Marriage of Convenience (The Raven Brothers 1)

My brows shot up as I began to understand what he was going to propose. At least, what I thought he was going to propose.

“You need money and resources. I think we can help each other,” he said.

“You want me to marry you so you can get the company?”

He nodded. “In return, you’ll have a place to live, an allowance, access to my network and resources, and ten million dollars to do with as you wish when it’s all said and done.”

Holy smokes. Ten million dollars! I couldn’t even imagine that much money. At the same time, he was doing exactly what every other man with power over me had done. The difference was the payoff.

“You accused me of seducing you for money or marriage, and now you’re here offering me money to marry you.”

He had the decency to look chagrined, when he said, “Yes.”

“Is there anything else I have to do besides marry you?” I couldn’t believe I was actually asking this. I should have been telling him to go to hell.

“You have to have my child.”

I choked. “What?” I thought the marriage thing was crazy, but having his baby was nuts. Did this sort of thing happen a lot with rich people?

“When the agreement is done, you walk away with ten million to do what you want. You won’t be a poor woman anymore,” he said as calmly as if he was asking me to sort data on a spreadsheet.

“No.”

His eyes narrowed as he cocked his head. “No?”

I shook my head. Did he really think a woman would walk away from her child? “I’m not so proud that I’d turn down being your wife, but I’m not having your baby and I’m especially not leaving one to you to raise.”

His jaw tensed. “You say that like you think there’s something wrong with me or that I wouldn’t be a good father.”

I couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping. “Do you hear yourself? You’re hiring me to play your wife and sell you a baby. You don’t want either. They’re just pawns in a game, so no, I don’t think you’ll be a good husband or father.”

“And you’re willing to walk away from ten million dollars because of that.” His face hardened. I wondered if anyone ever said no to Chase.

“Yes. I know what it’s like to live in a world where people don’t care about you. If you think I’m going to subject another person, a child… my child… to that, you’re crazy.”

“The child will have the best of everything. Nannies, tutors, resources.”

“What about love, Chase? No amount of money would induce me to have a child grow up feeling abandoned by his mother and raised by a father who didn’t really want him.” I picked up my purse. I had no idea what I where I was going to go, but I couldn’t stay here.

“What would it take?” he asked.

I turned to him. “What?”

“What would it take to induce you?”

I gaped at him. Was he really going to push this? I began to see just how important this was to him.

He slid his hands into his pockets, a relaxed move that belied the tension in his face. “What if you stay? You can raise the child. We’ll live as a family. You’ll have some limitations on what you can do that you wouldn’t have if you took the money and left, but if it’s important to you, we can continue the arrangement.”

“What if you meet a woman you do want to marry? Then what?”

He shook his head. “Won’t happen.”

“What if you meet one you want to fuck?” I surprised myself using such a vulgar word. “Is that part of the arrangement too? That I have to take care of your manly needs?”

“Fucking is part of baby making,” he quipped.

“After that. When we’re pretending to be a happy family.” The other night, I thought I’d die if he didn’t touch me. Now I was repulsed by the idea.

“I like to fuck, Sara, but I’m not like Hunter. I can go without. What I can’t miss is running this company someday. If you don’t want me to fuck you, I won’t and I won’t fuck anyone else either.”

I hated to admit it, but I was beginning to think I could agree to this crazy plan. The idea of security wasn’t enough to make me hand over a child to a man like Chase, but if I could stay and be a mom, maybe I could do that. With a child, I’d finally have someone to love who’d love me back for me, not just because of my body. I pictured taking my baby to the park, teaching it how to read, and watching it play sports. All I had to do was turn my life over to Chase for the next eighteen years.