Page 2 of The Rancher's Second-Choice Wife

"I hope you haven't heard anything good about me."

It took Camelia an extra moment to realize she hadn't heard him wrong, and another choked laugh escaped her. "You really are as unpredictable as they say, aren't you?"

"I'm not like all the other boring fucks in this room, no."

And this, Camelia thought in exasperation, was why he made such a polarizing figure in Wall Street. "Those boring fucks you're talking about are the ones who decide whether you're a good investment risk or not."

"And you really think I'd give a damn about their opinions?"

"You'd be stupid not to—-"

"Enough beating around the bush." Valerian suddenly leaned forward, and Camelia nearly cried out as the heat of his proximity had her nipples instantly puckering in desire. "Tell me what you've come to say so we can get to the part where I fuck your brains out, and you'll love every damn second of it."

Oh, the arrogance in those words. How was this man so good at pushing her buttons and turning her on all at the same time? She hated that every word he had said was true, and that right now, his cockiness made her want to bend over and beg him to keep his word.

Yes, fuck me, please.

Camelia couldn't remember wanting any man this much.

But even so.

Money, and not Valerian or anyone else, will always be her everlasting love, and that was why...

"Vellisariou Bank gave you until tomorrow to raise two billion in capital, didn't they?"

Valerian moved back at his words as an expression mask covered his chiseled features.

"You've managed to raise $1.5B, which is beyond impressive for someone whose self-made fortune is only a hundred mil. But all that money won't mean anything if you don't make your deadline. You still need—-"

He looked at her, simply looked at her, and it galled her to realize that he was telling her without words that she was starting to bore him.

"Get to the point, Camelia."

How was it that the ruder this man was, the more she wanted him?

"I can persuade a friend to invest the amount you need, but I want a percentage of the profits when your company goes public."

"Is your friend someone I know?"

"Does it matter if you do or don't?"

He didn't answer her right away, and that made her nervous. She had obviously misjudged him. Wild cards like him usually didn't mind bending the rules, but Valerian Rossfield had scruples, apparently, and that could completely ruin her plans.

It was Camelia's turn to catch him off guard as she reached for him, and she didn't bother looking around as she heard more than one man react to the sight of her hand curving around the huge, hard bulge under Valerian's pants.

"Just say yes, darling," she purred throatily, "so we can get the ball rolling."

Valerian's nostrils flared when she gave his huge, hard cock a little squeeze, and wetness pooled between her thighs.

"You hate having your time wasted, don't you? So why don't you just say yes? The money's yours if you want it. And so am I...if your proposed business is as good as you say it is."

Chapter One

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PRESENT TIME

Joy paced the length of her office in a panic. She prided herself on managing the top salon in San Antonio, but she was now in danger of losing her hard-earned reputation, and all because one of her senior stylists had apparently lost her mind.

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