Chapter 4
Adam
My mood plummeted when I saw Beth through the blinds, walking into my office. I let out a low groan. Was she here to tell me I’d lost my mind again ? As expected, my office phone beeped.
“Mr. Thorne, Beth Carson is here to see you.” My assistant, Diane, let out a breath. “She doesn’t have an appointment but she insists that she needs to see you.”
“Send her in.”
I’d given Beth a few days to cool down but I still wasn’t looking forward to a confrontation. She had every reason to think I was crazy. Showing up at her door and demanding we get hitched wasn’t my smoothest moment.
The door opened and Beth stepped in, already eying me warily. I took a moment to acknowledge an unwanted dose of attraction. She looked the same but more...womanly. I liked what I saw. I couldn’t help but notice the extra curves that her casual dress flaunted. The flowing coffee brown hair, lips that looked delicious. Somehow, I still remember how soft they were when we kissed. I blinked twice in an effort to banish the thoughts I was having.
“Did you come here to scowl at me?” I grinned, repeating the exact words she’d thrown at me when I showed up at her place.
As if realizing that she was rooted by the door, arms folded, and throwing daggers at me with her eyes, she exhaled and relaxed her stance. “Good morning.”
“A civil greeting. Maybe the eight years did mellow you out after all.”
“Don’t start Adam, I’m not in the mood.”
My teasing grin slipped as I really looked at her. She did seem tired. Understandably. I could imagine she had a lot on her plate after her father’s death.
“Have a seat.”
Her shoulders slumped a little as she took the chair facing me. “You left so suddenly the other day.”
“Yeah. It’s very welcoming when you get a door slammed in your face.”
Her gaze dropped. At least she seemed repentant. “Well, you were talking crazy and I was...I’d had a long day. I expected you to show up again the next day.”
“I figured you needed some time since you’re dealing with your father’s death.”
“How sweet,” she murmured dryly. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Adam.”
I snorted but I couldn’t stop the corners of my lips from lifting into a small smile. Absolutely nothing had changed between us. There was a feeling of relief trying to surface as if I’d missed our little spats. Shit. Maybe I had lost my mind. We stared at each other for a while, her glaring and me waiting expectantly.
“The letter,” she sighed. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Care to share what was in it?”
“As if you don’t know. Aren’t you a part of the conspiracy to ruin my life?”
“Beth, what the hell are you talking about? I haven’t once thought about you since you left.” A total lie. She might have crossed my mind a few times.
Her eyes seemed to darken. The way it always did when she was pissed and was about to rip me a new one. But she only rolled her eyes. “Just as I forgot about your existence for a few blissful years. Dad sold his business to your father. Well, it’s yours now, isn’t it Mr. CEO? Congratulations . ”
Gritting my teeth, I said, “Focus Beth. For once we’re on the same side. I’m just as confused and pissed as you are.”
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I glanced at the window separating my private office from the rest of the company and lowered my voice. “Tell me, what did your father have to say?”
“ Alright . Dad made a few unwise business choices and when he realized that he’d lose everything, he sold a majority of his assets to your father. Yet he had one condition, that Mel and I will be taken care of. The only way he could be sure of that is if you and I get married.”
So that was what Dad meant when he insisted he had to keep his word. “My dad refused to explain to me why I had to get you to marry me. Now I know.”
“You mean to tell me you had nothing to do with this?”
“Come on, Beth. Even if I was crazy enough to want to get hitched, do you really think I’d want to marry you of all people?”
Long lashes concealed her eyes for a moment. “Of course, not.” When she met my gaze again, she said, “Well, we’re not actually going to go through with it, are we? I mean, I’m definitely not marrying you.”
I fell silent, gazing at her, unable to believe that I was about to talk Beth into marrying me. I visited my father the day after going to Beth’s. I was determined to get out of the situation by any means necessary―without losing my hold as CEO of course. After our talk, I began to see his point about a marriage working in my favor. There were still a few of our associates who were skeptical about me taking over, considering my reputation.
Beth was right―she usually was and it grated on my nerves. I was seen as a playboy who took nothing seriously. That image of me had to go. Marrying Beth would paint me as a settled man, ready to do serious business. She was perfect. She grew up in my world, carried herself with poise, and her reputation was pristine. I needed her and it sickened me.
“You should reconsider.”
She actually gagged and sat taller in the chair. “Excuse me?”
Oh, God . “Maybe us tying the knot won’t be so terrible.”
Her laugh, breezy and melodious, seemed to float around my office. I didn’t hate the sound. When she doubled over and slapped her knee, I had to fight back a smile. Face flushed and eyes gleaming with humor, she looked young, innocent, and carefree. A woman I’d walk up to in a bar...if I didn’t know that she was Beth .
“Are you finished?”
That sent her into another fit of giggles and I sighed my impatience.
“I left for eight years and your ego got so big it drove you to insanity. I should have stuck around to keep you grounded,” she smirked and wiped her eyes.
“Hear me out.”
She wiped her eyes, sobering up. “This should be good.”
“A marriage of convenience. We’ll both benefit. My image will get a much needed repair and you won’t be homeless and penniless.”
“I’d rather live on the street than marry you.”
“Is that what you want for Melissa? She’s so young and accustomed to a certain lifestyle. I wonder how she’ll fare on the street. Hey, isn’t she heading to college this year? College is expensive,” I sang, giving her the same smug smirk she just gave me.
Beth’s expression crumbled. For once, she seemed vulnerable and I almost felt bad for her. Visibly swallowing, she clutched her handbag, all traces of her earlier mirth gone. “I could get a job. I’ve got a master’s degree.”
“How nice. Where are you going to find a job that’ll give you the means to keep your father’s house and send your sister to college in a matter of weeks?”
“Damn it to hell,” she hissed and I smiled, triumphantly.
“Let’s help each other out.”
“I want more than Daddy’s house and money for my sister’s education.”
“Name your price.”
“My dad’s company back, no strings, no fine print―fully back in the Carsons' name.”
I lifted a brow. That was unexpected. I was waiting for a request for a never-ending supply of diamonds and designer dresses. But, I had to remind myself that I wasn’t dealing with my usual dalliances. I was dealing with Beth. Gazing at her with grudging respect, I asked, “You think you can successfully run your father’s company?”
“Let me worry about that.”
Letting go of that one company would be a barely noticeable dent in the conglomerate that was Thorne Holdings.
“Fine, two years pretending to be a loving couple. Make me look good and you will get all of your father’s assets back.”
She sat back and inhaled deeply. “Two years is a long time to put up with you but we have a deal.”
I was making a deal for a marriage of convenience with a woman I’d considered my enemy since childhood. No one could deny my dedication to Thorne Holdings after this. I held out a hand. Beth hesitated before sitting forward to place hers in it.
“Deal.”
“One condition, Adam.”
“Another condition? I’m already giving you a hell of a lot.”
She glowered. “Keep your rakish hands to yourself.”
“Ha! That shouldn’t be too hard, Beth.”
She snatched her hand from mine and we proceeded to glare at each other.