The Tycoon's Scandalous Proposition--A Marriage of Convenience Romance

by Miranda Lee

  ‘It’s very nice of you to say so.’

  ‘Not at all. It’s the truth. I never say things just to be nice.’

  Not until tonight, that is. For some weird and wonderful reason Blake felt uncharacteristically compelled to be nice to Kate. Very nice. And it wasn’t just because he wanted to have sex with her. Right from the first moment he’d set eyes on her sad-looking self she’d brought out the gallant in him. Which was unusual. Because a white knight with women Blake was not—especially since Claudia’s betrayal.

  Quite frankly he could be a bit of a bastard where the opposite sex was concerned. Especially if the girl was an ambitious young actress who made it obvious when they met that she was his for the taking—not because of a genuine attraction but because sleeping with him would further her career.

  Kate was different, though. A different sort of girl. A different sort of actress.

  He’d given her every opportunity to flirt with him. And flatter him. But she’d done neither. He liked that. He liked that a lot.

  ‘Would the bridesmaid please smile?’ the photographer snapped impatiently. ‘This is a wedding, not a funeral.’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  BUT IT IS a funeral, Kate wanted to wail. It was the death of her dream to marry Lachlan herself one day.

  A stupid dream, really. Stupid and futile—especially once he’d met Maddie.

  Of course she should never have taken him home. But she’d honestly thought it would be safe, with Maddie practically engaged. How had she been supposed to know that they would take one look at each other and fall head over heels in love?

  Well, you should have known, you idiot!

  Not that it would have made any difference.

  Get real, you fool. Even before he met Maddie Lachlan had three years to notice you in that way. But he didn’t and he never would have! You’re not his type—which is blonde and beautiful, with buckets of self-esteem and a sense of self-entitlement to rival royalty. Somehow that description doesn’t fit you, dear heart. Not even remotely.

  A very strong male arm suddenly wound around her waist, pulling her firmly against his side and propelling Kate out of her self-pitying thoughts. Glancing up at Blake, she encountered narrowed blue eyes giving her a warning look.

  ‘If you don’t start smiling properly,’ he whispered into her ear, ‘I’ll start thinking you can’t act your way out of a paper bag.’

  Kate blinked, then swallowed and straightened her spine—after which she rewarded him with a beaming smile. Because no way did she want Blake Randall thinking she couldn’t act. Hadn’t she resolved earlier to try to use the opportunity of meeting him to her advantage? It would be utterly foolish to ignore a man of his influence and contacts. If she couldn’t have Lachlan’s love, then at least she could have a career.

  ‘That’s better,’ he said, smiling down at her.

  Her spirits lifted again, as they had earlier when he’d smiled at her. Kate couldn’t quite understand why he was as interested in her as he seemed to be—but who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth?

  The photos were still a trial—especially when she and Blake mostly had to stand to one side and witness Maddie and Lachlan having endless shots taken of just the two of them in all sorts of romantic poses and clinches.

  Maddie had confessed to Kate that morning that they’d already sold their wedding photos to a well-known tabloid—which wasn’t surprising. Her sister was very money-hungry. Celebrity-hungry, too. They were certainly a well-matched couple in that regard; Kate was well aware of Lachlan’s love of fame.

  She winced as she watched him kiss his blushing bride for the umpteenth time.

  If she’d been alone with Blake, Kate might have been able to distract herself by chatting about movies. But, no, fate wasn’t going to be that kind. Her parents were now hurrying over to them, demanding to be introduced, and gushing like mad over the bride and groom.

  After what felt like for ever, but was probably only a few minutes, Blake suddenly took her arm and said, ‘You must excuse us, folks, but we really have to speak to Byron ASAP.’

  He didn’t explain further, just swept a relieved Kate away.

  ‘Are they always like that?’ he growled as he snatched two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, pressing one into Kate’s hand.

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Raving about your sister like she’s a bloody princess. They never said a word about how gorgeous you look. It was all about Maddie—Little Miss Perfect and oh, so clever to have snared herself a husband like Lachlan.’ He snorted at that. ‘They won’t be saying that in a couple of years’ time.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, a little flustered by his saying she looked gorgeous.

  ‘Damn it,’ he said, gulping his glass of champagne before giving her a slightly sheepish look. ‘I probably shouldn’t be saying this. Though maybe you already suspect?’

  ‘Suspect what?’

  ‘That where the opposite sex is concerned Lachlan is a rat. No, more of a cat. A tom cat. He can’t keep it in his pants for long. Trust me when I say that being married won’t stop him from sleeping around. I walked in on him having sex with a make-up girl just a few weeks ago. Long after his engagement to your sister.’

  Possibly Kate shouldn’t have been shocked—Lachlan had garnered quite a reputation during his years at NIDA—but she was.

  ‘Poor Maddie,’ she said, and downed half of her glass of champagne.

  ‘I agree with you. If she truly loves Lachlan then she’s in for a bumpy road.’

  What an odd thing to say, Kate thought. If she truly loves him. Of course Maddie truly loved him. Lachlan was the sort of man who inspired love. Every time Kate looked at him she felt that tightening in her stomach, that wave of longing. So nowadays she tried not to look at him. It was easier that way.

  She did go and see his movies, though. Which was the worst form of masochism since they were all love stories and always had at least one sex scene. But she simply could not resist.

  ‘Is that why you were upset earlier?’ Byron asked her. ‘Because you’re worried about your sister’s future happiness?’

  Kate stared up into his deeply set blue eyes, which held a surprisingly sympathetic expression at that moment. And there she’d been, believing he was some kind of ruthless bastard. Not so, it seemed.

  ‘Yes,’ she lied, for how could she tell him that it was her own future happiness that had been worrying her?

  He reached out to touch her wrist lightly. ‘No point in worrying about other people’s marriages. What will be will be.’

  Kate didn’t know what to think. Her thoughts were somewhat scattered. How could Lachlan do something like that? It had certainly tarnished her opinion of him. Not her love, however. That didn’t tarnish quite so easily.

  Suddenly she frowned at Blake. ‘Why did you agree to be Lachlan’s best man when it’s obvious you don’t like him very much?’

  He shrugged. ‘Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike Lachlan. He’s not a bad fellow. Just weak when it comes to women throwing themselves at him. Which they do. All the time. Look, he asked me to be his best man and I said yes. Call it a business move rather than a measure of close friendship. The publicity will be good for our next movie, which should be coming out in the New Year. Too late, unfortunately, to be up for any awards this year, but I couldn’t get it edited and distributed any earlier.’

  ‘I see. And is that also why you organised for the wedding to be held here? For the added publicity?’

  ‘No. I didn’t think of that at the time. When the other venue burnt down we still had a couple of weeks’ shooting to complete in Hawaii, and I couldn’t afford for my leading man to keep getting hysterical phone calls from his fiancée. So I stepped in and fixed things. Now, I think they’re waiting for us to go into the marquee for the reception. We’ll be o
n the same table, but I doubt we’re seated side by side—worst luck. Still, there’ll be a party and dancing afterwards. Then we can talk some more.’

  He put a firm hand in the small of her back and gently pushed her towards the entrance to the marquee. It felt good, that hand. Very...reassuring. Also very intimate.

  She sneaked a quick glance up into his deep blue eyes, startled when they bored back down into hers with the sort of lustful look men usually reserved for Maddie.

  The realisation that Blake Randall lusted after her was flattering, but also very flustering. Her whole body tightened in response, which threw her. She couldn’t possibly lust after Blake Randall in return, could she? Surely not. She was just shocked, that was all.

  And yet...

  She glanced over at him again, this time focusing on his mouth and recalling how she’d wondered earlier in the proceedings what it would be like to kiss him.

  Exciting, she decided, her heartbeat quickening. Exciting and risky. Very risky. Because he wouldn’t want to stop at kissing.

  Kate knew in theory that love and lust didn’t have to reside together. But she’d never experienced one without the other. Which was why her very limited forays into sex had been such disasters—and why, for the last four years, she hadn’t had a proper boyfriend or been to bed with anyone. How could she after falling so deeply in love with Lachlan?

  Yet as she stared at Blake Randall’s perversely sexy mouth she could not dismiss the notion that she just might enjoy going to bed with him despite not loving him. Not that she would. She wasn’t that sort of girl. She wasn’t like Maddie, who’d been jumping into men’s beds at the drop of a hat since she was sixteen.

  Besides, you don’t really want to go to bed with him, Kate told herself firmly. You’re just flattered that he fancies you. That’s what this is all about. Not true lust. Just your poor pathetic ego, desperate for someone to show some interest in you. Now, stop ogling the man and get some perspective!

  Just in time she wrenched her eyes away from his mouth. But it was too late. His lips were drawing back into a knowing smile. He’d already seen her staring at him.

  ‘First dance is mine,’ he said with a devilish twinkle in his eyes. ‘Don’t forget.’

  Relief claimed Kate as the wedding planner bustled over to them, interrupting what was becoming an awkward situation.

  Her name was Clare. She was about fifty, a sleekly attractive blonde with an air of self-importance somewhat like the photographer’s. They were in business together, Maddie’s mother having hired them because they were supposedly ‘the best’.

  ‘Do come along, Kate,’ the woman said, and glanced at her watch. ‘You too, Mr Randall. We are now running behind schedule.’

  Blake rolled his eyes at Kate after Clare had departed to hurry up some of the other guests.

  ‘Irritating woman,’ he muttered as he steered Kate over to their table. ‘Do you know she had the hide to ask to see my speech? Claimed she needed to check if it was too long.’

  ‘How rude!’

  ‘That’s what I thought. Lord knows how people like that stay in business. Anyway, I didn’t show it to her because I haven’t written one. I just assured her it would be the shortest best man’s speech in history. Which it will be. I detest long speeches.’

  Kate gnawed at her bottom lip. ‘You’re not going to say anything...revealing, are you?’

  ‘About Lachlan being a player, you mean?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Of course not. That’s not my place. My role tonight is to be complimentary and charming and funny.’ Blake laughed at the doubtful look on her face. ‘Don’t worry. I can be all of those things when I need to be. I’m actually a very good actor myself.’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  BLAKE WAS AS good as his word, keeping his best man’s speech very short and very witty, heaping gushing compliments on the bride and hearty praise on the groom, refraining from any of the usual tasteless double entendres concerning the groom’s past behaviour with the opposite sex, and finishing up by toasting the happy couple with gusto.

  I really am a good actor, he decided when he sat down to huge applause less than five minutes after he’d stood up. Because it had certainly gone against the grain for him to say the overly nice things he had. He hadn’t lied for Lachlan’s sake, of course, or for the bride, but for Kate, whom he could see had been upset by his revelation about Lachlan’s lack of morals.

  He regretted telling her now. It had been unnecessary. He’d achieved nothing except to increase her anxiety over the future of her sister’s happiness. Clearly she was fond of her sister, despite her parents’ obvious favouritism for the younger girl.

  He cringed when he recalled the father of the bride’s over-effusive speech about his perfect younger daughter. It had been sick-making. If he’d been Kate he would have walked out. Or thrown something at him. But she’d just sat there, sipping champagne and smiling, even laughing at some of her father’s gushing stories about Maddie as a little girl.

  She was an incredibly generous and sweet-natured soul. Odd, given her chosen career. Aspiring actresses were rarely sweet. Unless they were faking it. And Blake felt confident she wasn’t.

  He smiled when he thought of her smallish breasts and her lack of false eyelashes. No. Nothing fake about Kate Holiday.

  Which was one of the reasons he found her so attractive.

  She found him attractive too.

  Blake was an expert in female body language, and he’d noticed her reaction to his none-too-subtle compliments. She liked them, but didn’t quite know how to react to them. Didn’t seem to know how to flirt.

  Not like her sister. He might not have met the bride before, but he’d seen her in action tonight—both with the celebrant and the photographer and also himself, to a degree. Not that she’d actually said anything to him yet. There’d been no opportunity. But she’d fluttered her false eyelashes at him whenever she’d had a chance, her smile both sweetly coy and smoulderingly sexy at the same time.

  She was a piece of work, all right. Lachlan just might have met his match with Maddie Holiday.

  Finally the interminable meal and the speeches were over and the happy couple rose, leaving the table to go and cut their three-tiered wedding cake.

  Blake immediately moved into the bride’s vacant chair so that he could talk to Kate. ‘So what did you think?’ he asked her on a teasing note. ‘Did my speech meet with your approval?’

  She smiled at him, her expression wry. ‘You’re right. You’re a very good actor. You didn’t mean a single word of it, did you?’

  ‘I meant the bit I slipped in about the beautiful bridesmaid. I didn’t think the groom complimented you enough in his speech. Now, the dancing will start soon. I’ve been to a few weddings in my time, so I know the routine. First the bride and groom will do the bridal waltz, and then we’ll all be invited to join them on the dance floor.’

  ‘Yes, I know,’ she said. ‘I have been to the odd wedding or two as well. Though never as a bridesmaid.’

  ‘Never?’ That surprised him, given her age and her niceness. ‘But you must have loads of girlfriends. Haven’t any of them got married yet?’

  ‘Actually, no,’ she said.

  ‘No, you haven’t got loads of girlfriends? Or no, none of them have got married yet?’

  ‘I do have a few girlfriends from my years at NIDA, but no one so close that they would ask me to be a bridesmaid.’

  ‘What about from school?’

  ‘No. I wasn’t popular at school. I was considered a nerd. And not very cool.’

  ‘I find that hard to believe,’ he said, but he was lying.

  He could see that she was on the reserved, rather introverted side. He’d been very popular at school—perhaps because he’d been a rebel. There was no rebel in Kate. Not a great deal of confidence, either. How on
earth did she expect to succeed as an actress if she didn’t exude confidence?

  Still, she had him to help her now. She just didn’t know it yet. It was probably not the right time or place to offer her a part in one of his movies tonight. Or to try to seduce her, either.

  But he couldn’t let the grass grow under his feet. He was flying back to LA in a few days. And Blake had no intention of going back without having some delicious sex with this delightful creature, as well as giving her career a much-needed boost.

  He would invite her out to dinner tomorrow night. Somewhere seriously good. After which he would take her back to the city penthouse he was staying in. It belonged to Byron, but he wasn’t using it much now that he’d moved into this absolutely gorgeous harbour-side mansion.

  ‘What about boyfriends?’ he asked, wanting to know the lie of the land before he got his hopes up too high. Not that a boyfriend would stop him now. The more time he spent with Kate the more he wanted her.

  ‘What?’ she said, blinking up at him.

  God, she did have lovely eyes. And so expressive. Perfect for the camera.

  ‘You said you don’t have loads of girlfriends,’ he went on, ‘but you’ve surely had loads of boyfriends. There must be one at the moment.’

  A strange cloud dulled her eyes. Strange, because he couldn’t read the emotion behind it. What was it? Not distress. Or dismay. Sadness again? Yes, that was it. Sadness. A very deep sadness. He wondered if she’d had a serious boyfriend and something dreadful had happened to him. He couldn’t imagine any man worth his salt dumping Kate, so what else could it be?

  Only death, Blake decided, warranted this depth of sadness. A very recent death, possibly. That would explain everything that had puzzled him about her tonight. It might also explain why she hadn’t responded all that strongly to his none-too-subtle overtures. Perhaps by finding him attractive—and he was pretty sure she did—she felt she was betraying her loved one.

  Blake pulled himself up sharply before he got carried away. Which he did sometimes. Nothing worse than being a movie-maker. He found drama in every situation. The reality was probably nothing like what he was imagining.