The Billionaire's Marriage Contract

by Avery James

  Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  THE BILLIONAIRE’S MARRIAGE CONTRACT

  by Avery James

  Chapter 1

  Amy Haven stared out the window of her office at the midday crowds below. From K Street to Capitol Hill, the young women of Washington, DC were participating in a shared rite, the first warm day of spring. In place of dress pants and pea coats, they wore hip-hugging pencil skirts and revealing dresses, showing off their bare legs for the first time in months. The dirty truth of DC was that the town was run by twentysomethings. For every Senator, Congressman or law firm partner, there were a hundred young and eager staffers and interns.

  Now that spring had arrived, it was only a matter of time before one of those powerful men made a mistake with one of those alluring young women, only a matter of time before someone leaked an email or a picture. That’s when Amy’s phone would ring, and she’d set to work. It was a pattern she had grown to rely on. Spring brought scandals, and scandals paid the bills.

  Amy caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window. Now in her early 30s, she was starting to have less and less in common with those young staffers who seemed to fuel so many desires. Amy’s skill at crisis communications had made her one of the most influential women in the city, but it had come at a cost. She was always working, always cultivating her public image. Sometimes she envied those young women, envied their naivety, the way they fell for men, the way those men fell for them.

  “Amy, have you given it any more thought?” The words broke Amy’s reverie, and she turned to look at her younger sister, Callie, who stood just inside the door of her office. Callie looked just like those women Amy had just watched below. Her skirt showed off her skinny hips, and her stylish glasses only accentuated her girlish features. Amy stared at Callie for a moment as she tried to remember what she had even asked in the first place.

  Two months earlier, Amy had poached Callie away from her job as a lawyer at a big name firm with the promise of more responsibility and more interesting work. In practice, that had meant acting as Amy’s shadow while she learned the business. Callie was good at keeping out of the way, good enough that Amy had forgotten she was even in the room.

  Callie cleared her throat and said, “I’m ready for more responsibility. You know, I can’t just shadow you forever. And I didn’t leave my old job to become your secretary.”

  Amy knew Callie was right, but it was hard for her to think of her younger sister as anything but a kid. Their mother had died when they were young, and their father worked around the clock to escape his grief. Out of necessity, Amy had practically raised her younger sister. “I just don’t know if you’re ready yet.”

  “Amy I’m twenty eight, not twelve. I graduated at the top of my class in law school. I gave up a realistic path to a partnership at a major law firm, because you asked me to come work for you. Trust me, I understand your hesitation, but I’m ready. Besides, I’ve seen how much you work. You need to hand off some of your workload if you ever want to have a personal life. I know you say you’re married to your job, but if you were, it would qualify as an abusive relationship.”

  “I have the same amount of work I’ve always had,” Amy said, “and, for your information, I have dinner plans tonight.”

  “I do, too,” Callie said. “Our aunt’s 70th birthday doesn’t count as a night out. Come on. Learn to give up just a bit of control. Senator Whitman’s office is calling in ten minutes. Let me lead the call.”

  “Just because you’re my little sister doesn’t mean I’m going to give you preferential treatment. If anything, it means I need to have higher standards for you. Everything you do reflects back on me, and I have worked too hard to hand a case over to you before you’re ready.”

  “What do I need to do prove that I’m ready?” Callie asked.

  “Pick a client.”

  “Anyone?”

  “Sure, I’m not saying you’ll get to work with that client, but give it a shot.”

  “Ethan Cole.”

  Amy laughed. “You’re not working with Ethan Cole.”

  “Why not?”

  “First, he makes up a third of our billable hours. Second, he has a thing for beautiful young women, and I’m not about to dangle my little sister in front of him. Plus with his blue eyes and strong jaw, I’m not sure you’d be able to resist. Third, I passed him off to Rich three years ago. I haven’t spoken to him since.”

  “Why not? I know what he looks like, by the way. I happened to see him on the cover of GQ last month.”

  “Callie, I’m not going to get into that right now. In fact, I’m done talking about Ethan. Pick someone else.”

  “Ok, how about Senator Whitman?”

  “What do you think his major flaw is?” Amy asked.

  “I don’t think he has one,” Callie shot back.

  “He does. Besides, you can’t trust a man without one big flaw,” Amy said, “because a man who says he has no major flaws is lying to you. And you can’t rely on a man with more than one. More than one flaw, and he can’t get out of his own way. One flaw: find it and help the client hide it, and you’re good.”

  “Do you really believe that?” Callie asked.

  “I’ve been doing this for long enough to know that for most men their flaw is women. For some it’s alcohol, for other’s it’s a lust for power or a need to always win.”

  “What about a woman?” Callie asked. “Does the same rule apply?”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “What do you think my flaw is?”

  Amy looked at Callie. If there ever was a flawless woman, Callie was it. She was beautiful, whip-smart, funny, kind, one hell of an employee, and she was strangely protective of Amy even though she was her younger sibling by several years. “You’re too trusting,” Amy replied, “and in this business you can’t trust anyone.”

  “Even the clients?”

  “Especially the clients.” Amy decided to let that thought sink in for a while before moving on with business. She had learned that lesson the hard way, and if Callie wanted to take on a bigger role in the company, she’d have to take that idea to heart. Amy let out a long sigh and said, “We work with men who get themselves into trouble. They’re all powerful and wealthy, and they like to get their way. Your senator is no exception. He’ll lie to you on the call, and Rich will look into him. He’ll find out whatever we need to know.”

  “What about Ethan Cole?”

  “Why do you keep asking about Ethan Cole?”

  “He’s on line one. I came in your office to tell you he had called.”

  “Very funny. I already told you, I handed him off to Rich years ago.”

  “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. He’s on line one. He said he had to talk with you. He said it was urgent.”

  “You’re telling me that Ethan Cole, one of the busiest and most influential men in the world, has been waiting on hold for the past ten minutes with an urgent call while we’ve been chatting?”


  “Should I tell him you have a call with Senator Whitman?”

  “Why in the world didn’t you tell me about this the minute you walked in the door?” Amy watched the wry smile on her sister’s face and realized she had been played. “You knew I couldn’t take both calls at once, didn’t you?”

  “I have no comment on that matter,” Callie replied.

  “Maybe you are ready.” Amy didn’t know whether she should be angry at her sister or proud of her for making such a deft move. “Get Rich or Laura on the call with you, and don’t make me regret this decision. If Ethan really is on the line, and if I don’t kill you for keeping him on hold, we’re going to have to have a talk at some point soon. Now go, take the other call.”

  “Really?” Callie ran over and hugged Amy. “You won’t regret this. I promise!”

  As soon as Callie left the office, Amy turned her attention back to the phone. Why in the world was Ethan Cole calling her?

  Amy thought back to the last time she had seen Ethan. She could remember the way his collar was slightly open, and she could remember the cool musk of his cologne. It had been years since they had been in the same room together, and years since she had handed him off to Rich and Laura. What was he doing calling directly? Amy wondered.

  Amy reached down and pressed the button. As she lifted her finger, she felt a rush of excitement. No one made her nervous. That was what she told herself, but her heart was beating a mile a minute, and her palms felt warm and clammy. She listened to the silence before clearing her throat and saying, “Amy Haven.”

  “Amy, it’s Ethan, how are you?” It had been a long time since Amy had heard his low, smooth voice.

  “Confused. To what do I owe the pleasure? A direct call from Ethan Cole, you must really need my help.”

  “I do.”

  “What did you do this time? Is someone pregnant?”

  “Not yet,” Ethan said. Amy just knew he was grinning on the other end of the line.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “Dinner,” he replied. “Tonight.”

  “You know the rules, Ethan. I don’t socialize with clients.”

  “Not even the handsome and charming ones?”

  “They’re all handsome and charming. That’s what gets them into so much trouble.” This was doubly true for Ethan. He was exceptionally handsome, and exceptionally rich. Over the past few years, he had also developed quite a talent for getting himself into trouble. He had been Haven’s best client for half a decade.

  Ethan laughed. “I seem to remember you breaking that rule once before, but, unfortunately, this is business. Meet me at nine for dinner. It will be worth your time.”

  “I have dinner plans already with someone I like much more than I like you.”

  “Drinks at seven.”

  “One drink.”

  “And a proposal,” Ethan replied. “I’ll send a driver to pick you up at six-thirty. See you soon.”

  Amy hung up the phone. “Callie,” she yelled. “Call Violet and push to eight-thirty. And let everyone know I’m calling a staff meeting for nine tomorrow morning. I have a feeling we’re going to need all hands on deck for this one.”

  Amy looked through the open door to her office, and realized that Callie was still in the conference room on the Whitman call. Thankfully, no one had heard her talking to someone who wasn’t there. Amy walked out of her office and grabbed a pad of paper to handwrite a note. Meeting Cole at 7. Will be home as soon as possible.

  She felt a nervous excitement deep in her stomach as she headed for the elevator. She felt slightly off balance, like the Earth had shifted beneath her. It had been so long since she had seen Ethan, and she had missed their back and forth. She had to go home and get ready; she wasn’t going to wear a pantsuit to drinks with Ethan Cole. No, she would need to find something much better than that.

  Chapter 2

  Ethan Cole sat at the bar and looked at his reflection in the mirror as he reached into his briefcase. He studied the lines on his face. He wasn’t getting any younger, he thought. He wondered if the stress of his job was starting to get to him. For over a decade, he had been the toast of the tech world, but he wondered if the world was finally catching up with him. By the time he fished the small box out of the bottom of the leather briefcase, he had gone from looking at his forehead to inspecting the small lines that were starting to form next to his eyes. As he spun the box around in his fingers, he turned to look toward the door. No sign of Amy yet. He let out a little sigh of relief and turned back around. He motioned to the bartender.

  “Ready for a drink?” the bartender asked.

  “Just let me know when the attractive brunette comes in through the front door.”

  “Believe it or not, we have many attractive brunettes come through that door.”

  “You’ll know when she walks in. Light brown hair, even lighter green eyes, a pale complexion, and a smile that, well, if you ever see it, consider yourself a lucky man.”

  “You got it boss,” the bartender said.

  Ethan opened the box and gazed down at the ring inside. “This is just a business deal,” he whispered to himself. “Don’t try to make it anything more than that.” He pulled the ring out of the box and inspected it in the dim light. It had been in his family for two generations and was the only keepsake he had left of the grandmother who had raised him. He looked at the sapphire set in the center of the ring. It was barely half a carat, but it was worth more to him than almost anything in the world.

  As Ethan began to think back, the bartender pointed to the door. “I think your friend is here,” he said.

  Ethan put the ring back in the box and slid it into the bottom of his briefcase. He gazed back toward the door to catch a glimpse of Amy as she looked around the dining room. She was as stunning as ever, and Ethan felt his pulse jump as he looked at her. Here goes, he thought. Ethan looked down at the napkin he had placed on the bar, rereading the note on it one more time before placing it back in his pocket. He turned back to the bartender. “I’m ready for that drink.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. “Her drinks are on me, too.”

  ***

  It took Amy almost a minute to spot Ethan at the back corner of the bar. She was surprised it had taken her so long. Even across a dimly lit room, he had a brightness to him, an inner light that had a tendency to make him the center of attention. By the way he had positioned himself at the bar, Amy could tell he wasn’t interested in gaining anyone’s attention but hers. She made eye contact with him for a moment. As soon as he saw her, he turned away and slid something into his pocket. Amy waved off the hostess and began to make her way over to him.

  Crossing the room, she felt excitement rising up inside her stomach, a nervousness that tied itself in knots. She was a consultant to movie stars, to moguls and kings, and yet she felt nervous even being in the same room as Ethan. Amy shook her head as she approached him. Buck up, she thought. Just find out what he wants and then head out. He was probably just trying to get a rise out of her. How sensitive could this proposal be? When she reached his side, she cleared her throat.

  Amy was used to men like Ethan. They always had to win, and getting her to agree to meet him for a drink was just another form of winning. Whatever proposal he’d have would be some other game for him to win. She had wanted to be the one in the seat as he arrived, but he had denied her that, too. As annoyed as she was with him for that, she couldn’t deny the waves of nervousness that rushed through her body as he stood up to face her. He reached over and pulled out the chair for her. Amy laughed. “Really?” she asked. “I can get my own seat, Ethan.”

  “I know,” he replied. “Doesn’t mean I shouldn’t make the effort.”

  “This is a meeting, not a date.” Not that I can remember what it’s like to be on a date, Amy thought.

  “Well, agree to disagree,” Ethan replied with a smile. He looked her over again as he waited for her response.

&n
bsp; “No,” Amy replied. She pursed her lips and opened her eyes wide as she tried to express just how little patience she had for Ethan’s games. He was doing it again, getting under her skin. “I don’t date clients. I don’t get personally involved with clients.”

  “And why is that again?” Ethan asked. Amy watched his grin grow wider as he waited for her response. She’s going to kill me when she hears what I have to say, he thought.

  “I know my clients. You’re all the same. You all want one thing, and I’m not about to let you make me the center of a scandal myself.”

  “I promise I won’t try to sleep with you,” Ethan said.

  “Ha,” Amy said. “Like you’d even have a chance. I meant you want to win. It’s hard-wired into you.”

  “How?” Ethan replied. “How does a drink with a colleague equate to needing to win? And how is it a scandal? It’s hardly tabloid material.”

  “When the colleague is female and around your age, and while you’re still tabloid gold, it is.”

  “You forgot attractive,” Ethan added.

  “What?” Amy replied. Was he actually hitting on her after everything she had just said or was he that self absorbed that he was still talking about himself? “Did you just call yourself attractive?” Amy asked.

  “No. You know what I meant,” he replied. Besides, if you weren’t attractive people would just assume you were my secretary or sister or something.”

  “You date supermodels.”

  “And as far as I know, you don’t date anyone. So like I said, I think we’re safe. What are they going to say? Ethan Cole spotted in public with a nun? I have half a mind to find out if you’re wearing a chastity belt under that dress.”

  Amy laughed. “I swear if you make a nun joke.”

  “I try not to make a habit of it.”

  Amy shook her head and laughed before lowering her voice. She reached out, placed her hand over Ethan’s and asked, “Why are we here?”

  “I’m thinking about getting married.”

  “Are you really?” Amy asked with a grin. She wondered which South American supermodel had managed to pull the fleece over his eyes. “Let me guess, you want me to do some preemptive damage control.”