The Tycoon's Marriage Exchange (4 page)

Maybe they weren’t security.  Perhaps they were just extra helpers for the catering staff, she reasoned. 

When she found Hector’s office, she knocked gently, and pushed the door open, forcing a smile on her face even though she was completely intimidated by the large room with the masculine, dark furniture and a s
cowling Hector behind the desk.  She peered inside, wondering if she might be interrupting a business meeting but when she saw him alone, she pushed the door wider and stepped inside. 

“I’m sorry, I hope I’m not interrupting anything but I wanted to say hello before the guests started arriving.”

Hector watched with growing need as
Kallista
walked into his private office.  He had to smother a groan as he noticed her dress.  The damn thing fit her like a glove and he could see her figure with her perfect breasts that his hands instantly wanted to
caress
, and her tiny waist all encased in glowing silver fabric.  And good grief, he’d never known any woman to have legs like that!  The hem of her dress stopped at mid-thigh and all there was after that was glowing skin until his eyes reached those spiky heels. 

Instantly his mind pictured her on his desk with her legs wrapped around his waist, peeling down the zipper to that dress and comparing what was underneath that bodice, to see if the reality compared to the way the dress lifted her breasts, enticing and daring.  He dared, all right! 

Dammit he didn’t want to be enticed by this woman!  He knew that she wasn’t attracted to him and it was going to drive him crazy to feel this way when she wanted nothing to do with h
i
m.  Hell, she probably had a boyfriend on the side.  Initially, he’d told himself he didn’t care, that he was doing this as a favor to a friend and a man he respected.  He also knew that
Kallista
would be a good wife, since she’d been raised in
Greek
society
, knew what to expect and how to comport herself appropriately
.  She was beautiful and
he’d spoken to her often enough over the past few days to know that she was
intelligent so their children would be healthy and smart. 

But after each meeting with her, he found himself wanting to pull her into his arms and kiss her.  She’d started appearing in his dreams at night, erotic dreams that woke
him in the middle of the night, his body
hard and aching, something only a
painfully
cold shower could alleviate. 

So now, seeing her like this, about as close to the perfect mate as he could ever want and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to lay her down on his desk and make love to her or if he just wanted to let his fingers slide through her silky hair, to feel those tresses against his body….

Hell, he was already aroused and she was barely halfway across his office floor. 
“
W
hat is it?” he asked, clearing his throat and
shifting
his eyes
back down to
the
contract
he was reviewing.  He couldn’t look at her any longer since his body was already
reacting to her image, his mind conjuring up all sorts of things he wanted to do to her, with her.  All of them ending with her screaming out his name as he brought her to a climax that obliterated all the men who had come before him. 

Kallista
stopped and hesitated.  Had she done something wrong? 
Should she not have interrupted? 
Why did he sound so grouchy? 

Her spine stiffened and she marched the rest of the way over to his desk, snapping the plastic card down on the dark wood.  “I don’t need this,” she spat out.  She’d intended to thank him for his generosity and thoughtfulness, but explain that she had a job and would be able to take care of her own
fashion
expenses.  But his tone, and the angry expression in his eyes made her defensive and shaky.  Which came across as angry. 

His eyes didn’t even look down, knowing that she’d tossed his credit card back at him, figuratively at least.  The idea that she was rejecting his money, the one thing he could give her without hesitation, infuriated him.  He didn’t want anyone else giving her anything.  The woman was marrying him, she was
his!  He wanted to dress her.  He wanted to drape her in jewels and show her that he could be worthy of her.  With flashing eyes that hid his jealousy, he stood up and pushed the card back across the desk towards her. 
“Yes you will.  I have several events where I’ll need your presence as
both
my
fiancée and my
wife.  Your parents can’t afford to keep dressing you
and there’s no way I’ll let you wear anything your previous boyfriends have paid for
.  As your husband, I can and will provide for you.”

She couldn’t believe he was bringing up her lack of boyfriends at a time like this.  She knew she was a bit of an introvert and had more than her share of ambition.  So what if it meant she hadn’t dated many other men?  She didn’t feel like she’d lost out on anything important. 
“I’m fully capable of dressing myself,” she snapped and spun around on her heel. 

Hector almost groaned as he watched her walk out, wanting to call her back and apologize, to explain that she would need so many more clothes than she was used to, and he wanted to assure her that he could dress her in the finest, whatever she wanted. 

But as his body reacted to even her retreat, his eyes drawn to her legs and that gorgeous hair that flowed down over her shoulders like a silken waterfall, he knew it was better to let her go and allow his body to get back under his mind’s control before the guests started arriving.  If he thought she was mad now only because he’d been gruff, he couldn’t imagine her fury if he greeted her friends and neighbors with his body in this kind of condition. 
That kind of embarrassment she didn’t deserve. 

Four hours later, he was no longer aroused, but he was
intensely
furious and the effect was the same.   As he watched his fiancée flit from group to group, laughing and talking, doing an excellent job of ensuring that everyone was having a good time, had a drink in their hands and no one was left alone…in other words, acting like the perfect hostess, he should have been proud.  Instead, he wanted to…okay, do the exact same thing he’d wanted to do when she was in his office.  He could add in to the scenario tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her into his office before laying her down on his desk and making love to her until she was screaming out his name. 

This was more of a branding issue though.  No denying the need that was pounding through him but he also wanted to claim that woman as his own.  He wanted to put his stamp on her, to brand her with his touch and his kiss, to know every part of her and for her to know that she was his.  She flirted with every man in the room, no matter the age or marital status.  She did it in such a fashion that even the women weren’t offended, which should be a good thing, he told himself. 
Kallista
definitely knew how to work a crowd, how to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable
. 

But she avoided him like he was some sort of leper! 

This was their engagement party, dammit!  She should be by his side!  Her mother should be working the crowd and
Kallista
should be enjoying the congratulations being poured on her by the guests at her luck for the
privilege
of marrying him. 

Hell, he didn’t even care if others congratulated her or if they completely ignored her.  Okay, so maybe he’d prefer it if they ignored her. 
He
wanted her! 
He
wanted her flirtations, the wicked gleam in her
eye just before she gave off one of those conversational zingers that made whatever group was listening burst out in laughter. 

He also wanted her
soft, tender
hands on him
just
like she touched the other guests.  They’d had two
short
conversations in the past week and
his lovely
Kallista
hadn’t touched him once.  Not even a handshake, he realized. 
In fact, she ensured that she was always several feet away from him, so she wasn’t even within arms distance of him. 

No matter where he was in the room, she
continuously
managed to be on the opposite side, maneuvering carefully so she was out of his range. 

It was well past the point when their engagement should be announced, he told himself.  He looked around for Demetrius and caught his eye, nodding to indicate that it was time.  Demetrius happily nodded back and quickly found his wife, whispered something in her ear and the two of them grinned excitedly as they moved to the edge of the crowd to make the announcement. 

Kallista
saw the interaction and her whole body tensed.  She wanted to scream out, to stop them.  To tell them she’d changed her mind.  There was no way she could marry a man as mean and angry as Hector
Christophe
!  He was moody and grouchy and at this moment, she actually hated him.  She’d tried so hard to impress him.  First with her
pretty
dress, and then with her hostessing skills.  She was exhausted trying to show him how well she could do this kind of thing and he never said a word! 
He stayed on the opposite side of the room, never even glancing in her direction.  She knew because she kept looking for him, needing to know where he was and ensure that he had a drink and that he was in a group, feeling included.

Why had she thought he’d felt like an outsider last week at her parents’ house?  The man had people fawning over him.  It was almost embarrassing how many people were trying to get his attention and lure him into their group for just a few moments so they could bathe in the reflected glow of his glorious presence. 

So much for protecting him, she thought with disgust.  That man didn’t need any help from her and she’d been silly to think she could ever do anything for him. 

The damn man had tens of thousands of people working for him in so many countries she couldn’t even list them.  Didn’t he know that even lowly employees like fiancées and wives needed just a little bit of encouragement? 
She wanted to hit him, to rail against how horrible he was.  She definitely didn’t want to announce that she would be tied to this man for the rest of her life, to a life of misery and
loneliness
. 

But looking at her parents, she couldn’t say a word.  Her mother had actually gained back a bit of weight and was looking wonderfully healthy.  Her father’s color was no longer pallid and he looked excited, better than he had in months. 

And she noticed her mother’s engagement ring!  Good grief, she hadn’t realized that it had been missing but now, seeing her raise her glass and the diamonds sparkled in the light,
Kallista
wondered if her mother had pawned the ring to raise money for her father’s company, or if she’d just lost it. 

The missing paintings in the house were back, she knew, so the odds were that her mother hadn’t lost that precious ring. 

As Hector approached, she resigned herself to this fate once again. 

She shivered as Hector took her hand in his large, warm one and she was so surprised by the spark of electricity, not of any kind of static charge, but of the way his touch made her feel, it so surprised her that she almost yanked her hand back.  Scared of the touch, wanting to cringe away from it bec
ause she didn’t understand it, she looked up at him, startled and anxious. 

Hector felt her resistance and became even more furious. 
For the past several hours
, all he’d wanted to do was make love to this woman and here she was, cringing at his touch. 

“Can I have your attention everyone?” her father was saying to the crowd.

Kallista
’s heart wrenched as she watched her parents.  They were so excited, so proud and she bowed her head in confusion.  And even embarrassment.  That spark had done something to her.  Below the fear, there was a desire to touch him again.  She’d never wanted to touch a man like this, she thought.  She turned to him, trying to smile at him as her parents announced that they would be married.  Far away,
Kallista
heard the crowd break out in applause and excitement, but she couldn’t really hear them as her blood roared through her system.  As her eyes looked up at Hector, she was pleading with him for help.  He was so strong, surely he would be able to explain this phenomenon to her. 

But he was back to his angry persona and she tried hard to hide the hurt and confusion.  When he took her hand, she felt something roughly slide onto her
finger
and when she looked down, a stunningly beautiful diamond ring was shining on her finger.  It was so lovely, she looked back up at him, wanting to thank him.  A tear started to fall and she blinked it back, embarrassed over so much emotion about a silly ring.  But it really was a gorgeous ring.  She would have expected something huge an
d
ostentatious
from him.  Something that would be an example of his wealth and power
.  But this was perfect, a square cut diamond, probably about two carrots with no other embellishment.  Just perfect clarity, and lots of sparkles.  She would honestly be proud to wear this ring
and her fingers closed around the metal as if to ensure its safety and show him she would care for his beautiful gift
.