Billionaire Romance Boxed Set (9 Book Bundle) (67 page)

“During the term of our
marriage, while I’m…living with you.” I hesitated. “I understand
that I’m supposed to act like your wife. Will there be any other restrictions
or expectations on my behavior that I should be aware of?”

“None whatsoever,” said
Mr. Thorne. “So long as you appear to be in love with me, and faithful, I
see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to live the rest of your life as you
choose.” He hesitated.

God, this was so weird. My mouth
was incredibly dry. “You said you’ll be supporting me. Will I have a daily
allowance, or…?”

“My credit card,” he
said, easily. “There is no limit. You’ll be added as a joint member on the
account and have your own card. You may use it to pay for anything you like.
You see, Ms. Wainright, this whole arrangement requires a mutual trust. But in
the time you’ve been employed here, I’ve seen no reason to believe that you are
dishonest or that you take undue advantage of situations. That’s one of the
other reasons I chose you.”

I looked up from my paper.
“I thought you chose me because I don’t believe in marriage.”

He laced his fingers together
thoughtfully. “That was the deciding factor,” he said. “But I
had already evaluated your character.”

He was talking about me like I
was a set of characteristics rather than a person. Then again, I supposed that
came with the territory. Being a successful businessman meant coldly evaluating
situations, completely devoid of any emotional impulses. It meant reading
people like they were a string of zeroes and ones who happened to have an organic
brain rather than one made of chips and diodes.

It must be liberating, to not
have to worry about other people’s feelings.

But perhaps that was best. If I
was going to enter into a marriage of convenience, it really ought to be with
someone who was going to keep things professional and break it off at the end
without any messiness.

And pay me a whole truckload of
money, of course. That was a nice bonus.

“There was something else I
wanted to address with you,” he said, looking down at the desk. “I
meant to bring it up yesterday. If, during the term of our marriage, you were
to meet someone…”

“I’m not worried about
that,” I interrupted, quickly.

He looked up at me, his eyes
searching my face. It seemed like I’d succeeded in reminding him that I was, in
fact, a human being. “Are you certain about that?”

“Yes,” I said.
“Can we move on?”

“Of course,” he said.
“That brings me to my next point. It’s important that we keep things
professional. With an arrangement like this, sometimes the lines can become
blurred. But I hope we can both act as checks and balances against each other
to ensure that things stay appropriate. You’re clearly a sensible person, so I
don’t anticipate this being too much of a problem. But it would be foolish to
pretend we’re not human beings.” He gave me a sharp look, like he’d been
reading my mind. I fidgeted. “If you feel things are becoming too
personal, please don’t hesitate to let me know. And I will do the same for
you.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the
uncomfortable prickling at the base of my neck. It almost felt like he was
looking through me.

He was silent for a while, and I
realized he was waiting for some sort of verbal acknowledgement.

“Yeah,” I said.
“Of course, that…that sounds good,” I said, my voice cracking a
little. I realized belatedly that I was making it sound like I’d already
consented to the arrangement, and briefly panicked. “I mean - if I decide
to go through with this.”

“Of course,” he said,
raising both hands in a supplicating gesture. “Nothing is official until
we both sign the contract in the presence of my attorney.”

“Sorry,” I said.
“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t misunderstanding me.”

He smiled. “I’m a very
cautious man, Ms. Wainright. I’m not in the habit of making assumptions until I
have signatures in triplicate.”

“Well, that’s good to
know.” I stood up. “Thank you, Mr. Thorne. I appreciate your
time.”

“I ought to be thanking
you,” he said, rising as well and extending his hand for me to shake.
“Take as much time as you need. I have a few months before they’ll loose
the hounds, so it’s not terribly urgent.”

I had to laugh. “I
appreciate that, but I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep properly until I make
a decision.” And maybe not even then.

He looked a little bothered.
“I never meant to cause you any distress,” he said. “I meant it
when I said that refusing wouldn’t impact your career. You can continue to work
here as long as you like. You’ll be treated like any other employee. And if you
choose to leave I will always give you a positive reference. You have my
word.”

“I know,” I said.
“It’s not that. I just…I guess I can’t decide if the risk is worth the
reward.”

He considered this for a moment.
“I won’t pretend there isn’t a risk,” he admitted, finally.
“But…it is not as great of a risk as you might think. I am in…an
advantageous position.”

My eyes narrowed. “What does
that mean, exactly?”

Mr. Thorne shrugged a little.
“Money opens many doors, Ms. Wainwright. As I’m sure you know.”

“If it’s a question of
money, why do you need me at all?”

“I said ‘many’ doors. Not
every door.”

“Fair enough,” I said.
“I’ll get back to you when I’m made my decision.”

“Thank you,” he said.
“Again. For everything.”

Chapter Two

By the end of the week, I’d
chewed every single fingernail down to the nubbins.

Every time I considered asking
someone for advice - even anonymously on the Internet - a wave of paranoia
would overtake me, and I’d bite my tongue. I couldn’t risk doing anything that
would violate Mr. Thorne’s trust in me. Even if I hadn’t signed the contract yet,
if I did, I was pretty sure the silence clause would apply retroactively. Or
would it?

I found myself wishing that I
could afford my own lawyer. It would be helpful to go over this whole thing
with someone who was level-headed and experienced, and who could be trusted to
keep things quiet. But that simply wasn’t possible.

Driving home on Friday, I was
completely drained. And for the first time in a while, a weekend of quiet
relaxation simply wasn’t in the cards - I was going to spend the whole break
mulling this situation over in my head, trying to figure out my next move.
Whatever decision I made was certainly one I’d have to live with, well, for the
rest of my life.

I became dimly aware of a
rattling noise coming from somewhere, but I tried to ignore it as I approached
the world’s longest traffic light. I wasn’t sure if it was really longer than
others or if it just seemed like it was, because it was only a few blocks from
my apartment. But either way, I gritted my teeth when I saw it turn red as I
approached.

The rattling noise grew louder as
I idled. I tapped my knuckles against the dashboard, hoping it was some loose
piece of something that didn’t matter. The car was getting old, after all.

The rattling turned into a
grinding noise, and as I let off the brake and pushed down on the accelerator,
I felt the car lurch to a start, right before it ground to a sickening halt in
the middle of the intersection.

Yes.

Perfect.

*

I could feel my back begin to
ache as I sat at the mechanic’s, in a tiled room that stank of oil and rubber.
Beside me, on the table, there was a stack of four-year-old magazines that were
badly wrinkled and smeared with grease. I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.
I just knew the news wasn’t going to be good, and there was no way I could
afford a major repair right now.

When they finally called me up to
the counter, I could barely focus on what they were saying to me. The few words
that penetrated the haze in my brain didn’t sound good. “Badly
degraded.” “Major repairs.” “Payment plan.”

Numbly, I pulled out the only
credit card I had that wasn’t already maxed out and handed it over to make my
first deposit. If I lived off of cup noodles for a while, I could manage to
make the minimum payments. Hell, if I was lucky, I ‘d only be paying this off
until I retired.

Of course, there was another
option.

As I rode the courtesy shuttle
home, I lost myself in a fantasy of being a billionaire’s bride. Even if it was
just for a year…of course I’d have my payment after that, which would be a
dream come true in and of itself. But to live for an entire year, without
having to think or worry about money once? That was beyond anything I could
even imagine. Once I was managing my own small fortune, it would be different.
I’d be worried about where to invest it, how to save it - I’d spend all of my
free time concerned with making it last. But while I was playing the role of
Mr. Thorne’s wife, I’d be completely worry-free. If I needed anything -
anything at all - I could have it.

I was tired of this life. I was
exhausted from living paycheck to paycheck, trying to scrape enough money
together to float my credit card bills for another month. Between my student
loan payments and some old medical bills, most of my paychecks left my hands
before I even had a chance to think about where to spend them.

But it didn’t have to be that way
anymore.

Mr. Thorne had given me his
personal cell phone number - something that I suspected he rarely gave to
anyone. He was anxious to know my decision. Of course he was. He tried to hide
it as best he could, but I knew how badly he needed me to say yes.

When I got home, I pulled
the wrinkled sticky note out of my pocket and dialed the number.

He answered on the first ring.

“Hello?” His voice was
dark and smooth, like…no, I couldn’t let myself think that way. Come on,
Maddy. Get it together.

“Hello, Mr. Thorne? It’s
uh…it’s Madeline Wainright.”

There was just a moment’s
hesitation. “I think maybe…you ought to get used to calling me
Daniel.” I could hear him smiling down the phone. The fact that I was
calling him out of the blue gave away my hand.

“Okay, Daniel,” I said.
“Have the contract ready for me on Monday.”

“Of course,” he said.

“I know it’s a purely verbal
agreement at this point, but can you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

I felt goose bumps rising on my
arms, for some incomprehensible reason.

“I’ll need a ride to
work,” I said. “My car broke down, and it’s going to be in the shop
for at least a week…”

“Of course, Madeline. I’ll
send a town car to pick you up Monday morning. And don’t worry about paying for
the repairs, I’ll see that it’s done. Did you take it to Fellman’s?”

“How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” I could
hear him shuffling some papers. “I’ll see you on Monday, Madeline.”

“Yeah, see you later.”
Why were my ears burning? I dropped the phone on the sofa and went to run
myself a hot bath. I needed to sink into oblivion for a moment; the decision
I’d just made was too big to even think about rationally until I’d had some
rest.

As I dropped my clothes into the
hamper in the hallway and walked naked to the bathroom, I started to think
about how awkward it would be to live with Mr. Thorne. With Daniel. We were
basically strangers. Despite our charade, it wasn’t like I was about to walk
around naked in front of him. I’d been living by myself for so long that I was
used to being in a certain amount of privacy when I was home. Being around
someone all the time would definitely take some adjusting-to.

Of course, I’d still be alone
during the day, when he was at work. That was another thing I hadn’t really
considered. What would it be like, living a life where I wasn’t obligated to go
anywhere or do anything? Aside from the fancy dinners and restaurants I assumed
I’d be expected to attend on Daniel’s arm, I’d have all the free time in the
world. What on earth was I going to do?

I kept forgetting that money was
no object. As I sank into the steaming water, I remembered that I could go back
and take those figure drawing classes I’d always wanted to do, but never found
the time for. Hell, I could take private lessons. I could drop all this
commercial crap and only create the kind of art that would make somebody’s soul
sing…

I had to stop and laugh at
myself. I was getting way, way ahead of things. I still had to adjust to the idea
of being someone’s wife, even if it was only temporary.

From what little I knew of
Daniel, I was sure he had the whole thing planned out. He knew already what our
first kiss would be like, where he’d spontaneously propose, and when we’d
impulsively run over to Vegas or the judge’s offices to get married, or
whatever. He was already planning the first time he’d put his hand on my lower
back, signaling to the whole world that I belonged to him. And I couldn’t quite
decide if I hated that idea, or loved it - maybe a little more than I should.

Even in the hot water, I
shivered.

I wasn’t about to question the
business plans of such a successful man, but I had to wonder how believable our
relationship would appear to be. I wasn’t exactly the sort of glamorous
supermodel type that the richest of the rich tended to marry. He’d made it
pretty clear that he wasn’t expecting me to act a certain way, but how would I
be expected to dress? I’d never seen Daniel in anything but a suit; then again,
I’d never seen him outside of work.

The full absurdity of my
situation hit me then, and for a moment I felt lightheaded with panic. Then I
remembered that I hadn’t actually signed anything yet, and I calmed down
slightly. Just slightly. There still a part of my brain that knew I wasn’t
going to go back on my word. I wouldn’t be able to handle the disappointment on
his face.

*

Sure enough, the town car was
there at seven a.m. sharp. I’d been waiting out on the curb, not wanting to be
rude and make the driver wait. He seemed surprised when he saw me.

“Good morning,” he
said. “I would have called up for you, there’s no need to wait.”

“Oh, sorry.” Of course.
A couple days into this fake relationship, and I was already bungling things.
“I’m not really familiar with…this whole thing.”

“No, no, it’s all
right,” he insisted. “I just thought you should know, for
tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I looked up
at his face reflected in the rearview. “I only asked for a ride
today.” But come to think of it, I hadn’t considered how I’d get to work
for the rest of the week.

“Mr. Thorne said you would
require my services at least until Friday,” he replied. “Is that not
right?”

“Oh, no, that’s…that’s
fine.”

I stared out the window as he
pulled away. Daniel was already making an effort to anticipate my needs. It was
rather sweet of him, although I could see the potential for it to get pretty
creepy and controlling. Then again, the contract pretty much spelled out that
he wasn’t allowed to dictate most parts of my life…I chuckled a little,
wishing I’d signed a contract at the beginning of my relationship with all my
boyfriends. Probably would have eliminated the worst ones right off the bat.

I stopped by my desk briefly when
I got into work, to drop off my coat and purse before I headed to Daniel’s
office. Florence, my cubicle mate, was already there.

“Where are you off to so
early?” she asked, seeing me puttering around with no obvious intention of
settling in.

“Oh, I have to see Mr.
Thorne,” I replied, trying to keep my face neutral. I’d probably look like
I was hiding something, but that would fit in nicely with the fictional
progression of our relationship.

“You’ve been spending a lot
of time in his office lately,” Florence observed, her eyes glued on her
computer screen. “I swear to God, if GreatReads doesn’t stop sending me
these notification emails…how many times do I have to turn them off?”

“See you,” I called
over my shoulder as I hurried off, convincingly playing the part of a woman
who’s embarrassed to be carrying on with her boss. It wasn’t too much of a
stretch.

Daniel was smiling when I walked
into his office. Well, that was a first.

His lawyer was in the corner,
looking put-upon as usual. There was no doubt in my mind that he objected to
every part of this plan - but he was objecting all the way to the bank, it
seemed. I knew how he felt.

“Good morning, Maddy.
Please, have a seat.” He gestured to a chair that was facing his desk.
There was a rather nice fountain pen sitting conspicuously on the polished
wood, waiting for me. I sat down and picked it up. It could have been a fifty
dollar pen or a five thousand dollar pen - what was the difference, really? -
but considering its owner, I had a pretty good idea which one was more likely.

“You like it?” Daniel
wanted to know, noticing me studying the pen. I looked up, startled.

“Uh, yeah,” I said.
“I…yeah, I do.” Really, I had been focusing on absolutely anything
except the reality of what I was about to do, but sure, the pen was nice.

“Keep it,” he said.
“It’s yours.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t. I’ll
lose it.”

“What’s mine is yours,
Maddy. You’d better get used to that idea.”

I swallowed with difficulty. I
felt like my throat was closing up, but I forced myself to take a deep breath
as he pushed a series of papers towards me and pointed to the spots where I was
meant to sign. He signed after me, with an elegant flourish, and then handed
the whole thing over to his lawyer.

“Thank you,” he said,
reaching across the desk to shake my hand. Which seemed like an odd gesture,
considering the intimacy of our arrangement, but I took it. “You won’t
regret your decision, I promise.”

“You can’t possibly promise
that,” I replied, smiling. “But you’re welcome.”

I was useless for the rest of the
day, flitting from project to project and accomplishing nothing. I could tell
that Florence noticed, but she managed to restrain herself from commenting on
it until after lunch.

“What’s up with you? You
look like you’re a million miles away.”

“I’m fine,” I replied
quickly. Too quickly. My ears were burning. Good. “Just feeling a little
under the weather today, I guess.”

“Sure,” said Florence.
She wasn’t convinced, which was fine by me. I tried to imagine her knowing
smile when the news “got out.” Ugh. Somehow, it hadn’t occurred to me
until now that I was going to have to endure inane congratulations from
everyone in the office - about half of which, I knew, would be coming through
gritted teeth. Every woman in the company carried at least a little torch for
Daniel, if only because of his bank account. Oh God, what if they wanted to throw
me an engagement party? I didn’t think I could handle hours of their eyes
staring into me like daggers, and their faces contorting into forced smiles
every time I looked at them. There was so much about this arrangement that I
hadn’t even considered. How was I going to tell my parents? Was I going to tell
my parents?

I sighed. My relationship with my
parents was complicated. I preferred not to think about it too much, but this
situation was forcing me to consider things I’d been ignoring for a long time.
Like - who was I going to invite to the wedding? Or would we just have a small
ceremony at City Hall? He probably wanted to get things over with as quickly as
possible. Which was fine with me, as long as he provided the witnesses. Aside
from my casual acquaintances at work, I hadn’t really made any friends since
I’d moved here. All of my close friends from college and high school were off
living their own lives, and aside from the occasional online chat, I never
spoke to them anymore.