Why should she lie to him? Did he think she was living a double life or something like that? “I was. That`s what I did. She looked up at his face and read the relentlessness. It`s best to do it right behind you. “Debbie and Alan took me with them.” Ethan had met the young couple who were learning French with her, and he nodded briefly. Craig Finch, who only joined the class last month, offered to take me home. He said it wasn`t out of his way and that it would save Alan a detour. She swallowed hard. “Only Craig made a detour, and when I mentioned him, he did. he… The occasional advice from his best friend could have worked if Blake had been able to trust the women in his life. Unfortunately, he couldn`t.
“And risk losing everything? You know me better than that. I don`t need emotions that clutter something as important as a marriage contract. An agreement was exactly what he needed. A contract. A trade agreement that would benefit both parties over the course of a year. Then they might separate and never see each other again. “Some of the women you introduce yourself to would be happy to sign a prenuptial agreement.” “I need a woman, Carter, and I needed her yesterday.” Blake Harrison drove into the back seat of the city car on the way to a Starbucks and glanced at his watch for the tenth time in that hour. “He laughed.” She felt sick just thinking about the expression in Craig`s eyes. It had already been tense – some of the things he had said had been particularly personal and slimy – but it was that smile that really sounded the alarm. Blake hung up the phone, put it in his coat pocket, and leaned back in his seat. So it came too late. The men in his position could walk in half after the scheduled time and still have people climbing above themselves to give the impression that it was their fault.
Much depended on the outcome of that meeting. Finding a woman before the end of the week to keep her ancestral home to go with her title, not to mention the rest of her father`s fortune, depended on Sam Elliot. Neil pulled the long black car onto the sidewalk and quickly opened Blake`s door in front of the green-and-white painted café. With briefcases in hand, Blake ignored the crooked heads as he entered the storefront. The rich smell of freshly ground beans filled his nose as he searched the tables for the man he imagined to be Sam Elliot. Blake speculated that he would find a man who wore a business suit and wore a wallet with possible female perspectives. He hoped that the contact of his personal assistant knew what he was talking about. Otherwise, Blake might be forced to raise the issue of marriage to Jacqueline or perhaps Vanessa. Jacqueline loved her independence more than her money. The fact that she kept a lover other than him pushed her out of the race for the woman. What was left was Vanessa. Beautiful, blonde and already riding the wave of the future ex because of her allusions to exclusivity.
He didn`t like the idea of continuing. He was a bastard, but never cruel. Some women disagreed, and the tabloids had called him pompous and cunning. When the newspapers snooped on what he was doing, they wrote it as a joke. He wants to avoid further scandal. However, reality was a legitimate slut, and he knew that his fake marriage had to look real to satisfy his father`s lawyers. He had already thought about it. But he had worked hard for his reputation as an emotionless bastard and didn`t need to spoil it by pretending to be in love with a woman to climb the steps of the courtroom with him.
“I need someone to agree with my plan. Someone who doesn`t attract me at all. Blake`s driver swerved into traffic to make a traffic light. Ruthless, just like his boss wanted. “See you for a drink tonight.” Hannah`s eyes flew to Ethan`s face as her hand automatically went to her scratched cheek. So that should be history, she thought philosophically. This certainly made them seem less stupid than the truth. Ethan reached out and touched his arm. “My God, you`re like ice cream.” He took off her dress and wrapped it around her.
“Sit down before you fall.” He pressed her on a chair. Traffic obstructed the intersection two blocks from where his meeting with the businessman took place. The seconds clicked beyond the time of his scheduled appointment. Damn, he hated being late. “Are you sure this dating agency is the way to go?” “He hurt you?” Ethan hovered over her and looked much more menacing than Craig. She felt guilty for making the comparison: Ethan had his flaws, but he was a decent man and not a tyrant, despite the way he questioned her. Normally, he did not interfere in their lives at all. Late, he never promised good to potential customers, regardless of their activity. Blake walked past the lonely redhead, went around the stroller and ordered a simple coffee, then resigned himself to sitting down and waiting a few minutes.
He put his briefcase on an empty table and turned around for coffee when the teenager behind the counter called his name. She tore his face out of his grip. “The only person I want to touch less than Craig. You are! The offensive image of herself as a sexually frustrated woman desperately seeking male attention boiled her blood. Ironically, the only male attention she longed for was her own. At least he couldn`t make fun of her with the truth. “After getting my explanation. I felt like you were going out to eat with your classmates. His skeptical tone gave the impression that this was a sophisticated lie. “I cancelled my appointments for this morning. Cal Morgan sees you at ten years old.
I`m going to take you to surgery – for this tetanus vaccine,” he added, looking blank at it. His friend snorted with disapproval. “I know. These are relationships you are in. Over the years, Hannah had formulated a vague theory that it was easy for women to stop kissing – it was just men who were pushed beyond meaning and reason by such an essentially innocent hobby. .