Page 23 of Billion Dollar Baby Deal

* * *

On Thursday, the signed NDA slid across his desk and he looked up to Sophie’s radiant smile.

His lawyer had sent the final draft over to him last night. Now it was official.

Noah placed the ring box on the desk “For my fiancée.”

It was the ring they had picked out. Sophie hadn’t felt comfortable taking it until they had signed the contract. Still, she only took the engagement ring, telling him to keep the wedding band until they actually got married.

She tucked the ring box into her purse. “Now what?”

“Now, we wait for the party. I already had Ryan invite the team fromNova, so everything is set in that sense. I’ll pick you up around six thirty?”

“Great,” she smiled.

Novawas a high-end, family-oriented magazine with close ties to Birch Industries. Noah had appeared in many issues when he was a kid, though he hadn’t been included in recent years due to his long-standing reputation as a player. These days he tended to be featured in billionaire business magazines and cheap gossip tabloids.

“Are you okay?” Sophie asked.

“Yeah. I was just thinking aboutNova. I used to be featured in there sometimes as a child with my family. I mean they still feature our car seats and everything, but it’s just odd to think that I’m going to be featured again… as a family man.”

“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

Noah didn’t know why he was telling Sophie these things. She didn’t need to know about his rocky relationship with his father or his neglectful childhood.

“Yeah definitely. Just an observation,” he lied. “How about we meet for lunch next week? I found a few wedding planners that might work, if you want to go through them with me.”

“Sure,” she replied, pulling her bag over her shoulder.

He watched his fiancée walk out of the office. Today she was sporting a black skirt, similar to the one she’d worn at the jewelers, and pale pink blouse.

Noah huffed in disbelief. He’d never thought he would be able to say those words. Sophie was his fiancée. It didn’t feel real.

He was finding it increasingly difficult to be around her at the office. Noah didn’t know if it was because of the night they’d shared, but Sophie looked even better lately, more enticing. Her hair, her eyes, and those tight-fitting skirts… it was like she was trying to make her presence difficult for him. Like she was determined to seduce him. It was nearly impossible for Noah not to offer to take her right there in his office.

He hoped these observations would ease with time. He had meant what he said about not wanting things to get messy. They could not sleep together again.

However, it did feel odd knowing that they were now tied to each other and saw so little of each other. Noah didn’t see or talk to Sophie outside of work, besides the odd text message relating to their arrangement, such as finding and booking a meeting with the wedding planner.

They had decided to be cautious and wait to meet the planner until after the engagement announcement. Noah needed everything to play out a certain way in order for this arrangement to work. Even if he couldn’t wait to begin seeing her outside of work.

* * *

Work went by fast, anticipation building inside him. Thankfully, his father hadn’t left the city just yet, and Noah had invited him to the end-of-quarter party, saying that he had a surprise for him.

Richard agreed to stop by for an hour.At least he agreed. Normally, every interaction with his father was planned months in advance, to the point of including a set time of arrival and departure.

Noah still had to go home and change into a more formal suit for the night. They were hosting the party at Fairview Hall, a venue favored in the city for high-society parties.

Before he knew it, his car was parked outside Sophie’s apartment building. They had agreed to arrive together to put on a more unified front.

Sophie had insisted that he didn’t need to come to her door, so instead he waited by the car. The sound of heels pulled him from his phone and he looked up to find Sophie in a long, silky red dress. Her hair was loose and flowing over her shoulders.

Noah tried to sound formally polite with his compliment and held the car door open for her.

He took a calming breath before sliding into the driver’s seat.

Her silver ring glimmered as she rested her hand over her dress. He resisted the urge to place his hand on her thigh.

---