He glanced at Jess. Her look was cool, calm and controlled, one of her eyebrows arched slightly at him.
His chest tightened. He knew exactly what to do, but fear curled around his heart at the risk he was taking in pretending to like one to win the chance to have the other.
He pulled back his shoulders and lifted his chin. She was worth the risk.
Alex sucked in a deep breath and pulled Jess’s warm body closer to his, swinging his full attention back to Natasha Bradford-Jones’s cool gaze.
‘Natasha, I’m sorry,’ he stated calmly, with a confidence that he wished ran deeper. ‘You’ve misunderstood. Jess isn’t just my girlfriend…she’s my fiancée.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
‘FIANCÉE?’
Calahan shrugged, a sheepish grin on his face. ‘Sorry. I couldn’t think of anything else to say to get her to realise I’m serious…about marriage.’
Jess pushed through the door to the restaurant and out into the fresh air. She took a long deep breath and closed her eyes. Seeing the guy fall all over himself for that woman had been bad enough. Getting dragged into it was a disaster.
She’d wanted to hide when he’d introduced her, had stopped breathing when he’d called her his girlfriend, then died when he’d decided she was his bride-to-be.
How much worse could he have done?
She held her temples, trying to stop the throb of pain from her head to her chest. Was she responsible for his incredibly stupid behaviour by feeding him bad advice?
Her stomach tossed. Probably.
She opened her eyes, looked up into his face, seeing him looking down at her, his eyes wide, as though she was somehow going to solve this problem. ‘And how did saying I was your fiancée help?’
He shrugged. ‘It showed that I am seriously shopping.’
Jess glared at the man, his calm manner chafing. How could he not be upset by this? Didn’t he realise what this meant?
She sucked in a deep, slow breath. ‘And when exactly are you planning to let her know that you’ve returned me and want her instead?’
She turned away, a chill seeping into her. She couldn’t look at him, see those deep blue eyes begging her for help with a problem she didn’t want to solve, couldn’t even consider.
The woman was perfect for him. Sure, she was snobby, but she was beautiful, classy, and by the looks of her totally in Calahan’s class.
‘And what part of that transaction, if any,’ she asked slowly, ‘will convince her you’re good, solid and steady material?’
‘I’m engaged, aren’t I?’
‘To me!’ Jess looked to the sky for help. ‘That doesn’t leave much room for her.’
He moved into her line of vision and shrugged. ‘I’m thinking I’ll have to keep you for a while, then.’
Jess’s heart leapt to her throat. ‘I’m not available.’ She couldn’t imagine spending another day in this man’s company, let alone weeks.
‘I’ll make it worth your while,’ he said softly. ‘And I assure you we’d have a good time. I could show you some great places…and we could go to every event that’s worth going to.’
‘And how long do you envisage our engagement lasting?’ she asked, her voice rising in pitch with the panic welling in her chest.
Calahan rubbed his jaw. ‘I’d say we go to several choice events over, say, a month—that should do. Then I could break up with you because you cheated on me. Leaving me brokenhearted, in need of tender love and care.’
Jess shook her head, backing away. ‘No way.’
‘We’d have to get you a big rock—a pink diamond, maybe…You could even shop for a wedding dress.’ He smiled down at her, his eyes glittering. ‘Do all those things that women yearn to do.’
She shook her head vehemently. ‘No.’
Calahan moved closer to her and brushed the hair back from her face. ‘Which part do you have a problem with?’
She stared at him, frozen to the spot. ‘I—hate—you.’
‘So?’
‘So the last thing I want to do is spend time with you so you can manipulate this poor woman into thinking that you’re ready to commit,’ she blurted.
‘I am ready.’ His voice was deep and dangerous. ‘And besides, you can continue training me in the arts of romance while we go out.’
She moved to the kerb and signalled a taxi. ‘But you don’t even listen to me.’
‘I do listen…I promise to listen,’ Calahan said, his voice warm and soft. ‘I was sort of honest…Okay, not quite…But you have to admit that I didn’t just use my charms on her.’
‘I noticed. You lied instead.’
‘You’ve got to help me.’ Calahan caught her hand, drawing it close to his chest. ‘I’ve really messed up. And you know how much…Natasha means to me. Please.’
She darted a glance to the man. It was incredibly obvious how much he wanted Natasha. He’d curbed his behaviour, had behaved like an idiot, and had been uncharacteristically spontaneous.
Her belly tightened. ‘The last thing I want to do is help. I think I’ve done enough. I think you’ve done enough. I think it’s time for me to go home.’
‘Stay,’ he whispered. ‘We can talk this through. You can tell me what an idiot I am. Please.’
Jess warred with herself. Hell, she was starting to feel for the guy. Sure, he was a messed-up individual, but with parents like his and with a head that hardly fit through a door for the size of his ego she understood that.
She shook her head and forced her legs to move.
She had to go.
She couldn’t stay.
She was starting to soften to the enemy’s cause, to feel his pain, to see his heart.
And that wouldn’t work. She had to go home, avenge her father with a clear conscience and stomp Alexander Calahan and his empire into the ground…
She had to. She’d promised herself a long time ago. Maybe then her father would see her, would care about her again as he’d used to when her mother was alive.
And she wouldn’t be alone any more.
‘I quit.’
‘Jess, what are you doing here?’ Kath looked up from her desk, piled high with paper. ‘Aren’t you meant to be with Calahan for the day?’ Her eyes brightened. ‘You’ve got some insider goss that’s going to make us—tell me.’
Jess sighed and rattled off the names of the companies Fred had given her, a dull ache filling her chest.
‘Is that it?’ Kath shook her head. ‘That’s good, but really I expected more.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Why aren’t you still there with him?’
Jess stared at her friend. ‘He’s working on a big ad deal for a big client.’
‘Who?’
She straightened tall. ‘I don’t know, and frankly, Kath, I don’t care. I think if we’re going to make it big we should do it honestly, on our own merits, not by sneaking around and dirty tricks.’
Kath grinned, leaning her elbows onto her desk and leaning forward. ‘You like him.’
Was she wearing a sign on her head?
Not Calahan. She didn’t want to. She understood him, that was all. Nothing to do with liking the guy.
‘He really must be some guy to turn your head.’
‘You’re being silly,’ Jess snapped, moving to the seat opposite Kath’s desk. ‘I’m here because I’ve had enough of the manipulating, lying jerk. You wouldn’t believe what he’s gone and done.’
Kath rolled her eyes. ‘You’re a woman. Of course he’s going to hit on you.’
‘No, that’s not it.’ She shook her head, visions of that kiss filling her head and her body. ‘He’s decided that instead of playing romance coach I’m to act as his fiancée.’
Kath leant back in her seat and smiled, listening as Jess filled her in on what had happened.
‘Wonderful.’
‘What?’ Jess sank into the seat. Where was the support for her escaping the devil? Where was the consoling for having to put up with him?
‘You
could sneak information from him for days, weeks—however long until he tires of the game.’
‘I’m not going to play that game.’ Jess crossed her arms over her chest. ‘I want nothing to do with him.’
‘Come on—be tough, girl,’ Kath said, finally focusing on her. ‘Okay, there are no excuses for him being such a jerk, Jess. Take the rest of the day off from the guy…you’re probably just overloaded. If you still feel the same in the morning, okay—fine. Tell him to lump the fiancée role.’
Jess took a deep, slow breath. Finally.
‘But I don’t want you to throw away our biggest chance yet of getting somewhere serious and fast. It’s your choice.’
‘Jeez, make it easy, why don’t you?’ Jess stood up, picking up her handbag, her mind filled with the dreams they’d hatched together, revenge for her father…and Calahan.
Kath leant forward. ‘I don’t see a problem. It’s not like he likes you or anything. It’s to get this other woman…all snobby and classy and perfectly suited to him. Right?’
Jess swallowed hard, fighting down the sinking feeling filling her stomach. ‘Yes. But—’
‘It’s only a problem because you don’t want him to be happy. Or…you’re jealous.’
Jess swung away from her friend, forcing her legs to move as her cheeks heated. ‘I don’t care about him,’ she sang over her shoulder.
‘I meant jealous because a guy like that is wanting to settle down when a guy like Dean—’ Kath yelled to her.
She shook herself, swinging around, her eyes burning. ‘Dean…I’m so over him.’
‘Right,’ Kath scoffed.
Dean didn’t even exist any more for her. She’d cleared every inch of her apartment of every trace of the guy who had toyed with her, played with her heart and her dreams and left her with nothing.
Jess strode to the door of their small office. ‘I’ll call you.’
She was confused as hell, but she knew one thing. She was going to forget about the guy for a while before she considered anything—especially pretending to be his bride.
‘I need to find her.’ Alex paced the floor in Lucas’s office, the weight of his spontaneous scheme heavy on his shoulders.
What had possessed him?
The idea was to keep the woman, not scare her away.
It had seemed like a good idea in principle—getting to keep Jess by getting her to be his pretend fiancée. Giving her a chance to get to know him better, and giving him a chance to know her much better.
He’d never met a woman like her.
How long was a serious engagement? He’d have to ask her and see how much time he could get with her…assess how much time he had to touch her as she’d touched him.
It was a stretch. And she was far from happy about it. But then he couldn’t blame her. All she could see was him playing more games to win a woman…Natasha.
He figured Jess would feel safe in his company if she thought he still wanted Natasha, would think that it wasn’t all about her and breaking down her walls, making her receptive to love again…to him.
His chest warmed. Had he done the right thing?
It didn’t matter now. He’d started the imaginary ball rolling with Natasha and he’d have to play it out and hope that it worked—that it would make Jess feel safe.
He couldn’t wait to spend more time with Jess, and those wicked green eyes and luscious mouth. Couldn’t wait to have her want him as much as he wanted her.
He’d been delusional about Natasha being the one for him. He’d felt nothing for her when he’d run into her again. It had been a naïve dream that wasn’t real, that had kept him going through relationships that had turned sour.
He was so sick of being used.
He leant back against the door. It would be quite a challenge getting Jess to play the part of his fiancée. Quite a delight to go through the motions—finding her a ring, a gown, and all the things that women dreamt of for their wedding.
He could imagine Jess in a white gown, could imagine sweeping her around a dance floor in his arms—could imagine kissing those lips of hers a lot more.
He straightened. He’d have to, and in public, to pull off the ruse. Sweet. But could she handle that? Would time and attention melt her icy façade? Or would his lips be enough?
He rubbed his jaw. He couldn’t wait to find out.
‘You have her number.’
Alex dug his hands deep into his pockets. ‘She’s not answering. I just keep getting her answering machine.’ And her sweet voice lilting an apology for not being able to answer his call was driving him crazy.
Lucas leant back in his large leather chair. ‘I can understand that.’
His gut tightened. ‘You’re meant to be on my side.’ Didn’t he pay the man good money to support him, no matter how crazy his idea?
‘Tell me,’ Lucas offered, stroking his goatee, ‘if you had been burnt by men to the point where you’d joined some obscure organisation that probably spends its entire time whingeing about the wrongs wrought by men, would you be at all happy, after spending valuable time with one of the biggest perpetrators you know of, to find he’d ignored absolutely everything you said?’ Lucas stared at him with wide eyes.
Alex shrugged. ‘I didn’t heap on the flattery or turn on my bedroom eyes…’
Lucas rolled his eyes. ‘And that makes up for lying about being engaged? Dragging her into your lies to convince another woman of your sincerity?’
Alex rubbed his neck. ‘Maybe. Anyway, it’s done now. There’s nothing to be done except find my bride-to-be and convince her to do this for me.’
He toyed with Lucas’s photo frames. There was no way he was going to tell Lucas where he was heading with Jess. This was his. Just for him. Them. Without all the fanfare that usually accompanied his dating a new woman.
‘You may have some trouble there.’
Alex shook his head. ‘Everyone has a price.’ He just had to find Jess’s…what would help her make the decision he wanted her to.
‘The price may be too high.’
Alex shrugged it off. He had enough money to pay her anything—hell, a house if needs be…He couldn’t help but smile at offering her a house as compensation for spending time with him. The look on her face would be worth it. And what she’d say about it…
His body tingled. He was sure she’d have a lot to say. He couldn’t wait to hear what new arguments she’d come up with against his offer, but he was skilled in negotiations. He’d wear her down and get her exactly where he wanted her.
His body heated.
He shook off the sensation.
‘Do you know where I can find her?’
Lucas sighed. ‘I had Bob down in Research do some snooping.’ He strode to the fax machine and flicked through a couple of pages. ‘But it’s early for any news.’
Alex glanced at his watch. ‘You’ve had three hours.’
Lucas glared at him, then back to the pages. ‘Here’s something. Yes. Okay. The guy deserves a raise.’
‘Done.’
‘Preliminary enquiries show us that her phone number correlates with a J. Thompson renting in Thomas Street. She works at Kingston & Co.’ Lucas lifted his head, tilting it. ‘That name sounds familiar.’
Alex toyed with the name. It was familiar. He liked to keep up with the competition in a cursory way, just to find out who thought they could compete with his talented staff or to head-hunt new talent. ‘I think it’s an advertising company.’
Lucas jerked his attention back to Alex. ‘Could she be a plant? It would explain her eagerness to spend time with you in an office environment—but so would her fear of intimacy with men, particularly you.’
‘I picked her.’
‘But how could you resist her?’ Lucas asked.
Alex rubbed his chin, a dark chill spreading through his veins. She couldn’t be. Not his Jess. The woman who pushed his buttons, fired his imagination, made him yearn for the first time in his life for a future with jus
t one woman.
No.
Granted, nothing was sure to interest him more than the challenge of a beautiful woman. But he couldn’t have been had. Not by her. She was too mean, too irreverent—far too outspoken to be a mole of any sort. Moles were smooth, seductive, and they slipped into the background, watching and listening.
That wasn’t Jess. She was made to be noticed, made to be his…
Lucas shrugged. ‘This is becoming very interesting. I’ll keep digging…it may be a good idea for us to know a bit more about your so-called fiancée.’
Alex went rigid, fighting with the familiar stab of betrayal slicing through his chest. ‘Yes. Do that.’ He swallowed hard, pushing the information to the back of his mind. ‘And I’ll let you know how I do with her.’
Lucas leant his hands on his desk, his brow furrowed. ‘You can’t seriously keep on with this?’
‘I can’t not.’ Alex waved him off.
Lucas nodded. ‘Because Natasha thinks you’re engaged now you can’t mess it up? I know how much you’ve thought about this woman. How perfectly she’d fit into your life and make a partner for you.’
‘Right.’ Alex picked up the fax page in front of Lucas, scanning the words, hardly seeing them for the pressure in his chest.
‘And if you use a womaniser-hater to get what you want that’s not a big deal—no matter what her true goal.’
Alex nodded, his gut tight. But it was a big deal when the womaniser-hater was the one you wanted. No. He didn’t want to believe it. Her true goal could be…anything.
He raked his fingers through his hair, the sweet anticipation of the challenge ahead rumbling through him like the primitive call of a hunt. ‘I’m going to see my fiancée and see if I can’t get to the bottom of her.’
‘Oh, cripes. Well, for goodness’ sakes watch what you say.’ Lucas crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. ‘And what you do. She could be after anything. Could be setting you up for anything.’ He shook his head, stroking his goatee again. ‘She looked like such a nice woman…’
‘I think she is,’ Alex said smoothly. Apart from that mouth of hers which continually taunted him. The one harsh criticism poured from. The one he wanted to smother with his lips, wiping all negative thoughts from her mind.
The Fiancee Charade Page 9