by P. G. Van
“What is your software called?”
“Well… it’s a beta name, but we call it BINA.”
“BINA?” He was clearly taken aback.
“Business Intelligence & Network Analytics—it’s everything we need to know about the guests to make their stay stellar.”
“Stellar?” He raised a cocky eyebrow high up.
“Yes, unforgettable.” She stood up to walk toward the kitchen. “What would you like to drink?”
He followed her to the kitchen. “Kari, I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Blake, you don’t understand. I spent the last five years putting the design together and finally started working on it a year ago. One more year, and I will be ready, and there will be nothing like it in the market.” She popped open a bottle of wine and stood looking at him leaning against the stone counter.
“You’re crazy.” He shook his head almost in disbelief.
“Yeah, crazy good.” She held out a glass of wine for him, a cocky grin on her face.
“Are you really that good?” He ran his fingertips on the back of her hand making her shudder. She stood frozen holding the wine glass in her hand as his fingertips grazed the length of her arm.
“You have beautiful skin.” His palm caressed her shoulder making her gasp. His free hand took the glass of wine that she managed to hold onto in spite of the chaos inside her.
“Blake,” she muttered as he placed the wine glass on the counter before wrapping his arm around her waist pulling her against his scorching hot body.
Her fingers fisted on the fabric on his chest as she looked up into his eyes. The primal look in his eyes made her wet in her depths. It was a novelty for her because she had never had an instant attraction to anyone before tonight.
She leaned in closer and met his lips half way in a raging hunger. Their lips clashed, hands wandering over each other’s bodies like they couldn’t breathe on their own.
“You’re hot… so hot I want to peel your clothes off,” he growled into her mouth. He pushed her into the kitchen unit, his fingertips digging into the tight flesh of her ass making her moan in his mouth.
“I want you,” a plea rolled off her lips when he trailed his lips down the column of her neck, nipping and biting along the way.
“I’ve wanted you since the moment you cut me off on your bike,” he groaned making ripples of raw energy zap through her nerves.
One palm left her perfect globes of flesh on her backside to find her yearning nipple longing for his touch. He squeezed her breast with so much authority, she was ready to beg him to take her right there on the kitchen floor.
“Please tell me you are not messing with my head,” she rasped.
“You’re the one messing with my head.” His voice was a rough whisper.
She threw her head back gritting her teeth when he took a bite of her breast over the sheer fabric making her yelp in delight.
His demanding lips found hers and sucked them into his mouth like he couldn’t get enough. She snaked her fingers in his thick, dark hair. His lips assaulted hers, and she moaned in pure delight.
“Is this part of the deal?” he crooned running his tongue along her neck.
“No… strictly business after today.” She sunk her teeth into his shoulder over his shirt and heard him groan deep inside. She froze when she heard a chime and a knock on the front door almost at the same time.
She pulled back and let go of the fabric of his shirt crumpled in her hand and looked up at him.
“Is that your boyfriend?” he teased coolly.
“Yes, I invited him for a threesome,” she mocked and tiptoed to the front door and peeked through the peephole. Her heart sank when she saw her mom and dad standing outside her door.
Fuck!!
She tiptoed back to where Blake was standing looking at her with amusement.
“It’s my mom and dad. If you want a piece of BINA, you will play along.” It was an order, and he was too intrigued to not go with the flow.
“Coming,” she called out when she heard the chime again.
Chapter 3
“Hi, guys, what a pleasant surprise,” she cheered looking at her parents.
“It was your mom’s idea. We called a few times, and she freaked out when you didn’t answer.” Her dad put his arm around her as he stepped into the living area.
“You look nice, baby. I haven’t seen you dress up in such a long time,” her mom observed, and just as she was about to respond, Blake stepped out of the kitchen.
She saw the expression on her parents’ face and bit down on her lip to stop laughing.
“Mr. and Mrs. Vora. How are you doing?” Blake’s voice was calm.
“Blake… what are you doing here?” Her dad was too shocked to be diplomatic.
“Mom and Dad, I’m sorry I’ve been so secretive about our relationship. Blake is my boyfriend,” she declared coyly.
“What?” It was her mom who had lost her cool.
“It’s good to see you, Mrs. Vora.” Blake took her mom’s hand in his as if to calm her down.
“I don’t understand.” Her dad was in a daze.
“Can we sit down and talk?” she urged leading her parents toward the couch.
Her parents sat on the sofa, and she settled in next to Blake on the loveseat. She was too close to him for comfort and deeply inhaled his musky cologne hoping to calm her nerves. He slid his arm around her waist making her body tremble.
“Dad and Mom, Blake and I met after he returned from London last year. I was upset yesterday because he didn’t tell me anything about the deal.” She smiled looking at Blake.
“I’m a man of my word. The deal was strictly between Mr. Vora and me.” His voice was modulated, but she was having a tough time processing the situation even though it was her plan.
“Blake, I’m impressed.” Her dad laughed victoriously.
“Not funny, Dad,” she fumed.
“Kari, I don’t think we should keep them in the dark anymore. Do you want to tell them?” Blake nudged.
She took a deep breath. “Dad, Mom, Blake and I are planning to get married,” she declared and felt Blake’s arm shift slightly around her waist, but he did not move it.
“With your permission,” Blake added.
“What? Really?” Her mom was ecstatic, but her dad did not move from his spot. She wrapped her arms around her mom and saw her hug Blake, tears of joy running down her cheeks.
Her dad finally stood up and looked at Blake. “Looks like we made a deal of a lifetime, Blake.”
“Yes, sir, we did. I was hoping to ask you for Kari’s hand, but you know how she is.” He smiled shaking her dad’s hand.
“I worry about you, Blake.” Her dad laughed holding her to his large frame and kissed her on her cheek.
“We need to plan for a wedding now. I have dreamed of this day for years.” Her mom hugged her.
“Easy, Mom, we are not doing anything big. We are going to the city hall, and it will be a small ceremony.” Kari did not want an extravagant ceremony for a marriage of convenience.
“Not happening. We will have a ceremony at our resort hotel in Santa Cruz,” her dad declared adamantly.
“Dad, why do…” Her voice trailed off when she caught Blake’s expression. She was arguing about locations for the ceremony with her parents, and she hoped he wouldn’t back out of the deal.
“Kari, I’d say let your parents have their way with the wedding.” His tone was soft but steady.
“Okay.” She didn’t want to push back too much, and the way he said it sounded like it was one of the terms and conditions he wanted to enforce.
“Really? You got her to agree so easily? You are her true soul mate.” Her mom smiled at Blake.
“Congrats, you two. We need to get going. We are meeting friends for dessert.” Her dad smiled and shook hands with Blake before heading out the door.
“I should have guessed when I saw Blake’s car in the parking lot,” her dad
called out before stepping into the elevator making her cheeks turn crimson.
“Bye, Mom and Dad.” She smiled and shut the door. She stood with her back to the door trying to regain her composure.
Blake stood in the middle of the living room, his fingers stuffed into his pockets taking in the sight in front of him. Kari had turned out to be a complete surprise. He had not met a woman who was so passionate about her work. She was a smart businesswoman who went to any length to get what she wanted, and that intrigued him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Like what?”
“Like you want to eat me.” She laughed.
“Maybe I want to. I am wondering if we should pick up where we left off,” he suggested walking toward her.
“It was fun, but I think it’s a bad idea, Blake. We should keep this strictly business.” She flattened her back further into the door as he moved closer to her.
“What if I want this to be a part of the deal?” He ran his lips along her jawline sending tremors down her spine.
“I want it, too, but there’s too much at stake. I can’t afford a distraction when I am so close to launching my software.”
“Our software,” he corrected her.
“So is the deal on?” she asked, excitement fueling her voice.
“Yes, but I have my terms and conditions.”
“Sure. I’ll sign a prenup. I don’t need your money. I just want what’s mine.” She gently pushed him away to look up at him.
“I have more conditions.” He nuzzled her neck causing her skin to tingle.
“Can we sit at the table?” she asked running her palms over his chest.
“After you.” He stepped aside scanning her face as if to take in her reaction to his proximity.
She sat at the same position at the table as when she gave him the demo, but Blake took the seat next to her instead of the one across where he was seated earlier that night.
“What are your conditions?” Her voice was professional.
“I want fifty percent of the software for the deal. You can have the payout your father wants you to have from the contract, and I will invest what is needed for it to launch.” He took her palm in his and gently ran his thumb over the back of her hand.
“I own ninety percent of it. My team owns ten percent.”
“I’ll take fifty percent of my to-be-wife’s share then,” he snorted.
“Forty percent only,” she retorted.
“I want forty-four, and you get to keep forty-six. That’s the best I can do,” he declared adamantly.
“I put in a lot of time, Blake. I am not giving up more than forty percent,” she snapped back.
“Are you saying you are willing to walk away from this deal?”
“I told you I am willing to fight you for the rest of my life if I have to, but I won’t give up more than I want.” Her chest heaved from the outburst of emotions. “It’s against my principles, but I won’t shy away from shedding a few fake tears to make my dad walk away from the original deal.”
“You’re tough, I like that.” He smiled tightening his hold on her palm.
“What’s next?” she challenged.
“How long do we need to be in contract?”
“I need another year to soft launch the software. If we achieve good results from the initial pilots, we can go in sooner.” She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
“Works for me. If we are not picking up where we left off, do we get to see other people?”
She felt a sting of jealousy at the thought of another woman with him, but she shrugged it off. “I know I won’t have time for anybody, but if you…”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He winked.
“Blake, we will be going back to what we have today in a year. I don’t want to start something that can mess up our relationship as partners.” She wanted to be professional with him because she knew he would fancy being with her for a few months and then move on when she had no time to be the ideal girlfriend.
“I need you to move into my place.” His tone was determined as if he knew he would get some opposition.
“Umm… you don’t like my place?” she teased.
“Do you feel safer with the half dozen deadbolts on your front door?” He snickered taking her by surprise.
She had her reasons for the deadbolts, but she didn’t want her habits to be in the way of closing the deal. “Fine, I’ll move in with you. I’ll make some money renting my apartment as a vacation home.”
“I don’t want anyone to know about this deal. It’s not just your parents, I’ve got my dad to deal with as well,” he grumbled.
“Oh… I get it. I wondered why you were even willing to consider the marriage deal. Pressure from dad, eh?” She laughed when he shook his head.
“My dad and I don’t talk about anything other than business. This is strictly business.” He smiled looking into her deep eyes.
“I get it. As long as I stay on schedule for the launch, I might even go out on a date with you.” She winked.
“Great, you bring a date, and I’ll bring mine, and we can go on a double date,” he taunted.
“Right, exactly what I was thinking.” She stood up to get their wines glasses from the kitchen.
She barely took a step before she was yanked back toward him by her hand.
“Blake, what the…” she cursed.
“Did I say I was done?” he growled breathing fire on her cheek.
“Easy tiger, I was gonna go get our drinks.”
“Sit down… please.” His voice was shaky, and she wondered what he was going to say that made him so nervous.
She sat on the chair taking in his expression. He suddenly looked frazzled, like he was fighting an emotion he couldn’t control.
“Blake, what is it?”
“I—I need you to stop riding your motorcycle as long as we are together.” His voice was modulated but low.
“You’re kidding! Why?”
“I have my reasons. This is my last condition. If you are good with this, we have a deal; if not, you can sign the deal I made with your father and get married to someone else.”
“What the fuck, Blake?”
“I have laid out my terms and conditions. You got what you want, and I want everything I asked for.” His eyes were burning with emotion, and she couldn’t quite figure out what it was as she fumed on the inside. She loved her motorcycle, but it wasn’t a big deal for her to not ride for a year. She was bothered by something but couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Fine, I won’t ride my bike. I also need my own space at your place. I work late and wake up early, and it’s best to have some separation.” She had assumed she would have her own room when she moved into his house but felt the need to reiterate.
“Good. Pick a date for the ceremony and text me. I hope you’ll save your future husband’s phone number.” He picked up his phone from the table and headed to the door.
“See you, Blake,” she murmured feeling weak in her knees. She hadn’t given much thought about getting married, but she never expected it to be lacking any sentiments and emotions.
She heard the door close as Blake left the apartment. She was excited and terrified at the same time. He never asked her what she would do if the software were to fail, and a shiver ran through her spine just at the thought of failure.
*****
“You’re fucking with me,” Nicole, her best friend and cousin’s wife, barked at Kari on the phone.
“Nicole, the baby can hear you,” she laughed.
“Exactly why I’m pissed—you couldn’t wait for me to have the baby and then ask me to be your maid of honor?” Her friend was running high on hormones and was eight weeks away from having a baby boy.
“You’ll need to be a mom after the baby arrives, so my wedding has to be before my nephew comes out,” she cheered.
“That is just ridiculous and wha
t’s even more ridiculous is you getting married, and I haven’t met the dude yet.” Nicole was upset, but Kari made a deal with Blake she wouldn’t tell anyone outside the legal team.
“Well, he and I have…”
Nicole didn’t let Kari continue. “Don’t bullshit me, girl; you and I have known each other way too long. I can see right through the crap. Either you tell me, or I figure it out myself.”
“There is no such thing as a pregnancy brain when it comes to you, Nicole.” Kari laughed.
“I didn’t go to law school for nothing,” she snapped.
“True. So, since you are my lawyer, I can probably tell you and not get into trouble.”
“Now what?”
“I made a deal with the CEO of Kennedy Group,” she whispered into the phone. “You can’t tell anyone, not even Dev.”
“Fine, Dev will never know. What deal did you make and why him?” Nicole couldn’t get a handle on the situation. Kari told her every detail of what happened from the time her dad made the deal with Blake, and how she ended up making the deal of a lifetime with him.
“And he agreed to your deal?” Nicole asked in disbelief.
“He had no choice. I gave him a demo of my product.” She laughed, a small voice reminding her of his weird condition about not riding her motorbike, but it didn’t bother her enough to probe into it too much.
“Did you demo anything else?” Nicole mocked.
“You are one dirty, pregnant woman,” she fired back at her best friend.
“From what I see online, the dude is pretty hot. Have you slept with him yet?”
“Nicole, the baby can hear you.” Kari couldn’t believe her friend’s questioning.
“I asked you a question.”
“We kind of got started but decided not to—it’s complicated.” Kari shook her head to wipe out the memory from the previous night.
“You find him hot?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Did you pull out your toys last night after he left?” Nicole knew no boundaries.
“Nicole, you are my cousin’s wife, and we are not in college anymore. I’m not discussing my relationship with my toys,” she blurted and ended up laughing.
