The Dragon Billionaire's Secret Mate(4)

Not him, then. Just his lawyer.

"Please, take a seat," Mr. Jackson said. "Can I offer you anything to drink? Soda? Coffee? Some juice, perhaps?"

"Um, just water would be good. Thank you," Theresa said, lowering herself cautiously into a chair. She felt thoroughly out of her depth.

Mr. Jackson set a glass of water down in front of her and then took his place on the opposite side of the table.

"Now, then. Did your counsel suggest any alterations to the contract?"

Her counsel? Jesus. Maybe she should have paid for a lawyer after all. Well, if she was signing away her soul here, so be it. That wasn't the worst she was prepared to do to make sure Carolyn and Joey were safe.

Mr. Jackson went through the contract with her section by section. The legalese didn't get any less dense or impenetrable just because it was being read aloud. Theresa nodded a lot, feeling the smile freeze on her face. Finally, Mr. Jackson came to the end of the contract.

"Well, if you don't have anything else to add, I think this is it. Please initial the passages I've indicated."

Theresa initialed the paragraphs he'd pointed out to her. "Can't you at least tell me his name?" she asked.

"As soon as the contract is signed, Ms. McKenzie, I will be more than happy to do just that," Mr. Jackson said. "But you will understand that security and discretion is paramount to our client."

God, who was this guy? Was she about to sell herself to the Governor of Illinois? She scrawled her name on the last line beneath the contract. Mr. Jackson squinted at it for a moment and then nodded.

"All right then. That seems to be in order. Mr. Samuel Ashbel would like to meet you at the restaurant Arcadia. There's a car waiting to take you there."

Oh God. Not the Governor of Illinois, then. Just the unofficial Crown Prince. Samuel Ashbel and his brother owned Aurum, the largest tech company in the state and its biggest employer.

Severin Ashbel, Aurum's CEO, was the one she usually saw in the gossip press—him and his stunningly beautiful wife, an heiress, former runway model, and now owner of an extremely successful cosmetics company. There were rumors that Severin Ashbel had had a hand in the outcome of every major election in the state in the last ten years.

Samuel, the younger brother, lived a more quiet life, but he was still a billionaire, and the lack of scandals surrounding him only made him more interesting to the press in some ways. Theresa was pretty sure she'd seen him topping more than one list of most eligible bachelors.

And now he'd picked her, of all people, to be his companion for whatever on earth he planned to be doing during those 10 days? This was insane.

Theresa numbly let Mr. Jackson usher her down to the street, where a sleek black town car was waiting for her. The chauffeur—a chauffeur!—got out and opened the door for her with a smile.

"Wait! My car," Theresa said. If she left it in the garage overnight, never mind for 10 days, she didn't even want to know what the bill would add up to.

"Of course," Mr. Jackson said with a smile. "If you give us the key and let us know what garage you parked it in, Mr. Ashbel's valet service will take care of it."

Theresa handed over the keys. Her hands shook. Another escape route was closed to her. But she'd already decided to do this. She'd signed the paperwork. She wasn't going to back out now.



***



The town car glided through the streets of downtown. Theresa leaned back against the seat, trying to smooth down the skirt of her black dress. The email had told her to wear evening dress, but of course after the long drive her dress was crumpled up beyond repair. She should have brought it along in her bag and found a place to change before the meeting. Too late now.

The Arcadia was one of those fine dining palaces that Theresa had only ever seen from the outside before. All the decor was in white except for a glittering silver curtain in the middle of the room.

She was going to end up spilling her wine on that snowy white tablecloth, Theresa just knew it.

The hostess was enthusiastically cheerful, and her wide smile grew even brighter when Theresa mentioned who she was here to meet.

Samuel Ashbel rose from his table to greet her when she approached. Theresa's breath caught. The pictures didn't do him justice. He was the most gorgeous man she'd seen in her life. His perfectly tailored suit hugged a lean, powerful body. The candlelight lent a fiery sheen to his dark hair, which fell in softly tousled strands around his dark, intense eyes.

"Ms. McKenzie? I'm Samuel Ashbel," he said, stretching out his hand.

She took it. His grip was firm but gentle, and his skin was very warm.

"Please, call me Theresa," she said.

"And I'm Samuel. I'm so glad you could make it. I hope the paperwork wasn't too much of a hassle."