An Offer He Can't Refuse

by Theresa Ragan

  “I’ll have to take a rain check on the pie,” he said. “But I do need to talk to you about something.”

  She went to the sink and washed her hands. The sudden seriousness of his tone made her heart thump wildly against her chest. Did he come today to tell her he couldn’t go through with the marriage? Of course he did. Gay or not, he was a man. Men were not dependable and they certainly didn’t stick around very long. “You’re not going to hurt my feelings if that’s what you’re worried about,” she lied. She would be depressed for weeks knowing she couldn’t even entice a gay man with a hundred thousand dollars.

  Grabbing a towel, she wiped her hands. “We hardly know each other, so I understand if you and Chris refuse to be a part of this.”

  A look of confusion swept over him. “I came here to ask you to the Starlight Ball this Friday night. I realize it’s late notice, but I—”

  “Did you say the Starlight Ball?” Her eyes widened. “The annual ball held at the Beverly Hills Hotel? The one that’s talked about for months afterwards?”

  He laughed. “That’s the one.”

  She jumped into his arms and hugged him tight before she remembered she smelled like fish. She stepped back and blushed. “I’m sorry,” she said as she grabbed a clean towel from the kitchen drawer and began wiping him off. “The Starlight Ball. I must be dreaming. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve dreamed of attending.” She looked at him again and stopped wiping with the cloth when she saw a funny look in his eye as he leaned toward her. Certain he was about to kiss her again, she closed her eyes, lifted her chin and softly puckered, waiting patiently for the kiss, hoping it wouldn’t be nearly as nice as yesterday, hoping it would disgust her this time so she could get over her infatuation with him.

  But seconds passed and nothing happened.

  She opened her eyes.

  He was still there, an all-knowing grin plastered on his face as he pulled loose a long, damp weed from her hair. “Here,” he said. “I thought it might be alive, but I was wrong.”

  Her face heated. She took the debris from him and disposed of it. Turning back toward him she said, “I really do need to get out of these clothes.”

  “You’ll go to the ball then?”

  “Oh, I would love to—” She shook her head. “—but I can’t. I’m sorry. I have nothing to wear. I couldn’t possibly.”

  “I’m sure you could find something. Besides, you’d be doing me a favor by coming. I have a client who’s partial to working with responsible men…men with families. Having my fiancée on my arm will help make a good impression.”

  She started to protest again, but found herself looking into his gorgeous eyes and knew in that moment she would regret it for the rest of her life if she said no. Besides, she would be helping him out by attending, and that’s what their relationship was all about. Helping each other and, in turn, helping the kids at CFC. “Yes,” she said. “I’ll go.”

  ~~~

  Stepping out of the shower an hour later, dripping wet, Madison inwardly scolded herself for agreeing to go to the ball. The thought of showing up at the ball in one of her old dresses, made her feel sick. She had no business attending such an event.

  Talk about being a fish out of water.

  She heard her cell phone ringing, but she couldn’t find the damn thing until she lifted the pillows from her bed. She snapped her cell open and listened, surprised to hear Heather’s voice. But then she remembered running into Barbara and the call suddenly made sense.

  “Heather,” she said. “How are you?”

  “I’m holding up considering all I’ve been through since Grandfather’s death and then Walter’s.”

  “I’m sure things have been difficult for you.”

  “Barbara told me she ran into you the other day at a coffee shop. Is it true? Are you getting married?”

  Yep, news traveled fast. “It’s true,” Madison conceded. “It was all sort of quick and unexpected.”

  “How wonderful for you. Barbara mentioned that your fiancé is quite handsome.”

  “Yes—yes, he is.”

  “I called to see if you were busy Friday evening. I was hoping to stop by and congratulate you in person.”

  “I’m afraid I won’t be here. Jackson is taking me to the Starlight Ball.”

  “My, my, you are full of surprises, aren’t you? Do you have a dress? I heard you’ve lost a lot of weight and I believe we are about the same height. You could borrow one of my gowns.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t.”

  “I insist. I have the perfect dress for you. The color would set off your exquisite blue eyes.”

  “I can’t impose, really.” Madison glanced at her bed, where she had already laid out the only three dresses she owned: a faded, flowery print; a very outdated hot-pink number; and a beige dress accented with big brass buttons.

  “I insist,” Heather said again.

  Madison couldn’t help but wonder if this was truly her step-cousin, Heather Garrett, the same person who had gone out of her way to make most of her life miserable? Back in high school, when Madison lived with Grandfather, Heather would steal every friend Madison brought home, especially boys. It didn’t matter that Heather was six years older, the boys loved the attention.

  On second thought, maybe she should borrow Heather’s dress.

  “That’s very generous of you, Heather. But only if you’re absolutely sure.”

  “I’ll have my driver deliver the dress and a few accessories first thing tomorrow.”

  After hanging up, Madison felt strange about borrowing Heather’s things. Her cousin never did anything just to be nice. What was she up to?

  Chapter Four

  Jackson glanced around the ballroom—ten thousand square feet of extravaganza. The room was set up for dancing beneath myriad crystal lights suspended from the soaring ceiling. He looked from the gold detailing above the doors and mirrors to the watch encircling his wrist.

  “Looks like you’ve been stood up,” Jamie said in that wry tone of his that often made Jackson’s teeth clench.

  “Madison said she was running late and insisted I meet her here,” Jackson informed his brother. “She should be here soon.”

  The two brothers stood near the entrance, each distracted by their own thoughts when Peter Bingham and his wife entered the ballroom. Jamie waved the Binghams forward and gave Mrs. Bingham a friendly kiss on the cheek. Irene Bingham was always the epitome of grace and charm…just like his little brother, Jackson thought.

  Jamie was in tip-top form tonight and Jackson was sure his brother already had all the ladies, young and old, dreaming of being held in his arms tonight.

  Peter Bingham shook Jackson’s hand. “So where is this lovely fiancée of yours?”

  “She’ll be arriving any moment,” Jamie cut in before Jackson could get a word out. “Madison spends her spare time helping the disadvantaged children in our fine city, and it seems, once again, she couldn’t pull herself away on time, not even for a spectacular event such as this. Isn’t that right, Jackson?”

  “How sweet,” Irene chimed in. “Not too many people like that left in the world, giving freely of their time…so willing to help others.”

  “That’s right,” Jamie agreed with exaggerated enthusiasm, “she’s one of a kind.”

  “I do believe your brother has piqued our curiosity,” Mr. Bingham commented.

  While Irene spoke to her husband, Jackson shot Jamie a menacing glare for putting him in such an awkward position. Madison should have been here thirty minutes ago. What was he thinking inviting a woman he hardly knew to an event such as this?

  The problem was that he wasn’t thinking at all.

  In fact, Jackson couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a rational thought… and there lie the crux of the problem. Every jumbled thought left Jackson the moment his gaze fell upon a beautiful woman entering the ballroom. The young woman was without an escort and everyone in the room seemed to be gazing her way as if Cin
derella herself had just arrived.

  A silk dress clung to her slender hips and dark curls swept over creamy shoulders.

  Without prompting of any sort, Cinderella looked his way.

  Jackson nearly choked.

  It wasn’t Cinderella at all.

  It was Madison Brown.

  No over-sized glasses framed her eyes tonight. A pale blue gown hugged her small waist, flowing to the ground in satiny waves. One shoulder peeked out from beneath a delicate shawl and her small breasts were thrust against the silky fabric for all to see.

  Admiration turned to anger when Jackson realized he’d been duped. Since meeting her, he hadn’t been able to erase the nagging voice that told him Madison Brown wasn’t the woman Heather said she was. The way Madison dressed, her mannerisms, her smile: none of her characteristics had jibed with Heather’s depiction of her.

  Until now.

  Less than twenty-four hours after Madison told him she had nothing to wear, she appeared with diamonds all but dripping from her throat and ears.

  ~~~

  Madison clutched her silk purse as if it were a lifeline. It had taken every bit of courage she could muster to leave the cab and enter the hotel ballroom. Not used to wearing makeup or dressing up, Madison didn’t feel like herself; she had yet to determine if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Admittedly, she felt like a princess. With long satiny gloves gliding past her elbows, upswept hair, and honest-to-God cleavage, not to mention the glittering jewels adorning her neck and ears, she’d hardly recognized herself in the mirror before she left home.

  Her gaze roamed over all the shimmering gowns and handsomely dressed men, making her feel thankful that Heather had been kind enough to loan her the gown along with all of the accessories. Maybe Heather had changed after Walter’s death. Perhaps losing the love of her life had stirred something deep within her heart, and now Heather wanted to make amends to the people she’d hurt in the past. All thoughts of Heather disappeared the moment she spotted Jackson.

  Her heart skipped a beat.

  Above the crisp whiteness of his shirt, his face looked bronzed and utterly captivating. He easily stood out from the crowd. The sight of his broad shoulders beneath a fitted tuxedo took her breath away. She felt tingly and hot beneath his gaze.

  As Jackson came forward, she noticed a frown creasing his brow. He took a small bow and said, “I’m glad you could join us.”

  His gruff tone and stiff manner confused her. “I’m sorry I’m late. I didn’t realize how much time all this primping would take. I’m used to throwing on the old—” She stopped herself in mid-sentence when she noticed a bored look on his face…as if he didn’t believe a word she was saying. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. I was just admiring your gown and those jewels.”

  An older gentleman came up behind Jackson. “So this is your lovely bride-to-be,” he said. An elderly woman stepped forward, too, introducing herself as Irene Bingham, Peter Bingham’s wife.

  Next to approach was a younger man who leaned into the huddle and tried to steer the older gentleman away. “I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong idea, Mr. Bingham. Jackson’s fiancée is charming, but this woman is not—”

  “—is not happy with me at all for failing to make introductions sooner,” Jackson interrupted, cutting the younger man off. “Peter and Irene, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Madison Brown.”

  “Very pleased to meet you,” Madison said, extending a gloved hand. Madison then offered her hand to the younger man. Instead of putting her gloved hand to his lips as the other men had done, this young man pulled her to his chest and gave her a tight squeeze.

  “That’s enough, little brother,” Jackson growled as he separated them. “That’ll do.”

  The young man took a step back. “My, my, but you look beautiful tonight, Madison.”

  Jackson had a brother?

  Irene chuckled. “Jamie is quite the charmer, isn’t he?”

  Playing along, Madison feigned a knowing smile. She had no idea Jackson had a brother. If not for the same dark eyes, she never would have guessed they were related.

  “If I were you, Jackson, I’d keep an eye on Jamie,” Peter Bingham said. “He might try to steal your bride-to-be right out from under you.”

  “I’m afraid she only has eyes for Jackson,” Jamie said sadly.

  Blushing, Madison glanced at Jackson, but he seemed to be a million miles away.

  ~~~

  Jackson watched Irene Bingham take Madison’s elbow and pilot her away as she chattered on excitedly about tonight’s affair.

  “Your fiancée is absolutely charming,” Peter said when the women were out of earshot.

  With his gaze sharply focused on Madison, Jackson nodded. Madison was a chameleon—bashful and nervous when they first met, skittish at the coffee shop, easy going and relaxed the other day in her kitchen, and now…tonight…something else altogether. Tonight it seemed she had cracked open her cocoon and was ready to flutter her wings.

  “I forgot to tell you,” Jamie told Jackson. “Bryce Archer was looking for you earlier.”

  The mention of Archer’s name, a major competitor and a man with a chip on his shoulder, caused a tic to set in Jackson’s jaw. The last man he wanted to see tonight was Bryce Archer.

  Peter Bingham wasn’t paying any attention to Jackson or Jamie. He was watching his wife as if he were seeing Irene for the first time. Obviously the man was very much in love with the woman he’d married so many years ago.

  “It appears my wife is ready to dance,” Mr. Bingham said. “Since I’m not getting any younger, I better get out there.” Excusing himself, Mr. Bingham caught up to the women, exchanged a few words with Madison, and then escorted his wife to the dance floor.

  Jackson turned to his brother. “We better keep an eye on Bingham. Archer’s going to try to get his clutches on the old man first chance he gets.”

  “How can you even worry about Archer when you’ve got a beautiful woman waiting to dance? Why didn’t you tell me she was knock-dead gorgeous?”

  “Looks can be deceiving. She’s here for the same reason Archer is…money.”

  “I do believe that’s why we’re all here,” Jamie replied. “Regardless, that rock around her neck must be worth enough to support all of us for the next twenty years. She doesn’t look hard-up for cash to me.”

  “I would have to agree,” Jackson said. “According to Heather, she spends money faster than the Federal Reserve can issue it.”

  “Ah, well, if Heather says so, it must be true.”

  Jackson angled a brow at his brother.

  “Are you going to dance with the insatiable monster, or not?” Jamie asked.

  “You go ahead. There are some people I need to talk to.”

  ~~~

  Madison watched Jackson cast her a fleeting nod before he walked off in the other direction, his complete lack of manners leaving her baffled. Was he annoyed with her for being late? The man had some nerve inviting her here and then pretending she didn’t exist.

  Jamie approached her and offered his hand. “Sorry about all the confusion when you first arrived. Jamie Lang’s the name.”

  She took his offered hand. Was he the same “Jamie” she’d spoken to on the phone when she’d called Jackson’s office? Did L & L stand for Lang and Lang? If so, that would mean Jackson Lang was rich…which meant he couldn’t possibly need the money she had offered him.

  “Sorry if I was presumptuous earlier,” Jamie added after she failed to say anything. “I don’t usually take such liberties with women I hardly know.”

  “Now why do I find that hard to believe?” She smiled. “You are the same Jamie I spoke to on the phone the other day, aren’t you?”

  He raised his hands to the air. “Guilty as charged. I promise, though, I spoke nothing but the truth.”

  “Let’s see,” Madison put a gloved finger to her chin. “You did mention the words pigheaded and stubborn, which somehow leads me to believ
e that you were indeed telling the truth, Mr. Lang.”

  The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  A charming man, she thought. He had the same rich brown eyes as Jackson’s. But Jamie’s face was lit up with delight, while Jackson’s expression seemed to relay an underlying irritation with the world…or maybe just with her. It was hard to tell.

  ~~~

  It was going to be a long night, Jackson figured, since he was beginning to see that Heather was right about Madison. He couldn’t get over the innocent act she’d played out in her kitchen the other day. Telling him she didn’t own a dress, and then appearing tonight wearing all but the crown jewels.

  But what did it matter?

  If Peter Bingham believed he was about to become a responsible family man, L & L Developing would get the contract they deserved and everybody would win. More importantly, if Jackson went through with this farce, he would be fulfilling his obligation to Walter.

  An hour later, after mingling and hobnobbing until his jaw ached from smiling, Jackson made his way through the crowd. He was in a surly mood, and he didn’t want to be here. He wanted to find Madison and find an excuse to leave early.

  “Hey, Jackson, there you are.” His friend Collin waved him over from the bar.

  Jackson maneuvered his way around silk gowns and tuxedos to get to his friend. He pulled out a stool and took a seat.

  “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days,” Collin said. “Whatever happened with those crazy women we met?”

  Jackson ordered a drink. “I’m not sure you want to know.” He’d hoped to avoid Collin tonight, but he should’ve known better. As owner of Access Computers, Collin was one of the most sought-after bachelors in Los Angeles. There wasn’t a function one hundred miles outside of Los Angeles that he wasn’t invited to. What not many people knew was that he would forever remain a bachelor. Collin had fallen in love at a young age, and he’d fallen hard. Unbeknownst to family and friends, he and Debra had eloped. Before they could share their news with the world, it was discovered that she had leukemia. Three months later, she died at her home surrounded by family. Something inside of Collin had died along with her.