A Seductive Arrangement, page 12
Jackson leaned back and held out his hands in surrender, a sly grin dancing on his lips. “A man can try.”
“Actually, I may be helping you.”
“How?”
“We both know you’re terrible at judging women so the same night she came to dinner I had Toyin sign a contract—”
Jackson surged out his chair. “You did what!”
Ava calmly continued despite his outrage, “—to prove how much she loves you. I offered her five thousand dollars not to sleep with you for a month.”
“What?!”
“If she holds out then the money is hers.”
Jackson stared at her in shock.
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s for your own good. Money or you. It will be easy to see what she decides. She signed it right away.” Ava paused, watching his expression change. “I can tell by that look that I did something right.” She turned to the door. “You can thank me later.”
Jackson heard the door close, but didn’t move. She had given up five thousand dollars?
Toyin’s words came rushing back to him. That’s the problem, Jackson. You should… She was right, her loving him should matter. It should be what he wanted. What he craved. What he treasured. Claiming her heart should be as big a victory as convincing her to stay by his side. He’d been selfish. He’d only thought about how she made him feel, how much he wanted her. What he could do for her. He’d even made love a game, paying her to say the words. But just as he’d been blinded by data in the past, he’d been blinded by his own ego now.
Mama Bisi was right, I don’t deserve you. There had been tears in her voice when she’d said that but he hadn’t heard her pain. True pain. Her silent question. If I loved you back, would you even care?
He had to find her and tell her the answer was “I do.”
Chapter 25
Toyin sat in the back office of New Worlds and stared down at her unfinished comic. She knew she would never finish it now. Every time she started, she thought of Jackson and it hurt too much.
She would not cry.
She would not regret loving him. She’d get over her feelings one day. Right now she had to focus on working with her lawyers to fight Shanna, try to save TJ Studios by drumming up new projects and clients and continue to run New Worlds. If pretending to be Jackson Fortune’s wife helped her, she would treat it as the job it was and fulfill her contract. As part of their agreement, she was supposed to move to his place, but she didn’t have the heart yet. Perhaps next week. Perhaps next month. She had to think about the money.
Her lawyers had overwhelmed Shanna’s enough that they were thinking of settling. The money from the Fortunes was worth it. After a few months she’d never have to see Jackson again and he’d shower someone else with his affection.
Toyin looked up at the framed photos on her walls. She hadn’t expected her world to feel grey without him. She’d expected to leave the limo feeling liberated. She’d walked away. She’d had the courage to admit she was wrong. She would let Mama Bisi choose her next match. She didn’t care if she loved him or not. Love was for losers. She no longer wanted to be that.
Toyin tasted her tears before she felt them.
Jackson never made her feel like a loser. Even as a child when Mrs. Lorquette made her feel stupid, he made her feel smart. When Lance made her feel discarded, Jackson made her feel wanted. When her family made her feel like a disappointment, Jackson made her feel like a success.
Something clicked in her brain. She loved him. And that love didn’t make her feel low or worthless. It didn’t make her feel like a loser. It made her feel strong and alive.
And angry.
Toyin pushed the comic aside and grabbed her keys.
* * *
Nearly an hour later Toyin faced Mama Bisi in the living room of her parents’ house. A Fela Kuti protest song played softly in the background, while the smell of baked plantain scented the air.
“You were missed at the reception,” her father said. He sat on the sofa next to her mother. He cast a nervous glance at Mama Bisi before returning his gaze to Toyin’s angry features.
“We managed a nice chat with Jackson,” her mother said, trying to fill the silence.
“Seems a nice chap.”
“Very nice. He—”
“I came to speak to Mama Bisi,” Toyin said in a low voice. “In private, if I may.”
Her parents nodded then left the room.
Mama Bisi folded her hands in her lap and fixed her with a cool look. “What do you have to say to me?”
Tears gathered in her eyes, but she felt no shame in them. “You say you are never wrong. But you were wrong Saturday. My heart isn’t small. My love isn’t worthless. It’s as deep and true as anyone’s. And I am able to love many things. My heart is big enough to hold them all—my family, my friends, my art, my business and…and yes a man. A man you don’t think deserves me.” She took a steadying breath. “But he does, because I can love him like no one else can. He may not see it. He may not care, because it’s not flashy and showy like his. I may not express myself the way he does or the way others think I should, but I still have a heart.” She pounded her chest. “A big heart that beats and bleeds and longs and dreams and loves just like any other heart does.”
Toyin briefly covered her eyes, her voice shaking. “It wasn’t fair what you did to me on my wedding day.” She wiped her tears and met her grandmother’s gaze. “No matter how right you felt you are, you hurt me, wounded me to the core because you shamed me in front of the man I love.”
Mama Bisi lifted her chin. “And does he know this?”
Toyin wiped away a tear confused. “What?”
“Does this man you tell me you love, know that you love him?”
“I…no but—”
“You don’t think it matters. You don’t have the courage to make it matter.”
Toyin frowned. “I don’t understand.”
A tiny smile touched her lips. “I lied. The moment I met him I knew.”
“You met him?”
She nodded, but didn’t explain how. “I could not scare him away. I knew he was a good match for you, but I knew that I could never convince that rebellious heart of yours to accept him. You would be contrary just for the sake of it. I pushed you on your special day so that you could see what was staring you in the face. What you thought was false has always been real.”
“But how did you—?”
“Your sister explained the true facts to me. That she forced you to reveal your secret marriage. Don’t blame her; you know I have my ways.”
Toyin stared at her stunned. “Are you saying that Jackson and I are meant to be?”
Mama Bisi nodded. “Yes. On your own you managed to find the right man to love who will love you back.”
Toyin thanked her grandmother then left her parents’ house in a daze. Mama Bisi approved? She saw Jackson and her together?
She didn’t know what to do. Should she call him? Go by his place? No, she couldn’t risk that. What if he was with someone else? She loved him but what if he didn’t care?
Toyin drove home.
She found Jackson outside her apartment door. Before she could ask him what he was doing there, he held out a booklet.
“I did a 24-hour comic I want you to read,” he said.
Her hands trembled but she took it from him and unlocked the door. She nervously dropped the keys on the floor and quickly picked them up not knowing how to feel. She felt thrilled that he’d come to see her, but also fearful that she’d broken whatever bond they’d had. She’d never felt this awkward with him before.
“Do you want something to drink?”
Jackson looked around her apartment briefly smiling at the picture of Storm. “No.”
Toyin sat down and looked at the stick figure drawings he’d given her. She pointed. “What is this supposed to be?”
Jackson sat down beside her. Close enough to touch. “It’s a man on a horse.”
She swallowed, aware of his nearness. He smelled like mint. “It looks like a twig.”
“I’ll narrate it for you. Just listen.” He motioned to the first page. “It starts on this panel.”
“Okay.”
He tapped the stick figure. “It’s a story about this man.”
“Does the man have a name?”
“No, he’s just a man who likes to be a hero. We’ll call him The Hero. Because of this trait he always falls for women who trick him.”
“Is this why he’s standing next to a heart with an arrow in it?”
“Yes. Now be quiet.” Jackson pointed to another panel. “One day The Hero sees someone from his past, someone who he’d rescued before. A girl who scared him a little.”
“Scared him?”
“Yes, don’t interrupt. She scared him because she was different. She barely spoke, but he knew she was smart. Smarter than he was. So when he saw her again he wanted to rescue her once more. He would come by the market and spy on her and learn more about her and wondered what he could do because she didn’t seem to need anything. Until one day he heard something that finally gave him that chance.
“It was one of those moments of fate people talk about. Now This Woman that The Hero wanted to rescue was seeing someone else. Let’s just call him ‘The Bastard.’ ”
Toyin couldn’t help a giggle. “I could call him something else.”
“So could I, but this is my story and I want to keep it clean. Anyway, The Hero went to the bank one day and overheard The Bastard talking to a woman we’ll call…hmm…The Bitch.”
Toyin started to laugh.
Jackson continued. “The Hero heard The Bastard talking to The Bitch about a conference in Las Vegas and how he planned to propose to This Woman and how they could cover their misdeeds. So—”
“Wait, you can’t keep calling her ‘This Woman’.”
“Yes, I can.”
“Call her ‘The Heroine’.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s my story.”
“Please.”
He sighed. “The Hero knew…The Heroine—”
“Thank you.”
“—would need his help so he flew to Nevada to find a way to stop her, but he caught her finding out the truth on her own. So—”
“So he followed her to the hotel bar.”
He turned a page. “You’re interrupting.”
“Sorry.”
“He stayed away wondering what he should do. Then he gathered the courage to approach her at the bar.”
“Don’t you think The Heroine would have preferred that The Hero told her what he knew before she left for Vegas?”
“Would she have believed him?”
Toyin paused. “Probably not.”
“Any more questions?”
“No. Go on.”
“The Hero persuaded This Woman—excuse me—The Heroine to marry him because he thought it would be fun and it would make her happy. And he felt he had won when she needed money, which he had plenty of and he convinced her to stay by his side. The Hero didn’t expect to fall in love with The Heroine, but he did. Then he got cocky. Because he forgot one thing. He hadn’t won the true prize.”
“This is a very long story.”
“Do you want me to finish?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“He hadn’t won her heart. So he took his sword and killed himself.”
Toyin looked with dismay at the last panel of the stick figure with a sword through his chest, bleeding. She looked up at him outraged. “That’s an awful story.”
Jackson’s eyes searched hers, his voice thick and unsteady. “How would you end it?”
She chose her words carefully. “The Hero would find out how much The Heroine loved him and he would realize that he didn’t have to do anything to be loved.”
His eyes brightened with joy then darkened with passion. “I like your ending better,” he said, gathering her in his arms.
“Me too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fears wiped away in the glow of love. “Mama Bisi told me we’re a perfect match.”
Jackson pressed his lips against hers then whispered, “I always knew that.”
“Think we should get married?” she teased him.
Jackson laughed. He held her tighter, letting her know he had no plans to ever let her go. “No, I think we deserve a honeymoon.”
Toyin nodded, seeing their lives bound together forever. “Me too.”
* * *
Continue for a taste of A Tempting Proposal, Book 1 in The Fortune Brothers
A Tempting Proposal Sneak Peek
A wife.
He was not supposed to end up with a wife. At least not yet. He had plans, dreams and goals. This was not one of them. James Fortune gritted his teeth as he listened to the melodious soft voice of Pastor Valentine, her pink reading glasses hanging precariously low on her nose, inches away from falling. Much like the present state of his life.
He’d managed to achieve most of his goals. He’d gotten degrees in both Biology and Mechanical Engineering and become head of Research and Development at BioMed Solutions. Yes, it was his stepfather’s company, and at thirty-four he was the youngest division manager in the company, but no one could deny that under James’s watch and careful leadership more innovative projects had been developed and funded. Morale was up and the people liked him, unlike his predecessor, a charismatic man who wasted money on pet projects that only highlighted his interests instead of others or furthering the success of the company.
James knew he wouldn’t stay in management for long, he wanted to launch his own ventures, but he’d given himself two more years before he would embark on his next career goal. He believed in taking calculated risks.
Not insane ones.
James glanced at Pastor Valentine’s reading glasses again, noticing that they’d fallen down a little further. He flexed his fingers resisting the urge to say something. Couldn’t she feel them moving? Would she let them fall off her face?
He inwardly groaned, knowing his attention and annoyance were misplaced. It wasn’t the pastor’s glasses that really bothered him, or even the sound of her voice, which always reminded him of someone in a musical about to burst into song (he half expected her to snap the bible shut, rip off her glasses and start singing), it was the entire ceremony.
He knew that what he was doing was not only reckless and insane, but criminal. He’d never done anything illegal in his life. Okay, so maybe he had done some speeding, and once—just once—when he was under charged for an item at the grocery store, he didn’t report it. But he was a law abiding citizen. A good man. Now he was a fraud. He’d put his reputation and future on the line all because of Jackson.
His twin brother was supposed to be standing at the altar, inside this elegant stone cathedral, bearing the scrutiny of hundreds of guests from the Americas and the Caribbean, marrying the beautiful, brilliant and influential Ava Simone Hughes.
James made sure to keep his gaze on the pastor, instead of her. He knew Ava’s brilliance by her reputation. She’d won an international science prize at sixteen and her research in the field of biodegradable implants preceded her. Her findings were almost legendary in the industry; her influence was also unavoidable from her innovative lab work to her connection with top universities. But her beauty.
That was his weak point.
He feared his heart would stop when the cathedral’s double doors opened and she walked down the red carpeted, flower adorned aisle towards him. Damn, why did it have to be him? He’d always found her attractive, even in the dark suits she liked to wear—sometimes with trousers other times with a skirt, always black or dark blue—but at this moment she was breathtaking in a floor-length tulle lace gown with beaded sequins. The ivory colored fabric, accented with a translucent hint of sky blue, complimented her exquisite dark skin.
She looked like a princess, her carriage regal, her fine high cheekbones striking, but he knew she was no innocent, blushing bride. She had dangerous brown eyes and without the benefit of a veil to shield him from her gaze, he had to face them head on and make sure she didn’t suspect a thing. She was the kind of woman who could kiss a man tenderly on the lips and drive a steak knife through his heart at the same time. He knew his deception would come at a price if she ever found out.
He couldn’t let that happen. He had to be careful.
He’d discovered that the first time Jackson formerly introduced her to him. Her keen, steely gaze hit him like a brick. With one look he’d seen her power and vulnerability and that combination had floored him. He knew a woman like her could be trouble, but his brother liked courting trouble so James had dismissed the feeling. He couldn’t dismiss it now.
James briefly looked at the ceiling. He was doing the right thing. Jilting a woman like Ava would have far reaching consequences and too much was at stake. He was doing this because his brother was too weak to accept his duty to his family and the business.
James took a deep breath, wishing he would wake up from this nightmare, but when he touched Ava’s hand and slid a white gold band of hand selected diamonds on one of her long, slender fingers he knew it was all too real.
At least his hands didn’t tremble and he didn’t drop the ring as he feared, trying his best to ignore the reality that every action he made was being watched. Unlike his brother who welcomed it like a parched horse at a watering hole, he didn’t like being in the spotlight. James inwardly groaned. He could use a drink right now. Something cold and biting. He stood stock still as he felt a trail of sweat slide down his back. He remembered saying “With this ring…” but the rest was a blur as he fought to imitate his brother’s casual flair in every word and gesture.
He’d never switched places with Jackson before, despite all his brother’s urgings when they were younger, trying to convince him that it would be fun. James never thought it would be either fun or practical. Definitely not practical. Even as a child he knew a day in the life of his brother would be exhausting.
Instead of being alone in the library, with his science club, discussing a new discovery with a teacher or training with the track team, he’d be charming the students (especially the girls, but guys liked him too) and teachers of both genders, and partying. There would be too many names to remember, too many places to be. He liked to live a regimented, quiet life and said he’d never switch places. Ever.
