by Parker, Ali
I opened my mouth to reply, but she held up her hand, ordering me to stop.
“Don’t tell me that is why I should be replaced. I had one misstep, but the core is still good. This company needs me, and I need it. If you really want it to be successful, you’ll keep me on.”
I nodded. “I could consider it.”
“Could?” she said, those blue eyes lighting up with excitement.
“Could. I have an idea about how we can make that work,” I said, preparing to bring it all home.
“What is it? I’ll do just about anything to keep my company with me at the helm,” she said, her eyes pleading with me.
The way she was looking at me was making me think of other things besides contracts and jobs. I imagined that same look, begging me for something else entirely. I stopped myself from mentally undressing her, not trusting myself to be able to walk it back once things got too far.
I had her exactly where I wanted her and couldn’t afford to miss my chance. “Have dinner with me tomorrow and we can discuss it,” I said, staring back at her, letting her see the desire in my eyes.
She stiffened, her tongue darting out to nervously lick her lips. “No.”
“Excuse me?” I said, shocked by her immediate rejection. That I had not expected. I had expected her to question me or simply say yes.
She shook her head, her blond highlights catching the sun coming through the window behind her. It gave her an almost angelic look. I was probably going to be struck by lightning, but her as an angel was something that turned me on.
“No. This is business. I don’t believe in mixing business with pleasure,” she replied, her voice a little raspier than it had been a few seconds ago, telling me I had incited her desire as well.
“It would be a business meeting. Strictly business, unless you had something else in mind,” I assured her, unable to stop the cheeky grin from spreading across my face.
“I would prefer to keep this on a professional level. If we’re to work together, especially with you in a position of authority, it’s best we keep this strictly professional. I can meet you in your office or we can meet here,” she said, her voice taut and her face devoid of any amusement.
I cocked my head to the side, studying her. “I thought you said you would do anything to keep your position as CEO? Maybe not.”
She raised one of those thick, perfectly defined brows. “You actually think I’ll sleep with you to keep my position? I’m not sure who you think I am or what kind of people you normally deal with, but I’m not one to offer my, uh, services in exchange for anything.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t suggest that. You’re jumping to conclusions. We could definitely discuss that option if you’d rather.”
She rolled her eyes. “It isn’t an option and I definitely don’t want to discuss it,” she snapped, her cheeks blushing.
I smiled, knowing she was getting flustered. “But if it were, I guarantee it would be the best night of your life. Possibly mine as well,” I said, giving her chest a quick peek, smiling when I saw the peaks of hard nipples showing through the thin silk shirt.
I loved that she wanted me but was pretending she didn’t. The attraction between us was definitely not one-sided. I saw the way she looked at me. I had a feeling the sex between us would be explosive. The passion she felt for her company was just a little glimpse into what she would be like in the bedroom with the right man stoking her fire.
“Fine,” she spit out.
“What?” I stammered, bringing myself back to the conversation after going down a dangerous road that involved her naked and writhing under me.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Fine, I’ll have dinner with you, but I won’t sleep with you.”
I grinned. “Perfect. I’d hate to blur the lines between us.”
“I doubt that would ever happen,” she muttered.
I chuckled. “But if it did, I think the fire department would be called.”
“You sound like every other man. Always convinced you’re the best and blah, blah, blah. I’ve heard it before. You sound like a cocky bird strutting around,” she mumbled under her breath.
My eyes widened at the way she was talking. She was playing with fire. “Be careful. I’d hate to have to prove you wrong,” I rasped.
Color bloomed in her cheeks again. “When? Where?” she asked tersely.
“Tomorrow night works for me if it works for you. I can have my car pick you up. Say around seven,” I offered.
“Tomorrow is fine. Name the place and I’ll meet you there.”
I grinned and gave her the name of a restaurant I liked because it was very private and very exclusive. It was a bit of a who’s who when you dined there. No one bothered anyone. It was a place where celebrities, and those hoping to avoid a scandal by being out with their lover, would be ignored. It was the perfect place for the conversation I had planned for tomorrow.
“Great, I’ll see you then,” I said, standing and walking out of her office, leaving her hot and flustered behind her desk.
I was confident my plan would work. She wanted the job. I had a feeling what I had to offer would be enough to convince her to think twice about shooting me down completely. The woman was proving to be a challenge. I loved sparring with her and couldn’t wait until tomorrow night.
I walked through the Bancroft Building, nodding and waving to employees and guests as I made my way to the elevator. I headed for my own office, feeling a little better about the future until I saw Jack, strolling toward my office. I considered going the opposite direction, but it was too late. He’d already spotted me.
I walked right past him, pushing open my office door and heading straight for the wet bar and pouring myself a small bit of scotch.
“Early isn’t it?” he said, walking in behind me.
I turned to look at him. “I’m celebrating.”
“Really? What are you celebrating?”
I smiled. “The fact you’re not getting the position as CEO.”
Jack stopped smiling and shook his head before turning around and walking out without saying a word. I watched him go, irritated he didn’t have a response. I waited for him to reappear. When he didn’t, I walked to the door, poked my head out and caught him walking down the hall to his own office.
I had to wonder if I had just poked the bear. I may have inadvertently given him an advantage by letting him know early on that I was about to win the race. I didn’t trust him. He could pretend all he wanted he didn’t want the company, but I knew he was full of shit. He was trying to throw me off, so he could get the advantage.
“Not going to happen, little brother,” I said, shutting the door and pulling out my phone to make a reservation for dinner tomorrow.
With the plan in place, I sat down at my desk, ready to start planning my future as the CEO and master of the Bancroft Estate. Things were definitely looking up.
Chapter 8
Hannah
I did a quick touch-up on my makeup and took off my blazer, going from business to evening attire in an instant. I was nervous and freaking out a little about what his proposition was. Even though he had told me it wasn’t sex, I couldn’t help but think in that direction. What else could he want that necessitated a dinner and not a quick meeting in the office?
I had agreed to the dinner, only because I was desperate to keep my job. I did have standards. If he propositioned me, I told myself, I would walk out. No job was worth that—right? Even if the guy was totally hot and I had a major girl hard-on for the dude.
With a deep breath I headed inside the restaurant, giving the hostess my name and then following the young woman to the table where Grayson was already waiting.
“Hi,” he said, standing as I approached the table.
“Hello,” I said in a stiff voice.
I took my seat, feeling uncomfortable and nervous as hell. He of course looked handsome as ever.
“I took the liberty of ordering a bottle of red,” he said, gesturing
to the glass of wine in front of me.
“Thank you,” I muttered taking a drink to help calm my nerves. It was going to take a lot more than that.
I was on guard with him. Something about him told be to tread lightly. I knew his type. He was a player and used to getting his way. If I wanted to come out of this unscathed, I needed to keep my wits about me and take nothing at face value.
“How was work?” he asked, nearly sending me into a fit of laughter.
“Great. You?”
He shrugged. “The norm. Jack, that’s my younger brother, came by the office to bug me as he usually does.”
I smiled, thinking of a younger version of Grayson tormenting him. “Do you have just the one brother?”
He rolled his eyes. “No. I have a total of five brothers. I’m the oldest.”
“Wow!” I gasped, thinking of his poor parents. Raising six boys would be hard enough, but if they were all like him, I imagined they had to be saints to put up with that.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure we were a handful.”
“Are you close with your parents?” I asked, wanting to get a little insight into what made the man tick.
“My dad passed away recently. It’s just my mom. We have an okay relationship. My youngest brother is close to her. He lives with her and takes care of her. She’s pretty spry, but we were worried about her all alone in the house.”
“I’m sorry about your dad,” I said, feeling bad for him.
“Thanks. What about you?”
“What about me?” I asked playing coy.
“Are you close with your parents?”
I wasn’t about to open up to him. “No, I’m not.”
He must have gotten the message I didn’t want to talk about my family and moved on to a safer subject. “Where did you get your degree?”
“I didn’t.”
His eyes widened. “You don’t have some kind of business degree?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I didn’t see the point. I thought it was a waste of time to sit in a classroom when I could get out there and start doing what I really wanted to do.”
He raised an eyebrow and nodded. “I can respect that. It does seem like a waste of four years to sit around learning how to run a business when you could probably get away with a couple classes and still be set up for success.”
I smiled, appreciating the fact he was so cool about the lack of a degree. Maybe he wasn’t such a jerk after all. I had to remind myself I was sitting across from the enemy. I couldn’t afford to get lax.
“Thank you.”
The waiter came by, we ordered, then both sipped from our wineglasses before he set his down and looked at me. “Are you seeing anyone?”
My heart flip-flopped. I should have known. I knew it was coming. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
He smiled and gave a playful shrug. “I’m out to dinner with a beautiful woman. I want to make sure I’m not stepping on any toes.”
I quickly weighed my decision. “No, I’m not seeing anyone.”
He grinned even bigger. “Good to know.”
“Are you seeing anyone? Is there a Mrs. Bancroft waiting at home?”
He wrinkled his nose. “No. Most definitely not. Falling in love gives another person too much power. I can’t let that happen. My golden rule is to stay true to me and never let myself fall into that marriage trap.”
“That is awful. How can you think like that? Sharing your life with someone else is a beautiful thing,” I lectured.
I saw the change in demeanor and knew the real reason for the dinner was about to be revealed. I braced myself, having no inkling of what was about to come out of his mouth. Grayson was not a man I could predict I’d learned.
“Hannah, I want to explain my situation to you. I ask that you please hear me out before you make any judgements.”
I nodded. “I’ll certainly try.”
“I’m the oldest of the six boys. I’m the only one, besides Jack, who has worked for the company. None of the others have shown any interest at all. I assumed, like many others, I would have inherited the company upon my father’s death. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”
I nodded, not sure what his tale of woe had to do with me. “Okay.”
“In order to inherit, one of us has to have an heir. All of my brothers are single. Whoever has a child first, automatically inherits the Bancroft Estate. If my brother Jack has a child before I do, he will inherit the company. If my brother Mason, who’s never worked a day in his life, produces an heir, the company will fall into his hands. I can’t let that happen.”
I blinked, still having no idea why he was telling me any of this. “I’m sorry,” I said, unsure of what else to say.
“Hannah, I’d like to know if you would be willing to be my wife, in name only, and have my child. If you agree, I will make you the CEO of the company.”
I stared at him. There was no way I heard him right. It sounded like he asked me to marry him. That couldn’t be right. “I’m sorry, did you just ask me to marry you?” I questioned.
“Yes. Technically, but not really, if that makes any sense.”
I shook my head. The man had no boundaries. He just assumed everyone would bend to his whim. “You’re out of your mind. You’re a pig of the worst kind. I have never, ever met a man so arrogant and disgusting as you. I cannot believe you asked me to marry you in an attempt to get me into bed. Do you have no standards?” I said with a sneer.
“I’m not asking because I want to sleep with you,” he defended.
“Oh, that makes it so much better. You want to impregnate me and marry me, so you can get your hands on an inheritance you don’t rightfully deserve?”
“I do deserve it. I deserve every bit of it, and it isn’t right I have to have a child to get it!”
“You’re nuts. Absolutely nuts.”
“This isn’t personal, Hannah. This is me making you an offer. You get to be the CEO of your company, and I get to be the CEO of my company. I’m not asking you to marry me and stay married for the rest of our lives. I need one child. You’ll be well compensated, and you’ll get to keep your company. I’m not exactly an ogre. You’re not losing anything,” he pointed out in a dry tone.
I hated him. I hated him, but I was so turned on in that moment I shocked the hell out of myself. I was messed up. Really messed up to find his insane proposal hot.
“Not personal. You want me to have your child. How is that not personal?” I argued, my mind not fully comprehending what he was saying. It was so asinine it made no sense to me.
“Hannah, it’s a great deal. I have the power to let you keep your company or to take it away. You can have what you want, all you have to do is say yes.”
I laughed. He was insane. That explained why a guy as good looking as he was, was still single. “You need to get your head checked.”
“I’m completely rational, I assure you. This isn’t something I came up with on the fly. I’ve thought about it, and I think it is a reasonable solution to both our problems,” he said calmly.
I stared at him. He didn’t look drunk or crazy. He was being completely serious. “You’re serious about this?”
He nodded his head. “I am.”
“I can’t give you an answer right now. I wasn’t planning on getting married anytime soon, and I was certainly not expecting to have to pay with my firstborn—literally, to keep my job. I need time to think about your little offer.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Fine. I’ll give you a couple days. I’m kind of up against a timeline here. I can’t wait around too long. Every day I’m not married or trying to produce an heir is a risk. My brother could be doing it right this minute.”
I curled my lip. “I can’t believe you are approaching this like an animal breeder. Do you even hear yourself?”
He smiled. “I do, but like I said, this is business. It isn’t personal. I’m not going to wine and dine you and send you flowers. I’m being
upfront with you. I’m telling you what I want and expect while telling you what you can expect in return. We don’t have to worry about messy feelings and any of that other nonsense.”
Once again, I was mind-blown. He was talking about knocking me up as if I were a uterus for hire. I wondered if he planned on using a turkey baster to do the deed. Scratch that. I didn’t want to let myself go down that road.
“Fine. I need to go now. I don’t think I can look at you.”
He laughed. “I’m sure you could look at me just fine. If you’d like to sample the goods before we say the I dos and get down to the baby-making business, I’d be more than happy to give you a free spin.”
I gasped, and my jaw nearly hit the table. “You’re … you’re, deplorable!” I said, standing up and sending my chair flying backward as I flounced out of the restaurant with all the disdain I could muster.
The cool night air slammed into me, cooling down my overheated flesh. The man had a way with words. How could he be so tempting when he was so vile? I was the one who needed to get my head checked. Something was wrong with me. I was drawn to him. I liked the teasing and the blatant alpha-male thing. I was so used to be dominant and in charge. Most of the men I had dated let me steamroll right over them. Not Grayson.
After catching my breath, I hailed a cab and went home hungry. I had a lot to think about. Why I was even considering it was beyond me. I needed to tell him to take a long walk off a short pier. What kind of man asked a woman to have his baby in exchange for a job in this day and age? A caveman—that’s who. A very hot, sexy caveman.
Chapter 9
Grayson
I sat at my desk, staring at nothing in particular. Hannah hadn’t called. Her lawyer hadn’t called, and I hadn’t gotten a visit from the police serving me with a no-contact order. I had no idea what was going on. Had she taken me seriously? Did she think I was a complete lunatic? I had a lot of questions and no answers.
I was pretty sure if I had truly scared her off, she would have rejected the business buyout offer. She hadn’t, so that had to mean I still had a chance. I admit I could have softened the blow a bit. At least got a couple glasses of wine in her before I asked her to have my baby. I hadn’t expected her to say yes immediately, but I did expect her to finally say yes. People didn’t typically tell me no and mean it. It was usually “no, but,” and they would want a little more.