Wanted: Billionaire's Wife. Susannah Erwin

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СКАЧАТЬ reasonable.” His direct gaze dared her to disagree.

      No wonder he earned the nickname Luke Dalek. He made marriage sound like lines of binary code. “What about falling in love?”

      He raised an eyebrow, like a teacher silently reprimanding a student for failing to add two plus two correctly. “The successful candidate will be well compensated for meeting my requirements. As will you for conducting the search. I assume three hundred thousand dollars will cover your retainer fee and costs.”

      “That doesn’t answer my—wait. Three hundred thousand dollars?” At his nod, blood thudded in her ears. This time, his nearness had nothing to do with it.

      Three. Hundred. Thousand. Dollars. What remained of the bills for Matt’s surgery could be paid outright and he could start the experimental treatment. Her parents could stop worrying. Her rent payments would be covered, staving off homelessness for the foreseeable future.

      There was even enough money to start her own search firm. Never again rely on an employer’s empty promises.

      It sounded too good to be true. And in her experience, when things sounded too good to be true, it meant they would end only in tears: hers. “There are lots of people who are professional matchmakers. Like that TV show, Matchmaker for Millionaires, or whatever it’s called. Why not go to her?”

      His upper lip curled. “I would rather replace my laptop with a typewriter. I told you, I don’t have time for the conventional courtship a matchmaker would require. I’m hiring you because my criteria include a successful business track record, experience with high-level philanthropy and an elite education. Qualities you should be familiar with in executive recruitment.”

      “Seems like a rather extreme way to meet women.” Exhaustion always caused her mouth to operate separately from her brain’s tact center.

      His gaze narrowed, then his mouth upturned ever so slightly. He leaned closer to her. “If I just needed to meet women, I wouldn’t require your services. Believe me.” His low tones rumbled in her ear, causing her knees to turn to water.

      She braced herself against the wall. She didn’t want to find Luke Dallas desirable. He was easy to look at, sure. His muscles belonged on a museum statue. His eyes could be used as interrogation weapons: one deep gaze into those blue pools and she was sure spies of all genders would be happy to spill their secrets. It was fun following his exploits in the gossip columns from afar—okay, exciting to imagine herself in the designer dresses of his dates. But in person? Intimidating. Arrogant. And asking the impossible.

      Too late, she realized Luke continued to speak. She tuned in just in time to hear him say, “If you complete the search in one month, you’ll earn a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus.”

      “Fifty...thousand...” The room began to spin around her once more.

      “Breathe,” he said. He put a hand on her upper arm to keep her steady. Sparks flew from where he touched her, crackling through her nervous system. “You should work on that.”

      It was a lot of money. Money her family needed. She searched his gaze, looking for a catch. She saw only determination.

      “Well?” He looked at his smartwatch. “The offer is off the table in three minutes.”

      Finding suitable contenders shouldn’t be a problem if she focused on education and work history. Charity work and social affiliations would also help her determine if they met his criteria. Thankfully, she had backed up the firm’s database of recruitment targets before she took her family leave. Johanna rarely changed her own email passwords, much less the password to the cloud storage site Danica used for the firm’s important files, so access to the information shouldn’t be a problem.

      The ethics of finding him a bride, however... She bit her lower lip. But he was right. Executive search hinged on making a successful match between the employer and the candidate. What he wanted wasn’t too much of a leap. She blurted out the next thing that popped into her head. “I’m not asking about sexual histories. That’s all on you.”

      A swift grin transformed his face. It made him seem approachable, even charming. “Does that mean you accept the job?”

      “I have a few conditions.” Her voice echoed in the empty office. “I’ll find you three women who fit your criteria. However, getting one of them to agree to marry you is your job. And if no one puts on your ring, I still get paid.”

      “Only three?”

      She held up her hand and checked off items on her fingers as she spoke. “You’re asking me to identify suitable candidates, investigate their backgrounds, check their references and ascertain their interest in the potential—” she was going to say position but changed her mind “—opening.”

      He raised an eyebrow and gave her a devastating smirk. Too late, she realized the word she chose was almost as suggestive as the one she discarded. “In one month. Three feasible choices are a very healthy outcome,” she said, managing to continue.

      “Fine. I accept. But I must agree each one satisfies my requirements before I sign off on the completion of your contract.” A gleam lit his gaze when he stressed the word satisfies.

      “You agree they fulfill the requirements on paper before you meet them. Any satisfaction that occurs after is up to you.” She bit her lower lip to stop from returning his smirk.

      His gaze lingered on her mouth. If he was trying to fluster her, he was doing a good job. She folded her arms and lifted her chin.

      That unholy glint of laughter remained in his gaze. “And your other conditions?”

      She resisted the urge to wipe her damp palms on her trousers. “An office to work in, a corporate cell phone and an open expense account. Oh, and health insurance. Starting today.” She kept her gaze steadily on his through sheer force of will. He really did have the most amazing eyes. Deep blue with flecks of gray—or were they deep gray with flecks of blue? Either way, they reminded her of pictures she had seen of ancient Roman mosaics in her parents’ home city of Zagreb, the colors deep and rich and playing off each other.

      This time an actual smile dented one side of his face. “Come by Ruby Hawk after lunch and I’ll have someone set you up with a workspace, phone, benefits and credit card.”

      Danica exhaled. It felt good to have her lungs back in working order. “It’s a deal.”

      “Not yet. I have conditions of my own. One, this is confidential.”

      She narrowed her gaze. “Searches usually are.”

      “Two, you’ll sign a nondisclosure agreement. No talking to the press, your relatives or your partner.” He raised an eyebrow. “I assume you have one.”

      “I never talk to the press. I keep my work and private life separate.”

      “And the partner?”

      “None of your business, but not an issue.” Was that a flash in his gaze? Not that it was any concern of hers. Yes, he was attractive, but so had been her ex. Who dumped her to marry a woman who sounded a lot like Luke’s ideal candidate.

      He nodded. “We’ll tell the staff at Ruby Hawk you’re a consultant working on a research project for me. And three, while СКАЧАТЬ