Page 58 of Cowboy's Sinful Bargain

I smirked. "Those instant baggies will do just fine. Just drop four or five of them into the teapot to seep."

First Uncle prided himself on his tea collection. He'd had it imported from all over the world. The instant teabags we had could be bought for less than three dollars for ten individual baggies.

I hoped he choked on it.

By the time I walked back into the living room, everyone was seated except Jos. He stood behind one of the large wingback chairs. He gestured for me to come sit and then stood behind the chair.

Besides First Uncle, the lawyer, and the bodyguard, two other bodyguards and an older man about First Uncle's age had joined us along with a young woman I had never seen before in my life.

I tried not to look nervous as I reached back and grasped the hand Jos had settled on my shoulder.

I doubted I fooled anyone.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" I asked.

"You need to come back to Japan."

"No." It was that simple. "I live here now."

Besides, First Uncle had made it more than clear that he hated the very air I breathed. He should be jumping for joy that I didn't want to go back.

First Uncle sent Harold Sato a deep glare. I didn't know what he had against my grandfather's lawyer, but it was clear there was a strong dislike there.

"You were never supposed to leave Japan, Mitsuaki. Your grandfather made that choice, not me," First Uncle stated. "A marriage had already been arranged for you with the Tanaka family."

That was probably why I had been spirited out of the country within hours of my grandfather's death. My grandfather probably knew what would happen to me once he died.

Kind of made me wonder why he had arranged for me to get married when I got here. Had he known about the prearranged engagement?

I glanced at the woman, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the person First Uncle had arranged for me to marry. "I'm already married."

"So I understand, but that can be changed."

No way, no how.

I patted Jos's hand when I felt it tighten on my shoulder. "I am already married to Jos." Apparently, I needed to repeat that because First Uncle wasn't getting it.

"It's a marriage of convenience so that you can stay in the United States, Mitsuaki. While divorce does not have a good connection to it, once you get back to Japan no one will know what you have done."

He said it like I should be ashamed of having married Jos.

I wasn't.

"I'll know."

First Uncle snapped his fingers. Mr. Sato opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers, setting them on the coffee table between us.

"The marriage is in name only, Mitsuaki. Sign these and it will be over and you can go back to Japan and marry the woman your family has carefully chosen for you."

"It's not a marriage in name only." A warm smile spread across my lips as I tiled my head back and looked up at my husband. "It has been fully consummated many, many times."

I winced when dead silence met my statement. Maybe I shouldn't have added that last part.

"Oh, just a head's up. I'm gay so marriage to a woman won't work."

Probably shouldn't had added that either, but I was beyond caring at this point. First Uncle had made my entire life miserable and if he thought he could come in now that I had found a bit of happiness and rip it away from me, he was wrong.

I stood, making sure to keep a firm hold of Jos's hand. "Now, if that's everything you came to say, you can see yourselves out. We need to get back to work. I have a horse that needs my attention."

---