He stood again and resumed his pacing. “I ran into Harmon one afternoon in town. One thing led to another and I ended up confessing to him the corner I was in. A few weeks later, he came up with a solution.”
“I can only imagine.”
“I think you’ve misjudged him, Aria. He has a big heart. The man offered to give me the entire amount in cash. As soon as possible.”
“In exchange for what?”
Her father had the grace to exhibit shame. Though not as much as he should have. “He’d like to marry you, Aria. Start a family. You know how he came from extremely rocky beginnings. I think he wants the legitimacy that aligning himself with our family could give him.”
Her mouth hung open in shock. “You’re actually pimping me out in exchange for saving your neck?”
“Watch your language, young lady.” Her father scowled. “Of course not. This engagement would be temporary only. It would buy me the time I need to get the money and pay him back.”
“And he agreed to this?”
“Of course not. I’m trying to tell you that you don’t have to marry him in the end. I only need you to go through the motions. As soon as I have the money in hand, I’ll take it to him, and you can tell him you don’t think the two of you are well-suited or something like that. Break it off gently.”
“How do you propose to get this money?”
His gaze slid away from hers. “I have a few plans up my sleeve.”
In other words, he was gambling on his penchant for gambling. “Oh, Daddy,” she said. Her world was crumbling around her. Oddly enough, the one person she wanted to talk to about her father’s crisis was Ethan.
That was no longer an option. Her heart twisted with a sharp ache of regret.
“You could do worse,” her father said. “There’s something to be said for stability.”
“First you say it’s temporary, and now you’re planning my future with him. This is insane,” she said, feeling the walls close in. “You can’t possibly expect me to sacrifice myself for your mistakes.” The irony didn’t escape her. All she had ever wanted was a man who loved her and would give her a family of her own. In many ways, Harmon fit the bill. He was pleasant-looking and agreeable, though somewhat bland when it came to personality.
Harmon Porter was smart, and he actually had a lot of friends.
But he wasn’t Ethan.
Her father was gray, his expression desolate. “If not for me and your mother, think of the people who would lose their jobs if the company closes.”
Guilt was a powerful thing. Enabling an addict was self-destructive. Intellectually, Aria knew all that. But how could she let her mother’s life be torn apart? Aside from the financial ruin, the shame would crush Laura Jensen if it became public knowledge that her husband had stolen from his own company and lost every penny.
Aria’s throat ached. “I’ll have to think about it.” As the words left her mouth, she heard them, incredulous. First she had lost Ethan, and now this. Perhaps the soap-opera-like crisis was her own punishment for being stupid enough to think Ethan might change.
She stared at her father, for the first time truly seeing his feet of clay. The man who had taught her how to ride a bicycle and drive a car and had read her storybooks every night of her childhood was a deeply flawed human being.
But he was her father.
He stared at her in silence, his throat working. Finally, he spoke. “Harmon would like an answer quickly. He wants to throw a small party at the club soon to make the announcement. Nothing big. A few friends. Family. That’s all.”
“So he wants to gloat?”
“The man loves you.”
“I’m not sure about that. I get the impression that I’m a challenge to his pride. With as much money as he has, most women say yes when he asks them out. I’m one of the few who has ever turned him down.”
Her father bowed up, apparently already trying to rationalize his behavior. “He’s trying to be my friend. And yours. Don’t make this any harder than it already is.”
Tears burned her throat. She stood and found her sweater and purse. “I’m going home, Daddy. We can talk tomorrow.”
Outside in the lightly scented night air, she got into her car and rested her head on the steering wheel. She was shaking too much to drive. It wasn’t fair. How could her father do this to her? What would her mother say? Would she fight for Aria’s freedom?
The fact that Laura Jensen had excused herself tonight spoke volumes. Aria’s mother was maternal and kind, but she liked her creature comforts and her position in the community. The specter of bankruptcy would terrify her.
At last, when Aria felt calm enough to be in control on the road, she turned on the engine. For half an hour, she drove aimlessly around Royal. Businesses were closed, except for the restaurants. On street after street, she saw images of the life she had always wanted.
Brightly lit living rooms. Families laughing and eating and watching television. So ordinary. So special.
So out of reach. It was a simple dream, really. But in twenty-eight years she had never made it happen. And Ethan certainly wasn’t interested in her vision for the future. He’d made that abundantly clear.
She sighed, needing to talk to someone. But who? She had several friends who would open their doors to her without question and listen to her tale of woe. But Aria was a very private person when it came to her personal life. She’d be too embarrassed to admit how she had acted with Ethan and how her world was now about to implode because of her father’s addiction.
So instead, she kept driving and eventually found herself outside Ethan’s condo, the place he lived when he wasn’t in Houston. A light in the bedroom window told her he was probably home.
With all her heart, she wanted to ring his doorbell and beg him to hold her. If she hadn’t tried to alter things between them, that might have been an option. Despite the fact that they were now estranged, she still considered it.
As she watched, a man’s silhouette passed in front of the window. It was Ethan, of course. She eased the car into a parking space and shut off the engine. She was desperate for advice.
All she had to do was set aside her pride and ask him to help her find a way out of this mess. He was a man with vast and varied resources at his disposal. And he was incredibly smart. Surely Ethan could help her navigate this storm.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel until her fingers ached. It took everything she had to resist temptation. The moment of self-revelation was both stunning and shameful. She wasn’t here to get help with her father’s crisis. Well, okay, maybe that was the purported reason.
But what had drawn her to this particular street on this particular night was a deep, yearning hunger for the man who wasn’t hers. If she went upstairs on the pretext of asking for Ethan’s help, she would wind up in his bed.
Suddenly, she had an inkling of what it must be like for her father when it came to gambling. Even knowing that Ethan was bad for her, she wanted him, anyway. Even knowing that a choice to sleep with Ethan meant deep personal harm, she wanted him, anyway. In no time at all, she had become addicted to his touch, his body, his lovemaking.
Her throat ached with unshed tears.
How could she blame her father for his weakness when her own was so immensely foolhardy?
She was close to breaking down completely. Exhaustion. Stress. Fear. All those feelings and more nearly sent her into the very trap she was trying to avoid.
Ethan didn’t care about her in any significant way.
And she cared about him too much. Did she really want to have her heart broken?
At last, she reached for the ignition and started the engine.
* * *
Aria couldn’t believe she was actually about to have lunch with Harmon Porter in a private room at the Texas Cattleman’s Club.
Though Aria had begged her father to go with her, Raymond had insisted that Harmon would be displeased to have a third party present. So Aria went on her own.
It was a Saturday. Her day off. Normally, she would be spending the morning with friends. Perhaps having brunch or shopping. Something fun.
Instead, she was about to sign her life away.
It would have been easier, perhaps, if Harmon had been an outright scoundrel. She wanted to hate him for his part in this fiasco. Unfortunately, the heir to Porter Worldwide was not an evil man. His father, the CEO, had indulged him and spoiled him and told him he could have anything he wanted if he set his sights on the prize and never gave up.
From some parents, that advice might be golden. In this situation, it meant that Harmon was determined to make Aria his no matter how many times she had turned him down over the years.
Now, because of circumstances beyond Aria’s control, Harmon’s inflated ego was about to be rewarded.
When she walked through the door into the small room, she saw a table set for two with fine china and all the accoutrements. Harmon was standing. The man with the sandy hair and weak chin held out his hand, perhaps knowing he dared not press his luck at this moment with a kiss or embrace.
“Aria,” he said, a shade too heartily. “Thank you for coming. I’ve been looking forward to this.”
To his credit, the smile seemed genuine. Aria fought off the urge to flee. Instead, she shook his hand. “Hello, Harmon.”
Fortunately, her self-important suitor liked to talk about himself. A lot. Once they were seated, he dominated the conversation for the next half hour. All that was required of Aria was to nod and murmur her assent from time to time.
Her father had surmised that Harmon wanted to legitimize himself with a tie to the Jensen family. But that seemed unlikely. The Porters were equally prestigious in Royal society.
Aria knew why Harmon wanted this deal. He thrived on a challenge. Aria had hurt his pride by turning him down time and again. Now he played this game with a definite advantage. The woman he wanted was trying to make up for her father’s failings.
She tried to look at the situation objectively. It appeared that she was a one-man woman. And that one man had stomped her heart into the dust. If she couldn’t have Ethan, was any part of her dream salvageable?
What if she said yes to Harmon? His worst failing was his ego. That didn’t necessarily mean he was destined to be a wretched husband.
If she saved her father—of her own free will—would having children and a home ever make up for the fact that Ethan was beyond her reach? Or would her father somehow recoup his losses and release her from this impossible situation? Remembering Ethan’s cold words after their night together tipped the scales.
At last, the meal wound to a close. Discreet servers had been in and out of the room half a dozen times to take care of any and every need. Harmon barely acknowledged them. Aria was afraid her apologetic smiles did little to make up for his rude superiority.
When the dessert was done and they were alone once more, Harmon leaned forward. This time his smile extended to his eyes. “Do you have an answer for me, Aria?”
Here it was. The moment of truth. “I’ll marry you,” she said quietly. This was her choice. A woman could always change her tune later. Until they stood in front of a judge or a minister, she still had time to ponder her future.
He spoke confidently. “We’ll need to get a ring.”
Aria was ready for that one. “If you don’t mind,” she said, attempting to placate him, “I’d rather just have a wedding band.”
His face fell. “I wanted to have a party very soon to make the announcement.”
Her uncertainty deepened. She swallowed. “We can do that, of course. The ring isn’t necessary.”
“I suppose not.” He paused, clearly thinking. “If you’ll give me your guest list, my father’s assistant will make the arrangements.”
Again, Aria backpedaled. “Why don’t we let this one be just your friends and family? It will be more intimate that way. And later, we’ll do it again for my side.”
Apparently, she had read him well. He preened. “Two parties? I can’t quibble with that. I want the whole world to know that Aria Jensen is going to be my bride.”
There it was. The arrogance. The need to show off. He didn’t even make a pretense of saying anything about love or tender feelings.
She swallowed her misgivings. Despite her father’s terrible fall from grace, Aria didn’t have to do this. She could still walk away.
But could she live with the consequences? So many people would be hurt. So very many... And besides, this was a chance for her to build the life she had always wanted.
She stood up abruptly, no longer able to keep her composure. “I should go,” she said.
Harmon stood, as well. His gaze narrowed. “We’ll seal our deal with a kiss.”
Her throat hurt. Her stomach churned. “Of course.”
When he put his hands on her shoulders, it was all she could do not to flinch. His lips were cold and wet, and he pressed his mouth too hard against hers. Oddly, the kiss was lacking in passion. Perhaps she was more right than she knew. It was entirely possible that Harmon wanted the trophy wife more than he wanted sex.
After all, he had enough money to buy as many bed partners as he wanted.
He shook her gently. “Kiss me back, Aria. So I know you mean it.”
She moved her lips enough to satisfy him and jerked out of his embrace. That last bit was entirely beyond her control. A woman could only tolerate so much.
Harmon nodded slowly. “I think you and I will get along just fine.”
She straightened her spine and kept her expression impassive. Inside, her heart cried out. She wanted Ethan. But he didn’t want her. Plan B would have to do. Though she felt bereft, she’d be damned if she’d let Harmon see her pain.
“Thank you for the lunch,” she said quietly. “Text me the date and time of the party, and I’ll be there.”
Six
The morning after Aria’s lunch with Harmon Porter, the entire two-point-five million dollars was deposited into her father’s bank account.
At first, it stunned her that Harmon wouldn’t have made her sign some kind of document. And then she realized the truth. He had no doubts that she would renege on their bargain. Not when her parents’ entire livelihood and the survival of their company were on the line.
Layered on top of her misery was the knowledge that Ethan must already be back in Houston. The ground-breaking soiree for the new Texas Cattleman’s Club was slated to happen very soon. Ethan would be neck-deep in details at the site. After all, as he had pointed out, no one got ahead in this world without total focus and commitment.
She missed him desperately, but he had been very clear about what he wanted and didn’t want.
So where did that leave Aria? Was she a dutiful daughter doing what she must, or a fool throwing away her future? Maybe both.
Harmon didn’t waste any time scheduling the engagement party. His underlings must have worked like fiends.
Six days after her private lunch with the man, Aria found herself ascending the front steps of the Cattleman’s Club, flanked on either side by her parents. Her father had talked too loudly and too jovially all the way from the house to the TCC, pointing out what a great guy Harmon was and how wonderful it was for Raymond Jensen to know that his one and only daughter would have financial security.
As far as Aria could tell, her father had given up the fiction that he might be able to recoup his losses and put a stop to all this. Or maybe he had tried and then compounded his losses. Maybe he sensed that Aria was looking at the benefits of this alliance and was going to make the best of things.
Her mother was mostly silent, but when she did speak, it was a pretense, as if she truly believed this un
easy union between Aria and Harmon was a love match.
Aria linked her arms in her mother’s. She loved her mother, but Aria herself would never be the delicate flower that Laura Jensen was.
When they reached the ballroom, Aria’s stomach rebelled. “You two go on in,” she said. “I need to visit the ladies’ room.”
Her forehead was damp with sweat, and she couldn’t stop shaking.
In a small act of defiance, she had worn a dress she hated. It had been an impulse purchase off a clearance rack at Neiman Marcus, and couldn’t be returned. The pale gold sequins and mostly bare bodice made her look like a dead Egyptian queen.
In the washroom, she ran a damp paper towel over the back of her neck and told herself she wasn’t going to throw up. She wanted so badly to call Ethan and beg him for help. Even hearing his voice would be enough. As a child, she had never had to worry about bullies like Harmon Porter. Ethan had always protected her. But now she was on her own.
After five minutes or so, she was only a fraction calmer, but she knew she couldn’t hide forever.
When she opened the restroom door and stepped into the hall, a large male hand gripped her arm and urged her around a corner into a shadowy alcove that housed two large janitorial closets.
Her heart stumbled in surprise and joy despite the circumstances. “Ethan? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Houston.”
Jerking open one of the doors, he glanced left and right, then ushered her into the cramped space. They were so close her breasts brushed his chest.
His glare could have melted the metal shelving behind them. “Is it true?” he demanded. “Are you marrying Harmon Porter?”
Heat radiated from his big, taut body. His outrage was ridiculous. “Yes,” she said, lifting her chin, hoping to wound him. “Yes, I am.” After all, Ethan didn’t want her.
“You don’t love him.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Perhaps I don’t. But he can give me the life I’ve always dreamed of having. A home and family of my own. As many babies as I want. Roots. Emotional security.”
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