Marriage of Convenience (The Raven Brothers 1)

Her face flashed with a mixture of pain and annoyance. “Everyone does.”

I shook my head. “What does that mean?”

She looked up at me, and this time I saw a fire in her eyes. “You and everyone else assumes that just because I have a good body, I use it.”

Now I did feel like an asshole jerk. I wasn’t like everybody, was I?

No I wasn’t. Great body or not, I respected women. “I’d have never touched you if I’d known.” Or maybe I would have, but I’d have taken more care. Instead, her first time was a frenetic wild ride on my hall table.

“I thought you would stop if you knew, and I didn’t want you to. I wanted to have sex with you.”

My warning bell went off in my brain. I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why? What are you after Sara? Are you going to blackmail me? Use this to sue the company? Try to worm your way into a marriage?”

She shocked me by laughing derisively. I felt it like a slap.

“Men are ridiculous. You’re angry that I’ve never had sex and at the same time accusing me of using sex to get something I want. Which is it, Chase? Am I innocent or a whore?”

I wasn’t going to take the bait. “You said you wanted to have sex with me. Why me?”

She sighed and I saw the fight leave her, although she didn’t look defeated. She was more like resigned. “I thought you were different from the others. You made me feel different.” She picked up her purse. “But you’re not.”

“What’s your story?” I asked working to keep from defending myself.

She shrugged. “I’m a poor girl with no support, no money, and very little life experience, who is simply trying to make her way in the world.”

“By seducing rich men?”

She flinched. “I’d do anything to have a man really see me.”

“I see you just fine.” What the fuck was she talking about?

“No. You see these,” she said cupping her breasts. “It’s all any man sees. No one sees me.” She picked up her purse and started toward the elevator.

I didn’t like that she kept making me out to be an asshole so I let her go. “My driver will take you home.”

She stepped into the elevator and didn’t acknowledge me as the doors closed.

Fucking hell. I messaged down to my driver to let her know she was coming down and to take her home. Then I went to my bar and poured three-fingers of scotch. Jesus, what the fuck just happened?

I drank the scotch in one gulp and poured more. Taking it to my couch, I sat, pinching the bridge of my nose.

I’m a poor girl with no support, no money, and very little life experience, who is simply trying to make her way in the world.

Yeah right, I thought. She might have been a virgin, but she was smart and not necessarily innocent. She knew the way men saw her and used that to her advantage. I supposed it was a testament to her skill that she hadn’t had to give up the goods to get where she was. Until now. Until me.

I ignored her comments about her thinking I was different. I’m a fucking man with a dick. Of course, I saw her body.

The question was, what was her plan? What was she after or was she really just trying to move up in the world?

I’m a poor girl with no support, no money, and very little life experience, who is simply trying to make her way in the world.

I sat up as a thought flashed in my head. I’m a rich man in need of a wife and child to get my inheritance.

10

Sara

I woke to a pounding headache and churning in my stomach. I’d never had a hangover, but I understood that those were the signs. Then again, perhaps it was from the roller coaster ride I was on last night that ended in humiliation.

I laid in bed playing out the entire night before in my head. Chase arriving looking so powerful and handsome in his dark slacks, crisp white shirt, and a coat. It wasn’t much different from the suits he wore at work except he didn’t wear a tie, giving him a more relaxed look.

Did he often ride in a limo or did he do that for me? And the champagne! Hangover notwithstanding, I loved the feel of the bubbles and giddiness the cold drink gave me. At the same time, I had to blame the drink for lowering my inhibitions and had me kissing him and then letting him take me to his place. Although, I might have done that completely sober too. Chase was a potent man that made my body burn just by looking at him. What a cruel trick for Cupid to play on me. The one man who made me feel like a woman turned out to be like all the rest. I really thought he saw me differently. Yes, he was attracted to me, but he hadn’t been lewd about it. Because he praised my work, I’d thought he saw me as more than just my body. Boy had I been wrong.