by Tia Siren
“Pleasure is all mine,” he said smoothly. “I’ve heard many things about you.”
Paige withdrew her hand from Luke’s before she could swoon even more. Cool it, Paige. He’s just a really gorgeous man kissing your knuckles like it’s the old days.
“Like what?” she asked, her voice garbled with nerves.
He didn’t answer. The waiter returned to their table with a platter of wine glasses. Picking her glass up, Paige took a tentative sip as slowly as possible. The last time she’d had wine had been with her parents when celebrating her high school graduation. Needless to say, she’d ended up throwing up all night from the fruity wine.
Alongside her, Luke ordered a whiskey after downing his wine in one gulp. His eyes were riveted elsewhere, and it confused the hell out of her. One minute he had been charming and interested in her. Now he appeared to be distant and uninterested.
“That you are a fellow student at NYU with Shannon,” Toby answered for him. “My sister travels with us a lot, you see. We usually leave the city on the weekends. She mentioned that she had a freshman sister she had no time to spend with.”
“So that’s why we are here,” Shannon added with a smile, cradling her own wine glass with a contented sigh. “It’s nice not to be on an airplane tonight either. It felt good to just stay here in the city.”
“What made you come to New York?” Luke asked abruptly. “A small-town girl like yourself, why are you here in the city?”
Paige stared at him in confusion. “To go school, obviously. That’s the only reason I am here.”
Is he this painfully awkward for being this attractive? Or is he just uncomfortable? She glanced over to where Shannon sat with her brother at ease. Maybe it was just his personality.
“Did you go to college?” Paige asked.
“No,” Luke said, shrugging his shoulders. He grabbed his drink from the waiter a second later. “I grew up with a nanny and tutor. I didn’t have time for college because I was too busy working with my dad in his business.”
“What is your father’s business?”
She bit her tongue when Luke arched an eyebrow at her, a silent “are you fucking kidding me?” type of question in his eyes. She honestly had no idea who he was besides that he was probably rich judging from the expensive suit he wore.
“My father died two weeks ago,” he said a bit harshly. “Turner Oil will pass down to me within the next few months. The college experience has never exactly been on my agenda.”
Sensing a touchy subject, Paige let the conversation drop, unsure of what to say. She lifted her legs from where they were sticking to the leather chair. Oil. If he came from an oil family, there was no doubt in her mind about that. This whole night felt strange, off. She didn’t like places like this, and Shannon didn’t seem too keen on letting her know the real honest truth of why she had been brought along. She only seemed to irritate Luke, given the agitated and weighted glances he shot in her direction.
“You’re an ass tonight,” Shannon commented, signaling for another drink. “Maybe we should’ve left for the weekend. You need some stress relief apparently.”
“Stress relief sounds good to me,” Luke said. His eyes drifted to Paige again, who squirmed under the weight of his gaze. She couldn’t read those damn expressions of his. They were utterly blank, but something was hidden behind them.
“I’m sorry,” he said, leaning in with a sigh. “It was a very rough day for me at work. It takes a bit for me to calm back down. I’m honestly not a strange guy, or an asshole.”
“It’s fine,” Paige said, smiling meekly. “Everyone has their bad days. I just don’t know how I ended up here to be honest with you.”
He looked at her curiously. “Why would you wonder that?”
Paige glanced over at Shannon, who was already wrapped up in a conversation with Toby about something on his phone. “Well, for starters, I’d never once spoken with Shannon until now. That’s different, and I normally don’t go out on a Friday night either.”
“What do you do for fun then?”
“I read books,” she said, shrugging. “Or I sketch, watch a movie. Normal things.”
“I see,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “You don’t think this a normal thing? Coming out to have a few drinks with someone you might like?”
The center of her cheeks flared hotly. It had to be the wine, but Paige felt herself drifting toward him a bit. There was just a pull about him that she couldn’t explain.
“I just came here because my senior sister asked me to come out,” she said. “I really don’t have any motive for the night. Do you?”
The corner of Luke’s lips curved upward. “I have some motive, but nothing I should honestly say out loud.”
Her heart did that erratic thudding again. It occurred to her then and there that she might’ve made a mistake in coming out with Shannon in a short black dress that barely covered anything. And it terrified her to feel an attraction to a man she had just met only a few minutes ago, but who could resist a man like Luke Turner? She felt flattered just having him look at her with mild interest.
Nothing will happen though. Nothing will happen even if he expects it to. She repeated that mantra to herself as Luke’s smile turned sultry. Swallowing the bulge of nerves in her throat, Paige looked away from that hypnotic stare that wanted to put her under a spell. God help me.
Chapter Two
Luke
Thirty fucking days.
That was how long Luke Turner had. He had thirty days to find someone, pop the question, and appease Roderick Turner’s lawyer, who had delivered the news that Roderick’s last request had been that his son be married before receiving his inheritance. Luke’s father was adamant that monogamy was right and natural. He had been married to Luke’s mother for over twenty years before she’d passed away from heart disease. His mother’s death had been a nasty and grievous divide between his father and himself.
Roderick had turned to the bottle to cope. Luke had turned to the open legs of a woman to cope.
He had never heard the end of it either. Since he was sixteen, Luke could remember his father’s stern lectures about treating women with respect. They were not sexual objects to gratify his desires. He needed to find the “right” woman to settle down with.
Luke grimaced inwardly at the thought. Settling down was not, and never would be, on his to-do list. He was twenty-nine years old, and he had no intention of finding a woman to marry and start a family with.
Except, he had thirty days to do it now. Even after death, Roderick Turner had found an effective tool to bully his son into marriage. If he wanted Turner Oil, or even a penny of his inheritance, he had to be engaged and on track to be married.
That was why Toby Patel, his long-time friend and publicist, had suggested letting his sister find a naive freshman student at NYU to do the trick.
And staring across the table at Paige Scott as she twirled a finger through a curl in her hair nervously, Luke had to give props to Toby and Shannon. They knew his tastes very well.
Paige was every man’s fantasy, including Luke’s. She was a freshman student who’d never once been in a city like New York until college. She was a home-grown girl with waterfall curls and an innocent expression that took in everything around her with a sense of amazement. She didn’t come from wealth, either, from what Toby had told him on the phone. Both her parents were blue-collar and worked on a farm in Wyoming.
And she was attractive, but either didn’t believe it or she didn’t see herself the same way Luke saw her—petite, nice-shaped breasts and ass, and a slender face peppered with adorable freckles. She constantly tugged at the hemline of her dress.
He caught sight of Toby’s eyes. A wordless question echoed in them. Luke gave a sharp affirmative nod before turning in his chair to face Paige, who looked up at him with wide eyes.
“So, I’ve been told you are from Wyoming,” he said.
“Yes,” she said. “I grew up on a farm
with my parents there.”
“Wyoming is beautiful.” Luke grabbed his drink from the table. That part was not a lie. He did find Wyoming beautiful, what with its rugged, windy, and grassy landscape. “I regret that I never get to spend much time up there, but when I need a retreat from the city, that’s where I find myself gravitating too.”
He saw the tension in Paige’s shoulders lessen a bit. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, and he had a flash of wondering what it would like to nibble it himself.
“It’s a good place to get away from everything and everyone,” Paige said, her voice so quiet that he had to lean in to hear her. “Although, New York City is beautiful in its own way.”
“It is,” he agreed, nodding. “If you’re into the hustle of it, New York is beautiful.” He caught sight of paint on the tips of Paige’s fingers. “Shannon tells me you’re an art student at NYU. You were accepted through a scholarship.”
Paige glanced over at Shannon, who was busily talking to the people at the table next to theirs, not paying attention to their conversation. Toby wasn’t even paying attention. He looked bored as he scrolled through his phone with a whiskey in one hand.
“How do you know so much about me?” Paige asked a bit coolly. She gave Luke a long and intense look. “No offense, but I still don’t understand why I’m here with you, or why you seem interested in me.”
Smart and observant. He mentally added those two qualities to the list of things he did genuinely like about Paige.
“Who wouldn’t be interested in you?” he asked bluntly. “You’re attractive. You’re smart. There’s a difference between a hot woman versus a woman who is beautiful and has actual goals in life.”
“While I agree with you on the last part of that sentiment, I still don’t think I’m exactly your type.”
“Why not?”
He leaned in even more to close the distance between them. He could smell the pleasant aroma of sugar and vanilla on her skin.
Paige scooted away while clearing her throat. “Because I am not from the same circle you’re from.”
“That’s why I like you,” Luke said. “You aren’t from the same circle I’ve been in my entire life.”
“You don’t even know me.” She shook her head at him. “We’ve only been talking for thirty minutes. You only know details about me.”
“Enlighten me then.”
“Why should I?”
Luke chuckled deep in his chest. He had to give it to Paige. She wouldn’t make it easy for him, and that thrilled him beyond measure. She’d make it a challenge, unlike the other women who jumped easily into his bed.
“I like you,” he said, and he did. He did like her. “You’re able to see through people’s bullshit.”
“I suppose I can,” Paige said cautiously. “Look, Shannon is my senior sister. She asked me to come here with her, so I’m here only for that reason.”
He rolled his eyes. “Do things like that really matter to you freshman students?”
Shannon spoke up then, defensive. “It’s a tradition,” she said. “Don’t knock it down, Luke. You never went to college. You just did online courses.”
“I was a bit busy running a business,” Luke replied, shooting Shannon a look that instantly quieted her. “Online courses were the only thing I could do at the time.”
“And you’ve got life experience that most people would only dream of having,” Toby added, clapping Luke on the shoulder with a grin. “No one is knocking that down. The oil industry isn’t easy to navigate through.”
“Not usually,” Luke said darkly. That was the last thing he wanted to talk about—work. The oil industry was always liquid gold, but there were constant bumps in the road. The economy affected a good part of his operations. Some were shut down while others kept going, and it flipped constantly. He lost money and then made money.
He took a long drink before setting the empty glass on the table. Paige looked away from him to gaze out across the dance floor, where sultry jazz music had started up. The only reason he had picked this VIP lounge was because of the music they played. He hated the thumping nightclubs that Toby and Shannon frequented with Toby’s other clients.
He needed to do something fast to win over Paige’s favor. Resting a hand on Paige’s forearm, he relished in the way her skin felt, so soft beneath his fingers. It sent jolts up his hand and arm. She looked down at his hand before catching his gaze.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m being an ass. Do you like to dance?”
“Maybe,” Paige said slowly. “I like this music.”
Luke grinned. “So do I. Come on.” He stood up and offered her a hand. “Have one dance with me. I’m a pretty fun guy. Ask anyone in this lounge.”
Paige glanced over at Shannon, who nodded encouragingly. She hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in Luke’s. Those delicate fingers that were stained with paint had his mind wondering what they would feel like on other parts of his body.
He helped her out of her chair when she wobbled a bit on the heels she wore—a Shannon touch he was sure.
Once they were in the middle of the dance floor, Luke twirled her expertly with a pleased grin when she followed his command without question. He pulled her close to him, closer than he knew she was comfortable with judging from how stiff her spine was against the palm of his hand. The hand resting on his shoulder tensed briefly, as though she were about to push him away.
“Relax,” Luke murmured, resting his forehead against hers. “This dance doesn’t work if you feel like a stiff board.”
“I can’t help it,” she said over the music. “You’re feeling me up.”
He forced his hand from drifting lower to grab at her waist instead. “Sorry. We’re just up here to dance.”
“Just to dance,” Paige said firmly.
The corner of his lips quirked up in amusement. She thought she had control over him, or at least of the situation.
The music took over. Luke led her expertly in a dance that Paige quickly picked up on. Her hips were fluid underneath his hand whenever he slipped down to guide her. For an innocent freshman, she knew how to dance, and she had no awareness of how sexy she appeared while doing it.
Her body felt so taut but fragile in his arms. He could easily throw her across the room without any effort. His mind drifted to wondering what it would be like to have her underneath him, naked, squirming in pleasure with those perky breasts bouncing in time with his thrusts.
His hand tightened on Paige’s waist after the song ended. He refused to let go of her right away when she took a pointed step back. Paige looked up at him in confusion, and he let all the desire he felt boiling in him show.
It rendered Paige motionless in his arms, the way he wanted her to be. Her lips appeared soft and were a ruby red color. He leaned forward, ready to taste them, but Paige’s hand shot out to thump him on the chest with surprising strength.
“One dance and you’re already trying to kiss me?”
Annoyance filled him.
“Do you have problems with a man wanting to kiss you because he thinks you're beautiful?” he asked, his tone sharper than he’d intended. He was drunk from the whiskey and aroused from Paige’s proximity.
Paige promptly let go of his hand. Her eyes narrowed at him in indignant anger.
“I realize that you never get rejected, but I’m not the type of girl to let a strange man just kiss me and then hop into bed with him.”
He ran an aggravated hand through his hair. “You’re against that sort of thing?”
“Yes, I am,” Paige said. “I refuse to be a whore.”
“I never thought you were one.”
“Because you would know what a whore looks like, right?”
“I won’t lie about knowing what whores look like,” Luke said blatantly. There would be no charming Paige by dishonesty. She liked the truth, judging from the expression on her face. “Do you really want to know about my past with other women? I’m not g
oing to lie to you. I’ve had my fair share of fun.”
“So what are you expecting from me exactly?” Paige asked, crossing her arms.
Luke sighed inwardly. Maybe Paige would be a bit complicated and hard to appease in thirty days. He had a gut feeling that she wouldn’t accept an engagement within a short amount of time, but he couldn’t let her know the real reason why Shannon had brought her here. He needed Shannon to be on Paige’s side to know what was going on.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I just thought that we were having a good time and—”
“Well, you thought wrong then.”
“Apparently,” he snapped, and her eyes widened. “Wait. I’m—”
Paige ripped away from him to stalk angrily across the dance floor. She didn’t listen to Shannon, who was out of her chair, trying to console her, and walked out of the lounge without sparing him a second glance.
****
“What the fuck?” Toby demanded when Luke sat down in his chair and snapped his fingers for another drink. “You’re supposed to be charming the shit out of her, not revolting her with being a sleazeball.”
Luke glared at him. “Are you calling me sleazy?”
“I’m saying that you can’t just make advances on her like that,” Toby said. “The reason Shannon picked Paige as a freshman sister is because she isn’t the type of woman to like that sort of thing. That is the type of woman Peter is going to approve of.”
“She’s a fucking headache,” Luke growled, grabbing his drink from the waiter’s hand. “Too much work, Toby. Way too much work for this arrangement.”
“I don’t think so,” Shannon responded, shaking her head. “Paige is perfect for this sort of thing. You know it too, because I saw the interest in your eyes.”
“Well, of course he’d be interested in her,” Toby said. “She’s a female who is attractive and has some goals that she wants to achieve in her life.”
“It’s fucked up that my father did this to me,” Luke said, rubbing his aching head. The rest of his body ached as well. “I know he wanted me to get married, but this is a bit far in my opinion. There has to be a loophole somewhere that I’m not figuring out.”
