Abigail Strom - The Millionaire's Wish

“That’s not what offends me. It’s your obvious belief that everything—and everyone—should just fall in your lap.”

He leaned forward again. “I don’t think that. I’ve never thought that. Believe me, I could give you a long list of things I’ve wanted in my life that I didn’t get.”

She frowned at him. “You ooze confidence. It practically … drips off you.”

He shook his head. “I’m not going to apologize for being confident. I am confident. But not because I have money, in spite of what you obviously believe. I’m confident because I believe in myself. Don’t you believe in yourself?”

Of course she did. As far as work went, anyway. As for personal stuff …

Irrelevant, Allison decided. She shrugged impatiently. “I suppose. Anyway, we got off track with the—”

“You got off track, as I recall. With your prejudice against the wealthy.”

“I’m not prejudiced.”

“What I don’t get is how you can run a charitable foundation. Aren’t rich people kind of your bread and butter? How do you manage to hide the fact that you despise them when you’re asking for donations?”

She flushed. “That’s a terrible thing to say. For one thing, it’s not only the wealthy who contribute to charities. And for another, I don’t hate rich people. I’m incredibly grateful to anyone who donates their money—or their time—to the Star Foundation. Especially when they do it because they want to, and not because they expect something in return.”

His jaw tightened. “Unlike me, right? Is that what you wanted to hear? Yes, I’m selfish. No, I don’t give without expecting something back. I’m sorry I don’t meet your high standards for human behavior, or fit into your perfect little world where everyone acts like a saint. But here’s a reality flash for you.”

He stabbed a forefinger on the table in front of her. “Charities all over the country are struggling right now, and yours is no exception. You can keep on looking down your nose at me, and let your foundation suffer—or you can admit you need my money and take it. How many of the families you pretend to care so much about will be hurt if you turn me down?”

He leaned back again. “Sounds pretty damn selfish to me.”

She was so mad her hands were shaking. But the worst part was, she knew he was right.

If she turned down his donation, she’d have to cut programs and services. The reality of that stared her in the face.

Looking across the table at him, seeing the coldness that had come into his expression, Allison felt a sudden wave of recklessness.

Why shouldn’t she accept his offer? They’d go out to a few overpriced restaurants and have a few stilted conversations. Why had the idea of that made her feel so nervous, so awkward and unsure of herself? Right now, she didn’t feel awkward at all. The anger flowing in her veins made her feel like she could do anything.

So yes, she’d take his money. With a donation this big, she might be able to add some services this year. Expand her existing programs. Reach more families.

And she’d get something else from him, too.

“I’ll do it.”

He blinked at her in surprise. “What?”

“I accept your proposal.”

“You do?”

“On one condition.” She leaned forward, schooling her features into what she hoped was an implacable expression. “You’ll visit Julie in the hospital this Saturday.”

To drop her eyes at this point would be a sign of weakness, so she held his gaze as his eyes narrowed and his dark brows slanted together.

After a minute he started to drum the fingers of one hand against the table. When he realized what he was doing he curled that hand into a fist.

“What if I say no?”

She shrugged. “You’ll have to find another woman of character who’s not attracted to you. It won’t be that hard. From where I sit, those two qualities seem to go together naturally.”

Another minute of silence. Then his fisted hand relaxed, and he leaned back in his chair.

“I should have realized you were capable of driving a hard bargain. You don’t give up easily, do you?”

“The families I work with don’t give up. I hold myself to the same standard.” She took a quick breath. “So do we have a deal, or not?”

His eyes didn’t leave hers. “We have a deal,” he said.

A deal.

Half a million dollars for the foundation, and Julie’s wish granted.

And a date with one of People magazine’s Most Eligible Bachelors. Several dates, actually. A few months worth of dates.

She felt a little dizzy. “Okay, then.” She took another breath. “I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than sit here with me all night.” She took out her wallet and tucked his check carefully inside. Her hands shook a little. “When can I deposit this?” she asked. “Do you want me to wait until after I’ve honored my side of the bargain?”

He shook his head. “No, I trust you. You’re a woman of character, remember?”

He was actually smiling a little, and she smiled back reluctantly. “I’ll let Julie know you’ll be coming by on Saturday.”

If he’d been anyone but a powerful CEO, she would have said a look of panic came into his eyes. “I assumed you’d be there, too. Won’t you be there?”

He was probably one of those single men who weren’t comfortable around kids. Was that the reason he’d been so reluctant to do this?

She sighed. “I can be there if you want. Two o’clock, at the hospital?”

Some of the tension went out of his expression. “Yes, fine. And we’ll go to dinner that night.”

It was Allison’s turn to feel a pang of anxiety.

“Now, can I drop you somewhere?”

He rose to his feet and offered her a hand. Allison extended her own, a little hesitantly, and it was enveloped in a strong, warm grip as he helped her up. She took a step back as she pulled her hand away, tingles radiating from her palm and blood rushing to her cheeks.

“I’m all set. But thanks.”

He was just a foot or so away. She had to tilt her head back to look at him.

She backed away another step. “Well … good night.”

Her heart racing, she turned away, moving quickly through the crowd to get to the door. She pushed it open and stood outside for a moment, taking in a big gulp of cool evening air.

She’d made a deal with Rick Hunter. A straightforward business arrangement, as he called it.

Sure it was straightforward—to him. As for her … well, straightforward wasn’t the word she’d use to describe her mental state at the moment.

She took another breath. This was for her foundation. She needed to think about the families she could help with Rick’s money—not Rick himself, with his black hair and intense green eyes and well-muscled body.

She wouldn’t think about his coldness, either … or the few times something else had broken through, just for a moment.

He thought she wasn’t attracted to him.

She prayed he’d still believe that when their deal expired. Because she didn’t like him, and she didn’t want to be attracted to him.

And she definitely didn’t want him to know that she was.

Rick had convinced himself it wouldn’t be so bad. An hour, maybe two at the most.

But right now, staring up at the marble facade of James Memorial Hospital, he couldn’t make his feet take the steps that would lead him inside that building.

“Rick?”

He turned, and Allison was there beside him.

She looked like a breath of fresh air in a long-sleeved cotton blouse, pale yellow with lavender stripes. Faded jeans showed off her slender legs. Her silky short hair was the perfect frame for her face, with her wide cheekbones and pointed chin and serious blue eyes. In the April sunlight, strands of gold made the chestnut brown shimmer. He wondered why he’d always preferred long hair on women.