The Agreement (An Indecent Proposal) (15 page)

I was attracted to him, yes, but I couldn’t let him fuck me,
because once we passed that threshold I’d enter uncharted territory.

I’d be out of my depth.

Lost.

And he’d hold all the power.

Over my body.

Over my mind.

“Last time I checked there were doors. Quite solid ones,
actually.” A flicker of amusement lit up his gray-blue eyes. “They have knobs, which
means you can open and close them.”

I swallowed a few gulps of air to calm myself. “Fine. You
can keep the suite. I’ll sleep in Jude’s.”

“It’s a single. Not only won’t she share, but hotel policy
says single rooms are for single occupancy only. Tough luck, beautiful.”

Someone knew a lot about hotels.

“I’m getting my own room, Chase,” I said, raising my chin
defiantly. “You can’t lock me up in here, and you know that.”

“That’s a tempting outlook, though.” His eyes shimmered with
danger and humor. “I’d love to lock you up in my bedroom, preferably tied to a
bed, and have my wicked ways with you. I’d f—”

Whoa!

“It’s not funny,” I said, interrupting him before he got me
so heated I’d end up begging him to fuck me on the spot.

“You can’t avoid me for the rest of your life. May I remind
you, we have an agreement, which you agreed to?” Chase crossed his arms over
his chest, managing to draw my attention back to his defined muscles and taut
skin, as he regarded me coolly.

“Still doesn’t mean I have to spend the night in here.”

“Suit yourself, sweetheart. But I’ve got to warn you,
they’re completely booked. There’s a convention in town. Something about…” He
paused in mock concentration.

Irritated, I waved my hand. “I don’t care. I’ll find a
solution. I always do. Once I explain the situation, they’ll
have
to give me a different room. Or
else I’ll check into another hotel.”

“I’m glad to hear you have such a strong belief in yourself
and your persuasion skills.” That galling trace of amusement again. “But unless
you’re a celebrity or can buy out the place, I doubt they’ll budge.”

Damn, he had a point.

I bit my lip hard as I considered my options.

I could try and risk yet more ridicule because

a.) I wasn’t a celebrity, and

b.) I couldn’t even afford to pay for one room, let alone
the entire hotel.

Or I could take a blow to my pride for the time being and
just sleep in the room next to his. How hard could it be?

We wouldn’t even have to see each other until the wedding,
and then again at checkout tomorrow. That is…if I devised a good plan for this
whole roommate thing and stuck to it.

Like who used the bathroom when.

No bedroom visits.

No running around half-naked. And just to make sure he
wasn’t defying my wishes yet again, I’d listen for any sounds before venturing
out to avoid the whole
colliding-into-each-other-half-naked-and-drooling-over-his-hard-body situation.
If I focused on being very careful and blocked him out of my mind, I wouldn’t
even know he was here. It shouldn’t be that difficult, considering I had avoided
hot guys like him before.

Only, I had never met anyone as hot as Chase. Or as willing
to let me know just how much I had to fight to keep my legs closed.

“So, what will it be, Laurie?” he asked. “I’m not forcing
you to do anything you don’t want to. But you can’t keep running away from me
forever. Sooner or later you’ll live with me, anyway. Those last few hours of
avoiding me won’t change a thing.”

“Okay. You win.” I smiled sweetly. “But just to be clear.
You do not enter my room unless you knock or I open the door to let you in.”

“Got it. You want professional and platonic; I’ll give you
plenty of cool and friendly.” He was making fun of me again. Ignoring him, I
walked past him into the hall, back to where the bellboy had dropped my
baggage. Chase’s footsteps echoed behind and I could almost
feel
his irritating grin. The back of my
skin prickled from his stare as I grabbed my suitcase, then pulled. It didn’t
move from the spot. I pulled again, realizing the tiny wheels must have tangled
with the thick rug.

Dammit!

As I kept pulling, I could almost see my dignity flying out
the window.

“Let me.” Chase’s hand brushed mine, sending another
electric tingle through me. Without waiting for my reply, he lifted the
suitcase as though it weighed nothing
and carried
it down the hall to the first door and opened it, pointing inside.

“This is yours. I took the liberty of choosing the one with
the better view. You know, first come and all that.” His intense gaze traveled
down the front of my shirt and he licked his lips slowly.

Oh, Christ.

Did he have to be so obvious that he wanted me?

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes and pointed at the suitcase.
“Just put it down. I’ll manage from here.”

 
“As you wish. If
you need anything…” As he dropped the suitcase to my feet, his gaze brushed my
top again, lingering far longer than was necessary or decent. I grabbed the
suitcase and pulled it after me, then slammed the door in Chase’s face.

His laughter rang loud and clear, but I didn’t care.
Whatever game he was playing, I was going to win, no matter what. Even though
Chase had the uncanny ability of leaving me in lust and longing, I had one
advantage: I had declined myself so often in my life that I had enough practice
to say no even if I didn’t want to.

I had barely made it into my room and unzipped my suitcase,
filling the wardrobe with my clothes, when a soft knock at the door interrupted
me, followed by the door opening.

“What now?” I yelled, and looked up to see Jude standing in
the doorway. Her forehead creased in a questioning frown as she settled on my
bed and tucked her legs beneath her the way she always did when she harbored no
immediate intention of leaving. Her blonde hair swayed around her as she leaned
forward, eyes focused on me.

“Don’t start,” I whispered, referring to Chase’s choice of a
room: too expensive, too everything for me, not least because it wasn’t a real
wedding.

She shrugged. “It’s not that bad.”

“Oh please. He’s a nightmare,” I whispered. “Can I sleep in
your room?” Avoiding her probing gaze, I began to arrange my clothes in the
closet.

“Have you seen it?” She snorted. “It’s like a mixture
between a matchbox and a soda can. Too much wood and metal. This hotel is way
overrated.”

That was a no, then. I sighed and turned to face her. “Wanna
switch?”

“What? Hell no. There’s no way I’m sleeping in here.”

“Why not?”

“Because”—She threw her hands up in pretend
exasperation—“it’s your wedding night.”

I shrugged. “So?”

“So you deserve the best.” She emphasized the last word like
it was something naughty. I frowned, not getting her, and then the meaning of
her words dawned on me. She wasn’t talking about the room; she was talking
about Chase.

“This isn’t the honeymoon suite.” I cringed inwardly at the
fact that I felt sort of disappointed at the thought. “Besides, he’s sleeping
next door. Please switch with me,” I begged, whispering in case he could
miraculously hear me, which he couldn’t, obviously. Given his arrogance, he
probably assumed the entire world was talking about him anyway.

“It’s
your
wedding,” Jude repeated, like that in itself carried enough weight to justify
that she was being a shitty friend by not helping me out. “Besides, it’s only
one night and you’ll be fine. After you get married, Chase will probably hover
around the bar until dawn, chatting up girls, and you’ll have the entire suite
to yourself.”

She was probably right, but the thought didn’t manage to
raise my spirits. If anything, they took a nosedive. I groaned and zipped up my
empty suitcase, then dropped it at the bottom of the closet and closed the
doors.

“I hope he’ll do that,” I mumbled through gritted teeth, not
meaning a word. Somehow, the idea of Chase hooking up with some random woman
was worse than spending the evening arguing with him while fighting off his
arrogance the size of a mammoth. Where was he, anyway, and why the heck hadn’t
he bothered me in—I checked the time on my cell phone—ten minutes?

“You want to grab lunch or something?” I asked.

“Sorry, I’m getting room service. I’ve got a videoconference
call for work, for which I might be late.”

I nodded, remembering that she had told me she’d need to fly
back early in the morning so she wouldn’t miss shooting, but I was thankful for
her company and support, even if only for a few hours. After that, I’d be on my
own fighting my way through the marriage jungle.

“Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it,” I said.

“Don’t mention it.”

Jude jumped up and placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek, then
headed out, calling over her shoulder, “Meet you later to help?” She tilted her
head meaningfully toward the plastic-covered gown on my bed.

I nodded again and watched Jude close the door, then dropped
on my bed, considering my options.

I
had
to get lunch
at some point. Should I venture out or order in? I figured if I stayed in, I’d
obsess about the wedding, which was in just a few hours.

In four hours and forty-five minutes, to be exact.

My shoulders slumped and my heartbeat picked up in speed.

But if I left the room, the chance that I might bump into
Chase was too high. Even though he had said he’d be gone on a job, I didn’t
trust him. In the end, I ordered a sandwich and spent the afternoon checking
emails and possible job openings in New York City, and sending out my résumé to
people who probably wouldn’t even glance at it.

A few hours later, I trudged into the bathroom and took a
hot shower, then slipped into my seamless underwear.

By six p.m.—with an hour left and no Jude in
sight—I could feel the tension in my shoulders. Where the heck was she? I
grabbed my phone and called her, only to find that her cell was switched off.
She was probably still at work. If she wasn’t back anytime soon, I figured I’d
have to leave without her.

My mood plummeted when it shouldn’t have.

Why did it matter, anyway? It was just a fake wedding. Chase
hadn’t called to enquire about me. My fake bridesmaid had yet to arrive. And
the dress was still wrapped in a plastic bag, seemingly forgotten.

With slow steps, I reached it, my hands itching to touch it
as I imagined myself wearing it. And yet I couldn’t.

The moment had come—that one special moment I had
hoped Jude would share with me. With a sigh, I unzipped the bag and removed the
plastic bag carefully, holding my breath as I did so. At first, I noticed that
the fabric was different. It was shiny, like the color of a pearl, sparkling
translucently the way Chase’s eyes had shimmered in the sunlight when he looked
at me. My hands brushed gingerly over the soft material for a few seconds before
I plucked up my courage and I slipped into it, stepping in front of the mirror.

A smile touched my lips.

It was beautiful.

The skirt fell around me in a perfect, narrow silhouette,
emphasizing my bust. Under normal circumstances, that part of my body wouldn’t
have been my best or favorite feature but, regarding my image in the mirror,
even I couldn’t deny the extra padding and support gave me a flattering
hourglass figure to die for.

The miracles of great tailoring.

But what I liked best about it was the fact that it didn’t
scream bridal gown—more like an upscale evening dress I could have worn
to the opera or a red carpet event. It had all the features of the Vera Wang
dress and more. Casey’s grandmother had done more than just a fantastic job. I
felt like hugging her again and complimenting her skills. If I had the money, I
would have asked her to be my personal tailor.

My back turned to the mirror, I admired the fine details of
the stitching, then spun around again. Retrieving my mental to-do list, I
ticked off all points as I went along. First, I arranged my hair so it’d fall
in soft strands around my face, then hastily applied makeup. My hands shook
slightly as I arranged a beautiful crown—interlaced wire vines adorned
with dainty white blossoms—which Jude insisted I wear in my hair, and
applied some perfume.

I stepped back, more nervous than ever. A short glance at
the watch confirmed I only had twenty minutes left.

It was time to leave the bathroom in search of my bridesmaid
and groom. Stepping out of my room, I noticed how quiet the suite had become.
The living room was empty. I squeezed into my high heels and almost slipped on
a stray rose petal. Bending to pick it up, I noticed a trail of them and
followed it down the hall to the door. I didn’t consider Chase might have been
the one to think of something so romantic until I saw Jude standing there and
she said, “It was all Chase’s idea. I told him he was going overboard and that
you’re not the romantic kind, but he wouldn’t listen.” She opened the door and
inclined her head. “You still doing this?”

Nodding, I left the safety of the suite, wondering for the
umpteenth time whether I was making a big mistake.

Too late, Hanson.

Even though it was a pretend marriage, I wouldn’t ditch
Chase at the altar.

“The dress is gorgeous, by the way,” Jude said.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. In silence, we rode the elevator down
to the lobby and then got into a waiting SUV.

Even though it was still early evening, the street seemed
surprisingly devoid of life. I turned my gaze out the window to stare at the
dusking sun streaking the sky in orange hues that was mirrored in the countless
glass buildings. But even the natural beauty of a setting sun couldn’t distract
me from my thumping heart and the knowledge of what I was about to do.

“You’ll be okay,” Jude said, repeating her words from
earlier.

I nodded even though the rock in the pit of my stomach was
beginning to grow to ominous dimensions.