Page 17 of Signed, Sealed, Married

You despise him.

You can’t be attracted to him.

Of course she wasn’t. Just as she wasnotfantasising about how those big square hands would feel on her breasts. Or whether those sturdy thighs were as iron hard as they looked. What would it be like to sit astride—?

No, no, no. Focus!

‘No one would believe the marriage real if it happened too fast. It would be obvious it’s a business strategy. Is that what you want?’

Gisèle held her breath, willing him to deny it.

Finally he shook his head the tiniest fraction and a sliver of hope pierced her frozen lungs.

Delay would give her time to come up with an alternative, because being married to a rapacious brute who believed he had the right to mess with people’s lives was impossible. Maybe, given time, he’d change his mind. When he got to know her and realised she wouldn’t pander to his massive ego. Yet she had to proceed carefully, lest he withdraw the funding that would save Fontaine’s.

He looked thoughtful. ‘You want a public wooing, is that it?’

‘I’ll settle for a period of public amity as if we’re getting acquainted. Unless you want us to be in the news for all the wrong reasons.’

‘You’re right,’ he said finally. ‘Taking over the company will require some time anyway. But...’ He fixed her with a penetrating gaze that to Gisèle’s alarm seemed to read her like a book. ‘We’ll sign a separate contract between us, spelling out our obligations. What you’ll gain on the marriage—you’ll find I can be generous. And there’ll be a penalty if you renege after signing.’

She repressed a dismayed gasp. She felt cornered, which was exactly what he wanted. He was even more ruthless than she’d heard, and devious. No wonder he was so successful.

‘You don’t trust my word?’

He was too clever. Of course he realised she’d be looking for some way out of the deal.

‘It’s not personal, sweetheart.’ Gisèle’s pulse thudded at the casual endearment, though she knew it meant nothing. ‘The days of doing deals on a handshake are over. I don’t leave anything to chance in business.’

There it was, spelt out clearly. A business marriage. Despite everything, relief rippled through her and her high shoulders dropped a little as her tension eased. If worse came to worst and she had to go through with this, at least it was only a business arrangement. There’d be nothing...personal between them.

‘If you’re drawing up a contract, I want it spelt out that you won’t let anyone learn it’s a marriage of convenience. I insist on it.’

‘Not even your brother?’

Gisèle’s heart stopped for a second. ‘Not even Julien. This is just between us.’

That was the most important condition of all. She couldn’t allow Julien to realise she’d sacrificed herself. He already felt guilty over the company, the weight wearing him down. Which he didn’t need if he were to make a full recovery.

Nothing mattered more than that.

The company they loved would be saved. Julien would still work there and once Adam Wilde saw him in action, he’d revise his negativity and give him a key role. Julien would have purpose and his pride and, hopefully, his health.

Beside that, the inconvenience to her didn’t matter. She’d work in the area she enjoyed. She’d have to keep Adam Wilde company in public but surely eventually familiarity would obliterate the fizz in her blood she felt around him.

Even if they lived under the same roof, it would be somewhere large enough to give them both privacy. He didn’t want her for herself. He saw her as a company asset.

She’d be a trophy, not a real wife.

The idea was anathema. She’d strived all her life to establish a sense of self-worth in a world that had judged her to be less when compared with her glamorous parents. Then she’d struggled to earn respect for her work and abilities.

This man swept that aside as unimportant. Gisèle had never truly hated anyone but she came close to hating the smug Australian.

At least she wasn’t in a relationship so there would be no complications explaining her sudden faux relationship. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d dated.

She’d get through this and when Adam moved onto his next project, no doubt he’d be as ready as she to divorce.

He stretched his legs, lounging as if he didn’t have a care in the world. But the intent glitter in those mesmerising eyes betrayed that he was no idle tourist.

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