The Twelve-Month Marriage Deal by Margaret Mayo Read Free Book Online

wedding,’ he said with a complete and surprising change of subject. ‘I don’t want to take any risks. I want everything to be perfect.’
    Elena shook her head dismissively. ‘Don’t waste your money. I’ll do it. It will give me something to do, otherwise goodness knows how I’ll occupy my time.’
    ‘It’s going to be a big wedding.’ Vidal’s eyes were sceptical as he looked at Elena. ‘I doubt you’d be up to it.’
    ‘Not up to it?’ she snapped, her eyes flashing hotly, hating his very low opinion of her. ‘It’s what I do for a living.’ If he’d taken an interest instead of using her asa free ride towards his dream of acquiring their bank then he would have known.
    ‘You’re a wedding planner?’ he enquired, a frown now dragging his brows together, looking at her closely as if seeing her for the first time.
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘You work for a wedding-planning company?’ Stupid question, of course she must, hadn’t she just told him? Heavens, why had he never bothered to ask what she’d been doing in America? Why had he made a fool of himself by only just finding out? What was wrong with him?
    He guessed it was because their marriage was a means to an end. There was no love or romance involved. It was a business proposition. A twelve-month contract. In normal, everyday business dealings he didn’t know all the personal details of everyone he dealt with. Wasn’t it the same thing?
    Somewhere inside him he began to feel uncomfortable. And he didn’t like it, not one little bit.
    Elena tilted her chin, her eyes steady on his. ‘I own the company.’
    And now he felt worse. If she had said that she was a man dressed as a woman she couldn’t have shocked him more. His mind reeled. ‘And you’ve left your business in order to help out your parents?’
    ‘That’s about the sum of it,’ she answered coolly. ‘But of course none of that bothered you, did it?’
    He chose to ignore her question. ‘I take it that you don’t have a very big order book?’ If she could afford to take a year off it didn’t say very much for her company.
    ‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’ she snapped.‘That I’m not doing very well? On the contrary.’ Her eyes flashed defensively. ‘I’m doing very well for myself, thank you.’
    ‘I see.’
    That was all he said. She must have stunned him by her admission. For the first time since agreeing to marry him Elena felt good inside. ‘And fortuitously I happen to have a very capable assistant who is looking after things for me while I’m—away. Things might have been very different if I didn’t have Kate to depend on. I know you think that all I am interested in is a good time, but on the contrary, Vidal, I work very hard. And I’m not happy about having to walk away from it for twelve whole months.’
    ‘So tell me about LA,’ he said, his silver eyes level on hers. ‘It’s not somewhere I’ve ever visited.’
    ‘Then you should,’ she retorted. ‘It’s a vibrant, cosmopolitan city and actually Spanish is well spoken there. You can shop till you drop, there’s a fabulous nightlife, and the people are extremely friendly. My clientele includes film stars and business people such as yourself.’
    ‘So you shop on Rodeo Drive, is that it? You mix with the rich and famous. I’m impressed.’
    The words were easily spoken, but he didn’t look impressed. In fact, he looked anything but and Elena wished that she were anywhere but here in this car with him having this conversation.
    ‘I never realised that you were such a high flier. No one told me, not even your sister.’
    ‘That’s because you’ve shown not the least bit of interest in what I do—what I did,’ she corrected quickly.‘I don’t even believe that you feel sorry for my parents, I still think your main aim is to get your hands on their bank.’
    In the long silence that followed Vidal shot her a look that almost sliced the floor from beneath her feet. ‘If