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3
Five minutes!
The instant he closed the door behind him, Kira paced the room like a madwoman in a relentless search for common sense—that obviously had deserted her. How would she even consider such outrageous deal? And how did she allow him to kiss her like she owed him rent?
Heat tingled at the pit of her stomach.
Yes, she certainly shouldn’t give in to spontaneity. Ever. Whenever she did, it never ended well.
The heat surged from her stomach to the rest of her, spreading like wildfire in a mist of post-haze from the kiss and sheer despair from the decision she was about to make.
She rubbed her forehead, sweat beading her flesh. If she said no, they’d let her go as an employee. Transferring wasn’t an option for her—she hadn’t come all the way from Texas to NYC to leave. Especially since she wanted the experience of working for one of the world’s most influential men. That itself would help her career.
If she left, she wouldn’t have earned the money from babysitting him and she’d be back to being a temp again. What about the money she’d promised to help Poppy? Her cousin had always been sweet and didn’t deserve this.
But marriage… how could she marry a man like Luc Beauford? Pretending he wasn’t a big deal during a simple morning with her had extracted every ounce of strength from her. Pretending he wasn’t a big deal for a whole year? She’d end up looking—and feeling—about twenty years older.
She glanced at her bag and strode to get it from the chair. She’d call her cousins and roommates, Poppy and Billie, and ask for their opinions. They always helped her in moments like this. She couldn’t go to her own mother because—
She clapped her mouth. Oh, God.
Her mother would see the pictures of her with a man—and the scandal. Though, she thought, if she married him, it’d sound more like a fairytale. A bitter part of her rejoiced. Shelby, the older daughter, would die if she found out the less interesting sister would marry a super wealthy, gorgeous European man.
She glanced at her wristwatch. Now she had three minutes.
Kira picked her phone, and swiped the screen to call Poppy. “Hello,” she said. “I really need to talk to you.”
“Us too,” Poppy said. “Didn’t you read the texts I sent?”
“I’ve been busy at work. What is it?”
“Billie and I came home to find our place ransacked,” she said, her voice growing desperate. “Don must have come here and messed the whole place looking for money.”
Don. The loan shark. Her heart froze. “Are you okay?”
“For now. I mean, he found a way into our apartment. We can’t stay here. And we can’t call the police, or—”
Moisture evaporated from her throat. “Or things will get worse.”
“Call Don and tell him we’ll have the money for him tomorrow morning.”
“How? Did you rob a bank?”
No. Only my integrity. “Trust me, it’ll be okay. I have to go, but I’ll call you very soon.”
She hung up and slid the phone in her bag.
What she needed to do had become obvious. She couldn’t let her cousins go back to Texas—and herself with them, probably—after only seven months in the Big Apple. They all had their dreams and goals, and damn it, she’d make sure they’d get the opportunity to see them through. Even if that meant selling her soul to the devil.
Her knees weakened at the thought, but she willed them to work and even added a pep to her walk, eager to show the confidence she didn’t have. She opened the door of the conference room, and glanced at the three men engaging in a quiet conversation. They looked at her, and she lifted her chin. You can do this. “Fine. I’ll marry him,” she said. “If you agree with my stipulations.”
* * *
“I still can’t believe you’re doing this,” Poppy said when Kira entered the kitchen. “I feel guilty. You shouldn’t have to marry a stranger because of me.”
“It’s not like it’ll be forever,” Kira said. She’d told her cousins the truth because they were the only ones she couldn’t lie to. They lived with her and saw her every day. They wouldn’t buy the story she’d tell her parents and the rest of the world. Their bond trumped the non-disclosure agreement. Besides, they wouldn’t tell anyone.
“That’s true,” Billie said, tossing her long reddish-brown hair to the side. “Though from the pictures I’ve seen online, marrying that hottie is no sacrifice.”
