12

“Actually, people agree to the strangest things when money is involved.” He gave her another smile, non-threatening and pleasant. “But I can see you’re not convinced. Well, that’s fine. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Pushing himself out of the armchair, he rose to his feet. “Don’t fret, Anna. I have other options.”

Anna blinked, clearly surprised. “So…that’s it?”

“What did you expect? That I would march you at gunpoint to the altar? Of course not. That would be far too mediaeval of me. Well, don’t let me keep you.” Cedric turned and strolled casually to the door, pulling it open. “You probably have a lot to do and I don’t want to take up any more of your valuable time.”

He’d unbalanced her, that was clear. Which was all part of his plan. If she didn’t like being told what to do, he wouldn’t tell her. He would coax her into it, seduce her. She was probably wise to a bit of reverse psychology, but he guessed that she wouldn’t be able to help questioning him all the same. She needed that money… and desperately.

Sure enough, she said, “But I thought you needed a wife?”

“And I do. Not to mention a son. But as I said, I have a number of other options.” He raised a brow. “Did you think you were the only one I was considering?”

Her lovely mouth opened, then shut, a certain amount of bewilderment flickering over her face. “If you have other options, then why ask me?”

“I told you. The agreement between our fathers. I thought it was polite to ask you first.”

“Polite,” she echoed, as if she didn’t understand the word.

“Yes.” He nodded towards the door. “Please, don’t stay any longer than you need to on my account.”

But she was now looking at him fixedly and he felt the kick of satisfaction deep inside. The hook was baited and she’d had a taste of it. All he had to do was reel her in, but again, he’d need to be careful. It wouldn’t do to rush this.

“So what exactly are you expecting from a marriage?” she asked. “Apart from a child?”

He let none of his satisfaction show. Now was the time to lay out what he wanted and there was no point holding back or making it seem less than it was. There was a time for honesty in business and there was a time for subterfuge, and now was the time for honesty. He didn’t want anything to come back to bite him when she finally agreed, because she would agree. Of that he had no doubt.

“If you’re thinking it would be marriage in name only then you would be wrong.” He looked straight at her, let her see that he was giving her the pure, unvarnished truth. “Considering our chemistry, I would very much like to conceive a child naturally. And once the child is born, we can get an amicable divorce and you can go on your way. You’ll have access to the child, if you wish, but it will stay with me.” Now was the time to add the sweetener. “If you agree, I will pay you the amount of money I specified, plus see to any other needs you may have. Your father may continue to live in his home with a caregiver, though I hear there are some excellent treatment facilities around, which I would be happy to pay for.”

At first, he’d considered a marriage in name only and the conception of the child via medical assistance. His father’s will hadn’t stipulated any other requirements such as living arrangements or being a proper family or divorce. He would of course raise the child himself, since there was no way he’d risk the chance of any child of his having the kind of upbringing he’d had.

But all those initial ideas had changed over the course of this meeting, coalescing into a single, bright, shining whole. He would have her. And why not? He wanted her and she wanted him, he was sure of that even if nothing had happened between them… Yet, which meant the sex would be phenomenal. And it would make conception extremely pleasurable into the bargain. And once that was accomplished, they could go their separate ways. Of course, a child needed their mother—his own mother had barely paid any attention to him so he knew how that felt—and he wouldn’t deny her access if she wanted it.

But it wouldn’t be a permanent arrangement between them, not when he had no idea what kind of mother Anna would be. And after his own experiences, the last thing he wanted was to expose a child to a parent who didn’t care.

People said that love was infinite, but people were liars. Love had a shelf life. It was limited. And when it ran out, there was no more to be had. Certainly his parents’ supply had been exhausted by the time he was born and probably never was, and Anna's could very well be the same. Regardless, he couldn’t risk it, which meant the child would remain with him. Of course, his own heart had been burned out long ago, but he could pretend. He’d certainly make damn sure the child never felt the lack of care and attention. No child of his would ever feel like a ghost. Yes, it all made perfect sense to him and he would get what he wanted in the end. He always did.

Anna blinked and he could see her mind working, going over the possibilities of what he’d said.

He smiled. “Well, I can see you’re not interested, that’s clear.”

Her gaze abruptly focused on him. “You think anyone will be?”

“Oh, I know of many women who will be.” He allowed just a hint of heat into his eyes. “Like I said, I have many options when it comes to choosing a wife.

And some of them wouldn’t even require any financial recompense. In fact, for some, just having access to my bed would be more than enough.”

Anna made a sceptical sound, but he could see the blush that tinged her cheeks. She was already imagining herself in his bed, he’d lay money on it.