“Absolutely. Point Three. I don’t want too long a trial period.” He followed her, also sat. “The Ridgeways are on the verge of suing for custody of Mikey.”
She frowned in concern. “It’s gotten that contentious?”
His mouth tightened. “I suspect they hired a private investigator who uncovered the fact that I had an affair with Lisa. They informed me they’re concerned that between Lisa’s bloodline, as they refer to it, and my own questionable judgment, Mikey’s welfare is at risk.”
“Yes, they said something similar to me,” she murmured. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
Their gazes met in perfect accord. “Nor do I.”
“What happens to our arrangement if guardianship is awarded to the Ridgeways?”
“I believe that’s Point Four. If I can’t get it reversed, our marriage will be dissolved. In addition to your salary, you’ll also be suitably compensated for your time and for the interruption to your career.” He mentioned an amount that stunned her.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Lucius,” she protested. “That’s…that’s obscene.”
He chuckled, the sound low and warm and strangely intimate. “It’s not obscene. A trifle extravagant, but I suspect you’re worth it.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
His brows snapped together. “I’m not paying you for sex, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m paying you for precisely what I said. Your time and the hit this job will mean to a career that’s a vital part of who you are as a person. The money will allow you to pursue a course of study after the dissolution of our marriage so you can once again enter the workforce with marketable skills. Or you can sit at home and twiddle your thumbs, for all I care. If you invest the funds intelligently, you’ll be in a position to choose what you want to do with your life from that point onward, while living quite comfortably for the rest of your life.”
She edged away from the topic. “And if you’re awarded permanent custody of Mikey? What happens to our marriage?”
“Fair warning, I fully expect to be awarded custody, which brings us to Point Five. I’ll require a guarantee that you’ll remain with me for at least six years. Mikey will be of school age by then, which puts him at a less vulnerable age. After that, we can renegotiate terms.”
“Very businesslike,” she observed. Painfully businesslike. “Very cut and dried.”
“Would you prefer me to lie?” A hint of irritation swept through the question. “To wrap everything up in a pretty tissue of fantasy tied together with fancy ribbons of pretense? Will that make our agreement more palatable?”
“No. Of course I don’t want that.”
She wanted a pretty truth tied together with ribbons of love. But he wasn’t offering that and she was an utter fool if she thought that by agreeing to this devil’s bargain he might one day come to love her. Determination filled her. But she could try. She would definitely try.
“So, what’s left to discuss?” he asked.
She did a swift, mental run-through of their points so far. “Point Six? Is that where we left off?”
“Sounds about right.”
“Let’s label this one ‘My Responsibilities.’ I want to clarify what you expect of me,” she said and proceeded to tick the points off on her fingers. “I will have the full-time responsibility of Mikey except when family obligations require a part-time nanny.” She used the word family with deliberation, relieved when he nodded his acceptance. Might as well start the way she intended to proceed. “You’d like me to handle all aspects of entertaining friends or clients, but you agree to my hiring a housekeeper to handle the cooking and cleaning. And you want me to decorate your Lake Washington house. You do realize that I’ll also require the assistance of a design firm in order to make the necessary improvements to your home?”
“Our home. I have no problem with that.”
She warmed at his correction. “And anything we’ve forgotten to cover we can negotiate during our trial period?”
“Absolutely.” He tilted his head to one side. “Do we have an agreement, Ms. Colter?”
She took a quick, steadying breath and took a reckless leap off the proverbial cliff. “We do, Mr. Devlin.”
“In that case, there’s nothing stopping us from doing this…” She realized his intentions a split second before he repeated the same maneuver he’d used earlier, and yanked her out of her chair and into his arms. “You have no idea how badly I want to see you naked again.”