She nodded, letting Collin know that she was indeed talking to him. Madison didn’t know what made her change her mind, exactly. Maybe Collin looked safer, a little less movie-star gorgeous. “I have an offer to make you that I hope you can’t refuse.” Although they were in the middle of a crowded bar, she felt suffocated by the silence. “I need a husband.”
As if she had leprosy, Collin pushed away from the table. “And?”
Her palms were sweating. “And I was hoping you might be interested.”
Collin’s jaw dropped, but no words came out.
“I’ll pay you one hundred thousand dollars after three months of marriage,” she quickly added. Her throat felt drier than a martini, but somehow she managed to blurt out all the details of her proposal.
After she finished, Jackson winked at her, launching her right back to reality, which at the moment seemed to be analogous to the Twilight Zone. Why would he do such a thing? Did he think this was some sort of joke?
Collin’s wide-eyed look of disbelief would have been laughable if her situation wasn’t so darn depressing.
“Let me get this straight,” Collin said, laying both palms flat on his chest. “You want me to marry you for three months. During that time I’m supposed to pretend to be madly in love with you in front of family and friends?” He scratched his chin, making the seconds feel like hours. “Feel free to stop me if I heard wrong.”
Nobody said a word.
“When the three months are up,” Collin continued, “you hand me a check in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars to stay out of your life forever. Do I have it all straight?”
A lump formed in Madison’s throat. “That’s right,” she said, despising the uncertainty in her own voice and the humiliation burning inside of her. Begging some stranger to marry her for money—what was she doing? If he refused, she wouldn’t ever put herself through this again. She’d known enough humiliation for one lifetime.
Her stomach knotted as she waited for an answer.
Collin burst out laughing. People at a nearby table looked over to see what was so amusing. Madison’s cheeks heated.
For the first time in her life, Jen appeared to be speechless.
Madison’s temples throbbed. The headache she’d been trying to overlook for the past hour burst forth, hitting the front of her skull with a blinding flash. She shut her eyes, put a hand to her forehead, and waited for the bright light to dissolve. It wasn’t working. She could see the boys in sixth grade laughing at her, teasing her about her weight, pulling her hair at recess and calling her names. Flash forward to prom night. She came out of her room in the dress she’d made herself, her father stooped over in a drunken laughter after telling her she looked like the pumpkin that Cinderella rode in.
And now this man—a complete stranger—laughing at her.
“Sorry,” Collin said, “I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just that I’m definitely not the man you’re looking for, not even close. I’m not the marrying type and neither is my friend here.” He stood. When Jackson didn’t budge, he added, “Then again, you never know. It’s been an interesting night. I’ve gotta go, buddy. Ladies, it’s been a pleasure.”
The waitress returned with their drinks. Collin threw a few bills on her tray and walked away.
Madison watched him leave.
Jackson didn’t try to stop him. Instead, he reached over and touched her arm. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Please. Go with your friend. Don’t let us keep you.”
Jen gave him an apologetic shrug of her shoulders.
“You really need a husband?” he asked.
Madison looked deep into the man’s eyes. “It may sound comical to you and your friend, but unfortunately, it’s not a joke. My grandfather thought he was doing me a favor by forcing me to marry.”
Appearing to consider her words, he regarded her for a moment, his eyes dark, thoughtful. He raked his hand through his hair and said, “I guess it’s settled then.”
“What’s settled?”
“I’ll do it.”
Madison blinked. “Do what?”
“I’ll marry you.”
Jen grinned.
Madison pushed her glasses a notch higher and stared at him with disbelief. Clearly, Jackson was dark—his hair, his shadowed jaw, his eyes. He also came across as dauntless, wearing confidence as if it were cologne. How could she risk being around this man day and night? Her heart had been broken too many times and was only hanging together by a thread. “I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “This was a mistake. For the first time in weeks I’m beginning to see what a bad idea this was.”
Jen shot her a murderous look from across the table.
“I only made the offer because you struck me as sort of desperate,” Jackson admitted.
Madison snorted. “I am not desperate.”
He raised both hands as if in surrender. “I meant your situation. I thought you were—”
“Desperate,” Madison finished for him, nauseated by the realization that he was right.
His mouth formed a crooked smile. “I guess that’s what I meant after all.”
Madison wondered why he was doing this. He didn’t know her from Eve, but he was offering to marry her. What kind of man would marry a stranger for money? A very poor one, she thought. But with his well-tailored jacket and expensive watch, he appeared to be far from lacking. More than likely he was wondering what kind of woman would pay a complete stranger to be her husband. She frowned. If only she didn’t have to stoop to something so…unethical…so risky…so downright awful in order to help those kids.
Madison folded her arms across her chest. “Why?” she asked. “Why would you do it?”
“Because I promised myself I would do one good deed a week. This pretty much takes care of the next few years.”
“Very funny.”
He didn’t flinch. “Let’s just say I have my reasons, and I would prefer to keep them just that—mine.”
“Well, that’s fine,” Madison said, annoyed by his mystery-man attitude, “but I’ll need your first and last name at the very least.”
“Jackson Lang,” he offered.
“If you’re serious about this, Mr. Lang, I’m sure you won’t mind if I do a background check on you first. Something I would do for any new client.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, especially since I plan to do the same.”
Her hand flew to her chest. “A background check on me?”
“You have something to hide?”
Jen laughed, breaking into their exchange. “It would take all of two minutes to learn about Madison Brown. She has no social life whatsoever. She’s responsible, fairly dependable, and she—”
One piercing glare was all it took to stop Jen mid-sentence.
Madison turned back to Jackson. “How about we meet again in a few days to discuss this further…in private?”
“Wednesday’s good,” he said. “Meet me at the Hollywood Café on the corner of Second and Fifth.”
“It would have to be after work.”
“Six-thirty then.”
They all stood.
Madison shook his hand when he offered it. His warm touch sent a wave of hot tingles up her arm. Taking note of his long, tanned fingers, and feeling the way her body responded in pulsating flutters, she jerked her hand away, unable to bury the feeling that she was making a deal with the devil and she was about to get seriously burned.
Chapter Two
The next day Jackson Lang walked into the L & L building on the corner of Dayton and Camden and headed for his office. In the last six years, his company, L & L Developing, had grown from a half dozen employees to triple that amount and now a maze of cubicles took up nearly three thousand square feet of office space.
His administrative assistant strode toward him, her short blond hair bobbing up and down. “Thank goodness you’re here,” she said, following him as he continued toward his office. “Mr. C
rawford and Mr. Blake are waiting for you in conference room B. Mr. Milburn left over an hour ago and Heather Garrett is waiting in your office.”
Jackson tried not to show his disappointment. He knew why Heather was here and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with her emotions right now. Her husband, Walter Garrett, had been like a father to him, taking him and his brother under his wing after their mother passed away more than fifteen years ago. Three years after Jackson and his brother moved into Walter’s house, Walter met and married Heather, a woman half Walter’s age. Since Walter’s death months ago, Heather had become increasingly insecure and worrisome.
“Is there a problem?” his admin asked. “Mrs. Garrett assured me you were expecting her.”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said. “Tell Crawford and Blake I’ll be right with them. And call Mr. Milburn to reschedule. Give him my apologies.” He took two more steps before turning back to face her. “Has my brother returned from Chicago?”
“He’s in his office. Should I send for him?”
“Not until I’m finished with Mrs. Garrett.”
She nodded.
Jackson continued down the carpeted aisle until he came to his office. He pushed through the heavy oak doors. Across the room he noticed sharp stiletto heels accenting long legs, crossed at the knees, swaying in time to the tap, tap, tap of long blood-red nails on his mahogany desk.
He went to his desk, catching a glimpse of Wilshire Boulevard through the window before he turned to face Heather.
“Any luck last night?” she asked before he could say hello. Her voice was smooth and low, like the purr of a Siamese. At thirty-five, they were the same age, but with her flawless skin and slender shape she didn’t look a day over thirty.
“I finally ran into your cousin, Madison, if that’s what you mean,” Jackson said. “I hardly recognized her. She looks much different than the photo you gave me. How is it that I never met her before?”
“Grandfather didn’t get out much, being that he was confined to a wheelchair.”
“So Madison took care of him?”
Heather waved away the notion. “He had maids and nurses to attend to his every need. Madison lived at his house, but she spent most of her time fretting over her drunk of a father.”
Jackson took off his coat and hung it on the stand behind him. “I see.”
“So, what happened when you finally ran into her? What did Madison say?”
“She was with a friend,” Jackson said, “but you were right—she’s looking for a husband.”
Heather came to her feet. “I knew it!”
Jackson flipped through the pile of mail on his desk, ignoring her excitement. He looked up and said, “She asked my friend, Collin, to marry her.”
Heather’s face paled.
“Not to worry,” Jackson added. “Collin has no idea what’s going on and he doesn’t need the money any more than I do. He turned her down flat. That’s when I stepped in. Madison and I are meeting again on Wednesday.”
Heather sighed with obvious relief.
Jackson frowned. “Your finances are worse than you’ve let on, aren’t they? Walter and I went over your accounts only a few months before he died. Financially the two of you were set. What happened?”
“The accounts haven’t been touched,” Heather assured him. “How many times do I have to explain all of this? Nothing happened. It’s not the money. It’s the principle of the matter that drives me to stop my so-called cousin from getting Grandfather’s money. That money belongs to me. Madison Brown isn’t even a blood relative.”
“But she’s your cousin.”
“My Aunt Lorraine made the mistake of marrying the town drunk, Dwayne Brown, and thus took on the burden of raising his daughter. Madison was a year old at the time. Now she’s all grown up and she’s a lot like her deadbeat father—a conniving opportunist who charmed her way into my grandfather’s heart—and more importantly, into his trust account.”
“Listen,” Jackson said as he moved closer. “If you’re not struggling financially, that means none of this marriage business is necessary. Let your cousin marry whoever she wants. Let her have her share of the trust. People are entitled to leave their money to whomever they choose. Don’t waste your energy on this.”
“We’ve been over this, Jackson. Why don’t you understand?” Heather’s fingers gripped the chair. “Since Madison was a small child, she always had everybody fooled. Grandfather thought she was a saint. But I know—” Heather held tight to his forearm. “I know what she is. Madison is greedy and manipulative. If she finds a husband in time, she’ll fritter Grandfather’s money away within months. That’s why I need you to marry her. After you accept Madison’s proposal, marry her, and then pull out before her thirtieth birthday, she won’t have time to find anyone else to take advantage of. She’ll be ineligible to receive any of the trust and grandfather’s millions can be used to help those less fortunate—just as he wanted.”
As if it pained her to talk about it, Heather put a hand to her temple in an overly dramatic fashion. “Jackson, you must do this for me. If Walter and I hadn’t provided you and your brother with the necessary resources, your business wouldn’t be thriving as it is now. L & L is on its way to the top. Clients are lining up at your door. Do this one thing for me and I’ll never ask another favor of you.”
Everything Heather said about him owing her and Walter was true. Walter had taken him and his brother into his home. Without Walter, who knew where he and his brother, Jamie, would be right now. Even now, after all these weeks, it pained him to think of never seeing Walter again. He missed the old man.
“The marriage will be over in the blink of an eye,” Heather went on. “You’re never home, and even if you were, you’ll hardly see one another in that big house of yours. When the time is right, my attorney will write up the annulment papers and you’ll be able to put this all behind you.”
Jackson exhaled.
Heather peered into his eyes. “It’s terrible of me to ask you to do this when you’re still mourning Walter, isn’t it? You must think I’m cruel to ask such a thing of you.”
Jackson exhaled. Walter had never asked anything of him until the very end when he’d asked Jackson to promise him he would take care of Heather when he was gone, concerned that his young wife wouldn’t be able to take care of herself. How could Jackson say no? “If marrying your cousin for a few months is so important to you, then it’s the least I can do.”
She stepped close and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Jackson. Walter would’ve been so proud.”
A knock sounded at the door. Jackson’s brother, Jamie, walked in before Jackson could reply. Standing in the doorway, in a tailored suit the color of sand and a silk tie a shade darker, Jamie lifted a brow, obviously surprised to see Heather.
Only the best for his little brother, Jackson thought, eyeing the Rolex around his brother’s wrist and the Ferragamos on his feet. With his tawny colored hair streaked with blond and his year-round tan, Jamie still managed to look like he’d just come in from the surf.
“Heather,” Jamie said, acknowledging her with a cursory nod before turning his attention to Jackson. “Do you have a minute?”
“Did you hear me say, ‘come in’?” Jackson asked.
Jamie slid his hands deep into his pants pockets, jingling his change. “Had I known you two had grown so close, I might have waited. Thought you might want to know that Crawford and Blake have left the building. Thanks to me, they left smiling. Now are you two finished comforting one another, or should I come back later?”
Heather gathered her things. “I better go. I’ve kept you long enough.”
Jackson never understood the bitterness between his brother and Heather, but sadly he’d grown accustomed to it.
Jackson walked Heather to the door. When she was gone, he turned to Jamie. “Do you mind telling me what that was all about?”
Jamie pointed a finger at him. “That woman is up to something.�
��
“Come on. She’s a woman who knows her own mind. What’s wrong with that? For more than a decade she had Walter to look after—”
“And now it’s time she took care of herself.”
“We owe it to Walter to help her,” Jackson said firmly. “If it weren’t for him, neither of us would’ve had the opportunities we’ve had. You certainly wouldn’t be standing there in one of those Zegna suits you’re so fond of.”
“Well, you do what you have to, big brother, but I say it’s time to let her grow up.”
Jackson shook his head, expecting as much from Jamie. “Heather’s not so bad if you just give her a chance.”
“Yeah, and lions make good pets as long as you don’t pet them.”
“Well then, maybe it’s time you quit worrying about other people’s affairs,” Jackson said, “and concentrate on all the work piling up around here.”
“So, what did Heather want this time—more money?”
“Not exactly.” Jackson stared into Jamie’s dark eyes, the one feature that tied them together physically as true biological brothers. “She wants me to marry her cousin.”
~~~
On Wednesday, Madison entered the Hollywood Hills Café at six twenty. She had ten minutes to spare before Jackson was due to arrive. Her eyes were puffy after tossing and turning all night and her insides were wound up as taut as kite string on a windy day.
She took a seat near the window and tried not to look at her reflection staring back at her. She looked down at the worn denim pants and scolded herself for being so stubborn. Jen would die if she knew she’d come to meet Jackson dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, but the last thing Madison wanted to do was lead Jackson on and make him think this was anything more than a business arrangement, so she’d made a quick change out of her suit after work. She’d also exchanged her contacts for eyeglasses. The mere thought of a man like Jackson noticing her at all made her roll her eyes. More than likely, he dated tall, voluptuous blonds.
After her break-up with Steve, she’d made a deal with herself. She would never change her wardrobe, her hair, or anything else for a man. She’d lost over twenty pounds since then, but getting healthy and losing weight was something she’d done for herself.
An Offer He Can't Refuse Page 2