by King, Imani
“She likes you, Destiny!”
“If that’s what you think that means, I’ll take your word for it.”
“She does. She doesn’t like everyone either. She hates Mommy.”
Gee, I wonder why. “I’m sure she’s happy being your horse. You’ll keep treating her good, right?”
“Of course I will. Starbrite is my best friend.”
I looked around the stable at the other horses. The others were gigantic, so I figured Starbrite was the only pony. “Does your father have a horse?”
“Of course he does. It’s over there.”
She pointed across the stable.
There, blending into the darkness of the barn, was a stallion that towered over the rest. The King of the Barn, I thought, shivering. He was as jet black as Starbrite was pure white. I felt my fear of horses coming back with a vengeance.
I needed to take the edge off. “He wouldn’t happen to be named Twink, would he?” I asked, referring to Rainbow Brite’s sidekick as I nervously laughed in an attempt to keep the bravado up for Ashley.
A deep, rich, masculine voice answered from the shadows behind me: “No. His name is Midnight.”
Chapter 5
Miles
I’d gotten back earlier than I expected. I’d been worried when I hadn’t found them in the house, but I was flooded with relief to see the open barn door. Nothing could have prepared me for the scene that greeted me. I’d never seen Ashley comfortable with a grown woman, let alone play with one. I wanted some female role model she could look up to. Someone she could call a friend.
It looked like this someone was Destiny.
It sure didn’t hurt that Destiny was so cute, either. I hadn’t expected her to be so afraid of horses. Clearly she hadn’t grown up in a ranch out in the middle of nowhere. Which might explain why she was out in the barn wearing cut-off jean short shorts and heels.
Not that I was complaining. The view couldn’t be beat…but I couldn’t spend much time admiring it. Even if she wasn’t my employee, my daughter was right there in front of me.
“You two look like you’re having fun,” I said with an easy smile.
“Yes Daddy!” Ashley ran my way and hugged the heck out of my leg with all her youthful might. I ruffled her hair and picked her up.
“Now what’s all this about Twink?” I said, eyeing Destiny who had suddenly found the floor of the barn incredibly interesting.
“That’s Rainbow Brite’s sidekick!” Ashley spoke up.
“I didn’t mean to assume your horse was—not that there’s any problem with it—I just…” Destiny babbled nervously.
She was damn cute when she was nervous—especially since when I first met her. She seemed like the kind of woman who never let anything ruffle her feathers. It was time to let her off the hook. “I’m just teasing.”
“Also I’m sorry about bringing her out here without supervision, I know these animals can be dangerous.”
“I’m glad you were with her, Destiny. Even though I know Ashley wouldn’t ride off into the sunset without me, right?” I asked as I set down my little girl. “You know you’re not allowed to let the horses out without me here, right, sweetcake?”
“Yes, Daddy. I wasn’t going to ride them! I just wanted to show Destiny.”
Good. She had fully emerged from the funk that her mother infected her with. I loved that girl’s smile, and I loved that Destiny was able to get her to smile this way. “Sweetcake, I need to talk to Destiny alone for a bit now, okay?”
“Okay Daddy.” She turned to Destiny and pulled a cookie out of her overall pocket.
“How many of those did you stash in there, Ashley?” Destiny asked with disbelief.
“Enough. You need one in case your brain messes up again.”
Destiny smirked shaking her head. “Thanks Ashley.”
I don’t know why, but their little conversation just made the smile on my face grow even wider.
“But now I’m all out, so I have go back and get some more cookies!” Ashley said.
I shook my head as she dashed back to the house.
Once Ashley was gone, I said, “Guess you’re winning over my daughter by spoiling her, huh?”
“Hey, it works.” After responding, Destiny timidly looked away from me. She rarely ever looked me dead in the eye.
Probably because she didn’t want me to know how much she was feeling me.
But I knew. Mostly because I was feeling it, too. Actually, I was feeling way more than I should be. Maybe she was too, and maybe that was why she was so afraid of me.
Being attracted to someone made you more aware of everything. Your posture, your gestures, the inflections of your voice. Oh, and it made you scared of screwing up the relationship you already did have.
I didn’t want Destiny to be afraid of me, though. I’d only known this woman for two days and I was already feeling things for her that I hadn’t felt for a woman for a long time. It made absolutely no sense to have this strong of a connection, yet there it was. I thought about my cheesy hay joke. Right now, all I wanted to do was pull off those short shorts and tank top and take her right now with a literal roll in the hay.
But I was getting way ahead of myself.
“What’s up?” she asked in a guarded tone.
Oh boy, this conversation wasn’t going to be easy. Time to come clean with her. “We need to talk about this whole maid thing.”
Her expression fell. “I guess you’re not going to hire me?”
“Certainly not as a maid.”
She stared at me, more fearful than ever.
I sighed. She deserved an explanation. “Destiny, I’ve hired some poor maids before. They were maliciously bad. They knew how to do a better job but perfected doing next to nothing to maximize their money to effort ratio.”
“I didn’t clean up well enough?” She raised an eyebrow as I opened the door to the house for her.
“No, no. I know you’re trying. You put in time and effort. I don’t know how else to say this…but I feel like I’m living in a sorority.”
She winced. “Is it really that bad?”
“It’s that bad, darling. Clothes are strewn in the hallway outside your room. The floor is grimy from my boots. I’m not even going to mention the complete mess the kitchen is in right now.”
“I’ll clean it up. I just wanted to make something for Ashley.”
“And I appreciate that.”
She grit her teeth. “I, um, might have been a maid for much smaller places in the past?”
“Don’t worry about it, Destiny. I think I have a much more important job for you than being a maid anyway, and with how well you’ve formed a rapport with my daughter.”
“What? You want me to be a live in babysitter or something?”
“No, no, it’s something that’s a much bigger deal.”
“Spill it, then.”
“I keep needing to go to Cheyenne for legal nonsense. Vivian is trying to make life hell for me with every trick she can possibly think of. Constantly making me show up for court dates is one of her ploys.”
“Yeah, she’s…not very considerate. What does this have to do with me, though? Do you want me to watch Ashley while you’re away?”
“Not exactly.”
Destiny looked at me, confused. I didn’t blame her since I basically just told her I wouldn’t be hiring her for the job she’d applied for. Still, I needed her. She was perfect for the role, especially how well she got along with Ashley.
At that moment, Midnight neighed and Ashley jumped into my arms, spooked. Her fingernails scratched my arms, but I wasn’t complaining. I wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her back. “Shhh, it’s alright,” I whispered.
She looked up at me with her big, dark brown eyes. Her grip on my arms tightened. “I’m fine,” she whispered back shakily.
I smiled at her. Couldn’t help it. Even clawing at me like a wild animal, she felt good in my arms, all curvy and warm and sweet. She’
d put on a good show for Ashley, but she didn’t have to put one on for me. “Let’s continue this conversation in my office.”
She gulped. “Okay.”
Still, she didn’t let go. In fact, she seemed to move even closer, until I felt her breath on my neck.
“Do you need me to carry you back to the house?” I asked. I regretted it the moment I did. An image of her wrapping those thick thighs around me as I hoisted her up into her arms filled my mind. She’d be my height, then. Her plump, red lips would be right in front of mine. And if I moved even an inch closer, I’d be able to taste…
She stepped back and tucked a thick coil of dark hair behind her ear. “Um, no. I’m good.”
“Alright then,” I replied huskily as I led her out of the barn.
I kicked off my boots when we got to the porch and slipped on my house shoes. Now that I had a woman around, I’d need to mind my manners. I opened the front door for her and followed her inside.
Her heels clacked on the hardwood floor as we passed the kitchen. The TV was on in the next room over. I guess Ashley had put on a cartoon. I picked up one of the cookies on the counter and took a bite.
My step faltered. Wow, these were really good. What the hell was in them? I was going to need to ask her for the recipe when we were done talking.
I glanced up to see her rounding the corner, giving me a good look at the length of her leg. Those shorts left almost nothing to the imagination, and thank God for that. That ass was…
I took another bite of cookie. On second thought, maybe I’d ask her for a lesson.
I finished the rest of the cookie as I made my way to my office. Destiny was already seated in the chair in front of my desk, looking out at the mountain view. I made my way to the front of the desk and took a seat on it. I wanted to keep things as friendly and casual as possible. Destiny had no reason to trust me yet, but I wanted her to know that I was someone she could trust someday.
“Alright,” I began, “You know how sometimes these cases are weighed against the father? Old clichés about men not knowing how to raise a child right, and that the mother should always be the one to do it?”
She shook her head. “Trust me, mothers can be just as terrible parents as any father.” She takes a sip of milk as if punctuating that point. I frown. Had she picked that up in the kitchen? Maybe I would have noticed if I hadn’t been so focused on her ass…
Alright. Focus now, Miles. Get a hold on yourself. I shake my head. “Yeah, I know of an example or two. Point is, we have this foggy old judge who is stuck in the nineteenth century culturally. I need to work with that. Vivian already has a dumb piece of meat for a boy toy who’s claiming he’ll be a father to Ashley, and my lawyer states it gives her an advantage in the case unless I can produce a fiancée.”
“That’s bull-crap. It’s not like you can produce a fiancée out of nowhere. Don’t relationships usually take years to get to that point?”
“Yes, but I don’t have years. I don’t want Vivian to damage Ashley’s self esteem or development any more than she already has. That’s why I need quick, creative solution.”
“And that is?”
“I want you to be my fiancée, Destiny.”
She dropped the glass. It shattered and milk splashed all over the floor.
Chapter 6
Destiny
“Oh my God, sorry!” I searched frantically for a mop, a towel, or something. There was a box of Kleenex tissues on his desk. I grabbed a few and swiftly started picking the shards up before delivering them to the trash. My focus was wholly on my clean up effort because I sure as hell didn’t want to put any thought into what was just asked of me.
“Destiny?” Miles asked. “I can get that. It’s not important right now.”
“Of course it is. What if Ashley comes in here running around barefoot?”
“First, we’ll clean it up before she comes in here. Second, this is my office. She almost never comes in here. Especially running around barefoot.”
“You’re pretty strict with your personal space, huh?”
“Not really. There just aren’t any toys or treats in here. It’s not a very interesting place for her.”
I guess he had a point. But I had one too—I didn’t want to keep talking about that whole crazy fiancée thing! “Still, I’d feel better if the hazard was cleaned up.”
“Destiny, you’re not my maid.”
“It’s my mess! I have to clean it up.”
“Can it wait five minutes?”
“No, Miles. It can’t.”
“Destiny, this is important.”
I paused, my hands full of shattered glass pieces. “You didn’t just ask me a certain question, did you?”
“Yes I did. I want you to be my fiancée.”
My mouth dropped open. He said it again. Just like that. “You can’t be seriously asking me to marry you. We’ve only known each other three days!”
“Well, I’m not asking you to marry me.” He dipped his hand into his pocket, and put a small velvety box on the counter. “Just for you to wear this engagement ring.”
I kept my eyes off the box. “That sounds a lot like you asking me to marry you.”
“Exactly how I want it to be appear to be.”
I stared at him blankly.
“This is just for appearances, Destiny. I need to prove to the judge that Ashley will have a strong maternal figure in her life. You’ve proven yourself excellent for that role, even if it is temporary.”
“You think he’s going to be swayed by an obvious sham of an engagement?”
“A sham? No.” He crouched behind me. The back of my neck prickled with awareness as he leaned over and placed his rough hands on my shoulders. Just barely, I suppressed a shiver.
“How is this not a sham?” I asked breathlessly.
“We met. There was an immediate, undeniable attraction. Who could blame us for acting on it?”
I gulped. “Acting on it, sure. But marriage? Love…?”
He ran his hands down my arms. “Yes. Marriage. Love. Do you really think any man who takes one look at you would doubt that story?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
He chuckled softly and my heartbeat skyrocketed. “No it’s not. You’re…one of a kind, Destiny.”
One of a kind. There was something so sweet about the way he said that. I could almost see myself believing this absurdity. “Why would I want you?”
“I’m a millionaire, and I’m sitting on land worth billions.”
I turned around, eyes flashing. “So I’m a gold-digger?”
He grinned, and that seductive dimple showed up again. “You’re a very smart woman who picked who she’d fall in love with wisely.”
I gulped. “I don’t know…”
“Come on, Destiny. I won’t make it too had on you, I promise. We’ll throw a big party, announce the engagement to friends and family.”
Big party? Family? Friends? This was getting way too complicated. “Everyone’s gonna think you’ve gone crazy. You said yourself this guy is stuck in the 1800s. Do you think he’s going to be on board with this whole sudden interracial couple raising a kid`?”
Miles’ eyes grow hard. “If he seriously makes an issue with that, my lawyer is prepared to make his life a living hell. He’ll make damn sure it has nothing to do with the judge’s decision.”
I was looking for technicality for a way out of this, but he wasn’t letting me have one.
“Destiny, I know I’m asking a lot. I know this is a completely unfair request to make of you. I’m willing to pay you one hundred thousand dollars to see this through.”
My mouth dropped. Did I just hear that correctly? “One hundred thousand?”
“Not enough, huh?” he laughed. “How about two hundred thousand.”
What the hell? The number went up? “You really can’t be serious!”
“I’m deadly serious. I have to ensure I keep my daughter and there’s no one better who immediately
comes to mind.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying.” I stepped away from him, my head was spinning. I wasn’t here to make good with his daughter. That was just something I couldn’t help doing. I was here for something far more nefarious.
“I know what I’m doing. It’s just until the custody dispute is settled, then you can go your own way if you desire.”
If I desire? Was he implying that I would want to make a fake marriage arrangement a real one? How very presumptuous of him. “And when do you think the custody nonsense will be over?”
“The judge has stated his final decision will come within a week’s time. I’m not asking too much of you, Destiny. You were willing to spend months here as a maid, and now I’m offering you exponentially more money just for a week. One week, two hundred thousand. Regardless of the decision. It’s all I ask.”
I trembled in place. He was offering me something so damned generous and yet he didn’t know the real reason I was here. I didn’t want to take advantage of him. If I betrayed my boss, he would literally have my head. Still, two hundred thousand was enough to do something serious. I could completely start my life over anywhere in the world.
It is only a week. My boss had mentioned nothing about the custody battle. I was just here to get a better understanding of his assets and holdings so that they could come up with the figure for an offer to finally make him sell. I wouldn’t be technically betraying him.
Maybe, if I helped him get his daughter, I could live with my deceit. “You’re sure you can’t find anyone else to fill this role?” I asked.
“No one who would fit it better than you.”
Another deep breath. “I’ll do it. One week. And no further.”
“Excellent. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” He opened the velvety box. An apple jade, surrounded by diamonds. It looked worth the whole two hundred thousand all on its own. I had to gasp and stagger back at its majesty.
