Janette Kenny - Out of Hours...Boardroom Seductions

It was a cool night for early August. It never got especially cool as far inland as Natalie lived. But at the beach it might even be sweater weather. Her mother pulled one on before she got into her car, then turned to give Natalie a kiss.

“Thank you so much for dinner. And for taking care of Herbie—and Christo—while I was gone.”

Natalie smiled. “Glad to do it.”

“Hope they weren’t too much trouble.”

Natalie shook her head. “No trouble at all.”

Not the cat, anyway. Memories of the man were destroying her peace of mind. But Laura would never ever know that. She would simply believe that Christo had needed help and Natalie had stepped into the breach.

When her mother left, Natalie went back inside and wished she had the table to clear and the dishes to do.

But Laura had insisted on helping her with them. So the kitchen was now spic and span, and Natalie had yet another empty evening stretching in front of her.

If she sat down to read, her mind wandered in directions she didn’t want. And if she watched television, it was even worse. She caught up on all her paperwork from Rent-a-Wife, but it took her no time at all to fill out the online schedule for the rest of the week. She made all the phone calls to confirm tomorrow’s assignments, and even rang Sophy to make sure she’d covered everything.

“You need counseling,” Sophy told her severely. “Or a ticket to the far ends of the earth.”

Natalie didn’t reply to that, though there were times the far ends of the earth seemed damned appealing. She just said good-night and hung up, then glanced at her watch, wishing it were later, wishing she were more tired, wishing she would stop having every other thought be about Christo Savas.

The quick sharp rap on her front door came as a welcome surprise.

She didn’t know many of her neighbors, but occasionally one appeared needing to borrow sugar or an apple or a blender.

Now she opened the door, eager for the distraction—and stared.

It was Christo.

THE mere sight of him caused her heart to leap, proving that for all that she might have been telling herself that things were getting better and that she was getting over him, the truth was, she wasn’t over him in the least.

“Christo?” She gripped the door so hard her fingers hurt.

“I need to talk to you.” He didn’t smile. He looked, in fact, positively grim.

She didn’t want to let him in. It would only be harder when he left again. But she was supposed not to care, she reminded herself. So she stepped back and opened the door wider. “Come in. Sit down.”

He came in. He didn’t sit down. He cracked his knuckles, paced a bit.

Natalie didn’t say anything. He’d sit down if he wanted. He jammed his hands in his pockets and faced her.

“I have a favor to ask. A business proposition, I guess you’d say.”

Whatever she’d been expecting, it wasn’t that. “Business?”

“Rent-a-Wife,” he said. “That’s what you do, right? Only I don’t need a wife. I need…a fiancée.” He met her gaze squarely. “You.”

Natalie gaped at him. “I don’t think so,” she managed before he cut her off.

“Hear me out. My father’s getting married.” He started to pace a bit again. “To make my grandmother happy.”

“What?”

“My grandmother is ill. Dying.” He seemed to force the word past his lips, and Natalie could see how shaken he looked as he said it. “She didn’t tell me. He did.” He sounded angry now. “Called me yesterday and dropped the whole thing on me. Her…illness. His wedding.” He raked fingers through his hair. “It’s to make her happy.”

“His wedding? I’m not sure weddings are supposed to make other people happy,” she ventured. “Except coincidentally, perhaps.”

“Well, it’ll make my grandmother happy. She thinks he needs to settle down. So he is.” Christo shook his head. “And I have to be there. I’m the ‘best man,’” he added, his tone twisting the words derisively.

She could see how much the prospect thrilled him. It was a mockery of everything he professed to believe. But then so was his “business proposal.”

“What’s the fiancée thing got to do with it?” Natalie asked.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Because she wants the same thing for me. Settling down. Marriage.” He looked positively hunted. “And if I don’t show up with someone in line for exactly that, she’ll feel like she has to throw every damn eligible woman in Brazil at me!”

“Let her,” Natalie suggested.

“No. She’ll want it too much…” His words trailed off, but Natalie thought she understood the implications.

“And you’re afraid you’ll marry someone to make her happy.”

He didn’t answer, but she had an inkling of how devoted he was to his grandmother. And if his father was marrying to please her, it wasn’t impossible to imagine Christo doing the same.

“If you come with me, I won’t have to,” he said now. As if it were up to her to prevent the disaster of matrimony.

“No,” Natalie said. “It would be wrong.”

“It isn’t wrong, damn it!” he countered, eyes blazing. “It’s not wrong to want her to have peace of mind.”

“It would be a lie.”

“We don’t have to lie.”

“You said you wanted to hire me to be your fiancée! That’s a lie.”

“Fine. I’ll propose. You say yes. And we can call it off when we get back!”

She stared at him, dumbstruck.

He raked a hand through his hair. “Look, it’s not a big deal. Just an…arrangement.” He took a breath. “We won’t lie, then. I’ll just bring you along. It will speak for itself.” His gaze entreated her.

Natalie hesitated.

“I won’t touch you again if that’s what you’re worried about.” His voice was harsh and he jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

Then she did stare. “What?”

“I’m not expecting you to sleep with me. This is not that kind of trip.”

“Don’t get any ideas, you mean?” Natalie raised a brow.

He shrugged. “You don’t have any, do you? Of course you don’t. You proved it. That’s why I can ask you.”

Hoist on her own petard.

“For a week, Nat. That’s all. I’ll pay you.”

Her jaw snapped shut. “You will not pay me!”

“Well, it’s business. But, fine. I won’t. I just…please. You’ll make an old—”

“If you say, I’ll make an old woman happy, I’ll stuff a sock down your throat!”

A corner of his mouth twitched. But he shrugged. “Okay, I won’t say it. How about, you’ll make me happy?”

“Oh, and I desperately want to make you happy, don’t I?” she retorted sarcastically.

He didn’t answer, just waited her out. And there wasn’t enough time in the world for her to muster enough common sense and self-preservation to say no.

She drew a sharp breath, knowing herself to be a fool. Nothing had changed after all. “Fine,” she muttered. “I’ll do it. But only because Sophy keeps telling me to take a vacation.”

“We leave on Tuesday.” Christo grinned, triumphant. But in his eyes Natalie could still see the haunted, worried look beneath it.

He gave her a ring.

They were standing at the airport, waiting to board the plane and all of a sudden he fished in his pocket and took out a small black velvet box.

Natalie stared at it as if it were a rattler about to strike. “What’s that?” she demanded, sure it was exactly what she hoped it was not.

Christo flipped open the box. It was. A perfect diamond solitaire. Very spare and elegant. Not a rock, but not minuscule either. Exactly the sort of ring Christo would give a woman he was going to marry—if Christo were going to marry anyone. Which he wasn’t.