The Mischievous Mrs. Maxfield by Ninya Tippett Read Free Book Online

out cold with," I muttered under my breath which made him narrow his eyes.
     
    I grinned sweetly, batting my lashes at him at the reminder of our mutual attempt to be civil to each other. "Oh, yes, please. Buy me a Harry Winston large enough to be seen from space. Do you think they'll throw in a body guard with that? I might need it if I'm taking the bus to work everyday."
     
    "I'll have a driver and car assigned to you," Brandon said. "I don't want you roaming the streets unprotected."
     
    I gave him a moony expression. "Aw, darling. It warms my heart to know that you're so protective of me."
     
    He rolled his eyes and pulled out a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and left it on the table. Lucky, Becca.
     
    "I'm protective of all of my investments. You're currently my most vulnerable, not to mention most volatile one," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes.
     
    "How romantic," I grumbled, pouting. "Fine. I'll take the car and the driver and the ring and the clothes. Anything else?"
     
    He smiled as if enjoying my apparent dislike for agreeing with him. "Nothing that I can think of at the moment so we can go shopping. Ready?"
     
    He got up and offered me his hand.
     
    "As ready as I will ever get," I said as I took his hand, fighting the instant urge to run my fingers along his warm skin.  "Lead the way, Mr. Maxfield. Show me what the fuss is all about."
     
    "Brandon," he said as we walked together toward the door, the hand he offered me earlier now pressed lightly on the small of my back. "If you and I are going to get married, we should probably call each other by our first names."
     
    I swallowed hard at the possessive way his strong, muscular arm slipped around me as we passed a couple of familiar male customers who waved hi and winked at me. "Yes, Brandon."
     
    "Better," he said with a faint smile, glancing down at me.
     
    "My name's Charlotte," I said as we stepped out on the sidewalk. "Some people call me either Char or Lottie."
     
    He shook his head. "Neither of those names sound particularly appealing. Charlotte suits you better."
     
    I wasn't sure why I suddenly felt shy and I silently cursed myself for it. "Uh, thanks."
     
    "Come on, Charlotte. Car's this way," Brandon said as he took my hand and led me down the block. 
     
    As I looked down at our linked hands, I wondered if it was because he didn't want to lose me or because I was his possession that cost a million dollars. 
     
    Suddenly it dawned on me that I had more to lose in this than just the money. That made me truly afraid of this crazy arrangement for the first time since Brandon suggested it.

Chapter Four: The Fake First Kiss
    "You need shoes."
    We just got to his snazzy, shiny dark blue sports car that was probably more than double the value of my house. He'd held the door open for me but stopped me with a light hand on my shoulder as I was about to get in.
    I looked up at Brandon. "Excuse me?"
    He sighed and glanced down at my feet. "We're going to one of the most exclusive jewelry stores in the country and you're wearing flip-flops. How will they know you can afford it?"
    I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him a wry look. "They won't because I can't afford it. You're the one itching to marry me. You buy it."
    "I am buying it," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "I was hoping you'd at least look like a woman who deserves it."
    "Ah, we come to the crux of the matter," I scoffed. "I don't look like the kind of woman a man of your wealth and stature could possibly ever get engaged to. Let me point out two things. One, I really am not the kind of woman a man like you would marry—my brain is slightly bigger than my boobs which is not your preferred ratio. Two, what a shallow conclusion to arrive at simply because one is wearing flip-flops."
    "It's not shallow—it's etiquette—something that isn't lost in polite society yet," he shot back, stepping away from the car door and making a shooing gesture with his hand as