The Offer She Couldn't Refuse

by Marie Ferrarella

  The only consolation was the fact that she would appreciate this, and him perhaps, if everything went right. “A little mystery brings excitement to the relationship.”

  As if they needed that, after practically setting fire to the office the first time their lips met. “I think ours has just about all the excitement in it that it can handle.”

  “Then you don’t want to hear about the idea I have to market your pastries?” The question was asked so innocently, it took her a moment to absorb it. By then, he was pretending to walk away.

  She grabbed for his arm, forgetting there were witnesses. “No, wait, what did you say?”

  “I thought so.” He grinned. “C’mon, there’s someone here who wants to meet you.”

  He brought her over to Ted Wexler and his wife and made the introductions, then let nature take its course.

  Wexler, the president of a growing chain of supermarkets, was always on the lookout for ways to stay one jump ahead of the competition. Two if he could manage it. Jared knew he’d be interested in Demi’s pastries. It was a marriage made in heaven.

  Demi listened to the accolades the older man heaped on her baklava, and then to the business proposition. She thought she was dreaming. It didn’t seem possible. “You want to mass-market them?”

  On his fifth or sixth piece—he’d stopped counting—Wexler nodded. “That’s the general idea. You know, like that cookie woman, except these are far more unique than chocolate-chip cookies.” He cavalierly shrugged off what had, until this evening, been an ever-present thorn in his side. “Everyone’s got a recipe for those.”

  Caution prevented her from running with this. “You’re not asking to buy the recipe, are you?”

  “No, as I understand it, it’s a family secret.” He looked to Jared, who had quickly filled him in on the particulars when it came to negotiating with Demi. Unlike Winfield, Wexler was extremely sensitive to other people’s moods and feelings. “We can use that, build on it. The public will love it. ‘Come shop at Valley’s, the supermarket that makes you feel as if you never left home.’” He held up his half-eaten piece. “This is home baking made easy for them. All they have to do is bring their appetites.”

  “And their wallets,” Jared put in.

  “Shoplifting is frowned on,” Ted countered. He was feeling very generous right now. “Although I have to say that I would have risked it as a kid if I couldn’t have afforded to buy something like this. They’re wonderful.” He popped the last bit into his mouth, then dusted off his hands gingerly. “Young lady, we are going to make a fortune on these. When do you want to start?”

  She blinked, unable to process all this. It was too good to be true. “Wait, this is going too fast.”

  “Too fast? For you, Demi?” Jared said. One dark eyebrow arched in surprise. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

  Even before she let herself daydream, she had to get some of the ground rules down. “You’re not going to make me scrimp on these, are you?” she asked Ted. “You know, substitute different ingredients to save a few cents.”

  Ted looked appalled at the thought. “I want these exactly the way they are. Heavenly. We’ll sell them a piece at a time, or boxed at a slight discount. I’m never wrong when I feel strongly about something. And I feel very strongly about this. You are going to be a very wealthy young lady, Ms. Tripopulous.”

  “Demi, please,” she corrected.

  This was why Jared had invited her—to get her together with this man. She wished he would have told her, but then, she might have been too nervous or too stubborn to come.

  It occurred to her that he was getting to know her better than she knew herself.

  “Let me talk to my partner for a moment.” Excusing herself, she tugged on Jared’s arm, drawing him over to the side.

  “Partner?” Jared echoed. When had that happened?

  She’d made up her mind and wasn’t about to let him argue his way out of it. “Well, if this is going to be as big as he thinks, I’m going to need someone to handle the business end of it. As you so astutely pointed out, I’m not very good when it comes to business. I need someone looking out for my interests. Besides, I still have a restaurant to run.”

  He smiled. One that she could run, once this got going. “I know.”

  “So will you?” She searched his face for an answer. “Or is there some sort of conflict of interest with Winfield if you take this on?”

  “No, no conflict.” Winfield wasn’t going to figure into the equation much longer, anyway. “Okay, you have a deal. We’ll iron out the details later.”

  He waited for her to protest. She always wanted to know what was going on immediately.

  But she surprised him by agreeing. “What?” she asked when he stared at her.

  “Nothing, I just never heard you agree so easily before. You are full of surprises.”

  “Good, I wouldn’t want to lose my aura of mystery, either.” She winked at him and he had the strongest urge to take her into his arms and kiss her.

  But the doorbell was ringing again and more of his guests were arriving. Whatever he was feeling was going to have to be put on hold a little longer.

  10

  Demi was standing in Jared’s living room, looking the area over to make sure nothing had been left behind. Within her, an incredible feeling of contentment mingled with euphoria.

  It had been one hell of an exciting evening, she mused.

  She didn’t even hear him when he entered.

  Jared came up behind her and wrapped his arms around Demi, drawing her close to him. For a second, he just inhaled the fragrance in her hair and let himself relax. The last guest had been escorted out; the two women Demi had brought with her had long since left after helping her wash and load up the pots and pans.

  They were alone and he was savoring the feeling.

  The tender, fleeting kiss on her cheek undid her almost as much as the passionate ones they’d shared. She could feel her whole body tingling, reacting to the heat of his as it slowly penetrated.

  Maybe it was wrong, maybe it wasn’t going to go any further than it had, but just for now she let herself enjoy the moment.

  Leaning back against him, she absorbed every nuance, every hard ridge. His breath made the tendrils at her neck flutter. She could swear goose bumps were forming.

  “You seem pretty pleased with yourself,” she murmured, content just to stay here like this until time faded into nothingness.

  Bending over, he touched his cheek to hers and was amazed at how comforting that felt. How good just being with her like this felt to him. “Shouldn’t I be?”

  Demi smiled to herself. Everything had turned out far better than she could have hoped. “It was a success, wasn’t it?”

  How he wanted her. Wanted her so much, he felt almost reckless. “In every sense of the word.”

  She turned around slowly to face him, very aware that her body was brushing against his. It was a struggle not to let what she was feeling ignite and take over.

  “What made you do that? Bring me together with Mr. Wexler?” It was a completely selfless act, one that, if asked only a couple of weeks ago, she would have said he wasn’t capable of. And yet he’d done it for her. “You know if this deal goes through, there is no way I’ll sell Aphrodite to Winfield. I won’t need to even consider it as a last resort.” She couldn’t begin to describe her sense of relief, but it was mixed with confusion. Why had he been so nice to her?

  Tired, Jared drew her over to the sofa and sat down. Demi sat down beside him.

  “There’s no ‘if about it. I know Ted. Unlike some people,” he said, thinking of Winfield with a twinge of regret, “he’s still as good as his word. And yes, I know you won’t sell. But I knew that before tonight. You’d go down fighting. And just before the final reel, all those people you and your family carried off and on over all the years would come marching in with their nickels and dimes and quarters, throwing them into a giant collection pot until the no
te was met.”

  Her eyes crinkled. “I think I saw that in a movie once.”

  Watching It’s a Wonderful Life had been a Christmas tradition in his family. He’d never fully appreciated that tradition until he had a child of his own. Now he continued it for Theresa. Watching the movie with her gave him a thread of continuity he realized now he sorely needed.

  Just as he needed Demi.

  He slipped his arm around her shoulders. When she leaned her head against him, it seemed only natural.

  “So did I. But until I met you, I figured it was just pure Hollywood fiction, aimed at the wistful side of all of us.” He looked into her face—her lovely, exotically sweet face. “I didn’t believe people like you existed.”

  “People like me,” she repeated, her tongue still in her cheek. “You mean stubborn, right?”

  He’d be lying if he said she wasn’t. They both knew she was as steadfast as a rock.

  “Among other things,” he allowed. Jared began to play with the tendril at her neck, winding it around his finger. “I think your stubbornness is part of what helps you hang on and do those impossible things you do.”

  She felt his fingertips brush along her skin. Her breath began to grow short. “Like?”

  Jared did a short inventory for her benefit. “Make incredible baklava in an incredibly short amount of time. Keep the restaurant running on a song.” He smiled as he saw her eyes flutter. The excitement he sensed growing within her fed his own. “Convert people like me into true believers.”

  Her voice was low, husky. “And what is it that you believe in now?”

  “Goodness.” His eyes caressed her. “You.”

  She felt as if she was being seduced. Demi had no strength to fight it, even if she wanted to. And she didn’t. “I like the sound of that.”

  He pressed a kiss to one bare shoulder. “Stay the night, Demi.”

  Everything within her yearned to be with him. Just a man and a woman alone together, nothing more. But there was more. There were other things to consider beside her own desires.

  “What about Theresa? I don’t want to take a chance on her seeing me waltz out of your room in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.”

  Always putting others first. It was why he was so crazy about her.

  “I have my own bathroom,” he teased. Leaning into her, he kissed her neck, first one side, then the other. He could feel her pulse jumping beneath his lips. “And the only way she’d see you is if she was sleepwalking all the way from Lisa’s house.”

  It was difficult to remain coherent with all this heat going on around her. “Lisa?”

  “Her friend.” He straightened to look at her. “She’s at a sleepover.”

  “No” was getting harder and harder for Demi to say. “And your housekeeper?”

  “Has gone home.” He nestled her against him, nibbling on her ear. His tongue teased her, outlining the rim. “It’s just you, me and the leftovers.”

  Glancing at her, he saw the war going on in her eyes. Demi’s look—and what he assumed it meant—hurt him. Jared released her. “What is it? You still don’t trust me? Do you think this is some alternate plan to get you to give in?”

  She twisted so that she could face him. “That would mean I didn’t believe you were attracted to me. And I do.” She cupped his cheek with her hand. “You couldn’t have kissed me the way you did, or been as gentle as you were just now, if you weren’t”.

  He turned her palm and softly touched it with his lips. Her sigh shivered through him. “I could be the world’s greatest actor.”

  Though it was hard, she pulled her hand away. She didn’t understand him. “Why are you doing this? Playing devil’s advocate like this?” She had to know. It just didn’t make sense to her.

  The teasing, playful look left his eyes. What remained was quietly sober.

  “Maybe because I want you to be sure, Demi. Very, very sure about us. I don’t want doubts ruining something that has the potential to be wonderful.” That would be worse than anything he could imagine—to have her and then lose her because she thought he’d deceived her somehow.

  But Demi had heard only one thing. Her breath stood still in her lungs as she asked, “Is there an ‘us’?”

  He thought she was more intuitive than that. “Don’t you know?”

  “I think I do.” She had her answer. Smiling into his eyes, she slipped her arms around Jared’s neck. “I also think you talk too much.”

  He grinned in response, arms tightening around her. “It’s the salesman in me.”

  Ever so lightly, she grazed his mouth with her own. She was ready, she thought. More than ready to give this man everything. He already had her love. He’d had it ever since that day she saw him holding her niece in his arms. “There’s such a thing as letting the product speak for itself.”

  His mouth covered hers then, claiming what she offered over and over again as his heart beat wildly, calling to hers. Jared felt her body melting against his.

  Desire soared as his blood began to rush.

  Barely drawing in any air, he moved his head back to look at her.

  “Oh,” he said, as if the thought had just struck him. As if it hadn’t been on his mind all evening. Perhaps even all along. “One more thing.”

  Anticipation was drumming heavily coated nails all through her body. She wanted to make love with him, not talk. “What’s that?”

  Framing her face with his hands, he memorized her features a second before he asked, “Demi, will you marry me?”

  She was completely speechless for exactly half a heartbeat.

  “What?” The question squeaked out of her.

  “Will you marry me?” he repeated. Nerves began reconstructing their former habitat. What if she turned him down? Trying to shield himself, he strove for humor and lightness. It was the only graceful way out if she said no. “I’ve always wanted to marry a rich woman, and this would satisfy a childhood fantasy of mine. Besides, I am going to be unemployed for a while and I thought that maybe Theresa and I might need a free meal or two. It would be nice to have somewhere to get it.”

  There was a buzzing noise in her head as she tried to make sense out of what was happening. He couldn’t be serious.

  Could he?

  Without warning?

  When he moved to kiss her again, she wedged both hands up against his chest. “Whoa, back up and let me catch my breath.” She had a feeling an entire oxygen tank wouldn’t help. “Now, what are you telling me?”

  His expression was mild. He did not look like a man who had just proposed, Demi thought. Just what was going on here?

  “Which part?”

  Was he doing this on purpose? She wasn’t sure anymore. “Start at the end and work backward.”

  “Unemployed?” he guessed.

  She nodded. It was as good a place as any to begin. “Why are you going to be unemployed?”

  He laughed softly to himself. That part was easy to predict. “I don’t think Winfield is going to oppose my letter of resignation, not after he hears what I’ve done.”

  This was all news to her. “When are you going to resign?”

  “Technically, I already did.” He tried to read beyond her surprised expression and couldn’t. “I faxed him a letter tonight after Ted made you that offer.”

  She vaguely remembered Jared had excused himself and left her with Ted, his wife and another man named Hanley, who was a local distributor. She didn’t see him for a while after that. But everything was happening so fast, her head felt as if it were spinning.

  So that was what he’d been doing. Resigning. He’d helped her, knowing this would be the outcome. What could you do with a man like that, except love him?

  “But you’re still not unemployed. You’re handling the business end of this venture for me, don’t you remember?” Or had he changed his mind about that?

  He’d thought that perhaps, when the deal had been offered, Demi had just said that because she was in
a euphoric state of gratitude, and that once the dust settled, she’d rescind the offer, going back to handling everything on her own. Just as she’d always done.

  “If that’s the way you want it.” Amid all the rhetoric, there was still only one question that mattered to him. “Does that mean you won’t marry me?”

  She didn’t give him a straight answer. She was afraid to. “About that—why are you asking me?”

  “I told you—”

  She didn’t want to hear stories or whimsical responses. This was too important to joke about. “The truth.”

  “Tough one,” he quipped and then he nodded, conceding. “Okay. Why does a man usually ask a woman to marry him?”

  Her heart lodged in her throat. “Because he loves her.”

  With a flourish, Jared pointed to her. “Bingo.”

  Demi shoved his finger aside. “I don’t want to play bingo—”

  “No?” Jared pretended to leer. “How about doctor?”

  He was impossible. “Jared, you haven’t even told me you loved me.”

  Now there she was wrong, he thought. “Yes, I did.”

  She was far from deaf, and a woman always remembered exactly when she heard those three magic words for the first time in her life. They hadn’t made an appearance in hers. “When?”

  Jared enumerated the instances. A man of action, he believed in deeds, not words. “When I faxed my letter of resignation. When I got you to cater the party and meet Ted. When I stopped trying to convince you to sell.” Those were all ways of telling her he loved her.

  It was true that he’d stopped talking to her about selling the restaurant, but she’d been certain at the time that he’d just switched approaches.

  “You stopped being direct, but you were still after me to sell.”

  He had to be honest. Then maybe he’d win. “In the beginning, yes. I thought I’d keep coming around until you got used to the sight of me. Got to like me enough to trust me and heard me out without prejudice.” He lifted his shoulders, letting them drop again. “I guess somewhere along the line, I forgot I was pretending and started believing in my own game.”