A Deal Before the Altar. Rachael Thomas

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      Suspiciously he looked at her as he sat back again in his chair. ‘You are not looking for love, Ms Henshaw?’

      ‘Not at all, Mr Ramirez. I only want my sister’s happiness. I will do anything to achieve that. Once they are married we can annul our marriage and go separate ways.

      Santos considered this wild suggestion more seriously. Would it hurt to go along with it for now—to have another option if his legal team were unable to sort out an alternative?

      ‘And you would want what, exactly, from this marriage?’ His mind raced. On a business level it made perfect sense. He would finally have the security of inheriting the business he’d built up and would have done his duty by his brother, freeing Carlo of obligations he had little or no interest in.

      ‘I want nothing from you other than our names on a marriage certificate. Once that is done we need not see each other. We just apply for an annulment.’

      Her voice had hardened and his past rushed back at him. He saw the teenager who had hardly grieved for his controlling mother. Felt the pain as his father eventually remarried and moved on with a loving and kind woman whom Santos had resented. A woman who had changed his father, almost taking him away from his firstborn with the power of her love.

      ‘I find that hard to believe. You must want something.’ Experience had taught him that. Everyone wanted something. Everyone had a price.

      ‘Nothing more than I’ve already stated.’

      Her cool, calm words sounded believable.

      Santos thought of the conditions of the will and gritted his teeth against the memory of the day he’d realised what his manipulative father had done. It seemed this attractive woman knew a lot about the will, but she didn’t know it all. She hadn’t mentioned the other conditions that he would have to meet before finally inheriting. It wasn’t as simple as marriage.

      ‘I require more than that. My wife, when I take one, will be a wife in every sense of the word.’

      Did she really think he was going to accept her proposition meekly, without attaching his own conditions? If he had to get married he’d rather do it for business than become as vulnerable as his father had after his second marriage. There was also the matter that he was a hot-blooded male and this woman had stirred his blood the second she’d walked proudly into his office.

      Santos watched as realisation dawned on her pretty face, followed by defeat. But he said nothing more. To do so now would be to show his hand. He would never give away the fact that he actually saw her proposition as a serious option—his back-up plan.

      ‘I can’t do that.’ She gasped the words out, her face whitening before his eyes.

      ‘Then your very first words to me were lies.’

      Part of him felt relieved. She hadn’t really been serious. But another part of him, the deal-chaser, wanted this—but on his terms. Marriage would not only secure the business but would put a stop to the endless rounds of parties. It would enhance his image in the business world, giving him what appeared to be a happy marriage, and it would mean he didn’t have to get emotionally involved. Something he avoided at all costs.

      She still hadn’t spoken so he carried on, pushing forward his conditions, turning it completely to his advantage. ‘That is the only deal I’m prepared to make.’

      * * *

      Georgina’s heart sank. Was he seriously suggesting a real marriage—one that would entail her being at his side publicly and sleeping in his bed at night?

      ‘We know nothing of each other.’ She grabbed at the first thing that came to mind.

      ‘On the contrary, Georgina. I think we both know enough.’

      The use of her name sent a warm tingle down her spine. His gaze fixed on hers so intently she felt as if he was physically holding her captive. Her pulse-rate leapt, then beat hard as she thought of spending the night in his bed, of being his wife in every sense of the word.

      She couldn’t banish the image of him with one of his model-like women hanging on his arm. Would such a man as Santos Ramirez even want to be seen publicly with her? Worse still, would he find her lacking as a lover? No, lover wasn’t the right word. Would he find her lacking as a sexual partner?

      ‘I know that the world would never be fooled into thinking we had married for any other reason than convenience.’ She clutched awkwardly at excuses as she still struggled to take in what he wanted.

      ‘And that would be because you have already been married and widowed purely for financial gain.’

      Pain lanced through her as she thought of Richard Henshaw—the man she’d married because she had been genuinely fond of him. The same man who had given her stability and security in her life for the first time ever. In that moment she hated Santos more than any other man for bringing Richard into it.

      ‘No.’ Her voice filled with entreaty. ‘Because I am nothing like the type of woman you date.’

      He raised a brow, and a slight smile teased at the corners of his lips. ‘As far as people would know I’d have become besotted with you exactly because you are not like any woman I have ever dated.’

      ‘Would you really want people to think that instead of thinking we were married in name only to keep your business?’

      ‘I have no intention of anyone ever thinking I have married for business gain only.’ He looked steadily at her. ‘Especially Carlo.’

      Georgina couldn’t take it in. Her whole plan had been turned upside down. He’d taken complete and utter control of the situation and turned it into something she just couldn’t think of doing.

      ‘How is that achievable?’

      She struggled to comprehend how Emma would ever believe she had married such a man simply because she wanted to. Not now Emma knew all about her first marriage and the reasons behind it.

      ‘You said that nobody knows you are here—is that not true?’

      ‘No, nobody,’ she replied, trying to grasp where this was leading.

      ‘Good,’ he said, and stood up, making her feel small and insignificant as he moved around his desk to stand before her once more. ‘I will host a party tomorrow evening, to which you and Emma are invited.’

      ‘How is that going to help?’ Georgina couldn’t figure out where he was going with this.

      He smiled. A lazy smile that did nothing to hide his amusement at the situation. ‘We won’t be able to leave each other alone; the attraction will be obvious to all there. Then we will spend the entire weekend together, maybe longer, after which we shall make the announcement.’

      The tone of his voice had changed, giving it a warm depth, and she had the distinct impression that if he was really attracted to her she would be unable to resist. A tingle shimmied down her spine, causing her pulse-rate to leap—which had nothing to do with anxiety and everything to do with the dark and possibly dangerous man who watched her intently.

      ‘Okay,’ she said quickly, aware that her voice had СКАЧАТЬ