She’d run.

“We’re not going to ever get there,” he informed her in a quiet voice. “Not the way we’re going. In order for a couple to marry, they have to trust each other. And we don’t.”

She fought to keep the tremble from her voice. “I know.”

He leaned in, his presence a tangible force. “We have a choice, sweetheart. We can walk away now. No harm, no foul.” He let that sink in before continuing. “Or we can do what we should have done two years ago. We can fight for it.”

Would he still feel the same way if he had all the facts at his disposal? She doubted it. And now wasn’t the time to find out. “I don’t trust easily,” she admitted. “Not anymore. I’ve spent two years building up walls.”

“There are ways around walls. Chinks and cracks we can squeeze through. If it doesn’t work out between us, you can always seal up all those cracks again.”

“True.”

“Are you willing to try, Cate?” His hands dropped to her shoulders and he turned her to face him. “Will you give it an honest try?”

She wanted to. Oh, how she longed to do just that. “I’d like to. But there are things—”

His mouth tightened for a telling moment. “I’m well aware there are ‘things.’ I’m not asking you to explain until you’re ready.”

A wistful smile quivered on her lips and she shook her head in a combination of affection and exasperation. “I know you, Gabe. What you really mean is I can explain when I’m ready, so long as I’m ready on demand. Am I close?”

He conceded the observation with a shrug. “We can’t resolve our differences until I know what the problem is.”

He had a point.

“Will you give me a little more time?” Time to see whether their relationship had a shot at working before she unburdened herself. “I need to be convinced we can straighten out our previous problems before introducing new ones. I need to be certain it’s real.”

“It is real. But if time is what you need, I’ll give it to you. For now.” He held out his hand. “Shall we make it official?”

“You have a deal, Mr. Piretti.”

She took the hand he offered, not the least surprised when he gave it a little tug. She allowed herself to sink against him. Then she lifted her face to his and sealed the agreement in a long, lingering kiss, a kiss that spoke to her on endless levels. The gentleness of it made a promise, one that she longed to believe, while the strength and confidence had her relaxing into the embrace. It contained an unspoken assurance that she could lean on him and he’d be there to gather her up. That she could tell him anything and everything and he’d understand. But there was another quality underlying the kiss, the strongest quality of all. Passion. It ribboned through the heated melding of lips, barely leashed.