Breakfast was laid out in the dining room as it had been every morning for her father. Lily made herself a cup of coffee and hoped the caffeine would jumpstart her brain. To talk Jake into letting her work at Tolliver-Harris, she’d need to have her wits about her.
Jake entered the room, the warm scent of his cologne reaching out to her when he came to fix his own coffee. “I’m glad you’re awake. I wanted to see you before I went back into town.” His dark eyes surveyed her from head to toe, his lips quirking in a grin of approval that made her want to shiver. “I’ll issue an announcement today about retaining ownership of the business, and then everything should die down.”
“So I can come and go as I need to?”
“I think you should stay in until you are stronger. You’ve been wearing yourself out taking care of your father. If there’s anything you need, I am sure Emmaline will be happy to get it for you.”
“And you accuse my father of being overprotective.” Lily shook her head. She needed to put some boundaries in place before he truly did take over her life completely. “Classes started last week, so I need to get back to school. Plus, I need to find a job.”
“I’ll take care of whatever you need. I’ll have a card issued for your expenses.”
Her temperature rose. “I don’t think so. I’m not interested in being a kept woman. Besides, I have tuition to pay.”
“I can—”
Lily held up a hand to stop him. “I won’t take your money.”
“You’re being ridiculous. Why should you struggle when I can afford to provide for you? You’re making things so much more difficult than they need to be.”
“You seem to have something wrong with your hearing. I will not take your money. I don’t want to be any more indebted to you than I already am. If we can’t agree on that, I need to leave.” She set down her mug with a thud. It wasn’t a bluff. Pride was all she had left.
She wanted to go, but that would accomplish nothing. She still hadn’t told him about her plan, and if she left now, she’d just have to make something to eat later. She grabbed a banana from the table and peeled it. As she put it in her mouth, she wondered if she should be eating something so blatantly phallic with Jake in the room. But then, maybe it would unsettle him the way he unnerved her.
“Are you sure you want to go back to the university?” Jake stared at her, his expression unreadable.
Lily swallowed. “Positive. I’m nearly finished with my master’s, and then I can teach while I work on my doctorate.” She’d have her degree already if she’d applied herself. Only three classes and a completed thesis stood in her way. She hoped to manage them all this term.
Jake merely nodded. “Then why are you looking for a job? I worked while I was in school because I had to. You don’t. It’s harder than you think.”
“I’m not afraid of hard work.”
“You don’t even know what it is.” He gestured to the ornately decorated dining room. “You live in this privileged world or in your books. What is it you think you can do for work? I’ve warned you about asking people for favors.”
“Maybe I should ask you then.” She pressed her hands against her legs to keep them from shaking. If he said no, she’d have to rethink everything, including school. “Surely there’s something I can do at Tolliver-Harris to keep me out of harm’s way?”
“Like what? It’s an architecture firm, not a book club.”
“You know, in order for you to get where you are, someone had to give you a chance. That’s all I am asking for. If I can’t make myself useful, then—”
“Then you’ll marry me and stop this nonsense.” A smug smile set upon his face. Threatening determination and overwhelming masculinity combined in his eyes to send a chill through her. He was terrifying and tempting all at once.
Lily fought back the urge to quiver, knowing she was under the scrutiny of his narrowed, probing gaze. “I want you to give me a real chance. This isn’t a trap you can bait and set. I want to know the business that meant so much to my father.”
Jake came to stand next to her, his cocksure grin widening. “You count on people underestimating you, don’t you?” He tilted her chin, sliding his warm palm against her cheek. “Everyone thinks you’re just a pretty face, a beautiful decoration. I see you, Lily. I think you’re getting in over your head here, but I’ll make the deal if you will.”
She pressed her fingernails into her palm to tamp down the anxiety. She’d overplayed her hand. But really, what choice did she have? What else did she have to bargain with? She had to succeed, because anything else would destroy her.
“If you want to learn the business, I’ll make sure you have every opportunity. But it’s not as easy as you think. We can start you out slowly, but I won’t let you answer phones and claim you learned about what the firm meant to your father.” He rubbed his thumb against her cheek as if he were sweet-talking her instead of issuing ultimatums. “You’ll learn every aspect of the company. If it’s too much, you’re free to throw in the towel at any point and focus on your thesis. And me.”
Lily swallowed past the lump in her throat. This had been her idea, hadn’t it? Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure. “It’ll take a while to understand how things work.”
“We’ll know before year end. Besides, it’ll be best if we marry before New Year’s.”
She blinked. “I didn’t say I’d marry you.”
“Once you’ve had some time to think about it, you’ll see it my way.”
“I won’t,” she barely managed to whisper. She knew that to play this game she’d at least have to agree to the terms, even if she’d rather die than follow through.
“Don’t be stubborn for sport.”
“You can’t have me.”
His gaze slid over her body like a caress. “We both know that’s not true. Tell me, do we have a deal? You can try and learn what Tolliver-Harris does, or you can plan a wedding. I know what I’d rather you do.”
She lifted her chin, wanting to brush his hand free but not wanting to let him know he’d unnerved her. “I’ll learn the business by the end of the year. And then I’ll be free.”
“You’re not some caged bird. Go ahead and take some time to come to terms with wanting what you want. I have been waiting a long time, a few months more will be worth it when we ring in the New Year as man and wife.” He leaned down, surprising her with a fleeting brush of his lips against hers. “I haven’t lost a deal in over a decade.”
He turned to go, and Lily wanted nothing more than for him to finally leave her alone. But she didn’t want any more surprises from him.
“Jake, will you be back tonight?”
He turned back in the doorway, a genuine smile on his face. “No, angel. I’ll stay at the penthouse during the week. The house is yours.”
She watched him walk away, wondering if she’d made a bargain with the most charming devil she’d ever known.
…
“Lily, can you see the front gate from where you are?” Jake turned his leather desk chair so he could look out the windows of his office, taking in the view of the rooftops in the waning light of the day.
“From my bedroom window, why?”
A vision of Lily’s bedroom hit him like a punch in the gut. Leaving her alone last night had been the hardest thing he’d ever done. He wanted so badly to kiss her, to truly kiss her, but he couldn’t trust himself with more than a fleeting press of lips. He had to do this right. If he allowed himself more, there would be no turning back, and having her regret being with him would destroy his chances.
“Where did everyone go?” Her voice faded, losing the annoyed edge she worked so hard at.
“The guards should still be there.”
“Yes, but the cars beyond the gate are gone.”
“I held a press conference this afternoon. Life should be back to boring as usual soon. Still, you should try not to pick up the paper or watch the news for a while.”
“Why? Is there somethi
ng else?”
“More of the same, but nothing you need to deal with. It will go away soon.” He’d done all he could, more than he’d hoped, but there were still women excited to be in the paper, former friends angry about the money they’d lost, bored gossipmongers masquerading as journalists who thought nothing of dreaming up lascivious scenarios. “Focus on the man you knew, not the one who can’t explain himself now.”
“I’m trying.” The tremor in her voice cut him to the quick.
His voice softened. “Do you need me to stay at the house with you?”
“No, you said you were staying in town.”
He sighed with a combination of exasperation and relief. “I am, for now. Once we’re married, I’ll change my schedule so I’ll be home every night.”
“Not to worry. I’m sure to win our deal, and you’ll be able to keep up your frantic pace.” Her silky voice held a challenge.
“You didn’t seem so averse to the idea last night.” His deep tone simmered with barely checked passion.
She drew in a sharp breath. “It won’t happen again.”
“You don’t sound so sure. Are you thinking about it right now?”
“Please stop.” Her voice shook slightly. It was hard to spar with her when he couldn’t see her face to know if she was all right or putting on an act.
“Lily, you have to be strong. If people see your weaknesses, they’ll take advantage of them.”
“Is that why you don’t show any?”
Thank goodness she couldn’t see his smile. If she only knew. “No, I don’t have any. Makes it much easier to strike bargains with pretty girls.”
“Ha. I’ll be fine as long as you’ll be fair.”
“I’m always fair.”
She scoffed. “Your ruthlessness is legendary.”
“All the more reason why I’ll be supervising your training personally. You’ll learn who I am for yourself, rather than relying on what you read in the papers or overhear at society events.”
“You don’t have time to babysit me. Besides, I’ll be in one of the departments, billing or something.”
“No, if you want to learn your father’s business, you’ll learn each part of it. And then you’ll find out how the different parts work together. Be glad you’re learning about a single architectural firm. If you’d wanted to study my business, it would take much longer than three months.”
“Jake Tolliver, the great and powerful.”
“That power has come in handy recently.”
“I never asked for you to do anything.” He could almost hear her mind downshifting into its well-bred, polite mode. “It’s all been your choice. I am grateful, but—”
“Not grateful enough to marry beneath you.”
She sighed. “I never said that. My idea of marriage and yours are very different.”
“Your idea comes from those ancient novels you study. Mine is current and realistic. You’ll eventually see things my way.”
“If marrying you is current and realistic, may I never learn anything beyond the idealistic and old-fashioned. There is more to life than money and social standing. Maybe someday you’ll learn that.”
The click of the phone call ending echoed in his ear. He hated that she’d hung up on him, but he couldn’t help but be relieved that her chutzpah showed she was ready to start living again. Her beauty blinded most everyone to the intelligence and strength that carried her through life. He wanted her to know the power she held, to see herself the way he saw her. Then she’d trust herself, and what she felt for him. She was beautiful on the inside and out.
Chapter Six
It took a week for Lily to arrange things with her professors and settle on a work schedule. Thankfully, Jake did as he promised and stayed in town, giving her time to catch up on her assignments and get her bearings again.
When she’d last seen him, she’d been so out of sorts, caught in the eye of the storm of grief. She still missed her father terribly, but having taken the time to reflect and center herself, she was confident she wouldn’t react to Jake so easily. She owed him a debt of gratitude for the mountains he’d moved to bury her father’s scandals. Without his interventions, the sheer misery of the situation she’d been left with might have consumed her.
Jake had helped her, and though she knew what he expected in return, she couldn’t give in to his demands. Learning a business she knew little about in less than three months might be impossible, but so was the alternative.
Tolliver-Harris had been her father’s biggest accomplishment, and it would be her salvation. She’d been in the glass-and-steel office building hundreds of times, but never had she been so acutely aware that she had no idea what actually happened there as she was when she reported for her first day. Anxiety niggled at her, but she was a pro at keeping her fears hidden.
Still, she couldn’t help but wish she’d paid more attention when her father talked about the business, or that she’d thought to get a job before. She might have even worked here, which would mean she’d have tangible skills and wouldn’t need to be playing this cat and mouse game with Jake, a lion if ever there was one.
Taking a deep breath scented with the astringent lemon cleaner ever present in the office, she stepped to the reception desk. Before she could eek out so much as a “hello” Jake appeared, taking her by the arm and giving her the world’s fastest tour of the seven floors she might find herself on.
He moved her through everything so quickly, her mind was a whirl with names and titles, many of the faces already familiar. Warm greetings came as no surprise, nor did the thinly veiled pity in the eyes of some employees. Everyone knew the scandalous stories. They probably knew more than she did and had for much longer.
Lily tried not to think about it as Jake settled her in the human resources department. She wanted to demonstrate she wasn’t the simpering bride he thought he wanted, but more than anything, she needed to prove to herself she could take care of her own needs. Allowing Jake to take over where her father had left off might be the path of least resistance, but she’d learned the hard way a road like that could lead you right off a cliff.
The morning in HR went smoothly. She learned how to fill out her own forms, then how they were processed and filed. The clerk apologized for having her organize the files, but Lily loved the rote brainlessness of the activity. She was finishing up the filing backlog when Jake appeared.
Lily tried not to look at him, but she couldn’t help noticing how the women in the department reacted to him. They looked at him almost as if he were royalty. She wondered if they observed the sinuous grace when he moved, how something as simple as walking into a room highlighted the power held under exacting restraint.
“Lily, come with me.” He held out a hand.
She didn’t know whether he meant to keep hold of her, so she let her gaze flick up and away as she joined him. He didn’t say another word until they were in the elevator.
“It’s time for lunch.” He stabbed at the button for the lobby.
“Oh, I hadn’t realized.” She checked her watch, surprised to see how much time had passed. “Since I’m only here three days a week, I shouldn’t take a break. I need to put in as much time as possible.”
“You still need to eat. We’re going to lunch.”
She shook her head. “Funny, I don’t recall you asking.”
Jake turned to face her in the empty elevator, making her take an involuntary step back. She hadn’t realized how big he was, or how small the elevator was, or how close he’d come to stand until he turned his gaze on her. The corners of his sensuous lips twitched into a taunting grin.
“Miss Lilianna Harris, will you do me the honor of allowing me to accompany you to lunch? That’s how they ask in your fairy tales, isn’t it?”
Oh, and he’d been doing so well. “I don’t study fairy tales. I’ve found enough ogres and trolls in real life lately.” She gave him a pointed look. “I study Victorian-era English novelists. Pre-Victorian
, really. Jane Austen’s time was a bit before what typically comes under the Victorian umbrella. But, yes, I suppose they’d approve of your attempt at manners and decorum.”
“You really are from another time. Those girls you hang around with at parties can barely string a sentence together, and yet you can probably give a lecture on Pre-Victorian whatever, right now.”
Her instinct was to tell him the women she usually mingled with at events weren’t like that, but she hadn’t heard boo from any of them since whispers of her father’s activities had begun to swirl. Her father had encouraged many of his friends to make investments in projects that were permanently stalled, so it was almost understandable that their daughters would be upset. Almost. The people she had classes with weren’t much better, though with them she expected it had more to do with not knowing what to say, rather than not wanting to be sullied by association.
She’d always kept her life compartmentalized, kept her relationships in the realm they belonged so as not to have any awkwardness. Now, when she could have used a few close friends, she found she had a plethora of acquaintances and no one who cared enough to look below the surface to make sure she was okay.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lily blinked, not realizing she had been. “Like what?”
“Like an object to be studied. You’re not usually so blatant about admiring me.”
She startled at the idea of admiring him, too caught off-guard to refute it. “I was merely thinking the society set probably can’t form a sentence around you because they’re plotting ways to spend your money. A bank balance like yours must boggle their minds.”
“Too bad you’re not so easily impressed. Imagine if what pleased me pleased you.” A wicked grin lit his face. “Though I am sure in some ways what pleases you will be my pleasure.” The bell rang, and the doors slid open. Jake stepped out first, and Lily followed. She kept her eyes on the marble tiles of the floor, begging her heated cheeks to stop flaming.
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