Rossi was intimidating the moment I stepped out of the elevator. A beautiful chrome-and-leather motorcycle was mounted to the burnt-red wall beneath Rossi’s insignia. To its left was a glass-and-chrome reception desk, which was empty. That made sense, though. Most employees didn’t start arriving for another hour.
I strode past the empty desk, swiveling my head left and right. The offices up here were all glass, so it was easy to see most were still unoccupied. The glowing light coming from the corner acted as a beacon. I didn’t know for a fact it was Luca’s office, but I could take a wild guess.
As I drew closer, I spotted Luca behind his desk, typing away at his computer. The top button of his shirt was undone, and his tie was loose around his neck. He looked more himself than when he was perfectly tidy and coiffed. The stiff, starched version didn’t suit the man I’d met a handful of times.
I knocked on his open door. “Good morning.”
His head jerked up, startled. “Hey. Shit. Time escaped me. Come in, and please close the door behind you.”
It seemed silly to close the door when the office was made of pure glass and no one was around to hear us, but then Luca picked up a remote, and the glass became opaque.
“Wow.” I spun around to check out the unexpected turn of events. “That’s pretty badass.”
He chuckled, but it sounded strained. “Another perk of the job.”
I faced him and, without invitation, sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Private elevators and remote-controlled windows. What will you tell me next? You have access to the water cooler?”
This time, his laugh came out a little more freely. “I can drink all the water I want. It’s the only reason I haven’t quit.”
I grinned at him. “That would do it for me. Though, if this is how early you normally show up to work, it might not be worth it.”
“Not a morning person, Saoirse?”
How did this man make me go from lighthearted to drenched panties from the simple act of saying my name? My thighs pressed together of their own volition, and I shifted in my chair in an attempt to cover up the move.
“No, Luca. I’m definitely a night owl.”
He leaned forward on his forearms, clasping his hands together on his desk. “As am I. My lifestyle has done a one-eighty since I took this position. I’ve already hit the gym with Elliot and Weston.”
“I won’t pretend I’ve done anything other than drag myself out of bed and get dressed. Are you going to explain why I had to show up so early?”
“I have something I want to discuss with you. A business proposition outside the scope of your job at Rossi.”
“Okay. You have me intrigued. Shoot.”
He turned his head to read something off his computer screen. “Your mother is Senator Lily Smythe-Kelly, correct?”
My stomach instantly dropped, but my disappointment in Luca didn’t pin me to my chair. I was up in a flash, indignation spurring me on.
“I won’t discuss my mother with you. If Rossi wants to open a plant or store or whatever in her district, you’ll have to go through the normal channels like everyone else. I have no power over my mother’s decisions and—”
“Saoirse, you misunderstand me.” Luca rounded his desk, taking my elbows in his hands to keep me in place. “I’m interested in what it was like growing up in that world. I don’t want or need anything from your mother. Your father either, though I wouldn’t mind visiting his ranch when I’m not buried under responsibilities.”
My face burned while my mind whirled with confusion. What the hell was going on here?
“You researched my family?” I spit out. “Why would you do that?”
“If you’ll sit down, I’ll explain in a moment.” He released one of my elbows to gesture toward the chair I’d just launched myself out of. “Please.”
It wasn’t as if I was going to storm out of this office without answers, and Luca had to know that. Still, I stared at him, giving him major eye daggers so he knew how displeased I was.
“Fine. But if you cross the line, I’m out of here, and I’ll be telling Elise everything that happened.”
His flinch was slight but perceptible. I appreciated that he didn’t want to disappoint my best friend. That was something I’d have to remember.
This time when I sat down, Luca took the chair beside mine and wasted no time explaining himself.
“The reason I brought up your mother is, I assume, growing up in a political family, you have an understanding of the importance of image.”
I nodded slowly. “I do, which is why I don’t live near my mother in California. I’m not a show horse for her to trot out in front of her donors and constituents.”
His mouth flattened, and he inhaled deeply through his nose. “I get that more than you know. When I took over as CEO, a consulting company was hired to analyze my image and presented me with a fifteen-page report telling me all the things I had to change about myself.”
I groaned. “Ugh, I am familiar. I went through that in high school when my mother was considering a run for governor. Try being a seventeen-year-old girl reading one of those reports.”
His hands balled into fists as I spoke. “That’s utter bullshit.” Then he shoved his fingers into his hair. “That’s the last time I complain about my situation.”
“They can both be bad, Luca. It’s never fun to have strangers pry into your private life.”
“Right.” He nodded hard, then smoothed out his ruffled hair. “I’m going to level with you on why I asked you here. I’ve been told being married will make me something like seventy-five percent more trustworthy. My sister, Clara, has given me a list of acceptable women to date with the intention of marrying. I tried to pick one or two out that sounded interesting, but they were all basically clones of Clara, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
I stayed silent, waiting on tenterhooks for the other shoe to drop.
“We were photographed together yesterday, and the pictures were published this morning with conjectures you and I are dating. That, along with the story you told your mother, led me to the best possible solution for both of us. Marry me.”
A loud laugh popped out of me. “I know you’re joking, but you really had me in the first half.”
He shook his head. “I’m not joking, Saoirse. I’d like us to enter into a temporary marriage contract. It will take the pressure off us both.”
“Stop it, Luca.” I swatted his knee. “I’m not falling for this.”
He nodded toward my purse. “Check your email. You should have a preliminary contract from my lawyers you’ll want your own counsel to review.”
Just so this stupid ruse would end, I took out my phone. When I saw the very official-looking email from a well-known law firm sitting at the top of my inbox, I nearly tossed the thing across the room.
“You’re serious.”
Luca’s gaze never left mine. “Completely. We can discuss the terms and details as much as you’d like to be comfortable, but I’ve thought it through, and I see this as mutually beneficial. You won’t have to lie to your mother again, and I’ll be able to focus on my job rather than my personal life.”
“You said temporary. How long would we be married?”
I couldn’t believe I was even entertaining this idea, but now that it had sunk in that Luca was serious, my curiosity had been sparked.
“At least a year, but more likely two. It can’t be shorter than that, or it will make me look unstable, which is the opposite of what I’m going for.”
“Two years is a long time. What if you meet the woman of your dreams in that time?”
He huffed. “I’m not worried about that.”
I wondered if he’d thought of anything other than the bare facts. My mind went to the logistics of being married for two years to a man who was little more than a stranger.
“What do you see our marriage entailing, Luca?”
“We would be seen together at events. You would accompany me to business dinners and conferences. We would obviously live together too.”
“And what about our family and friends? Would they be in on it?”
“No. To everyone but us, it would be a real marriage.”
I crinkled my nose. “I’m a terrible liar.”
“You won’t have to lie. We will be legally married.”
“You’re speaking like it’s a foregone conclusion I’ll say yes.”
He raised a brow. “Weren’t you the one who told me you say yes when there’s the smallest chance you’ll get something out of it? I’m surprised by your hesitation.”
I had to laugh at that. “You’re asking me to marry you, Luca. I may be spontaneous, but even I need to think this one through from all angles. Besides, what would I be getting out of this marriage?”
His lids lowered, and he slanted his body toward mine. “Me, as a husband.”
Oh, he was turning on the charm. He must’ve really wanted this.
“Is that supposed to be an incentive?”
“I do have a really nice condo.”
“You do, although I love living with Elise.”
“She’ll be moving in with Weston before you know it.”
A thousand questions battled for first place in my mind. The most inappropriate one claimed victory. “What about sex?”
“I like it.”
“Shut up, Luca.” I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “I mean, are you going two years without getting laid? Or will you be bringing home random women?”
“Are you taking yourself off the menu?”
“This is your idea. Surely you’ve thought about this.”
“What about you, Saoirse? Can you go two years without getting laid?
“Sure. I’ve done it before.”
He winced. “Why?”
“Despite what you may think based on our first meeting, I don’t like casual hookups. That’s one thing I rarely say yes to.”
“Won’t you get anything out of it?”
I chuffed. “Not often.”
“Then why did you say yes to me?”
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. “Because I was pretty certain I would get something out of being with you.”
He blinked slowly. “And you were right.”
We exchanged a long look, but I didn’t have to say anything. We’d both been there. He knew exactly what I’d gotten out of being with him.
He propped his ankle on his knees and rubbed his chin. “To answer your question, no, I won’t be bringing random women home. That’s not a good look for a married man, and I can guarantee it would get out. As for us, if we fuck, it’ll be outside the confines of our agreement.”
“What does that mean?”
He dropped his hand, his fingers curling around the arm of his chair. “Eventually, I would like to have a real marriage, much like my parents’. Marriage means something to me. That isn’t what this is. I’m marrying you because it’s convenient for both of us, mutually beneficial, and I have a feeling you’re not looking for a husband, or you would have found one.”
“I’m definitely not. I never want to get married.”
He considered me, raking his dark eyes over my face. “Never? No dreams of a big, white wedding?”
“No. Never.” I twisted my lips. “I like dresses, but I’m not a traditional kind of girl.”
“Good, then you won’t be disappointed that we’ll be eloping in a private ceremony.”
I snorted. “You’ve really planned this out, haven’t you? I suppose I won’t be getting a honeymoon then.”
“I can’t exactly take a vacation right now.” His jaw flexed as he stared at me intently. “I would like to save all those traditions for my future wife. I won’t say no to a wedding night, though.”
“You’ll ditch all the traditions except the one involving sex. That makes sense.”
“We’re coming at this from opposite directions, but we’re meeting at the same point. This is a business transaction. Sex isn’t business, so when it happens, it won’t have anything to do with our marriage.”
I rolled my eyes. “Again with the foregone conclusions.”
“I don’t waste time pretending, Saoirse.”
He had me there. If it weren’t for us having this outrageous conversation, I might’ve liked to climb into his lap and pick up where we’d stopped.
“I’ll have to think about this.”
Something in him deflated. “I thought you said yes to experiences.”
“I did, but you’re asking me to do something I don’t believe in.”
“All the more reason to do it. If you don’t believe in marriage, what’s the harm in entering a fake one with me?”
I folded my arms over my chest, refusing to be convinced by this very convincing man. “We’ll have to lie to our friends and family. That’s the harm.”
“That’s the downside, I agree. But when we divorce, it’ll be amicable. We won’t force anyone to choose sides since there won’t be a rift.”
He was so calm and slick with his answers I wanted to shout and ruffle him up a little. This man was asking for a lot while behaving like it was nothing.
“I can’t say yes right now. I’m sorry if that’s disappointing, but I need to really consider this.”
There was a tense moment where it seemed he was poised to argue with me but then released a long exhale.
“Of course you can have time. Send the contract to your lawyer—”
“I don’t have a lawyer, Luca.”
“Right.” He slid his phone from his pocket, tapping something on the screen. “I’m sending you the name of another firm I trust. I’ll let them know to expect a call from you. Obviously, I’ll be paying all legal fees.”
“Obviously.”
Luca walked me to the door. Before he opened it, I spun around to face him.
“You realize this is nuts, right?”
He paused, staring at his hand on the knob, then lifted his gaze to mine. “I do, which should tell you how fucking desperate I am to be out from under some of the weight pressing down on me.”
It only lasted a few seconds, but in that time, Luca’s charm fell away, letting me see his fatigue and turmoil. It was almost enough for me to agree right then and there, but I was smarter than that.
Saving Luca couldn’t be the only reason I said yes.
Charlie was hanging around my cubicle when I hustled into the office. Though I’d shown up to Rossi at the ass crack of dawn, somehow I was running late.
Well, not somehow. I knew how. After Luca’s sneak attack of insanity, I’d gone to my favorite nearby coffee shop. Over a latte and croissant, I’d gotten lost in my thoughts and time had slipped away from me.
“Hey,” I chirped. “Good morning.”
Since I’d started at Rossi three weeks ago, Charlie had been nothing but friendly. There was an underlying interest there, but he hadn’t acted on it or made me feel uncomfortable. Even at the weekly office happy hours. He made it a point to sit beside me, and maybe after a drink or two, he got a little flirtier, but not so much I had to turn him down.
That was a relief since I’d be working here for at least another month. The last thing I wanted was an awkward workplace situation.
“Good morning.” He grinned, sweeping me with his gaze. “Running late?”
I smoothed a hand over my hair and smiled back. “Wild morning. I hope it’s not a sign of what’s to come for the rest of the day.”
He tucked his hands in his trouser pockets and rocked back on his heels. “It seems like maybe you had a wild day yesterday too.”
I paused with my hand on the back of my chair. “Really? What do you mean?”
“You, with Luca Rossi. Amelia and Niddhi were talking about pictures of the two of you. Did the paparazzi really chase you?”
I rolled my eyes to deflect his interest. “That was nothing. We just happened to arrive at the same time. I feel sorry for actual celebrities. The press will twist the smallest thing to make it seem much bigger.”
Charlie eyed me with something a little less than belief. “I assumed it was something like that. There’s no way someone like you would actually be with someone like him.”
My spine stiffened. “What does that mean?” My question came out slightly sharper than intended, but I didn’t like the undertone of his question.
“No shade on you,” he amended, “but everyone knows what Luca Rossi gets up to.”
“How do you know?”
He jerked slightly at my whiplash question. “Well, I’ve seen the pictures, read the articles—”
“The pictures? We just finished talking about how the press makes things up. Maybe judge him by the content of his character, the type of boss he is, how he runs Rossi—not fictitious stories published for sensationalism.”
I tugged my chair out from under my desk. “I’m sorry, but I have a lot to do today. We can chat later.”
“Oh.” Charlie ran his fingers through his hair. “All right. I’m sorry if I offended you—”
I held my hand up. “No, it’s fine. I’ve had a weird morning. Sorry I snapped.”
He shot me a smile. “No worries, Saorise. Have a good day.”
I collapsed at my desk and groaned. I had a feeling this wasn’t the last I’d be hearing about those pictures.
I didn’t have to wait long. At the start of my lunch hour, Peter, the douchelord himself, texted me.
Peter: Ms. Smythe-Kelly has seen the pictures of you with Mr. Luca Rossi. She would like to add a meeting with you to her calendar within the week. We’ll need to allot an hour. Please let me know your schedule at your earliest convenience. Ms. Smythe-Kelly is waiting.
Peter was a thirty-five-year-old man who made a living kissing my mom’s ass. He also referred to my own mother as Ms. Smythe-Kelly when texting me, which was beyond strange. But that was him.
I did not want to talk to my mother for an hour about the pictures of Luca and me. I’d rather be shot from a cannon into a moat full of hungry sharks during my period than have that conversation.
If Luca and I were married, I could rope him into speaking to my mother. That would have to be a stipulation of our marriage contract. There was no way I would be springing the news on her by myself.
I emailed him my thoughts.
From: [email protected]
Luca,
I have a condition: you will be there when I tell my mom we’re married. Actually, now that I think about it, you’ll have to come to Wyoming with me when I drop the news to my dad and brother. They’re very big, and they won’t be pleased.
Are you rescinding your proposal?
Sincerely,
Your Inconvenient Maybe-Fiancée, Saoirse
When I got back from lunch, there was an email from Luca waiting for me.
From: [email protected]
Saoirse,
First condition agreed to. Mothers find me charming.
As for Wyoming, I look forward to it. We’ll take my bike.
Anything else I can do to make it easier to say yes?
Yours,
Luca
I already knew I was going to say yes.
It was crazy, but now that I’d had a few hours to process everything, Luca’s proposal wasn’t so outlandish.
A year or two wasn’t a long time in the grand scheme of things, and living in Luca’s penthouse wouldn’t exactly be painful.
Getting married had been off my radar for a long time, but now I’d get to have that experience under my belt without all the ties that came with it.
Above all that, when I searched my heart, I came back to Luca’s fatigued expression and his raw admission at buckling under the pressure of his new life. If I could ease some of it and some of my own pressure, it would be selfish not to.
But I had one more condition.
From: [email protected]
Luca,
There’s something else that’s more of a request than a demand.
I want a cat.
Are you opposed?
Sincerely,
Your Inconvenient Almost-Fiancée, Saoirse
His response came swiftly.
From: [email protected]
Saoirse,
I’m not opposed.
You can have a cat as long as it doesn’t shit on any of my furniture or destroy my belongings.
Yours,
Luca
My heart lodged in my throat. I’d wanted a cat since I was a child, but my mother had never wanted one, and when I’d later moved out on my own, I’d traveled too often to really consider adopting one. But I’d be settled here in Denver for a while.
I could have a cat. No, I was getting my cat.
I was smiling.
Luca and I were getting married.
