A Contract for His Runaway Bride

Later, Elodie would barely recall leaving Lincoln’s office. She’d only vaguely remember stalking past the smartly dressed receptionist and getting into the lift. Her mind was numb all the way down to the ground floor. It was still barely functioning by the time she met her twin, Elspeth, for coffee in Notting Hill half an hour later.

‘I was about to give up on you,’ Elspeth said as soon as Elodie dropped into the chair opposite with a thump. ‘Hey, are you okay? You look a little flustered. What’s wrong?’

‘Sorry I’m so late.’ Elodie placed her purse on the table. ‘My meeting ran over time.’

‘How did it go?’

Elodie was reluctant to share every detail of the meeting with her twin, even though they were close. It was still too raw.

Lincoln didn’t want to sleep with her. It was to be a paper marriage.

The one thing they had got right about their relationship was sex. They’d been dynamite together. No one could ever say there had been something wrong with their sex life. They’d been more than compatible. Why, then, did he want a hands-off arrangement? Did it mean he would have someone else on the side? That she would be humiliated by him conducting numerous affairs under her nose?

‘It was...interesting.’

Elspeth leaned forward, her eyes bright. ‘So, what was this Mr Smith like? Was he keen to back your label?’

‘He was very keen.’

‘So why are you frowning?’

Elodie let out a sigh and poured herself a glass of water from the bottle on the table. ‘Mr Smith is an alias.’ She glanced at her twin’s intrigued expression and added, ‘It was Lincoln.’

Elspeth’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Lincoln?’

‘Yup. He wants to back my label.’

‘Wow.’ Elspeth sat back in her chair, her expression puzzled. ‘Why would he want to do that?’

Elodie gave her a look. ‘Because he wants something in exchange.’

She couldn’t keep this to herself any longer. Raw as it still was, she had to talk it through with someone, and who better than her twin?

‘Me.’

Elspeth’s eyes rounded to the size of the saucer under her coffee cup. ‘He wants you back? Oh, how romantic. I always thought he still had feelings for you, and—’

Elodie pursed her lips and shifted them from side to side. ‘Not exactly. He wants me to marry him for six months. A paper marriage.’

Elspeth’s mouth dropped open. ‘A paper marriage? You mean no sleeping together? Seriously? What did you say?’

‘I said no.’

‘No?’

Elodie frowned. ‘Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I should agree to such a preposterous proposal?’

‘I guess if you said yes it would give you both time to sort out your differences. There’s clearly unfinished business between you. And if he’s going to finance your label—well, surely that’s a bonus?’

Elodie leaned her elbows on the table and, bending forward, rested her forehead on her splayed fingertips. ‘Argh! I hate that man so much. I thought I knew him so well, and yet he kept one of the most important things about himself from me.’

She lifted her head out of her hands and filled her twin in on the circumstances behind Lincoln’s proposal.

‘I knew I was right to jilt him. This proves it. He didn’t allow me to know him. The real him.’

Elspeth stroked a gentle hand over Elodie’s wrist. ‘If you can’t bear the thought of accepting the money from him, then let Mack help you. He’s happy to finance your label and—’

Elodie raised her face from her hands and sat up straighter in her chair. The thought had crossed her mind before, but she knew she could never ask her twin’s fiancé for financial help. She wanted to keep her financial affairs separate and under her control.

‘No. I can’t accept money from Mack. I have twenty-four hours before I have to give my final answer to Lincoln.’ She drummed her fingers on the table for a moment, her thoughts going around on a hamster’s wheel. ‘You know, there could be a positive spin on this... Imagine the press exposure I’d get if I went back to Lincoln. Who doesn’t love a romantic reunion story? The news of us getting back together would go viral. It would boost my profile enormously. Lincoln said it could be a win-win, but I didn’t see how until just now.’ She beamed at her twin. ‘He thinks he has me under his control, but he’s in for a big surprise.’

Elspeth chewed at her lower lip, her face etched in lines of concern. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing.’

Elodie tossed her hair back over her shoulders. ‘I know exactly what I’m doing. And, what’s more, I can’t wait to do it.’

***

Elodie dressed carefully for her follow-up meeting with Lincoln. She wasn’t vain, but she knew the good-looks fairy had been especially generous to her and her twin. And years of being in hair and make-up sessions had given her skills that rivalled some of the top professionals.

Her make-up highlighted the blue of her eyes and the updo of her hair showcased the slim length of her neck. She put on diamond droplet earrings—a gift from one of the lingerie designers. She slipped on an emerald-green designer dress gifted to her after a photo shoot. It came to just above her knee and had a deep cleavage.

She smoothed the close-fitting dress over her slim hips and turned from side to side in front of her full-length mirror. Lincoln might think he could keep her at arm’s length, but she had a point to prove. A point to win. A score to settle. He might not have ever loved her, but he’d desired her with a ferocity she knew she could trigger in him again. She’d seen the way he’d looked at her, his scorching gaze running over her body, the way he’d kept glancing at her mouth.

She smiled at her reflection. ‘Let’s see how long you can keep your hands off me now, Lincoln Lancaster.’

***