“Thank you,” Evan replied and closed the door behind her.
Cassie glanced beyond the arched columns to the left to the large bed on the platform in the middle of the adjoining room.
As if reading her mind, Evan said, “I’m not sleeping on the couch.”
“Then I will,” Cassie quickly acceded.
“No. I don’t want any of the staff talking about my girlfriend sleeping on the sofa. It’s a king-sized bed. We can share it…without touching.”
She stared at him. “That evasive move from earlier was only the beginning of what I know about self-defense.”
He held up both his hands, palms out. “I promise you won’t need to show me any more of your defensive moves this weekend.”
For a moment, she wondered if she’d bruised his ego by being able to defend herself so easily against him.
Then a sexy grin quirked up one corner of his mouth. “But feel free to show me your offense at any time.”
And any self-doubts about whether he found her attractive fled, making her even more nervous about keeping her distance from her new boss. She absolutely could not make the same mistake again.
Chapter Five
While Cassie washed up in the bathroom, Evan grabbed a bottle of water from the bar in the sitting room. Twisting off the cap, he walked out to the balcony overlooking the turquoise water of the Caribbean Sea. The salt-laden air blew lightly over his heated skin.
Playing the boyfriend role with Cassie this weekend might be the most fun he’d had since before taking over the wheel at Mitchell Industries. She was feisty and obviously didn’t back down from a challenge—a lot like him.
He wondered if that was another trait they shared because they’d both been raised without siblings. Had she also wished, like he had, that she had a brother or sister growing up?
Being a part of the racing team, working side by side with the other men on the crew, was the closest he’d ever been to having brothers. And it had been harder to give up that than the thrill of the racing, though walking away from the winner’s circle had been pretty damn tough too.
This upcoming merger negotiation with Xavier was Evan’s first opportunity to score a big win for Mitchell Industries as the new president and CEO. He owed it to his father to pull it together. If he’d been a better son, his father would still be here.
The spicy Asian floral scent of Cassie reached him from the sitting room, drawing him out of his depressing thoughts. Turning around, he caught her staring at his butt, but she quickly averted her eyes.
He grinned, ridiculously pleased that for all her tough talk she was still susceptible to his physical attributes. Maybe he’d be able to get her to change her mind about the no-sex part of their agreement after all. He’d loved to tie up her small frame with red silk scarves and watch her writhe under his touch.
“I-I could use some water too,” she stammered. “Is there another one?”
He walked to the mini-fridge and grabbed a bottle, opening it before handing it to her. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She took it without meeting his eyes.
Interesting. It was the first time she’d been anything but brutally honest and straightforward with him. Well, other than her fib about her salary last night, which he’d known before he’d even asked her, but that was part of her ballsy negotiating that he’d admired.
Now, her avoidance of eye contact made him want to get inside her brain to find out what she was thinking. He watched and waited while she drank the water, but she kept her gaze directed outside on the waves sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight.
After setting the nearly empty bottle on the coffee table, she glanced up at him. “Is there anything else I need to know before we go down?”
He shook his head. “Nothing that I can think of. Just relax and be yourself. Xavier’s focus will be on trying to sell me on the value of his company.”
“Okay.” She wiped her palms on the hips of her sundress, which brought his attention to the curve of her waist above the gentle rise of her backside.
In her dress last night and this one today, she was shapelier than he’d originally imagined when he’d first seen her in that boxy suit. Perhaps tomorrow while she lounged by the pool, he’d get to see the rest of her curves in a bathing suit, preferably a bikini. He predicted her skin would be smooth and creamy and so soft to the touch, just like her shoulders.
“Ready?” Cassie’s question jolted him from his salacious thoughts.
“Right. Let’s go.” He held the door open for her, inhaling her unique scent as she passed. Yeah, it had been much too long since he’d gotten into a woman’s personal space.
Downstairs, they met Xavier and Esmé on the patio, standing near a thatched-roof bar next to the pool. After providing Evan and Cassie with cocktails, Xavier got right to the point.
“At Estrella, we’re concerned with your inexperience and your reputation,” he stated. “We’re looking for maturity and stability in the president of the company we decide to partner with, not a playboy.”
Evan chuckled when he really wanted to give Xavier a piece of his mind—so much for enjoying the pleasure part of this weekend. Apparently, Xavier was planning a strictly business weekend, after all. So, why did he insist that Evan bring a woman with him?
“My playing days are over,” Evan responded mildly, deciding to use the woman at his side to his advantage. “Cassie has cured me of that.” He set his drink on the bar and circled his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly to his side.
Initially, he felt her resistance, but then she softened as she slid her right arm around his back. The sensation of her halfway wrapped around him was utterly distracting, sending his thoughts racing toward the finish line with him and Cassie both naked. He had to focus to keep his concentration on the conversation.
“Yes.” Esmé smiled, placing her hand on her husband’s arm. “A good woman can tame the wildest of players.”
Cassie stayed silent at Evan’s side, which surprised him. He’d thought she’d have something to add to Esmé’s comment, especially after her experience with Trent. Maybe it hit too close to home, and she was afraid of giving something away. If that was the case, he was grateful she was choosing the more conservative approach and remaining a silent observer.
Xavier was giving Evan a skeptical look, and he knew he had to go the distance with this pretense. “In fact, we are getting ready to announce our engagement.” He prayed Xavier couldn’t read Cassie’s face as easily as Evan could.
She sported a bright, fake smile and seemed willing to follow along with his fabrication. But he already knew her well enough to expect she’d try to take it out on his hide later in the privacy of their suite, and he was perversely looking forward to the altercation. Why did he enjoy tangling with her? He usually preferred his women to be submissive both in and out of the bedroom, but Cassie didn’t appear to be either.
Xavier looked at Cassie’s left hand where it rested over the top of Evan’s. “No ring?”
“Not until we make the announcement public,” Evan smoothly lied. “We didn’t want the paparazzi scooping our big moment.”
Cassie’s grip on his hand tightened, sending her manicured nails digging into his palm and forcing Evan to hide a wince with his own bright, fake smile.
“Congratulations, then.” Xavier shook Evan’s hand and kissed Cassie’s cheek.
“Thank you.” Cassie managed to sound natural, and Evan gave her waist a small squeeze of gratitude.
“Of course, Estrella is a company built on traditional beliefs. We frown on divorce or even broken engagements.” Xavier narrowed his eyes as if he was trying to see through Evan’s bluff.
For a moment, Evan feared Xavier would notice the dampness on Evan’s brow. Xavier’s intense scrutiny and Cassie’s sweet body pressed against him were sending Evan’s internal temperature spiking. He could really use a dip in the inviting pool behind Xavier.
Xavier held out the tension-filled moment a bi
t longer. Then his face broke into a wide grin. “But I can see that won’t be a problem with you two. You are so very suited to each other. Such a lovely couple.”
Cassie’s nails in Evan’s palm dug deeper. Was she reacting to Xavier’s not-so-subtle message that Evan better not be in a sham engagement?
Damn, he’d just made the situation worse and could have really botched up this deal. As soon as he and Cassie returned to New York and their regular lives, Xavier would find out there was no engagement…unless Evan could convince Cassie to go along with this charade beyond the weekend.
He would need her cooperation at least until Estrella had signed all the contracts and felt comfortable with Mitchell Industries’ new role as their parent company. That could take a few weeks at the minimum. He nearly grinned when he thought about how that negotiation was going to go with Cassie. He anticipated some feisty finagling from her.
“If all goes well tomorrow in our discussion,” Xavier continued, “perhaps you’ll be announcing two new partnerships to the press—our business relationship and your engagement.”
“Yes, I look forward to discussing the merger with you tomorrow.” Evan refrained from emphasizing the last word. He would prefer to get through this evening without the additional strain of talking about their forthcoming financial arrangement.
“Do you have a ring picked out?” Esmé asked Cassie. “If not, I can have my jeweler bring some to the house tomorrow morning.”
Cassie shook her head. “This decision was quite sudden, and we haven’t had time to shop yet.”
Thank you, sweet Cassie. Dan was right about her being capable of pulling off any kind of charade. She was quick on her feet.
“An engaged woman should never be unadorned for too long,” Esmé said to Evan. “It gives the impression that she is still available, and I’m sure Cassie is anxious to pick out her special ring.”
“Yes, I’m sure she is,” Evan replied. Especially since she’d be able to cash it in as partial payment for her services when this deception was over.
His stomach soured at the idea that he was lying to make this deal with Xavier. Only five months into this business and Evan was already shoving his ethics aside for the sake of making money. At least his father wasn’t alive to see this, but Evan was going to have to decide what to tell his mother.
Would it be better to come clean with his mother from the start or to let her believe he really had found the perfect woman to marry? Either way, he was bound to disappoint her. She’d been not so subtly hinting at grandchildren for years.
This fake engagement only highlighted how far he really was to making a serious commitment, especially when the thought of settling for a lifetime of vanilla put him in a cold sweat. Besides, he was nowhere near ready to settle down with a family. All his time and energy needed to be focused on learning his father’s business.
He glanced down at Cassie at his side. She was going to make cute kids someday, and she would be a ferocious mother bear, judging by the way she could take care of herself. He didn’t imagine she’d let anyone mess with her children. An unwelcomed feeling of tenderness for her swelled in his chest.
Damn, he needed to step back and gain some perspective on the situation.
She was his employee, not someone he should be considering any kind of involvement with. Moreover, she wasn’t what he’d be looking for in a lover. She’d never let him dominate her if her self-defense demonstration earlier was any indication…but sometimes the strongest ones out of the bedroom made for the best subs in the bedroom. Could she be hiding her true inclination?
Shaking the disconcerting thoughts of Cassie from his mind, Evan focused on Esmé extolling the craftsmanship of her favorite jeweler to Cassie. He sighed inwardly; this was definitely going to cost him a bundle.
* * * *
Storming ahead of Evan into their suite after dinner, Cassie was finally able to break her tightly held composure. She spun on Evan where he stood with his back against the closed door.
“How long will we have to keep up this engagement charade?” she demanded. “You said you only needed me for the weekend.”
“I did originally only need you for the weekend, but obviously, I’ll need to extend our arrangement.” He stepped further into the sitting room, and she resisted the urge to get in his face and shake him by the shoulders. How could he put her in this situation?
“For how long?” she asked with forced calm.
He shrugged, and she wanted to sock him.
“Four weeks…six at the most.”
“Six weeks! You want me to pretend to be your fiancée for six weeks?” Getting through three days was proving challenging enough with this damn magnetism she felt for him. When he’d held her close to his side tonight, she’d been so tempted by his hard body and warm masculine scent. She was proud of herself for not giving in to the urge to let her hands roam, but she’d had to employ all her military discipline to keep her palm from sliding down to feel his tight ass.
“You’ll be compensated, of course.” He sat in one of the armchairs.
She stared down at him. “You think money will convince me to lie about our relationship for six weeks?”
He gave a brief nod. “You were willing to pretend to be my girlfriend for three days when the price was right.”
She sat in the facing armchair. “This engagement is different. This is going to go public. I’ll have to tell my father and friends.” But how was she going to explain it so it didn’t sound like she’d sold herself? And why would she even be considering this when she knew how hard it would be to quell her feelings for him? This situation was definitely something she needed to get out of quickly.
Evan shook his head. “You’ll only be able to tell them you’re engaged, not that it’s fake.”
“You want me to lie to everyone important in my life?” Her chest tightened at the thought of putting even more distance between her and her dad.
Evan sat with his forearms on his knees, looking at her intently. “You’ll have to. Otherwise, it will increase the chance that Xavier finds out this is a sham engagement.”
“Then we’ll have a big breakup as soon as we get back to New York,” she resolved. She could do a few days of this.
“You heard what Xavier said. He threatened to back out of this deal if we broke our engagement.”
Leaning forward slightly in her chair, she studied him. “Who needs this deal more? You or him?”
“We both need it. It’s mutually beneficial.”
“Then he won’t back out.”
“He has other offers to consider.”
“But not as good as yours,” she insisted, knowing from her own experience with Evan that he wasn’t a stingy negotiator.
“Supposedly. That’s why I’m here and not another company’s CEO.” He settled back in the armchair.
Cassie stood and walked to the open balcony doors. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she looked out at the moonlight reflecting off the ocean. “I don’t like this. I hate lying.”
“So do I.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “But you do it so well.”
“I could say the same for you. Your performance at dinner was impeccable.”
“I just followed your lead.”
“And I truly appreciate it.”
She sighed and returned to the empty chair. “How much do you appreciate it?” They might as well talk dollars because she couldn’t see herself bailing out on him now. Loyalty was one of the most important values to a soldier, and it was too ingrained in her to consider walking away from Evan now.
She’d agreed to the weekend, and now it looked like her performance as his fiancée was going to be required for a while longer. She might as well see how much further she could get herself out of debt and set herself up financially because who knew if she was going to be able to continue flying Mitchell Industries’ helicopter when this all ended.
She’d certainly been forced to leave
her last position when things crashed and burned between her and Trent, and she suspected she wouldn’t be interested in sticking around Mitchell Industries when Evan was done with her. So much for learning from her past.
“Ah, yes,” he said, placing his palms together with his fingers steepled. “Let the negotiations begin. Where would you like to start this time?”
“Well, I assume I’ll still be employed as your pilot during the day, so you’ll only need to compensate me for the hours outside of the normal workday. What exact duties will you require of me?”
He dropped his hands and used one to massage the back of his neck. The man should seriously consider hiring a full-time massage therapist to help him with his trigger points. He looked like he was suffering, but he’d clearly let her know he didn’t appreciate her helpful touch.
“I hadn’t really thought about the details yet,” he said. “I guess we’ll have to be seen going to dinner and the occasional society event.”
She nodded. “That sounds reasonable.”
“And we’ll need to visit my mother and your father.”
She froze. “My father?”
He studied her for a moment. “Would you really prefer if your father heard about your engagement from the gossip rags?”
“He doesn’t read those.”
“No, but someone who knows him probably does. Trust me, I’ve lived this life long enough to know that it’s best to talk to your loved ones first before they hear the stories from the press.”
She considered that before saying, “Okay, so a few dinners a week and a visit to our folks. That sounds manageable.”
He heaved a big theatrical sigh. “So, what’s it going to cost me?”
She ignored his dramatics while figuring three dinners at three hours apiece, plus extra time to get ready, was roughly ten hours a week. “I’ll do it for five hundred a week.”
“You’re charging me four thousand for this weekend, but you’ll be my fiancée for only five hundred a week?”
She shrugged. “Much less hours involved. Would you rather I ask for more?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ll pay you what you asked for.” He stood and held out his right hand. “A gentlemen’s agreement?”
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