CHAPTER 14: Harker
789 Words
CHAPTER 14: Harker
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“You want to marry me?” Alison looked like she’d just been pushed from an airplane.
“No, but I’ll do it.” Harker had to admit it made him happy to surprise her. She’d thought she had him neatly trapped, but he wasn’t a novice at negotiations. If he wanted something, he’d do whatever it took to get it, and he wanted her.
“Oh. Wow. You...” Her mouth opened and shut but nothing else came out.
He wanted to laugh. This was the first time he’d ever seen her speechless. It wouldn’t last long but he’d enjoy it while he could.
“You will?” Her face paled.
“Yes.” He leaned forward, inhaling her scent. She always smelled fresh and slightly floral. He hadn’t figured out if it were a perfume or body lotion but whatever it was it made him horny as hell. “You should think of what day we’re going to be married because if you don’t decide, I will and that means it’ll be tonight.”
“Tonight?” She almost jumped from her chair.
“Yes.” His gaze dropped to her chest again. He was hard and ready for his wedding night. “We could fly to Vegas and be home by Monday for work.”
“Oh, we can’t tonight. We can’t at all.” Her face was pale now and her intelligent eyes were panicked, scrambling to find a reason why they couldn’t get married.
“Why not?” It was time to push her into that corner and win this game. “I agreed to your terms.”
“We can’t just get married. That’s crazy.” She leaned as far away from him as she could without getting up and leaving the room.
“Why is it crazy? We’ve known each other for a year. We’re both single, available, and we both want what the other is offering.”
“But...that’s so cold.”
“Marriages have been business arrangements for longer than they’ve been love matches and the ones that are business arrangements are happier and more successful.”
“You’re suggesting that we stay married?” The horrified look on her face was beyond insulting.
However, if he were honest the idea of being married to her or anyone for the rest of his life made him want to run in the other direction. He’d never even considered marriage. He went to the Club for s*x when he was in the mood. He even formed relationships there when he wanted. They were simple and uncomplicated, based on mutual desire. He had work and a select few friends. He had everything he wanted except a child. “No. I’m suggesting that we marry and once you deliver a live child—”
“I can’t believe you said that.” She clutched her stomach as if she were already protecting a baby.
“I’m not handing over part of my company for a miscarriage.”
“Of course not but you shouldn’t talk about it.”
“Why?”
“I’m sure it’s bad luck or something.”
“I wasn’t aware you were superstitious.”
“I’m not but...don’t say that again.”
“Okay, but it’s in the contract.”
“That’s fine. It should be but we don’t need to talk about it.”
“Fine with me.” The less they discussed the contract the better. “After you deliver a”—he paused for a second—“child, you’ll get five percent co-ownership of Angel Face and the right to hire your own software team. I’ll have the final approval on all new hires. Then we’ll divorce, keeping joint custody of the baby. I’ll need my lawyer to add in the part about the marriage and divorce, but the rest of the contract will be the same.” It was an attractive offer. He was being more than generous.
Her lips pursed. “You don’t get the final say on who I hire for my team.”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you just hire anyone. There are security matters—”
“I’ll make sure that they meet those, but I have to be the boss.”
“This is a business. I can’t let your inexperience affect my bottom line.”
“I choose who I want to hire and between the four of us we decide.” She frowned.
“The four of us?”
“You, me, Tobias and Merri. We’re all co-owners so we should all have a say in the new hires for the business.”
Right now, he didn’t care about anything but dragging her to his bedroom and f*****g her until neither of them could move, but this was his business. “I make all the final decisions on employees. I do this for Merri’s staff and Tobias’s as well.”
“You do? I thought Merri hired everyone.”
“She chooses the candidates, but I make the final decision. I usually agree with her choices.”
“Oh. I guess that’s okay then.”
His mouth dried like he’d eaten a bag of cotton. This was it. He was getting married. His throat tightened and his stomach twisted. He took a sip of his drink. It was a business arrangement, nothing more but for some reason it felt like a lot more.
- Writer
