Page 14 of Deal with Mr. Cruel

“We’ll have to save the jalapeno margaritas for another time,” he said with a wink.

She shook her head at him, trying to hold in a smile. Mae remembered the weekend trip they took to Mexico. It was during the off season and had been a spontaneous decision. It was really the only time they were out in public as a couple. In another country, they had felt far enough away from their coworkers and Jonas’s father.

They stayed at a beautiful, beachside, five-star resort and had barely left the room. The one night they did come up for air, they dined at the resort’s restaurant with a candlelit dinner. Afterward, they went up to the rooftop bar and ordered one too many jalapeno margaritas. Mae had never laughed so hard. They stumbled along the beach, stealing kisses, and wound up going for a night swim fully clothed. She had felt so free, and so happy.

Looking at Jonas now, it was hard to believe they were ever those two people.

“What happened in Mexico, stayed in Mexico,” she said, shooting him a playful look. But she felt a tinge of sadness as she said it. His eyes seemed to briefly reflect that same sadness before he blinked and looked at the bartender, who was approaching with their drinks.

“Our finest scotch and a brand-new sauvignon blanc. You’re the first to try it, miss,” said the bartender, setting their drinks down on the marble bar top.

“Wow. Thank you,” said Mae appreciatively.

Jonas gave the man a nod and turned to face her. He held his drink up.

“Cheers, Mae,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. He was up to something, but Mae held her glass out and clinked it to his.

“So, now that we have our drinks. What’s this about?”

Jonas took a sip of his scotch.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. “Is it Nico?” she asked worriedly.

Jonas held up his hand and shook his head as he swallowed his drink. “No, no.”

She waited for him to continue.

“I have a proposition for you,” said Jonas, looking down into his glass.

“A proposition?” she asked, confused. “But I’m happy in the position I am. I could never leave Braydon.”

“Not that kind of proposition.”

“What are you talking about, Jonas?” she asked. Curiosity was starting to make her impatient.

“I want you to marry me,” he said, meeting her eyes.

She nearly dropped her glass of wine.

“You what?”

“Hear me out. It wouldn’t be arealmarriage. It would just be for show.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Jonas?” she said, her voice rising.

“We’ll say we eloped. We’ll say we’ve been seeing each other secretly for a while now, and—”

“Jonas! Stop!” she said, nearly shouting. He was rambling on nonsensically. Mae felt like she was in a strange dream.

He stopped talking for a moment and she felt like she could breathe again. She waited for an explanation as he took a deep breath.

“The office will never respect me fully if they think I’m a clone of my father. I need to look like I have it all together. I need my life to look balanced—work and ‘love,’” he said, making quotation marks with his fingers as he said ‘love.’

Mae couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This had to be a joke.

“Then go on a date. Find a wife the real way,” she said.

“I don’t have time for that,” he said, shaking his head. “Plus, you’re easy.”

---