The Billionaire's Proposition (The Romero Brothers, Book 4) (7 page)

She shook the mental image of him kissing
her passionately out of her mind. This was business. All business. Nothing more
could possibly come of it. Venus just didn’t want to make a big fool of
herself
and presume anything more right now. They would only
be married contractually for…?

“How long would you…um…require my services?”
she asked calmly, dropping her fork on her plate after taking the last bite of
her roasted lamb cut. “Well,” she chuckled, acutely embarrassed, “perhaps,
services is not the right word.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I understand what you
meant.” His voice was deep, low and slid through his lips like smooth honey.
There was something about his rich, deep voice that always resonated with her.
For a man with handsome, boyish looks, she was always surprised at how deep and
powerful his voice sounded.

“I’ll need you for one year,” he
instructed. His voice was calm, his gaze intent. Venus shivered inside as
heated anticipation shot through her body.

“One year?” she echoed breathlessly.

“One year.” His dark, alluring gaze
captivated her. She froze for a moment. Her mind processed what that meant. She
would be Carl Romero’s wife—for one year. One year! And what about Carl’s
reputation as a hot lover who always had a glowing arm-candy model at his side?
What would become of that? Would
Venus
become his…lover?

“Okay,” she said, trying to sound as cool
as she could. “And, um…what about…arrangements between us? What exactly would
be involved?” she finished her sentence, not sure of how to come out and say
it. What about sex? Would he expect her to sleep with him during this period?
She could think of nothing else. Secretly, she would
want
nothing less.

Carl leaned back in his seat against the
rail of the yacht with a mischievous boyish grin.

Please
say yes we’ll be intimate. Please don’t tell me that you already have a
girlfriend who you will secretly sleep with on the side.
Venus bit down on her lower lip, hoping that he could not possibly
read her mind, or her anxious emotions right now. She would just die if he
didn’t want to “consummate” their fake marriage. God, why was she so desperate
to be touched by this man? Why did she crave his silky touch, or the feel of
his smooth skin on hers?

Carl heaved a deep sigh. “Don’t worry about
sleeping arrangements, Venus. I have a lover who will take care of my sexual
needs,” he said, his tone cool and deep.

Venus’s face fell. Her heart smashed
against her rib cage, painfully knocking the wind out of her lungs.

Carl’s grin widened.

“I’m teasing you, Venus!”

She let a deep breath she didn’t realize
she was holding and chuckled. She gave him a playful brow bashing before rolling
her eyes in return for his practical joke. “That’s not very funny, Carl,” she chided
him.

“I don’t think it would be wise for me to
have a lover on the side while we are legally married, Venus,” he said, his
tone more serious. He still had that captivating rich, silky smooth voice.

“That would be the last thing I would want
for many reasons,” he continued. “Even though the reasons we are getting
married are not conventional, I still believe in being faithful to the one I’m
with, regardless of why I’m with her. And secondly, an extramarital affair
would be very easy for my opposition to track using any old detective agency
and that could bring the worst kind of unwanted publicity. So yes,” he
continued, gazing into her eyes, leaning forward. “I would expect us to
consummate our marriage as part of our…arrangement. I’m sure we both have
needs, just like everyone else.”

She swallowed hard but the lump would not
go down her throat. It was closed up from her bungled nerves.

Yes!

This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? So why
was her mind in a dazed whirlwind? Why was she giddy with a mixture of stirred
emotions? Why was her head spinning? She could not believe all of this. Yesterday,
she fantasized about her boss, as she had since she’d known him over the past
year—and now? She was going to be his lover, his wife. This was all so
much to process and she was feeling overwhelmed, in disbelief.

“Y-yes.
Of course.
I…agree,” she said, trying to sound matter-of-factly.

“So,” he continued, pulling out some sheets
of paper from his case that rested on the empty seat beside them,
 
“the arrangement would be for one year followed
by a quiet separation that hopefully the media won’t find out about. By then, I
should be more settled in my new position as mayor and have implemented all the
changes that need to be done. Hopefully, voters won’t mind much what goes on in
my personal life.”

Venus took the sheets of paper Carl handed
her. It was in the form of a legal contract, all neatly typed up. This was
official, wasn’t it? Carl didn’t mess around with his business. He never took
chances with anything … or anyone.

Venus’s eyes scanned over the first page of
the document but reluctantly settled on one word in the bullet form of expectations.

Separation.

Separation?
Venus’s heart sank even lower than it had when he told her he had
another lover a moment ago—which thankfully was not true. Why was she
feeling daunted all of a sudden? Did it matter that they would be separated?
This was, after all, part of the deal, right?
It was not real
,
she had to remind herself
. It was only a contract.
A marriage of convenience.
Besides, she knew full well that
deep down, she could not be married for too long to anyone, lest her secret
past surface and ruin everything. It was just that she had never before come so
close to happiness and only to be told it was a time-limited experience. How
sad was that?

“Yes, hopefully voters won’t…mind,” she
agreed quietly.

“And I have a few other stipulations in our
agreement. Though it hasn’t been drafted up officially, I expect it to remain a
closely guarded secret. As you can see, under the heading of behavioural
expectations, I expect that we’ll both be mutually respectful to each other both
in public and in private. I strongly believe that respect is a two-way street.
And we’re not to disclose any of this to anyone outside of a few trusted
members in the family circle. I know that you’re a very discreet person, Venus.
So my concern is not that.”

“Thank you, Carl. What is your concern
then?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Whatever it is that you’re hiding. One of
the things we need to agree on is not to harbor secrets. Are you going to tell
me about your past?”

Venus felt her throat close in again. She
could not breathe. Her muscles tensed in her body causing a painful ache.

“M-my past?”

“Yes, Venus.” He reached his long, strong
arms across the table and held her hands in his. She felt a jolt of his
powerful electricity pulse through her veins at the touch of his skin. Oh, God!
His firm, silky touch! The energy was deliciously palpable. She wanted him to
hold her forever. “I need to know everything.”

She drew in a deep breath, trying to
squeeze oxygen back into her lungs.

“I…I can’t tell you everything, Carl. I…
.just
can’t. Please trust me on this. It’s better you don’t
know.”

“I think it’s better that I do, Venus. How
can you ask me to trust you when you don’t trust me?”

“Because this is different, Carl.”

“But if you’re going to be my wife, I need
to know about your past. Everything.”

“But you’re not going to be my real
husband. This is only a pretend marriage, isn’t it?” she shot back,
then
she felt like a goose for doing so. Why was she taking
it out on Carl? It wasn’t his fault what happened to her in her past.

Carl leaned back, removing his hands from
hers. He stretched his arms across the rail of the yacht and cocked a knowing
grin. “You’re really something, you know that?”

What was he getting at? Was he upset about
the situation now? Or was he amused? He glanced at the darkening sky then
turned his attention back to Venus.

“It’s really that bad, is it?”

“Carl, please. Just trust me.”

“The last thing I would want is for the
press to find out about you before I do, Venus.”

“And that’s not going to happen.”

“It isn’t?”

“No.
Because, I’ve taken
care of that problem.
What’s done is done. The past is dead and gone and
I’d rather forget about it. You’re my…future, my present focus right now. We
need to get you in office, Carl. You’re the best man for the job. The community
needs you. I…need you to be in office, too.” Her voice trailed off. She needed
him more than just to be in office.

Oh, damn Eduardo!

Why did he have to escape from prison? But
Amber at the consulate had assured her that everything was okay, so she would
have to take her word for it. She was in Canada now. No one would ever find
her. He didn’t even know that she was out of the country. The embassy made sure
that no one knew she had fled. That was good enough. She and Tristan were safe.

Out of harm’s way.

Why bring up the past? It would only create
possible danger for Carl if he found out. It would complicate matters.
And for what?
After the year was up—Carl would be out
of her life and not have to bear that burden of her secret. It would be better
this way.

“You know you really had me there. Very
well. I’m not going to push it. But just tell me one thing. Did he hurt you?”
Carl’s eyes flashed anger and a dangerous dark look that she’d never seen
before.

“Did who h-hurt me?”

“The man you’re running from?” His tone was
direct and void of emotion.

“Carl, what makes you think it’s about a
man?” Venus looked down at her almost empty plate.

“Venus, look at me.”

Her eyes locked with his again as she
raised her head.

“I’ll let it go for now. But if I find out
that anyone has threatened you or has anything over you or is hurting you in
any way, I can’t promise you I won’t get involved. And it won’t be pretty.
Okay?”

His smooth, deep words sent a shiver down
her spine. His tone was cool as ice, dangerous.

“Okay,” she murmured, breathless. She drew
in a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Fine. But you won’t have to worry, Carl.
I…I promise.”

“Oh, no. Look at the time,” Venus
continued. “I must pick up Tristan.”

“He should be fine at the estate,” Carl
said, looking down at his watch. “But I’ll take you to pick him up and then
I’ll take you home.” He rose from the table.

“Thank you. And thank you for a lovely
dinner, Carl.”

“My pleasure, Mrs. Romero,” Carl said with
a grin.

Mrs.
Romero?

The words washed through Venus like a tsunami
of emotions. Mrs. Romero? She loved the way that sounded. It finally struck her.
She would really become Mrs. Romero, wouldn’t she? Even though it was for fabricated
reasons. This was going to be the real deal. She was overcome with emotions. Stunned.
Amused. Dazed.

There was no other man in the world she
wanted to be with more than Carl Romero.

She didn’t know what got into her at that
instant.

Carl had taken her cardigan off the chair
back to place over her shoulders. And she was inches from him facing him,
looking up into his gorgeous dark eyes. His hands were still holding the
cardigan around her and he gently pulled her closer to him. His smooth cologne danced
beneath her nostrils, delighting her senses. What was it about this oh, so sexy
man she worked for? There was something so mesmerizing about him, enthralling
that made her desire him so much.
That made her want
to be closer to him in every way possible. That made her forget who she was for
a moment and made her feel that all her cares in the world were drifting away.

With just the sound of the waves from the
lake swirling against the boat and the sound of her heart pounding hard and
fast in her chest, Carl lowered his head to hers and she shivered with delight.
His soft finger traced the outline of her jaw and she tingled at his silky feel
as he stroked her sending waves of desire through her body.

Oh,
Carl.
His touch was magical, pleasing to her body.

So this was what it felt like to be touched
by…a Romero. She’d heard a lot about the sexual prowess of the Romero men but
had to take a moment to process all that was going between them. Was Carl going
to kiss her?

“God, Venus, you’re so beautiful,” Carl
said in a low, husky voice as he lifted her chin to his. He softly brushed his
lips across hers and a light electrical current bolted through her body.

“Oh, Carl,” she moaned, as she pressed her
lips to his enjoying the sweet touch of his flesh. His lips parted hers and
claimed her tongue with a moist sweep of his. He slid his strong arms around
her waist and she felt the heat of his firm hands on her back. She reached her
arms up to hug his neck as he continued to pleasure her with his soft lips,
kissing her passionately and erotically, sucking on her flesh as she moaned in
ecstasy.