The Russian's Furious Fiancee (4 page)

“I see you’re an admirer of my work.”

She was stunned that he would be so blasé about the situation. “I wouldn’t exactly call myself an admirer,” she retorted, leaning forward and getting ready for a fight. “You’re destroying so many people’s way of life, their culture. You’re obliterating what makes that area special and unique. Don’t you care about things like that?”

He raised an eyebrow at her argument, unconcerned with his development reputation. “I’m creating about ten thousand additional jobs.”

She wasn’t giving in. The man couldn’t be completely impervious to all arguments, she just needed to find one that would work and convince him to not destroy the area where so many people depended on the services from the center. “The people who are already living in that community won’t be able to get to work because the streets will be changed, traffic re-routed around your site. And what’s worse, your building is going where their recreation center is currently located. There are so many services that the community depends upon that are offered in that center. There’s day care, preschool, after school activities for the teens and if it isn’t there any longer, or if it’s moved, those parents and students will be unable to replace those services easily. Especially with their work schedules.”

He was impressed with her passion, although he didn’t agree with her argument. In his opinion, there were other things more important than day care for kids. “The recreation center can be moved.”

“First of all, no one has the funds to move that center. And secondly, even if it somehow does get moved, it becomes out of reach to the people who need it the most.”

A waiter arrived and Damon ordered a bottle of white wine, then dismissed the man impatiently, enjoying himself too much to be interrupted. “I hardly think moving it three or four blocks out of its current location will eliminate an entire groups’ access to the center.”

She stared at him, amazed that he could be so out of touch with how some families survive. “Do you really know who uses that center?”

“Not really. It wasn’t my primary goal to find out. The center might have made it into the impact report, but it didn’t draw my attention.”

“Your sarcasm only digs you deeper.”

“I don’t really believe I’m digging anything, much less getting in deeper.”

“You’re actually proud of the fact that you’re eliminating an entire neighborhood’s culture.”

“And you’re actually berating me for providing jobs for thousands of additional families? How can you be so callous?”

She leaned forward, trying to make him understand what he was doing. “Because you could move your building somewhere else.”

“And your neighborhood can evolve, just like the rest of the world has to do in order to survive. What will actually happen is that the parts of their culture that are strongest will survive and the parts that are weakest will be eliminated. I can’t guarantee that the parts that are strongest are the most positive, nor can you guarantee that any other site for my building will provide the same level of access to the thousands of families that will be working within the walls of my building. All we can safely guarantee is that change will occur. How we deal with that change is up to each individual.”

Eva opened her mouth to argue against his point, but she couldn’t think of anything. He was right, but she refused to admit it. “You could move the site of the building.”

He controlled his amusement at her outrageous suggestion, but just barely. “At a cost of what? And can the families wait for the delay of the jobs the building will generate? Are you telling me that the unemployed care more about having an afterschool activity for their teen than an income that will put food on the table at night?”

She sat back and looked away, frustrated because she knew he was right and she had no rebuttal. “You’re frustrated with me,” he replied, unable to smother his chuckle this time. She just looked too lovely and frustrated.

“I don’t really like you,” she came back.

“You don’t really know me. But you will,” he said softly. The waiter arrived and he ordered her a salad and himself a tuna steak.

The waiter bowed and was about to leave when Eva stopped him. “Actually, I’ll have the herbed chicken, thank you.” She stared back at Damon, waiting to see if he would challenge her choice. That was all she needed at this point so she could get out of here and avoid more of his arrogance and superiority. “I don’t allow anyone to order for me.”

He nodded to the waiter, but she could tell that he was annoyed. Good! She didn’t like this man at all and wanted him to just leave her alone.

She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of the wine that had been poured at some point during their argument. “So, you want me to get to know you, tell me about yourself.” She refused to compliment him on the crisp, delicious wine he’d chosen but it was delightful.

He was surprised, expecting her to start telling him all about herself. But instead, she simply sat across the table from him, sipping her wine as if she had all the time in the world. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

She shook her head and glanced at the people around their table, wondering if any of them had overheard their argument. It also gave her an excuse to not look at him, pulling her attention from his fascinating features. “Because I don’t want you to get to know me, my personal life is none of your business and I don’t want to be here so if you want to win me over, then you’re going to have to work for it.”

He raised an eyebrow at her opposition.

She watched his reaction and almost laughed at his consternation. “What? You’ve never had to work to impress a woman before?”

He smiled at her challenge but wouldn’t lie to her, even if it put him a bad light. “Actually, no. Women seem to want to impress me instead of the other way around.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, consider me your first.”

“Will I be your first?’ he asked, watching her facial features for her reaction.

Her mouth dropped open and she was sure she had misunderstood his question. Or perhaps he meant something other than what his question sounded like. “Excuse me?” She leaned back so the waitress could present her meal, sure she’d misunderstood his comment.

He smiled slightly. “You heard me.”

“I hardly think that’s any of your business.”

The waiter arrived to re-fill their water and Damon waited until both glasses had been refreshed before continuing. He also enjoyed making her squirm. She was such a little spitfire and challenged him at every turn. Besides, the bombshell he was about to drop needed to be savored, and he didn’t want an audience.

When they were once again alone, he leaned slightly forward and said, “Since we’re going to be married, it’s definitely my business.”

Eva couldn’t believe her ears. She blinked once, looked at his face to determine if he was serious, then blinked again to try and make sense of the world in which he lived. “Married? Why the hell would I marry you?”

“I don’t want my wife to swear, Eva,” he admonished.

She was almost sputtering with her outrage now. “Then you’d damn well better marry someone else! Regardless, it’s certainly not going to be me!”

“We will be married. As soon as you can arrange for the ceremony. I’d like something small, but I know your family might prefer a large wedding. Perhaps we can compromise? A large wedding and a smaller reception?”

Eva was having a hard time understanding. Surely she’d misunderstood. “Excuse me?”

“The ceremony. Keep up, please.”

He picked up his wine glass and took a long swallow and Eva couldn’t believe that she was momentarily mesmerized by the movement of his throat as the water went down. It was hypnotic somehow.

When he set his water down and started eating again, she shook her head and refocused on their conversation, pulling her gaze away from his throat and forcing her eyes back to his. “We’re definitely not getting married. She looked around, trying to make sense of this conversation and wondering how he’d come about thinking she was going to marry him, but nothing made sense.

She suddenly had an idea and looked back at him sharply. “Are you crazy?” she asked softly, so no one else could hear just in case there was a mental issue this man didn’t want known to others.

He laughed softly and shook his head. “I can assure you that my mental state is perfectly sound. I simply decide quickly what I want and go after it.”

She’d been cutting her chicken carefully, but gave up and placed her knife and fork down on the china plate and folded her hands in her lap. “And you’ve decided upon me for your wife? What were your criteria?”

One shoulder lifted casually as he savored a bite of his lunch. “Someone poised, personable. Someone who has been raised to know the importance of socializing for her husband’s business enterprises and assisting wherever possible.”

She waited, wondering where he was going with this but when he stopped, she shook her head. “That’s it? Those are your only requirements in a wife?” She was stunned. Horrified actually. “What about love? Desire? Being best friends and wanting to share one’s life with another person?”

He shook his head and waved those criteria aside as insignificant. “Those are all silly myths people tell themselves to justify an ill advised marriage. I prefer to maintain logic in both my business as well as my personal relationships.”

Several people passed by their table at that point and Eva stared at her food, trying to assimilate all he’d said. When she glanced across the table at him, he was eating his meal as if he hadn’t just dropped an enormous bomb onto the lunch table.

Her eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to her. “My parents already know about this, don’t they?”

“Of course. I never would have broached the subject without their cooperation. Which is what they were trying to explain to you last night but you were being skittish about the whole process. Not a very good start, by the way.”

Eva’s eyes widened when the man actually admonished her for wanting to avoid him. “Let me get this straight. You saw me, decided I would be an appropriate wife, approached my parents to negotiate the terms and here you are, settling the matter over lunch. Did I miss anything?”

Damon considered telling her that he’d hired a service, but he was starting to understand that Eva might be a bit more emotional than he’d anticipated. He didn’t mind. He knew he could overcome her issues as soon as he understood what they were. “What are your objections to the relationship?”

She laughed, shaking her head at the way he continued to believe their engagement would proceed without any consent on her side. “There isn’t a relationship! I think that’s my biggest objection.” People were starting to look in their direction so she lowered her voice and picked up her fork to pretend an interest in her meal.

“Then we’ll meet a few more times to get to know one another. But in the meantime, I would advise you to start planning the wedding. I think the beginning of April would be fine. Are you up to the challenge?”

“Challenge?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you asking me if I’m up to the challenge of finding some redeeming qualities in you that would make this relationship more palatable? Or are you asking if I’m capable of organizing a social event in two months time?”

“Since the first is irrelevant, the second would be the question.”

She watched him for a long moment, wondering if the man was human. She reached across the table and touched his hand slightly. When her fingers felt the warmth of actual flesh, she pulled away quickly, startled by the heat of his skin.

He raised an eyebrow in question at her touch, his hand stilled as he looked at her. “What was that for?”

She shrugged and looked down at her delicious smelling meal, barely touched because her stomach was churning so badly she didn’t think she could eat anything. “I was just wondering if you were a robot.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m definitely not a machine, Eva. I’m just logical and don’t let emotions rule my decisions. You could learn a lot from the way I conduct my life. It seems as if you’re life is ruled primarily by emotions and reactions.”

She shook her head, ignoring his criticism completely since he didn’t know her at all, besides two conversations that were definitely not representative of the way she lived her life normally. “I’m not going to do this, you know.”

“Yes, you are.”

Eva couldn’t believe that he could be so confident. Did he know something she didn’t? Could he have something on her father that could force her into a marriage? She fiddled with her fork, and contemplated the man sitting casually across from her. “No. I’m not marrying anyone like you. I need someone who will love me for who I am and will do what he can to make me happy. You’re not the kind of man who would take my concerns to heart.”

He shrugged that complaint aside. “You will have a large allowance so you can do whatever it is that makes you happy. All I will demand is that you are a venerable hostess for my business needs and you raise our children with care and concern for their upbringing.”

A horrified burst of laughter escaped and she looked at him across the table. “How would someone like you know how to have children, much less raise them?”

He looked up and Eva was caught in the intensity of his amber gaze. “I’m very good at the process of making children although I’ve only been experimenting with the procedure so far. I expect you’ll be pregnant within the first year of our marriage so if there is something you’d like to accomplish before then, you’ll need to get it out of the way.”

She actually had trouble breathing as she pictured him ‘experimenting with the procedure’. For one, stomach churning, crazy moment, her mind pictured him in bed with her and she felt her whole body react with heat and restlessness. She quickly crushed the thought and focused only on the negative part of his comment. “First year? You don’t fool around, do you?”

He once again looked up and winked at her. “I’m very good at that too.”

She blushed and looked away. “Children require two parents. It doesn’t sound like you are expecting to be a very active participant.”