Four
Garrett needed the break to stop himself dragging her to the nearest bedroom and exploring a lot more than his proposal. What the hell was wrong with him? What he needed was a business deal, not this raging need that roared through him every time he touched her.
That kiss had rocked him. He’d meant a gentle kiss, one the press could interpret in different ways in case his plan didn’t work out. But there was only one way to explain what had happened on that platform.
Sex. He desired her, the sharp edge of his arousal painful in its intensity.
Since he’d started working on the casino and then struck the deal with Georgia, he hadn’t had much time for a private life. That must be the reason. His off-the-scale response to Bonnie was because he hadn’t had sex in a while. He should deal with that, if he was lucky he’d get to do it soon. Tonight, perhaps.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked, heading for the bar. He needed something to steady himself. “Please, make yourself at home.”
He’d brought her to the penthouse suite he was calling home for now. The small entrance led into a sitting area, with low, broad seats in front of large picture windows with glorious views over the Strip.
When she walked towards the sofas, he enjoyed the view. Her tight pink dress stretched over her beautiful bottom and delineated the graceful length of her spine. Her panties drew a sharp line across her lower back, making him smile. This woman didn’t go in for thongs or nothing at all. From the research Murray had done on her, he guessed she rarely wore anything as revealing as the ill-fitting dress she’d worn tonight.
His ex-girlfriends would no doubt collapse in gales of laughter at her appearance, the blocky hairdo and the clumsily applied makeup. But he didn’t care. He’d seen through her. A beauty lurked inside that disguise.
He found a bottle of Chardonnay in the refrigerator. The glasses in the door of the fridge were nicely cool, so he used those. He took them to where she sat, amused to see her perched on a corner of the sofa. She’d put her little evening purse next to her like a defensive shield.
She had a sweetly curved figure, and the cleavage she was displaying tempted him to delve deeper. But they weren’t here for that, not yet at any rate. The last thing he needed was to let his little head take the lead. Although if taking her to bed to seal the deal was on the cards, he wouldn’t complain about it.
Work first, play later.
He sat on the same sofa and spread his arm over the back. She took the glass from him, careful to avoid their fingers touching. Garrett repressed his smile.
After indulging in a generous gulp of the cool wine, he put his glass down and waited for her. She sipped, then popped her glass on the low table.
“I’m not sure I should have come tonight,” she said. “But thanks for sending the tickets. Susie is getting married on Monday, and we’d planned something different. We were going on the town, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. But because of your invitation we’ve left all the sashes and plastic tiaras at the hotel.” She flashed him a smile. “So thanks for that.”
“Any time.” He’d only meant to get her here, but he’d guessed she wouldn’t come without her friends. Then, with the instincts of a wolf cutting a sheep from the fold, he’d separated her out.
She blinked, and her eyes widened. They were a remarkable shade of green, as clear as the finest emeralds. Her face was a perfect oval, her cheekbones high, and she had an appealing air of honesty. Garrett wasn’t used to that. Everybody had an angle. He hadn’t yet discovered what hers was, but he would.
Garrett enjoyed the view. Did she know how the gesture plumped up her breasts? They swelled enticingly above the straight-cut top of the dress, inviting him to touch and taste. His fingers itched. He picked up his wine and took another long drink.
Garrett’s relief was profound. He wanted to tell this woman the truth, and now he could.
But he wanted to do more than that. Whether she agreed to his proposal or not, he was going to make the most of getting her here tonight. No way was she leaving here without him having at least a taste of her.
After topping up their glasses, he leaned back and met her gaze. He’d sold packages before, so why was he nervous now? He’d sat before the whole board of Rocque Leisure and cold-bloodedly told them how much they had to pony up to revamp the casino. He’d won then. Sure as hell he’d win now.
He plunged in. “I’m getting married next week.”
Her mouth twitched in the beginning of a smile. “The girls said you were getting engaged to Georgia G tonight.”
Garrett repressed his shudder. “Not if I can help it. In order to avoid the marriage to Georgia I need a wife by Tuesday.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he wouldn’t let her get a word in, not until he’d finished. “My arrangement to marry Georgia G is purely a business deal. You’ve heard of fake celebrity affairs?”
She shook her head, then nodded and reached for her wine.
“Georgia’s fans are exactly the demographic I need to make the casino a success. You can’t turn your phone or TV on without seeing her. She started as a vlogger.” At Bonnie’s frown, he explained. “She was a makeup guru, then she turned to fashion, and today she’s everywhere. We signed a contract for a three-year marriage, a purely business arrangement. She gets the right to use the Rocque Group to sell her new line of cosmetics, we get the publicity she can bring.”
“It sounds like a plan.” Bonnie sipped her wine, but gave herself away when the glass rattled against the table when she replaced it.
Smoothly, he continued, watching her reactions closely. “Unfortunately, Georgia wants more. She has been alarmingly clingy this last week. She plans to destroy my schedule.”
“You got cold feet.”
“Oh yeah, big time. I didn’t think too much. This isn’t my regular gig.” He kept her attention, trying to be as honest as he could. “Until last year I was in Delta Force, but I needed a change of scene.” That was putting it mildly. “Now I’m a member of the Phoenix Agency.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow.”
So she knew about the agency. That was good. “But my Dad had a heart attack a few months ago. It’s okay, he’s recovered well, but my mom is insisting he retires. This refurbishment is a big deal for the family, so I moved here as a short-term thing. The marriage was part of a publicity campaign, that’s all. But I want out.”
“Too bad,” she offered. “What do you want, for me to take Georgia’s place? Because I have to tell you that I’m not famous.”
“I work for the Rocque Group as a troubleshooter and scout. A lot of jobs depend on what I do, so to run a hole through that isn’t something I’m willing to tolerate. The only loophole in the contract is if it is invalidated legally. In short, if I’m already married, I can’t marry Georgia.”
Her face cleared. “Ah. But I have a job and a life.” Her foot tapped the floor and she brushed her hand over her glass. She was nervous.
He nodded. “We’ll deal with that. If you agree, we’ll marry on Monday and stay married for three years, but that’s all. If you do this, the job won’t last more than a few months. I’ll get back to my regular work and you’ll never see me.”
Bonnie had never heard anything so outrageous in all her life. He wanted a wife so he couldn’t marry Georgia G? So he’d changed his mind. Tough. His proposition was the most cold-blooded thing she’d ever heard. How could people think like that?
As far as she was concerned, marriage was for love. But there was no harm stringing him along for a while. She was curious to know how far he’d go. “What’s in it for me?”
Was it her imagination, or had his gaze hardened? “Name your price.”
This was her moment, or it would be if she agreed to take his offer. It wouldn’t hurt if she told him why she was here. “I want access to your records, so I can find my father. That’s why I came to Las Vegas really. My—gift, it must come from somewhere. And my mother was a showgirl here for a while. That’s when she got pregnant. So I thought I could look for my father, find out if it came from him. But all I have is his name. Somebody like you could help me no end.”
“Done,” he said promptly.
Lord, but he was handsome! His tux made him appear polished, as if something so gorgeous couldn’t be real. But he was. She’d felt him, she’d had the scent of him in her nostrils. “Don’t you want to know anything about me?”
“I needed to know you weren’t dangerous.”
She snorted with laughter. “Dangerous?”
His eyes sparkled and he leaned forward. “That’s cute.”
“What is?”
“The little snort when you laugh. Maybe I should add that if I didn’t find you attractive, I wouldn’t have brought you here. In order for the plan to work, there has to be chemistry.”
“Oh good.” She said the words without enthusiasm. She refused to tell him how spellbinding she found him. Maybe he was used to abject adoration from women. Well he wouldn’t get it from her, even if the internet did drool over him. “So you know I’m not dangerous.” She curled her lip.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” The effect of the low, purring note in his voice thrummed through her as if he’d stroked her like she was a cat. He leaned closer to her.
“What if I add a million dollars to sweeten the deal?”
Anger simmered in her veins. That offer of money was insulting, and it turned their transaction into something far more insidious. “What do you want for that?”
“Your signature on a piece of paper.”
It wasn’t as if she was planning to marry anybody. Now or in the future, come to that. She caught herself up. What, she was actually thinking about this outrageous scheme?
She pressed her back against the sofa, moving as far away from him as she could in this confined space. “What does the job entail?”
“The only thing Georgia’s fans will understand is if we fall wildly in love, at least in public. She can spin that, make herself the generous person who graciously stepped aside. In private, we can be as separate as we want. After a month or two, we’ll part and you can go your own way. However, we have to stay married for three years. If we don’t, then the previous contract comes into force. I won’t have gained anything, because it will run from the date of the marriage for the next three years.”
“And I won’t be as much trouble as Georgia?”
“More than that.” He hesitated, then said, “There’s something else you need to know. I can see you’re hesitant, but this might help to change your mind.” His voice softened and he reached for her hand.
Feeling like a fool, she took it, her heart thrumming in her chest.
“Bonnie, this is straight-up truth. You are fucking gorgeous.”
“Oh!”
“I adore your blush.” He leaned over and traced the line where the delicate pink flush disappeared under the strap of her dress. Once with the tip of his finger. Then with his tongue.
Bonnie shuddered, helpless to resist. A wayward thought shivered through her. She could do this. For once in her life she could have a man who was the definition of gorgeous. Why not? She hadn’t agreed to anything yet.
And oh, what he did to her?
So when he worked his way to her mouth she met his kiss eagerly. But he wouldn’t let her rush. He moaned softly, the sound reverberating down her throat, but gentled her when she grabbed at him, and tried to press harder against him. The kiss slowly, so slowly, turned incendiary until he slid her closer, and their bodies met. Still dressed, but his heat seeped through, right to the heart of her. When he slipped his tongue into her mouth, she sucked on it eagerly, only remembering to take her time and caress him softly.
He finished the kiss, and flicked his gaze over her face, questing.
Bonnie nodded. Just a tiny sign of assent, but that was all he needed. Slowly, her dress sticking to the leather sofa, she went into his arms. “This,” he said, his lips against hers, “is us doing what comes naturally. No deals, no agreements. Agreed?”
That suited her fine, but because she couldn’t speak, she nodded again.
This time his kiss was harder, more needy. She sensed his desire, then felt it, as he lifted her and draped her sideways across his lap. Still in the kiss, he stroked her, first her waist, and then up to her breasts.
The tight pink dress had a little give, but not enough for her to free them for him. But his hands on her—bliss. First he massaged the whole breast, testing it, rousing her until her nipples could have almost drilled through on their own.
He kissed down her neck, licked down to her cleavage, his hot breath scorching her as he fumbled around the back and finally found the zipper. As he released her from the confines, she breathed out in relief. “I never want to see this thing again,” she sighed.
“Neither do I.” Swiftly he stripped the dress down, revealing the strapless bra that wasn’t working. That went the way of the dress and then his mouth was on her, and she was moaning aloud as he teased and licked her.
“Your mouth is far too good for just talking,” she said. That was all she could think of, all she had.
His chuckle rumbled through her, and he released her nipple to sit back and admire his handiwork. “These are so lovely.”
“Thank you.” A pang hit her amidships, and she trembled.
“What is it?”
As always, she dismissed the worry. She’d deal with her problems when she got home. This was a moment out of time. All the more reason to indulge herself now. Turning to him with a smile, she said, “Nothing.” And it wasn’t, not right now.
He caressed her breasts but kissed her again, slowly bearing her back against the soft cushions. As she went down, he came over her, kissing her into submission. Not that she needed to submit. That had happened on their first kiss.
Sitting up, she could see his eyes glowing, as if he’d come to life somehow. Straddling her, he dragged off his bow tie, then his shirt, unfastening each button slowly, as if giving Bonnie her own personal striptease.
The hard chest he revealed was a revelation. A really good one. Broad, with dark hair sprinkled suggestively over its expanse, the line that drew her eyes downwards perfectly delineated. Without thought, she reached for him, but with a laugh, he slipped off the sofa. His hands went to his fly. Bonnie licked her lips.
Someone tapped at the door.
He ignored it, but she didn’t. “Aren’t you going to get that?”
“Not a chance.”
But the door opened anyway.
A whirlwind stormed through. Georgia G to be precise, her skintight dress revealing every curve of her body, her chunky jewelry mimicking a collar and chain. Every inch of her gleamed. She was polished from her forehead to her beautifully painted and manicured toes. Her waist-length blonde hair whipped around her like her own personal cloud.
She took in the scene, from Bonnie to Garrett and back again. “Is this the girl you kissed downstairs?”
Garrett turned to face her, blocking Georgia’s view of Bonnie. “Yes it is. Do you mind?”
Peering around him, Bonnie could see Georgia. “What do you think?” Tears appeared on her cheeks, perfect diamonds, one each side, that trickled down and left tracks in their wake. “Of course I mind! How could you do this to me? First you say you love me, then you do this days before our wedding? You made me look like an idiot. You’ll pay for that, Garrett Rocquelaire!”
He shrugged. “What’s the problem?”
“If you think I’m letting myself be used like this, humiliated in the eyes of the world, you’ve got another think coming.” She glared at Bonnie, then turned her fulminating, tear-filled gaze to Garrett. “I gave you everything. Everything, do you hear me? I’m pregnant, but you don’t care, do you?”
Bonnie heard those last words with deep shock. She didn’t stay to hear any more. Pulling her dress up, she grabbed her bag, she left them to it.
What kind of idiot was she?