The Agreement (An Indecent Proposal) (16 page)

The chapel was an inconspicuous building in a residential
area in New York City, but even so, it couldn’t have been more perfect, with
its brown brick stone walls and the decorative white flowers lining up the
sidewalk and entrance. As Jude and I stepped out of the SUV and into the
candlelit chapel, with the traditional church choir playing in the background,
and a professional photographer taking snapshots, tears started to well up. I
realized Chase’s friend—whoever he was—had done an amazing job
finding it and organizing the necessary paperwork in such a short time. I made
a mental note to send him a thank-you note, and smiled at Jude with more
confidence than I actually felt.

I saw Chase as soon as we entered, and for a second the
world seemed to stop around me when our eyes connected. He was standing at the
altar, his sexy, hard body dressed in a tailored tux, his blue eyes shimmering
like dark puddles that swallowed up the dim candlelight.

“You look beautiful.” Chase stepped forward to place a soft
kiss on my cheek, and as he did so his lips almost brushed mine, the gesture
instantly cutting off my air supply. I swallowed hard to get rid of the sudden
lump in my throat, and pointed at him.

“You don’t look so bad, either.” My words sounded too low,
too alien in my ears.

Chase smiled, and his fingers interlaced with mine. “Ready
to yield your single
doom
forever?” He
was making fun of me even though I detected no humor in his eyes. No sarcasm in
his voice. Poker face all the way.

In spite of my nerves, I found myself smiling. “Did you just
say—”

“Sorry, I meant singledom.” His gorgeous lips twitched
slightly, but his eyes remained glued to me, probing, looking beyond the façade
I had worked so hard to build around me. His tailored black suit hugged his
athletic body in all the right places, and the white shirt brought out his pale
bronze skin. I couldn’t decide whether he looked sexier wearing a suit or
dressed casually in blue jeans and a snug shirt.

Or maybe nothing at
all.

Heat rose up my neck and face. I had almost forgotten the
towel episode from the previous night. That one was by far my favorite. I’d
welcome the sight on a daily basis. Not that I would admit that to him. It was
bad enough that he knew his tongue on my skin had me blushing, or that his touch
left me reeling.

“Laurie?” Chase’s brows shot up. “Are you bailing?”

“No. I was just—”

“Staring at me?” His lips twitched again.

“No.” I blushed again. “I was trying to figure you out.” I
rolled my eyes in case my words failed me as I slowly began to wilt under his
intense gaze—too dark, too broody.

Come on, Hanson. It’s
just a man.

Yeah, right, just a man whose teeth were nibbling on my ear.

Could I describe him as just anyone?

Not quite. Because I was about to marry him, and my racing
heart wouldn’t stop reminding me of his blue eyes shimmering like an ocean in
the morning sun, or the sexy, hoarse voice he used in and outside of the
bedroom.

“I forgot to give you this.” Chase grasped a bouquet of pink
roses and ivory calla lilies from a wooden bench and pressed it into my hand.

“They’re beautiful.” I lifted the bouquet to my face and
inhaled the sweet scent of lilies, wondering how he could have possibly known
what my favorite flowers were? He’d even got the color right.

“They’re beautiful.”

“Just like you,” Chase said. For a few moments we just gazed
at each other, caught up in the moment.

Caught up in whatever was between us.

“I’m sorry this place isn’t anything special,” he added.
“But at least it’ll look real.”

Real.

A tiny pang of disappointment shot through me. Of course he
would remember why we were really here.

What had I been thinking? That he had forgotten about our
agreement and plans?

I scanned the tiny chapel. What the heck was he talking
about? The place, with its Victorian theme and the few rows of white wooden
benches decorated with cream ribbons and more roses, was stunning. Maybe it
didn’t scream New York elegance. But it wasn’t exactly Las Vegas with Elvis
memorabilia and tacky décor. Then again, being a West Coast girl, what did I
know about New York?

Somewhere a door opened, and people started to spill in,
taking their seats, some of them even waving at us.

“Who are they?” I asked, stunned.

“Our fake audience.” Chase smiled, obviously amused, as the
photographer snapped away. And then the wedding officiant entered and the
ceremony began.

***

The whole thing was over in less than twenty minutes. From
the moment Chase and I confirmed the authenticity of our documents, to the
hasty ‘I do’ and the signing of the papers, it all passed in a surreal blur. At
some point I thought I heard Jude sighing behind me, but I didn’t look because
I was both overwhelmed and mesmerized, floating in a dreamlike state of
disbelief. Chase pulled out a wedding ring and slipped it onto my finger, then
demanded that I do the same. The idea that we might need wedding rings hadn’t
even occurred to me, but he seemed to have thought of everything. Eventually,
the officiant pronounced us husband and wife, and before I could blink, Chase
kissed me in front of Jude and the paid audience.

Kissed me as if it was real.

His lips—soft and velvety—probed mine, demanding
that I play along. And I did willingly, my stomach fluttering as he explored my
mouth. I would have continued, savoring him right there and then, if only he
hadn’t stopped.

My head spun as we left the chapel strangely elated.

The moment we opened the door, I closed my eyes, enjoying
the soft light of the moon on my skin. I inhaled deeply, welcoming the strange,
happy thoughts and my new life.

I had signed the papers. I had taken his name.

Laurie Wright.

I still couldn’t believe that I was a married woman.

Chase was now my husband.

He might be just an actor I had hired, but maybe…

No, stop, Laurie.

I took another deep breath and let Chase’s fingers intertwine
with mine.

“Let’s go,” he whispered.

“Drinks are on me,” Jude proclaimed as soon as we had taken
our seats in the waiting SUV that would take us back to the hotel.

“Sure.” I peered at Chase from the corner of my eye. His face
was turned away from us. In the dim evening light falling in through the
windows, I couldn’t read his expression, but the impatient tapping of his
fingers on his thigh didn’t escape my attention. I couldn’t blame him. As much
as I needed a drink, I’d have rather spent some alone time with him.

“Hey, you in?” Jude elbowed him jokingly.

Chase turned, and in that instant I caught a flicker in his
eyes—something dark and hard. And then his eyes turned on me and the
flicker disappeared, making room for warmth, and not just a flame, but a whole
wildfire of it.

Holy dang.

It was a flicker of desire, like a passion running deep.

He was stunning, now more than ever. Darkness suited him. It
brought out the mysterious side to him; the one I had glimpsed on various
occasions; the one that had kept my thoughts occupied, tied by invisible
chains. To me he was an enigma, just like the night around us.

A warm tingle ran through my abdomen and gathered in the
most secret spot of my core. I was attracted to him on a purely sexual level,
raw hormones and all. That in itself was worrisome enough. But the fact that I
seemed to melt from the inside at the mere twitch of his lips or at a glance
from those gray-blue eyes was terrifying
.

Never in my life had I felt that way about anybody.

Chase smiled and I smiled back shyly, eager to express my
gratitude in some way. After all, he had done me a favor without expecting much
in return.

If you call your body
‘nothing.’

“Laurie?” His brows shot up, amused. “Do you have anything
lined up for tonight?”

Dammit.

There was that double meaning again. My cheeks began to
burn, which apparently had become my natural reaction whenever Chase was
around. Not only was he out of this world in the looks department, he was also
one of those lucky specimens gifted with the uncanny ability to sense other
people’s emotional undercurrents, specifically those of the sexual kind. Either
that, or I was a sad, open book to him. Fool that I was, I liked to think that
the latter wasn’t the case.

I raised my chin and peered straight into his eyes, holding
his gaze daringly. “No. Just drinks.”

He chuckled and a flicker of determination appeared in his
eyes. I could almost hear the ‘we’ll see about that part’ in his thoughts.

The arrogance!

Chase began to ask questions about Jude’s job. What she did;
how she liked it; all the while gazing at me. Irritated, I tuned out and
focused on New York’s City’s skyline flitting outside the window.

Eventually the SUV stopped in front of our hotel to let us
exit, and I excused myself to change into something more suitable while Chase
and Jude waited in the bar area. I placed my flower bouquet in a crystal vase
and had barely slipped into a demure black cocktail dress when the door slammed
and a low, sultry laugh drifted over from the hall, disturbing the silence that
had barely settled around my mind. I pressed my back against the door and
strained to listen.

It was definitely Jude’s tinkling laughter in our suite’s
living room. A male voice chuckled and I realized it was Chase. They were
having fun. An irrational pang of jealousy hit me in the pit of my stomach,
even though I knew my best friend would never flirt with him. She had always
been loyal and true to me.

But Chase?

Why was the thought of him having fun with another woman
making me jealous? Or worse yet, how come the image of him being with someone
else other than me made me feel hurt?

I had known Chase for less than three weeks, during which we
had become friends. Sure, we had fun and had gone further than I initially
anticipated, but it wasn’t possible that I was developing feelings for him, was
it? The thought was improbable and yet so scary I gasped for air. Being
attracted to him was one thing, but falling in love with my fake husband was
another.

I had no claims on him and yet my heart seemed to think
otherwise, as though the fact that we were legally married somehow justified
the most ridiculous of reactions: a longing to possess him, mind, body, and
soul.

I had to get a grip. If I didn’t soon, I’d have to find a
way to get away from him before I fell too hard.

Another chuckle, then a loud laugh, and my jealousy flared
up again.

I straightened my dress and opened the door with a forced
smile on my lips.

“Hi.” My gaze scanned their faces for clues in a desperate
attempt to figure out what was going on.

Chase ambled over and placed a possessive arm around my
waist. “We were talking about you.”

Oh, God.

“Were you?” I rewarded him with a bright, easygoing smile. If
I kept this up I figured I might just fool not only them but also myself.

“Jude was telling me stories about how you got rid of some
of her dates over the years. Seems like you’re a natural at clearing the
perimeter.”

Double
oh, God
.

Why did I sound like a complete loser with no love life?
Granted, it wasn’t far from the truth, but did she
have
to tell Chase?

“Like the one time that guy kept calling and you claimed I
was in hospital,” Jude said, oblivious to my mortified state of mind. “He
wouldn’t stop stalking, so you had to tell him you once escaped from a mental
hospital. He got so freaked out, I never saw him again. Hilarious.”

She fell into another fit of laughter, and Chase chuckled,
his grip around my waist tightening. My humiliation was increasing by the
second. I had to divert everyone’s attention from me, and fast, before Jude
started to show him snapshots of us on her cell phone and Chase realized he had
made a big mistake by marrying me.

There was only one way to divert Jude’s attention to less
mortifying territory.

“Hilarious.” I faked a laugh. “Didn’t you say something
about drinks?” I wriggled out of Chase’s arms and grabbed my purse from the
coffee table. “So where’s the party at?”

The two margaritas combined with the fast, pounding music of
the club and steady stream of New Yorkers had made my head more than a little
fuzzy. At some point my vision had blurred and all voices seemed to carry a
slight drawl, like they were shouting through a long tunnel and the sound came
out all distorted.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I took a deep breath and then
exhaled slowly, wondering why I wasn’t in my extravagant suite, tucked into
bed, watching soap operas on the oversized television set. Then I remembered
the main two reasons, one being Jude’s inevitable tendency to recall the most
embarrassing details of our lives. And the second being—

Chase.

Oh, God. Chase.

For the last hours he’d kept finding the most ridiculous
reasons to touch me. Like when he had claimed to need to make a phone call
outside the club and his lips
accidentally
brushed my earlobe when he leaned into me to communicate his need to make
said phone call.

I figured excusing myself was out of the question, because
he’d probably follow me to ask how I was doing. Then he’d pretend to want to
give me a goodnight kiss. I’d inhale his manly aftershave and before I knew it
I might just have a few things to regret the following morning.

I had to stall as long as I could, and if that involved downing
a few margaritas in the process then so be it.

“Another one?” Jude pointed at my empty glass, grinning.

I nodded hesitantly and she hurried over to the bar area to
get our order, then returned with two glasses and left again to hit the dance
floor. Chase hadn’t returned from his important phone call, so I grabbed my
glass out of sheer boredom and took a sip, then another, and before I realized
it, it was empty again.

My head began to spin faster, and not in a good way. I
groaned and scrambled out of my chair, realizing my legs weren’t faring much
better.

Dammit.

What was it with me and my inability to party like most
people my age?

Was there some secret about drinking that no one had
revealed to me, or did I inherit some gene that made me respond to the
slightest hint of alcohol?

I took a few steps, but the room started to spin.

“Need help?”

Before I knew it Chase’s arm was around my waist again and I
found myself pressed hard against his chest. My heart—the fool that it
was—skipped a few beats, and an unnatural warmness crept up between my
legs.

Oh my God, I was really, embarrassingly drunk.

“I don’t need help.” I pushed him away, but it might only
have happened in my mind, because I could feel his lips nestling against my neck.

Hot, sexy breath.

“I don’t doubt that, but it would be irresponsible of me if
I left you like this,” Chase said.

“Jude can help me to my room.”

“She already left.”

What?

“Come on, Laurie. I’ll get you into bed before you pass
out,” Chase said against my ear, and coincidently his lips found my earlobe
again, setting my nerve endings on fire.

Bed.

I liked that word a lot.

A strong jolt rattled my core, and a pull built inside,
urging me to still it. Usually I would have done so myself, taking care of my needs.
But this time my body longed for someone else’s touch.

No, not someone’s touch.

Chase’s.

I realized it had done so ever since I met him.

The thought of being so weak for him made me cringe
inwardly.

I had thought that by numbing my feelings with alcohol, I’d
escape my obsession with him, but apparently my desire for him wasn’t going to
play along.

I craved him, unable to stifle the sudden wish of getting a
whole lot closer to him than before.

As if sensing my naughty thoughts, Chase’s hands wrapped around
me. “It’s getting late.”

 
“I can’t leave
yet,” I protested, only my voice sounded way more clear in my mind than when it
left my mouth. As though to prove my point, my hand wrapped around Jude’s
glass. Chase stopped it in midair.

“You’ve had enough, Laurie.” Chase’s voice was low but
determined.

He was right, of course, but in a brief moment of sudden
lucidness my need to protest against a man telling me what to do won the war
against my better judgment.

“You’re not stopping me, sir.” I giggled and lifted the
glass to my lips to take a gulp. The sickeningly sweet liquid traveled down my
throat and left a repulsive aftertaste in my mouth.

I wasn’t a fan of alcohol, but more so I wasn’t a fan of
dominating men.

I had had my fair share with Clint.

“That’s it. You’re my wife, and I say you’re going home
before you blame me for the mother of hangovers tomorrow morning.” Chase
snapped the glass out of my hand and put it on the table. His grip released my
waist and tightened around my upper arm as he guided me out of the bar. It was
a bad move, and somewhere inside my mind countless alarm bells went off all at
once, urging me to call Jude.

 
But I didn’t
dare, because, in my drunken state, everything became a blur and I realized I
needed a bed more than I needed to demonstrate my independence.

“Fine.” I trudged in front of him, relishing the touch of
his hand on my body as we stepped into a taxi. Within half an hour, we were
back at the hotel, his hand guiding me through the huge revolving doors, past the
lobby, to the second bank of elevators.

So close he smelled amazing, like sun, earth and
rain—all intermingled in one heady fragrance. Did he taste as good as he
smelled?

“I guess you’ll have to find that out yourself,” he said,
and pressed a button.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“If I taste as good.” He grinned.

I stared at him, shell-shocked.

Holy shit.

Did I really say that out loud?

His smile vanished as he eyed me, worried. “That was a joke,
Laurie. I know you don’t mean what you say.”

“But what if I do?” I blurted out before I could stop
myself.

Stunned silence.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I should never have drunk so much.

“You want me?” he asked at last.

“Yes.” I nodded with more passion than I wanted.

“Laurie.” He sighed. “I told you I’ll help you out, but I
don’t want you to feel obliged to repay me that way just because we signed the
papers.”

“No, I know that, and I still want you,” I whispered. “I
want you to be my first.”

Oh my God, shoot me!

I should never have told myself to stay away from him,
because now I really wanted him, my body urging me to do the opposite. It was
proof that my mind had no control over my desires. Chase had become a thrill;
the forbidden fruit I couldn’t taste but couldn’t resist.

Cocking his head to the side, he frowned. “You’re drunk. We
all say things we don’t mean when we’re drunk.”

“Obviously not so drunk as to not know who you are.”

He laughed briefly. “It’s a relief you recognize your
husband.” He grew quiet again as his hand moved to his pocket. “I like you, and
I’ll admit I really want you, too, but there’s no way in hell I’m taking
advantage of you in this state.”

“Right.” I faked a careless shrug, suddenly feeling silly.
“It was just a stupid idea.”

“Yeah, it was,” he agreed, sounding doubtful. “It would have
been a mistake.”

“A big mistake,” I agreed.

Turning away, I watched the digits above the elevator
climbing steadily upward. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Upward they went,
lighting up whenever they passed a floor. At last they stopped at thirty.

Thirty.

I had been supposed to take the interview on the thirtieth
floor in the LiveInvent building. The elevator stopped at the twenty-ninth
floor.

The word echoed at the back of my mind. A layer of sweat
covered my back, and my heart raced. The incident had taken place more than
three months ago, when
 
I watched an
entire floor collapse. Three months haunted by memories of being stuck in a
lift with a stranger. Three months of guilt that I had done nothing to save him.
Three months of being reminded that I almost died.

Was he dead or alive?

That question constantly frequented my thoughts. My heart
lurched again, and slowly the spinning sensation started.

Breathe in, breathe
out.

“Are you okay?” Chase’s voice sounded like it came through a
tunnel.

I nodded unconvincingly.

The digits climbed down again. The bell chimed when the
elevator doors opened, but I didn’t move.

One wrong step—that was all it took.

The whole interview had been a mistake.

I never should have gone, because if it weren’t for me, if I
hadn’t been inside, the stranger would have been rescued instead of me.

“You don’t look okay. Do you want to take the stairs?” Chase
said.

I turned to him, feeling faint. “I’m fine.”

My voice was shaking.

His arms engulfed me, and he started to rub my back. Just
like the stranger had done in the elevator.

“You’re hyperventilating, Laurie.”

Oh my God. Was it starting again?

“Breathe, Laurie. You need to breathe.”

Even his voice sounded like Mystery Guy. I closed my eyes,
overcome by faintness as the memories started rolling before my eyes. It was
the stupid alcohol wreaking havoc on my body and mind, opening my barriers,
letting the memories I had tried to lock away flood back in.

“You sound like him,” I whispered.

“Like who?”

He was so much like him, and yet I couldn’t tell Chase
without sounding crazy.

“I’m sorry. I can’t.” And then I started to run.