The Billionaire's Proposal (Scandal, Inc Book 4)

by James, Avery

  After the debacle at the jewelry store, Harry didn’t know what to say or think. He just knew he needed to find a way to talk to Maggie. But, whenever they took a break, Maggie would disappear, and Abby would be right by his side instead. By the time the interview was over, he’d spent the majority of his mental energy trying not to jump up and declare his feelings for Maggie. No matter how she felt, she was right about a few things. First, if he believed in anything he told Maggie about doing good in the world, he needed to take full control of the company. Second, he couldn’t take control of the company without Katrina’s help.

  By the time the interview was over, he’d worked out the first hints of a plan. He needed to find a way to win a majority of board members to his side. Once he had control of the company, he would be free to make his own decisions. That freedom extended to his personal life, too. So all he had to do was convince his famous soon-to-be fiancée to help him in his plan to woo someone else. Maybe he needed to start thinking of another plan.

  Harry hadn’t had time after the jewelry store to stop back at his room, so he’d carried the bag with him to the interview. Katrina had noticed it right away, and he noted that she was trying not to stare at the bag the same way he was trying not to stare at Maggie. Once he was downstairs and in his suite, he put the bag on the table, collapsed into a chair and tried to work through the mess he’d created. This was the kind of situation Maggie could fix with a snap of her fingers. Too bad she would have nothing to do with it. The knock on his door surprised him.

  “Can I come in?” he heard from the other side of the door. “I thought we should talk.”

  “The door’s open,” he said. He leaned back in the chair as the door swung open and Katrina stepped inside. She had changed out of the dress her assistants had chosen for the interview, and was wearing a fluffy hotel robe over another dress. Her hair and makeup were still impeccable. Harry was starting to wonder if she even slept with makeup on, lest someone see her in her natural state.

  “What’s up?” Harry asked.

  “You know what’s up?” Katrina said. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

  Had he been that obvious? Harry wondered how much Katrina knew about him and Maggie. He had tried to hide his feelings as well as possible. The last thing he wanted was to cause more trouble for Maggie. Pissing off Katrina could only mean trouble.

  “What are you talking about?” Harry said.

  “You know what I’m talking about,” Katrina said. “Don’t try to hide it.” She headed straight towards him. At the last second, she reached for the bag he’d placed on the table. “You were at the jeweler this morning. Is that my ring?” she asked. She reached over and grabbed for the bag. Harry pulled it away at the last second. He almost tipped over in his chair as he did so. He wasn’t sure he was ready for Katrina to see the contents.

  “Let me see!” she said. “I knew you were up to something, sneaking around. You know, you’re supposed to hide this from me until you propose,” she said.

  “I was trying to hide it,” Harry said.

  “Well, it’s not like you’re really proposing to me anyway,” Katrina said. “I mean, not romantically.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You’re not interested in me at all,” Katrina said. “I mean, there’s no spark between us. Don’t try to tell me there is. I understand this arrangement. I just want you to be honest with me,” she said. “And that honesty starts with letting me survey the goods.” Before he could reply, she added, “I mean the ring.”

  “I didn’t say anything,” Harry said.

  “Some things never change,” Katrina replied. She reached over and grabbed one corner of the bag.

  Harry let go, and leaned back again as Katrina reached in to pull out the ring box. “There’s someone else,” he said.

  Katrina froze. “Oh, you mean you have someone else?” She sighed. “That’s a relief.”

  “It is?” Harry had expected her to be upset, offended—really anything other than relieved.

  “I was starting to wonder if I was going downhill if you weren’t interested in me,” she said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Harry, you flirt with everything that moves,” Katrina said. “Well, you used to, back when I knew you. But I guess that’s changed. So who is she?” Katrina asked as she opened the box.

  Harry watched her eyes light up as she looked at the diamond. It was the closest he’d ever seen her to looking like she was in love. The ring was a monstrosity. Sure, it was made of platinum and held a stupefyingly expensive diamond, but it was a prop, and nothing more. He wondered if Katrina was doing the math as to how much it cost. Even when they’d been a couple, he’d never seen her look at him with that same simple joy. Whether for him or someone else, one day Katrina would make an expensive wife. He had a feeling she’d end up being just as expensive of an ex.

  “Do I know her?” she added, but her real attention was on the ring. She seemed like she was miles away.

  Katrina slipped on the ring and moved her finger back and forth to catch the light off the different facets of the stone.

  “Why are we doing this?” Harry asked.

  “It’s all about the ring,” she said. He couldn’t tell if she was being cute or if she was serious. Either way, her answer to his question left more unsaid than his non-answer of hers.

  “What is it you really want?” Harry asked. “What is it you want most in the world?”

  “The same thing everyone wants,” Katrina said. “More.”

  “A little more specific than that,” Harry said.

  “More money, more power, more respect. I’m sick of being the socialite. I’m tired of being judged for my wardrobe and my hairstyle.”

  “And you think marrying me will solve any of those problems?”

  “It will allow me to evolve my personal brand,” Katrina said.

  “Ah yes, the age-old tale of two lovers running off to evolve their brands,” Harry said. “I think you can do better.”

  “Than you?” Katrina asked. “Probably not, at least for the short term. You check off all the boxes. You’re impossibly rich. You have no interest in being famous. You’re not trying to hump my leg, and I don’t despise you. Mostly, you’re rich, and the narrative writes itself.”

  “I think you can do better than marrying for a reason like that. Does this really come down to money?” Harry asked. “You’re not exactly hurting, you know.”

  “Compared to you, I’m a pauper.”

  “You make millions a year,” Harry said.

  “And yet, no one takes me seriously. Sure, they love to look at my dresses, but that will only get me so far. I want something more. A few more zeroes in the bank, and people will start to listen.”

  “I have a proposal,” Harry asked.

  “I pictured your proposal as being a bit more grand,” Katrina said. She slipped the ring off and put it back in the box. “And I was hoping for something a little more public. But we have literally days until we have to be engaged, so I’m sure your team of fixers can come up with something.” She closed the box and slid it back into the gift bag, stopping when her hand reached the bottom. “Did you buy me something else?” she asked. She pulled out a second box. “Matching earrings? Are you trying to get my attention?” She furrowed her brow as she opened the box to reveal another ring. She held the ring up to the light. In Harry’s opinion, it was tasteful and elegant, and absolutely perfect. “This isn’t earrings,” she said.

  “No,” Harry replied, “and it’s not for you. Now, do you want to hear my proposal?”

  Katrina clicked the box shut and looked intrigued by him for the first time in years. “You have my full attention.”

  ***

  Hell. It was hell to watch Harry and Katrina holding hands, smiling, answering whatever banal questions had been scripted out for them beforehand. As she avoided any eye contact with Harry, Maggie tried to listen in. Each question a
nd answer sounded dumber to her than the last. She could hardly believe that she had played a hand in scripting this farce. At least Harry was staying on message. And, in part, knowing the script for the interviews helped to take some of the edge off, but it wasn’t the interview Maggie was worried about. It was the dates.

  In order to sell Harry and Katrina as a couple, Maggie had to arrange for them to be seen in public. A lot. It was all part of creating the illusion of a longer relationship. While the engagement would seem abrupt to anyone, stories of a secret several-month relationship followed by a less-secret courtship wouldn’t raise many alarms. Someone with the public profile of Katrina would have every reason to hide her relationship as long as possible, so no one would have reason to doubt the story that Harry and Katrina had been an item for months. The key to selling the story was the rollout. A carefully selected and generously compensated group of friends would leak stories to the press about Harry and Katrina dating. By the time Maggie had gotten back, this had already taken place, but details about Harry himself had been kept as vague as possible.

  Now that they were together, and everyone had agreed to the plan, it was time for the next step. In addition to the planned-out interviews, it was time to stage a romance. She was going to make the world believe Harry and Katrina were madly in love. They’d come up with some name for them. Maybe the press would use his given name. Gavin and Katrina—Gavtrina. Maggie shuddered. It was just ugly enough to be a celebrity couple name. Abby would love it.

  Maggie ducked out of the end of the interview so she could double-check on the reservations and schedule for that night. She’d scheduled Harry and Katrina to have drinks with friends at the hottest bar in town. It didn’t hurt that the bar was owned by Callie Haven’s husband. That made the arrangements as easy as possible. A few seemingly spontaneous shots of Harry and Katrina walking into the bar were all the fodder they needed for the night. The fact that the two of them had decided to rehash old times and enjoy themselves—it only added to the effect.

  Maggie had staked out a spot in the back of the bar with Abby. It was their job to make sure everything stayed on track. “How’s it going?” Abby asked her over the din of the bar.

  Harry and Katrina were laughing and talking as bar-goers took pictures of them with their cell phones and posted about seeing Katrina in person. Maggie was half watching the room and half following the feed of Katrina-related tweets on her phone. “It looks like they’re doing well,” Maggie said. “People seem to like them as a couple,” she added.

  “No, I meant you,” Abby replied. “How are you handling all of this?”

  It was hard watching Harry laughing and smiling with someone else. It was hard forcing herself to pretend that she didn’t care about him, but focusing on the job made things easier. If she could worry about the logistics of dates and the virality of posts about the relationship, she could ignore the fact that she was watching the one man for her slip away. Slip away wasn’t even the right term for it, because he’d come to her and said he wanted to be with her. She was forcing him away, and she hated herself for it.

  The two times Harry headed across the bar towards her, Maggie made an excuse to disappear. The first time, Abby conveyed a message. “He says he needs to talk to you, and that it’s very important.” The second time, Harry managed to catch her before she found someplace to hide away.

  “We need to talk,” he said. “I didn’t get to finish what I was saying earlier.”

  “I told you we can’t,” Maggie said. “Look around. Everyone has eyes on you and Katrina. You need to be with her. Moreover, I can’t do this. You can’t do this. Nothing has changed the facts. You’re going to tell me how you feel, and I’m going to pretend that I don’t feel the same way, and it’s going to get complicated.”

  “It’s not,” Harry said.

  “It is,” Maggie said.

  “That wasn’t what I needed to talk with you about,” he said. “I need you to do something for me, and I need it to stay between us.”

  “What is it?”

  “I need information on the board,” Harry said, “whatever you can dig up.”

  “And why do you need that?” Maggie asked.

  “I’m taking over a company embroiled in two major scandals. We can’t afford another, and I need to know where we stand. I can’t do anything worthwhile if I’m just reacting to the latest problem. We need to get out in front of whatever is coming next. That’s what your company does, right?”

  “Yeah, but in order to do that, I need to pull on the resources I have available, which means not keeping it between us,” Maggie said.

  “Just keep it as quiet as you can, and I promise I’ll make it worth your while,” Harry said.

  “And what do I get?”

  Harry smiled. “I’ll give you something you want,” he said.

  “You’ll leave me alone?” Maggie said. They both knew that wasn’t what she wanted. But the one thing she truly wanted, she couldn’t have.

  “No, even better. I’ll tell you how I got your address.”

  “But that mystery is the most interesting thing about you at the moment,” Maggie said.

  “That’s only because I haven’t shown you my stamp collection.”

  Maggie laughed. “Go ahead,” she said.

  “I told a friend at the hotel I’d fallen madly in love with you, and that the only way I could find out if it was real or not was to see you again.”

  “You didn’t,” Maggie said.

  “Fine, I told him you’d left something and desperately needed it back but I didn’t have your address.”

  “Oh yeah? What was it I so desperately needed?”

  “Me,” Harry said.

  Maggie knew what she had to do. If she wanted Harry to be happy, if she wanted him to fulfill his potential, she couldn’t be with him. “I’ll do this, but I need you to sell your relationship with Katrina,” Maggie said. “Really sell it. And don’t come back over here in ten minutes to flirt with me.”

  “You have me on the hook, and that’s what you want?” he asked.

  “It is,” she replied.

  “You know I’d do anything for you,” he said. “The board. I need everything by next week,” he said.

  “I’ll make sure you have it,” Maggie said. “Now go be a doting boyfriend,” she said.

  “Only because you asked,” Harry said. “But I’ll be back in eleven minutes to flirt with you.”

  Maggie just shook her head and tried not to laugh. Harry pressed a piece of paper into her palm. A quick glance down told her it was the list of board members and not some secret love note.

  Maggie pulled him closer and whispered into his ear before he left. She watched him cross the room. He was up to something. She wasn’t quite sure what. A few days ago, he couldn’t have cared less about the board, and now he was checking up on them. The dirt she’d dig up would be just as likely used for leverage as it would to protect the company, but that wasn’t her concern. She was a hired gun, and Harry had just given her a job.

  The project would give her a respite from thinking about him. It was a gift, really—a task that had nothing to do with Harry. She watched the way he strode across the room. He seemed taller. His step seemed lighter. She knew it was all in her head, but even as he was walking away, he seemed happier, less burdened.

  “Cheer up,” Abby said, breaking Maggie’s train of thought.

  “What?” Maggie asked.

  “You look like you want to snap Katrina’s neck,” Abby said. “For what it’s worth, in a fight, my money’s on you.”

  “I’m not fighting anyone,” Maggie said. “I need your help with something.” She handed Abby the list. “Can you get Rich to work his magic on this list?”

  “Sure, what do you need?” Abby asked.

  Maggie slipped her the piece of paper. “I need everything,” she said. “Potential red flags, current whereabouts, any information you can give me.”

  Abby gave the list
a quick once-over. “I can give you everything we have in about an hour. Amy ran a full check on every major stakeholder the moment we took the case. Why do you need it?”

  “I’m trying to do the right thing,” Maggie said. She looked back across the room at a suddenly smitten Harry and Katrina. Harry made eye contact with Maggie from across the room. She couldn’t tell if he’d given her an almost imperceptible nod or if she’d imagined it, but what happened next was unmistakable. Harry turned his attention back to Katrina, wrapped his arms around her and planted a long, deep kiss on her lips. Maggie watched the flashes of camera phones across the bar going off and felt a burst of jealousy flash up inside. Maybe that’s what Harry wanted. She couldn’t tell, but he was doing exactly what she had asked. Now it was her turn.

  Abby looked at Maggie, wide-eyed.

  “What exactly did you say to him?”

  “The same thing I’m going to tell you,” Maggie said. “One way or another, this is going to be one hell of a week.”

  Chapter 26

  For the second time in as many days, Maggie was surprised by an early knock on the door. This time, she wasn’t getting dressed. In fact, she had just gotten out of the shower. She pulled on a robe and headed downstairs. It had to be Harry.

  “What do you have for me?” he said. He looked at her.

  “That was some kiss last night,” she said, ignoring his question.

  “It’s what you asked for,” Harry replied.

  “I don’t seem to remember asking you to show up unannounced on my doorstep,” she said.

  “Is it a problem?” Harry asked.

  “As soon as people know you’re dating Katrina, they’ll be following you. They’ll be looking for any story you give them. You making out with her in front of a bar full of people created plenty of attention. We don’t need to give anyone another story to run with.”

  “And you think that knocking on a door is a story?”