The Billionaire's Bargain (3 page)

He carried on with his work while he
waited for her reaction. Everything in his mind had to be planned.

“What do you mean we will be
married?”

“You said you will do anything for
your father.”

“Not marriage—” Her voice took on a hysterical tone.
Duncan
felt his heart ache. For a split
second he considered backing out. Tess Williams had done nothing to him. She
was a daughter trying to help her parent. She didn’t deserve it.

Use her, and get your revenge. Your
mother deserves to be in her rightful place at the villa.

“Shall I cancel the arrangements and get in contact with the police? I’m
sure you’d like to spend the next ten years seeing your father in an orange
suit.” He picked up the phone as if to phone them.
Duncan
saw her panic. Within seconds she’d
grabbed the phone from his hand and slammed it back in its cradle. Her
breathing was deep and troubled.
 

Duncan
was right. Tess Williams had some
fire in her. He couldn’t wait to see how much fire she possessed.
    

“Why do you want me to marry you?” She stayed standing near his chair
looking down at him. A layer of sweat covered her brow. Her scent invaded him.
She smelt like vanilla and honey, a savoury sweetness he wanted to taste.
 

Looking up at her
Duncan
saw the outline of her body. His assumptions had been correct. She had a full
figure. Her hips were large. He knew she would be able to take a hard fucking
without breaking. Models were too thin. Their bones always made him feel if he
pushed too hard they’d snap in two.
Duncan
wasn’t a weak man. He worked hard, and when he fucked a woman, he liked to get
dirty doing it. There was something about a hard fuck that set his mind at
ease.
 

“I have found that it’s something I need to do. You’re in a predicament
where I can help you. This is a win/win situation for us.” His answer sounded
vague. He wouldn’t tell her the truth.
 

“Why do you need to get married?”

He contemplated telling her about his own deceased father’s will and the
terms surrounding it in order for him to gain his inheritance. He decided
against it. She didn’t need to know how much he needed this marriage. It kept
him in control of their affair and brief marriage.

“It’s time for me to be married. A marriage will keep the press off my back
and cleans up this bad boy image I’ve been tarred with. If you marry me I’ll
not press charges against your father. Any debt that he has created would be
wiped clean. I’ll settle everything. All you need to do is marry me.” He made a
point of mentioning her father’s predicament.
Duncan
might be a ruthless businessman, but
he kept to his word. He wouldn’t go back on his word.
 

He stood, which forced her to take a step back. Her scent was everywhere
he turned. Her hand rested on his desk. Her cheeks were flushed.
Duncan
stared down at her
chest and saw her nipples were pressed against the fabric of her shirt. She was
turned on by him.

****

Tess stared at his chest. He was so close it disturbed her train of
thought. His expensive designer suit did nothing to disguise how magnificent
his body was. Tess felt an incredible urge to stroke her hand down the hard
press of his chest. His suit jacket would feel soft against her fingers. His
chest would press against her finger tips showing her how hard this man was, in
body and in his presence. She knew he was known for getting what he wanted. She
had never thought it would involve her.
  

He stood close to her. His masculine scent invaded her senses. She knew
he was strong, but being surrounded by him made it hard for her to concentrate.

No matter how many diets she went on she’d never been able to shift her
extra pounds. While she was growing up her father had used to tease her about
her extra weight. Over time it had been easy for her to stop thinking about her
body and just hide away in books. When she was in a fantasy world no one could
hurt her. In romance books for a short while she could pretend to be heroine.
She knew it was naïve, but being consumed by the fantasy world meant she didn’t
have to deal with the bitter sting of rejection, which hurt so much more.

She knew her body, and she was aroused at the sudden image of them
together, naked. The chance of Duncan James ever wanting anything to do with
her was incredibly slim. She shook her head to remove the erotic images from
her mind. Never before had she felt intrigued by a man. He stood in front of
her with his dominant attitude, which terrified her. He made her think about
herself as a woman and not just someone else within the scheme of things.
 
For the first time since high school she
wanted to be someone other than Tess Williams, the motherless fat girl.

She moved around his desk to sit back in her seat. The more distance she
put between them the better she’d feel. Her whole body quivered at the passionate
possession still alive in her mind. No matter how hard she tried to shut it
off, the images kept coming back. Her hands shook as she clasped them on her
lap.
 

“All I have to do is marry you, and you will wipe my father’s slate
clean. No debt and no charges?” He nodded his head. Tess knew it couldn’t be
that simple. Nothing in life ever was. She had only come here to try to stop
her father going to prison. She now got all the debt cleared provided she
married the man with a reputation worse than the devil. Tess knew she should be
celebrating. How could she celebrate? On the one hand her father would be free,
while on the other, she’d be trapped with a man who had no respect for a woman.

“How long will we be married?”

“For as long as we wish.”

So vague, so tempting, and so obviously the
thing to do.
She
could fight him, and then her father would be in prison.

Or she could be married to this man and be free within the next few
years. Marriage to this man would be a hardship. From the short time she’d spent
in his office she knew he liked to control. He didn’t give anything away. It’s
not as if he would demand marital rights from her. He could have any woman he
wanted, which left her free to fulfil her own responsibilities. He probably
wouldn’t even want to share a house. Nothing in her life would have to change.
Her last name and a ring on her wedding finger was all that was required of
her. Tess felt her heart lifting. She could do this. It was the only solution,
and it had been offered by Duncan James himself. All she needed to do was keep
visions of them intimate together out of her mind and she would be fine.

She wondered what could possibly go wrong. It all sounded so clear in
her mind. What other choice did she really have? Tess couldn’t let her father
rot in some prison cell. Anyway she had heard enough of the awful things that
happened in prisons from her own father.

The thought of him going to a place like that made her sick to her
stomach. If she had to give up her freedom to protect the only parent she had
then she’d do whatever it took.

Chapter Three

Duncan
watched her as she worked out his
proposal in her mind. He knew she would accept his proposal. She didn’t have
any other solution to her father’s immediate problems. He held all the cards.
Just the way he liked it. Erik would see the inside of a prison cell if she
refused. He’d make sure of it. Tess was on his radar now.

They would be married within the
next two weeks. Any longer would risk her backing out.
Duncan
had everything prepared. Once their
meeting was over he’d phone Mark to give him an update. Soon after his
signature was taken on the wedding certificate, he would have the family estate
that he’d waited so long to possess. The only other problem in his path was
getting Tess to bear him a child.

The only solution he saw would be to
make her fall in love with him. He would spend a great deal of time to make
certain Tess Williams wouldn’t be able to leave him.
Duncan
knew she’d never leave a child. She had
that maternal instinct he’d heard Mark talk about. He knew he could do it, and
within no time he would have her in his bed, and then before she knew what was
happening they could conceive his first child. All parts of his father’s
will would
be met.

 
His heir would be the final condition in his
father’s terms of his will.
Duncan
would have full control over the family estate and business. He knew the first
thing he’d do and that would be to cut off his money-grabbing stepmother. Once
Miranda was out of the picture his mother would be back in her rightful place,
where she belonged. Plans of his future began to map out.

The dreams he’d held onto for so
long were so close to coming true he could almost taste it. Tess had no choice.

Duncan
looked forward to getting Tess to
fall in love with him. Her seduction would provide him with so much pleasure.
The anticipation alone was enough to make him yearn for her.

Spending time with her wouldn’t be a
hardship. She was sweet, beautiful, and it was his pleasure to bring her closer
to him. Tess didn’t need to know what he wanted from her. He’d make sure she
never doubted her position at his side. She’d be perfect as the woman by his
side and the mother of his children. Once his place in her life, and the
fulfilment of his father’s will, was guaranteed he would proceed with his own
life.
Duncan
would take a mistress like his father had done before him, a woman to sate his
appetite while Tess graced his own bed. She’d stay at home, and he’d be free to
lead a life separate from the family. His plans were suitable to him and easily
achieved.

The more he thought about them, the
more he liked his plan. Tess need never know of his intent. He’d treat her with
the utmost respect and care.

Everything sounded so clear to him.

He waited for her answer.

“Yes, I will marry you.”

He nodded, containing his smile. An
hour ago it had seemed all hope was lost to him. Tess was about to make it all
happen. The revenge he’d wanted for the last ten years was firmly within his
grasp. For that he’d be deeply indebted to the woman before him.

“Excellent, I will get my secretary
to contact you with the details.”

Duncan
moved round the desk to stand
before her. He noticed she took a step back.

“You don’t have to be scared of me,
Tess. I’m not going to bite unless you want me to.” He leaned against his desk
staring at her.

The drab suit did nothing for her
curves. He’d make it his mission to fit her in the finest fabrics and silks.
She had a body he craved to know every inch of.

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“Then why are you walking away from
me?” he asked.

She stopped. Her hands fisted at her
sides. “There, I’m not going anywhere.”

Duncan
took a step towards her. She stood
her ground. Her gaze dropped to her feet. In no time at all he’d closed the
distance between them. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head up
to face him.

“I always want to see your eyes on
me,” he said.

“Why did you pick me?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t say no.
Your father’s freedom depended on your answer.”

“You’re Duncan James. You could have
any woman. I’ll never understand why you picked me.”

He smiled and leaned down to kiss
her. Tess pulled away shaking her head. “I’m not ready for that.”

“You’ll need to be ready in two
weeks.”

“But not today.
I agreed to marry you. You’ve got
any number of women on your list to bed. I don’t want to be another notch on
your bedpost or anything else you think. This will be a marriage in name only.”

Duncan
smiled. She was only setting a
challenge to him. He couldn’t wait to get started in breaking down her
barriers.

“Fine, we’ll play it your way. In
two weeks you’ll be mine, Tess.”

****

Tess nodded at him waiting for him
to say something else. When no other words were spoken she made her way to the
door. Her exit was silent. She felt uneasy and for some strange reason as if
she had sold her soul to the devil in order to help her father. Tess rode down
the elevator with her heart aching. She knew her life was about to take one of
two paths. One was filled with love and happiness, and the other was so painful
she could not bear to think about. She didn’t know where her thoughts came
from, only that the feeling wouldn’t go away.