His Virgin Bride

by Riley Rollins

  So far, Luke has shown that he is very in control of himself and others, and that he can make good decisions involving me. It makes me feel very comfortable being around him and letting him take charge.

  I just hope he doesn't screw it all up by doing what I think he might be doing. I don't want him to try to win my affections by giving me things. But I just have a sick feeling about it, and I can't stop myself from bringing it up right away.

  "Hey," I say, before he can get another word in, "I think I know what you're going to tell me, and I'm not sure I like the idea of it."

  Luke sits back against his desk, his hands on either side of him in a powerful-looking stance. He looks amused. "Is that right, Leah? I have to say, I highly doubt that you know what I'm going to ask you."

  "I think I do." I pause and screw up my courage. "I think you're going to offer me the book tour that the editors wouldn't give me."

  Luke almost cracks up laughing, and I feel my face starting to turn beet red. "That's what you think I brought you here for?"

  I immediately feel self-conscious. Am I really that much of a fool? Did I really assume the complete wrong thing about why he brought me here? And if not for that, then what?

  "I… When they signed my contract, they knew that I really, really wanted to do a cross-country book signing tour. I pushed them hard for it, but they wouldn't budge. I just assumed that you were going to give it to me as a gift or whatever. I don't know what other business deal you could be talking about."

  "Uh huh," he says. "And you think I would do that… why? Before you've even published a single title under the Diamond House name?"

  This time, I know my face turns completely red and there's nothing I can do about it.

  He laughs out loud. "Leah," he says, "I know you better than that. You already made it clear that your affections can't be bought. Plus," he says with a smirk, "I have full faith in my team to make the right decisions for my company. I would never waste company resources like that. Not on you, not on anyone."

  I smile and feel relieved. But I also feel embarrassed that I freaked out prematurely. "I'm sorry," I say. "I guess I just got carried away worrying. I do that sometimes. You should probably know that about me."

  He cocks his head and smiles. "Leah, I promise you that I won't ever try to purchase your affections. I know that you would never accept such a gesture… And that has everything to do with why you're here right now."

  I swallow hard. Now I'm even more nervous than I was before. "Okay, well, then what is this all about?"

  He pulls a pen out of his pocket and scoops a stapled stack of papers off his desk. "I'll explain everything and answer all of your questions. I promise. But before we continue," he says, "I need you to sign this." He grabs a clipboard off his desk, clips the sheet of paper into it, and hands it to me.

  The top has a big bold title:

  Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

  It gives me a really weird feeling. It's kind of exciting, too. But weirder.

  I think for a second, then shake my head and hand it back to him. "This is really strange, Luke. I'm not going to sign some agreement for something I know nothing about."

  "Trust me," he says with a smirk, "It's a very interesting deal that I have to offer you."

  I cross my arms and double down. "No."

  For the first time since we've met, I feel him start to heat up. He looks at me in a way that's completely different than before. He's always looked at me like I'm some pretty, perfect little prize for him. A trophy for him to chase down. But now he looks at me like I'm a rival who's not cooperating with him, and it's intimidating as hell.

  But it's also hot. I can't remember the last time a man made me feel like he could discipline me. I've never met a man whose B.S. I couldn't see right through. So many guys talk big and call themselves "alpha," then act like man-children. But not Luke Steele. He's the real deal.

  I feel my panties getting wet under my short summer dress. The chair I'm sitting on is made from leather. Damn. If I leave a wet spot when I stand up, I'm going to be absolutely beyond mortified. If that happened, I think I would just will myself to disappear on the spot.

  "You'll have to take me at my word," I say. "If you don't trust me, then maybe you shouldn't be offering me such an important deal anyway."

  He flashes a look of indignation and hot annoyance at me, but I still see the way his eyes hungrily search over my body. I'm not giving in. "I trust you," he says. "And that has everything to do with why you're here. But this could affect my entire career and life. I need some kind of collateral if you won't sign an NDA."

  "What does that mean?" I ask, my heart pounding in my chest. I don't know where he's trying to take this, but I have an irresistible urge to find out.

  "I need something of yours that you couldn't afford to have made public. Because what I'm about to ask you can also never be made public, or it could ruin me."

  "Like what?" I say.

  He gets a devilish look in his eyes and he half-smirks at me. "A revealing photograph would do."

  My eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. I've only ever sent naked photos of myself to my ex-boyfriend Edward, and even that was a mistake. I swore I'd never do it again, no matter the circumstances, unless I was married or something. And now Luke Steele is asking for them as part of a business deal.

  I don't believe it.

  "Are you seriously saying what I think you're saying?"

  "I trust you implicitly, Leah. But this is my entire career at stake. I don't see an alternative. The collateral needs to be… intensely personal."

  I think about what he's saying, and despite my best intentions, it makes me feel wet again. I don't know what's wrong with me. This is completely inappropriate and it goes against my best judgment. But it seems like a fun game. And I'm getting more and more curious about what this business deal could possibly be. It has to be something really juicy if this is how worried he is about it.

  "Okay," I finally say. "I don't have any on my phone, though. If you want me to take one, then I need to be in private."

  He looks surprised, but then he smirks. "Very well."

  He exits his office, leaving me alone in the room. My heart beats wildly in my chest. Shaking, I get up from the chair, sit on his desk, drop the shoulder straps off of my dress, and snap a selfie of myself topless.

  I look at the result, and I decide it's not pretty enough. After all, if I'm going to send him a copy of this picture, then I'd better be looking my best in it.

  It makes me get really wet, thinking about what he might do with this picture after I leave. I keep taking shots until I get one that I like. Usually I'm self-conscious, but this actually made me feel really sexy. In the picture, both my tits are out, and they look really perky. And my stomach looks flat. I think Luke will like it.

  Hopefully I don't regret this.

  I put my dress straps back over my shoulders and sit back in the guest chair. "Come in," I say loudly.

  Luke re-enters the room and the door clicks shut behind him. He moves next to me, standing and towering over me. "Send it to my phone," he says.

  I try to keep my fingers from trembling as I select the photo and text it to him. After it's sent, I watch his eyes carefully as he pulls his phone out of his pocket.

  There's a vibration, then he taps the screen a couple times, and I see him suck in his breath. And I swear I see a hard-on growing under his pants.

  Luke quickly stuffs his phone in his pocket and sits back against his desk. He walks a little bit funny and I delight in knowing the effect I'm having on him.

  "Very well," he says, trying to keep his composure and professional demeanor. "That will suffice as collateral for this business offer."

  "Okay."

  "Leah," he says, looking at me, his eyes positively undressing me. He focuses right on me. "This may sound strange, but it's absolutely critical for the sake of my career. I need you to be my fake fiancée."

  12


  Luke

  "Did I hear you right?" Leah says. "You want me to be your what?"

  "My fake fiancée."

  I can barely hear the words coming out of my own mouth. There's a roaring sound in my ears like a waterfall. I've never seen a girl with such perky fucking tits, with such perfect, pink, tiny nipples and delicious curves.

  Yet, she's sitting right in front of me, and there's a topless picture of her on my phone. I wanted to get her clothes off before, but now that I've seen the digital version of her naked, I'm absolutely dying to compare it to the real-life version. In person.

  Leah Price feels like the complete package to me. I can't help wondering if I'm completely fucking things up with this fake engagement idea. But there's no way I could have asked any other woman to agree to this. I don't want to lose my relationship with Leah. She's someone I can actually see fitting into my life in a serious way. If I got engaged to another woman, it would be the quickest way to never see Leah again.

  So I have to risk this, as crazy as it is.

  Leah's jaw drops as she processes what I just said to her. "I don't get it."

  "This is about the merger between my company and McMaster."

  "I don't understand," Leah says. "Why do you need a fiancée for that? And a fake one? I've never heard of anything like that before."

  "Listen. The CEO of McMaster, Rex LaPrise, is married. And there's nothing more that the good old boys club likes to see, than a committed man. It's the only way I'll convince them to pick me over Rex."

  Leah looks suspicious. "I'm sure you have plenty of women who'd get engaged to you at the drop of a hat."

  "Yes. But they all want to take my money away from me. Or get something else out of me."

  "Maybe it's worth the gamble," she says tentatively. "Prenups exist for a reason, you know. I'm sure you can find somebody a lot more suitable for this plan than me."

  "I'm not playing games with you, Leah. I know it sounds crazy. But I have to do this, and I'd prefer to do it with you. Because if I get engaged to another woman, then I won't be able to see you anymore. And I don't know if I can handle that."

  She chews her lip, thinking about the implications.

  "Well," she says, "You said it was a business deal. So what do I get out of it?"

  Stretching, I stand up and lean against my desk. "I knew you'd ask that sooner or later."

  "Right," she says. "I don't care about material things. And you know that I don't want a bribe related to work. So what's in it for me?"

  "Leah," I say. "I want you to listen carefully. Hear me out completely before you respond."

  She cocks an eyebrow.

  "I've been reading extensively about the form of cancer your father has. There's a treatment that has nearly a 100 percent cure rate. But it's expensive. Extremely expensive."

  She turns red and starts to look angry. "I know what you're talking about. That novel chemotherapy drug only made in Europe."

  "Correct."

  "Wait… are you trying to coerce me?" she says, and it suddenly looks like she might cry. "You're seriously going to use my father's life as a bargaining chip to convince me to get engaged to you? I can't believe you." She looks down and shakes her head.

  I grit my teeth. "Leah, I asked you to let me explain myself and not to jump to any conclusions."

  Her eyes look watery and puffy. "Fine," she says. "Whatever. Say whatever."

  The muscles in my neck tighten and I shake my head. "It's not like that. Listen. When I say this treatment is expensive, I mean expensive."

  "I know it is. The doctors said it's impossible to get for most people."

  "Leah, do you know exactly how expensive it really is?"

  She pauses, then shakes her head. "No. I guess I don't."

  "A full course costs over a billion dollars. It's manufactured from an extremely rare substance and they can only make one or two doses a year. Supply and demand."

  "That's completely crazy," she says, her eyes wide. "But Luke. You are a billionaire. If you really wanted my dad to have this treatment, you could just offer it without trying to get something out of me."

  "I may be a billionaire," I say. "But that doesn't mean I have a billion fucking dollars in cash just laying around in the bank. A few hundred million, yes. But I'm not Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. I'd have to liquidate every single asset I have in order to afford that treatment now. If I could afford it now, your dad would absolutely already be receiving it."

  "Okay… so how does getting fake engaged solve that problem?"

  "Listen," I say. "If I'm selected to be the CEO of this new company, then between all the cash bonuses, the stock options, and the perks, I'll be able to pay for your dad's treatment. And I'll get to keep my company."

  Leah's tears start to dry up as she thinks about it. "So what you're saying is that it's a win-win for both of us."

  "Right. I become CEO of the new company, and I'll be able to raise the cash for your dad to receive this treatment. And we can keep seeing each other. The engagement will be in name only. Nothing has to change between us. It's not like it's real."

  But deep down inside, I suspect that it's going to feel pretty fucking real, with the way I feel about Leah.

  "This is crazy," she says. "I never accept anything from anybody. Not even chicken wings. But now you're offering me one of the most expensive gifts imaginable... and it just might be the one situation where I can't say no."

  "It's up to you," I say. "Let's help each other."

  "But why me? Why not one of your other women?"

  "Because I trust you. Because you're important to me. Because I don't want to lose you."

  "You realize that if I agree to this, which would be crazy, it would be a total conflict of interest. A writer and a publisher CEO. People in this company do know who I am, Luke."

  "Yes," I say. "A handful of people. Mostly the editorial team. Your name isn't all over the company yet since you haven't published any books. I'll have to pay a few people off. But it'll be worth it."

  She shakes her head. "This is so crazy," she says. "I don't even know what to say right now. This is real life, not some game."

  She's not wrong. This is pretty crazy. After all, there are millions of plain girls in this country who would do exactly what I need in order to pull this off. No billion-dollar cancer treatment or emotions involved.

  But I haven't felt this way about anyone, ever. I don't care what it takes. It's not just because I want to spend every night getting to know her body, and how all her parts taste. It's not just that I want to trace my lips over every inch of her skin, and taste each one of the beautiful freckles on her radiant, perfect skin.

  No. It's all that, but it's also everything about who she is as a person. I think I love her, but I can't say that now. Not when all of this is on the line.

  There's only one way to keep everything I want, and it involves making Leah Price my fake fiancée.

  "Think about it," I say. "We can talk about the specific terms and conditions all you like."

  "You're right. I do need to think about this," she says, standing up. "I have to go. I'll get back to you."

  "Very well," I say. She turns and leaves my office.

  I can't help wondering if I'm going to ever see her again.

  The next morning, the first thing I do is check my phone for texts or calls from Leah. But there's nothing. Just a couple texts from my assistant and a massive list of business emails in my Gmail app.

  Ever since I achieved my success, I've practically had to beat women off my back. And yet the one time I actually need a fiancée, the woman I want is the one woman who can't be easily persuaded.

  But I can't sit around feeling sorry for myself. The office is getting busier than ever with the merger approaching. And whether or not it's Leah, I have to find a fiancée.

  After showering and doing 300 crunches and 100 pull-ups in the personal gymnasium located in the east wing of my house, I shower and text my assistant, or
dering a car to take me into work.

  When I swing open the heavy wooden front doors of my mansion, I can hardly believe my eyes.

  The rising sun sits in the background, illuminating the cityscape on the horizon. Thin cirrus clouds streak over the morning sky, and birds' chirping echoes over my rich, lush, property.

  And the craziest thing of all, is that Leah Price stands right on my porch. She's wearing sweatpants that hug her delicious thighs, and a loose-fitting t-shirt that looks like she slept in it. She looks absolutely beautiful.

  Next to her sit two suitcases. One large rolling black one, and a smaller handbag in which I see a zipper bag of toiletries and other personal items.

  "Leah," I say, almost stuttering. I fight to regain my composure. I'm used to dealing with unexpected situations all the time—hell, that's how I took Diamond House to the top of the publishing world. By taking everything in stride and not being afraid of the unknown and the unexpected.

  But nothing could have prepared me to see this gorgeous, sweet girl standing on my front patio.

  "Leah," I say again, finally getting it together. "What are you doing here?"

  "I thought about our discussion yesterday," she says, brushing her hair out of her face.

  "…Go on."

  "I don't want to give you up either. Let's do this, Luke Steele."

  13

  Leah

  "Let's do this, Luke Steele," I say.

  I look up into his piercing green eyes. They stand out so sharply against his pressed black suit, and I know that if I'm not careful, I could get lost in them. My heart pounds inside my chest. I can't believe that I'm actually here. It doesn't seem like real life yet.

  Why am I even agreeing to this? Who agrees to get engaged to someone on a whim?

  I guess the fact that it's Luke Steele has everything do with it. I tried to deny it to myself, but I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about Luke. I think I love him, but I'm scared to say it to him. This all happened so fast. But it feels so right.