Fortune's Proposal Read Online Free

some plan for that. I’ve met him. He’s a very caring person!”
    â€œHe’s a man who has made it plain that he is starting his new life, no matter how it affects everyone else, including his own family,” Drew said flatly, and his dimple was nowhere in evidence.
    Her knees suddenly felt wobbly and she closed her hands over the back of the chair where she’d been sitting.
    She needed her job. Now, more than ever.
    And while she felt certain that she’d be able to find alternate work if she had to, she knew that she’d never be able to start out at the pay level that she’d risen to at Fortune Forecasting.
    She wasn’t getting rich by any means, but she made enough to keep her head above water…and until Gigi’s latest spending jag…hers, too.
    â€œNobody would believe that you and I… That we…well, that we—”
    â€œâ€”were in love?”
    She could practically see the calculating wheels turning in his mind when he picked up a pen and began drumming the end of it on his desk.
    â€œWhy not?” he asked. “I think it’ll make perfect sense to anyone who bothers to think about it. My whole family knows that you’re the only female who has been in my life for longer than a twelve-week stretch.”
    â€œSure. Because you pay me well and usually leave me alone to do my job!” She shook her head. “I’m not even your type.”
    He looked amused and the dimple was definitely back. “And what type would that be?”
    â€œSix feet tall, blonde and big-chested.”
    â€œSounds like you’re describing the guy who runs the magazine stand down in the lobby.”
    She grimaced. “Hilarious. You know exactly the kind of woman I mean. The only kind you ever date more than twice.” She could count on one hand the number of women he’d seen who’d had more interest in him than the size of his bank account or what they could get out of being on Drew Fortune’s arm for a while.
    None of those women had ever made it past a second date with him; he’d made certain of that.
    His pen was still tapping. “I do know what you mean. And you’re right. You are not a gold digger,” he said smoothly. “Nobody could ever make the mistake of thinking that. You’ve worked by my side for four years now. You’re the soul of discretion, you’re calm and sensible. Hell, if we’re honest here, my father will probably think you’re too good for me.”
    He made her sound like a lap dog.
    She shook off the unwanted shard of pique as she shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m even standing here discussing this with you. It’s insane. And I have friendsstill waiting for me. So am I supposed to distribute your article or was that whole episode just an exercise on your part to exert your power one last time before you take to the road?”
    He ignored that. “One year of your time, Deanna, for a simple business deal. A marriage of convenience. Hands-strictly-off, right? So what’s that worth to you? A raise? A promotion? A new title?”
    â€œNo! I don’t want any of those things! Not when it’s a simple business deal that involves getting married to you—however you want to describe it—and lying to your own father about the real reason for it!”
    â€œAnd you think what he’s demanding is all that reasonable?” he shot back.
    She pressed her lips together. Because, if everything that Drew said was true, then of course she didn’t think it was reasonable at all.
    Yes, Drew played hard.
    But he worked even harder.
    And she’d worked for him long enough to know that there was nothing he valued more than the company that his father had founded.
    She raked her hands through her hair and turned away from the chair to pace across the office. Her knees were still shaking, but that was nothing compared to the quivering going