Jackson
Jackson evaluated Jane for a moment before speaking. He hated that she was making sense. The only change in the market was the addition of a new player. Jessica Balboa’s Innocence Company was doing something he wasn’t.
“So, you want me to get married and have a baby,” he repeated back. “What if that’s not what I want? I’m not exactly looking to change my ways. I rather like a different model or actress in my bed every other night.”
“And I’m not telling you that you can’t,” Jane replied, standing up straight. “Once you have this set up and people trust you again, you can go back to being the bad-boy billionaire. Until then, you have to be the epitome of fatherly love and trust. And that means no screwing up. I don’t care if it’s in a private setting or not. This is all or nothing. You can’t accidentally slip up with this.”
She pointedly looked at the newspaper. He would have to say goodbye to his fun for a while if he agreed to this. He could understand that. If he had a wife and child, there was no way he could even go to a party where women threw themselves at him.
It would be a difficult change. He wasn’t just reducing the sex he had with random beautiful women. He’d be giving it up.
“And if I don’t do this? If I hire someone else to fix the brand?”
Jane shrugged. “Your sales are down twenty percent this year and dropping. Last year, it was ten. Since the article ran, we’ve had two stores refuse to carry you. You can do the math on how long you have before the board kicks you out.”
She was right. Something had to change. As much as he hated it, the change was going to have to be from him.
Jackson sighed. “And you’re sure? You’re sure that this is the only way to salvage this?”
“We’ve done countless market surveys. Mothers don’t trust you, and thus don’t trust your brand. If you sold condoms, you’d be a billionaire.”
“I am a billionaire,” Jackson corrected her.
Jane shrugged. “For how long? You can’t keep losing sales to the Innocence Company.”
Jackson stood from his desk and stared out the window at the city skyline. It was early summer, which meant that all the women were out in flowery dresses and starting to show skin with the warmer weather. His favorite time of year.
His eyes looked over to the photo on his desk. The black and white photo held a seven-year-old little boy pretending to answer the phone while his father smiled at him from the background. Jackson remembered that day in his father’s office. It was the day that Jackson knew his future was with this company. His future was W&W BabyCo.
W&W had started out as a part-time idea from his father. With his father’s hard work, the company had grown, but it was Jackson who’d made it into a billion dollar enterprise. He’d taken his father’s small diaper company and created a line of baby care items the world couldn’t live without.
Until now.
He was watching his success, and with it his father’s memory, slowly fade. Something had to change.
“You’re sure?” Jackson turned from the frame and looked out the window at the city below.
“Positive,” Jane assured him. “In every test group, showing you as a caring father made people trust your brand again.”
He turned slowly. “And it’ll all be for show?”
Jane shrugged. “If that’s what you want. It has to be believable, though. Mothers have to believe that you’ve left your wanton ways and settled down.”
“That might be harder than it sounds,” Jackson replied. He rather liked his wanton ways. They were a part of who he was. How could he possibly be with only one woman? It sounded like torture.
But losing his company was a worse torture.
“It’s only for a couple years,” Jane reminded him. “Once the public trusts you again, you can go back to your old ways. Albeit, you’ll have to be a little more discreet. As long as the public thinks of you as a caring father, your sales will reflect that.”
Jackson sighed. This wasn’t going to be an easy thing to do. He liked his life. He liked knowing that he could have any woman he wanted. His world revolved around women and his company. He was going to have to give one of them up.
“And the children?” Jackson asked, raising an eyebrow at Jane. “You’re sure just getting a wife won’t do it? I need a kid?”
“You sell diapers, not women’s items. People need to believe that you would use these products yourself, not that you’re just hawking them like a used car salesman. They need to believe you.”
“So the kid is non-negotiable?” He didn’t like the idea of bringing a baby into this world just to make him some money. It felt cheap and underhanded.
“Yes,” Jane replied with a nod. “It’s the key selling point. You need a kid.”
The more he considered the idea of the public trusting him with a baby, the more it made sense. He knew that his actions were hurting the company. He needed to change what the public thought of him. He needed to look like someone who would have a reason to sell diapers and baby supplies. He needed to be a trusted source, not just a supplier.
He also knew that if he was going to bring a child into the world, he was going to be a father to it. The mother could come and go, but the baby would most certainly be his. He would make sure that kid had everything it could ever want.
He looked at the photo again and thought of his own father. The man had been stern but kind. Jackson rather liked the idea of raising a son like his father had raised him. It was something he could get behind. He’d never really envisioned himself a father, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be an amazing one.
Just because he wasn’t good at sticking with women didn’t mean he couldn’t be good at sticking with kids. Kids were special.
“How will we convince my new wife?” he asked Jane. “Marrying me is easy money, but having a baby? That’s a little more complicated.”
“It’s not like you have a hard time convincing women to sleep with you,” Jane replied with a shrug. “It’s not a big step from there.”
She had a point. It was rather ironic, actually. For the past few years, he’d been doing everything he could to prevent having a child. He’d gone out of his way to make sure he didn’t knock up one of his one-night stands looking for an easy meal-ticket in the shape of child support. Now, he was going to have to try for that exact outcome.
He looked at the picture of him and his father again. Jackson could do this. He could find someone that would play the part. And he would love the child. Staying away from women wouldn’t be the end of the world. And if it would save his business, he would do anything.
Time held for a moment, the way it always did right before he made a big decision.
“Okay.” He hated the way his stomach twisted. “I’ll do it. For the company.”
“Excellent, sir,” Jane said with a hard smile. “I have a list of potential brides for you. They’re all in advertising, so they know what to do. I can have the agreement and a pre-nup to you by the end of the day.”
Jackson nodded, feeling like he was being led by the nose to slaughter. This was how stallions felt on their way to become geldings.
“I would recommend choosing someone that you get along well with, so I’ll have you do some interviews first. You need someone bright and bubbly. You should like her and most importantly, the public should like her. She needs to be good with kids, especially babies.”
The phrase, “bright and bubbly” stuck out in Jackson’s mind. Good with kids. He looked away from his desk and directly at Jane.
“You want someone to rival Jessica?” A thought was already turning in his head. “Someone who is sweet and kind, loves kids, and would look good on a billboard?”
Jane nodded. “Not model good. Mother good. She needs to be attractive, but more girl-next-door and less your usual Barbie-doll. The market must believe that she’s a real person.”
Jackson smiled. He already knew the perfect woman for the job. Someone he got along with and was possibly the most cheerful person he’d ever met.
“I won’t need your candidates,” Jackson informed Jane. “I have someone in mind. As long as I can convince her, she’ll be perfect.”
Jane looked at him. “Just give her that smile you gave me earlier and she’ll say yes to anything you ask. I would have married you on the spot if you’d asked me, and I’m already married.”
Jackson grinned. He thought he’d lost his touch with Jane, but he still had it. He really could get to any woman in the world with that smile.
JacksonJackson’s hands sweated. They were sticky and hot, and he wiped them nervously on his pants the entire way down the elevator.He hadn’t been this nervous since junior high.Asking out women was easy. He could smile and get any woman he wanted to hop in his bed for the night with hardly any effort. However, the idea of asking Emma to marry him and have his child to save his company made him nervous.So, halfway down to the lobby, he decided he wasn’t going to ask her directly. He was going to take her to dinner. That made his palms dry a little, but his heart still raced in his chest. She still made him nervous. She had turned him down before. She was one of the few women that consistently told him no.He didn’t know why she said no to him. As far as he knew, she wasn’t seeing anyone, and even if she was, he was fucking Jackson Weathers. No woman said no to him. The fact that she could say no actually made him like her more. She was unobtainable.Maybe that was why his hands sh
Emma She spun to see Mr. Weathers leaning against the window to the coffee shop entrance. He wore a jet black suit that fit his broad shoulders and lean waist. He looked like he belonged on the cover of GQ. His perfect blond hair was somehow more perfect as he walked over. “Hi.” She wished she had something clever to say, but the only thing she could think of was “Welcome to the Coffee Shack,” and somehow that didn’t feel appropriate. “You look absolutely stunning,” he told her. “I’m going to have the prettiest date at the restaurant.” She grinned, enjoying the compliment. “Thank you.” She smoothed the green satin of her dress. “This is amazing and so much more than anything I could have expected.” He grinned. “That’s kind of the point.” Her smile widened. No wonder women fell over themselves to be with him. “Well, thank you.” “Let me see you spin,” he requested. She slowly spun in a circle, loving the way the heavy fabric took the motion and swirled around her ankles when she
Emma Emma tried to keep her knee still. She tried not to bounce it up and down, but she couldn’t help but move it. She was nervous now as the car sped along the road to Jackson Weathers’ apartment and her knee couldn’t hold it in. Jackson had something planned for her. He wanted to discuss something, and she had no idea what it could possibly be. Plus, they were going to his house. Where he took all the women he slept with. Now that it was really happening, she was nervous. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. He kept up comfortable small talk the entire short trip back to his luxury high rise apartment. If she hadn’t been too busy thinking about the fact that she wasn’t wearing panties, she would have been able to admire the building. It was old and beautiful with a literal golden elevator to bring them to the penthouse suite. He scanned his thumbprint in the elevator and smiled at her. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?” he asked. “Maybe a little,” she said. “I’ve never b
Emma Should she marry a man for money? The question floated around Emma’s mind the moment she woke up. No. I shouldn’t, she decided as she made her coffee. I should marry someone I love. I should keep dating, despite my lack of success, and it’ll happen. I still have a few years before I need to worry about the biological clock. She sipped her coffee, pleased with her decision for a whole thirty seconds. Yes, I should, she decided as she ate her cereal. She liked Jackson. He made her smile and she could see a future with him. Plus, the money from being his wife would make her dream job come true. She could work with any marine animal she pleased. She could buy the freaking marine park. She took a shower, mulling over the pros and cons. No, I shouldn’t. I should love the man I have a child with. That was always the plan. Yes, I should. Jackson would love the child and provide for it unconditionally. This child would be better cared for than most children in the world. She would
Jackson Jackson Weathers paced the floor of his office. For the second time this week, he was nervous and it drove him crazy. Emma was on her way up to see him. She’d told him that she’d made her decision and was coming to speak to him about it. And now he was terrified she was going to say no. He’d been pleasantly surprised by how much fun he’d had on their date. It was something that he’d done hundreds of times, but she made it fresh and fun. He loved that she actually enjoyed eating and could hold a conversation that wasn’t entirely about herself or celebrity gossip. And that kiss. He’d taken three cold showers to deal with the feelings that popped up each time he thought of that kiss. She was something special and he could only hope that she was going to come up here and say yes. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she turned him down. A timid knock on the door drew his attention. “Come in,” he said, hoping it didn’t sound too forceful. He didn’t want to scare her away. Her da
Emma Jackson parked the car and ran around to open her door for her. It was a simple gesture, but it felt nice. It made her feel taken care of. Wanted. “You said you’ve never been sailing, so I thought I would take you,” Jackson explained, leading her down to the pier. Docked along the side was a beautiful sailboat. Emma had no knowledge on sailing other than pirates did it, but she could tell this boat was nice. It wasn’t the biggest in the marina, but it had something to it that told her it was probably the most expensive sailboat there. “Her name is the Techno Volante,” he said, guiding her to the gangplank. “Welcome aboard.” “Do I need to call you Captain?” Emma asked, carefully putting her foot on the gangplank. The boat bobbed slightly and she was glad she was watching what she was doing. “Only if you want to,” he replied. He winked at her, nearly causing her to lose her balance. “I like to be called Captain.” She grinned and stepped onto the boat. “This is beautiful,” sh
Emma The sun hung above the horizon, shimmering with gold and scarlet as an island came into view. She had never been more happy to see solid ground in her life. For the first time, she understood why sailors always sounded so relieved to shout, “land ho!” She certainly felt like shouting it. Her stomach had calmed down since getting on the speedboat. She still wasn’t ready to eat a large meal, but she no longer felt like the world was trying to throw her off of it either. Emma mentally crossed off a sailing career as a future occupation. Jackson pulled the boat up onto the beach. The coarse sand grated against the hull of the ship as he made sure the boat was high enough on the beach not to get pulled out into the ocean with the tide. Jackson took a deep breath and turned to her. “I wasn’t planning on bringing you here. So, nothing’s ready. I had thought we’d sail to the yacht and eat there, but I don’t think you on a boat is a good idea for the rest of the evening.” “I would v
Jackson Jackson wrapped his arms around Emma, loving the way she seemed to fit so perfectly in them. She was made for him. He kissed her fiercely, tasting her sweetness as they stumbled from the kitchen and out into the living room. Her kisses were sweeter than wine. Maybe it was just his imagination or the fact that she had agreed to be his, but he’d never had better. His hands itched to feel her skin, to take her as his. To make their agreement official in the most primal of ways. She pulled away, shedding her windbreaker and hat. She wore cute capri pants that showed off the curve of her calves and a cute t-shirt. It wasn’t supposed to be sexy, but Jackson couldn’t think of anything he’d rather see more. His hands rubbed up and down her shirt, eager to find their way to her skin eventually. He rubbed his hand up to the back of her neck, where he pulled her in closer for his kiss. His tongue darted inside her mouth, and she responded with short gasps of pleasure. “Come with me,