My Royal Temptation
Page 18
Really, he had no option. It might have been two years since he’d seen Lucy Baudin, but that didn’t change the fact that he considered her a friend, and he’d never leave a friend hanging out to dry when they needed him. Gideon might have questionable morals about most things, but loyalty wasn’t one of them.
She needed him. He’d have found a way to help her even if he didn’t owe her.
At least if he was in the midst of this madness, he’d have some ability to keep her as safe as possible. He could protect her now like he hadn’t been able to protect her from the hurt Jeff had caused.
If she was crazy for coming up with the plan in the first place, he was even crazier for agreeing to it. “I’ll do it.”
* * *
Lucy couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of his mouth. It was too good to be true. Attempting to rope Gideon Novak into this scheme had been her Hail Mary. She was desperate and he was the only one she trusted enough to even attempt something like a search for a husband. But she hadn’t thought he’d actually agree to it.
He said he’d help. Shock stole her ability to speak for a full five seconds. Say something. You know the drill—fake it until you make it. This is just another trial. Focus. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry—did you just say yes?”
“Yes.” He studied her face with dark eyes lined with thick lashes, which she secretly envied. Gideon had always been too attractive for Lucy’s state of mind. His dark hair was always styled in what she could only call “rakish,” and his strong jaw and firm mouth would have kept her up at night if he wasn’t firmly in the friend zone.
At least, he used to be.
She set the thought aside because going down the rabbit hole of despair that was her relationship with Jeff Larsson was out of the question. It had ended, and her friendship with Gideon had been a casualty of war.
Until now.
Gideon shifted, bringing her back to the present. “How exactly were you planning on going about this?”
This, at least, she had an answer for. Lucy had spent entirely too much time reviewing the steps required to get to her goal with minimum fuss—a husband and her promotion. “I thought you could come up with a list of suitable candidates, I could have a date or two with each, and then we could narrow the list down from there.”
“Mmm-hmm.” He tapped his fingers on his knee, dragging her attention south of his face. He wore a three-piece suit, which should have been too formal for this meeting, but Gideon managed to pull it off all the same. The pin-striped gray-on-gray gave him an old-world kind of feel, like something out of Mad Men.
Thankfully for Lucy, he had better morals than Don Draper.
She fought not to squirm in her seat under the weight of his attention. It was easy enough to be distanced and professional when she’d laid out her proposal—she’d practiced it the same way she practiced opening and closing statements before a trial. Getting into the nitty-gritty of the actual planning and actions was something else altogether.
“I’m open to suggestions, of course.” There—look at me, being reasonable.
“Of course.” He nodded as if deciding something. “We do this, we do it on my terms. I pick the men. I supervise the dates. And if I don’t like the look of any of them, I have veto rights.”
Veto rights? That wasn’t part of the plan. She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”
“You came to me, Lucy. That means you trust my judgment.” He gave her an intense look that made her skin feel too tight. “Those are the terms.”
Terms. Damn, she’d forgotten the most important thing.
It doesn’t have to be the most important thing. He doesn’t know it was part of the plan, so it’s not too late to back out.
But if she backed out, the deep-rooted fear from her time with her ex would never be exorcised. She’d spend the rest of her life—and her prospective marriage—second-guessing herself and her husband. It would drive her crazy and ultimately poison everything.
She couldn’t let it happen, no matter how humiliating she found asking for Gideon’s help with this.
Lucy managed to drag her gaze away from his. She pulled at the hem of her skirt. “There’s one more thing.”
“I’m listening.”
She smoothed her suddenly sweating palms over her desk. “Are you seeing anyone?”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
It had everything to do with things. She’d never known Gideon to hold down a relationship longer than a few weeks, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t somehow changed in the last two years. The entire second part of her plan leaned heavily on the assumption that he hadn’t changed.
The Gideon she’d known before had been her friend, yes, but he’d also been a playboy to the very definition of the word. He hadn’t dated seriously. He’d never mistreated women, but he hadn’t kept them around for long, either. Lucy had heard the whispers in college about his expertise in the bedroom—it was legendary enough that most women ignored the fact they had an expiration date from the moment he showed an interest in them.
To put it simply, he was perfect for her current situation.
She just had to find the strength to speak the damn words. She forced her hands still. “I’m going to need...lessons.”
“Lucy, look at me.”
Helpless, she obeyed. He frowned at her like he was trying to read her mind. “You’re going to have to explain what the hell you’re talking about.”
It was so much harder to get it out while looking at him. She pressed her lips together. She’d faced down some of the most vicious prosecutors New York had to offer. She could damn well face Gideon Novak down, too.
You know these words. You’ve practiced them often enough.
“I need lessons of the sexual nature.” He went so still, he might as well have turned to stone, so she charged on. “This might be an arranged marriage, so to speak, but it would be a true marriage. And, as I don’t cherish the idea of being cheated on by yet another fiancé, that means sex needs to be part of the bargain. It’s been a long time for me, and I have to brush up on my skill set.”
Not to mention the only man I ever slept with was Jeff, and he never missed an opportunity to tell me how uninspiring he found our sex life.
Or that he blamed his cheating on my being unable to meet his needs.
She didn’t let what Jeff thought dictate her life anymore, but Lucy would be lying if she pretended his words didn’t haunt her—that they hadn’t been instrumental in her two-year celibate streak. She’d enjoyed sex. She’d thought Jeff had enjoyed it, as well. If she could be so terribly wrong on such a fundamental level before, what was to stop her from failing at it again?
No, she couldn’t allow it. If she trusted Gideon enough to secure his help finding a husband, then she trusted him enough to create a safe space to teach her something she obviously needed to know to be an effective wife. His rumored sex prowess just sweetened the bargain, because he was more than experienced enough to walk her through a crash course in seduction.
He still hadn’t said anything.
She sighed. “I know it’s a lot to ask—”
“I’m going to stop you right there.” He stood and adjusted his jacket as he buttoned it. “I will charge you for the husband hunting—the same rates of a normal client. I’m not a sex worker, Lucy. You can’t wave a magic wand and acquire lessons in fucking.”
She did her best not to wilt.
You knew it was a long shot.
“I understand.”
“That said...” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth any more than she could. “Come by my place tonight. We’ll talk. After that, we’ll see.”
That...wasn’t a no. It wasn’t a yes. But it most definitely wasn’t a no.
“Okay.” She
didn’t dare say anything more in fear that he’d change his mind. I can’t believe this is happening. He didn’t look happy to have offered the invitation. In fact, Gideon looked downright furious.
He pinned her with a look. “Seven. You remember the address.”
It wasn’t a question but she still nodded all the same. “I’ll be there.”
“Don’t be late.” He turned and stalked out of her office, leaving her staring after him.
What just happened?
A thrill coursed through her. What just happened was that Gideon Novak had agreed to help her. Professionally he had a reputation for always getting his man and, personally, he had everything required to get her pending marriage off to the right start.
He said yes.
With him in her corner, there was no way she’d fail.
The promotion was hers. She could feel it.
Copyright © 2018 by Katee Hird
ISBN-13: 9781488082405
My Royal Temptation
Copyright © 2018 by Riley Pine
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