A Scandalous Marriage

Which reminded him. He had a marriage to arrange, and there was no time to lose.

‘It’s Thursday night,’ he returned, glancing at his watch. ‘The stores don’t close till nine. First, we’ll go get a quick bite to eat. After that, I’m taking you engagement-ring shopping.’

CHAPTER FOUR

‘WHAT?’ Shock propelled Natalie to her feet. ‘Did you say engagement-ring shopping?’

‘Absolutely,’ Mike replied, rising to his feet also.

‘But surely that’s not necessary!’ She couldn’t bear the thought of going into a jewellery shop with him and pretending to be lovers.

‘Of course it is,’ he returned. ‘When I present you to Mr Chuck Helsinger as my wife you’re going to have everything my wife should have. That includes a rock on your ring finger and a wardrobe which will knock that dirty old devil’s eyes out.’

‘But…’

‘No buts, please, Natalie. Sorry, but I do have to call you Natalie, since sweetheart and honey and, I presume, darling is out. Unless, of course, you want me to call you Nat.’

She winced at the shortened form of her name, which she’d been called in high school and which she still hated.

‘Natalie will be fine,’ she bit out.

‘Okay. And don’t you forget to call me Mike. It wouldn’t do for you to address me as Mr Stone.’

‘I guess not. Now, about this wardrobe business…’

‘Yes?’

‘I don’t always dress like this, you know. These are just my work clothes.’

‘That’s a relief.’

Natalie bristled. ‘There’s no need to insult me.’

‘I wasn’t insulting you. I was being truthful again. That pant suit you’re wearing is simply dreadful. The colour does nothing for you and the cut is far too masculine.’

‘I thought you were a computer genius,’ she snapped. ‘Not the fashion police.’

‘I’m a man. And I know what looks good on a woman. The fact that you would even consider buying that outfit in the first place speaks for itself. I’m taking you clothes shopping before December, whether you like it or not.’

‘Whatever,’ she said, privately conceding that her wardrobe possibly didn’t have the clothes necessary for a weekend cruise with the jet set. ‘You’re paying for it.’

‘Good. That’s one thing I like about you, Natalie. You know what side your bread is buttered on.’

Natalie tried not to take offence. But it was a bit much, having him criticise her clothes, then tell her that the only thing he liked about her was her mercenary side.

She was tempted to throw at him that the only reason she’d made this appalling deal with him was because of her parents’ dire financial position.

Which reminded her.

‘I have to make a quick phone call before I leave,’ she told him.

‘Fine. I’ll wait for you out in my car. It’s parked just down the street. It’s a four-wheel drive. Black, with the number plate STONE. You can’t miss it.’

He was gone before she could think of a suitably caustic comment.

Natalie rolled her eyes, then snatched up the phone on the desk. But as she punched in her mother’s number she wondered what on earth she was going to tell her.

Nothing, Natalie decided, till the first million was in the bank.

In that case, you’d better stop being so darned prickly, came a sharp warning from her head. Or your would-be benefactor might back out of the deal.

If he wanted to buy her an engagement ring, then fine. If he wanted to buy her a whole wardrobe, that was fine, too. She was not in a position to look this particular gift horse in the mouth.

‘It’s me again, Mum,’ she said when her mother answered. ‘Some good news. I’ve got another client at last.’

‘That’s good news. Is he rich?’

‘Rich enough.’

‘Good-looking?’

‘Sort of.’

‘Do you think you’ll be able to find him a wife, more to the point?’

‘Yes. No trouble. Which means I’ll be flush soon, so don’t you go doing anything foolish like pawning things, or borrowing more money from some loan shark. Meanwhile, give me the name of the bank which holds your mortgage.’ Her mother always took care of the banking.

She did so, Natalie making a mental note of it as she thought up a strategy to satisfy her parents till she could take care of the whole mortgage. Though Lord knew what she was going to tell them then. Maybe that she’d won the lottery.

‘I’ll go see the manager tomorrow and organise to have your mortgage refinanced at a lower interest rate,’ she offered. ‘Rates have come down considerably since you took out that loan. And I’ll cover your first few months’ payments. Give you some breathing space.’

‘Would you? Oh, darling, that would be wonderful. I’ve been so worried.’

‘Yes, Mum, I’m sure you have been. But you don’t have to be any longer. I would never see you tossed out of your home. You must know that.’

‘You are such a good girl.’

Natalie grimaced. That all depended on one’s definition of good. Was it good to marry a man strictly for money?

She supposed it wasn’t bad, if the money was for a good cause and you didn’t prostitute yourself as well by sleeping with him.

It was bad, however, to secretly wish that you were doing just that.

Natalie smothered a groan. It was no use. She had to confess, if only to herself, that just the thought of sleeping with Mike Stone was insidiously exciting.

It was just as well that he was firm on the ‘no sex’ part of their arrangement. And that he wasn’t attracted to her.

Natalie would hate to think what would happen if he fancied her. She would make a fool of herself all right. Not in the way she’d been a fool over Brandon. She would never fall in love with Mike, or think he was anything other than the ruthless, arrogant, mercenary devil that he was.

But she didn’t want him lumping her together with all the other silly women he’d obviously bedded and not wedded. In her case, Natalie was determined it was going to be a case of wedded, and not bedded.

‘I still can’t stay and chat, Mum,’ she said. ‘I’m going out to dinner with my client.’

‘I hope he’s paying.’

‘Mum, this is me you’re talking to. Miss Budget-wise. Of course, he’s paying.’

‘In that case, eat up, dear. You’re getting too thin, you know.’

Natalie had to laugh. Thin, she was not. But her mother always thought she was.

‘I’ll ring you tomorrow night,’ she promised. ‘Let you know how I went with the bank. Bye.’

‘Bye, dear. And thanks again.’

Natalie resisted the temptation to primp and preen before joining Mike outside. She just grabbed her black carryall, locked the front door and launched herself out into the street.

His car was as macho as he was, she thought as she hurried towards it. An all-black four-wheel drive with darkly tinted windows that exuded a faintly menacing air.

A shiver ran down her spine when the passenger door suddenly swung open, propelled by a black leather-clad arm that disappeared as swiftly as it had appeared.

‘You are a most unusual woman,’ he said as she climbed in and shut the door behind her.

‘In what way?’

‘You don’t keep a man waiting.’

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