His Indecent Proposal(5)

The kitchen was huge, yet cozy at the same time. Jenna glanced around, seeing the warmth and vibrancy the room generated. A wall of windows was the focal point, and the river glistening in the distance was stunning to the eye. Granite countertops wrapped around the kitchen, complimenting the pedestal style cabinets underneath. She sat at a huge island in the middle of the room on a wrought-iron barstool, and swiveled it a bit so she could watch him as he quickly warmed two plates in the microwave, and opened a bottle of wine.

Within minutes, he was sitting across from her, lightly touching his wine glass to hers before putting it to his chiseled lips and taking a drink. Jenna felt the scorch from his eyes as his gaze held hers. She lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip.

The wine was good, but she needed to be careful. Wine went to her head from zero to sixty, and she was already in a predicament she didn't know how to handle.

He picked up his fork and dug into the flaky salmon and wild rice. Jenna followed suit. The food was perfect, and she tried with all her might to enjoy the sensations on her taste buds. Tomorrow, she would be back to eating ramen noodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

They didn't speak while they ate, and after one aborted attempt at conversation, Jenna quit trying and concentrated on the ambrosia hitting her palate.

Supper was over too soon.

David tossed the plates and silverware into the dishwasher, grabbed his glass and the bottle of wine and walked over to the door and waited for her to follow him.

Slowly and with great hesitation, Jenna slid off the barstool, retrieved her glass, and moved to the doorway. They had come to the part of the night she had been dreading. It was time to pay for her meal by listening to his spiel.

They sat in the living room, the wine on the coffee table in front of them, and Jenna scrunched herself in the corner of the couch and prepared herself for the inevitable.

David swirled the wine in his glass and studied her for a moment. "You need to know something." He took a quick sip, and deposited his glass on the coffee table. "No matter how this turns out, even if you don't accept my proposition, your job is safe. You don't need to worry about that. I'm warning you up front, I'm about to turn on the screws and try to get you to agree, but if you don't, in the end, everything will be the same for you. I'll find someone else for the deal, and you go back to accounting. Got that?"

Feelings were banging around inside Jenna. Turn on the screws was panicking her and she was shocked to feel an arrow of disappointment when he said he would find someone else, but she managed to nod her head, her eyes fastened to his as he continued.

"This is the way I see it playing out. We get married immediately in a civil ceremony with only the required witnesses. There will be a lot of questions at the speed of things, and we're going to pass it off as a secret love affair that's been going on for months that we hushed up because of our different positions in the company."

Jenna held herself in a stiffened, rebellious position in the corner of the couch. Denial pulsed from her body. "Nobody will buy that."

His eyes ran over her length, scanning her eyes, her lips, then dropping to the full curve of her breasts. He was jolted by another shaft of arousal as his gaze fastened on her lips again. His mouth hardened and his voice hissed out. "Everybody will buy that."

Her eyes flared, but she didn't say another word and waited for him to continue.

"I'll deposit a hundred grand in the account of your choice. You get the other half when the first year is up. You'll move in here with me, and I'll cover all your personal bills for the duration of the marriage. You'll get a credit card and a monthly allowance." He stopped talking and waited for the count of three beats. "But you have to give up the job, and you can't get a different one. I need a wife for the whole family values scenario, and the relationship needs to look as traditional as we can make it. That includes you staying home and playing the part of my devoted wife. If you get bored, you can find a charity you're interested in and spend your daytime hours volunteering. Whatever you want to do. I don't really care. As long as you're not out partying without me, your time is your own."

Jenna studied him and found herself actually thinking about the possibilities. One major question ate at her. "Why?" Her eyes searched his. "Why do you need a wife so badly? Why now?"

"Nothing nefarious. I don't want to get into it with you before you agree, but it's enough for you to know it's office politics. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Jenna wanted to take the deal and run with it so badly she couldn't believe it. She needed the money. Desperately. It was almost as good as winning the lotto. Or as bad as signing up to be the devil's wife. She needed time to think it through. Could she live with a guy she didn't know? How could she marry a guy she had no reason to trust? And what about. . . "What about s-sex?" She blushed red after the question popped from her mouth.

His dark eyes tangled with hers and his nostrils flared. "The sex will be good, sweetheart."

Her pulse went spinning and butterflies quivered in her stomach. Her mouth ran dry and she clenched her hands together in agitation. She was no virgin. She was twenty-five years old and had been in several relationships before. But this guy was--this guy was on a different level. That's why his dark appraisals had always intimidated her.

There was something about the idea of putting herself out there, giving her body over to him that basically scared her shitless. No doubt the sex would be good, and a shaft of desire tightened her nipples and shot through her, making her thighs tremble. But she didn't think she could do it, she didn't know him and didn't think she could surrender to a man of his caliber so quickly. And she knew it would be quick. Already, his cheeks were streaked with a flush of arousal, his nostrils were flaring, and there was a tic in his cheek that spelled out his tension.

He might be presenting this as a business arrangement, but as she sat back on the couch under his intense sexual scrutiny, it all flashed in front of her how she had played into his hands.

If she was being honest with herself, she knew he had wanted her for months, and never made a move on her because of the employer/employee relationship. She saw that now. She had probably seen it all along and shied away from even thinking about it. All of those piercing looks in her direction. And the minute she had piped up and given him an opening, he was ruthlessly taking it. Sure, he probably needed a wife. But why not get one he wanted to sleep with in the bargain?

Jenna sucked in a much needed breath. She wanted to fist her hands in her hair and scream for time to think, time away from him. Her mind was racing with indecision. She was about to ask him for that much needed time when he interrupted her thoughts with more turmoil.

"You understand that sex has to be part of the deal, right? This arrangement for lack of a better word, needs to last for a couple of years, and the board of directors will be watching my every move." He reached out and picked up a lock of her hair, rubbed it between his fingers and devoured her with his eyes. "That's the reason I've chosen you." His voice deepened. "I get a hard-on every time I see you. It's been that way for months. If I have to limit myself to one woman for a couple of years, I'd like it to be someone like you." He paused and ran his eyes over her again. "Someone exactly like you."

Jenna's heartbeat accelerated and went wild. Blood pushed through her veins and filled her with excitement. Having her suspicions confirmed enhanced the arousal beating through her. His words were like magic, controlling her, seducing her into accepting his crazy proposal.

But still, she knew it was wrong. Two people shouldn't marry with the intent to divorce. And never for money. But God, she was tempted. She was probably going to go to hell, she was so tempted. She could pay off her debt, live in the lap of luxury, and get to sleep with him every night? The chemistry sizzled between them as they studied each other. She imagined the sex would be great. So, where exactly was the downside?

Her brain fought her body. She tried to come up with a reason to tell him to forget it. Maybe she was wrong and he'd be horrible in bed? Right, Jenna. But still, a girl should be careful. She needed to know. She needed something to go on to know if they would be sexually compatible. She thought they would be, but wanted more tangible proof. She didn't want to just outright have sex with him, in case this ultimately didn't work out, and he found someone else. It would be too uncomfortable at work if that happened. She studied him, studied the lines of his mouth. "Can I--can I k-kiss you?"





Chapter Five


David heard the unexpected, hesitant question and lust hit his groin in a punch so hard he had to drag in a breath. She wanted to try him out? "Yeah." It was all he could get out. He steeled himself to stay still and let her kiss him. Blood pumped through him.

Slowly, carefully, Jenna lifted herself and moved beside him, moving to her knees and leaning into his side. He wrapped a steely arm around her waist to help balance her. Immediately, she was swamped with hot, fierce, sexual desire. The feel of his muscular arm wrapped around her was exquisite. She sucked in a breath, caught her bottom lip between her teeth and studied his mouth, wondering how she should start, trying to calm the heart that was trying to beat out of her chest. His fingers bit into her side, rubbing the indentation of her waist, and then moving to her butt and squeezing. Her breathing went haywire and she hadn't even touched his lips yet.