by Anna Mara
"And the flowers, Mr. Havenwood, for the tables and the church?" Mindy chimed in.
"Of course," William agreed. "You and Christina will decide all that together."
"But dad, Christina and I are getting married next year," Bill piped in, as he took in Christina's angry expression.
"Oh, nonsense," William decreed.
Christina jumped in, "William, Bill and I need time to properly plan everything…"
"Oh, pooh," William gleefully announced, in his proper British accent. "I have money, my dear, lots of it. And money can make anything happen whenever you want it to."
"Dad, this is something Christina and I should decide ourselves," Bill firmly announced.
Suspiciously, William turned on his son. "Why don't you want to marry now? Do you and Christina love each other?"
"Of course, we love each other. What kind of question is that?" Bill's words rushed out.
William turned to Christina, "And you my dear? Do you love my son?"
The room fell silent as everyone waited for her answer.
Bill eyeballed Christina, as fear course through his veins. With one small 'no', she could walk out of this mess, and his world would blow apart.
William watched the both of them closely. What fun he was having! The church and the country club had indeed been booked and Mindy was actually a topnotch wedding planner. She knew nothing of the games all three of them were playing. Everything would proceed as if a real wedding was going to take place in six weeks time.
William knew from the copy of Bill and Christina's contract that their deal was only for one month. If this sham went on that long, they could simply call the wedding off at the end of the month and tell everyone that the happy couple had changed their minds. But he would bet all the Microsoft stock he owned that his weak, pathetic, son would crack under the pressure before then—or Christina might kill him first, if her furious face was anything to go by. William bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing.
The room was still silent. Everyone was waiting for Christina's answer. Slowly, she turned to her nincompoop fiancé and gave him a loving smile. "Of course, I love him," she gushed.
What was she going to say? She still owed him that money and her revenge plan was progressing very nicely, even though she hadn't dug up any dirt on the bastard yet. She saw Bill visibly relax.
William nodded, "Good. You'll be married in six weeks and I won't take no for an answer."
"William, I don't think…" she began but William interrupted her.
"And your engagement party will be at the house in three weeks time."
"Our… what?" Christina glared at Bill who gave her a weak smile.
William continued, "Your engagement party, dear. It's bad form if you don't have one. We'll be inviting all the right people, of course. As my future daughter-in-law, you'll be living in their world now, Christina and you will be treated with respect."
Engagement party??? Engagement party!!! She'd have to put up with that too!!!??? Suddenly, Christina's anger went into overload and she turned to Bill. "Can I speak to you for a moment—darling?" she gritted.
Bill was wary. "Of course—pumpkin pie."
The two rose and walked out of the massive office and into Charlotte's outer office. The secretary was nowhere to be seen. Bill closed his father's office door, separating them from a perplexed Mindy and a satisfied-looking William.
As soon as the door shut, Christina furiously rounded on Bill. "You never said anything about wedding plans," she hissed at him.
"I had nothing to do with this."
"A few dinners with your father, you said. A couple of kisses on the cheek, you said. Only for one month, you said. Well, everything 'you said' has been wrong."
"Christina, I had no idea he was planning this, I swear it."
"I'm not going through with wedding plans. For God's sake, he's booked a church. He's set a date even, and the country club. He's talking about my dress."
"Look, everything's set for six weeks from now. In a month's time, we'll tell him we've changed our minds and the wedding's off. Until then, why don't we just humor the old man? Nothing's going to come of it."
"Are you crazy?" Christina almost screamed at him. "We can't 'pretend' plan a wedding."
"Why not?"
"Because… because it's deceitful and a big lie."
"And what have we been doing up until now?" Suddenly, Bill inched closer as if some force was pulling him to her.
Christina, immediately, felt his presence envelope her and she gazed up into those gorgeous, green eyes of his—and her voice, suddenly, softened. "Those were little lies. This one would be big."
"So? We're the only ones who'd know and I'm not telling. Are you?"
Bill gazed at her beautiful face. He was so close he could smell her musky perfume and it was lulling his brain. His problems were fading away, being replaced by his strong, primitive attraction to her. What would it be like to kiss—to really kiss those lush, rosy lips of hers? He could almost feel an electrical current attaching his lips to hers.
Christina stared back at him. She felt like she was being drugged by his aura as she too began to feel the same imaginary current pulling the both of them together. A small censor in her brain began to warn her that what she was experiencing was crazy and dangerous, and not part of her plan but she couldn't quite remember what that plan was. All she could think of was 'him' and what it would be like to give into that pull that was drawing her like a magnet to his lips.
Christina tried to break free of the spell he was weaving. "I… I…your father wants… a party…"
Bill's eyes devoured her, as he absentmindedly answered, "He does?"
"Yes…three… three weeks time…" she stammered but she was in a fog and he was hypnotizing her with his essence. Instinctively, she took a step closer to him.
Suddenly, the door from William's office opened and they both heard William shouting, "What are you two doing out there?" as he came out to see.
And in the split second that it took William to come out of his office, Bill made his move. Not able to resist the physical attraction he felt for her any longer, he grabbed Christina by the arms, pulled her against his chest and began to kiss her with abandon.
Surprised, Christina moaned a small protest before giving in to her passion too. In that moment, she didn't know anymore who she was and she certainly didn't know who he was. The kiss deepened as his hands began to travel slowly down her body and around her back. They lowered even still to cup her derriere and draw her closer—into him.
Responding to him, her hands crept up his chest and wrapped themselves around his neck, pulling him closer—into her. They were both on fire and on autopilot, no longer thinking, no longer in control. Like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, they had locked into place. It was right. It was safe. It was home.
From someplace far away, they heard William giggle, "Excuse me" before retreating back into his office. As he closed his door shut, it made a 'click' sound and it was that sound that finally penetrated Christina's passion-drugged brain. She snapped out of her fog and suddenly, the enormity of what she was doing came roaring at her like a hurricane.
She was in Bill Havenwood's arms—Bill Havenwood, for God's sake—her enemy, the man she hated most in the world, the one who had caused the most traumatic day of her teen life—and she was returning kiss for kiss, wanting more, wanting it all. With a strangled cry, she pulled out of his arms and pushed at his chest with all her might.
Just as dazed from the kiss as she was, Bill stumbled back. With all the women he'd been with, and he had to admit there had been many, he'd never felt anything like that in his whole life. Never. And it had been just a kiss, just a damn kiss! He was as confused and shocked as she was, if for very different reasons.
Both were still breathing heavily as they continued to stare at each other.
Oh God, what had she done, Christina thought to herself, as her hand came up to cover her swollen
, kiss-ravaged mouth? She could still taste him on her lips.
She, Christina Matteo, had allowed this filthy swine to kiss and fondle her in the middle of a public office and she had enjoyed every hot, fiery second of it. And what was worse, she had kissed him back. In those moments, when she'd been in his arms, she had wanted nothing more than to drag him down on the couch opposite the desk and make love to him—and the consequences be damned! Christina locked her shocked eyes into Bill's.
"Say something," he pleaded, trying to figure out what she was thinking.
"I'm…I'm going to be sick," Christina's pallor suddenly turned gray.
Bill was a little insulted—well a lot actually. He smirked, "The kiss wasn't that bad."
"No, you don't understand. I'm really going to be sick!" Christina's hand clamped onto her mouth.
"What?"
Panicking, Christina shouted at him, "I need a bathroom now or else…"
Too late! In a flash, Christina vomited all over Bill's Armani blue suit.
Stunned beyond belief, Bill looked down at the mess on his jacket. What the hell had happened here? One minute the kiss—and the next—this? He looked back up at Christina just in time to see her eyes roll back in her head and faint dead away into his arms.
Chapter 25
Christina was lying on a beach—a white, sandy, hot beach—and she was wearing her favorite bikini, the one with the tiny cherries plastered all over. The sun was shining its healing warmth on her body and the ocean breezes were fanning her skin back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this good. It was a perfect day and she never wanted it to end.
Suddenly, there was a movement beside her. She turned her head and saw Bill Havenwood lying there—naked, tanned and perfect. He gave her a smoldering look and without saying a word, he rolled onto her and covered her body with his. Skin plastered to skin, he began to kiss her, a deep, penetrating kiss that reached down to her soul.
It felt yummy.
It felt delicious.
It felt hot.
Especially hot. Christina was on fire and it was for him… only for him... all for him.
She never wanted him to stop. Her hands began to travel over him, feeling every square inch of his skin—as his were doing to her—and the cool ocean breezes continued to fan them both.
His hands slipped her bikini top straps off and they began their slow descent down to her breasts. It felt so good to have him touch her like that—so good.
From somewhere off in space, Christina heard a distant, far away voice—a very, very angry voice—shouting at full volume…
"What in bloody, all mighty hell did you do to her?"
It was William's voice but what was William doing on the beach?
She heard another voice, equally angry, yelling back, "Me? You were the one who was pressuring her with all your goddamn wedding plans."
Wait. That was Bill's voice! But how could Bill be speaking if he was, right now, kissing her? That didn't make sense.
And then Christina heard a woman's voice say, "Maybe we should call an ambulance?"
Ambulance? Who needed an ambulance? That was odd.
Oh well, whatever, she thought as she kept on kissing Bill's scrumptious lips. She just couldn't get enough of him—nor him her. And all the while those cool, comforting ocean breezes continued to gently fan their overheated bodies…
"Once again you have royally screwed up! Can you be trusted to do anything right?" Christina heard William's furious voice say.
"Your marriage wasn't exactly a raging success, so stay out of this! This doesn't concern you." It was Bill again and he was livid.
"If it's in this family, it bloody well concerns me," William angrily responded.
Father and son were both shouting at each other, a full-blown fight. But how could Bill be arguing with his father if he was passionately kissing her—wait a minute— Bill Havenwood was kissing her?
With an anguished gasp for air, Christina's eyes finally fluttered open. She found herself stretched out on the couch in William's office; and there were two Fido Foods Annual Reports being fanned over her body, cooling off her hot skin. One was being held by William and the other by Bill.
"She's coming to," she heard a worried Bill say. She focused her blurry eyes on him as he crouched down to her level. "Christina?" he whispered softly. "Are you feeling better?"
Both William and Mindy lowered their faces to peer into hers.
Christina's eyes flitted from one to the other. "What… what happened?" she croaked. God, her throat was parched and someone had put a wet washcloth on her forehead.
Bill tenderly pushed her hair off of her face. "You were sick and then you fainted."
"Faint… fainted?" she stammered, as she gazed into his eyes. That wasn't possible. She had never fainted in her life, not even when she'd broken her arm skiing at nineteen.
Bill nodded. "Do you want to go to the hospital?"
"Hospital…?" Confused, Christina briefly closed her eyes and the memories of what had happened came flooding back to her. She'd been kissing Bill Havenwood—Bill Havenwood!! And she'd enjoyed every second of it! How could her body betray her like that? Ashamed, she groaned out loud.
"That's it, I'm taking you to the emergency," Bill ordered.
"No! I'll be fine," she pleaded. Ashamed, she could barely look at him, as she covered her face with her hands.
"You're not fine." Bill was very worried. He'd never had anyone faint in his arms before, although the 'being sick part' was nothing new to him from all of the drunken nights he'd had over the years with his friends; that didn't faze him one bit.
"Maybe she's pregnant?" William, wickedly, piped up.
"No, she's not pregnant," exasperated, Bill shouted at his father. But wait, what if she was? What if her boyfriend had gotten her pregnant? Suddenly, he felt a fury of white, hot jealousy consume him. Unsure, he turned back to Christina. "Are you?" he questioned forcefully.
Christina lowered her hands from her face and glared at Bill. "No! No, I'm not pregnant!" she retorted, just as forceful as him. What bozos they were, the pair of them!
She saw Bill visibly relax. Of course, he would. A pregnancy would definitely put a glitch in his devious plan to scam his father. Her eyes lowered to the vomit stain on his suit and suddenly it all came back to Christina. She'd thrown up—on him? How embarrassing! No one had ever seen her throw up before, let alone be the recipient of that honor. But—if it did have to happen—might as well be on this scumbag.
Suddenly, Christina felt a giggle rise up in her throat. It bubbled out, followed by another giggle, and another…
"Sorry… sorry… about your suit," she said to Bill before bursting out in a fit of laughter. This was just about the most ridiculous mess she'd ever gotten herself into, and the most embarrassing and the most humiliating. Christina continued to laugh and couldn't stop.
"My God," William said, "She's becoming hysterical." And at that remark, Christina laughed even harder.
That's when Mindy, the wedding planner took charge. "Okay, you two," she addressed the men. "Out of here."
"I'm not leaving her," Bill stated.
"Yes, you are." Mindy was adamant. "This is nothing more than bride-to-be jitters. I've seen it a million times. I'll take Christina into Mr. Havenwood's private washroom and fix her up." She patted Christina's hand. "You'll feel better, honey, once we splash some cold water on your face."
Bill squeezed Christina's other hand gently. "I'll be right outside if you need me," he softly told her.
"Me too," William announced from over Bill's shoulder.
Bill rose up from his crouching position, glared at his father and walked out. His father glowered at him too, before following him out.
* * *
In William's private bathroom, Mindy was patting Christina's face with a wet towel.
"I'm sorry, Mindy," Christina, sheepishly, remarked.
"Honey, if I
had a quarter for every time a bride threw up and fainted on me, I could quit this lousy job and buy myself a Trump Tower penthouse."
Christina giggled. "I guess it comes with the territory."
Mindy smiled. "You know, your man out there really loves you, and your father-in-law too. I saw how worried they both were when you were out cold. I thought they were going to come to blows."
Bill Havenwood in love with her? How ridiculous was that? People really did see what they wanted to see.
Mindy continued speaking as she grabbed a brush from the counter and started to comb Christina's hair. "Now, I don't want to put anymore pressure on you but we don't have much time to plan this shindig so how about if I come by tomorrow… if you're feeling better, of course."
Christina sighed deeply, "Sure, why not?" Might as well get this over with. She'd make some silly decisions about flowers and food, and get William off their backs for awhile.
* * *
Both Bill and William were in Charlotte's outer office, pacing like two expectant fathers waiting for the baby to be born.
Bill gave his dad a dirty look as he passed him again for the fiftieth time. This was all his fault, the bastard. His old man shouldn't have been making wedding arrangements behind their backs.
William glared back at his son. This was all Bill's fault, the bastard. He shouldn't have been forcing himself on that sweet girl. William knew his womanizing son had been attracted to her from the get-go but if he was pressuring her into doing anything she didn't want to do, there'd be hell to pay.
The door opened and a refreshed Christina and Mindy emerged. Both men rushed over to her.
"Are you feeling better?" a concerned Bill asked.
"My dear, you gave us all a fright," William quickly added.
