The Ruthless Marriage Proposal

by Miranda Lee

  What a cold-blooded devil he was, Emily realised. No wonder Lana had left him. He had no idea how a woman felt. Or what a woman wanted.

  Time to set him straight.

  ‘The thing is, Sebastian, I always hoped that I would marry for love.’

  ‘You loved your Mark,’ he pointed out impatiently. ‘If you’d married him, do you think you would have been happy?’

  ‘Perhaps not.’

  ‘Love as a basis for marriage is seriously over-rated,’ he argued. ‘Just look at the divorce rate in the Western world where most marriages are love matches. Caring, compatibility and commitment are much better bets.’

  ‘But what if we’re not compatible?’

  ‘But we already are,’ he said. ‘We get along very well together, Emily. Surely you can see that.’

  ‘In a platonic fashion. But what about sexually?’

  Her question startled him, his brows drawing together in an almost affronted fashion. ‘You think I can’t satisfy you in bed?’

  ‘I don’t know. That’s the point. I would never marry a man who was inadequate in the bedroom,’ she answered with a superbly straight face. ‘For all his flaws, Mark was an excellent lover.’

  He stared at her long and hard across the table till she wished she hadn’t dared challenge him in such a silly fashion. He was not a man you threw down the gauntlet to.

  But perhaps that was why she’d done it. Because subconsciously she knew he’d pick it up.

  ‘If that is your main concern,’ he said, his eyes clashing boldly with hers, ‘it can be easily dispensed with. Spend tonight with me. Find out for yourself what kind of lover I am.’

  Emily stopped her mouth from gaping open this time, her pride demanding she not betray herself by suddenly acting like some love-struck fool. Though possibly she was more lust-struck at that moment.

  ‘You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?’ she said with deceptive calm. If he could see her insides, he’d know the truth.

  ‘I know what I’m good at.’

  ‘But what about me? What if you find out I’m hopeless in the bedroom?’

  His eyes searched her face. ‘Are you?’

  ‘I guess that depends,’ she said, ‘on whom I’m with.’

  ‘You like to be in love with your lovers?’

  ‘I like to believe they love me.’

  ‘Love and great sex do not have to go together, Emily. I could prove that to you tonight.’

  No, you won’t, she thought despairingly. Because I already love you. Having you make love to me is going to feel great, no matter what you do.

  ‘I…I’ll think about it,’ came her slightly shaky answer.

  Suddenly she couldn’t bear to sit there any longer. She had to get away from him for a while. Had to have a few moments to herself.

  ‘If you’ll excuse me, Sebastian,’ she said, putting down her glass and scooping up her handbag from the adjacent chair, ‘I need to go to the ladies’.’

  CHAPTER SIX

  SEBASTIAN watched Emily flee the table. And him.

  Not that she ran. She walked. But he could see flight in her body language.

  Things were not going as he’d anticipated.

  He had expected her to be surprised by his marriage proposal. But he’d also expected her to say yes, once it sank in what marriage to him would give her.

  A beautiful home she’d always admired. A husband who liked and respected her. Plus a lifestyle which would make her the envy of every woman in Australia.

  What more could a girl like Emily want?

  He was even prepared to give her a child.

  And what had she focused on?

  Love. And then sex.

  That had seriously surprised him. When his practical and pragmatic housekeeper had outlined her husband-hunting plans this morning, she hadn’t mentioned craving love and sex. Just a husband and a child before she got too old.

  Sebastian had never imagined for one moment that Emily was a closet romantic.

  His right hand reached into his jacket pocket, his fingers wrapping around the box which contained the very expensive engagement ring he’d bought this morning.

  For a moment he contemplated taking it out and presenting her with it on her return. There was something about a huge diamond which usually melted a woman’s resistance.

  Unfortunately, Emily was not a usual woman.

  She was different from every other woman he’d ever known. Right from the first moment he’d met her, he’d recognised that she was unique, projecting an air of capability and maturity far beyond her years. No wonder he’d believed she was older than she really was.

  Within no time she’d brought an organised and peaceful atmosphere to his home which he’d come to rely on.

  No, not just rely on. Which he needed.

  He needed Emily in his life, a lot more than he’d ever needed Lana. When Lana had left, he’d been angry and frustrated. Sebastian was a possessive man who didn’t like to let go, or to lose. But his drinking too much on the flight home yesterday had not been the result of a broken heart but a case of self disgust. The only good thing to come out of his chasing after Lana was finding out he never wanted to see her ever again.

  When Emily had announced she was leaving him, however, Sebastian had known within seconds of reading her resignation letter that he would do anything to keep her. Anything at all!

  When the idea of marriage had first popped into his mind he’d honestly believed he’d come up with the perfect solution. What woman in her right mind would say no to the most eligible bachelor in Australia?

  Emily Bayliss, that was who.

  So much for Lana snidely remarking one day that his housekeeper had a crush on him. She couldn’t have been further from the truth.

  Which left Sebastian no alternative but to move on to Plan B.

  The only problem was he hadn’t worked out what Plan B was as yet.

  But he would think of something.

  He’d be ruthless if he had to be.

  By the time Emily emerged from the ladies’ room, she had come to a decision.

  It was a very bold decision, and one which left her quaking inside. But she simply could not go to her grave regretting that she’d knocked back the chance to go to bed with the man she loved.

  So she would accept Sebastian’s offer to spend the night with him.

  But she would not marry him.

  Of course she would not tell him that in advance, otherwise he might retract the offer of sex. She would let him think her saying yes to his suggestion was likely to lead to her saying yes to his proposal.

  Emily could only hope and pray that when the morning came she would have the courage to say no and walk away.

  Because to marry Sebastian would be setting herself up for future misery and heartache. And she’d had enough of that in her lifetime already. She wanted a marriage which would bring her peace and contentment, not emotional turmoil.

  No doubt Sebastian could provide her with every material comfort, and possibly a great amount of physical comfort. But no comfort for her already damaged heart and her long-suffering soul.

  Their meals had arrived, she noted as she returned to the table, which was good. She could talk about the food, thereby hiding her growing tension.

  ‘This smells delicious,’ she said as she sat down quickly and picked up her fork.

  ‘They’re called drunken noodles,’ he informed her, then smiled. ‘I thought it was an appropriate choice, given my appalling state last night.’

  Emily might have relaxed at this point if she hadn’t known what was ahead of her.

  One part of her wanted to get it over and done with, that terrifying moment when she’d have to look him in the eyes and say, By the way, Sebastian, I think it’s a good idea, our going to bed together tonight.

  But she simply could not find her tongue, her eyes dropping to her food.

  ‘You know, Emily, you have a very beautiful body.’

  H
er eyes jerked upwards at his softly delivered words.

  No, not softly. Seductively. As seductive as his eyes which were travelling slowly over her body now, implying that his offer to sleep with her was not just to prove a point but because he desired her.

  Her mouth dried as her heart thudded within her chest.

  ‘Thank you,’ she choked out.

  ‘You are a very beautiful woman all round,’ he went on mercilessly. ‘Please don’t think I asked you to marry me just because I wanted you to stay on as my housekeeper. I’ll hire another housekeeper, if and when you marry me.’

  ‘But I wouldn’t like that,’ she blurted out before she could think better of it.

  ‘You prefer to take care of me and my home yourself?’

  ‘No…Yes…I mean…’

  ‘You can do whatever you want, Emily,’ he interrupted in that soft, silky voice. ‘Have whatever you want. I am a very wealthy man, as you know.’

  Suddenly she saw what he was doing. He was trying to seduce her. And corrupt her.

  Emily knew exactly what Sebastian wanted. For the status quo in his household to stay the same, even if he had to give her the title of wife, plus give her a bit of something else as well.

  Emily could not help feeling cynical about all of Sebastian’s proposals. And about the so-called desire she’d seen in his eyes just now.

  Let’s face it, girl, she told herself. He hadn’t wanted to marry you before today, had he?

  ‘I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves,’ she said firmly. ‘I won’t be rushed into something as serious as marriage, Sebastian. But I do think your idea of our spending tonight together is a sensible one.’

  His eyes widened slightly at her cool acceptance of his sexual proposal.

  For a long moment he stared at her, his gaze thoughtful and probing. But she held her ground, and her outer composure.

  It was just as well, however, that he could not see her inner turmoil.

  Or was it excitement making her heart race and her stomach churn?

  ‘I trust you haven’t changed your mind about that,’ she added in a challenging tone.

  The hint of a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. ‘Absolutely not.’

  ‘That’s good, then,’ she said matter-of-factly. ‘Now, I think we should get on with our drunken noodles before they get cold.’

  Emily fell to eating with apparent gusto. But in fact she had to force every mouthful down. A lump seemed to have lodged in her throat.

  Whenever she stopped to take a gulp of wine, Sebastian glanced up from his meal to gaze at her with those far too intelligent eyes of his.

  What was he thinking? she kept wondering, and worrying.

  As much as Sebastian tried, he could not quite grasp what was going on in Emily’s head.

  But he had to admire her. What other woman would react as Emily had today?

  Her lack of enthusiasm for his marriage proposal, then her amazingly cool agreement to spending tonight with him had certainly put him on the back foot, a position which he did not like.

  Sebastian enjoyed being the boss. At work, at home and in the bedroom. Especially in the bedroom.

  Time to take the reins again.

  ‘Mountains or the ocean?’ he asked when she next reached for her wineglass.

  Her glass froze in mid-air, her expression confused. ‘What?’

  Sebastian picked up his own glass and took a leisurely swallow.

  ‘Which do you prefer?’ he asked smoothly. ‘The mountains or the ocean?’

  ‘Um…The ocean.’

  ‘Then the ocean it is.’

  ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

  ‘Where we will spend tonight. I’ll find us a nice hotel on the south coast. Which means I won’t be able to drink too much more of this wine. Not if I have to drive. You can have my share.’

  ‘But…do we have to go away? Why can’t we just stay home?’

  ‘Come now, Emily, I wouldn’t expect you to share the bed I shared with Lana.’ He’d noticed this morning that it still smelt of Lana’s perfume, a powerfully exotic scent which seemed to have seeped into the mattress. Maybe even the carpet as well.

  Now that Lana was definitely out of the picture, Sebastian planned on having the whole room refurbished. He wanted nothing left to remind him of that bitch.

  ‘But I…I don’t have any nice clothes for going away,’ Emily protested. ‘Other than what I have on.’

  ‘Which will be highly suitable for arriving and leaving in,’ he said. ‘Between those times, you won’t be needing many clothes.’

  At last he got the reaction he wanted.

  Heat zoomed into her cheeks, giving him a glimpse of the woman she might become in his arms.

  His own body responded, reminding him of the way he’d felt last night, when he’d watched her swimming naked in his pool. Before he’d known it was Emily. He’d been transfixed by her voluptuous body…and turned on to the max.

  Tonight, that same highly detectable body would be his to make love to.

  It was a tantalising and very arousing thought.

  Sebastian had deliberately kept his proposal of marriage very businesslike, because that was what he’d believed would appeal to Emily. But there’d been several moments already today when he’d been tempted to cast aside pragmatism in favour of the caveman approach.

  When she’d shown up for lunch looking absolutely gorgeous, he’d wanted to do more than take her elbow. He’d wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her till she was incapable of saying anything but yes to whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it.

  Then, in the taxi, he’d found it extremely hard to keep his hands to himself with her sitting so close to him. Only the fact that they were not alone had stopped him from pouncing.

  Tonight, however, they would be alone, with no one to stop him.

  Yet his mission was not to satisfy his own, surprisingly intense desires, he reminded himself. But to give Emily the night of her life.

  Sebastian had no idea what she liked, sexually. But he knew what just about every woman in the world liked.

  Romance.

  He intended to give her that. In spades.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘WHAT on earth have you done?’ Emily asked the flushed face in her bathroom mirror.

  She kept shaking her head at herself, all her earlier boldness nothing but a dim memory.

  The rest of their lunch had passed in a bit of a haze, as had their taxi ride home. She hadn’t spoken much. But then, neither had Sebastian. Not till they’d emerged from the taxi.

  ‘Give me some time to organise things,’ he’d said as he’d walked her up to the house. ‘It’s just gone three. I’ll come and collect you around four. Like I said, don’t pack a lot. A change of underwear and some toiletries. Maybe something casual, in case we go for a walk at some stage.’

  Emily had managed to appear as cool as Sebastian till she’d reached the privacy of her apartment, at which point she’d rushed to the bathroom for a desperate call of nature.

  Now here she was, on the verge of tears.

  Till she suddenly thought of Mark. Then her father.

  Would they cry in her situation?

  Never in a million years!

  If Mark had been a woman, he’d have been jubilant. Though, come to think of it, he wouldn’t have been in her situation, because he’d have agreed to marry Sebastian like a shot.

  Money was Mark’s god.

  Emily wished she could think more like a man. They could separate love and sex so very easily. They compartmentalised.

  Emily couldn’t do that, although she was quite adept at hiding her feelings. When she’d been nursing her terminally ill mother, she’d become an expert at the brave face, and on putting a positive spin on the most depressing reality.

  Thinking about her mother’s death brought some perspective to Emily’s thinking. Her situation with Sebastian, whilst upsetting, was hardly tragic. At least she w
as getting the opportunity to have the man she loved make love to her. How bad could that be?

  Emily held on to this new, more positive attitude whilst she went and packed, as ordered. A change of underwear and toiletries were no problem. Choosing a casual outfit proved a little more difficult, because there wasn’t much to choose from in her ‘housekeeper’ wardrobe.

  She finally selected a pair of stretch jeans which she’d only worn when Sebastian had been away, a simple white T-shirt, a dark blue jacket and a pair of black shoes.

  Her packing complete, Emily stripped off and had a quick shower, careful not to mess up her hair. Afterwards, she swiftly reapplied her make-up, then sprayed herself all over with the only perfume she owned, a light flowery scent which her mother had always worn and which brought fond memories of the hugs they’d shared.

  It was nothing like the heavy musky scent Lana had practically bathed in. But then, she was nothing like Lana, except perhaps in bust size.

  Lana had been a curvy girl too.

  But not quite as curvy as me, Emily thought with secret satisfaction. She had not forgotten how Sebastian had stared at her bare breasts in the pool last night. Not with disgust. With desire.

  What will it be like tonight, she wondered, when he saw her again without any clothes on? How would it feel when he touched her? Kissed her? Entered her?

  A low moan escaped her lips at this last thought, her hands shaking as she stepped into her cream satin bikini pants.

  This was why she’d made the bold decision she had, Emily accepted anew as she dragged on her panties, and then the rest of her clothes. Because she simply had to be with this man. It was a craving which would not be denied.

  Once dressed, Emily came to another bold decision. She would not worry about the morning-after any more, would not stew over the consequences of tonight.

  For the rest of today, she was going to compartmentalise her thoughts, blotting out all female emotions and focusing on one thing and one thing only.

  The pleasure of the moment.

  Looking at her completed appearance in the mirror gave her pleasure. Thinking of tonight as an exciting adventure, rather than being fearful of it, sent extremely pleasurable quivers rippling all through her.