Bachelor's Bought Bride (8 page)

“Sorry about that.” Elle’s breathless voice grated against her ear. “My desk is right outside Brock’s office and not at all private. I’m in the ladies’ room now. I still don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do. I phoned you myself from Sausalito to tell you my happy news.” The last two words dripped with venom.

“I know, and I’m thrilled for you both.”

“Why, are you getting part of the money?” Ugly scenarios unfolded in Bree’s mind.

“What money? Slow down, Bree, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The money my father paid Gavin to marry me.”

The following silence sucked the last breath from Bree’s lungs. Now that she’d said it aloud, to another person, the awful reality of what had just happened seemed literally unbearable. She paced into the bedroom, where the sheets were still warm and wrinkled from their most recent tryst.

“I don’t believe it.” Elle’s shocked whisper came at last.

“You didn’t know?”

“I swear it. I know Gavin from work, but not personally.”

“Your number is programmed into his phone.”

“I’m Brock’s assistant. He calls me all the time to set up meetings.”

“So you had no idea about any of this.”

“Not the slightest clue, Bree.”

“You’ve never lied to me about anything?”

A moment of silence followed. Elle’s voice was subdued, quiet, when she spoke again. “Not about this. I was sure Gavin genuinely liked you. Where did you get this idea about the money?”

“Oh, just the message my own dear father left for him about the wire transfer.”

“Bree, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

“Why did you sound so hesitant when I asked if you’d lied?” Another pause made suspicion crackle through Bree’s brain.

“I have a secret of my own.” Elle’s whisper startled
her. “I wish I didn’t because it’s making lies part of my daily life.” Silence hung in the air for a moment. “I’m having an affair with my boss.”

“With Brock Maddox?” Bree didn’t hide her surprise.

“Yes. I certainly never intended to, but things happened, and now…it’s complicated. I wish I could tell you more, but it’s better if I don’t.”

“I’ll bet.” Bree shook her head, trying to clear her tangled thoughts. What next?

“Do you love him?”

Elle’s blunt question shocked her. “No.”

“Not even a little?”

“I loved him madly until about four minutes ago. Does that make things clearer?”

“You can’t switch love on and off. No one knows that better than me.” Elle’s voice was shadowed with regret. “You must still love him somewhere, underneath your anger and hurt.”

“I’m sure I do. I’m dumb like that.”

“Gavin’s a good man. There’s got to be something more to the story. Maybe this little discovery doesn’t have to spoil everything. It could turn out to be a hiccup you can get past.”

“That he took money to take me off my dad’s hands? That’s a lot to get past.”

“Why don’t you give him a chance?”

Could she? The possibility lit up Bree’s brain like the lights on the Golden Gate Bridge. Could everything work out anyway? Could they live happily ever after and go whistling off into the sunset together?

Fresh tears pricked her eyelids and slid over her cheeks.

She swallowed hard. “Elle, you don’t understand. This is what I’ve been so afraid of my whole life. I’ve always known men were only interested in me for the money I inherited from my mother. I fell so hard for Gavin because I was sure he was different. But he’s no better than the rest. Worse, in fact.”

“Maybe he really loves you, in spite of the money. Every time I saw him look at you, I could swear he had adoration written all over his face. I’ve never seen him like that before, and as you can imagine, he’s never short of women flocking around him. I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t believe it, but I really think he loves you.”

Bree cursed the way the possibility opened inside her like a ray of fresh hope. “I guess there is a really tiny possibility that you could be right.”

“He gets a very good salary and bonus—I should know, since I file all the records. He certainly wouldn’t need to marry you for money. I think you should stick around and figure out what’s going on before you throw away a good chance for happiness. Sometimes life is more complicated than we want it to be, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the trouble.”

“I’m not sure I can philosophize right now, but I won’t do anything rash.” Bree frowned. “At the very least, I want to hear his side of the story.”

“And maybe your relationship will end up stronger after you get through this.”

“I very much doubt it, but I’ll try to keep an open mind.” Bree ran a hand through her tangled hair. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t tell a soul. Trust me, due to some unfortunate circumstances, I’ve become very, very good at keeping secrets.”

Bree put the phone back in its base. She carefully deleted the message from her father, and wiped her fingerprints from the shiny surface like a criminal, despite the fact that she was apparently the only innocent party in San Francisco.

When the phone rang again, she snatched it up, terrified of discovering yet more shocking secrets about her new husband.

Her husband. The word that had filled her with such joy a short while ago now filled her with sadness and regret.

It was the hotel in Sausalito on the phone. Their wedding photos were ready and had been mailed to them. Oh, joy. Pictures of her grinning like a lovesick fool on the arm of a man who swept her off her oversize feet just to fatten his wallet.

The big question was what to do when he came home tonight.

T
he sound of Gavin’s key in the lock almost made Bree squeeze her eyes shut for a moment, but she didn’t want to smudge her mascara. She’d just finished putting it on so she’d be sure not to cry.

“Hi, sweetheart.” His warm, rich voice rang through the apartment.

“Hi,” she called back, willing herself to sound bright and enthusiastic, as if she had no idea she’d been bartered for cold cash. “How was your day?”

“Pretty good.” Gavin hung his suit jacket in the closet and approached her, arms outstretched. She tried not to steel herself against his hug. Instead she stuck her arms out and approached him with shaky knees. “How was yours?”

“Fine.” One way to describe the worst day of her life. “I made lasagna for dinner,” she proclaimed, turning
away before he could scrutinize her expression. She was still working on keeping it serene.

“Mmm, fantastic. I was too busy to eat lunch so it’s lucky we didn’t make plans.”

“Something big going on at Maddox?”

“In a way.” His voice had a funny tone to it that made her turn around. “Oh?”

“Me, leaving.” A sheepish grin snuck across Gavin’s face. One that just a few hours ago she would have found adorable.

She froze. “Leaving Maddox Communications?” One million dollars was not enough to retire on. Not in San Francisco, at least. Maybe he just planned to kick back and live off her fortune?

She turned and marched to the kitchen to check on the lasagna. The dish had helped get her focus off Gavin this afternoon. Might as well use it as a distraction now.

“You’re shocked, aren’t you?” Gavin followed her into the small galley kitchen. His physical presence filled the doorway and she fought a stray surge of desire.

“Well, yes. I thought you liked it there.” She didn’t look up. Instead she busied herself with taking the dish out of the oven.

“It was a good place to build my reputation. But now I’m ready to strike out on my own.” He eased up beside her and slid his arms around her waist.

“Careful. This dish is hot.” She tried to wriggle away from him, hating the way her stomach tingled under his fingers.

“Then don’t look so irresistible. It’s not fair to wear a dress like that and then not let me touch you.”

Arousal rippled inside Bree at the touch of his hand
on her hip. Curse him and this stupid dress. Another of the ones Elle had talked her into buying. Dark blue with a swirly skirt of clingy jersey.

“I just don’t want to burn myself.”
I’ve already been badly burned today.

“All right, I’ll set the table.”

“I already did.” She had everything planned and organized to perfection. She’d had plenty of time on her hands, after all, because the idea of photographing couples had quickly lost its charm. “Why don’t you sit down? It’s almost ready.” She managed to keep her voice calm and even bright. Who knew she had such powers of deception?

She served the food with a smile. Gavin’s admiring gaze took in her hard work primping this afternoon. She’d wanted to look good so he wouldn’t know that inside she was in tiny pieces. “Why are you leaving Maddox Communications?”

Gavin’s smile broadened, and took on a conspiratorial air. “To start my own company.”

Bree swallowed as she sat down hard. Everything was becoming crystal clear. She called on an inner strength she hoped was in there somewhere. “What kind of company?”

“My own advertising shop. Boutique, top-notch creative, specializing in cutting-edge brands.” The confident sparkle in his eye both aroused and infuriated her.

“Isn’t that a risky endeavor? It must be hard to raise the money for a venture like that.” She cocked her head, maintaining her placid demeanor.

Gavin’s smile faded slightly, which gave her a moment of grim satisfaction. “Yes, no doubt it is, but I have years
of experience now and I’m confident in my ability to make this endeavor succeed.” He reached across the table and she let him take her hand and squeeze it. “With you by my side, there’s no way I can fail.”

His words rang hollow in the still air. Words that—if spoken yesterday—would have filled her with giddy pride. Today they sounded phony. A cliché. A lie.

Of course, in a way, he spoke the truth. It’s hard to fail if the endeavor is underwritten by one of the most successful investors in San Francisco—who’d handed over the money as a reward for taking his daughter off his hands.

“So, are you bringing clients with you from Maddox?”

Gavin paused, fork hovering above his plate. “Much as I’d love to, I don’t think that would be ethical.”

“You wouldn’t want to do anything unethical.” Like, say, marry for money. “Much better to do things the honest, old-fashioned way.” Like, say, marry for money. In the grand scheme of things, what he’d done wasn’t all that outrageous. She’d bet nearly every single one of her ancestors had married for money. That would explain why there was so darn much of it in her bank account. Wait, was she trying to make excuses for him?

“Where do you plan to look for clients?”

“There are a couple who moved away from Maddox that I intend to pursue. And since I’ve put out the word I’m going out on my own, I’ve had some serious interest.”

“Oh. How long have you been telling people you’re starting your own company?” Hope bloomed in her chest. Perhaps this was something he’d been working
on for some time that had nothing to do with her and her money. Maybe he was independently wealthy.

Maybe he really did love her.

Pathetic how she still shamelessly hoped for that.

“Just the last couple of days. I’ve been planning it for a long time but I was waiting for some things to come together.”

“Oh.” She stuck her fork into an innocent lettuce leaf. So much for her pathetic hopes. “How nice that they finally came together.” She shot him a somewhat steely glance.

He didn’t even notice—he just beamed at her. “It’s the culmination of a lifelong dream. I’ve wanted my own company since I was a boy. At the time I had no idea it would be advertising, but that’s what really gets my juices flowing.”

Much to her chagrin, Gavin still got hers flowing. His excitement and enthusiasm were infectious. She almost wanted his company to be a big success just so she could enjoy that winning smile that lit up his chiseled features.

But she couldn’t resist needling him a bit more.

“Juices are fun, but what about cash flow? Will things be tight while you get it off the ground?”

Gavin hesitated and looked at her as if surprised by her question. And really, why would an heiress ask the man she loved about money? Couldn’t she just haul out some bags of gold bullion?

Then he leaned back in his chair, a satisfied look on his face. “I’ve got good start-up funds. Enough to rent a nice office space, pay good people and keep things going for at least six months even if it takes that long to land a client.”

“Wow. You do have it well planned.”

“It helps that I’ve got one of the best art directors in the country ready to come on board. Wait until you meet Tom, I know you’ll like him. He does fine-art photography, too—collage mostly—and you’ll recognize his work as soon as you see it. He’s going to bring a couple of key people from the agency he’s at now.”

“I bet they won’t be too happy.”

Gavin shrugged. “Advertising is a bit of a dog-eat-dog world. Agencies form, merge, gain clients, lose clients. It’s all part of the business. You’re only as good as your biggest client.”

“And who do you hope to snag as your biggest client?”

Gavin cocked his head and gave her a cheeky glance that tickled her insides. “You’ll laugh if I tell you.”

“I could use a good laugh.”

He hesitated a moment. “No. Let me surprise you when I really do win them.”

“Great. I love surprises.” He didn’t seem to notice the slight edge of sarcasm that crept into her voice. How could he string her along like this? How could he sit there and eat dinner so casually, when their whole marriage was a farce? Did he really intend to spend the rest of his life with her, or was she a temporary fundraising measure until he got his company off the ground?

Then he’d probably kick her to the curb and bring in a slender blonde who’d look better on his arm at the awards ceremonies.

No doubt that’s exactly what he had in mind. He wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life saddled with a
dumpy nobody. Not once he really had his own money and didn’t need hers.

She shoved a bite of lasagna into her mouth, to stem the flood of angry words to her tongue. Part of her wanted to let him have it—tell him she knew and how disgusted she was that he’d tricked her into marrying him. For a single sharp instant she fantasized about standing up now and yelling right at him. Ending everything, right now, and watching his startled reaction.

But common sense got the better of her. She couldn’t bear to spew out all her hurt and shame. That would only give him power over her. He’d probably tell her she was all wrong and that he truly loved her and, sucker that she was, she’d probably believe him.

No. She had a better plan. Play him at his own game.

She’d make him think everything was working out perfectly. His happy little wife was sitting at home tinkering with her photos while he took the world by storm. She’d play along, encourage and support him, pretend to love and adore him the way he obviously expected.

Then, just when he was least prepared, she’d tell him she knew the truth and boot him out of her life.

“Great lasagna, Bree.”

“Thanks.” She forced a wide smile. “I like it with béchamel sauce instead of ricotta. More authentic, I think.”

“I can’t believe that on top of everything else you’re an amazing cook, too.”

“It’s nothing. I enjoy cooking. You should tell me all your favorite meals so I can make them for you.” Maybe that would make him truly fall in love with her.
Food was supposed to be the way to a man’s heart. After money, of course.

Revenge would be sweet if he did actually fall for her before she revealed her secret.

“I love seafood.” Gavin’s gray eyes sparkled. “And barbecue. We’ll have to set a grill up on the balcony. I scorch some mean shrimp.”

“Sounds delicious. Perhaps when we buy our house we can set up an outdoor dining room.” She smiled sweetly.

“I love that idea. I’ve been too lazy to entertain living here on my own. I usually go out. But when we have a real home, we’ll have to have friends over often.” He leaned forward, obviously enjoying his vision of their future.

It did sound fun. Friends gathered for a casual, outdoor meal. What a shame none of it was real. They were both just playing along, pretending, maintaining a charade.

“This salad dressing is sensational.” He sucked a trace of the rich concoction off his fork, a gesture that caused an unpleasant sizzle deep inside her.

How could you still be attracted to him?

“It’s the olive oil. I buy it fresh in Sonoma from an old guy there who has the most amazing orchard. Nothing tastes like it.”

“We’ll have to go there together.”

“Absolutely.”

“Still, it’s not just the oil, it’s the blend of spices. You have a real talent.”

“Oh, I have all kinds of hidden talents.” She tossed the curls she’d nurtured into shiny ringlets and smiled coyly. “You have no idea.” She certainly was surprised
that she’d managed to keep her cool so far. Maybe she did have undiscovered facets that this whole disastrous misadventure would polish to a shine.

Like a capacity to exact the perfect revenge on the man who’d made her worst nightmare come true.

That night, when Gavin’s hands found her body under the covers, she yielded to his touch. It wasn’t hard. In fact, it would have been almost impossible not to. Desire still throbbed inside her like an incurable ache. A day ago she might have called it love, or something foolish like that, but now she recognized it for the pure physical urge it was.

She wrapped her arms around his sturdy torso and let herself enjoy the sweet warmth of his skin against hers. She’d been so very lonely today. Would it hurt to enjoy sex before she went back to hating him?

As they moved together she let herself enjoy the sensation as a dance—pleasure that crept through every inch of her. Didn’t people do this all the time and mean nothing by it?

He’d have been suspicious if she pushed him away. Not that she even had the willpower to do that.

When he kissed her on the mouth, she found herself kissing back with passion, unable to stop. Her climax pounded through her, making her clutch him tighter.

It doesn’t mean anything,
her mind protested, over the louder drumbeat of her blood.
You’ll forget him.

She would try, anyway.

Gavin donned his best power suit for a day of key meetings. For some reason, being married gave him an extra edge of stability—almost like a foundation—that made it easy to go out and take on the world. He’d
noticed Bree seemed a little nervous lately—on edge, even. Perhaps she was worried about him stepping out on his own. Hopefully he’d soon be able to reassure her by obtaining clients.

Of course he could reassure her right now by mentioning that he had ample start-up funds, but he wasn’t quite sure how she’d react to his deal with her father.

Guilt trickled through him like acid. He wished he could have pulled this off without the money, but you couldn’t start a business without capital.

He’d make it up to her by being a devoted husband.

He kissed Bree after eating the delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs and fresh rolls that she’d made him. For some reason, she was dressed to the nines, in a pretty green dress that accentuated her curves. “You look beautiful, as always. I’ll see you at the party tonight.”

She cocked her head, her curls falling over one shoulder. “What party?”

“I thought I told you. There’s a big shindig tonight to celebrate winning the new Reynolds Automotive account.”

A shadow crossed her face. “No, you didn’t say a word.”

“Hmm. I wasn’t sure quite how Brock would react to the news of me leaving. Maybe I half thought he’d have tossed me out on my ear by now.”