Page 7 of Ignacio

Ignacio waited while they had an animated conversation. She was clearly against the idea, but daddy dearest would convince her to go along with the plan. He always did.

Edward controlled her life, and she fell in line. No matter how questionable the terms of the “agreement,” Ignacio understood the most important thing to that man—to them—was the potential windfall. Her career would be back on top, and it was worth the risk of joining with him—without a contract—to get her there.

The conversation ended, and they returned to face Ignacio.

“We’ve come to a decision,” Edward began. “We agree to your terms. This arrangement will last as long as it takes for youto secure funding for your film and for her to release her first single.”

“How long before she releases her first single?” Ignacio asked.

“She’s been in the recording studio. Her first single should be out in a few months. Does that work for you?”

“Fine by me. As long as she performs her girlfriend duties to the best of her ability,” Ignacio drawled.

“Of course she will,” Edward said, sounding offended. “And so will you?”

“Yes, but Delta hasn’t said much since the two of you arrived. I want to hear her say she’s in agreement and will perform her girlfriend duties to the best of her ability.”

Edward nudged her, and she glared at Ignacio. If she could rip his head off with those pretty pink nails, he was certain she would.

“I agree to perform my girlfriend duties in this ridiculous arrangement to the best of my ability,” she said, barely getting the words past stiff lips.

Ignacio stepped closer, completely ignoring her father. “Can I trust you, Delta?”

“Yes.”

“I hope so. That hasn’t always been the case.”

She angled her head higher. “There’s a lot at stake for both of us. I don’t think it would be in anyone’s best interest to reveal the truth about our arrangement or to renege.” She smiled tightly, with no teeth, which wasn’t a smile at all.

“Are the two of you done?” Edward’s deep voice interrupted. “You should probably brush aside your hangups for the overall good.”

His response suggested that he had forgotten his role in their split eleven years ago. Delta had broken his heart, crushed his spirit, and almost caused him to give up on his love of makingmovies. And she had used her father as her messenger of destruction.

Ignacio slid his gaze to Edward. “I’d like to speak to Delta in private, please.”

Her father looked surprised, then straightened his shoulders. “All right. I’ll step outside and let you talk.” With a final glance at his daughter, he went onto the balcony and closed the door behind him.

Standing in the room alone with his ex, Ignacio experienced the unexpected crack of electricity. Delta was born to be a star. A dancer and singer with lethal curves, she was beautiful and sexy, with dark chestnut skin, dark eyes, and thick lashes naturally curling back toward her lids. Her pouty lips invited kisses, whether bare or covered in maroon lipstick like they were today.

“I don’t start filming my next movie for six months, so I’m moving back to Atlanta during that period. It’ll give me time to polish my script and work on securing funding. I had planned to rent a place, but if you and I are going to pretend to be a couple, you should come house-hunting with me. Nothing says we’re a couple like looking for a place together.”

“Fine by me,” she said in a bored tone.

Her lack of enthusiasm aggravated him. “If you don’t want to do this, say the word and I’ll walk away.”

Her pretty eyes narrowed. “Your flippant attitude isn’t fooling me, Ignacio. If my father’s right, and you’re having difficulty securing funding for your movie, you’re in the same situation I am. So as much as you’d like to pretend you’re doing me a favor, you need me as much as I need you.”

Needher? He’d spent the last eleven yearsnotneeding her, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to start now.

Ignacio stepped closer, looking down at her with insolence. “That’s where you’re wrong, Delta,mi amor. I don’t need you. Don’tevermake the mistake of thinking that I need you.”

The tension in the room quadrupled, and he felt the change in the stiffness of his muscles. Turning away, he walked to the love seat to give himself time to calm down.

“You couldn’t wait to say that, could you?”

“I wanted to make sure we understood each other.”

She swallowed, then her expression shuttered as she hid her true feelings. She’d always been good at masking her emotions. After all, she’d convinced him that she loved him, right up until she had her father do her dirty work and dump him like trash.

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