Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“And there won’t be, but I’m not ready to give up. Sit back down.” She hesitates. I can tell she wants to bolt. But I lean forward, looking into her eyes. “You’re much more than a nice pair of tits, although I’m not going to pretend you’re not also that. Hear me out.”
Slowly, she sinks back into her seat. “Fine,” she says, sitting up straight, drawing her back straight. “Pitch me, Renzo.”
Chapter 8
Maddie
Ihave a good buzz going, my belly full of the best meal in my life, and the most handsome man I’ve ever seen is trying to convince me to marry him.
It’s bizarre, hard to believe, sort of impossible. I should be up on my feet and sprinting away from this absolute train wreck.
I can practically see all the reasons why this is going to ruin my life like little devils dancing around in the air.
Instead, I lean forward, staring at his lips as he talks.
“I will provide for you while we are together. Clothes, computers, cars, jewelry, fine dining, massages and vacations, whatever you want, it will be yours. I will pamper you if that’s what you need. In exchange, you’ll act as my wife and you will perform your duties as the surrogate mother of my child. You’ll get pregnant as quickly as possible, and you’ll carry my baby to term. Once the child is born, you’ll remain in my life for a while longer, say another year or so, for a total of about two years of fake marriage. Once that time is up, we will divorce, I will pay you fifteen million dollars, and you will live as you please with my lifelong friendship and protection.”
He stops talking and arches an eyebrow expectantly.
As if that’s a totally reasonable thing to offer.
I meet his gaze.
And start laughing.
It’s too crazy. Honestly, even if I’m tempted, this doesn’t happen in the real world. My shoulders shake as I sit back, hands on my stomach, tears in my eyes.
The guy doesn’t like that. Renzo’s smile turns into a glare as he hunches into himself, swirling his wine glass in a slow, menacing circle.
“I’m sorry,” I say, waving a hand in the air, wiping my eyes. “I’m so sorry, really, I know this is not an appropriate reaction and I can tell you’re really serious about this, but come on. That’s fucking crazy!”
He grunts in acknowledgment. “Crazy or not, it meets my needs. I get a wife and an heir on the way, which lends me some much-needed legitimacy. My world is very old-fashioned, Maddie. The men in the upper echelons of my social circles are all very conservative and take family bloodlines very seriously. There are rumors about my marriage already, and now that my arranged fiancée decided she’d rather ruin her own life than be my bride, I need an alternative, and quickly. If I can’t at least show that I can find a partner, what use will I be to those in power that take such things very seriously? If I can’t find a woman and make her pregnant, what use am I as a man?”
I gawk at him like the man’s got two heads and my laughter disappears. “The girl you were supposed to marry already ditched you. That’s a pretty good sign that I should probably do the same thing, right? If I were rational, I wouldn’t get anywhere near you.”
His jaw ticks. “No, I disagree.”
“Tell me why.”
“The Rinaldo girl already has wealth and prestige. Even though she’s running, she will live very well and continue to socialize with her equals. Yes, her father will try to hunt her down, but he’s an old man that dotes on her and she’s in no real danger. Perhaps if I were more patient, I could wait for them to fetch her and drag her to the altar, but I’d rather not trust that will happen. I prefer to take matters into my own hands and get things done myself.”
“Wow. You’re such a gentleman.”
He ignores me. “Allegra Rinaldo has money and comfort. You do not. I’m offering to change your entire life, to give you a world you never dreamed you could have, all in exchange for two years.”
“Two years and a baby,” I say softly, reminding him of the real problem. “What happens when I give birth and don’t want to stop being a mother? What happens when I fall in love with that child, huh? You’re acting like it’s easy pushing a living thing from my body.”
“We can make arrangements.” Although his tone doesn’t suggest that’s likely.
“Yeah, you’ll split custody? I’ll raise her on weekends?”
He shrugs as if this is no big deal, but I don’t think he’s taking this seriously. “Logistics can be ironed out. We’ll have two years to come up with a workable solution.”