Page 23 of His Perfect Woman

She turned to face me—those big, beautiful dark eyes burning into mine. “It’s not about what I want. It’s a part of this whole deal. I’m sure we can make it fun. Drinks and dressing up. Your whole family should come, of course. I’ll get Camille to help me plan it.”

“I can help, too, you know.” I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. A few weeks ago, an engagement, much less a party to celebrate it, would have been the furthest thing from my mind. Now I was offering to help plan one...with Victoria, of all people.

My life was turning into something unrecognizable. Like I had officially lost it and slipped into one of my fantasies, but this time I would never snap back to reality.

“I’ll need everyone’s help.” She laughed, dragging her hands down her face. “Oh, god. This is all so surreal. I know how to plan events, don’t get me wrong. But an engagement party? A wedding? This isn’t really my forté.”

“Can’t be too different from what you’re used to. Those things are just publicity stunts. A chance for people to show off and have their picture taken. Just like any other PR event you’ve put together.”

She wrinkled her brows, smiling. “That’s not all they are, Lucas. They’re about love and celebrating that with family and friends.”

I felt something catch in my throat. I wished I could make her understand these events would mean that for me, too.

“But I guess we’ll be celebrating...friendship,” she offered.

I nodded. “Friendship. An arranged marriage and pregnancy.”

“Platonic love,” she sighed, rolling over to nestle up against the pillows and sheets.

I couldn’t resist curling my body against hers, wrapping my arms around her. She pulled my hand under her cheek and grew quiet, still...drifting off to sleep. The lines were all blurred, but if she wasn’t complaining...neither was I. I would take as many nights sleeping by her side as I could get.

13

Victoria

The ballroom we’d booked for the engagement party was decked out to the nines with hanging lights and chandeliers. A full wait staff stalked people with trays overflowing with champagne, caviar, and hors d'oeuvres—all leading up to a formal three-course seated dinner. But first, there were cocktails and mingling, then dancing would come after dessert.

It was like a fairy tale, and Lucas and I made sure to dress our parts for the fairy-tale romance we were trying to sell everyone. He looked better than ever in his tux, and I had the hook-up for a couture gown on loan from a friend who worked with all the top designers in the city. She managed to snag me a simplistic, chic, but very elegant and expensive dress in blush pink with intricate folds of fabric around the bust and silky, flowing fabric that overlapped and broke apart for a killer slit at my thigh. It was the perfect mix of sexy and respectable.

The star accessory to my evening attire was the ring Lucas had picked out. It was on my to-do list to grab a ring eventually, but he surprised me with one that I knew had to cost a fortune. I wasn’t sure how he pulled off the six carat diamond with its eighteen carat white gold band, but I wasn’t complaining. Maybe he had a few contacts of his own that he enlisted to help.

“Good evening, Mrs. Meadows.” He flashed me a charming grin as we found our way back to each other amidst the crowd.

“I never agreed to taking your last name,” I groaned, rolling my eyes.

“Fine, Mrs. Meadows-Sloan. How are you enjoying the party?”

I looked around the room—all the sparkling jewelry hanging from our guests and the smell of pure money in the air. “It’s...extravagant, that’s for sure. Definitely something for anyone to envy.”

“That’s the goal, right?”

I sipped my champagne and smiled with a swell of accomplishment. “It sure is.”

“Well, I don’t think anyone envies this party as much as every guy in the room is envying me,” he noted, looking me up and down. “Damn, Vic. You have got to be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

“Glad you feel that way because it would be awfully bad press if we didn’t leave here together,” I quipped, cutting my eyes across the numerous women in the room who had been gawking at him all night. It proved a long-standing theory of mine. Most women want a hot, rich, powerful boyfriend, so Lucas was often lusted after. But you declare that man as taken, and suddenly, he’s irresistible.

“But outside of that, this whole arrangement will really do wonders for your sex life,” I teased him. “I’ve never seen so many women look quite this thirsty; they’ve been eyeing you tonight.”

He wrinkled his brow and tensed up. “I’m less concerned with them and more so with where you plan on staying the night. Back to my place after the party?” He leaned in close and ran his hand down to my butt, giving it a quick squeeze. “More baby making,” he added in my ear with a sexy rasp.

I laughed, but it all still felt a little weird. Actually...what was weird was how it didn’t feel unusual or unnatural at all, but it seemed like it should. And I had yet to find a way to shake the uneasiness of that.

“That is what the press is expecting,” I replied. “And after a big affair like this, they might very well be stalking us afterwards. So, yes. I suppose I will stay with you tonight. And maybe, if you’re lucky, I won’t be too drunk from all this champagne to work on the second part of that proposal with you.”

“Do you always have to talk about everything like it’s a work transaction?”

“Isn’t it, though?”

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