The Rulers (Heartless Kingdom #0.5)

by K. I. Lynn

  “What is this all about, Mr. de Loughrey?” I accentuated his name. As far as I was aware, nobody at the restaurant knew who he was, other than an investor.

  “Good morning, Miss Evans,” he greeted, mimicking my use of his last name. “I trust you had no issues downstairs?”

  “None,” I said. “A little surprised, especially with all that we’ve been through.”

  “You didn’t need my last name to enjoy my cock, if I remember.”

  I folded my arms over my chest, ignoring his gesture to the chairs in front of him. I wanted to get to the point of what this was all about.

  “Is that why I’m here? My birthday is coming up, though this year I think I’ll pass on your cock.”

  The grin that spread over his face made me shiver. “You’re making me want to change your mind on that, but giving you multiple mind-blowing orgasms is not the reason I’ve brought you here today. I have a business proposition for you.”

  Business? “I’m not sure I’m inclined to listen to it.”

  “It involves an eight-figure payout.”

  I froze, my gaze stuck to the left of him, on the New York City skyline beyond that large floor-to-ceiling window.

  Eight figures? For that amount of money, I could completely change my life. Get out of this hellhole of a city, away from my family, and start over. The problem was, who did he want me to kill for that amount?

  Slowly I turned to meet his steely gaze that was pinned on me. “If it involves anything sexual, you can forget about it.”

  “What it involves would only be sexual if you want it to.” His gaze roamed down my body, then back up, his lip twitching up. “I would not be opposed at all.”

  I narrowed my gaze. Yep, back to killing people. That was what people paid that kind of money for, right? Sex and death?

  “What do you want then?”

  “Sit.” He gestured again to one of the button-back leather chairs that sat opposite his large executive desk. With a sigh, I sat, crossing my arms in front of me.

  “Before we begin, I need you to sign this.” He slid a piece of paper and a pen my way.

  “What is it?”

  “A non-disclosure agreement. You will never speak to anyone about what we talk about today.”

  My stomach clenched again. He was getting legal about a conversation? Our eyes were locked for a moment, neither moving before I leaned forward. My eyes scanned the page and found nothing amiss but a standard NDA.

  With a quick swipe of a pen, my lips were sealed.

  Once completed, he took a photo with his phone before turning his attention back to me. “I’m in need of a proxy.”

  “What is that?”

  He twirled his hand in the air. “A stand-in, or in regard to this matter, a temporary.”

  “For what?”

  “The future Mrs. de Loughrey.”

  I shook my head. “You’re not making any sense.”

  “And I quite possibly won’t until you agree. Right now, all you need to understand is that in exchange for five years of your life, I will give you ten million dollars. Plus clothes and food and all the necessities, of course. The ten million is your flat fee.”

  Ten million? “Dollars?”

  “Yes, dollars.”

  “What do I have to do?”

  “Marry me and bear me a child.”

  I blinked at him, trying to process what the hell was going on. Was I being punked? Was this a rich asshole practical joke? Was there some bet for a dollar between him and his brother to see if I’d fall for such an insane idea?

  “You want to marry me?” It was the most screwed-up proposal I’d ever imagined and would forever go down in history as the first marriage proposal I received. I wasn’t even going to touch the “bear me a child” part yet.

  “Yes.”

  A laugh sprung from me, but his serious expression brought me to a halt. “You’re joking, right?”

  “I don’t joke.”

  Fuck. He was serious.

  I rolled over the basics again in my head—five years, ten million dollars, one child. Too good to be true, especially with his looks and status. What did he need some broke girl from Brooklyn for?

  “What’s the catch?”

  “There are a few, but they aren’t what you are thinking. We will be married in January, and hopefully, a year later, you will birth my first heir. If a second one happens in the timeframe, all the better. Once the five years are over, you are free to do whatever you like.”

  I blinked at him in complete confusion. None of it made sense. He had money, lots of it—tons—and because of that, coupled with his good looks, and he could have any woman he desired, so I was back to why me?

  No, there was something weird going on.

  “And why do you think I’d even contemplate agreeing to this insane idea? Buying me to be your wife?”

  “Because I’m offering you a life you could only dream of and a payout that will possibly ensure you never have to work again.”

  “This is a heavy proposal,” I said as it began to sink in.

  “The fact that you are still sitting in front of me gives me hope you are entertaining the idea of becoming my wife. I will stress, this is a one-time-only offer. You will, of course, have some time to think it over, but after that, if you decide to decline, then later change your mind, it’s off the table.”

  “How much time?”

  “I’ll see you back here at the same time tomorrow.”

  I stood, my mind whirling. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  “Before you go,” he said, stopping me from walking away. “I will remind you to remain silent on this matter. Speak to no one about what we have discussed.”

  I nodded and swallowed. As if anyone would believe me anyway. The idea was ludicrous. So out there, even I was having difficulty believing it was real.

  I also would never tell anyone because I knew the de Loughreys had the backing to sue me for all the money I would ever make in this life and the next if I broke the agreement. You didn’t cross them, or you paid the price—and it wasn’t always money.

  A leather binder was placed in front of me, one of those legal ones that opened at the top, and pressed into the tightly bound hide was the de Loughrey logo.

  “This is the preliminary contract. Look it over, and we can discuss any issues in the morning.”

  I numbly nodded, suddenly having a strange out-of-body experience as the weight of reality pressed down upon me. After slipping the document in my bag, I turned to leave.

  “Nine sharp,” he said as I gripped the door handle. I turned to look back at him, our gazes locked as I exited.

  Autopilot drove me to the train station, and I stared blankly in front of me. On the one hand, I should have been insulted. On the other hand—ten million dollars.

  Could I stand five years with him? He was a busy man, so technically, I wouldn’t see him much, right?

  Selling myself as a fake wife. Could I do it, pretend to be something I wasn’t, act like a doting wife to a man like Atticus de Loughrey? Be a de Loughrey?

  Those were the thoughts that had my heart slamming in my chest.

  Atticus represented everything that was wrong with the world. Greed and privilege, patriarchy and the belief that women are nothing but holes to fuck. And I hated that, but not as much as I hated myself for wanting a taste of him again.

  It would be a life most only dreamed about, but was it something I wanted? More than that, was it something I could even do?

  Could I really kneel before the king?

  Continue reading here

  K.I. Lynn is the USA Today Bestselling Author from The Bend Anthology and the Amazon Bestsellers, Breach and Becoming Mrs Lockwood. She spent her life in the arts, everything from music to painting and ceramics, then to writing. Characters have always run around in her head, acting out their stories, but it wasn’t until later in life she would put them to pen. It would turn out to be the one thing she was reall
y passionate about.

  Since she began posting stories online, she’s garnered acclaim for her diverse stories and hard hitting writing style. Two stories and characters are never the same, her brain moving through different ideas faster than she can write them down as it also plots its quest for world domination…or cheese. Whichever is easier to obtain… Usually it’s cheese.

  Website—www.kilynnauthor.com

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