Page 11 of The American

Thad wasn’t sure how to respond. “But a wedding? That is overstepping, surely.”

Sage looked away but said, “I think Zachary’s right.”

“What?” Thad couldn’t believe she would agree.

“It would be the news of the year. The public is engaged. I’ve been paying attention. There are polls of how long it will take before they catch a kiss on camera.”

Thad groaned. “I’m surprised we aren’t swamped by paparazzi.”

“Well, NYC is a big place. Security keeps them away from the building complex. But as soon as it leaks where we live…”

Thad became concerned. “I have security at my penthouse, our country’s bodyguards follow me around and live there. Perhaps you should come stay with me?”

She laughed. “See. You are already planning the wedding.”

Frustrated, for the first time Thad considered returning home. It was one thing to put himself at the mercy of the public eye, to try to manipulate the press, but a totally different risk to involve someone else. “Perhaps I should go back home.”

“Oh no. Then I’m the jilted CEO.”

“Really, how much does this matter? You are running a proper business, you know, with legitimate stock holders.”

“It’s all part of the experiment, but I submit that it matters very much.”

A part of Thad wanted to drop the whole plan and try to be CEO like he’d always hoped. But he knew they wouldn’t keep him on if the marketing plan didn’t come with it. That was part of their agreement. That stung, but he couldn’t blame them. He watched Sage. Could he do this? He knew his heart would become engaged. Was it possible to give the allusion of love and marriage without actually falling in love? And what would happen if their plan was revealed. “This could backfire in an instant. The press doesn’t like to be fooled.”

“Then don’t fool them.” Zachary’s eyes held challenge.

Sage opened her mouth. Then closed it, then frowned. “What are you saying? Really get married?”

Zachary picked up a file on his desk. “Here is the paperwork to apply for a marriage license. I suggest you date, publicly, put on a whole romance show, get married in the biggest event of the decade, go on an elaborate honeymoon and then pose for ‘happy couple’ marketing pictures.”

Thad sat back in his chair. “When you put it like that, it sounds nice.”

But Sage leaned forward. “Are you listening to yourselves? We have families.”

Zachary held up a hand. “And they can’t know it’s a farce. We cannot risk that the word would sneak out.”

Thad stood and started pacing at the back of the office. “She’d have to come to my country for a separate ceremony there, not to marry us but to acknowledge her as a new princess of Torren. Zachary, this is larger than you realize. And the subsequent divorce would bring out a whole slew of negative feelings in Torren. I need to think of my country. When we marry, we marry for keeps in the Valdez family. I would be the first divorced royal in generations.

Sage’s worry lines calmed and for a brief moment she smiled in support. Then she put her head back in her hands.

Zachary stood. “Think about it. If you can find a better option, I’m all ears, but if not, I would like you two married in six months.”

Chapter 7

Sage suggested they go to breakfast somewhere. “Let’s get out of this office. We need to think.” She needed to really think. All by herself. But first she needed to make a few things perfectly clear to Thad.

“But I need a white board to think.”

“Ok, let’s order in and we will use the far corner conference room and lock the door.”

“And turn off the intercoms.”

“Oh right, no, we need to go somewhere else.” Somewhere no one could listen in.

“My place.” Thad smiled as though it were suggestive. She knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but something about being at his place felt too overwhelming. She swallowed and tried to smile in return. “Okay.”

They climbed out of the taxi and entered a beautiful sky-rise on the west side of the park. This part of Manhattan almost felt spacious. The doorman fist bumped Thad and they joked for a minute. Thad introduced her to the man, Sammy, who told her about his wife and new baby. She enjoyed the interchange and when they at last headed to the elevator, she felt she had made a new friend.

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