Marriage in Name Only? by Anne Oliver Read Free Book Online Page B

Despicable.’ She cast her mind back to a time not so long ago. A time she’d rather forget but one she needed to remember, particularly given tonight’s circumstances and the mission in front of her if she chose to accept. ‘A friend’s family died in tragic circumstances while she was overseas and it made me think about how long I’vebeen gone … I had some money saved up but I wanted to be able to have enough to show them I’d been successful …’
    He watched her without speaking, and neither did she as the mains arrived and the waiter refilled their glasses.
    ‘Why?’ he asked when they were alone again.
    ‘My family judges success by how many letters you have after your name and your well-paid
professional
career. I judge success by happiness and how you live your life. It’s never been about money for me.’
    ‘And they just didn’t get you.’
    But he did, she thought, relieved. ‘No. Maybe I was homesick after what happened with Ellen’s family and I just wanted to be the person they want me to be for once.’
    He drank some champagne, then said, ‘Back to Mr Despicable …’
    She forked up some of the flaked salmon. ‘You heard my story yesterday.’ She’d been so stupid, so naive. ‘“Prince” Markos turned out to be an evil sorcerer. The princess needed money and he was an acquaintance.
    ‘He offered her an investment that promised a quick return. He tricked the princess into parting with what little cash she had, then disappeared. I had barely enough to get me home, let alone a job or accommodation …’
Trust me, Chloe
.
    ‘And you haven’t told your family you’re back yet.’
    She shook her head.
This
man, however—rather, his
offer
—would change her life. Her boss trusted him so she was prepared to take the risk. The only way from here was up, right?
    Chloe pushed her half-finished plate to one side, reached for the documents and slid them in front of her. The terms were mostly straightforward. She looked up, met his eyes. ‘This clause here …’
    ‘… is saying I won’t force myself on you. And the consequences if I did.’
    He leaned in so that all she could see were his eyes. No bedroom heat in those brilliant blues right now but they were clear and honest and reassuring.
    ‘What we have is a business arrangement,’ he reiterated quietly. ‘We’ll need to share a room and act like newlyweds up to a point, bearing in mind that in Dubai public displays of affection are unacceptable. But trust me, Chloe Montgomery, winning this contract is worth more to me than—’
    Sex
. ‘You don’t need to spell it out, Mr Blackstone. I understand clearly.’
And a golden fortune in compensation if he breaks it
.
    So why did his matter-of-fact reassurance that she wasn’t at the top of his ‘to-do’ list somehow disappoint her? ‘For the record, if we were to …’ She trailed off, flustered as heat bled into her cheeks.
    His eyes darkened. ‘Take things further?’ The way he said it, all smooth and chocolaty. After-dinner delights …
    ‘Forget it.’ Chloe pushed the words out before he could respond, digging into her bag and pulling out a pen. Did she sound desperate and dateless or what? She scribbled her signature on both copies, pushed them back to him without looking at him.
    Of course
abstinence would be the wisest decision, she told herself, studying her hands on the tablecloth. She wasn’t a woman who shied away from a man she found attractive, but getting involved on an intimate level with a man she was entering into a business partnership with was fraught with all kinds of danger. Even if that partnership was a faked marriage.
    Especially
if it was a faked marriage …
    Jordan signed too, then tapped into his smartphone. ‘Do you have your bank details handy?’

CHAPTER FIVE
    W HILE HE STIRRED the froth on his coffee, Jordan watched the girl who’d agreed to help for any sign of how she was feeling. No visible emotion. She was scrolling through her phone