Chapter Ten

Harry

I couldn’t get Amber’s face out of my head. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. I remembered her words to my brother in the library. She had claimed to love him and then she slept with me a couple days later. I was a revenge fuck. I knew it. I didn’t care. I had been a revenge fuck for plenty of women to get back at their cheating boyfriends or husbands. Those were some of the easiest situations to deal with. They weren’t looking for anything more than a quick fling. Once they had the revenge out of their system, they went back to their men and I was off the hook.

Amber was different. I liked her. She was funny, smart, and a great lay. I could get used to taking her home on a regular basis. An idea bloomed in my mind. Amber had been rejected by my brother. She was on the rebound and looking for a little revenge after getting cast aside.

If she agreed to be my fake fiancée, I would secure my inheritance and piss my brother off. That was a very good thing. Now I had to convince her to go along with the plan. I would offer her money if I needed to. It didn’t take long for me to get excited about the idea. I wanted to talk to Amber right away, but it wasn’t like she had given me her phone number. Hell, I didn’t even know her last name.

I checked my watch and decided to surprise her at work and ask her to lunch. That was the only way I knew how to find her. It would be the first step in what was the perfect plan.

I showed up at the building and was greeted by those who recognized me as the prodigal son. I ran into William, who was waiting for the elevator.

“What are you doing here?” he asked with surprise.

It was too good to pass up. “I’m here to take Amber to lunch.”

His face paled. “You’re what?”

“Amber. I’m here to take her to lunch. She does get a lunch, doesn’t she?”

He nodded. “Yes, of course. How do you know Amber?”

I smiled and winked. “We met at your engagement party. We hit it off, and I’d like to take her to lunch.”

“Oh, well, I can show you where her desk is.”

“That’s okay. I know where it is. I’ve been here before,” I reminded him.

“Really? I don’t remember,” he said sarcastically.

I turned and walked away from my brother, knowing I had just given him another reason to dislike me.

I saw Amber at her desk and walked toward her. “Hey,” I said, startling her.

“Harry?” she asked, looking around.

“I already saw William in the hall.”

“Did you…?” she asked, not finishing her sentence.

“No. I didn’t mention our—”

Her eyes bugged out and she shook her head. I looked around the area and noticed there were eyes on us. I wouldn’t do that to her.

“I’d like to take you to lunch,” I said with a smile.

“You want to do what?”

I smiled even bigger. “I want to take you to lunch. I have something I want to talk to you about, and it wasn’t like you gave me your number. This was the only way I knew how to find you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said in a hushed voice.

“It’s lunch. I promise nothing will happen.”

“Fine. Let’s go. I only get an hour, so it needs to be somewhere close.”

I grinned. “Works for me.”

We walked down the block and into a Mexican restaurant.

“I don’t want to talk about the other night,” she blurted out before I got a chance to propose my plan.

“Why not? You are acting weird about the whole thing.”

“I was drunk. Your brother had broken my heart and I thought I could soothe the pain by getting drunk. It was a stupid mistake and I regret it.”

“I don’t understand why you are so hung up on him. Why do you care if he finds out about us?”

She scrunched her face, not wanting to tell me.

I shook my head. “Don’t even tell me you’re still pining for him?”

She looked at me, and I already knew what she was going to say. “I don’t know. I mean, it is all so sudden. One minute he was with me, and the next he’s proposing marriage to another woman. They weren’t even dating!”

“Amber, that’s how these things work with people like us,” I explained as gently as I could. “It isn’t a love match. It’s a power match. This happens all the time.”

“No way. I mean, I can’t believe he is willing to throw away his shot at true love and happiness because he wants more wealth. How can he possibly have more wealth?”

I sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t really get it, and I certainly don’t buy into their idea of happiness.”

She smiled. “I can see that. You’re not like your brother.”

“I think I proved that the other night. If you need me to demonstrate the many ways we are different, I would be happy to show you again.”

Her cheeks pinkened a little. “No. That cannot happen again.”

“Amber, William is going to marry Tiffany. I’m not trying to be mean, but you have to let him go.”

“It’s all so sudden. There’s a chance he’ll break it off when he realizes how big of a mistake it would be to marry a woman he doesn’t love,” she insisted.

“You know my brother. Once he sets his mind to something, he makes it happen. It isn’t only him making this decision. My parents are practically forcing him to do this,” I said, not wanting to defend him but needing her to understand it wasn’t only William’s choice to break off the marriage.

She ground her teeth together before speaking. “How come you are so different? Why aren’t you being forced to marry someone rich?”

I looked at her, staring straight into her beautiful green eyes, and smiled. “Because I don’t count. They only need one son to marry well and one son to inherit. William is their choice.”

Her expression softened. “I’m sorry. That is so awful. I can’t imagine. I’m my parents only child. I guess if I was a failure they didn’t have any options.” She chuckled.

I nodded. “I kind of feel sorry for William.”

“I do too,” she said, looking down at the table.

“We could feel sorry for him together, tonight, at my place,” I said, wanting to shift the mood.

“Harry,” she said, groaning.

The waiter delivered us a basket of tortilla chips and salsa. I quickly took a bite of the salsa and then reached for my water.

“Spicy?” she asked, hesitating with a chip hovering above the salsa bowl.

I nodded. “Not as hot as I am, but pretty hot.”

She rolled her eyes and took a bite of the salsa. I saw tears form and burst into laughter. She drank down several gulps of ice water.

Throughout lunch, I flirted my ass off. She turned me down at every turn. I found it refreshing. I liked that she wasn’t afraid to tell me no. The challenge was new and exciting. I wanted more of it. William was a fool for letting this woman go.

“Are you sure I can’t take you back to my place?” I asked her again.

She smiled. “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. I have to get back to work. I keep telling you some of us have to work for our money.”

“Honey, being a part of my family is no cakewalk. They literally have to pay me to talk to them,” I said with a grin.

That made her laugh. “I’m beginning to understand a little more about your family. I guess growing up in a typical middle-class family wasn’t so bad. I feel like I should apologize to my mom and dad for being so rotten when they couldn’t buy me everything I asked for. I could have been stuck with your cold-hearted parents.”

I nodded my head. “You have no idea. Maybe when I come over for dinner, I can meet your family.”

She shook her head again. “Not going to happen. Thank you for lunch. I had fun.”

“You say that like you’re surprised.”

“I am. I didn’t think I’d like you. Not saying I like you, but you know what I mean,” she quickly clarified.

“You need to relax. It’s not like I’m proposing marriage,” I teased, knowing in the back of my mind that was exactly what I was hoping to do.

“Well, with you Martin men, you never know when you’re going to pop the question. I guess I’m safe since my bank account is missing several zeroes and my parents’ biggest claim to fame is making one of the best burgers in Dallas.”

“Really?” I asked, suddenly intrigued. I didn’t know a thing about her.

“Yes. They own a diner.”

“Which one?”

She laughed. “I doubt you know it. It’s not exactly five stars or anything like that. It’s been their other baby since I was a kid. I like the food, but I’m a redneck. Your blue blood tastes would not appreciate a good burger and fries.”

“You have me mistaken for another blue blood. I love redneck food. You’ll find I rarely eat at those fancy restaurants and hotels. I don’t like how uptight the people are. I like to drink my beer from a bottle and eat fries with my fingers after I dip them in ketchup.”

She raised both brows. “You use ketchup? You must be adopted.”

I laughed. “Trust me, I think they would prefer it if I were.”

“Okay, I seriously have to get going. It’s been well over an hour.”

“Fine. I’ll walk you back,” I said, reluctant for our lunch date to end.

We walked down the street and back to the building where the Martin clan lived and breathed most days. I did technically work for the company. My job description was flexible. I liked to think I was making contacts and keeping the family connected to the real world. Living in their ivory tower left them very disconnected. I knew a lot of people, even if they weren’t from my family’s social circle. Not every business started out at the top. I tended to know the guys who worked their way up and decided the daily grind of owning a particular business wasn’t for them. Those were the companies my family’s company snatched up at a low cost and then sold off for a higher price.

“Thanks for having lunch with me. How about you give me your phone number so we can have lunch again?”

She looked at me, eying me carefully. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

I held up both hands. “I promise, only lunch. Come on, don’t deny a guy your company.”

She sighed. “Fine, but only lunch. I don’t do booty calls.”

I couldn’t help myself. “I’m a fantastic booty call.”

She shot me a glare.

“Okay, okay. Lunch dates only in full light with our clothes on.”

After a brief pause, she held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“I’ll put my number in it.”

I handed it over and watched with excitement as she punched in the number. I took it back and hit the save button. I fought the urge to kiss her good-bye. Once she was inside, I pushed the contact info.

“Hello?” she answered on the second ring.

I grinned. “I had to make sure you didn’t give me a bad number.”

I heard her groan. “Seriously? I know you could find my number if you wanted.”

“Yes, I could, but now you have my number. Call me anytime. Sex, talking, whatever you’re up for, I’ll be there.”

She laughed and hung up the phone. This was the start of something very good, I decided.