“Fine?”
Lana might have smiled at that curt reply, but her face felt frozen with terror at what she was about to do, what she was about to agree to. She could see how her one-worded capitulation could be ambiguous.
“I accept your proposal,” she clarified, and peeked up at him through her eyelashes, shocked that she’d actually said the words aloud. Shocked. Horrified. Panicked!
The angles of his face looked darker somehow. His lips thinner. His shoulders more broad and overwhelming. What had she just done?!
“Come with me,” he ordered, not waiting for her to reply. He took her hand and gently tugged her to her feet. He led her quickly out of the library, through the hallways towards the front door.
“Christoph!” a feminine voice called out.
He barely slowed, but the woman in question maneuvered herself into a collision course, intercepting him before he reached the front door.
“Christoph, you can’t leave already! The festivities have barely begun!” she laughed, laying a hand on his forearm.
Lana glared at the woman who was taller and beautifully sophisticated. Her blond hair was piled artistically on her head and she was literally dripping with diamonds at her ears, neck, and wrists, not to mention on several of her fingers. “Lana, dear, you simply must convince Christoph to stay and enjoy the night a little longer.” Jesma Haigher, their hostess for the night, didn’t wait for Lana to speak before turning back to Christoph. “Dear, you haven’t even danced with me yet and I’ve told everyone how divine a dancer you are.”
Christoph hid his impatience well, but Lana could feel the tension in his hand against the small of her back. “I’m sorry, Jesma. But Lana and I have some important business to finalize. Next time,” he said and took the hostess’ hand in his, lifting it to his lips so that he could press a gentle kiss to her fingers. “It was lovely, as always.”
A moment later, they were out the door. Almost as if by magic, his driver was standing outside the front door and they were inside the vehicle moments later.
“Christoph…”
Quickly, he lifted a hand, halting whatever she was going to say. “Not yet, Lana. Not here.”
Lana wanted to argue, but she wasn’t sure what to say. She’d just agreed to marry a man she barely knew. And what she knew about him was…terrifying! She needed to call Willow and Tamara. She needed her friends’ advice. But if she called them, they’d be on a plane immediately. They’d empty their bank accounts to help her father’s business although, not even they had enough money to help her now. Well, maybe Tamara’s father had enough. But there was no way Lana would ask Tam to make that call. The consequences of Tam asking her father for help could be…catastrophic! Willow might also make some calls but…Willow didn’t have the resources. And since Willow’s father was on wife number six…seven…? Or had he taken a break? Regardless, Willow didn’t have that kind of relationship with her dad. Willow didn’t really have any kind of a relationship with her father!
No, this was a situation she’d have to deal with herself.
A moment later, the limousine came smoothly to a stop outside of an enormous building. Christoph stepped out, then turned to extend his hand to help her out. Lana stared at the hand for a long moment, but in the end, she exited on her own, ignoring his amused chuckle at her defiance.
The elevator silently whisked them up to the top floor and she stepped out into a beautifully decorated penthouse. Looking around, she noticed comfortable sofas around some sort of artsy coffee table. She doubted that anyone would dare put their feet up on that monstrosity. It looked…odd. Willow would love it. Her friend would declare it a work of art and describe the societal defiance it represented. Yes, in Willow’s mind, a coffee table might demonstrate a social conscience. She was quirky that way.
“Lana?” Christoph called softly.
Turning, she faced the man she’d been avoiding looking at for the past several minutes. What she’d just agreed to at the party had her stomach tied in knots.
“Say it again.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. She swallowed hard.
“Lana, tell me.”
She knew what he wanted to hear. She opened her mouth again. “I’ll marry you,” she finally whispered, her panic increasing with each word.
“That’s good,” he said softly, his voice a rough caress against her frazzled nerves. “We’ll be married this weekend.”
She stiffened at that announcement. “This weekend? But that’s in only a few days!”
He stood up and walked over to his desk. “That’s correct. But the wedding needs to take place soon so I can take over the business. Your cash reserves are depleted. I don’t know how you managed to meet payroll for the past few weeks, but that is the priority.” He pressed a few buttons on his computer. “The next priority is to get rid of seven of your managers and vice presidents.”
His reputation in the business world was one of a man who made lightning fast decisions. Lana was getting first-hand experience of his swift decision-making and it was a bit startling.
She stared at him wide eyed, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten. “Get rid of them? Why?” She knew that her mouth was hanging open, but it was difficult to keep up, her thoughts whirling with amazement at how fast he moved.
“Yes. They have to go. I have a list of the people that are looking for new positions, trying to bail on what they consider a sinking ship, and I don’t allow that kind of disloyalty in my companies.” He paused and took her hand. “Did you say something to them recently?”
Lana swallowed, wishing she knew what he was thinking. It would make his ability to read her and anticipate her thoughts more palatable. “Yes. I called them together, trying to find ideas on how to fix things within the company. I also offered them the top position if they thought they could take over.”
He nodded sharply. “And none of them had any ideas, correct?”
“Right.”
His eyes hardened to ice chips. “Then they have to go.”
“But…” she looked down at her hands, her fingers gripping her knees so tightly, her knuckles were white. With concentration, she deliberately relaxed her grip. “I don’t blame them for trying to leave.”
Christoph leaned back against the leather cushions, watching her carefully. “I don’t either. In fact, once I take over, I was planning to fire them anyway. So it’s better that they leave on their own.”
“Fire them!” she exclaimed, standing up now. “You can’t just fire people like that!”
“Why not? They weren’t doing their jobs.”
“How do you know that?” she demanded. “You don’t know what’s going on in my father’s company, Christoph. You can’t know if they are good at their jobs or miserable.”
He moved around his desk and she gulped at the hard look in his eyes. She couldn’t really define it. There was a touch of pity. A dash of amusement. And…yes, that heat. It was really the heat in his eyes that terrified her the most. Was it because she felt it too? Or was there something more? Could she be imagining the emotions flashing across his face?
“Lana, I do my research. I never go into a negotiation blind. I’ve monitored your company’s progress over the past few weeks.”’
“That’s creepy,” she snapped, crossing her arms and glaring up at him.
“That’s business,” he corrected with a chuckle. “And you studied art in school. Not business.” He was stalking her again and Lana stepped backwards, dropping her hands to reach behind her, needing to find the obstacles. “So, you’re spying on me as well? That’s not fair.”
He shook his head. “Lana, you’ve got to abandon this belief that business is fair. Everything I do is legal, but I don’t play fair. I play to win.” He took her hand and pulled her closer. “And I always win.” Even closer, his strong fingers pulling her relentlessly closer. “I’m a very generous employer. I reward employees who get me results and get rid of empl
oyees who don’t. I demand loyalty.” He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing the knuckles lightly. “I will demand loyalty from you as well.”
She swallowed, startled by the turn of the conversation. One moment, he was explaining his business philosophy and the next, there was an intimate quality to his voice.
“And will you be loyal to me as well?” she challenged. “Or is that a one way street?”
His eyes hardened as his head affirmed her words. “Always. I will be completely loyal. You will have no doubt of my fidelity during our marriage.”
Those words brought her eyes to his mouth. His firm, hard mouth that…didn’t seem as if it would give much pleasure.
The idea of him giving her pleasure was so startling, it shocked her out of the spell he was weaving.
“About that,” she announced, stepping back and slipping out of his grasp. She took several steps away, then turned to face him once more as her chin lifted defiantly. “I don’t want fidelity.”
His eyes widened ever so slightly and she felt a hint of pride at surprising him. She doubted people surprised him very often.
“Why not?”
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders, trying to match his directness. “Because this is a business arrangement. We don’t need to mingle…” she was at a loss for words. But when he lifted a dark eyebrow, she continued defiantly. “This is business, Christoph. We shouldn’t mingle a personal relationship with a business arrangement.”
He stepped closer and she could feel his breath caress her cheek. “Lana, our marriage will be personal. And intimate. Never doubt that.”
She shook her head. “No. We need to negotiate this. I don’t want…”
He moved even closer, this time taking her hands into his and pulling her towards him.
Lana knew what he was going to do. She could read the intent in his eyes. Her heart pounded so hard, she thought she might pass out. But she couldn’t look away. She thought wildly of the cobra who stared at its victim, hypnotizing its prey so that it could strike. She was Christoph’s prey and he was stalking her, relentlessly moving closer and closer.
“Are you seriously going to try and convince me that you aren’t curious about what it would be like to kiss me?”
She held her breath, not wanting him to know how deeply curious she was. “No,” she finally replied, but couldn’t stop her eyes from dropping lower. His lips looked hard and uncompromising.
Now why did the idea of him being hard and uncompromising send her mind spinning?
“Liar,” he countered with a chuckle. His hands moved from her fingers to her waist and she gasped. The only time he’d ever touched something other than her fingers or hands were the two times when she’d danced with him. Both times, Lana remembered the delightful warmth of his touch.
Stepping back, she tried to retreat, but he only pulled her closer. “Christoph, this isn’t…”
The touch of his lips against hers was so shocking, she froze, overwhelmed by a rush of emotions that centered around one. Wanting more.
She was lost and completely immersed in the feel of his lips against hers. The pressure was soft at first, gentle, teasing. But when she moved her lips slightly, just enough to tell him that she wasn’t going to pull away, the kiss deepened. His lips opened and she gasped, allowing his tongue to invade, to tease and taunt. His hands tightened on her waist and he pulled her against him. Hard! It felt incredible! So powerful and amazing that she wasn’t aware of her hands creeping up around his neck. She wanted to revel in his kiss, but he wouldn’t let her do that. Participate, he demanded with his tongue. Then he nipped at her lower lip and her fingers tightened. Her whole body tightened. She lifted her face, wanting still more.
Pressing against him, she pulled herself higher, needing more contact. Never before had she felt this way. She hated him, but she couldn’t stop the rush of need that burned low in her belly. It was as if he’d cast a spell over her and she was completely his to command, to torment until he called a halt.
When he finally lifted his head, his icy eyes staring down at her, she still couldn’t get her brain to work properly. A part of her considered telling him to go to hell. That she didn’t want to be intimate with him. But another part of her wanted to lift up on her toes and pull his head down for another kiss. She even suspected that a kiss wouldn’t be nearly enough to ease this ache in her stomach. Actually, it wasn’t her stomach that was tight and aching. The need was lower. Much lower!
“Why did you kiss me?” she finally asked, breaking the silence that surrounded them.
“Because I wanted to know.”
She blinked, trying to understand. But when he didn’t elaborate, she was still at a loss. “To know what?” The words were out before she could stop them. As soon as they were out there in the air between them, she wanted to take them back.
“To know what it would be like.”
Lana still didn’t understand, but she regained enough brain power to pull out of his arms. She was stunned to find that her clothes were in disarray. Her sparkly shirt was pulled out of the waistband of her black silk skirt. And her hair? She’d put it up into a simple bun this morning, mercilessly pinning back her errant curls.
But now they were going every which way. Looking down, she realized that several hairpins were on the floor. “Good grief,” she muttered, bending down to pick up the pins, intending to push all of her curls back into place.
“Leave it down,” he ordered when she straightened with the pins in hand. So of course, she started pinning her hair back up. Any excuse to defy him, she thought with a shiver of excitement.
He leaned back against his desk, watching her as his lips twitched slightly in amusement. “Is this how it is going to be between us?” he asked.
She didn’t bother to look in his direction. “Is what how it is going to be?”
“Are you going to relish defying me at every possibility?”
She pushed the last pin into her hair, then patted her creation to make sure that her curls were firmly in place before she turned to face him. “Are you going to continuously give me orders?” she demanded.
He chuckled. “I think I am.”
She gritted her teeth together, trying not to respond. Christoph annoyed her more than any other person ever had. “Then I think we need to come back around to that intimacy issue.”
“Oh, I’d love to discuss the intimacy issue,” he teased. “Would you like to discuss where we’re going on our honeymoon?”
Gasping, she shook her head. “We’re not going on a honeymoon!” she told him firmly. “We will not be having sex. As I said before, this is a business arrangement. We need to keep it civil.”
He chuckled again. “Do you really think that we’re going to be able to keep our hands off each other?” He moved closer once again. “After that last kiss, I can’t wait to see what you’re like when you’re naked and I get to taste every delectable inch of you.”
Lana gulped hard, feeling her cheeks heat up.
“We can’t…” she started, only to have him slide a hand up her arm, then back down again to take her hand in his, pressing her fingers against his chest. “Lana, I want you. And the way you kissed me back indicates that you want me too.”
He may have a point, although she’d never admit it. “No, I don’t think that is where our relationship should go.”
He sighed and led her back over to the sofa. “Lana, I’m Greek. You’re Greek too, right down to your bones. I don’t believe in divorce. Marriage is forever. Do you really want to be trapped in a sexless marriage?”
She swallowed, wishing he was wrong. “No,” she admitted softly. But nor did she want to be married to him. Period! No marriage, sexless or…any other way!
“Good. Then we’re going to figure this out.”
She sighed, dropping her head into her hands. “I don’t think I can handle sex with you, Christoph. You’re too intense. I’m…” she thought about her loft. About the paint
ing she’d started the night before. “I’m not,” she told him, the lie tasting sour in her mouth. In truth, she was very passionate. Even Willow and Tamara teased her about the overabundance of enthusiasm she had for certain issues. But she directed all of her passion into her art. That’s one of the reasons it sold so well. She loved painting. She loved using colors to create emotions and passion and movement. She loved the complexity of creating images that caused viewers to think and relate and contemplate their own lives. She wasn’t the kind of artist who simply splashed paint across the canvas. Her paintings might be colorful, but they were also detail oriented, meticulous, and well planned out. She worked on several versions of the painting before finally deciding on the final images.
So yes, she had passion, but it was very carefully controlled and focused. “I don’t…”
He lowered his head and kissed her, but this time, it wasn’t one of those mind-boggling, heart pounding, thought-obliterating kisses like before. It was a brief touch, barely a caress. When he lifted his head, she blinked, surprised and…disappointed?
“Lana, there’s no ‘out’ for us. You’re at a loss for how to fix your father’s company. I want parts of it and am willing to take charge of the whole thing. The only out your father gave us is to marry. So, that’s what we’ll do. But it will be a solid marriage. A real marriage. We’ll work on getting through this together.”
She wanted to say something, offer arguments that she didn’t have, options that hadn’t occurred to her. But nothing came to mind. No brilliant plan that could save them from a loveless marriage.
“Please, Christoph, there has to be another way.”
He sighed and stepped closer. “Lana, why don’t I take you home? I know that you agreed to my proposal, but think about it some more. Take the night and meet me at my office tomorrow morning.” He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “I want you to be sure. I’m not going to pressure you into anything. If you can come up with another solution, then good. If not, we’ll be married this weekend.”
Chapter 5
Her Enemy, Her Lover Page 3
