Chapter 9

Olivia

He held out the folder. I didn't take it. My hands remained firmly in my lap, though I couldn't deny the curiosity building inside me.

"What is that?" I asked, eyeing the manila folder with suspicion.

"A draft of our agreement. Not finalized, of course. I'd want your input on the terms."

I laughed without humor. "You already had this drawn up? Before even speaking to me?"

"I like to be prepared." He placed the folder on the coffee table between us. "Take it home, read it, and then decide."

My curiosity got the better of me. I reached for the folder and flipped it open.

The first page was a standard legal header, but what caught my eye was the figure: $1,000,000 to be transferred immediately upon signing. My eyes widened involuntarily.

"Keep reading," Alexander prompted.

I flipped through the pages, skimming the dense legal text. Promotion to Senior Marketing Strategist. Relocation to the Carter estate. Public appearances as a couple. The divorce settlement: $5,000,000.

Then I reached a section that made my blood run cold.

"Duration of marriage: minimum one year, with potential extension based on the circumstances..."

"Extension?" I looked up sharply. "What does that mean?"

"Just a precaution. If my grandfather becomes suspicious, we might need to extend."

I continued reading, my face growing hotter with each paragraph.

"Cohabitation in the same bedroom... public displays of affection... sexual relations as required to maintain the appearance of a normal marriage..."

I slammed the folder shut. "Sexual relations? Are you kidding me?"

Alexander didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed. "It's a marriage, Olivia. People would expect certain things."

"This isn't a marriage. It's a business transaction." I stood up, clutching the folder like it might bite me. "And you're not entitled to my body as part of that transaction."

Alexander's jaw tightened. He rose from his seat with the fluid grace of a predator and took a step toward me. I instinctively backed up until my legs hit the couch behind me.

"Let me be frank, Olivia." His voice dropped to a dangerous octave, sending an unwelcome shiver down my spine. "I have needs. Strong ones. I'm not the type of man who goes without sex for extended periods."

My face flamed. "That's not my problem."

"It becomes your problem in this arrangement." He moved closer, his expensive and masculine cologne filling my senses. "If I'm seen visiting hotel rooms or bringing women to my house while married to you, people will talk. The tabloids will speculate. And eventually, my grandfather will discover our little charade."

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore how my body was reacting to his proximity. "So what? Find someone else who's willing to fuck you on command."

His eyes darkened at my crude language. "Is that what you think this is? Me ordering you to spread your legs whenever I snap my fingers?"

"Isn't it?" I shot back, waving the contract. "It's right here in black and white."

"You misunderstand." He stepped even closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. "I'm not some monster who forces himself on unwilling women. But I am a man with a healthy sex drive who won't be celibate for a year or more while pretending to be happily married."

My breasts felt suddenly heavy, my nipples tightening traitorously beneath my blouse. I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"This is supposed to be a business arrangement," I said, hating how breathless I sounded. "Not some twisted marriage of convenience."

"Contractual wife. That's what you would be."

"Putting a fancy label on it doesn't change what it is."

"No?" He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The casual intimacy of the gesture made my skin tingle. "Then what would you call it?"

I jerked away from his touch. "I'd call it prostitution with extra steps."

Something flashed in his eyes: anger, maybe, or surprise that I'd speak to him so bluntly. Then it was gone, replaced by that cool, calculated gaze.

"Take the contract home," he said, his voice even. "Read through it. If there are terms you want to negotiate, we can discuss them."

I glanced down at the folder still clutched in my hands. "And the sex part?"

"That's non-negotiable." The finality in his tone sent another unwelcome wave of heat through my body. "Think about it, Olivia. Five million dollars. Your father's surgery. Your brothers' needs are taken care of. All your debts wiped clean."

How did he know about my brothers? The fact that he'd dug so deeply into my personal life should have terrified me. Instead, I felt a perverse thrill at being the focus of his attention.

"I'll think about it," I said finally, needing to escape the charged atmosphere of his office.

Alexander's expression hardened. "Don't take too long. I'm not a patient man, and there are other candidates I could approach."

The idea of him proposing this arrangement to someone else sent an irrational spike of jealousy through me. What the hell was wrong with me? I didn't want this ridiculous arrangement, yet the thought of Alexander making this offer to another woman made my stomach clench.

"Other candidates?" I heard myself ask before I could stop the words.

Alexander's lips curved into a knowing smirk that made me want to slap him. Or kiss him. God, I was losing my mind.

"You didn't think you were the only option, did you?" His voice was silk over gravel. "There's a short list of suitable women. You're simply at the top."

"Lucky me," I muttered, clutching the folder tighter. "And what makes me more 'suitable' than the others?"

He stepped closer, his expensive cologne making my head swim. "You're smart. Driven. Not easily intimidated." His eyes raked over me in a way that made my nipples tighten. "And there's chemistry between us. Don't pretend you don't feel it."

I swallowed hard. "Chemistry doesn't mean I want to be your contractual fuck buddy."

"Wife," he corrected, his jaw tightening. "The term is wife."

"Fine. Contractual wife. But how would this even work? You can't just announce we're getting married out of nowhere. No one knows we're dating because we're not dating. Your grandfather would never believe it."

Even as I voiced these practical concerns, a voice in my head screamed: Why are you asking these questions? You're not agreeing to this insanity!

Alexander's eyes gleamed with approval, like I'd passed some test by thinking through the logistics.

"We have a history," he said smoothly. "We dated briefly before you joined Carter Enterprises. We reconnected recently and realized our feelings never died. It's a simple, believable narrative."

"That's a lie."

"It's a story," he countered. "One that explains our sudden engagement without raising suspicions."

I shook my head. "And people will just accept that? Your family? The board?"

"We'll go on two or three very public dates before I introduce you to the family. Then we'll announce our engagement. The wedding will happen within a week or two."