Boardroom Bully: An Enemies-to-Lovers Dark Romance Read online

  She could grind her teeth and glare at me as much as she wanted, but as long as she stayed, then I'd be happy.

  "So," I said once the waitress had trotted off with our menus to put our orders in. "Tell me about yourself."

  "Are you kidding?" Ash demanded. "We're making small talk now?"

  I shrugged a shoulder like I couldn't care less. "I don't see why not. My proposal is going to mean we have to spend a good amount of time together, so we may as well start getting to know each other now, don't you think?" I smiled at her, enjoying the way her irritation lit up her face and made her eyes burn.

  She was a pistol, that was for sure, and those were exactly the kind of women I preferred. Meek, shy women just didn't do it for me. I needed a challenge, and I needed to win.

  When it became clear I wasn't kidding, Ash sighed and shook her head. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

  "Anything, really. You're in school?"

  "Yeah. Grad school. I'm getting an MFA in Art."

  I nodded, surprised to hear that. It wasn't a very practical degree, and most people didn't bother pursuing it unless they had a passion for it. She didn't really strike me as the artsy type, so that was interesting. "Impressive. And a bit foolish, considering your money problems."

  “Money problems?”

  Her nostrils flared and I held up my hands in a gesture of peace. "Just an observation, not a judgement call," I said quickly. "You tend to speak openly when you think no one is noticing. I overheard you at the shop on a few occasions.”

  “Wow, I’ll add eavesdropping to your amazing qualities.”

  She looked ready to about murder me but I continued on, “Most people would have chosen to drop out and save themselves the trouble."

  "Well, I'm not most people. This matters to me. It's one of the first things I've ever done just because I want to do it, and I'm going to finish the program. I'm so close."

  There was a desperation in her voice, and I could only imagine how frustrating it had to be to get close to something and then be in danger of losing it because things were slipping out of your grasp.

  I'd never had money problems in my whole life, of course, but I'd had to give up on my fair share of dreams for other reasons. I didn't think she'd be too pleased about me trying to sympathize with her about it, so I kept that to myself.

  "Does your family live in the area?" I asked.

  She narrowed her eyes at me. "Why do you want to know?"

  "Remember that thing I just said a second ago about getting to know each other."

  "Yeah, but what does my family have to do with it. I have people close by who would notice if I went missing," she said.

  I couldn't help but laugh. She was definitely on her guard, and I couldn't blame her for that. She didn't know me. I could be anyone wanting to do anything, and I wasn't exactly making things easy for her, either.

  "Alright," I replied. "Fair enough. For what it's worth, I don't want to make you go missing. I'm not a serial killer or anything."

  "So you say."

  Clearly, she wasn't going to trust me until we got down to the meat of why she was here. Luckily, the service was quick, and we had our wine and food soon after.

  Ash poured sauce over her prime rib and potatoes and then looked at me expectantly. I could have insisted she let me eat first, but it would probably be better to just get to the point.

  "Alright," I said again, cutting into my fish with my fork. "Here is the proposition. You need money, yes? Pretty badly from what I overheard at the coffee shop. It probably won't surprise you to hear that I have plenty of money. Enough to make all your issues go away and then some."

  She just kept looking at me, waiting for me to get to the rest, I was sure.

  "As for what I need, well. It's a little bit complicated."

  "Spit it out, will you?" she snapped.

  "I need a wife."

  She blinked at me, and I took the moment to eat my bite of fish. Delicious. Light and flaky with a wonderful mango salsa. Could have done with a touch more salt, maybe.

  "A wife," Ash finally said. "You want me to find you a wife? I mean, no offense, but if you can't get a woman to marry you looking like you do and with your money, then I don't know how you think I can help you."

  I laughed, surprised by the compliment. "No offense taken. I don't want to date. Dating is tedious, and it makes things too complicated. No, what I need is an . . . arrangement. Someone who understands why I need a wife and needs something from me, too. To keep things even."

  Confusion flashed over her face for a second, and then she opened her mouth, gaping at me. "You have got to be kidding me. You want me to be...what the hell is wrong with you?"

  "Plenty, to hear my mother tell it," I said with a shrug. "It wouldn't be until death do us part or anything like that. One year. That's all I'm asking for. One year as my wife, enough to let me get what I need, and then we'll get divorced like every other married couple these days and go our separate ways. You'll have more money than you know what to do with, and I'll be satisfied in my own way."

  "What do you need a wife for a year for?" she asked, and I sighed internally. I'd been hoping I wouldn't have to get into this, but I supposed I was asking for a lot with not very much explanation. I ate another bite of fish and then drummed my fingers on the table, thinking of how best to explain this.

  "Are your parents still married?" I asked her.

  She nodded. "Yeah. Almost thirty years now."

  "Admirable. My parents were divorced before I was even born. They couldn't stand each other. They got married for money reasons, which is why most people I know get married. My mom got custody, even though she didn't really want it, but it was more about keeping something away from my father. Me being the something, of course. She tried to sue for child support but didn't win that battle. Instead my dad put money away into an account for me that was supposed to be for my future. I thought that meant when I turned twenty-one or twenty-five, the way most trust funds work, you know? But apparently it's an 'anniversary gift'." I made the air quotes with my fingers.

  Understanding dawned on Ash's face. "Oh. So you need to be married for a year so you can get the money," she said.

  "Exactly. It's my money, and I shouldn't have to jump through some arbitrary hoop to get it."

  "It's not exactly arbitrary though, is it?" Ash said. "I mean, he set it aside for you and your future spouse. That was nice of him."

  "He set it aside so my mom couldn't touch it," I corrected her. "And because even though she cheated on him and he never got married again, he kept believing in love until the day he died."

  "And he wanted that for you, too, obviously."

  I rolled my eyes because she didn't get it. We weren't the kind of people who believed in that sort of thing. Or at least I wasn't. I'd been around too many of my parents' screaming fights to have any thoughts about finding true love. I just wanted the money that was mine.

  "Why do you even need it?" she asked me. "If you have as much money as you claim, what's another...however much? Especially when it's so difficult to get."

  "It's fifty million dollars, give or take a few thousand here and there," I told her, and enjoyed the way her mouth dropped open. "Exactly. And up to half of it is for my 'wife', technically, so if you were to agree to my proposal, I think you can understand how rich you'd be."

  "Holy shit," she said. "That's...that's a fuck ton of money."

  "It is. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to wait a year to fix your problems. I would pay for whatever you needed while we were married as part of the deal. Your schooling, your rent, whatever. There would, of course, be things I'd need you to do for me as part of your...wifely duties, let’s call them, but other than that I'd have no expectations of you."

  I folded my hands and watched her think it through. As strange as it sounded, it was a good opportunity. As she had pointed out, I was attractive and rich, so there were worse things than being saddled with me for a year. Especiall
y when she was already having problems. All she had to do was say yes, and they would all go away.

  “Wifely duties?” she asked. “What like making you dinner and doing your laundry?”

  I laughed, shaking my head. “Nothing like that. I have other people for that. I’d want my wife to perform different services for me.” I gave her a significant look, hoping she’d catch on.

  Judging by how red her face got, she understood.

  “Are you serious?” she demanded. “That’s what you want? I should have known.”

  “People have needs, Ashlyn,” I said. “And I couldn’t have a partner who wasn’t taking care of mine.” It really was as simple as that.

  She opened her mouth like she had something to say and then closed it again, shaking her head. “So, isn’t that what a mistress is for? To help you get your rocks off in whatever way you needed to that your wife wouldn’t?”

  “That’s not the sort of man I am. I want a partner. Not a partner and a mistress.”

  “That’s...you realize how insane this sounds, right?”

  “Are you attracted to me?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me, “You already know that answer to that question.”

  “Exactly. Sex is a pleasurable exchange between two people who find each other attractive. You find me attractive, as I do you.” I lifted my wine, “What’s the problem, then?”

  “This is ridiculous. You’re asking me to marry you. A literal stranger. You have to have someone else who can do this. An ex-girlfriend still in love with you—or some booty call.” She pushed her hair behind her ear, “I don’t get it. Why me?”

  “I want you, it’s that simple. And I’m not interested in anyone who has any previous emotional investment. It’s a business arrangement. No feelings involved, so what does it matter?”

  “I think it matters a lot! I always thought when someone proposed to me it would be someone I loved. Or maybe someone I didn’t, but at least I’d know them for longer than an hour.”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “The world moves in mysterious ways. You don’t have to decide right now.”

  Ash was still shaking her head, and she put her napkin down on the table and stood up. “I’m not interested,” she said. “Thanks for the thought, but it’s just too weird. I hope you find someone else.”

  She shot me a tight smile and then walked away.

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