Authors: Opal Carew
“I’m willing to meet and talk about that. I have some time tomorrow. I’ll send a car for you at five p.m.
“At five?”
“Do you have a problem with the time?”
“No. I’ll be waiting.”
His first inclination had been to suggest she meet with him this evening. He already had the contract drawn up and it sounded like she was anxious to talk to him. But since she’d made it clear she wasn’t going to give them another chance romantically, he had to do something to convince her otherwise. An idea he’d been toying with suddenly seemed the only solution, so he would make a quick call to his lawyer to have some modifications made. He intended to ensure she had little choice in the matter.
* * *
River paced the pavement in front of the entrance to her apartment building. She hated this. Kane sending a car and setting meeting times. But what she hated most was how much she needed his help.
She’d be damned if she’d have some chauffeur summoning her down when he arrived, so she decided to wait outside.
It was getting a little cool, so she pulled on her blazer and glanced at her reflection in the glass as she drew her long dark hair over the collar and smoothed it down. She wore a nice shirt with a pair of new jeans. She’d debated whether to wear a skirt for the meeting, but decided casual was a better approach. The shirt and blazer were a nod to the business nature of their meeting, and the jeans said she wasn’t stressing about the outcome. Now if only she could get her face and demeanor on board.
A shiny black car pulled up in front of her building. Not an elegant limo like the other night, but a town car.
Was he being sensitive to her discomfort at lavish luxury?
No, he probably just didn’t want to spend the money. She’d already shown him she would not be impressed by his wealth.
She sighed. Even though she was going to gain from it by partnering with him.
The driver opened the door and she slid inside.
She was surprised when the driver took the parkway by the canal instead of heading to the market area where the trendy bars were, including Hades.
“Excuse me. Where are we going?” she asked the driver.
He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “We’re going to Mr. Winters’s residence, ma’am.”
Her stomach clenched. She was going to his apartment?
They drove through a residential area with elegant homes behind wrought-iron fences. The driver turned into a driveway and the gate opened, then he drove up the curved path to a large, stately home.
There was a lovely garden out front with peach tulips and purple hyacinths in bloom. There were wide steps up to the elegant double doors with stained-glass windows.
He opened her door and walked with her to the entrance.
“Mr. Winters said to go right in and sit down.” He opened the door for her.
She stepped into the house and her eyes widened at the luxurious surroundings. The foyer had cream marble floors and a curved staircase leading to a second level. A chandelier with glittering crystals hung from the ceiling.
She glanced around and saw a living room on her right, glass French doors on her left, and a hallway beside the staircase leading to other rooms. She wasn’t sure which direction to go. He’d said to come in and sit down. She noticed a settee in the foyer, so she sat down there.
As she waited nervously, she realized she was way out of her depth. Not only was she intimidated by this lavish house, she was going to partner with a man who ran a huge corporation. She was well aware of how successful Synergetic—the company Kane had started with Will—had become. It was leading the edge in many new technologies and had become almost a household name.
And yet he was partnering with her for a small nail polish company.
To assuage his guilt. And to encourage her to continue their relationship—which meant he wanted sex—but that was not going to happen.
“There you are. Why are you sitting out here?” Kane stood in the entrance to the living room, looking way too handsome in a pair of designer jeans and casual blue shirt with a thin red stripe.
“The driver said to sit and wait.”
“I assumed you’d go into the living room and make yourself comfortable.”
Was he kidding? There was nothing about this situation that made her comfortable.
She stood up and followed him into the large room, which was filled with an eclectic mix of furniture in tasteful neutral tones. She sat down on the couch and he sat beside her.
Far too close for her comfort.
He poured a glass of wine from a full bottle on the coffee table and handed it to her.
“You have a nice home,” she said, then sipped the wine.
“Thanks. I have an apartment right downtown, but I often spend weekends here. It’s quiet, and a great place to entertain.”
She couldn’t imagine having more than one place to live. And such a big place for only one person. His apartment was probably a huge penthouse, too.
“So you’ve changed your mind about my offer?”
She put down her wineglass and sat up straighter. “Yes. Well, I thought we could discuss it.”
“What happened?”
Her gaze darted to his. “Why do you think—?”
“You were adamant against the idea last time we talked, so I’m just curious what changed your mind.”
She was sure telling him put her in a worse negotiating situation but … she couldn’t lie.
“I lost my job. So I thought rather than working for someone else, I should invest that time in my future.”
Also, before finding the job at Giselle’s, she’d been unemployed for over a year and she just couldn’t handle that again. She had to make this company work.
“Good. I figured that’s what you wanted to talk about so I went to the liberty of bringing the partnership papers. We just have to sign.”
“Oh … I … thought we’d just be talking about it today. I didn’t realize you’d have me signing something.”
“No point in waiting.”
“Okay, but…” She drew in a breath as she drew her shoulders back. “We need to discuss some terms.”
“You’re right, we do.”
She stood up, thrown off by his relaxed demeanor. She started to pace.
“I want us to be very clear on one thing. This is a business arrangement only,” she said. “There will be no personal involvement between us at all. Business meetings only.” She glanced around. “And preferably in an office or somewhere over coffee.”
“Absolutely not.”
She spun around to face him. “What?”
“I don’t agree to that at all.” He stood up and walked toward her. She had to stop herself from backing up.
“River, I told you…” He stood close to her now. “I want to explore what we had.” His finger brushed her cheek, and he swept her hair behind her ear, sending tingles along her neck. “I want to kiss you. To touch you.” He smiled. “I want to see where this relationship might have gone.”
“It wouldn’t have gone anywhere,” she said through gritted teeth.
His smile grew wider. “You see, that’s where I think you’re wrong.” His fingers slid behind her neck and he drew her forward, then his lips brushed hers.
Nooo, she didn’t want to …
Her heart beat frantically as his lips moved on hers and, heaven help her, she couldn’t stop herself from responding. His other hand slid to her waist and drew her closer as his tongue slid into her mouth.
She could barely breathe. She could barely think.
All she wanted was to melt against him. To succumb to the intense desire thrumming through her. To give herself over to him completely.
His lips drew away and he gazed down at her with smug satisfaction.
“You see, the chemistry has always been great between us. And I think we’d both like to see where it might lead.”
“So you want to have sex with me as part of the deal?”
“No. I want to have sex with you because we both want it. I’m quite happy to admit that what I shared with you physically was the best sex I’ve ever had.”
She pulled away from him, her cheeks flushing.
“Is that why you recorded it and spread it all over school?”
She turned her back to him and walked toward the window, needing space.
He frowned. “I’m sorry, River. I didn’t mean to remind you…” He sighed. “I think it’s time I explain. I was never involved in that. I knew you wouldn’t believe me, so I wanted to give you time to get to know me … to understand that I would never do something like that.”
“So you’re saying you didn’t go out with me on a bet?” The words burned from her mouth like acid pellets.
“I did. But when I met you … when we talked … we hit it off.”
“And then you nailed me.”
“That was never part of the bet.”
“So you say.”
“And why would I lie?”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Everything that happened between us was a lie.”
He grasped her shoulder and turned her around, and then she was in his arms, his mouth on hers. His tongue drove into her. His arms tightened around her. His body so close … the musky scent of his aftershave … his lips moving on hers … overwhelmed her senses.
Memories of their bodies entwined so long ago rampaged through her.
She wanted him. God help her. She wanted to be naked in his arms. Feeling his thick cock gliding inside her.
He released her lips, his indigo eyes locked on hers. “This wasn’t a lie. The way we are together. The way we make each other feel.”
She shook her head. “What you did…” Tears welled in her eyes at the remembered humiliation of hearing that recording. And worse … the intense sense of betrayal. She pulled from his arms and backed away. “I couldn’t go back in the fall. I dropped out.”
“You dropped out of college because of me?”
“My scholarship wasn’t transferable and I didn’t have money like you did.”
“I’m sorry, River. I didn’t know.”
“Now you do.”
His lips compressed. “Look, I’ve always wanted to explain about the recording. At the time, I didn’t know how it happened. I swear I didn’t make it.”
“Are you saying your apartment was bugged?” She didn’t believe him for a minute.
“In a way. It was a practical joke. The guys I hung out with got someone to hack my phone to act like a listening device. They activated it before the party. They heard everything within range of my phone the whole time. I didn’t know anything about it.”
“You didn’t know about the recording?”
“Not until someone e-mailed it to me. At first I thought maybe you had … but as I listened to it, I realized you would never … I was just as much a victim as you were.”
She glared at him. “A recording like that would only serve to up your reputation. But for me it was humiliating.”
His eyes filled with sympathy and he stepped toward her, but she dodged sideways.
“No matter what the truth is about the recording, you still led me on so you could get into my pants.”
“No. It’s true I first asked you out on a bet, but everything that happened after that was because I really liked you.”
She crossed her arms. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. I thought we were here to talk business.”
“Of course.” He gestured toward the couch and she went and sat down again.
He picked up his briefcase, which was sitting beside the couch, and opened it, then brought out a folder and set it on the coffee table. He opened it and handed her a sheaf of papers held together with a paper clip.
“This agreement details what we’ve already discussed. The part about the deal with Rapture is written in there, too.”
She nodded, relieved he’d done that.
“What about control of the company?” Her stomach tightened, worried he would insist on control.
“It’s your idea and your company so you should maintain full control.”
Her gaze darted to his. “Really?”
“Of course.”
She smiled, surprised at his generosity.
“But since I’ll be the sole investor, there is something I ask in return.”
She kept her expression calm. She was quite sure she knew what he wanted in return.
“Turn to the last page of the agreement,” he said.
He’d put sexual terms in the contract? She flipped to the last page and skimmed the neatly laid out paragraphs. Then froze two-thirds down the page. Her eyes widened.
“You want me to marry you?”
“Don’t look so shocked. It’s a marriage of convenience.”
“What’s convenient about it?” River demanded.
He shrugged. “It just makes things easier. I want regular sex. As I said, sex with you is the best I’ve ever had, so why not?”
“What about love?”
“Overrated. Look, I’m a busy guy. Wooing women, dating, all the games … it’s time-consuming. Having a regular partner will just make it easier. For both of us.”
She assumed he worried about things like propriety and social expectations, so screwing around with a lot of women might not be how he wanted people to see him. Being married, with a wife by his side at social functions … that’s probably how he wanted to portray himself.
“Remember, you’re starting a new business. That means lots of hours. There’ll be no time to meet guys. Plus, if you’re my wife, you don’t have to worry about being profitable right away. All your needs will be covered.”
“Because I’ll be living with you.” She was numb. The whole idea was insane.
“Marriage doesn’t have to be about love. It can be a practical arrangement that benefits both parties.”
“Oh, stop,” she said dryly. “You’re sweeping me off my feet.”
He smiled. “Would you like flowers and candlelight? And me on bended knee?”
“Of course not.” Because that would be a lie just like in college. At least now he was being honest. “You can’t seriously think—”
“But I do. I know how much you want this deal. And you already know how great we are together physically. This is a great arrangement for you because you have full security. As the contract says, as long as we’re married, you fully control the company, so you can do whatever you want with it. And you don’t have to worry about money, so you can just concentrate on following your dream.”
Her jaw was clenched so tight her throat hurt. She wanted this opportunity. More than anything.