A Hollywood Deal (Ryder & Paige 1)

I’ve heard of him. He specializes in Hollywood celeb divorces. And is freakishly expensive. “I can’t afford someone like that.”

“I’ll handle it.” Ryder squeezes my hand. “Samantha, can you give us a moment?”

“Sure.” She gets up, checking her Rolex. “Let me know when you’re ready. Just FYI, I have another appointment in about half an hour.” She leaves, closing the door behind her.

“I can’t do this,” I burst out.

“Of course you can. It’s not that much money.”

“But twenty-five million for a child that isn’t even yours? And ten million on top of that for alimony? What are you thinking?”

“You said you didn’t want Shaun to have any influence over the baby. Right? Okay, so your ex won’t have any kind of sentimental hold over him, but what about money? That’s different. People do a lot of stupid things for money.” Ryder’s gaze hardens. “I’m trying to remove the temptation. Your child won’t ever get into something he shouldn’t because he needs money. That’s all.”

“But it’s too much. And child support too?”

He puts a palm up. “Not negotiable. The child deserves to be taken care of.”

“Ryder, look. I would’ve never agreed to the whole thing if I knew you were going to do this.”

The expression on his face slips. “Why not? Isn’t it enough?”

“Not enough…? What kind of person do you think I am?”

“A practical type.”

“The amount you’re proposing is out of proportion.”

He drops his hand, shrugs. “It’s not that much.”

My jaw will probably break at the rate it keeps hitting the floor.

Unable to sit still, I get up. “You’re crazy. I mean, I knew Hollywood types were crazy, but this is insane.”

“It’s not a Hollywood thing.” He stands as well. “Successful husbands usually end up giving a lot more than that to their wives when they divorce. Just watch. Even my uncle’s probably going to end up giving something to my aunt despite the prenup.”

“But they’ve been married for decades. They have five children together.” I stop and shake my head. Why am I bothering? Movie stars never make any sense anyway.

“It’s just a little insurance to ensure you’ll be all right. I told you my grandfather’s paintings are worth over fifty million apiece.”

He takes a step toward me, closing the distance.

I back up slightly and encounter the edge of the conference table. “So you’re going to hand over more than half its value?”

“Far less than half, doll. The portrait has sentimental value to me. Besides, I want to make sure you’re taken care of no matter what. You can do whatever you want with that money. Find your true passion, live life the way you want…without having to worry about putting food on the table or a roof over your head.”

His gorgeous eyes bore into mine, and I cannot look away. My heart thuds, and the thought behind the offer touches me in ways I never thought possible.

“Don’t let Samantha’s attitude make you feel bad.” He leans in and brushes my cheek with the back of his fingers. “All I’m giving you here is money. You’re helping me get something far more valuable. This is the least I can do for you.”

My throat closes around a tight ball of unease and perverse annoyance. I don’t like the way things are turning into some cold, monetary transaction. I don’t even know why it bothers me because it isn’t like we’re getting married for love.

Maybe it’s because I don’t like the unknown expectations that come with the overly generous sum. I learned a long time ago that people don’t offer you something without wanting something else back.

And I don’t know what Ryder wants in return for the money. I don’t even know why he’s offering so much. He can be generous, but he’s not frivolous with his finances. Nor is he one of those celebrities who doesn’t know what to do with his fortune or thinks that the money will keep pouring in forever and ever.

He knows more about investing and diversifying his income stream than most people. He’s into stocks, bonds, commodities, precious metals, real estate and backing other businesses as he sees fit. I’ve shuffled a lot of his paperwork for him, and I know for a fact that he makes more money off his investments than his movies.

Then the other stuff Samantha said finally sinks into me. She said if I cheat, there’ll be no alimony.