Get it together, Jillian.
Her throat tight, Jillian reigned in her overactive imagination. This wasn’t real. Lex wanted a fake wife, so the wedding would not be real. Still, it was a perfect solution to her financial problems.
“You think you can fool your family and this, uh, Mr. Hujimura?”
“With your help, yes.” He leaned back, confidence written on his face. “I’m willing to pay whatever you ask.”
Jillian blew out a breath. This could be an actress’ dream, a nest egg. She could retire and never do stunts for some snooty Hollywood bitch ever again. Bottom line was she needed the money and he wasn’t doing this for selfish reasons either. His cousin needed him.
“Okay, Lex. I’m in. I’ll do it. I’m okay with the figures we discussed, but I’d like to discuss other terms.”
The waiter removed their plates and another came with the dessert cart. They both declined dessert and went with coffee. Lex reached inside the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and a monogrammed pen.
“This is a rough draft of the contract. Take a look at it, add or change whatever you want. Then we’ll discuss it and draw up the final draft.”
~*~
Lex sipped his coffee and studied Jillian as she read the document. It was simple and to the point. He’d drafted it, not wanting his lawyers involved.
Her teeth sunk into her lower lip, making him wish he could lean forward and sooth the soft flesh. Until they decided to take their relationship to the next level, he was going to be in a constant state of arousal. She frowned, and he stopped focusing on his needs.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I can buy my own clothes,” she said, throwing him a rebellious glance.
“My wife is expected to dress a certain way, otherwise people will think I’m not a generous husband.”
“Fake husband,” she mumbled.
He chuckled. “You are not to use your money for expenses during our contract, Jillian. I have accounts you can use at various stores, and I plan to set up more in your name in stores catering to women only.” She opened her mouth, but he shook his head. “This is not negotiable.”
“You’re a bully, Alexander.”
He grinned, not in the least repentant. He knew he was being selfish and manipulating the situation, but he wanted this woman and planned to have her.
“I’m also keeping my condo.”
Lex nodded. “That’s a sound business move. You can rent it instead of letting it sit idle.”
“It won’t be idle. It will become handy for cool downs.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “What’s that?”
“When you piss me off and I need to vent instead of chucking something at your head.” She gave him a sweet smile. “You know, anything to avoid a scandal.”
He cocked his eyebrow. “I have better cool down exercises.”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “Bet you do. The condo is not negotiable,” she added, throwing his words back at him. Her head dipped as she read the bottom, her eyes narrowing. Then her head whipped up. She stared at him like he was crazy. “So I’m not allowed to see other men until the contract is over? For a year? Are you nuts? I have needs and I can be discrete.”
Lex shrugged, but his blood boiled at the thought of her with another man. He had needs too, and he loved indulging himself. Jillian was going to be a joy to seduce.
“It’s a reasonable request, Jillian. Remember, I’m trying to avoid anything that could potentially jeopardize this deal, and that includes my new wife seeing some idiot behind my back. The word discreet doesn’t exist in my world, sweetheart. Someone always finds out.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What if I meet someone?”
Over his dead body. “You won’t have time.”
She laughed. “Time has nothing to do with falling in love, Lex. I could meet someone at work or on my way there.”
“You don’t date people in Hollywood. You told me so. And Douglas or Mathews will be with you at all times to and from work.”
“No, they won’t.” She pointed the pen at him. “You’re not turning me into a prisoner just because I’m your wife, pal. I’ve been riding my bike to and from the studio and will continue to do so. Oh, narrow your eyes all you want. You’re not turning me into a Stepford Wife or one of your women.”
He cocked his eyebrow. “One of my women?”
“You know, blueblood, born with a silver spoon, and can’t lift a finger except to order a servant to fetch something. I’m riding my bike. Who’s Mathews?”
“My pilot. The helicopter comes in handy during high traffic. He can fly you in and out of the studio lot or nearby filming location. If you’re headed out of town, you can take the jet.”
She opened her mouth, closed it, and shook her head. “I’m not dignifying any of that with an answer.” Then she chuckled, eyes twinkling.
“What?”
“I’m imagining, uh, the chopper hovering behind me all the way to the studio and the mess that might cause on the highway. You cannot put me through that, Lex. I’m riding Rod and that’s that.”
She named her bike? “We’ll have to compromise on that then. At times you ride and at times you don’t, depending on our evening plans or morning ones.” He could keep her in bed just a little longer to get his way.
“We’ll see,” she mumbled. Then as though she’d read his mind, she tapped the contract. “Are you sure you can go without sex for a year? Because if I’m flying solo, you sure as hell must fly solo.”
He choked on his coffee and took a moment to wipe his lips. Fly solo? Was she saying she would be pleasuring herself in the bedroom next to his? From the grin on her face, she’d deliberately worded that last sentence to get his reaction.
He could be celibate, but he didn’t intend to. He’d give them a week, two at most. Or he might just make her wait until their wedding night. “Yes, Jillian. I can be celibate.”
She sat back and tapped the pen against her lips while studying him quizzically. “Okay. This is going to be an adventure, I think. I just need to add my demands and we’re good.”
His phone buzzed. He checked the screen and saw Douglas’ name.
“I need to take this. Excuse me,” Lex said and stood. “Oh, you need a lawyer to take a look at the final draft before you sign it.”
She nodded. “Greg will. He has a law degree.” She went back to scribbling on the paper. Watching her, Lex grinned. He couldn’t wait to see what she was adding to his list.
He left the room and headed to the bar. Douglas was talking to a familiar sandy-haired man and nursing a drink. Likely club soda. Drinking on the job had destroyed his military career, but he’d been sober for six years.
“We should be ready to leave in five-ten minutes,” Lex said, joining Douglas.
“I’ll bring the car around, sir.” Douglas drained his drink and left the bar.
Lex waited until he was gone before he turned his attention to the sandy-haired man—Greg Underwood’s partner. Lex had also seen his pictures in the agent’s office. He’d been at Perris Valley Skydiving Field with Jillian, too.
“Hank, the usual,” Lex told the bartender. The bar was nearly empty except for him, the bartender, and Greg’s partner.
Lex didn’t wait long before the man faced him. He neither cracked a smile nor offered a hand in greeting before saying, “Alexander Fitzgerald? I’m Chris Lander.”
“I expected Underwood to be lying in wait for me, not his partner.”
“I sent him home because you and I need to talk alone.”
Lex cocked his eyebrows. “About?”
“Jillian.”
The bartender placed a finger of amber liquid in front of Lex. “Thank you.” Lex sipped the drink and savored its silky taste as he debated how to deal with the situation. According to Greg Underwood, Jillian worked exclusively with this guy.
“Mr. Lander, I’m aware that you work with Jillian, but I explained to U
nderwood that she won’t need your expertise while working for me.”
Chris’ eyes narrowed. “Greg told me the same thing, but this is not about me. This is about you. Why do you need a bodyguard when you have an ex-CIA employee?”
Douglas must have talked. Strange, he rarely discussed his career with the CIA. “One can never have enough bodyguards, Mr. Lander.”
“In other words, this bodyguard business with Jillian is a sham. What concerns me the most is you only met her this afternoon, yet you’re ready to sign a contract binding her to you.”
“I think you’ve been misinformed,” Lex said, eyeing the man with annoyance. “She will finish her present contract.”
“But afterwards—”
“Mr. Lander,” Lex said firmly. “I don’t owe you an explanation, and Jillian is a grown woman. If she chooses to work for me or someone else, it’s her decision. No one is forcing her. Frankly, it’s none of your business what she does when not working with you.”
Lander moved closer. “That’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Fitzgerald. I’m her uncle, and her father put her in my care when she came to Hollywood. Her cocky, tough exterior hides a vulnerability ruthless people might exploit. So if this is some elaborate game you’re playing, stop now before you hurt her.” His voice lowered. “Because if that happens, you won’t be able to hide behind your lawyers or country club buddies, Mr. Fitzgerald. I’ll come after you. I’m a special effects guy, and there are things I could do to make your life miserable and you’d not prove it was me responsible. Then there are her brothers. They’re the meanest bastards you’ve ever met, and they don’t take kindly to anyone messing with their only sister. Consider yourself warned.” Then he turned and walked away.
Lex watched the man, his mind racing. He drained his drink and placed the glass on the bar. Without making eye contact with the bartender, he went back to find Jillian. She’d never mentioned siblings.
Jillian looked up when he entered the room and handed him the contract. Still mulling over Lander’s words, he sat and glanced at her provisos. He could work around them, except the last two. He didn’t realize she’d gotten up until she was peering at the contract over his shoulder. Her feminine scent and warmth washed over his senses.
“What’s the problem, Alexander?”
No one but his mother called him Alexander. He turned his head and, at the same time, leaned back so their faces were only a few inches apart. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t move back.
“I have to convince your family that I’m crazy about you?” Lex asked.
She grinned, her eyes twinkling. “Yep.”
“Why?”
“Like your mother, my father has a thing about marriage. You’ll have to ask him for my hand in marriage.”
He’d expected that. He hadn’t met a family he couldn’t charm.
“And I have to make you happy or you’re divorcing me?”
She grinned. “My needs are simple. Just meet them and we’re good.”
Back to needs again. The woman was screwing with his head. “And what are those needs?”
She straightened. “What fun is there in telling you? If I’m going to jump through hoops to convince your family and business partners that you are a happily married man, you’d better make me happy.”
CHAPTER 6
Jillian adjusted her helmet and glanced over her shoulder at her brothers and cousins. She’d spent the past two hours with them, getting ready for their performance, and not once did they bring up their father’s financial problems. She wanted to yell at them, demand answers, but her father had zero tolerance for drama before a performance. Even though he was at home and not the Master of Ceremony tonight, they didn’t deviate from his rules.
It was Friday and the Honda Center in Anaheim was packed, the crowd appreciative. The clowns were done warming up the crowd for them. Jillian’s heart threatened to burst from her chest and her stomach churned, but she wouldn’t trade the moment for anything.
Uncle Rowan stopped by her side and pressed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Keep your cool, kiddo,” he said.
She nodded. The MC finished announcing them and Uncle Rowan gave the signal. Jillian started the dirt bike and shot forward, leading the pack.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Fearless Finnega-aaans,” the MC yelled as they did laps around the arena.
Jillian led the way into the Globe of Death. They’d done the act often and knew exactly what to do, from maintaining a constant speed and the distance from each other to keeping an eye on the bottom center as they did loop-de-loops.
Jillian led as they started going around and around, then adjusted the wheel for elliptical loops and finally up and down. The hydraulics lifted the globe until they were five feet off the ground.
She brought her bike to a stop at the bottom, her cousins following her while her brothers adjusted their trajectory for circular motion at the top half of the globe. Once again, she led the three of them, staying at the bottom half. The hydraulics tip separated the top from the bottom as they continued to make their loops.
The crowd was silent, the only sounds were the high-pitched buzz of the dirt bikes and her pounding heart. Jillian angled her bike so she left her cousins behind and moved closer to the open end on her right. Slowly, the mid-section split from the bottom, leaving her riding alone, above her cousins and below her brothers. One false move and she could go flying through the air and crashing into the audience.
The crowd went wild. She could hear them above the blood roaring past her ears. When she rode out of the Globe, the crowd was screaming.
She stopped, waited for the others, and bowed. While the others rode around and performed minor tricks, she went and traded the dirt bike for her Triumph, the queen of wheelies. If Leeds could come up with a bike similar to the Triumph, they could make a killing. It was a favorite with a three-cylinder, tunable engine and predicable throttle response.
For the next ten minutes, she did twenty different wheelies—sitting, standing, over the handlebars, sidesaddle, one hand, two hands, rodeo-style, and handstands. The crowd loved it.
They were chanting “The Phantom” when Jillian left the arena. Elena was already waiting for their aerial wire act and eyed Jillian with a glint in her eyes. She never liked Jillian, even before Cian married her. Jillian tolerated her ass because she was now family.
“Ready?”
She gave Jillian a stiff smile and nodded. Elena was nervous, and Jillian didn’t blame her. She was about to dangle below the bike on a trapeze and execute aerial acrobatics while Jillian rode up and down the wire. Until the finale, Elena would be the focus of the show.
Jillian traded her bike for Suzuki 250. The crowd went quiet as Uncle Rowan, taking over for the MC, explained the act. Jillian took off, gunning the engine of the bike as they started the climb to fifty feet above the ground. The crowd craned their necks to watch Elena spin and twist, at times hanging by her hands, knees, or feet. The crowd oohed and aahed. But the grand finale brought them to their feet. Jillian toggled side-to-side until she tilted and swung Elena up while she hung upside-down still on the bike.
She removed her helmet, but kept her mask as she took the last lap around the arena with Elena standing behind her.
As soon as they went back stage, Elena stepped off and snapped, “You didn’t give me enough time to finish my act.”
“Please. I gave you plenty of time.”
“I like it better when Cian rides the bike. He knows I’m star of that act.” She stomped away.
Jillian stared after her and shook her head. She refused to let Elena spoil the moment for her.
“Don’t mind her,” Ricky said, coming from behind her. “People love you, and she knows it. Cian wants to talk to you about tomorrow.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“We’re sold out for the morning and afternoon shows, and he believes you’re the draw. Damn, sis. Those stoppies were good.”
Jillian grinned. If
only her father could see her. “I know. Bet I can kick your ass now.”
Ricky laughed. “In your dreams. Can you do all three shows tomorrow?”
“Easily. I’d like to try this amazing switchback handstand I’ve been working on. It’s a showstopper, but I need to practice it before. I’ll be here at… Oh crap.”
Ricky stopped and frowned. “What?”
“I can only do two shows. Ten and two o’clock, not the evening show.”
“Come on, Jilly. More grown-ups come to the evening show, so the money will be good and they’re coming to see you. You can’t disappoint them.”
Jillian shook her head. “I have a studio party to attend and can’t miss it.” Lex would be there.
“You hate Hollywood crap. We need you.”
Damn it. She hated being caught between two forces. One she needed and the other needed her. “I’ll see what I can do.”
~*~
“I’m ready to marry one of the richest men in the country.”
Jillian sighed. Saying it aloud didn’t make her feel any more confident. She’d had two days to get used to the deal she’d made with Lex Fitzgerald. Two days to second guess herself, fret, and question her sanity. Two days to prepare for the party his mother was throwing for Terra Frost crew and stars. Still, she wasn’t ready.
Working with her brothers yesterday and today had forced her not to dwell too much on the fact that tonight she would be signing the contract. Until during her last act. Cian had noticed how distracted she was and told her to go home, but not before she and Elena performed their aerial routine. Now the contract was all she thought about.
She. Was. Not. Ready.
Douglas was punctual picking her up. On their way to the Fitzgerald mansion in Palos Valdes, she learned he’d been in Lex’s employment for six years, right after he’d been discharged from the military. He had an ex somewhere and a little girl he only saw occasionally. When she noticed that talking about his daughter bothered him, Jillian switched topics to cars and engines.
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