Sold to the Dom

by Amy Brent

  He would have to try and stay focused, and not let her under his skin any more than she already was with her smoky eyes and curvy frame. The one thing both he and Roman did have in common was control. He was always in control, as it should be and he liked it that way. It wasn’t just business, no he controlled all areas of his life, unless he was somewhere pretending to be his brother. In his 32 years Nicolai had never let a woman get too close to him. They were there for sport, and for fun, but he had no intention of getting serious about one. Eventually he would have to marry, and continue on the family name. It was something that had been important to his father before he had died, leaving the family fortune in Romans very incapable hands. For now, he could focus on luring Roman home with the latest debacle he was creating with the lovely Megan on his arm. If word got out Roman was engaged, the media would have a field day, thus pulling Roman home to confront his brother, and ultimately settling him down once and for all. Before the family fortune was lost and the business a failure. He thought about Megan and Roman together, and he smiled. She was his type in some ways, but her personality would certainly drive him crazy. He could tell by the way she raised her chin a notch from time to time, and did her best to take in every detail about her surroundings that she had a very distinct personality, not one for being told what to do.

  He turned on one heel flicking the phone in his pocket onto the screen that would allow him to get the ball rolling on the events to come. Yes, Roman would have quite a few opinions about this entire situation when he got the news. He moved into the kitchen once more thinking about the lovely lady in the room next door. He would have to be very careful to not slip up and be himself… again.

  He heard the door open behind him, and he turned to face her again. He took in her appearance and wanted to smile, his immediate reaction to her physical being. She was relaxed, and comfortable. He couldn’t help but notice the sway of her hips as she entered the room and settled herself at the table where everything had been laid out. No Roman wouldn’t smile, in fact, he would likely order her back in the room to find something more suitable to wear. The thought went against everything he had he put a frown on his face.

  “I trust you are relaxed?” He smiled at her, careful to keep it from making it to his eyes.

  “Yes, I am fine. I assumed since we weren’t going to be seen until tomorrow I had the freedom to wear whatever I wanted. If this is a problem, just tell me.” He felt the heat of her eyes on him, and he cleared his throat. Yes, she definitely had some fire in her. He watched her face relax.

  “I’m sorry, I suppose the flight was a little more than I thought.” She said it nicely enough, planting a simple smile on her face, but he knew better. She was offended by his offhanded remark, but she needed the money.

  “You are fine Megan, now let’s get to the logistics….”

  They talked about everything they would be doing, and attending. He showed her layouts of every event and who they would meet. He watched as she marveled over the events and what was expected of her. But she visibly squared her shoulders, determined to get everything done.

  “Do you have any questions?” He sat back in his chair watching her.

  “Only one… why do you need a fake fiancé?” She leaned forward, asking him bluntly.

  “Ah, that… I have a few things in my business that I need to have rectified. I don’t have time to be engaged, but I need every viable businessman in the country to take me seriously. The only way to not appear as a childish dolt, is to establish some roots. Thus, a fiancé.”

  “I see; you’re not worried about after the weekend?” She frowned, scrunching up her brow and she was adorable.

  “No, on the contrary, if things go well, I’d like to do this again over the next year or so, until I get everything I need… and want.” He let his eyes roam slightly, something Roman always did to women, especially ones with perfect breasts like this one.

  She blushed the heat rising up in her cheeks, and he stopped.

  “I can do that.” She whispered.

  “So Megan tell me about you. We will need to have some foundation in case someone asks. Obviously there will be some fiction mixed in, but I do want to know some things about you.”

  She sighed, glancing out of the window before she turned to face him once more. “I am an only child to a single mother, my father left when I was 4. I don’t even remember him. I live in the northern part of Virginia, so it’s not the best areas, a lot of crime, though I am tough and managed to stay out of trouble most of my life. I am 25, I love who I am and I want to go back to school. That’s all there is to me really.”

  She was tapping her fingers on the table her manicured nails obviously done by herself.

  “Do you have a boyfriend, Megan… one who would come blow our cover?” He asked her simply enough, but the tension between them was undeniable.

  “No, I don’t do boyfriends.” She raised her eyes to his, never wavering.

  He felt something stir deep down inside him. He wanted her, there was no way around it. She bit back, had an opinion of her own and everything about that usually sent him running, but not with her. He ran everything, and yet here she was meeting him word for word. Perhaps he was amused, but what he was sure of was that he wanted the delectable Megan in his bed. They wrapped up the discussion and dinner arrived. He could tell she wasn’t sure what to do, and despite his reservations he taught her a few things about the multitude of cutlery on her table. She listed and was eager to learn what he was showing her. He moved closer to show her, his hands grazing hers, causing an electric shock that coursed through him. Subconsciously he moved his hands down, brushing the tender curls that had escaped the pile of hair on top of her head. He let his fingers slide down to graze over the smoothness of her shoulders, smiling as he heard her intake of breath. Yes, she was affected by him too.

  “We should probably keep things professional, but I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I wanted to kiss you Megan. But only with your permission.”

  He waited, watching her face as she ran through more emotions at one time. She let her eyes meet his.

  “I don’t even know you…” The words were whispered, but as she bit her lower lip, her eyes found his.

  “Actually, my dear, for all intents and purposes, we are engaged. We will be holding hands and dancing among other things sweetheart, but I won’t push.”

  An hour later she excused herself to bed, still shaken by his words. He bid her goodnight, having gone over the money aspect of the arrangement, and what she was allowed to say or not. He sat there lost in thought for a good long while. Part of him was confused about his reaction to her. She was just a girl, not even the most beautiful. But there was something about her that made his fingers itch to go rip open the door to her room and bury himself deep inside her, feeling her curvy frame beneath him. Even thinking about it made him squirm. He would have to work twice as hard tomorrow, and as they faced the evening dinner.

  * * *

  Megan

  * * *

  She sat down on the bed carefully, every nerve ending in her body was on fire. He was too much, too much heat and too much power. She had always thought of herself as a strong woman, but when Roman was around she became unhinged. He said he wanted to kiss her, and for a moment she had contemplated it. She must be slowly going crazy. If it had been anyone else she would have welcomed his advance on her with a sound slap on the face. But not with him, he was dangerous and sexy to boot.

  She shed her clothes and slid into a gown, wrapping her hair up for the night. He wasn’t even her type, and she knew she wasn’t his. Yet they sized each other up often enough and now she was tossing and turning in her room, knowing he was somewhere down the hall undressing and climbing into his own bed… With a sigh of frustration she rolled over and finally willed herself to fall asleep.

  The next morning came early and she woke up early, as usual. She loved facing the morning sun and bringing in a new day. It was a p
art of her routine and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She tiptoed out of her room and down the hall into the living area to do some stretches. She glanced down at the city below her from the floor to ceiling glass windows. It was almost too much to take in at once. She was still stretching when she heard him behind her.

  “It’s a beautiful view isn’t it?”

  She spun around to face him, her cheeks flaming. He had likely seen her stretching before she had even walked over to the window.

  “Yes, it is! I rarely get to come into the city.” She smiled at him, now and it came easy to her.

  She gave him a once over. Everything about him was perfectly in place. His hair, still damp from an early shower curled slightly at the nape of his neck. He was holding a cup of coffee and he was dressed casually, his khakis and button down shirt completed the picture.

  “You like to rise early I see.” He glanced at her once more as he spun to walk back into the kitchen area.

  “Yes, I hate to waste time.” She felt the heat rise up in her face as she faced the city once more.

  He was driving her crazy, there was no easy way to put it. She barely got any sleep last night and he had started early today, giving her looks and watching her do stretches. She felt the heat rise to her face once more thinking about it. He was in the kitchen humming as he cooked, which surprised her really. She was under the impression he rarely did anything for himself. She padded her way into the kitchen watching him. She didn’t mean to watch him so intently, but he was cooking, happily humming as he did so. He was beautiful to watch, every movement flowed with grace and when he turned to face her, his easy smile, focusing a moment too long on her bottom lip before he handed her a plate of food. She joined him at the bar, both casually taking in the other.

  “So Roman, tell me about you. You had no problem asking me questions now your turn.” She settled into the chair, amused as a myriad of emotions crossed his face.

  With a sigh, he took a drink of coffee. “I have a brother, Nicolai, and my mother. My father died a few years ago. There is not much else to tell.”

  “Is your brother married? Or does he hire fake brides like his brother?” She giggled as she methodically ate the food in front of her.

  “Nicolai is not like me Megan, he is a good man, thoughtful and caring. No, he isn’t married nor will he ever be. I am the only one being pushed into marriage for the family.”

  “I see.” She didn’t ask anything else, he obviously wasn’t willing to share any more than he already had.

  As they finished there was a sharp knock on the door, startling her into action as she jumped up.

  He chuckled as he swung open the large door and a team of people scurried in. She watched them set up different equipment in the living room and she frowned as she glanced over at him. What in the world? She rolled her eyes as she watched one woman in particular slink over to him, running her fingers up his jacket. He said hello, but didn’t give her any more attention than that which Megan found amusing. Eventually the woman turned to look at her, giving her a hard look as she looked her over.

  “So this is what I have to work with?” She whispered it, only loud enough for Megan to hear.

  Before she could say anything in return the team rushed over, and began making measurements of every inch of her. Her eyes found Romans, and he gave her a smile before walking over to her.

  “Have a wonderful day, dear, enjoy this it’s one of the perks. I’ll pick you up for the dinner at 7.” He dropped a kiss on her mouth, which lingered for a mere second before he made his way out of the room entirely.

  By the time night came, Megan was transfixed, staring at her reflection in the mirror in front of her. Gone was her long silky hair and sweat pants and instead she was now something out of a magazine. Her sleek bob was angled contrasting with her caramel skin. Her black dress hugged her curves, just enough to make her appear thinner, without being too tight. She couldn’t believe how the team had turned her into this. She glanced at the clock, having been given instructions to be ready at 7. As the time came, she made her way into the living room here he was waiting.

  * * *

  Nicolai

  * * *

  He wasn’t ready for her, had yet to slip back into his alter ego. No as she came out of the room, he felt as though someone had punched him in the stomach. Some part of him knew he was playing with fire with her. He wanted to strip her down right now and put her in his bed, for hours. Instead, he had to go out, parade around as though they were engaged all the while wanting to make love to her.

  He did his best to recover, but he knew she needed to be reassured. The confident and strong woman she had been yesterday, seemingly had disappeared and now this person was apprehensive, almost scared. She had been recreated and had no idea just how beautiful she was. He took a step in her direction, taking her hand in his.

  “Megan you look beautiful.” He raised her hand to his mouth kissing her lightly.

  “Thank you, not my usual attire obviously.” She glanced down at her dress, her ample bosom threatening to spill out of her dress.

  There was a moment of silence before he pulled a box out of his jacket, opening it and handing the tiny object inside to her.

  “We can’t forget the most important part of this.” There was something that shifted in the room as he slid the diamond on her left hand, ensuring the gossip would love to see the ring. He watched her stare at it for a moment before facing him again.

  “It’s beautiful, even if it is fake.” She gave him an impish grin.

  He swallowed hard, his fingers itching to rip her clothes off altogether and make love to her. She gave him a half smile and it was his undoing. He did his best to do it gently but instead his mouth crushed hers in a searing kiss, his mouth kissing her simply at first and then deeper, until he tasted of her honey depths. He was careful, not wanting to scare her but wanting her to know what he wanted in a single kiss. He felt her respond to him, even subconsciously. The kiss depends even more, both lost in a moment. Finally, there was a knock on the door and he ripped away from her slightly, his face mere inches from hers.

  “We will finish this conversation later.”

  Before she could recover, she felt herself being pulled behind him, pulled along until they were safely seated in the long car waiting for them. She settled into the plush seats and he sat across from her. He didn’t say anything; he could tell she was flustered still. He let his eyes roam all over her, his body betraying him more than he could ever remember. After a moment he let his thoughts drift to his plan. He had made the steps to assure that Roman would hear about this outing tonight, and would likely call him soon. He could only imagine the look on his face once he heard the news.

  Even his mother had called saying that there was some buzz already about the “engagement between Roman and a mystery woman. Everything was right on schedule, and would time out perfectly, if he had his way. He looked over at her once more, she was obviously composed now. He would have to avoid her, especially now that she had kissed him back. It would do no good to complicate things, especially since Roman would likely show up soon. He felt a slight twinge of guilt in how he had lied to her, but it had been the only option. He just had to get through this blasted weekend and maybe he could go home, and get the situation, and her off his mind once and for all.

  * * *

  Megan

  * * *

  Something had shifted, had changed within her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror once more. The dinner party last night had been a success, everyone had greeted her with a smile and stared long and hard at the ring on her finger. Roman had been avoiding her since the party, and since the kiss. Even now she could still feel the pressure of his mouth on hers. She had kissed him back, it seeming like the most natural thing in the world. She blinked at her reflection, thinking about the way things had happened. He had kissed her because she was all decorated in the high fashion, they had draped her in. More than likely he ha
d kissed her because they had to play a part, what better way to do that than to break the ice beforehand?

  Either way, he wasn’t even talking to her now. She was left to her own defenses most of the day, thinking about this assignment and how nice it would be to go back to school. She flipped open the laptop in her room and started making a plan of everything she wanted to take, and how long the process would be. She missed him, truth be told. He had an easy smile and made her laugh when he was around. She held no fantasy about anything serious, she knew better than that, but she did like the way he would challenge her, and asked her opinion on things even if it went against his normal nature, which seemed to be all of the time.

  As lunch was delivered she was surprised to see two settings, perhaps he was making an appearance today after all. She quickly changed into a simple yellow sundress and as she came back into the main room, she saw him there, in a suit and tie, everything about him perfect. He glanced up at her and then again, giving her a once over.

  He smiled at her. “I thought maybe we could have lunch, and go over the dance tonight.”

  “That’s fine.” She settled into her chair, waiting.

  “It’s an important affair, lots of conglomerates and organizations will be there. We may have to answer a lot of questions, so I thought it best we get the story straight.”

  She nodded and they enjoyed a simple lunch, both settling on a story of how they met, and how long. He jokingly told her the story of how his parents were betrothed at a young age and neither wanted the other until they met. She smiled as he spoke, enjoying the moments when he did let his guard down. Soon they found themselves practicing the dances they would enjoy together later. Laughing came easily to both of them as she did her best to step on all of his toes. Time passed, neither of them ready to stop the fun they were having.