At His Majesty's Convenience (8 page)

“Are you really engaged to your boss?” Her mom's voice tugged her back to the present.

Andi froze. That part she didn't remember. “He says we got engaged right before I lost my memory. I don't remember it.”

“Do you love him?” The voice on the phone was suddenly sharp.

“Oh, yes. I've always loved him.” The conviction rang through her whole body. “I've loved him for years.”

“You never said a thing. I had no idea you were even involved with him.”

Andi blinked rapidly. The memories flooding her brain were curiously devoid of any romantic images of her and Jake. She had plenty of memories of working with him, but as she mentally flipped through them looking for signs of their relationship a strange and awful truth dawned on her. “That's because I wasn't involved with him.”

H
er mom's confused and anxious reaction prompted Andi to make excuses and hang up the phone. She needed someone who could answer questions, not just ask them. Instinct told her to call her sister, Lizzie.

“Your Majesty!” Her sister's now-familiar voice made her jump.

“Lizzie, you wouldn't believe what's been going on.”

“You're right. I don't, so you'll have to break it down into tiny pieces for me. Are you really marrying your boss?”

Andi bit her lip. “I don't know. It's the weirdest thing, I lost my memory and ever since then we've been engaged. But my memory's coming back now—since I found your phone messages and spoke to Mom—and I don't remember anything at all about being engaged to him.”

“You never even told me you were dating him.”

“I don't remember anything about that, either. I do recall being seriously attracted to him for, oh, years and years, but
not that anything actually came of it. Now suddenly I seem to be engaged to him and I have no idea what's going on.”

“How does he explain the situation?”

Andi blew out. “I don't know. I haven't spoken to him about it yet. My memory only just started coming back and he doesn't know yet.”

“Do you remember him asking you to marry him?”

She thought for a second. “No. I don't remember everything, though. There's a gap.” She raised a hand to her head where she could still feel a slight bump. “I must have fallen and banged my head, or something.” She paused, remembering the etickets she'd seen on her computer. “Did I say anything about coming back to the States?”

“For Christmas, you mean?”

Andi wondered how much to reveal, then decided things were so complicated already that she might as well be truthful. “For good. I think I was planning to leave here. I had tickets back to New York.”

“And you don't remember why?”

I do.

The realization was seeping back into her, almost like blood rushing to her brain. She had intended to leave. She wanted to go because she was tired of adoring Jake while he flirted with other women in the name of business.

Because she loved him and knew she could never have him.

A sharp pain rose in her middle around the area of her heart. How had six years of yearning turned—overnight—into a fantasy engagement?

It didn't add up. There was a missing piece to the puzzle and she had no idea what it was.

“So are you marrying him, or what?” Lizzie's amused voice roused her from her panicked thoughts.

Her eyes fell on the big ring, flashing in the afternoon
sunlight pouring through the large office window. “Yes.” Then she frowned. “At least I think so.”

“Well, I saw it in the
National Enquirer,
so it must be true, right?” Lizzie's voice was bright with laughter. “There's a picture of you with a rock on your finger the size of my Mini Cooper. Is that thing real?”

Andi stared at the glittering stones. She was pretty sure it was a real diamond, but was it a real engagement ring? “Sure. It's from a jeweler here in town. Jake bought it for me yesterday.”

“Sounds pretty official to me. Is he good in bed?”

Andi's mouth fell open.

“Come on, I'd tell you. Or do royal romances not involve any sex?”

Her teasing voice brought a smile to Andi's lips. “He's amazing.”

“Ha. I had a feeling. I've seen pictures of him and he's seriously handsome. I love the dark flashing eyes. Is he romantic?”

“Very.” She could almost feel his arms around her right now, holding and steadying her. “He's been so sweet with me since I lost my memory. We've managed to keep it a secret so far. You and Mom and the doctor he called are the only other people who know.”

“Why keep it a secret?”

“I guess because I felt so vulnerable. Like everyone around me knows more about me than I do. I didn't want anyone to know. It's all coming back now, though. Not all the tiny details yet, like work stuff I have to do, but the bigger things like who I know and where I'm from and…”

How much I've always loved Jake.

Were they really going to be married and live happily ever after? It seemed too much to hope for.

“So you're going to be a queen. Will I have to curtsy to you?”

“Gosh, I hope not.” Andi laughed. “What a strange idea. I can't quite see myself with a crown on.”

“You'd better get used to the idea. Can I be your maid of honor? Or maybe they don't have them in Ruthenia.”

“I have no idea. I've never planned a wedding here and apparently I haven't paid close enough attention at the few I've attended.” Images of Jake's other would-be brides crowded her mind. Alia and Maxi and Carlotta and Liesel…there were so many of them. Rich and beautiful and fawning all over him. Why, out of all the glamorous and powerful women available to him, had Jake chosen her?

It was time to track him down and ask some questions.

 

After promising to call Lizzie back and tell her the details, Andi went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her cosmetics were strung out along a shelf, which was not how she used to keep them. She also remembered that she nearly always tied her rather wispy hair up in a bun and slicked it down with gel—she was always experimenting with different brands as the Ruthenian climate was surprisingly humid. Now her hair lay loose around her shoulders, and her face looked oddly colorless without the lipstick and blush she usually donned.

A glance in her closet reminded her she was a hard-core suit wearer. She felt it was important to project a professional image, and she liked bright colors as they seemed assertive and positive. Right now she had on a rather uncharacteristic pastel yellow blouse and a pair of slacks and her hair wafted around her shoulders. People must have noticed the difference.

Part of her felt embarrassed that she'd been walking around the palace looking like a paler, less polished version
of herself. And part of her wondered whether Jake actually preferred the less made-up look. He'd chosen the super-casual jeans and T-shirt she'd worn all the previous day. She blushed as she remembered he'd also chosen the racy lingerie. A glance in her underwear drawer confirmed that cotton briefs and no-nonsense bras were more her style.

Still, if Jake liked lacy lingerie and jeans, she could adjust. She couldn't resist smoothing just a hint of blush on her cheeks. They were a bit pale with shock. But she used a clear gloss instead of lipstick and left her hair loose—maybe it didn't look so bad after all.

With a deep breath, she set off for his office. Her pulse rate roared like a runaway truck by the time she finally plucked up the courage to peek around the open door. Jake was in conversation with a man she instantly remembered as the minister of economics. Jake looked up when she entered the doorway, and an expression flickered across his face—shock?—almost as if he suddenly knew her memory was back.

Andi struggled not to fidget as the conversation continued for another couple of minutes—something urgent to do with trade tariffs. Her nerves were jumping and her palms sweating.

In his dark suit, with his usual air of unhurried calm, Jake seemed perfectly poised and in control of any situation. She, on the other hand, had no idea what their situation really was. She could remember nearly everything about her life—except a romance with Jake.

He finally closed the door behind the economics minister and turned to her. Again she could see in his face that he knew something was different.

“My memory is coming back.” She floated the words out, as if on a string, wondering what his response would be. Would he take her in his arms with a cry of joy?

Jake didn't move an inch. “That's great.” He seemed to be waiting for her to reveal more.

“It started when I saw an email from my sister. Then I phoned my mom. That jogged something in my brain and the memories started bubbling up.”

“What a relief.” His voice was oddly flat. He still made no move toward her.

Andi's eyes dropped to her ring, which seemed to sting the skin underneath it. “It's strange, I remember working with you for years, but I don't…” Her voice cracked as fear rose in her chest. “I don't remember anything about us.” She faltered. “I mean us being…romantically involved.”

Jake stepped up to her and took her hand. Her heart surged with relief and she was about to smile, but his deadly serious demeanor stopped her. “I'll be completely honest with you.”

“About what?” Her pulse picked up and a sense of dread swelled inside her.

“We weren't involved. Our relationship was strictly professional until two days ago.”

“We weren't dating? Not even in secret?” Her heart hammered against her ribs.

“No.”

Andi swallowed hard and her rib cage tightened around her chest. The ostentatious ring suddenly seemed to weigh down her hand and drain her strength. “So, the engagement is fake?” Her voice came out as a rasping whisper, filled with every ounce of apprehension and terror she felt. “It was all pretend?”

Jake tilted his head. “No.”

Andi wanted to shake him. “Could you be more explicit?”

He frowned. “It's hard to explain. You were going to leave, and I didn't want you to. I was under pressure to
choose a bride, and then you lost your memory. Things fell into place and I realized you're the ideal woman to be my wife.”

She blinked, trying to make sense of his words. “So we are engaged?”

“Absolutely.” His dark eyes looked earnest.

Then a cold sensation crept over her. “But you're not in love with me.”

He swallowed. “Love is something that grows over time. I'm confident that we'll enjoy a happy and successful marriage. The important thing is to provide stability for Ruthenia, and as a team we can do just that.”

Andi struggled for breath. The man of her dreams, whom she'd fantasized about and mooned over for six long years, wanted to marry her.

Because she'd be a key member of his team.

A cold laugh flew from her lips. “Wouldn't it have been easier to just offer me a higher salary?”

He raised a brow. “I tried that.”

“And I said no? Wait. Now I remember saying no. You were so sure you could talk me around, just like you always do.” Her vision blurred as tears rose to her eyes. “And you really thought I'd go along with this crazy plan?”

“You're sensible and practical. I knew you'd see the sense in it.”

“In spending my life with a husband who doesn't love me? You never even noticed I was female.” A flashback to their lovemaking filled her brain. He'd noticed it then. But maybe he'd just pretended she was one of the glamorous socialites that usually buzzed around him. He'd had no shortage of girlfriends in the time she'd worked for him.

“My parents married because their families were both exiled Ruthenian nobles. They were married nearly fifty years.”

His parents had died before she met him. She knew little about them except that they were part of New York society. “Were they happy?”

He hesitated. “Of course.”

“You don't sound convinced. Did they love each other?”

“It was a successful marriage, and they achieved their lifelong goal of producing an heir who'd be ready to take the throne of Ruthenia when the time came.”

“Lucky thing you were cooperative. It would be a shame to throw away fifty years of your life and have your son insist he was going to be a pro skateboarder. Did you really think I'd just go along with your plan?”

“Yes.”

His calm expression exasperated her. He still thought she was going to go along with his scheme. He obviously didn't care about her feelings at all. “We slept together.” Her body still sizzled and hummed with sensual energy from that amazing night.

The passion they'd shared might have been fake on his side, but on hers it was painfully real.

“I didn't intend for that to happen.” His expression turned grim. “I understand that you must be furious with me for taking advantage of your situation.”

“You're right. I am.” Devastated would have been a better word. Their lovemaking wasn't the fruit of a long-term and loving romance, at least not for him. On her side she'd probably had enough romance in her head to last a lifetime.

He must have found it hilarious that she fell into his arms so easily. “Didn't you think it was wrong to sleep with an employee?”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes. I didn't intend to sleep with you until I'd explained the situation.”

“Until you'd explained to me that you needed a wife and I was handy?” She still couldn't quite believe he took her so totally for granted.

Obviously he had no respect for her feelings and wishes. A chill swept through her and she hugged herself.

“You were confused after losing your memory. I didn't want to complicate matters when I knew you were in no state to make an important decision.”

“So you just made it for me.”

He drew in a breath. “You know me well enough to trust my judgment.”

She struggled to check her anger. “I trust your judgment perfectly in matters of business, but not where my personal life is concerned. You already knew I intended to leave because I wasn't feeling fulfilled.”

No need to say she couldn't stand to see him marry another woman. He'd assume she was thrilled that he'd made a coldhearted and clinical decision to marry her. “It's downright arrogant of you to assume I'd marry you.”

“I know you're capable of rising to any challenge.”

“But what if I don't want to?” Her voice rose a little and she struggled to check tears. A romance with Jake was such a heartfelt wish. Suddenly it had become a duty.

No doubt sex with her was supposed to seal the pact in some way.