Page 9 of Acquiring Ainsley
That’s why I couldn’t shake the notion that there had to be something in all of this for him, something more than just the latest business deal. A man who could get anything didn’t do things because he “felt like it.”
“What’s the catch?” I whispered. “You aren’t proposing this out of the goodness of your heart—if you have one. I know that much.”
Trevor leaned forward. “The catch, my dear, isyou.”
The way he said this made my stomach lurch. What in the world could that comment mean? The words alone were loaded enough, but his tone backed up the hints that he wanted to play a deeper game.
“Please,” I said, trying to keep the word as even as possible. “Do elaborate.”
Trevor raised one eyebrow. “It’s no secret that I’ve known your family for years.” He shifted his weight in his seat and gave Ashton a puzzled look. “How long has it been? A decade? Two?”
“About that,” Ashton affirmed. “At least.”
“Stop drawing this out.” I pounded my fist on the table. “I’m sick of it.”
“Come on.” Trevor cocked his head. “You mean you don’t want to take a trip down memory lane?”
I winced. No, I didnotwant to do that.
Don’t let him see how much he rattles you, Ainsley…
“I’d hardly call it memory lane,” I said. “You don’t mean enough to me to be anything I would remember.”
Trevor bit back a smirk, then let a loud laugh escape his lips. “Is that so? It won’t be that way forever, princess.”
I stiffened at the pet name. I didn’t like how it sounded on his lips.
He went on. “This time, I promise you, you are going to remember me.”
The three of us fell silent. We had history between us, and it weighed down the room like a heavy burden on each of our backs. For me, it felt mostly like revulsion. I didn’t have the pleasure of feeling that way about many people, but I did about Trevor McNamara.
“So,” Ashton said, breaking the awkwardness. “Now that we’ve got it all out there, how is everything else going? I was sorry to hear that your Aunt Margo died earlier this year.”
Leave it to my brother to avoid conflict by making small talk.
“Thanks.” Trevor glanced for a moment at the Warhol on the far end of the room. “Cancer is cruel. Breast cancer, especially.” When he looked back at Ashton, and then at me, his expression had resumed its trademark stoniness. “Margo did a lot for me. I owe her everything. I’m sure you can understand why it was a huge loss.”
“We do,” Ashton said.
We? I clenched my jaw. Ashton should speak for himself.Ididn’t understand a single thing about Trevor McNamara. Never had. Probably never would. But then I rethought the moment. Even if I didn’t like Trevor, his aunt’s death had been tragic. I relaxed my shoulders a little bit.
“So, that leads us back here. To today. What do you want from me?” I asked. “Besides basically everything?”
Trevor flipped open the large file still lying on the table. “It’s no secret that I have access to anyone and anything that I want. Business has been good for me.” He took a few of the top pages from the file and set them aside. “But I still lack the one thing that I need to make it in this town.” He lifted his gaze and met mine, penetrating me. “And that’s a name. Legitimacy. A place in high society.”
“You’re from Queens.” I swallowed and decided to play the one card I had left. “The outer boroughs. You might have lost the accent when you gained your degree from Harvard, but it’s still there. It surrounds you like a stench. Like bad cologne. No matter what you do, it will never leave you.”
“A big piece of you enjoys this, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.” I kept my steely gaze locked with his. “You’ll never be like us, Trevor. You’ll always be a man from the outer boroughs. All the money you can find won’t change that. In fact, that’s the one piece your father could never play during his competition with my dad.”
Trevor stiffened. “I expected you’d say something like that. You know, you New York blueblood families are all the same. You think you can keep those of us who are up and coming in business out forever. You think you can hold things against us. I’m here to tell you that you can’t.” He folded his arms on the table. “But in this situation, you need me. I’m going to bail you out. Keep you from a lifetime of embarrassment. I’m the one who can help you maintain your position, but I want something in return.”
I quirked an eyebrow.
“Marriage,” Trevor announced with a tone of sadistic satisfaction. “I want you to marry me, Ainsley.”
Be bold. Take risks. Don’t be afraid of unknown outcomes. I lived my whole life like that. But even I had to admit, this might have been the most audacious question I’d ever asked. And one I never expected to ask as part of a business deal.
