by K. I. Lynn
“What is this all about, Mr. de Loughrey?” I accentuated his name. As far as I was aware, nobody at the restaurant knew who he was, other than an investor.
“Good morning, Miss Evans,” he greeted, mimicking my use of his last name. “I trust you had no issues downstairs?”
“None,” I said. “A little surprised, especially with all that we’ve been through.”
“You didn’t need my last name to enjoy my cock, if I remember.”
I folded my arms over my chest, ignoring his gesture to the chairs in front of him. I wanted to get to the point of what this was all about.
“Is that why I’m here? My birthday is coming up, though this year I think I’ll pass on your cock.”
The grin that spread over his face made me shiver. “You’re making me want to change your mind on that, but giving you multiple mind-blowing orgasms is not the reason I’ve brought you here today. I have a business proposition for you.”
Business? “I’m not sure I’m inclined to listen to it.”
“It involves an eight-figure payout.”
I froze, my gaze stuck to the left of him, on the New York City skyline beyond that large floor-to-ceiling window.
Eight figures? For that amount of money, I could completely change my life. Get out of this hellhole of a city, away from my family, and start over. The problem was, who did he want me to kill for that amount?
Slowly I turned to meet his steely gaze that was pinned on me. “If it involves anything sexual, you can forget about it.”
“What it involves would only be sexual if you want it to.” His gaze roamed down my body, then back up, his lip twitching up. “I would not be opposed at all.”
I narrowed my gaze. Yep, back to killing people. That was what people paid that kind of money for, right? Sex and death?
“What do you want then?”
“Sit.” He gestured again to one of the button-back leather chairs that sat opposite his large executive desk. With a sigh, I sat, crossing my arms in front of me.
“Before we begin, I need you to sign this.” He slid a piece of paper and a pen my way.
“What is it?”
“A non-disclosure agreement. You will never speak to anyone about what we talk about today.”
My stomach clenched again. He was getting legal about a conversation? Our eyes were locked for a moment, neither moving before I leaned forward. My eyes scanned the page and found nothing amiss but a standard NDA.
With a quick swipe of a pen, my lips were sealed.
Once completed, he took a photo with his phone before turning his attention back to me. “I’m in need of a proxy.”
“What is that?”
He twirled his hand in the air. “A stand-in, or in regard to this matter, a temporary.”
“For what?”
“The future Mrs. de Loughrey.”
I shook my head. “You’re not making any sense.”
“And I quite possibly won’t until you agree. Right now, all you need to understand is that in exchange for five years of your life, I will give you ten million dollars. Plus clothes and food and all the necessities, of course. The ten million is your flat fee.”
Ten million? “Dollars?”
“Yes, dollars.”
“What do I have to do?”
“Marry me and bear me a child.”
I blinked at him, trying to process what the hell was going on. Was I being punked? Was this a rich asshole practical joke? Was there some bet for a dollar between him and his brother to see if I’d fall for such an insane idea?
“You want to marry me?” It was the most screwed-up proposal I’d ever imagined and would forever go down in history as the first marriage proposal I received. I wasn’t even going to touch the “bear me a child” part yet.
“Yes.”
A laugh sprung from me, but his serious expression brought me to a halt. “You’re joking, right?”
“I don’t joke.”
Fuck. He was serious.
I rolled over the basics again in my head—five years, ten million dollars, one child. Too good to be true, especially with his looks and status. What did he need some broke girl from Brooklyn for?
“What’s the catch?”
“There are a few, but they aren’t what you are thinking. We will be married in January, and hopefully, a year later, you will birth my first heir. If a second one happens in the timeframe, all the better. Once the five years are over, you are free to do whatever you like.”
I blinked at him in complete confusion. None of it made sense. He had money, lots of it—tons—and because of that, coupled with his good looks, and he could have any woman he desired, so I was back to why me?
No, there was something weird going on.
“And why do you think I’d even contemplate agreeing to this insane idea? Buying me to be your wife?”
“Because I’m offering you a life you could only dream of and a payout that will possibly ensure you never have to work again.”
“This is a heavy proposal,” I said as it began to sink in.
“The fact that you are still sitting in front of me gives me hope you are entertaining the idea of becoming my wife. I will stress, this is a one-time-only offer. You will, of course, have some time to think it over, but after that, if you decide to decline, then later change your mind, it’s off the table.”
“How much time?”
“I’ll see you back here at the same time tomorrow.”
I stood, my mind whirling. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Before you go,” he said, stopping me from walking away. “I will remind you to remain silent on this matter. Speak to no one about what we have discussed.”
I nodded and swallowed. As if anyone would believe me anyway. The idea was ludicrous. So out there, even I was having difficulty believing it was real.
I also would never tell anyone because I knew the de Loughreys had the backing to sue me for all the money I would ever make in this life and the next if I broke the agreement. You didn’t cross them, or you paid the price—and it wasn’t always money.
A leather binder was placed in front of me, one of those legal ones that opened at the top, and pressed into the tightly bound hide was the de Loughrey logo.
“This is the preliminary contract. Look it over, and we can discuss any issues in the morning.”
I numbly nodded, suddenly having a strange out-of-body experience as the weight of reality pressed down upon me. After slipping the document in my bag, I turned to leave.
“Nine sharp,” he said as I gripped the door handle. I turned to look back at him, our gazes locked as I exited.
Autopilot drove me to the train station, and I stared blankly in front of me. On the one hand, I should have been insulted. On the other hand—ten million dollars.
Could I stand five years with him? He was a busy man, so technically, I wouldn’t see him much, right?
Selling myself as a fake wife. Could I do it, pretend to be something I wasn’t, act like a doting wife to a man like Atticus de Loughrey? Be a de Loughrey?
Those were the thoughts that had my heart slamming in my chest.
Atticus represented everything that was wrong with the world. Greed and privilege, patriarchy and the belief that women are nothing but holes to fuck. And I hated that, but not as much as I hated myself for wanting a taste of him again.
It would be a life most only dreamed about, but was it something I wanted? More than that, was it something I could even do?
Could I really kneel before the king?
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K.I. Lynn is the USA Today Bestselling Author from The Bend Anthology and the Amazon Bestsellers, Breach and Becoming Mrs Lockwood. She spent her life in the arts, everything from music to painting and ceramics, then to writing. Characters have always run around in her head, acting out their stories, but it wasn’t until later in life she would put them to pen. It would turn out to be the one thing she was reall
y passionate about.
Since she began posting stories online, she’s garnered acclaim for her diverse stories and hard hitting writing style. Two stories and characters are never the same, her brain moving through different ideas faster than she can write them down as it also plots its quest for world domination…or cheese. Whichever is easier to obtain… Usually it’s cheese.
Website—www.kilynnauthor.com
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Wicked Rule
I’m going to make her my queen.
One wedding.
One child.
Five years.
Ten million dollars.
Those are the terms of our contract.
My offer is sound, bold, and necessary. In order to gain my inheritance, I have to have a wife.
She thinks her clause will keep me from having her skin on mine.
She’s very wrong.
The de Loughrey’s rule the world, and I am their king. I get what I want, and what I want is her.
I’ll have her beneath me no matter what.
Find out more here
Ruthless Rule
They call me the ruthless ruler…and they’re not wrong.
In the boardroom and the bedroom I take no prisoners and when I’m done, it’s all stop.
There’s something about my father’s new assistant and a chance encounter brings us closer than I ever expected. Once isn’t enough, but for the first time in my life, I’m shot down.
Me.
A de Loughrey.
So I sweeten it with money. An indecent proposal that gives both of what we need.
When I learn her secrets I find the impossible bloom inside me.
I’m the ruthless ruler, but she has me by the heart.
Business is business, and when it’s done, I don’t know what will happen to the heart she holds.
I’ve met my ruthless match.
Find out more here
Off the Cuff
I spilled a cup of coffee on the President of Acquisitions.
He deserved it.
Not the brightest idea, but I’d had a bad day, and now he’s getting back at me.
For nine weeks I’m to be his assistant, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
It’s punishment.
Every moment we’re near each other it’s a constant battle of wills, but I refuse to go down.
If only my fantasies didn’t invade our arguments.
If only he wasn’t so good looking.
Everything is off the cuff, including him pinning me to the wall.
Now he wants something else from me.
A date.
There’s just one problem—he doesn’t know I have a child.
Find out more here
That Night
I got pregnant on New Year’s Eve.
That night was hands down the best night of my life. A magical night with the man of my dreams.
The aftermath changed everything.
After weeks of silence from him and a positive pregnancy test, it was safe to say I was in full out panic mode.
Until I walked into a conference room only to find Mr. Man-of-my-dreams-father-of-my-unborn-child at the head of the table.
Turns out the VP of finance isn’t an old boring guy with white hair.
Two different cities.
A baby on the way.
An intense attraction.
And he’s technically my boss.
Life just got even more complicated.
Find out more here
Domenico
The mafia never lets you go.
I thought I was safe, free, but I never expected to find myself locked in a cage.
I’m in his territory. His prison.
The beast.
A fate worse than death awaits me if I can’t get away, so when the opportunity of salvation presents itself I grab it, even if I’m unsure if I can trust the hand I’m holding.
The only way out is through, exposing secrets and spilling blood.
Things aren’t how they appear. Nobody is what they seem.
Not even me.
Find out more here
Forever and All The Afters
He promised me forever.
Then he boarded a plane for a college a thousand miles away and never returned. A decade later there’s a ring on my finger with a new promise from a new love.
Just as my life falls into place, pretty as the pages of a magazine, my world is knocked over. The moment he touches me everything around me begins to crack, exposing all the lies I’ve told myself.
Every glance reminds me. Every touch ignites.
Things aren’t how they used to be.
Love isn’t easy.
Find out more here
Welcome to the Cameo Hotel
I get what I want.
When I walked through the door of the Cameo Hotel I didn’t expect such a beauty to be working the front desk.
The effect she has on me is intense, and I make her life a living hell because of it.
I love her spirit, her internal defiance when completing the most inane task I assign her. My two week stay has turned into unending, just to be near her.
She’s under my every command if she wants to keep me happy.
There’s one last thing I want.
Her.
Find out more here
Becoming Mrs. Lockwood
Every girl has dreams of meeting Prince Charming, or at least I know I did.
A fairy tale-like meeting of love at first site.
Real life and fairy tales are very different.
I’m just a small town Indiana girl that had a chance encounter with one of Hollywood’s golden boys. You may think you know where this story goes—not even close.
Life is different. Marriage is hard. It’s even worse when you’re strangers.
Find out more here
Six
I had a one-night stand. It wasn’t my first, but it would be my last.
A gun to the head.
A trained killer.
A deadly conspiracy.
Kidnapped and on the run, my life and death is in the hands of a sadist captor who happens to be my one-night stand. Armed with countless weapons, money, and new identities, the man I call Six drags me around the world.
The manhunt is on and Six is the next target. Can we find out who is killing off the Cleaners before they find us?
Two down, seven to go.
When it’s all over he’ll finish the job that dropped him into my life, and end it.
Stockholm Syndrome meets bucket list, and the question of what would you do to live before you died. The questions aren’t always answered in black and white. Gray becomes the norm as my morals are tested.
Death is a tragedy, and I’ll do anything to stay alive.
Are you ready for the last ride of your life? Six has a gun to your head—what would you do?
This isn’t a love story.
It’s a death story.
Find out more here
Check out the Trailer
Breach Book 1
His body was sin, his cock was sin, and I was a sinner.
To keep myself safe I hide in the world and let life move around me.
My new partner, Nathan, isn’t safe. Far from it.
The darkness coils around him, hidden by a shield created by a blinding smile. But those who live in shadows see past the façade we create.
Even in darkness, there is light. A spark that ignites, then explodes.
Every filthy word from his mouth, every possessive touch—I crave them, need them. Violent and passionate and everything I need to fill the void inside me, but one thing is missing.
He can never love me.
More than my heart is on the line, and I don’t know if I’ll survive our breach.
Find out more here
The Executive
Business is king, and I have an empire to topple.
Ivy is my new assistant and a threat to me. She’s my undoing. If ever I was to believe in a cosmic connection, it was the moment I met her.
For years I’ve had one goal—revenge. As CEO, I have crafted a strategic plan for business, but never a life beyond.
With one touch from her, the veil is lifted. Things are different, and every moment I’m near her, my world begins to change.
A wall of propriety keeps me from her. I need her as my pawn in this war, beside me in battle. Sharing the secrets of my enemies, and her desires in my bed. Her body to claim as mine.
Getting what I want has consequences.
Collateral damage is real.
In the game of crushing kings of men, I never planned on my heart being a sacrifice.
Find out more here
Cocksure
Co-written with Olivia Kelley
A life altering lie, ten years, and one wild night later, the game has changed.
Niko
My life is great. I love my job, have awesome friends, and a great family.
Women love me, even if they know it’s just for a night.
I always thought love at first sight was bullshit. Then she came storming into my life. She tore through my every rule, rocked my world, and knocked me on my ass.
There’s only one problem…she lied.+
Turns out my best friend’s little sister isn’t so little anymore.
Everly
I stole a night with my fantasy. Lied to him.
After ten years of not seeing each other, Niko doesn’t even recognize me.
