Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
VIDAR
The dossier lay spread across my obsidian desk like a post-mortem.
Adolpha Vane. Age twenty-eight. Junior Associate at Sterling a scoff that dripped with resentment. "Let’s call it what it is. You’re a man who needs to control a woman to feel like a king. You’ve got the shiny building and the tailored suit, but you’re just a bored wolf looking for a new toy to boss around."
I felt a ghost of a smirk pull at the corner of my mouth. The amusement was the only thing keeping the predatory hunger at bay.
"This is a business arrangement, Adolpha. In exchange for your family’s debt being cleared, you will become my wife.
You will stand by me at appearances. You will provide me with an heir and a spare.
In return, I will treat you with the fairness and respect your den never could.
That is, once you prove yourself worthy of it. "
She stiffened, her eyes flashing emerald fire. Just as quickly, that fire died, leaving behind weary smoke. "Worthy? I’ve spent a decade proving I’m worth ten men like you."
"Then you shouldn't find the task difficult. But it would seem there is a significant amount of work for you to do to prove you deserve that respect. Start by taking a seat."
She stared at me for a long heartbeat, the air between us thick with a tension that had nothing to do with money and everything to do with the predators lurking beneath both our human skins. Finally, she pulled out the chair and sat, her spine as straight as a blade.
I sat back and steepled my fingers, my expression a carved mask of obsidian. I fought to keep my pulse steady, hiding the way my blood hammered against my ribs. The scent of her wolf was a physical assault.
"I'm not signing a marriage certificate.
" She looked like a CEO at a hostile takeover.
"I have six years of high-level corporate restructuring and logistics behind me.
My credentials are a track record of turning dying companies into money making monsters.
You'd be smarter to take me as an employee instead of your wife, Mr. Blackwood. "
I liked how she said Mr. Blackwood. I'd like it even more when she screamed it as I sucked her clit. Would like it even better when she had to answer to Mrs. Blackwood.
"I'll take the six million that my brother stole and multiply it. I don't just find holes; I build fortresses. I’ll work for the Blackwoods until the six million—and the interest—is paid in full. I’ll give you a return on investment that would make a venture capitalist weep."
I watched her, my gaze heavy. I tried to remain impassive, but my mind betrayed me.
It wasn't just the curve of her lower lip or the translucent cream of her skin anymore; it was the sheer, brutal brilliance of her brain.
She pitched a debt-swap like she was at a board meeting.
The competence of it made the desire in my gut flare into a white-hot spike.
I didn't want a secretary. I didn't want a consultant. I wanted a woman who could think like that in my bed, carrying my name and my legacy. The fact that she was smart meant she wouldn't be a chore to live with. It meant I wouldn't be bored.
I let the silence hang between us until the air felt brittle.
"An impressive pitch. In any other circumstance, I might even hire you. You’re brilliant, Adolpha. Truly."
I leaned forward, drawing in a breath deeper than necessary. Her nostrils flared. She knew what I was doing, knew I was scenting her. She held her breath, trying not to take me in. That wouldn't last long. By the end of the night, my scent would be all over her.
"I don't need a business partner. I have my own mind for the ledgers. What I lack is a legacy. What the Blackwood name requires is a mother for the next generation; someone with your fire and your intellect to ensure our line doesn't soften."
I stood up. The movement was slow and looming. I watched my shadow darken over her pale face.
"There is no counter-offer. There is no employment contract. There is only the deal I laid out. You marry me. You give me an heir and a spare. In return, your brother breathes another day, and your family's debt is erased."
I tracked the jump of her pulse at the base of her throat.
"Take it or leave it, Adolpha. But decide quickly. My patience is the only set of numbers in this room that doesn't have a high ceiling."