A Very Exclusive Engagement

by Andrea Laurence

  The man she could never really have.

  It was unexpected, really. She was passionate about everything she did, but she knew from the beginning that this was business. There was no future for her with a man like Liam.

  And yet she could see more now. Their future together was as crystal clear as the illuminated swimming pool she caught sight of from his living-room window.

  “There’s plenty of time for all that,” he insisted.

  This man, this workaholic, had so many layers to him she was anxious to explore. She knew there was more to him than he showed the world. The way he cared about his employees. The way he was handling the interview with Ariella. He had an attention to detail that went beyond just doing quality work. He was just as passionate about what he did as she was.

  How could she not love that about him?

  Love. Francesca swallowed hard and turned away from him to look out the window at his darkened yard and glowing turquoise pool. She couldn’t look him in the eye with these kinds of thoughts in her mind. He’d know. And he could never know. Because it would never work between them.

  Despite the future she could envision, there was a critical piece missing between them. He didn’t love her. He wouldn’t even be with her right now if it wasn’t for his aunt and her demands. That was a bitter dose of reality to swallow, but the sooner she reminded herself of that, the better off she’d be when this “arrangement” came to an end.

  “Would you like to see the upstairs?”

  Pulling herself together, Francesca turned and nodded with a smile. Liam led the way up the stairs, showing her his home office, the guest room and finally, his bedroom.

  Knowing they’d reached their final destination, she slipped out of her shoes and stepped onto the plush carpeting. She ran her hand over the soft, blue fabric of his duvet as she made her way to the window. She watched the glow of the city lighting the black night above the tree line, hiding any stars from her view of the sky. On a night like this, she really needed a sign to help her. Something to tell her she was making the right choices with Liam.

  She reached for the corno portafortuna necklace she always wore and realized she’d taken it off tonight. It was in a pouch in her purse. She suddenly felt exposed without it, as though something could get through her protective armor without it. Looking down, she saw a rabbit sitting on Liam’s front lawn. Before she could move, something startled it and the bunny shot across the yard, crossing her path.

  A sign of disappointment to come.

  Francesca took a deep breath and accepted the inevitable. She was in love with a man she couldn’t have. She didn’t need a rabbit to tell her disappointment was on the horizon.

  The heat of Liam’s body against her back was a bittersweet sensation. Just as her mind began to fight against it, her body leaned back into him. His bare chest met her back, his fingertips sliding beneath the thin straps of her dress to slide them off her shoulders.

  The flimsy sundress slid down her body, leaving her completely naked with it gone. Liam’s hands roamed across her exposed skin, hesitating at her hip.

  “No panties?” he asked.

  She hadn’t worn any undergarments tonight. The dress was almost sheer and wouldn’t allow for them. Besides, she knew how the night would end. “I can’t have you ripping up all my nice lingerie,” she said.

  “That’s very practical of you. I find that sexy. Everything about you just lures me in. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to get away.”

  Francesca closed her eyes, glad her back was still to him. She wished he wouldn’t talk that way sometimes. It was nice to hear, but it hurt to know it wasn’t really true. The minute his aunt let him off the hook, this whole charade would end. At least now she wouldn’t have to worry about faking the heartbreak when their engagement was called off. The tears she would shed on Ariella’s shoulder would be authentic.

  “Look at me,” Liam whispered into her ear.

  She turned in his arms, wishing away the start of tears in her eyes that had come too early. They weren’t done just yet. She needed to make the most of her time with him.

  When her gaze met his dark blue eyes, she felt herself fall into them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to get closer. His lips found hers and she gave in completely. The feel of his hands on her body, his skin against hers, was an undeniable pleasure. She had to give in to it, even if it put her heart even more at risk.

  They moved together, still clinging to one another as they slow-danced across the room to the bed. Her bare back hit the silky softness of the duvet a moment later. Liam wasted no time covering her body with his own.

  As his lips and hands caressed her, Francesca noted a difference in his touch. The frenzied fire of their first encounters was gone, replaced with a leisurely, slow-burning passion. He seemed to be savoring every inch of her. At first, she wondered if maybe she’d had too much champagne tonight. That perhaps she was reading more into his pensive movements.

  But when he filled her, every inch of his body was in contact with hers. He moved slowly over her, burying his face in her neck. She could feel his hot breath on her skin, the tension of each muscle in his body as it flexed against hers. When he groaned her name into her ear, it sent a shiver through her whole body.

  Francesca wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer. She liked having him so near to her like this. It was a far cry from their wild, passionate encounter in her kitchen. Nothing like the times they’d come together over the past week. Something had changed, but she didn’t know what it was. It felt like…

  It felt like they were making love for the first time.

  The thought made Francesca’s heart stop for a hundredth of a second, but she couldn’t dwell on it. Liam’s lips found the sensitive flesh of her neck just as the movement of his hips against hers started building a delicious heat through her whole body. She clung to him, cradling his hips between her thighs as they rocked closer and closer to the edge.

  When she reached her breaking point, she didn’t cry out. There was only a gasp and a desperate, panting whisper of his name as her cheek pressed against his. His release was a growl against her throat, the intense thrashing of his body held to almost stillness by their tight grip on one another.

  Instead of rolling away, he stayed just as he was. His body relaxed and his head came to rest at her breast. She brushed a damp strand of hair away from his forehead and pressed a kiss to his flushed skin.

  As they drifted to sleep together, one of Francesca’s last thoughts was that she was totally and completely lost in this man.

  Nine

  “Aunt Beatrice,” Liam said, trying to sound upbeat.

  After the maître d’ had led Francesca and him to the table where the older woman was seated, she looked up at him and frowned. “Liam, do you ever wear a tie?”

  He smiled, pleased he’d finally pushed her far enough to mention it. And now he got the joy of ignoring her question. He turned to his left and smiled. “This is my fiancée, Francesca Orr. Francesca, this is my great aunt, Beatrice Crowe.”

  Francesca let go of his hand long enough to reach out and gently shake hands with the Queen Bee. “It’s lovely to meet you,” she said.

  Aunt Beatrice just nodded, looking over his fiancée with her critical eye. Liam was about to interrupt the inspection when she turned to him with as close to a smile on her face as she could manage. “She’s more lovely in person than she is in her pictures, Liam.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out Francesca’s chair for her to sit. He hadn’t been looking forward to this dinner. In fact, he’d deliberately not told Francesca about it until after the gala was wrapped up. She would just worry, and there wasn’t any sense in it. His aunt would think and do as she pleased.

  “I can’t agree more,” he said.

  The first few courses of the meal were filled with polite, stiff pleasantries. His aunt delicately grilled Francesca about her family and whe
re she came from. She was subtle, but Liam knew she was on a fishing expedition.

  Francesca must’ve realized it also. “So what brings you to D.C.?” she asked, deflecting the conversation away from herself.

  Liam swallowed his answer—that she was here to check up on him and their agreement.

  “I’m speaking before a congressional committee tomorrow,” Aunt Beatrice said, allowing the waiter to take away her plate.

  She had mentioned that before, but Liam thought it had just been an excuse she’d made up. “What for?” he asked.

  His aunt’s lips twisted for a minute as she seemed to consider her words. “I’m speaking to a panel on federal funding for cancer treatment research.”

  Liam couldn’t hide his frown. He also wasn’t quite sure how to respond.

  “Have you lost someone to cancer?” Francesca asked. Better that she ask the question because she had no real knowledge of her family history, as Liam should.

  “Not yet,” Beatrice said. “But the doctors give me about three to six months. Just enough time to get my affairs in order before I take to my bed permanently.”

  Liam’s glass of wine was suspended midair for a few moments before he set it back down. “What?” He couldn’t have heard her correctly.

  “I’m dying, Liam. I have stage four brain cancer and there’s nothing they can do. Some of the treatments have shrunk the tumor and bought me a little more time, but a little more is all I’m going to get.”

  Unable to meet her eyes, his gaze strayed to her perfectly curled gray hair and he realized, for the first time, that it was a wig. How long had this been going on? “When did this happen? Why haven’t you told anyone?”

  At that, his aunt laughed. “Please, Liam. The sharks have been circling me for years. Do you really think I’m going to let them know it’s close to feeding time?”

  That was a true enough statement. The vultures had been lurking outside her mansion his whole life. This must be why she was so insistent on Liam marrying and taking over as head of the family. She knew the shoes needed to be filled quickly. She’d given him a year knowing she’d never live to see it come to fruition.

  She’d been silently dealing with this for who knew how long. Worrying about her estate planning and altering her will even as she went for treatments and reeled from the aftereffects. “How can you go through this on your own? You need someone with you.”

  “I have someone with me. Henry has been by my side for more than forty years. He’s held my hand through every treatment. Sat by me as I cried.”

  Henry. He’d never understood why her butler stayed around, even at his advanced age. Now perhaps he comprehended the truth. Neither of them had ever married. They’d grown up in a time where they could never be together due to the wide social chasm between them, yet they were in love. Secretly, quietly making their lives together without anyone ever knowing it.

  And now Henry was going to lose her. It made Liam’s chest ache for the silent, patient man he’d known all his life.

  “I don’t know what to say, Aunt Beatrice. I’m so sorry.”

  “Is there anything we can do?” Francesca asked. Her hand sought out his under the table and squeezed gently for reassurance. He appreciated the support. Like her mere presence at his speech, knowing she was there made him feel stronger. As if he could handle anything.

  “Actually, yes. I’d like the two of you to get married this weekend while I’m in town.”

  Anything but that.

  “What?” Liam said, his tone sharper than he would’ve liked after everything they’d just discussed.

  “I know our original agreement gave you a year, but I’ve taken a turn for the worse and I’m forced to move up the deadline. I want to ensure that you go through with it so I have enough time to have all the appropriate paperwork drawn up. I also want to see you married before I’m too much of an invalid to enjoy myself at the reception.”

  Francesca’s hand tightened on his. It was never meant to go this far. He never expected something like this. “This weekend? It’s Monday night. That’s impossible.”

  “Nothing is impossible when you have enough money to make things happen. I’m staying at the Four Seasons while I’m here. I spoke to the manager this morning and he said they could accommodate a wedding and reception there this Friday evening. They have a lovely terrace for the ceremony and the Corcoran Ballroom is available for the reception.”

  Liam felt a lump in his throat form that no amount of water or swallowing would budge. He turned to look at Francesca. Her gaze was focused on her plate, her expression unreadable. She looked a little paler than usual, despite her olive complexion. Obviously, she was as pleased with this development as he was.

  “I see no reason for you to wait any longer than necessary,” his aunt continued, filling the silence at the table. “After all, you’ve found a lovely woman. By all accounts you two seem to be very much in love.”

  Her pointed tone left no doubt. His aunt had nailed them. He thought they had put on a good show. That it would be enough to pacify her until he could find the funding to buy her out. But he’d already heard from his accountant. The amount of money he needed was nearly impossible to secure, especially with the network in such a vulnerable place. They were looking at some other alternatives, but it would take time. Certainly longer that the few days they’d been given with her new deadline. That would take a miracle.

  The Queen Bee was calling their bluff and he had too much riding on this hand to fold.

  The waiter arrived then, setting their dessert selections in front of them. His aunt had never been much for sweets, but he noted a glimmer of pleasure in her eye as she looked down at the confection before her. He supposed that once you know you’re going to die, there was no sense holding back on the things doctors told you were bad for you. What was the point?

  Aunt Beatrice lifted a spoon of creamy chocolate mousse and cheesecake to her mouth and closed her eyes from pleasure. Liam couldn’t find the desire to touch his dessert. He’d lost his appetite.

  “Don’t make my mistakes, Liam. Life is too short to wait when you’ve found the person you want to spend your life with, I assure you.”

  At that, Francesca pulled her hand from his. He suddenly felt very alone in the moment without her touch to steady him. “We’ll have to discuss it, Aunt Beatrice. Francesca’s family is from California. There’s a lot more to pull together than just booking a reception hall. But we’ll be in touch.”

  Liam pushed away from the table to stand and Francesca followed suit.

  “Aren’t you going to finish your dessert?” his aunt asked, watching them get up.

  “We’ve got a lot to sort out. I’m sorry, but we have to go.”

  His aunt took another bite, not terribly concerned by their hasty exit. “That’s fine. I’ll take it back to the hotel with me. Henry will enjoy it.”

  *

  Liam’s car pulled up outside Francesca’s town house, but neither of them got out. It had been a silent drive from the restaurant. They must’ve both been in some kind of shock, although Francesca was certain they had different reasons for being struck mute.

  When his aunt first started this, Liam had asked Francesca to be his fake fiancée. There was never even a mention that they would actually get married. He assured her it would never go that far. It seemed safe enough, even as she could feel herself slowly falling for him. Nothing would come of it, no matter how she felt. She wanted the kind of marriage Liam couldn’t offer, but they only had an engagement.

  Marrying Liam was a completely different matter.

  Not just because it would never work out between them. But because a part of her wanted to marry him. She loved him. She wanted to be his bride. But not like this. She wanted to marry a man who loved her. Not because he had a metaphorical shotgun pointed at him.

  When Liam killed the engine, she finally found the courage to speak. “What are we going to do?”

  When he turned to
her, Francesca could see the pain etched into his face. He was facing the loss of everything he’d worked for, and he wasn’t the only one. She might not agree with Aunt Beatrice’s methods, but she understood where the woman was coming from. Desperation made people do crazy things. This was an ugly situation for everyone involved.

  “She called my bluff. I’m just going to have to call hers. Tomorrow I’m going to tell her that the engagement was a setup and that we’re not getting married. I don’t think she’ll sell her stock to Wheeler. It’s not what she wants. She’s a woman accustomed to getting her way, but she’s not vindictive.” He ran his hand through his hair. “At least I don’t think she is.”

  Francesca frowned. She didn’t like the sound of that plan. She didn’t exactly get a warm maternal feeling from the Crowe family matriarch. His aunt had nothing to lose. If she was willing to go so far as to force him into marriage, she had no doubt she’d follow through with her threat. “You can’t risk it, Liam.”

  “What choice do I have? I can’t ask you to really marry me. That wasn’t a part of the deal. I never intended for it to go this far.”

  Neither did she, but life didn’t always turn out the way you planned. “When would you get the balance of the stock?”

  Liam sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not doing it. She’s taken this way too far.”

  “Come on, Liam. Tell me.”

  “I have to be married for a year. The ANS stock would be an anniversary gift, she said.”

  A year. In the scheme of things it wasn’t that long. But she’d managed to fall in love with Liam in only a few weeks. A year from now, how bad off would she be? That said, the damage was done. Maybe a year of matrimony would cure her of her romantic affliction. It might give her time to uncover all his flaws. It was possible she wouldn’t be able to stand the sight of him by May of next year.

  And even if she loved him even more…what choice did they have? Their network would be destroyed. They were both too invested in the company and the employees to let that happen. Her heart would heal eventually. It was a high price to pay but for a great reward.