Chapter 12 ~ Carter ~
I slowly swirled the whiskey in my glass.
Macallan.
At last.
My preferred brand.
I took a deep sip and felt a slight burn as the liquid ran down my throat. I sighed with pleasure. The Glenfiddich last night hadn't been bad, but in my opinion, it didn't come close to a Macallan. There was a certain price difference between the two brands, which was also noticeable in the taste.
And anyway... the whiskey was definitely not the best thing about last night. Or last evening. My cock throbbed as I thought of Isabella's body. Her naked body, seductively sprawled on the white sheets of the bed. I'd love to...
I quickly glanced at the elegant Montblanc watch I wore on my left wrist. In less than half an hour, Isabella would be standing at the door. And then...
Get a grip, Carter! Today you have more important goals to pursue than having a little fun in the short term. You need to get Isabella to play your fiancée for another week. Otherwise, you can watch Grandma Ruth's money go to Cameron. And you really can't allow that. So keep your desire in check. There will be plenty of opportunity for fun later.
I grinned. There certainly would be. Isabella's body had responded every time I touched her, showing me that she was willing. More than willing. That I turned her on.
And that, in turn, turned me on.
Even after the night we had spent together.
My cock throbbed harder in my pants.
Soon. Soon I would be enjoying myself with the beautiful Isabella again. After Cameron's wedding, our paths would probably part again, but that's just how life was.
At this thought, a strange feeling shot through me.
What was that?
Regret?
I shook my head. Nonsense. It could be anything. But certainly not regret. First of all, nothing had happened yet that I should regret, and secondly, my plan aligned exactly with my principles. And precisely in such a way that I wouldn't have to regret anything later.
I took another sip of whiskey and enjoyed the view. There was nothing above me anymore. No one dancing on my head and no neighbors making noise. Outside the windows of my apartment, a unique panorama spread out. The New York skyline on a spring evening. It was an image I had looked at thousands of times, in any season. And yet I could never get enough of it. Up here everything was quiet, but down on the busy streets, people were hurrying to get home and quickly do some shopping beforehand. Of course, I didn't need to do such things. My housekeeper did the shopping. She was also the one who prepared my meals and kept the penthouse clean. In short: I could enjoy the sight of busy Manhattan because I was in an oasis of calm myself.
At that moment, my phone rang on the low coffee table. I grunted in annoyance. Who was disturbing me so shortly before my meeting with Isabella? I had just been about to consider how best to approach the matter of the fiancée with her. This had better be an important call. I looked at the display.
Cameron Jenkins.
My brother.
I snorted in annoyance. He was the last person I needed right now.
Should I even take the call? Usually, it didn't take long for Cameron and me to argue during our meetings or phone calls. My mood would then plummet, and I'd be insufferable for the rest of the evening. I couldn't afford that today.
The phone kept ringing.
After the tenth ring, I sighed in resignation. Whatever my brother wanted, I might as well deal with it right away.
Just don't let it ruin your mood, Carter.
"Carter Jenkins."
"Hello, dear brother." The cold, snarling voice of my brother didn't match these words at all.
"Cameron," I said.
"What a nice greeting." The ironic undertone in my brother's voice was unmistakable.
"We've never greeted each other nicely. At least not since I can remember." There was no reason not to be honest.
"Certainly not since you stole my fiancée," my brother countered. Equally honest.
He was talking about Abigail. About two years ago, Cameron had already invited everyone to his wedding. He wanted to marry Abigail, the daughter of a wealthy business partner. The perfect woman for him. Everything had been prepared. But then, a week before the wedding, I had invited Abigail for a drink to discuss a surprise for Cameron.
I had succeeded in surprising him. Two hours later, Cameron had come home and found me and Abigail. Naked. In bed. In his and Abigail's bed, where I was fucking Abigail according to all the rules of the art.
I grinned as I thought of Cameron's stupid face.
Serve him right.
I had my reasons for this action, and Cameron knew these reasons exactly. He had once taken everything I wanted to have.
The thing with Abigail had backfired, though, because since that evening, I'd been stuck with Abigail. Somehow, she had managed to cling to me thoroughly. She suspected an affair behind every woman I met. I didn't put up with that for long.
"Oh Cameron. It was such luck for you that I stole your fiancée back then," I replied now. "If I hadn't so passionately fucked Abigail, and you hadn't caught us in the act, you wouldn't be marrying your lovely wife next week."
"Keep your hands off her," Cameron hissed. Even through the phone, I thought I could hear a spray of saliva droplets.
I grinned. "I don't even know her yet. But I'm sure she's charming."
"There's a good reason you don't know her."
Of course. Cameron wanted to prevent me from making a move on his precious bride again. But I had no interest in that. Whatever the woman Cameron was leading to the altar looked like, she certainly couldn't compare to Isabella Abbott.
"You won't destroy my future again."
"I don't intend to. Brother dear." This time I was the one using the affectionate address. With the appropriate ironic undertone, of course. Again, I took a deep sip of whiskey from the glass. The last sip. With quiet regret, I let the liquid trickle down my throat.
"Hanny belongs to me." Cameron staked his claim.
Hanny. What an old-fashioned name. Was the woman possibly older than Cameron?
"Don't worry, brother dear. I'm bringing my lovely fiancée next week."
"I heard about that. Our grandmother called me and was delighted that you've finally come to your senses and are ready to enter the harbor of marriage."
"Yes, I can imagine."
"You've really stepped in it with Donovan Hayden Ellesmere."
"How so?" I asked innocently. "He offered me his daughter like a plate of cold potatoes that nobody wants. I simply declined. I much prefer a warm body."
"You can forget about that contract. I can't believe you even tried to influence Donovan to reconsider the whole thing."
"What do you mean, influence?" I wanted to know angrily. "I asked him for an appointment to discuss the whole matter again. That's all. And that's certainly not forbidden!"
"Appointment!" Cameron snorted contemptuously. "Who knows what would have happened if your fiancée hadn't coincidentally been nearby. I wouldn't put anything past you. You might have even gotten involved with Abigail again, just to get the contract."
Cameron knew me well. He was aware that I had thought about exactly that. Of course, I kept that to myself.
"Not necessary. I definitely don't want Abigail back."
"Your fiancée must be quite a hottie for you to let the deal of your life slip away," Cameron now needled.
"Don't be jealous," I grinned. "Or have you already gotten bored with Hanny? You're not cheating on her before the wedding, are you?"
"Shut your mouth."
Of course, I did no such thing. "Don't celebrate too soon: The contract hasn't been decided yet. So far, it's just about the test vehicles. That doesn't mean anything. The contract could still go to me."
"You can't seriously believe that. No one has ever gotten a contract without equipping the test vehicles."
"There's always a first time," I replied, discreetly glancing at my Montblanc watch. Isabella was due to arrive any moment. Better to get rid of Cameron as quickly as possible.
"In any case, you've orchestrated this engagement nicely. Grandmother's money..." Cameron began. I interrupted him sharply.
"Our grandmother isn't even in the ground yet. I'll be damned if I start distributing the money now."
"Don't tell me that's not exactly why you're bringing a woman." Cameron was leaving no stone unturned to provoke me.
"I don't need Grandmother's money. Unlike you, I earn more than enough on my own and could stop working immediately if I wanted to. And I'd still have more money than I could ever spend." After these words, I took the phone from my ear and tapped the red button.
Call ended.
And no, I really didn't need my grandmother's money.
But I also didn't want Cameron to get it at all.
Just as little as he should get the contract from Donovan Hayden Ellesmere.
Or win the club championship.
Or triumph in any other way.
Ding dong.
A chime interrupted my thoughts. Someone was at the side entrance door downstairs. Or rather, at the side elevator. This elevator allowed direct access from the street to my penthouse. And I could go out directly without having to go through my company.
I activated the camera and looked straight into Isabella's face.
Perfect.
"Just get in and ride to the top," I commanded and pressed the button that opened the elevator doors downstairs for Isabella. On the screen, I saw Isabella looking puzzled. She had probably never seen such a sophisticated system before. After a brief hesitation, she entered the elevator.
I positioned myself behind my black leather couch. From here, I would have the perfect view of Isabella when she stepped out of the elevator. The perfect view of her body. I regretted a little that there wasn't a party tonight, so Isabella probably wasn't dressed as scantily as she had been last night.
At that moment, the elevator doors opened. Isabella entered my penthouse. She was wearing a spring coat that was wide open. Underneath, a white, tight-fitting top and black pants. Not bad either. Her full breasts looked damn good in that tight top.
But first, I enjoyed the amazed look that spread across her face as she caught sight of the panorama behind me.
"Wow," she breathed. "This is..."
I let her enjoy the view of the Manhattan skyline for a few more seconds before casually walking towards her.
"Hello fiancée," I greeted her, kissed her on the cheek, and inhaled the light citrus scent she was giving off again today.
My cock throbbed.
I would have loved to...
Carter! Think about your goals. You need to get Isabella to come to Cameron's wedding next week first.
Isabella giggled with delight when I referred to her as my fiancée. That wasn't a bad sign to start with.
"Hello fiancé," she replied and looked at me with those brown eyes that could appear both warm and seductive at the same time. Then she lowered her eyelids with those incredibly long lashes and fixed her gaze on the carpet. Her cheeks reddened slightly.
Aha.
Isabella was unsure.
I nodded inwardly. That was good for my plan. Or was it?
With women, you never knew. Really never. Uncertainty could mean anything and lead to any reaction. And that's exactly what drove me crazy time and time again. It was one of the reasons why, after the annoying interlude with Abigail, I had decided not to let any woman into my life again. An affair gave me everything I needed.
And now?
A business deal.
Basically, it was just a business deal.
And that's something I knew best.
"That engagement thing was quite a good joke," I began.
Isabella giggled. "How did you even come up with the idea of introducing me to that man like that? He wasn't exactly pleased about it."
"Oh, that's a long story," I waved it off. I didn't want to talk about Abigail now. Definitely not.
"And straight to fiancée. I thought you men preferred things to be non-committal. Why not girlfriend or acquaintance?" Isabella looked at me. An expression I couldn't quite interpret had entered her brown eyes. Caution? Vigilance?
I could understand that. She wasn't wrong. Many men preferred things to be non-committal. Me first and foremost.
"Well," I began and immediately paused again. At this moment, I would have liked to take another sip of whiskey, but to my regret, the glass was empty. I wouldn't allow myself more than one whiskey tonight. That was also one of my principles.
"Yes?" Isabella looked at me questioningly.
"I introduced you as my fiancée because I think you would do an excellent job in that role."
"I beg your pardon?" Isabella's eyes grew large and round. She couldn't have looked more astonished.
"I introduced you as my fiancée because I think you would do an excellent job in that role," I repeated.
"I... I don't understand," Isabella now stammered, while her cheeks turned even redder than before. "You want... uh..." She didn't continue.
"In a week, my brother is getting married. We don't get along particularly well. Family doesn't mean much to him. For this reason, I want to prevent my grandmother's entire inheritance from falling to him. And I can only do that if I bring a fiancée to his wedding. That's my grandmother's condition." I had decided to come clean with Isabella about the whole thing. Anything else was pointless. She had to play her role convincingly at the wedding, and she could do that best if she had all the necessary information.
"And you want..." Isabella's eyes widened.
"Since I'm unattached..." I began and gestured to the empty living room, where nothing indicated the presence of a woman. Logical. There wasn't one. I continued: "Since I'm unattached, I need someone who can credibly appear as my fiancée at my brother's wedding."
"Wow." Isabella stared at me. "What a... what a plan." She slowly shook her head. What did that mean? Did she find the plan completely harebrained? Would she hit the roof with anger any moment? Or... was she also just looking for short-term pleasure, just like me?
The thought that we might possibly be pursuing the same goal felt strange, even if I couldn't say why.
"You shouldn't do this for free, of course," I hastened to say. "I would pay you well for it. I'll cover the accident damage. Plus, you'll get $50,000." I had just pulled that sum out of thin air. It didn't mean much to me.
"50,000?" Isabella's eyes grew even wider. "For that one evening?"
"Before the wedding, you'll accompany me to a charity dinner and we'll spend some time together. For practice. The more credible we'll appear in front of my grandmother and my family."
Isabella slowly sank onto the black leather couch. There, she looked extremely decorative in her white top.
It would be better without the top, of course.
The thought was in my head before I could stop it.
Carter! Now is not the right time for that.
This admonition reached my head, but not my throbbing cock.
Isabella sat on the couch, staring at me with her mouth open and shaking her head. She was obviously speechless. But why?
"I... well, I don't know what to say."
Well, it's not every day you get an offer like this. I waited and tried to be patient, although Isabella's hesitation was driving me crazy.
Isabella shook her head again. What the hell did that mean? This time she didn't seem uncertain, but indecisive, and that made me even crazier. What did she want? Was my offer not good enough after all? Was she thinking about how she could squeeze more money out of me? Like most women did?
Now it was me who shook my head.
No, Isabella definitely didn't seem like that.
"I need to think about it," Isabella said now.
What?
I thought I had misheard.
Think about it?
What the hell was there to think about?
Either Isabella wanted to or she didn't.
Isabella slowly stood up. "I'll let you know tomorrow," she said, looking at me. This time, I couldn't discern what her eyes were telling me. "I need some time to think. This isn't just any ordinary offer."
Time to think?
Why the hell?
I didn't let my thoughts show. In situations like these, it was best to show understanding. That would surely increase my chances of a positive answer.
"No problem. Take your time to think it over," I said with a slightly husky voice and slowly approached Isabella. I raised my hand and brushed my thumb over her full lips. They parted slightly, and for a moment, I thought Isabella might change her mind and spend the night with me, as she closed her eyes in pleasure.
This was the right moment to lean forward, whisper in Isabella's ear "I'd be delighted if you accept my offer," gently nibble on her earlobe, and then take a step back.
And that's exactly what I did.
I was satisfied to see that Isabella's eyes held the same look as last night.
Nevertheless, she blinked twice now. The look disappeared. Isabella nodded at me and walked to the elevator. When she pressed the button, the doors opened, and Isabella vanished from my sight.
I clenched my fists.
She had to accept the offer.
She just had to.