The Billionaire's Convenient Bride: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story (13 page)

     “Well, to be honest, Tristan chose the dress. I’m glad you like it. Do you think you can get something that matches it?”

     Peter cringed inside and smiled at her on the outside. “If you could leave me a small piece of the hem on the inside of the dress, I can take it to a shop and have it matched.”

     She nodded at him and wondered at his behavior. “There’s something I wanted to talk with you about as well. I hope you understand.” She sat down before him, taking care with her dress and looking at him with a warm and happy smile on her face.

     “What is it?” he asked, curiosity wrestling with dread and desire in him all at once.

     She leaned toward him, her heart in her hands, and told him, “Tristan has taken an interest in me, and I like him as well. We kissed a few days ago, and I stopped it from there, because I wanted to talk with you, I wanted to know what you thought about he and I possibly seeing where our interests might lead. You hired me to be your wife, and that commitment is a priority for me, but things have changed unexpectedly, and now I want to see him romantically; I want to know what might happen with him. I know we laughed and joked about it, but I think he might be my perfect match; you know, my ideal man. I know there’s not really anyone who could fit all of the characteristics on my list, but I think he may be the closest I ever get. I will stay married to you, because that’s what we agreed, but I thought since you have your out of state arrangement, I wondered if we might work something out for me where I could see him behind closed doors.”

     Peter felt like he had been gut checked. He had been leaving town, and when he was there he had every intention of finding women to satisfy his urges and physical needs, but even though he had found no end of truly gorgeous women who were anxious to spend the night with him, he hadn’t been able to be with them. All he could think of was Emmaline. All he wanted was Emmaline, and no other woman could turn him on enough to reach physical release. He hadn’t been doing what she thought he was doing, because his mind was stuck on her. Now here she was, after they had talked about it, and she was interested in Tristan. She was interested in another man who was living under his own roof as his guest and who was his business partner. There would be no way he could avoid seeing the two of them together, just as he had seen them dancing in the garden the day before he left. He was taken aback and struggled to hold his poker face in place. He wanted to grab her and hold her tightly to him. He wanted to tell her that there was no way she could be with another man. He wanted to tell her that she was saturating his dreams and his waking hours, his thoughts and his heart, that she was becoming the object of his desire more than any other woman had ever been and he could no longer fight it like he had been doing. He wanted nothing more than to give in to it and be with her, but she was sitting before him asking him to let her be with one of the two men closest to him.

     He rubbed his hand over his chin, trying to hold in all the turmoil twisting within him. Peter shook his head and forced himself to steady his voice. “I realize that he can be very charming, and he is a likeable fellow, but you’ve been here alone, perhaps he is just good company for you and you are misconstruing your feelings for him. Whatever the case may be, with my election coming up, I really don’t feel as though this is the best possible time for you to explore a relationship like that, outside of our marriage, and in our home together. If it got out at all, if somehow a photograph was taken when you didn’t realize it, everything we have worked for would be ruined and destroyed. The project would be scrapped and nothing that we have worked so hard for would come to fruition. I am sorry to ask this, but I’ll need to ask you to wait a little while at least. Perhaps until after the election. No matter if I win or lose, we won’t be quite as much in the spotlight as we are in the time leading up to it, and that is the most crucial time. Could you please give me until after the election?” He felt horribly guilty and selfish asking her for the time, because he was only partially asking for the stay of execution based on his election. Mostly it was just him giving himself a little time to try to win her for himself, or at least find a way to show her that he was falling in love with her and let her make a choice between the two of them. He had to give himself a chance, somehow, to try to get her to see what he felt, to see how much he needed her.

     She nodded. “I understand. I’ll let him know, then, after the election.” She stood up and smiled at him, cutting at his heart as she turned and walked out of the room, and he whispered after her, “I love you.”

Chapter8

Peter’s words echoed in her ears. “
Wait until after the election
,” he had said, looking as though he was a hollow shell. Emmaline would wait as long as he asked her to, and the election was coming soon enough. It was months away, but she was in the same house with Tristan, and at least they could be around each other and she could get to know him better as time went by.

     Hers was the most unusual situation. She was married to Peter, but it was a marriage of convenience. It was a business arrangement. He was a billionaire playboy who had been caught having sex in a hotel room with the current Governor’s wife. He was also a local businessman with every intention of completing a project to refurbish and repair part of the French Quarter and the surrounding neighborhoods when tremendous damage had resulted from the last big hurricane that hit New Orleans. Because of his tryst with the Governor’s wife, every time he tried to get through the red tape at City Hall to acquire permits and get inspection approvals or make any kind of improvements, he was stopped by dirty politics. In an effort to stem the negative publicity, he hired Emmaline to marry him so that his public image would evolve from that of the local playboy to one of a respectable businessman.

     Their agreement was for three years. He would rent her for three million dollars, they would sleep at opposite ends of the house, in separate bedrooms, and only show the faces of a happily married couple to the public, while keeping their lives as their own behind closed doors. The public loved her and bought their story, eating it up like red beans and rice and gumbo, and the politics that held Peter back from his business endeavors with his project seemed to lighten up a bit, but not enough to allow him to make much progress. He had to bring in one of his business partners, Tristan, who was able to get further with the city than Peter was. Emmaline suggested to Peter that he run for the Governor of the state to replace the current Governor who was giving him so much trouble, and he began a campaign, which meant that if he won, she would be the Governor’s wife.

     Tristan had moved into their home temporarily, to be able to help Peter work on the improvement project in the city. While Tristan was in their home, he began to fall in love with Emmaline. At first, Peter was just jealous, because he had been fighting his own feelings for Emmaline, trying to keep their relationship strictly business as he had promised her, but the more he was around her, the more he fell in love with her. Emmaline had come to him and asked him if she could see Tristan behind closed doors, and Peter had asked her to wait until his political campaign was over and she had agreed, and it was then that Peter, torn that she had asked to see Tristan, had finally admitted to himself that he loved Emmaline, and wanted her. Knowing that her heart was discovering feelings for Tristan made him keep that revelation to himself.

     Emmaline knew she had to tell Tristan that they needed to wait, and while part of her was a little relieved because it would give her more time to get to know him better, most of her heart was disappointed to have to wait for him. He made butterflies dance in her stomach and she loved the warm and happy manner that he had, especially with her. She found him in the kitchen the next morning, making coffee for them both, and as she walked up to him, he closed his arms around her in an intimate embrace.

“Good morning,” he said softly into her ear, kissing her cheek, and then letting her go.

She smiled a little, and looked down, then looked back up at him. “Tristan, I talked to Peter.”

     He nodded and waited for her to continue. “He wants us to wait until after the election results before we go any further with this, just in case someone gets a photo or finds out about us or it’s leaked somehow. Just as a precaution. There’s a lot on the line for all of us right now. I feel like he’s right about this.”

     Tristan reached his hand up and stroked her face, running his thumb over her cheek and his fingers over her hair. “I understand completely. I don’t mind waiting for you. It will only make it sweeter when we can be together.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead, and she closed her eyes as his lips touched her skin. He kissed her cheek and she smiled, and then he kissed her lips softly, and at first she hesitated, but the warmth of his lips on hers was dizzying and she pressed her lips back against his and kissed him in return. He looked down into her eyes with longing, but then he let her go.

     “It’s going to be hard to wait, but we can do it,” he said, pulling her into his embrace. She closed her eyes and smiled, thinking of how it would be when they could be together. It was so strange to her that she got married to a stranger only to find her true love.

     They spent time together, talking, laughing, and sharing stories about themselves with one another during the times when he wasn’t working with Peter and Nelson on the project. Days passed and the night of the ball arrived. Emmaline spent the morning at the salon getting her hair and nails done for the event, and the afternoon getting ready. When she walked out to the drawing room to meet the men, they were all ready and waiting for her, and from the look on Peter and Tristan’s faces, she knew she looked good. Tristan took a few steps toward her and then stopped himself, as Peter was walking toward her as well, and Emmaline realized that he was remembering that she was married to Peter and this was Peter’s big night.

     Peter hugged her and kissed her cheek, smiling at her, and then gave her his arm. “Shall we?” he asked, his face glowing with pride and happiness. They went out to the limousine and, in no time at all, they were walking into the ballroom at the hotel. Photographers and media reporters were all over the sidewalk and in the lobby when they arrived, snapping photographs and asking questions. Peter had his arm tight around Emma’s waist, holding her close to him. He knew that this night would be one of the best opportunities he would have to be close to her and somehow show her how he felt, maybe try to change her mind about her feelings for Tristan. He had noticed that Tristan kept watching her and trying to be close to her as well, without being obvious or disrespectful. She seemed to be alright with being so close to Peter, and he decided that he would take complete advantage of that, and use the time to try to win her over to him.

     Peter had talked to Nelson about what was going on, and had asked him to keep himself between Emmaline and Tristan as much as he could, and to really push the happily married couple image with the press. Nelson, as always, was on top of it.

     When the press stopped them at the door asking for photos, Peter turned and faced the cameras; his green eyes sparkling and his smile wide, holding Emma to his side. She waved and smiled, as she should, and then he turned her to him and lifted her chin with his finger, and kissed her softly, his lips molding themselves to hers, and she drew in her breath as his kiss lingered for a long moment before he let her go and smiled down at her, then turned to wave to the reporters before walking into the hotel.

     Peter sat at the head table and had Emmaline at his side and Nelson beside her. Tristan was made to sit beside Nelson, just in case. They greeted their guests, hugging and kissing them, shaking hands and thanking everyone for coming. Peter had Emmaline with him the whole time, and he cherished every moment of it, feeling her so near to him. She looked stunning, and it was all he could do to keep his focus on everyone they met. She walked with him to the podium and stood beside him when he spoke to the crowd, talking about what he was going to do to improve the community. He received a huge response, and everyone cheered heartily for him. He was leading in the polls, and it showed in the enthusiasm of the crowd in the ballroom with them.

     Emmaline felt the excitement of the crowd and Peter’s happiness as it emanated from him. She discovered that she loved being at his side for it, talking with people about what they were going to do, and she really meant every word she said to the people she talked to. She wanted to make a difference in the community as much as Peter did, and together it felt like they could bring about a real change and improve their city and the lives of the people who lived in it. It brought her a sense of purpose and meaning that she had never known before, and she loved it.

     Peter walked off the podium and looked at Emmaline with a genuinely happy smile. “Care to dance with your husband?” he asked.

     She grinned at him. “I’d love to.” He took her hand gently in his and walked out to the floor. Peter slipped his hand around her waist and as he pulled her to him, something in her swelled and she felt light as a feather with him. He looked down at her, gazing into her eyes, and it seemed like everything around them disappeared and it was only the two of them together, turning in each other’s arms, and nothing could touch them.

     She smiled and said softly, “Your eyes are the color of my dress.” She hadn’t realized it before, and it was a sweet little nothing that touched her heart; an unplanned connection.

     He leaned down close to her ear and said quietly, “Yes, but no one is looking at my eyes tonight, my dear, everyone is completely enchanted with you, including me. You take my breath away.”

     Peter kissed her cheek softly and turned her in his arms as the music carried them along. She blinked in surprise, but she liked what he said. As the song came to an end, he closed his arms around her and held her to his heart, and as she looked up at him, he bent toward her and pressed his lips to hers softly, in a gentle and tender kiss, and his kiss lingered as he moved his mouth over hers subtly and slowly. Heat emanated from him as they connected, and something deep in her responded to it immediately; the core of her body began to blaze and she felt a magnetic pull to him that was irresistible and powerful. Her hands went to his face and she kissed him back breathlessly.

     When he finally let her go, they realized that a wide crowd of people was watching them dance, and that cameras were going off around them. They turned and smiled at the onlookers, and as the music began anew, he kept her close to him and began dancing with her again, subtly teaching her new steps and turns as they moved, and encouraging her.

     She loved the feel of the movement, and she realized with complete surprise that she loved being in his strong arms and at the center of his intent gaze. She noticed that he did not look away from her the whole time he was with her on the dance floor. After several songs together with her in his arms, he sighed in disappointment and said, “I think our public is waiting anxiously for us, and I think we have to go answer to them.”

     They had been wound up in each other long enough in the dim light of the dance floor, and she knew he was right, though she was sorely disappointed that they had to leave their musical dance cocoon. She smiled up at him and he wrapped his arm snugly around her waist and walked with her to the crowds of people waiting for them.

     She hadn’t realized it, but she had immersed herself so deeply in her time with Peter that night, that she hadn’t thought of Tristan at all until she saw him standing off away from the crowd, watching her intently. She smiled at him, but it was a swift smile, and her attention was drawn back to the media who were asking her multitudes of questions.

     Emmaline and Peter spent the better portion of the evening talking with other politicians, supporters, reporters, and guests. Their time seemed to go by so swiftly, and yet it seemed to slow down so much when they had brief moments alone together. Peter took every opportunity he could to touch her, to hold her hand, to wrap his arm around her, and whenever he thought he could fit it in appropriately, he kissed her cheek or her hand, and once more, after they had been talking to a news crew in the lobby, he kissed her mouth; softly, sweetly, just for a long precious moment, but he held onto each chance and made the most of it while he was able to. She kissed him back when he kissed her, and while he was certain that it was part of the show, her physical response to him made him feel as though there might be more feeling in her than he had first thought. The realization of that made his heart beat faster, and gave him the tiniest seed of hope, deep within his heart.

     One of the reporters talked with them while others listened in and he brought up the issue concerning the current Governor’s wife. “The Governor continues to bash you for your past indiscretion with his wife, stating that you have no morals and are not fit to lead the community. What do you have to say about that?”

     Peter pulled Emmaline close to him and smiled. “I would say that we have all made mistakes in our pasts, and while I will always regret that one, it is not the sole defining trait of my character. I have moved on from that incident and I have found and married an incredible woman who loves this city and its people as much as I do, and together she and I will build this city back up to the heights of its glory again. The only thing I love more than New Orleans is this woman in my arms. She has changed me into a man who won’t let this town down again.”

     The reporter grinned at him and Emmaline felt everything in her stop suddenly. Peter was able to turn a phrase quite easily, and he was excellent at speaking with the businessmen, politicians, and reporters that hovered around them hungrily, but he never lied. He had never spoken a word that he didn’t mean, or that wasn’t true. She had realized that right away. His comment about loving her more than the city caught her totally off guard. She tried not to show the surprise on her face, her smile only wavered slightly, but inside she was spinning in chaotic amazement. He wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it, she thought to herself in wonder. She tucked it away into the back of her mind to consider later, and returned her attentions to the people before her, but when she looked up into his sparkling green eyes again during the rest of the night, it was there in her mind, and she wondered endlessly about it.