Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
“W hoa. Whoa. Whoa.” I held up my hands. “I’m not ready to agree to anything.”
I didn’t have enough details. We might agree on the percentage, but there was so much more at stake.
Never in a million years would I have expected Graham to propose something like this. And definitely not to me.
If anything, I’d prepared myself to have him question my reviews of his hotel chain. I’d imagined us arguing about them, him trying to persuade me to revise them. Not…ask me to be his wife.
Breathe, Lil. Breathe.
This was a lot to process. Marriage to Graham. Money for the restoration.
Being married to a handsome billionaire seemed a small price to pay in exchange for twenty million dollars to fund the chateau restoration.
Twenty. Million. Dollars.
Did he have any idea what I could do with that kind of money? Did I?
“This business arrangement,” I asked. “How long would it need to last?”
“A year. Maybe two.”
A breath gusted out of me. Wow. Wow!
“You’d have to give up your blog or focus on something other than luxury hotels. Maybe experiences? Or even luxury goods?”
If I had the money for the renovations, I wouldn’t need the income from the blog. And if the renovations were moving forward at full speed, I’d definitely need to be more involved at the chateau. While I hated the idea of giving up something that I’d spent so much time and effort on, I knew something had to give.
I could find ways to recycle old content as well as focus more on luxury brands. It was an option I’d been considering anyway. If I wanted to go back to it in the future, I could.
“That’s fine,” I said. “I’d slowly transition to doing my chateau YouStream full time.”
“Great. That’s settled, then.” Typical Graham . He was bulldozing right through each and every one of my objections. “And we could hire a project manager to help alleviate some of the stress there as well.”
I frowned. “This project is my baby.”
“I get that, but I would need you by my side for our relationship to seem credible. And with the right team in place and the resources, you wouldn’t have to babysit the project as much.”
Was I willing to sacrifice time at the chateau for Graham’s infusion of cash? If I wanted to complete the restoration, I wasn’t sure I had much of a choice. I was out of options, and what he was offering me…
Twenty million dollars.
My head spun. I couldn’t believe we were even discussing this or that I was actually considering it.
Am I considering it?
Part of me certainly was. The chance to see the chateau restored to its full potential was irresistible.
But if I agreed to this… If I married Graham, I wanted to know that he’d treat me as an equal. That he’d respect me and not try to control me or try to take over my project and make it part of his brand.
“I’d still want to be involved with the chateau,” I said. “Maybe we could agree to spend two weeks a month there.”
“Two weeks?” he scoffed. His expression conveyed skepticism.
“What? We’d split our time between LA and the Loire Valley. My work requires me to be there in person. And I’d be giving you two weeks in LA or wherever you need us to be.”
“Still…” He shook his head. “I can’t just up and leave LA for two weeks every month.”
“Why not?” I lifted my hands. “You have the money, and you’re the boss. You can do whatever the fuck you want.”
Something flared in his eyes. Anger?
“Actually, I can’t. If I want to move, I have to get board approval.”
“You’re not moving. Not permanently.”
“True,” he said, seeming to mull it over.
“Besides, taking an interest in your wife’s project would show that you’re not as selfish as everyone thinks you are.”
He hmphed.
“And it’s not like it’s a short flight.” Another reason to stay longer. Jet lag was a bitch. And an eleven-hour flight was no joke.
“There’s the time difference to consider,” he mused. “I’d have to make sure my meetings could be organized around it.”
I tried not to look too eager, but I was certainly hopeful. He was considering it instead of dismissing it outright.
“Besides,” I continued. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a break from pretending for half of the month?”
The corner of his mouth tilted upward, the closest he’d come to a smile. “You make a good point. I’m confident we could find some sort of compromise, even if it’s not quite two weeks,” he said, easing some of my anxiety. “Perhaps ten days.”
More time at the chateau was preferable, but I could work with ten days. The fact that he was willing to consider it showed how desperate he was to make this happen.
Why was he so desperate?
And why was I so eager to agree? Yes, I needed the money, but I was getting ahead of myself. There were so many unknowns. I’d spent a lot of time with Graham, but that was two years ago. People changed. He could’ve changed. And even if he hadn’t, there were things about this arrangement that gave me pause.
I scrunched up my face. “I don’t like the idea of lying to your family. Of accepting your money.” It made me feel icky.
Was I truly no different from my selfish siblings? They wouldn’t have hesitated to take Graham up on his offer. But the idea of accepting money to be someone’s wife felt wrong. It wasn’t like he didn’t have the funds; it was the principle of it.
“Think of it like you’re providing a service. I’m paying you to do a job.”
“Right. To be your fake wife.” I wasn’t sure that was any better.
I still couldn’t believe he was trying to convince me. This seemed so out of character for Graham. Which was exactly why I suspected there was more to it.
Graham wasn’t risk-averse. Hell, he often pushed the brand forward with his innovations and vision. But when it came to his personal life, something wasn’t adding up about this.
“Paying you handsomely, I might add. I would personally cover any renovations of the chateau not covered by government funding, grants, or prizes. All the money would be put into a trust that would be at your disposal.”
That seemed fair. More than fair.
As to any future operating costs, I supposed I’d cross that bridge if and when I came to it. Hopefully, the revenue from guests would more than cover those costs. But that seemed so far away at this point, it was laughable.
I tried to imagine myself married to Graham and failed. It seemed incomprehensible. Yes, he was attractive. But we’d only ever known each other in a professional context.
He’d never given any indication that he was attracted to me—or anyone, for that matter. I wasn’t sure we could pull this off, even if he wanted to. And that was a big if.
The idea was so very tempting. Unrealistic, but tempting, nevertheless. I mean…to agree to a marriage of convenience to my former boss? It was crazy, right?
I was about to try to laugh it off as a joke, but he said, “I’m serious.” He smoothed his hands down his thighs. “Think about it. You’d be able to restore the chateau to its full potential. No expense spared.”
Maybe it was crazy. Maybe I was crazy for even entertaining the idea at all. Or maybe I was chasing my dreams, doing something “outlandish,” as Auntie Jackie had advised?
“Why me?” I finally asked.
He held my gaze. “Because you’re one of the few people I trust.”
His admission sucked the air from the room. Graham’s trust wasn’t freely given.
“Despite what I said about the Huxley hotels on my blog?” I asked.
He blew out a breath. “Maybe even because of it. At least I know you’ll always be honest with me.”
“Okay, but what if you meet someone? What if I meet someone?” I asked, though it seemed unlikely.
I was already so busy with the restoration, and if Graham and I went through with this, I’d be even more so. Traveling back and forth, pretending to be his wife.
His nostrils flared. “This will never work unless you’re one hundred percent on board. Completely loyal to me for the duration of the agreement.”
The agreement. Not “our marriage.”
“I am, and I would be. But still…two years is a long time to put our lives on hold. I’m almost thirty. I might want to get married for real someday. Have kids.”
“You don’t know if you want that?”
“It requires me meeting the right person first.”
Not that I had time for that. Between traveling for my blog and now taking care of the chateau, I didn’t have much of a personal life. I’d had a few flings over the years, but nothing serious. I hadn’t had the time or energy for it.
And honestly, the idea of being vulnerable with someone about my alopecia was terrifying. If my family viewed me as a burden, how was I supposed to find a partner who wouldn’t feel the same way? Who would embrace my beauty, baldness and all.
Graham grunted but said nothing. His lack of an answer was infuriating. As if he thought it was unimportant. A minor detail in the grand scheme of things.
“And what about sex?” I asked, when he still hadn’t responded.
If he was shocked by my words, his expression didn’t show it. In fact, he looked downright predatory.
“Is this you trying to negotiate that into the deal?” There was a teasing lilt to his voice.
I rolled my eyes. “This is me trying to point out the flaws in your plan.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, and I tried to ignore the bulge of his biceps. If his schedule was the same as it had been two years ago—and knowing Graham, it was—he started every day with a workout, and it showed.
“If you’re not interested, just say so.”
“That’s not—” I sighed and dropped my hand. “That’s not what this is. I just…” I didn’t even know what to say at this point.
I’d never known Graham to be impulsive. Decisive—yes. Once he made a decision, he was rarely swayed from it. But this was so out of the ordinary that I didn’t know what to think.
“Do you honestly think we could be believable as a couple?” I asked. “Because we might know it’s fake, but to our friends and family and everyone else, it would have to seem real.”
“People will believe what they want to. Besides, it’s not like we just met. We have history.”
“Even so, we haven’t seen each other in nearly two years. I used to work for you. That’s sure to raise some eyebrows.” I knew how careful Graham was about his reputation and that of the brand. He might think this was a good idea now, but there was no way he’d actually see this through.
“Marrying a former assistant would be nothing compared to what my siblings have done.”
I frowned. “You mean Nate getting engaged to his daughter’s nanny?” I’d definitely seen their pictures splashed across the magazines at the grocery store checkout.
“Nate. Knox. Sloan. They’re all engaged or married to former employees. And they all had a relationship while they were still in their employ.”
“Now, Jasper I could imagine breaking the rules. But Knox and Sloan?”
A rare smile teased the corner of his lips, and I reveled in it. It was fleeting, but I could tell that despite his ire, he was happy for them.
I sipped my whiskey, tucking my feet beneath me. “This I’ve gotta hear.”
“Knox’s wife, Kendall, used to be his house sitter. And before that—” he leaned in “—she was his son’s ex.”
My eyes widened. “Really? Knox?” I couldn’t believe it. I also couldn’t believe Graham was telling me all this.
Graham nodded.
“Are he and Jude still on speaking terms?” I asked, imagining it would be difficult to move past something like that, despite how close they’d always seemed.
“It was rough for a bit. But now, they’re better than ever.”
“Wow.” I shook my head. “And Sloan?”
“Married her former bodyguard. Though technically, he resigned before anything ‘improper’ happened.”
Okay. So his family might not bat an eye at our previous relationship. But still, this was Graham we were talking about.
“Yeah, but they’re not…you.”
He furrowed his brow. “What does that mean?”
He was… I wasn’t even sure how to describe Graham, other than to say that he’d always held himself to a higher standard than everyone else. Even though he wasn’t the eldest of the five of them, he often acted as if he were.
“Just—” I huffed. “Nothing.”
His frown deepened, and I wished I’d kept my mouth shut. I got the sense that I’d offended him.
“Are you concerned you won’t be convincing?” he asked.
“You already offered me the part. Don’t tell me you’re now trying to get me to audition,” I teased, desperate to lighten the moment.
“If we were auditioning for a role, we’d have to do a chemistry test.” His eyes darkened as they lingered on my lips.
“Mm.” I toyed with the belt of my robe. “And what do you know about chemistry tests?”
“Nate once told me that kissing Hollywood starlet Cece Golden is like kissing a dead fish.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. “No.” I covered my mouth with my hand, grateful he’d dispelled some of the tension growing between us.
He nodded, his expression solemn.
“Well, I can promise you that kissing me would not be like kissing a dead fish.”
We’d inched closer, close enough that our thighs were touching. The heat of his skin seared me through the layers of fabric separating us. It was both too close and not enough.
He turned to face me, his stare intense, his eyes hooded. Apart from that moment in the pool—or whatever that was when I’d smoothed my hands down his lapels—we’d never been this close. I’d never… I could’ve never imagined what it would be like to be the sole focus of his attention. It was intoxicating.
“Is that a fact?” he goaded. Or at least, I thought he was. Sometimes he was impossible to read. Enigmatic. Infuriating.
And hot.
No, not hot. I was not attracted to Graham. I was confused. Agitated or…something.
His breath ghosted across my skin as he lifted his hand to cup my cheek. I was bathed in his scent, lost to the moment. To him.
“I—” I swallowed hard, my mind a blank. What was he asking about?
His lips moved closer to my mouth, and my heartbeat continued its ascent. He dragged his nose down my jawline, setting my body aflame. My body was shaking, vibrating.
Graham wanted to see if our fake marriage could be viable. Judging from my body’s response to him, that wouldn’t be a problem.
I exhaled a shaky breath and tried to recenter myself, even when it felt as if my world had tilted off its axis. Perhaps he wasn’t such a cold, heartless billionaire after all.