Page 8 of Business Temptations

Matteo’s stomach tightened. What the hell did that mean? Had this ass proposed to Bailey? Was she getting married? No! That couldn’t happen! Bailey was too young to get married! She had her whole career ahead of her! Why would she marry before she’d even stepped foot out into the world? She was barely able to drink legally! Was she even old enough to vote? As a Spanish citizen, he wasn’t certain of the voting laws within the United States, but he doubted Bailey had voted in any of the elections so far.

Then he scoffed. Bailey missing out on an important decision?

That simply wouldn’t happen. Bailey was too intelligent to ignore an election day. She would have researched the candidates and decided on the person she thought would do the best job in the role.

If there was one thing he knew about his best friend, it was that Bailey was damn good at finding really good people and encouraging them to bend to her will.

Hell, she’d done it to him in the past! Matteo couldn’t count the number of times that he’d gone along with Bailey’s plans simply because she’d beamed at him. The woman could wrap him around her little finger with those bright, engaging smiles!

“Let’s get out of here before all of the good picnic spots are taken,” Anna encouraged. “Matteo and Timothy, let’s all drive together. I’ll bring everyone back to get your cars later.”

Matteo’s jaw tightened at further evidence that “Timothy” was coming along for the private celebration. This was going to be bad, he thought. Bailey looped her arm through his and gently tugged him towards the ancient minivan that Anna had driven for years, and Matteo sighed and went along with her. And he mentally braced himself for the announcement that Bailey and this ass were going to marry.

Anna drove all four of them out to a lovely park about five miles from the campus. Thankfully, the crowds hadn’t followed them and the park was peaceful and picturesque as they spread out a large blanket, then unpacked the food that Anna had made for lunch.

“To Tim and Bailey!” Anna announced, lifting her paper cup filled with cheap champagne.

Matteo lifted his glass, but he didn’t drink. He didn’t think he could. He might be sick as soon as they announced their engagement.

He surveyed Bailey as she sipped her champagne and grinned at everyone, nearly bouncing with excitement. He suddenly realized that she wasn’t too young anymore. The short, vivacious sprout that had saved his sanity all those years ago had grown into a stunningly beautiful woman. Her long, blond hair curled at the ends and those chocolate eyes sparkled. It was as if all of the happiness in the world was contained within her and she danced through life, exuding that joy at will.

And all of that happiness and energy would belong to Timothy, the jerk!

Anna laughed, distracting Matteo’s grim thoughts of killing the lanky bastard off so that the ass couldn’t marry his best friend. That would give Bailey more time to grow and mature. She needed some breathing space to learn who she was as an adult. Diving immediately into marriage would hinder her growth. She’d have to compromise on her hopes and dreams! She’d have to give up some of that ambition because Matteo doubted that the shy, skinny Timothy would manage to mature all by himself.

A well filled plate was shoved into his hands, disrupting his angry thoughts. “Here you go. Eat before you start discussing the business stuff,” Bailey’s mother commanded.

Business stuff? Matteo hated the idea that Tim would have any association with Bailey.

Matteo toyed with his food as he watched Bailey and Timothy’s interactions. They were casual with each other, almost like a brother and sister. Didn’t she realize that? Why would she want to marry a man that she treated like a sibling?

Then he glanced over at Anna, wondering if she approved of the relationship between Bailey and a man that was so obviously not in her league.

However, Matteo discovered that Anna was watching him! Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as thoughts flitted through her mind. What the hell was going on? And why was Anna wearing a knowing smirk? What the hell was happening here?

“Thanks, Mom!” Bailey announced, setting her half-eaten meal aside. “I think I’m too excited about this news to eat.”

Anna laughed, obviously not taking offense. “I think your news is worth ignoring all of my food for. Why don’t you explain everything to Matteo and hear what he thinks?”

Bailey bounced slightly with her eagerness, shifting so that her feet were tucked underneath her. She took a brief moment to shift her dress so that it covered her knees, but the brief flash of pale thigh was enough to cause Matteo’s mind to nearly explode.

Not because he was interested in his best friend in that way. It was only because he didn’t like the idea of this Tim-ass seeing any part of Bailey. She was off-limits. At least, in his mind, she was.

“What’s your news?” he demanded, shocked by the raspy tone of his voice.

Bailey nervously glanced at Tim and her mother, wondering why Matteo was acting so strangely. But with an encouraging nod from her mother, she turned back to face Matteo, taking a deep breath before starting her pitch.

“Okay, well, Tim and I have been thinking.” She hesitated again, but refused to let Matteo’s grim expression stop her. The idea was solid! If he would only open his mind, she could convince him about the brilliance of her plan. “With your newfound knowledge of product distribution methods and business, plus my marketing capabilities and Timothy’s product,” she paused, smiling at the stunned expression in Matteo’s dark eyes, “what do you think about going into business with us?”

There was a long silence while Matteo stared at her. After years of knowing almost exactly what Matteo was thinking, Bailey was stumped. She couldn’t read Matteo and the strange expressions flitting across his rugged features.

Her best friend blinked in confusion, shaking his head as if he needed to clear out the cobwebs in his brain. “I’m sorry, but…what?”

Anna laughed softly and touched Bailey’s shoulder. “You haven’t told Matteo about the product. Explain what Timothy developed.”

Again, Bailey bounced a bit and wondered why Matteo kept glaring at Tim. But instead of questioning him, she focused on her sales pitch. “Okay, so Tim just received his doctorate in chemical engineering. On his own time, using his own equipment, everything stored at my mother’s house, Tim has developed a new formula that people could add to their gas tanks that would more than double the fuel mileage of a gallon of gas.”

She waited for Matteo’s surprise. But when he merely glared at the other man, she continued. “Tim has even tested the additive on several different types of vehicles. Some cars use gas so efficiently with this additive that the increased efficiency was actually two point four-nine times better the vehicle’s previous gas mileage.” She waited, still trying to read his expression. When Matteo continued to stare back at her, she leaned forward, trying to get him to understand the brilliance of the idea. “Don’t you see?” she urged, touching his knee briefly before pulling her hand away. “This could be a massive thing that we could sell and distribute to the world!”

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