The Billionaire's Salvation

SUBSTITUTE TO MARRIAGE

Together they walked downstairs through a hallway of marble and a living area that looked as if it had been taken out of a high-end interior design magazine. The sliding glass door was open and a woman stood, holding a tray with a glass of red wine and a glass of orange juice. Nicklaus took the glass of wine and handed her the orange juice. She couldn’t help notice the play of muscles on his arms, the V-shape of his broad shoulders and his narrow waist.

She felt a strange dip in her stomach at the sight of him and grabbed an extra breath. He must have heard her because he looked down at her face. He was dressed in black slacks and a white open-neck shirt that contrasted with his tanned skin. Moving beside a small table already set with plates and platters with sterling covers, he pulled out a chair for her.

“My chef has prepared one of his specialities. He’s excellent, so you should enjoy it.”

The woman stepped forward. “May I serve you now, Mr Ramirez?” she asked.

“Yes, thank you, Wendy,” he said. “Vanessa, this is one of two housekeepers. She works along with Myra. Wendy usually covers the 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. shift, so if you need anything after hours, feel free to ring her.”

He had two housekeepers? Vanessa took another gulp of her drink, feeling more out of place than ever. “It’s nice to meet you, Wendy.”

“My pleasure,” Wendy said with a smile and proceeded to serve the meal.

As soon as Wendy left, Nick turned to her and lifted his glass. “Here’s to a good meal and a fruitful discussion.”

His gaze dipped to her decolletage and she felt a shocking awareness of him as a man; a strong, s****l man. This feeling both thrilled and terrified her. Pushing the feeling aside, she took a deep breath and gave a determined smile. “It was very generous of you to invite me to stay here tonight. But you never explained to me how the reporters found out you wanted to marry me. Particularly, how they found out before I did.”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry. It was my fault.”

She blinked. “I gathered as much. What I would like to know is how?”

“After deciding that marriage was the best course of action, I asked my secretary to prepare a release for the media. The release was supposed to go out tomorrow after I had spoken to you and convinced you it was the right decision.”

She nodded. “So how did the information get out beforehand?”

“Please go ahead and eat.”

Vanessa wanted to protest, but politeness and a bit of hunger compelled her to force down a forkful of the chicken dish. The delicious taste momentarily distracted her and she took another bite. “Oh, you were right about your chef. This is amazing.”

You’ll find I’m often right,” he said. “To answer your question, I believe my secretary is responsible for the leak.”

 “Why? Are they supposed to be confidential? Like isn't that an oath or something they take?” she asked, taking another bite.

 “Ordinarily, yes. I inherited her from my father so she is somewhat unconventional. My guess is that she was upset and wanted to retaliate.”

 She heard the anger which crept into his tone, and for the first time realized she would not want an angry Nicklaus unleashed on her. “Let me guess, she was either your mistress or wanted to be your mistress and the news of your impending nuptials became a wrench in her plans?” she ventured.

 “She wasn’t my mistress but I got the distinct impression she wants to be.”

 “Oh,” she said. “So how do you want to proceed with this?”

 “That depends on you and whether or not you are going to accept my proposal. I assure you, the choice is entirely yours and I will support whatever decision you make.”

 She set down her fork. “Okay.”

He took a sip of wine. “Have you made a decision or do you need more time?”

“I’m still thinking,” she said. “I need to think about this.  A few months ago, I was solely focused on launching my career. My biggest concern was whether or not I would be able to demonstrate my abilities to your father and secure a spot in the company after my internship. I had no thoughts of a relationship, or kids or even marriage. Now I have to prepare for a baby I didn't plan, find a new job and shore up my courage to begin to process the most traumatic experience of my life to date. I say all of this to explain that I'm not in the right headspace to consider marriage. Marriage is a big step for me. Marriage to you especially is a big step. I don't mean to offend you, but at times I find it hard to separate you from your father."

"Okay, I get what you are saying. If time is what you need, you can take as much time as necessary to sort through everything. But what you can't separate me from my father? I'm nothing like him."

"Look, I think I'm beginning to get that on an intellectual level, but it will take me a while to completely trust you and let my guard down."

 "I can work with that. I'm willing to put in the effort to show you I'm the polar opposite of that man. As for your career, you really don't need to work. But if that's your desire, there is an easy fix."    

 "I want to work. I need to work. I didn't put in all that hard work to not work, even if I was comfortable living off of you, which I'm not. So how is my finding another job while pregnant, I might add, an easy fix?"

 “How quick you forget, I'm a billionaire CEO. Finish your dinner,” he said, cupping her arm with his strong hand, gently massaging the skin he touched. “We can discuss this more later.”

 Vanessa’s stomach jumped. She wasn’t sure if it was a result of Nicklaus’s hand on her bare arm or what they had just discussed. She looked into his eyes and had the sense that this man could turn her world upside down in ways she’d never imagined. She reeled backwards, needing air, needing to think. “I’m sorry, but I can’t eat right now. Please excuse me. I need to go upstairs.”

Nick watched Vanessa as she fled the patio through the door. With each passing moment, he felt more drawn to her, but for the life of him, he couldn’t explain why.

Nicklaus decided he would drum up some charm to ensure Vanessa accepted his proposal. The more he thought about it the more he was convinced it was the right thing for all parties involved. Not to mention he was wildly attracted to her and he suspected she was attracted to him. The attraction was reluctant, but strong, the same as it was for him.

In other circumstances, the fact that he wanted her, he would take her. But since she had already been forcibly taken by his father, he had to tread carefully so as not to appear as if he was forcing her. He would just have to gently persuade her. After all, he was charming when he wanted to be. It’s just that women normally threw themselves at him, so he didn’t have to charm their pants off. They usually came to him naked and willing.

 He decided he would use her desire for a career to his advantage. He was the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation. He could offer her a job.

As a matter of fact, he needed to replace his secretary. Ms Dainty would definitely need to go. He couldn't continue to have her in his office space, especially after the stunt she'd pulled.

He would simply offer the job to Vanessa. That way, he'd be able to keep a close eye on her and ensure she took it easy throughout the pregnancy. It would also give him the opportunity to break through her defences and convince her marrying him was her best option.