April Fool Bride

by Joan Reeves

  Her stern frown was almost reward enough. "I am not paying for you to be my kept man. I'm paying you to marry me and make my stepmother think it's a real marriage. For that, I'll pay a base salary of one hundred seventy-five thousand, payable when I collect the trust in a year. With a signing bonus of fifteen thousand plus the other benefits we talked about. At the end of the year, if you have abided by the contracts and nondisclosure agreements, you'll get another fifteen thousand as a termination bonus."

  "So you really can't pay me anything other than the signing bonus until you get your full inheritance a year from now?" For just a moment, Jake thought about telling her to take a hike, but he was simply having too much fun on this cold March morning. Plus, he did relish a good negotiation.

  "I can pay the signing bonus and your expenses every month," Maddie said diffidently.

  Jake enjoyed the scarlet color that stained her fair skin. She wasn't as cool and collected as she tried to appear. That small break in her control excited him. What would she be like in the sack if she lost all control? His gaze dropped to her coat that she clutched so tightly. What did she look like beneath that coat now that she was all grown up? He felt a dull throb in his groin.

  He'd planned to take off a few months and go rock climbing in Germany. Not to mention indulge in a lot of recreational sex. It had been a while. He hadn't been interested enough to make the effort. All the women were like clones of each other, and they all had subtle, and not so subtle, plans for becoming Mrs. Jake Becker. So he was wary of any kind of long-term relationship.

  Maddie was different. He could play with her and not worry that she had designs on his fortune. Even without her trust, she probably had way more money than he. Then there was the added bonus that she was a playgirl with a lot of recreational sex experience so she knew the score. He wouldn't have to worry about breaking her heart. "I must admit I'm a little flattered. The keyword in that sentence is little. See if you can make me feel a lot flattered."

  Maddie's eyebrows snapped together in a frown. "What do you mean?"

  "I mean money talks, and bullshit walks, Red. I'm interested enough to talk further, but if that's your final offer, sweet cheeks, then don't let the door hit you in your skinny little behind on your way out."

  That made her face flame. "I don't recall your being quite so obnoxious when we were kids."

  Jake liked that when he pushed, she lost more of that cool control. He dumped more fuel on the fire of her indignation. "Speaking of your behind, I need to have a look at it."

  "What?" Her green eyes shot sparks at him.

  "I have a certain reputation with the ladies. If you don't look like the kind of woman I'd marry, your plan won't work. That's assuming you want everyone from your stepmother to those trashy tabloids to believe this is a real marriage. That's the image you want to portray, right? A real marriage. So before we go any farther, let me take a look at you because the Maddie I remember was a skinny little thing. If you don't pass muster, there's no point in further negotiations."

  Maddie looked murderous. "You are crude, and vulgar, and obnoxious."

  "Sticks and stones, Red." Jake yawned. "It was real nice catching up with you on old times. We'll have to do it again in another decade." He snapped his fingers. "How about when you finally get access to that trust fund? We could have one hell of a party."

  Maddie may have grown up and learned how to present a calm facade, but he saw she still struggled to control her temper. She blushed from hairline to neckline. He couldn't help but wonder if that rosy glow extended to her breasts. He felt his own body tighten at the prospect. He'd give it another minute before she walked out.

  To his surprise, she stood, unzipped her long coat, shrugged out of it, and tossed it across the kitchen chair. Defiantly, her flashing green eyes met his gaze. Her chin lifted and her lips pressed together as if to keep what she thought firmly behind her teeth.

  Jake felt sucker punched. She wore a tight red sweater and black slacks that hugged her long legs. His eyes traveled slowly over her surprisingly full breasts, not humongous but nicely rounded. Her waist was small and her hips curved. Definitely no skinny butt. The flare of her hips made him want to stroke her curves. Little Maddie Quinn wasn't so little any more.

  "Well?" she snapped. "Do I pass inspection?" She stood as stiff as if her backbone had been starched. Her arms were straight at her side, and her hands fisted.

  Jake wanted to tell her that she wasn't just acceptable. She was drool-worthy. He wanted to touch her. Pull her into his arms and stroke her until she was pliant rather than stiff with outrage. "You'll do," he managed to say. "I think people would believe that I could fall for you."

  "I'm so relieved." Maddie's green eyes burned with resentment.

  How far should he take this? "Okay. Here's my counter offer. Two hundred twenty-five thousand base with a signing bonus of thirty thousand and a termination bonus of forty-five. Plus all the benefits, etcetera."

  "You certainly have a high opinion of your worth." Maddie crossed her arms beneath her breasts, drawing his eyes despite his resolve not to look there again. She paced. "Okay. I think I can scrape together thirty thousand."

  "Yeah, just postpone a shopping trip or two."

  "Fine," she snapped. "But you have to sign a prenuptial agreement, a marriage contract, and an ironclad nondisclosure agreement. If Constance has any reason to challenge me, you get nothing."

  Jake was taken aback. He had no idea that she would agree to his outrageous counteroffer. She really must be desperate. Personally, the idea of sticking it to Constance did hold appeal. A hell of a lot of appeal. The woman deserved some righteous payback. He was the one man Constance Quinn would never welcome as a husband for Maddie. Maybe he still felt some anger at Maddie too. It was her spoiled impulsive act nine years ago that had set that night's events in motion. True, he'd got to where he wanted, but it had been a hell of a lot harder than it should have been.

  Was he seriously considering this? He looked at Maddie and felt that throb in his groin. Who was he kidding? She made him hot. Everything about her made his pulse quicken. Even the perfume she wore--jasmine maybe--made him think of having her on a hot summer night. He imagined Maddie beneath him in the dark, that scent wrapping around them. Sure, he was considering it. Why not? Constance Quinn deserved it. He imagined the look on her face when he strolled in as Maddie's husband. The ice queen had trampled him under her feet nine years ago. Maybe it was time for him to return the favor.

  Maddie picked up her coat. "Do you agree to all of the terms I mentioned?"

  "The money's okay. The nondisclosure agreement is okay, and so is the prenup. But what's this other thing, the marriage contract you mentioned?"

  To his surprise, she looked discomfited. "It's just a document that outlines how our relationship will work." She looked down at her coat and flicked an imaginary piece of lint. "This will be a marriage of convenience. As such, there are certain protocols involved."

  Jake knew exactly what she meant, but he wanted her to spell it out. "What might those protocols be?"

  Maddie straightened and faced him squarely. "It says what you can expect sexually from the relationship."

  Jake gave in to his laughter. "You mean it tells me what I'm not going to get sexually."

  "What do you think? That I'm going to fall into bed with you just because we get married?"

  Actually, Jake quite liked the image of tumbling her into his bed. "What am I supposed to do for sex for an entire year?"

  Maddie smiled sweetly. "It's like the old-fashioned gas stations. They had full service, and they had the self-service pumps. In our marriage, you don't get full service."

  Jake couldn't control his laughter. Finally, he said, "No deal, Red. Go find yourself another sucker."

  Her shoulders sagged. "There is no one else. I can't trust another man. You're the only one I know who doesn't see dollar signs when you look at me." Her smile was cold. "Besides, I know your mother would never l
et you get away with anything even if you tried."

  Jake frowned. "Is that money really so important to you? Do you really need it now?"

  "Yes to both questions," she said, her voice shaky.

  Jake ran his fingers through his hair, sorry he'd started the whole silly negotiation. He looked over at Maddie and saw her blinking rapidly. Oddly affected, he asked, "Are you crying?"

  Quickly, she looked away. "No. I don't cry. Crying doesn't solve anything."

  Jake remembered holding her as she'd wept. In an instant, he remembered the promise that she'd exacted from him that day. That he would always be her friend. No matter what. But did that mean marrying her? He didn't think he could maintain a platonic relationship with her if they were married. Not now. Not after he'd seen her. Smelled her. Heard her sexy voice again. He'd be with her way too much to ignore her. He imagined familiarity would breed all kinds of seductive thoughts for his libido. "Look, Red, let's be serious."

  "I'm as serious as a heart attack. I know I'm asking something huge. I also know the money I'm offering you won't begin to compensate you for a year of your life, and for what you'll have to put up with from Constance." She sighed. "And probably the media. But I wouldn't ask if I had any recourse."

  He couldn't help but grin. "You know, it's really not smart to let the other guy in a negotiation know how desperate you are."

  Maddie shrugged. "Sometimes I do things that really aren't very smart. This isn't the first time, and it probably won't be the last. Will you do it, Jake?"

  He didn't need the money, but he could donate it. Spread it around the various military veterans groups he supported. Then there were widows of soldiers. Most of them weren't as fortunate as Danny's wife and daughter who had him as a benefactor. But why was he considering it? He gave a mental shrug. Revenge? Payback? That was a convenient rationalization, but when he looked at Maddie, what he felt wasn't cold, long-anticipated revenge. No. What he felt was hot desire. He wanted her. There was no way he could take the deal she offered and pretend otherwise. "No sex is a deal breaker."

  "Can't you just be celibate for the year?"

  Jake grinned at her exasperated tone. "Not and stay sane." The pressure against his zipper was evidence of his honesty if she but looked.

  Maddie caught her lower lip between her perfect white teeth. She seemed to be thinking about what he said. "Could you be discreet and take care of your needs another way?"

  Jake snorted. "Sorry. You brought my mother into this. There's no way I'm going to let her think I'm an adulterer. Not to mention my cousin, the priest."

  "Oh. I forgot about him." After a long pause, Maddie met his eyes. "What if I don't ask you to sign that particular contract? What if we have a kind of oral agreement that says I don't have to have sex with you, but that I would be open to your...wooing me?"

  "Wooing you?" Jake grinned. "You do know this is the twenty-first century. Right? No one woos anyone in today's world."

  For a moment, he wondered at the expression that flitted across her face. Was that regret? Fear?

  "That's the best I can do. If you want sex, you can try to seduce me the way any man does when he meets a woman he wants. In the spirit of full disclosure, I want you to know that, despite what you think you know about me, I'm not easy." She glanced away. "Not any longer." She thrust her hand out. "Do we have a deal?"

  Jake stepped close, but instead of shaking hands with her, he pulled her into his arms. "I think we should seal the deal with a kiss."

  His mouth covered hers. Maddie didn't respond. She stood still, unmoving, with her lips pressed together. Hands fisted. That just made him work harder to draw a response from her. His mouth gentled, coaxed, but still she didn't react. He teased the seam of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. That got a reaction.

  She pushed him away and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her gaze rested beyond his shoulder. Her voice was unsteady. "Do we have a deal?"

  Jake couldn't help himself. Maybe he'd been lost from the moment he'd opened the door to her. With a nonchalance he didn't feel, he said, "Yes. We have a deal."

  Her reaction to his kiss intrigued him. She was crazy to propose to him, and he must be just as crazy for accepting. Yet, being close to Maddie resulted in arousal that was almost painful. "Now what happens?"

  Maddie hurried to the door with Jake trailing behind her. "I call my lawyer. Amy will set up everything. We'll sign the contracts, fly to Vegas, and do the deed. Then we fly home to Houston. We live together a year then separate. A month later, I file for divorce."

  She turned to face him. A too-bright smile lifted the corners of her mouth, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Then we live happily divorced ever after."

  Chapter 5

  No matter how much Maddie rushed Amy Nguyen, her attorney didn't manage to dot all the i's and cross all the t's until the last day of March. Finally, all the paperwork was signed and executed which meant the wedding day would be April Fool's Day. Maddie could imagine the tabloid headlines.

  Mad Maddie, the April Fool Bride.

  She knew that's what the headlines would say when news of her marriage came out, as it certainly would.

  Already wary of attracting unwanted media attention, she and Jake had traveled separately to the secluded hotel Amy had booked. Maddie had learned the hard way that what happens in Vegas rarely stays in Vegas once the ambitious paparazzi got wind of it so she took no chances.

  Room service had delivered dinner to their suite. After that, she and Jake had returned to the living room to wait for Amy to finish her phone calls. Apparently, Jake had been immediately enamored of the big flat screen television. What was it with men and the remote control?

  Finally, Amy stepped into the living room. "Time to get ready. The car will be here soon."

  "No problem," Jake said, continuing to flip channels.

  Maddie closed the magazine she'd been pretending to read and went to her bedroom, ready to get this over with before she chickened out. She felt hollow and a little depressed. This was never how she had imagined her wedding day. For one thing, she'd wanted to be married in the afternoon when the sun shone brightly. Instead, the ceremony was to be in the wee hours of morning, hidden away from prying eyes. In all her fantasies, she'd imagined Jake deeply in love with her, not so bored that he could do nothing but flip channels with the TV remote.

  Amy entered the bedroom, closing the door behind her, even while she tapped the keys on her cell phone, sending another text message.

  Maddie stared at a huge dress box on the bed. "What's this, Amy?"

  "That's my wedding present to you. Everything you need is in that box."

  Dismay filled Maddie. She nudged the box with her index finger. "Oh. You shouldn't have. And I really mean that."

  Tears stung Maddie's eyes as she saw the label.

  Designs by DeeDee. Main Street Bridal Salon.

  In a hushed voice, she asked, "Is it really a DeeDee Drayden?"

  "It sure is. Remember when you were a bridesmaid for Mary Earle?" Amy didn't wait for an answer. "I called, and the salon still had your measurements on file. I asked if they had any dress that had been orphaned. This one was. The bride called off the wedding and didn't want the dress even though she'd paid for it. They were glad to sell it to me, and it only required minor alterations."

  At least one part of her bridal fantasy had come true. Maddie sank onto the bed. "It's a mistake to make a big deal about this. It's not as it's to be a real marriage. No happily ever after and all that." Emotion made her chest feel so tight she could hardly breathe.

  "You only get married once for the first time."

  Maddie snorted. "I guess that's true."

  "If you can't laugh about this, you're doomed. It will be happily ever after when you finally get your trust fund. In the meantime, have some fun with this. Above all, have fun with that sexy man out there. All you've done is talk about Jake for years. After seeing him, I can see why. Now he'll be all yours. Not many
women get to claim their fantasy man."

  "Yeah. He's mine. I bought him for a year." Amy was delusional. There was no fun in setting herself up for a year of misery, married to the man she loved who didn't love her in the least. And the sex thing. How was she ever going to keep him at arm's length? Making love with Jake would mean everything to her, and nothing to him.

  "Don't even try to pretend you're not crazy about him. When you say his name, your eyes get all soft and your voice reeks of longing. It even gives me a lump in the throat. You're in love with him, Maddie. I know it. You know it."

  "Well, of course I am. But he doesn't know it, and he can't ever know."

  "Relax. He'll never know unless you tell him." She made a rude sound. "He's a man. Men are as dense as fence posts when it comes to emotions. I guarantee the only thing he's thinking about is how to get into your panties."

  Maddie decided to end the conversation right there because she couldn't afford to think of Jake's big hands sliding beneath the silk and lace of her panties. Thoughts like that just made her even crazier. So she busied herself opening the box. Her breath caught when she lifted the lid and folded back the tissue paper. "Oh, Amy."

  She lifted an ivory silk wedding gown from its bed of tissue. Gently, she stroked the embroidered swirls on the strapless corset bodice. She couldn't resist holding the gown to her and going to the floor length mirror. "It's so beautiful."

  "I don't care if you are getting married in a Vegas wedding chapel, you still deserve a special dress," Amy said softly.

  "Thank you, Amy. For everything. I don't think I could get through this without you."