Page 28 of Royal Charmer
“Lucas, if you go through with this, the only recourse we’d have in the event of the inevitable public relations nightmare is to disassociate ourselves from you and your dishonesty. You could never have anything to do with our business again. Neither of us wants that.”
I silently seethe, furious at the threat of cutting me off permanently, but not trusting myself to speak.
He turns and strides to the door, stopping with his hand on the knob. “I understand her appeal. Anna is quite taken with her. Just keep business and pleasure separate. I’m sure you’ll present to the bankers just fine on your own with all your experience as an angel investor.”
“Thank you.” I appreciate the vote of confidence even if I don’t agree with dropping the fake engagement. Improving my image by looking like a committed man can only help.
He lets himself out.
I stare at the desk. Am I willing to risk my place in the business to stick to the fake engagement? Yes. I want this bank loan to go through with me as CFO as quickly as possible. Then I’ll have proven myself for my ultimate goal of becoming CEO. Even Gabriel still sees me as the globe-trotting party guy. It’s why he won’t give me any real authority. The ends justify the means. And I can’t let Alice down.
What Gabriel doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
~ ~ ~
I had dinner with Alice last night at her request, though I was reluctant at first. My attraction to her grows every time I see her, and I don’t want to get too close. I admit I agreed to dinner out of a sense of obligation, so we could fill each other in on the stuff an engaged couple should know about each other. She dashed off immediately afterward to write more of her long-overdue story. Bit of an ego hit that she prefers her laptop to prolonging our time together, but it’s probably for the best.
Her natural good humor made it easy to say yes to tonight’s dinner. The conversation is relaxed and, as long as there’s some distance between us, our time together is all in good fun. I watch as she digs into her chocolate mousse, her expression rapturous. She loves chocolate more than anything. I can take it or leave it.
Tomorrow night, Friday, we’ll meet Gabriel’s friend, the banker Jules Marchand, and his wife, Celeste, for dinner in Paris. Gabriel knows them from the charity-dinner circuit. I told Jules in our brief phone call that I’d be bringing my famous author fiancée, and it turns out his wife is a big fan. This fake engagement is working out even better than I thought, and I’m glad I stuck with it. Alice will be a boon to me at the dinner, so, in return, I’ve arranged for us to spend the weekend for some sightseeing. She’s never been to Paris.
I didn’t tell Anna I was still planning on bringing Alice to the meeting, not wanting to sow discord between her and Gabriel. I also didn’t tell Alice that Gabriel told me not to play fake fiancé with her. It’s just one meeting. By the time anyone notices that Alice and I are away together, the deal will be done.
I take a sip of brandy, contemplating what goes on in Alice’s creative brain. I read her bookThe Duke’s Darethe same night I got it in an attempt to distract myself from thinking about our practice kiss. I held back with that kiss, trying to keep my distance, but I didn’t miss how soft her lips were, her sexy scent, the pink of her cheeks. In any case, the story was smart, witty, emotional, and extremely sexy. Her duke might have formal manners, but he certainly was no slouch in the bedroom. Though he did spout some flowery words no man would ever spout in the heat of passion. I can only conclude that Alice has never truly felt the heat of passion. What can you expect when she dates men like her geeky ex?
Not my business.
But, hell, sometimes it is. Her ex keeps leaving her voicemails and sending texts pleading with her to talk. She says he probably wants to apologize. Like that can make up for what he did.Break up and move on!A good reminder that I don’t need the complication of getting embroiled in her drama. I’ve got enough trouble of my own trying to take my rightful place in the business.
A short while later, I escort Alice back to her room, keeping her hand tucked in the crook of my elbow, which I’ve learned is the only way to prevent her from sprinting to her laptop. Last night when she made a run for it, she nearly knocked over our oldest servant. Albert held onto her arms for balance and then pretended it was him helping her, intoning, “Steady there, ma’am.”
My mind skips ahead to tomorrow night’s dinner meeting. I should go over the numbers again tonight to be sure I have them memorized.
Alice turns to me. “Are you super nervous about tomorrow night, or just a little nervous?” Funny how she can sense that. She’s remarkably in tune with me. Most people just see my casual easygoing smile and believe there’s nothing deeper.
“Which part would I be nervous about? Convincing the banker, playing engaged to a woman I just met three days ago, or proving myself to Gabriel?”
She gives me a gentle smile. “Aww, you’re super nervous.” She stops walking and looks up at me, gazing deep into my eyes. I get the sudden feeling that she can see the real me without all the charming princely trappings. “Listen, you and I are perfectly believable as a couple. We know all the important stuff, and I’ve got the ring.” She holds up her hand, showing off the round ruby surrounded by a ring of diamonds. It’s from the royal vault. She’s unaware of the value, or that it was my grandmother’s ring. I told her I had it express delivered from an online jeweler and that the ruby was imperfect, so it was a bargain. It was the only way I could get her to wear it.
She gets distracted by the ring, turning it this way and that. “You must need a microscope to see the imperfection in this ruby. It looks perfect to me. I can’t believe you got this at a bargain. What a steal!”
I murmur noncommittally.
She meets my eyes again, seeming to remember herself, and says fiercely, “You are a badass businessman. You’ve got this. You did your due diligence and this will go great. So just imagine us celebrating afterward with champagne, okay?” She smiles, and my heart thumps harder. Her smile does that to me. It used to feel like a triumph to see it emerge; now it feels like a gift.
I gaze into her bright blue eyes, momentarily dazed. It’s not just her smile. It’s that she sees past the hard-partying rep I’ve cultivated. Shebelievesin me. That means something, especially now while I’m working so hard to prove myself in the family business.
I tear my gaze away. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I resume our walk to her suite, tucking her hand in the crook of my arm. “It’s far from a sure thing, and Gabriel is a whole other matter. I don’t know what it will take to make him see what I’m capable of.”
“Maybe he’s a gotta-see-it-to-believe-it kind of guy. So you’ll show him. You got this, tiger!” She pulls her hand from my elbow and gives me a soft punch to the bicep. Somewhere along the way she got comfortable with me. Royals are untouchable for the most part.
“Fair warning,” she says, “I’m not much for small talk. I’m just going to follow your lead and smile in the background as your fiancée.”
“Now you tell me,” I tease. “I’m going to have to do all the hard work.”
She snaps her fingers at me. “Quick, what’s my favorite food?”
“Anything chocolate. What are my siblings’ names?”
