by Ali Parker
He shook his head. “No. I’m really sorry I had to drop this on you. I know it’s tough, but your father truly only had your best interest at heart. He wanted you to be happy and have a full life.”
I scoffed. “So, he takes everything away? That seems counterproductive.”
“He isn’t taking away anything. He wanted you to find that same joy and happiness he found with your mother. It’s the same way I felt about my own Helen. I would give everything I had for one more day with her. That kind of love is something more valuable than any yacht or fancy condo. Your father wants you to know the joy of having your own children. No matter what you are feeling right now, you truly were his everything. He loved you a great deal.”
I shook my head, not interested in his anecdotal evidence. “I would think a man could fall in love with the right woman when he was ready. This ridiculous clause forces me to marry a woman I don’t love. How is that helping anyone?”
Bob smiled. “Your father knew you wouldn’t marry just any woman. He knew how stubborn you were and had high hopes the woman you chose would be the one for you. His goal is to change your way of thinking. He wanted you to look beyond the pretty surface and start thinking of the future.”
I nodded my head. “No one can demand I fall in love, not even if it makes me rich. Even I know that.”
“No, they can’t, but you can try to find a woman that makes you happy instead of flitting from one to the next. You don’t realize this now, but you are truly missing out on one of the best things life has to offer—the love of a good woman.”
“And if I don’t, I’m forced to be poor the rest of my life. Poor or miserable are not the best options to choose from,” I snapped.
Bob chuckled. “Life is what you make it.”
“Anything else?” I growled.
“No. I went over every page of his rather extensive, detailed will. There are no more surprises.”
“Thank God.”
I stood up and headed for the door. I needed some fresh air and fast. I stepped outside and sucked in breaths of warm air as I mulled over everything I had been told. At that point, I didn’t feel like I had a choice in the matter. The decision had already been made for me. My dad was running my life from his grave. I had always known he was a powerful man, but this was ridiculous.
Chapter 4
Hailey
The butterflies dancing in my stomach were making me jittery.
I was used to walking runways but walking into the building of the ad company that had helped launch my modeling career to the next level was nerve-wracking. I knew I was on the older end of the modeling spectrum. My days as a model were numbered. Few models got to keep working into their thirties. It wasn’t exactly fair, but it was the business. Maybe they were going to tell me my contract was being tossed out the window because I was too old. I wasn’t what they were looking for, or I was too difficult to work with. My own insecurities had offered up a litany of reasons for the rather sudden meeting.
I was meeting with the CEO, which was only making me more nervous. Terran Maddox had a very colorful reputation. I knew vaguely of him but had never been all that interested in getting to know more about him. I was convinced he was like the rest of the men who were wealthy and held positions of power. That was not the kind of man that interested me. I didn’t want to be any man’s arm candy. I wanted a partner. I wanted to move mountains together, or maybe just some hills. It was a dream.
Terran Maddox was the consummate playboy. I had seen picture after picture of him on that stupid yacht of his. Most of the photos I’d seen were on the phones of fellow models who wanted to show off who they were dating. He never “dated” anyone. He had a good time with beautiful women and kept moving. I dismissed Terran and his wild social life. None of that mattered.
In the back of my mind, Mandy’s words were floating around. She told me to stay positive. She was the glass-half-full part of our friendship. I was the half-empty. There was the chance I could be offered a new job, or my contract could get extended, or maybe I was up for a raise. Although, those things would generally go through my agent. She was trying to keep me from worrying, which I appreciated.
“Stop freaking yourself out,” I whispered as I stepped into the elevator.
There was truly no point in worrying about it another second. I would find out shortly. I stepped off the elevator and walked toward a receptionist’s desk before being directed down a hall where I met a polite young woman, Lena, who identified herself as Terran’s secretary.
“Hi, I’m Hailey Hollis. I have an appointment for nine-thirty,” I said, doing my best to be overly-friendly.
It was something I had learned was necessary when speaking with other women. A lot of women made some very immediate assumptions about who I was based on my looks. Kill them with kindness was my motto. It usually disarmed them, and we could have a normal conversation.
“I’m so sorry!” she said, looking mortified.
“For?” I asked, my mouth going dry. Had I been fired, and the secretary had just let it out of the bag? Did everyone know except for me?
“I was supposed to call and cancel the meeting. I’ve been trying to reschedule all his appointments and missed yours. It has been a crazy morning. I am so sorry!”
“Cancel the meeting?” I repeated.
She nodded her head. “Mr. Maddox was pulled away at the last minute and won’t be in at all today.”
“Oh,” I mumbled for lack of anything better to say.
She looked horrified. “Can you come back tomorrow at the same time?” she asked, her voice hesitant.
I sighed and nodded my head. “Sure. Is everything okay?” I asked, genuinely concerned for him.
She smiled. “He’s fine. Just one of those meetings that tend to pop up at least once a week. I’m truly sorry. I’m usually more on top of things. I don’t know how I missed it.”
“It’s no problem. Don’t worry about it,” I assured her.
“Thank you for being so understanding,” she replied with a smile.
“It’s really no problem. Lena, do you know why he wants to meet with me?” I asked, hoping she could give me a hint now that I felt we had established somewhat of a relationship.
She shook her head. “I really have no idea. He doesn’t usually meet with the models. Not to say that’s bad or good.”
I laughed nervously. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow and find out then.”
“I’m really sorry. I hope I didn’t completely throw off your schedule. I’m sure you’re very busy,” she apologized again.
“It’s fine. I’m off today. I’ll see you tomorrow, same time,” I said with a smile, waving before I walked away.
I made it halfway down the hall when an attractive man in an expensive suit stopped me. I immediately assumed he was one of the executives and didn’t want to be rude by blowing him off. I took a deep breath and put on my best friendly face.
“Miss Hailey Hollis,” he greeted me with a pleasant smile.
I smiled back. “That’s me.”
“How are you?” he asked, his tone very congenial.
I let my guard down. He was a professional and technically one of my bosses, I assumed. “I’m good. How are you?” I said, extending my hand.
He grinned, taking my hand in his before bringing the back of it to his lips for a too-long kiss. “Better now, thanks to you. I’m Marty, by the way. It’s very nice to meet you,” he said, his friendly smile turning into one of pure lechery, making my skin crawl.
“Good to meet you, Marty,” I said, ignoring his attempt to flatter me while pulling my hand back.
“What brings a gorgeous woman like you here today? It isn’t often we are blessed with a woman of your beauty.”
I politely laughed at his attempt to flirt, while taking a step back. “I was just here for a meeting with Mr. Maddox.”
“Oh, how’d that go?” he asked, the smile still in place but his eyes began to wander.
“Oh, that’s too bad. I have some free time. I can get us a couple of coffees, and we can have a meeting,” he said with a wink.
And, just like that, I realized he was nothing more than the average snake. His fancy suit couldn’t hide who and what he really was. “No thanks,” I mumbled.
“Oh, come on now. You just said your meeting was canceled, which means you have a minute,” he cajoled.
“I do. However, I’d rather not spend it here,” I snapped and headed toward the elevator.
The man seemed nice enough at first, and he was attractive, but he was not the man for me. He wanted me because of what I looked like. He didn’t know me at all and could care less about who I was beyond the looks. I had learned at a very young age, men like him wanted one thing from me. I refused to give it. It had become my life’s mission to guard it from them. Mandy was the only one who knew how serious I was about holding on to what I felt was my most precious commodity—my virginity.
I wasn’t going to give it to a man who only saw me for what I looked like on the outside. I was much more than a pretty face, no matter how cliché that sounded. I wanted to share that one part of me with someone special. So many people knew my face and even my body, but no one knew that part of me. When I did meet a man I felt was worthy, it would be my gift to him, assuming the fact I was a twenty-eight-year-old virgin didn’t scare him away. I had never started out with the goal of being a virgin this long, but as more time passed and I dated more men, it just became a thing. Fast forward to today, and I was still a virgin.
I was feeling defeated and a lot stressed as I left the building. I was going to go crazy waiting another twenty-four hours to find out why the CEO of the company wanted to meet me. I had nothing pressing to do to keep my mind off the stupid meeting. My schedule was cleared in case the meeting had gone bad, and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to work.
I found myself wandering into a coffee shop, grabbing a healthy dose of caffeine before heading back to the city street to do some window shopping. I saw a pretty doll at a vintage store and bought it. I wanted to give it to Melissa. I couldn’t walk in there and give it to her, but I knew she had a birthday coming up. I often bought gifts for the kids at the orphanage for their birthday. This doll reminded me of her in so many ways.
Mandy called a short time later.
“Well? Are you fired? Promoted? What happened?” she asked.
I sighed. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“What do you mean? Did they just want to say hi or what?”
“He wasn’t there. I guess he got called away at the last minute. I go back tomorrow morning, same time. Until then, I know nothing.”
She groaned. “The suspense is killing me.”
“You and me both. I wish he or they or whoever thinks this meeting is so important would at least give me a heads up about what it has to do with.”
“I’m sorry. It does seem unprofessional,” she said.
“It sucks,” I pouted.
“So, what are you doing with your day off?”
I laughed. “Window shopping.”
“Oh, are you already spending that money you’re going to be making when they give you a big fat raise for being the best damn model they’ve ever had?”
“I could only hope.”
“I have to get back to work, but I wanted to check on you. Don’t dwell on it too much. Treat yourself to a day of rest and relaxation. You deserve it.”
“Thanks. I think I’m going to grab my bike and go for a long ride in the hills.”
“Be careful, take your pepper spray,” she warned.
“I will.”
We hung up, and I made my way back to my apartment. It had been a while since I’d been able to go on a long bike ride. It would be cathartic and help keep my mind off whatever it was Mr. CEO had in store for me. Plus, the extra exercise couldn’t hurt. I always wore big sunglasses that shielded my face and usually made me fairly unrecognizable.
An hour later, I was changed into some of my promotional exercise gear and headed up to one of the many trails that surrounded the city of Los Angeles. The company loved it when I wore their stuff in public. It was actually in my contract that I had to make official appearances in their gear, but today was a freebie. I personally liked their merchandise and was happy to wear the pretty stretch pants.
I set off, loving the feeling of the sun and the breeze washing over me. This was exactly what I needed to forget about the meeting.
Chapter 5
Terran
I hadn’t been able to think of anything else except my father’s demands. I’ll lose everything. He didn’t give me a choice. He was making me marry someone I couldn’t possibly love. In his attempt to give me that happiness he was convinced I was missing out, he is damning me to a miserable life of being trapped in a marriage I don’t want. How could he possibly think that was better than a lifetime of being single?
I felt physically ill. The stress over what had to be done was disrupting my ability to think straight. No matter how much I tried to think of anything else, everything seemed to come back to my father’s will. Going to work, I realized, I could soon be out of a job. Sitting behind my desk, reminded me it could all be gone in six short months. I felt like I was doing a lot of last times.
The morning passed with a blur. I barely remembered the meetings, only the mention of things being shuffled around, and my earlier appointment would be later in the day. By lunchtime, I was feeling like a frazzled mess and needed to get out of the office for a bit.
“Let’s get out of here for lunch today,” I said when Zach picked up his phone.
“Your treat?”
I scoffed. “Sure, it might be the last time I can treat.”
“I’ll meet you in thirty. I’m starving.”
“Of course, you are. Laying around all day must be exhausting,” I said sarcastically.
He chuckled. “I’m not alone.”
I hung up the phone, shaking my head. The man would never know what it was like to have to get out of bed early and go to work. He had never had a job or needed one. He had been born wealthy, and his father had no qualms about letting Zach do as he pleased with the money. He wasn’t a squanderer, and he did a lot of charity, but he would never know real work.
I arrived at the upscale Italian restaurant I favored and was quickly escorted to a table. I debated ordering a cocktail but kept it clean with a Pepsi instead.
When Zach arrived, he looked as if he had stepped directly out of the shower and into the restaurant.
“You could have taken a minute to dry off,” I quipped.
He grinned. “My shower took a little longer than I planned.”
The look on his face told me his shower had not been a solo one. “Anyone I know?”
He shrugged. “It’s not even someone I know.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nice.”
“So, where were you? I called you a couple times yesterday. I blame you for what happened last night.”
“What happened?”
“I had to go out by myself, and that’s how I ended up with whoever she was,” he said with a smile.
“How is that my fault again?”
“Because I didn’t have you there to tell me it wasn’t a good idea.”
The waitress came by, got our orders and drifted away.
“I had an emergency meeting with Bob, my dad’s attorney yesterday,” I explained.
“Did he remind you the clock was ticking or offer you a solution to the problem?”
“Neither. He made my life far more complicated than it should be. Not only do I lose the inheritance if I don’t marry, but I also lose my company,” I said in a bland tone.
Zach lowered the glass of dark soda to the table and looked at me. “No shit?”
I nodded. “No shit. He was the one who put u
p the money in the beginning. I had assumed his shares transferred to me upon his death. They didn’t. He never once got involved in the company. Now, he has decided the company will be dismantled and sold back to the shareholders if I’m not married.”
Zach shook his head and let out a long whistle. “Damn. That is crazy! He was really serious about you getting married. It’s bizarre.”
I scoffed. “No kidding. Now, I’m stuck.”
“What do you mean you’re stuck?”
“I have to figure out what I’m going to do and fairly quickly,” I said.
Zach was shaking his head. “There is no figuring anything out. It’s already decided.”
I groaned. “I know. I just keep thinking I have a choice and have this big decision to make.”
“Or,” Zach said, that familiar gleam in his eye that said he had one of his wild ideas.
“Or?” I asked, worried about what he would say.
“Or, you hire a woman to be your fiancée until you inherit. Once you get your money, you break off the engagement, playing up the broken heart to make it look legit and all your problems are solved,” he said, smiling as if he had just figured out the world’s greatest problems.
I paused to think about it. It wasn’t a terrible idea. “That might work,” I mused.
He was nodding his head. “Hell, ya, it will work. Have the woman sign a confidentiality agreement. She can’t breathe a word of the plan to anyone. Old Bob will never know. Get the money and wait a month or two before you break off the engagement. Make it really good and have her cheat on you or something. That will win you some sympathy points, and you won’t have to worry about another clause sneaking up on you. As soon as you get the money, I’d put it in some secret offshore account, so it can’t be taken back.”
“Where am I going to find this fake fiancée?” I asked.
He shrugged a shoulder. “They’re everywhere.”
“And then what? Ask her if she’s willing to pretend she likes me enough to sell the idea of a fake marriage?”