He was gorgeous. Now was not the time to be thinking about this man’s sex appeal, but there it was. Her heart was racing and she was no longer certain if that was due to shock or sexual attraction.
Focus, Ivy. This man wanted her to lie for him—about her entire life.
His voice startled her back to the moment. “I can see my proposition has taken you by surprise.” He relaxed his intimidating stance and leaned against the desk with his hands in his pockets as though they were discussing the weather and not her life. “Don’t get me wrong, we are not asking you to do anything illegal or anything that would jeopardize your values. You will be handsomely rewarded in return—my investors and I are more than willing to ensure that you are very comfortable financially in return for this favor.”
“Other than lie.” The words slipped out of her mouth.
Her words put a dent in Daniel’s perfectly poised sales pitch. She couldn’t help it. Her mother’s face loomed in her mind’s eye at the mere thought of lying. Her parents had thoroughly ingrained their children with the need to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
He paused and raised his brows in polite inquiry. “I’m sorry?”
She cleared her throat. “I said ‘other than lie’. You said ‘we’re not asking you to do anything that would jeopardize your values.’ And I said ‘other than lie.’”
Oh Lord, she was babbling. She was repeating their conversation like a court reporter. His forehead wrinkled as if in thought for a moment but again she couldn’t tell if he was amused or annoyed. Or both.
“Yes, you have a point there. I’m sure lying to your friends and family will not be pleasant but unfortunately, we can’t afford to take any chances on anyone slipping up. It would be more difficult for you as well if the truth were to come out. It would not paint you in a flattering light, I’m afraid.”
Panic made Ivy’s heart rate accelerate. He was talking as though she’d already agreed to go along with this stunt. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Daniel, but I’m really not a very good liar and I’m not much of an actress. I don’t think I could pull it off.”
“Unfortunately for us, we don’t have much of a choice in who will play the lead in this particular farce.” He gestured toward the newspaper. “But you will have a team of people at your beck and call to help you—I am absolutely positive you will get through this little façade with flying colors.”
Ivy bristled at his know-it-all tone. Was he really trying to steamroll her into telling a life-altering lie just because it was convenient for him?
He wasn’t even pretending to frame it as a question—as though it was understood that she would comply.
“Do people always do what you say?” she snapped.
The charming smile faltered. It was slight but she caught it. His perfectly poised demeanor slipped—just for an instant, but it was enough to give Ivy a sense of triumph. She had a feeling that Daniel Gladwell was rarely taken by surprise.
He recovered quickly though and his answer was brutally honest. “Yes, Miss Sinclair. They typically do.” If they know what’s good for them. He didn’t say the words but he didn’t have to.
Gone was the polite smile and Ivy found herself face to face with Daniel Gladwell, the ruthless business tycoon. His jaw clenched and his eyes hardened, holding her captive yet again in a disarmingly direct glare. He looked like a gladiator ready for battle. The look he gave her was so intense, she swallowed her clever retort—this was not a man to mess with.
“Honestly, Mr. Gladwell, I’d really rather go back my job—”
“Your job will not be waiting for you should you refuse my offer.” He stood up straight and moved to stand behind the desk. His tone was cool and collected, at odds with the harsh words.
She tried to ignore the uncomfortable sting of unshed tears as his words sank in. She couldn’t go back to being unemployed. She’d worked so hard to get where she was. She couldn’t start over. And she couldn’t go home. Bad investments and a housing market collapse had left her parents teetering on the edge of bankruptcy at an age when they should be planning for retirement. If she lost her job they’d feel compelled to help her but they could barely help themselves.
“That’s not fair, you can’t do that.” Ivy’s voice shook. She swallowed and tried again. “The hotel has no reason to dismiss me. I’ve been a great employee. Ask anyone, ask Mr. Webster.”
“It’s not a matter of how well you’ve done your job, Miss Sinclair. The hotel can’t keep someone on who acts irresponsibly with the hotel guests. Not to mention, employees here are expected to be team players.”
“I am responsible. And I am a team player.” She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. She felt like she was on the wrong end of a steamroller. She had to regain control.
She tilted her chin up and straightened her shoulders. Who did he think he was to come to her place of work and threaten her job? Maybe Franklin wasn’t in her corner, but there had to be people above him.
Standing, she faced Daniel who had returned to his seat behind the desk. “You can’t fire me, Mr. Gladwell. I’m sure Mr. Webster doesn’t even have the final say and you have no say in the matter so—”
Daniel cut off her tirade before she could even gain steam. “Actually I do have quite a bit of say. My company is the majority owner of this hotel.”
His words were like a punch in the gut. Her mind struggled to make sense of this new information. It couldn’t be possible—could it? Maybe he was kidding. But even as she thought it, she dismissed it. The man before her clearly didn’t have a sense of humor. She stared at him with wide eyes, trying to think of something to say, but she was rendered speechless. She flopped back in her seat like a deflated balloon.
With astonishing speed his cold businesslike demeanor was once again replaced by the charming smile that Ivy was beginning to know well. It was the smile of a predator before it ate its prey. “Listen, Ivy, it doesn’t have to be this way. I don’t want to lose you as an employee. But I also can’t allow yesterday’s incident to ruin a multi-billion dollar deal that I’ve been working on for the past two years. You can understand that, can’t you?”
Ivy just stared back at him. Her mind was racing as she considered her options. She could try her luck in an unemployment office once again and pray that she’d find a new position before she lost everything. She could go back home and try to find a job there—but no, that wasn’t an option. The job market in her hometown was far worse than the city and she couldn’t allow her parents to help her.
“How much?” she asked. “How much would you pay me if I go along with this?”
For a moment she thought he was ignoring her. He picked up a pen and jotted something down on a piece of paper. He pushed it her way and when she picked it up, a series of zeros stared back at her. The six-figure number took her breath away. That was enough to pay her rent for the year and still have plenty left over to help her parents.
“And of course you’ll get a promotion, which comes with a raise,” Daniel added.
“I don’t want a promotion if I haven’t earned one,” Ivy said, sitting up straight. She may be desperate for money, but she still had some morals.
She thought she saw a hint of a genuine smile again. Good Lord, this man’s lips were hypnotic.
“On the contrary, Miss Sinclair. I’ve had a long talk with Franklin and it seems you have been long overdue for the promotion. I plan to have a talk with him about that.” His look of disapproval actually made Ivy nervous on Franklin’s behalf.
“So, do I take it we have a deal?”
Ivy swallowed down the feeling that she was taking a leap off of a high dive without checking to see if there was water below.
“We have a deal.”
Meet the Author
Maggie Dallen is a huge fan of happily-ever-afters. She writes contemporary and YA romance and has been known to rewrite the endings to classic love stories
to ensure that they end on a happy note. In Maggie's version, Ingrid Bergman does not get on the plane. She lives in Northern California and works at a yarn store to support her knitting addiction. For more info please visit maggiedallen.com.
Follow her on Twitter @Mag_Dallen.
Or connect with her on Facebook.
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