Authors: Heather Thurmeier
Chapter Two
“Sorry I’m late tonight.” Daisy climbed onto the bed to sit cross-legged beside her mother. She rubbed her fingers along her mom’s limp hand, gently massaging the fragile skin to stimulate her circulation. Her mom rested, propped up on pillows against the headboard, smiling at their familiar routine. “Traffic was bumper-to-bumper getting out of New York.”
Daisy’s bridal-design house and boutique was in the heart of Greenwich Village, which made the commute to her mom’s house in lower Westchester County just under an hour. But tonight it had taken almost an hour and a half.
“You should’ve stayed in the city. You didn’t have to drive all this way to hang out with me for an hour. I’m fine here with Samantha.”
Samantha, the at-home nurse, did an amazing job tending to her mother whenever Daisy couldn’t be there to help. Which was most of the time. But homecare came with a hefty bill each month, and it was getting tougher and tougher to pay while also covering rent, salaries, and buying supplies for Designs by Daisy.
“I know, but I won’t be able to come tomorrow. I’m busy at the shop and then I have a meeting with an investor. I spent the better part of my day pulling together stuff to show him.”
Mason Bridgewater wasn’t just any investor. He was the most successful bridal-show organizer in the country. He managed to bring in the biggest sponsors, the highest attendance of new brides-to-be, and the best vendors to each of his shows. He was also a crotchety, old grouch who expected small businesses like hers to fork over huge amounts of cash to score a booth at those shows, which is why she’d never been a part of one. Why he’d contacted her assistant about forming a business partnership with Daisy was a mystery, but she wasn’t about to turn away what could be the shop’s only hope for survival.
“Why the need for an investor all of a sudden?” her mom asked, concern wrinkling her forehead.
Because the bills keep coming, and the brides aren’t buying
.
Seemed she couldn’t sell anything but her cheapest dresses because of the ongoing recession. If it was over five grand, most brides weren’t interested. She wanted to focus more energy on making affordable dresses to bring in more brides, but she still needed to produce high-end gowns to appear in magazines and runway shows. Not to mention, those were the gowns with the biggest profit margins. Sadly, she just didn’t have time for both without another dressmaker or two on staff, but she didn’t have the funds to hire anyone right now.
“Everything’s fine with the store,” she said, forcing a smile to her lips. She hoped it was convincing. “I’d like to expand in the future, and I need some extra money to do that.”
Samantha straightened the jars of ointments and medications on the dresser. Daisy’s gaze fell to the pictures leaning against the wall behind the pill bottles, stopping on one particular photo.
She climbed from the bed and grabbed the photo of her and Cole together, dressed formally at her cousin’s wedding from well over a year ago. In it, they both looked happy and in love and… Well,
she’d
been in love at least.
“Mom, I’ve only asked you to get rid of this photo about a million times already.”
“Good luck,” Samantha whispered beside her. “I tried to take it down after your last visit, and she noticed within the hour. I think he’s sticking around forever.”
Forever was not a word that went with Cole Benton.
Driven. Workaholic. Cocky. Bachelor until the bitter end.
Those
were words that described Cole.
She brushed her fingers across the glass without thinking. He’d looked even better in person last week.
Clean cut. Distinguished. Built. Sexy. Those words described him pretty accurately, too.
“You know I love that picture of you,” her mother said. “You look so beautiful in it. I can’t help it if Cole happens to be in it as well. It’s staying, so get used to it.”
Daisy groaned and put the photo back.
“I told you,” Samantha said with a smirk. “She’ll never get rid of it.”
“Don’t worry. The second I’m ready to part with it, Samantha will be there with a pair of scissors to cut you out of it so she can take Cole home with her.” Her mother laughed.
Samantha blushed. “Well, I can’t say I mind the eye candy spicing up the room.”
Daisy rolled her eyes. “You’re both terrible. If either of you loved me, you would cut Cole out of that picture and let me be happy alone in my frame.”
“You know that sounds tragically pathetic, right?” her mother teased. “Besides, if we cut Cole out, then we’d have nothing to look at all day but each other.”
“Hey, you said I was the object of your attention in that picture. Now the truth comes out.”
This time, Daisy joined in with her mother and Samantha’s laughter. If seeing that darn picture kept her mom’s spirits up and provided her with something nice to look at, then maybe Daisy could put up with it for a little longer.
Or maybe she’d buy her mom a new bigger and better picture to put up instead, so that Cole could finally be put away and forgotten for good.
As she climbed back onto the bed to rejoin her mother, something on the floor caught her attention—another picture of her and Cole at the coffee shop with the headline, “Together Again?”
Ridiculous.
“You know you’re encouraging them by buying these magazines, right? You’re not making my life any easier.”
“If you’re in the news, I’m buying a copy.”
“But this isn’t news. It wasn’t even news last week when it happened!” Daisy said, frustrated. She tossed the magazine back on the floor, instead of into the garbage where it belonged, and flopped onto the bed.
“What did happen with Cole?” Samantha asked quietly from near the doorway, almost as if she were planning a fast getaway. Maybe she should with questions like that.
“Nothing. We both stopped into the same shop for a coffee. We barely spoke.”
“So you’re not back together?” Samantha asked.
She narrowed her eyes in frustration. “What do you think?”
“I think you sound awfully defensive for someone who claims to not be fooling around with Cole,” her mom said. “Especially after he was so obviously groping you in public.”
“Oh my God, he was trying to clean up coffee not groping me. I’m leaving. Love you. I’ll see you Saturday.” Daisy popped up from the bed and practically sprinted from the room, but not without hearing the commentary still going on behind her back.
“I told you I saw that look in her eye. I know my daughter, and I know that twinkle.”
…
Daisy paused outside the boardroom door and straightened her shirt, then tucked a loose strand of long auburn hair behind her ear. She still didn’t have any clue what Mason wanted with her, but regardless, she needed to be the epitome of professionalism. His empire was huge, and if he’d decided she was worth his investment dollars, then she’d do whatever it took to make that happen.
With her game face on, she opened the door and strode into the room.
“What the hell are you doing here?” The words flew out of her mouth before she could censor herself. Shock had overridden rational thought. Steamrolled it, actually. She stumbled to a stop on heels that suddenly felt too high.
Cole sat on the other side of the large oak table, looking about as stunned as she felt.
And damn it if he hadn’t gotten even hotter since she’d seem him last week. His jaw was clear of the five o’clock shadow that had never failed to leave whisker burn on her cheeks after a night in his bed. His piercing green eyes swept her top to toe, and when he finally met her gaze again, a familiar spark flared to life low in her abdomen. It was as if he’d undressed her with his mind. Knowing him, he probably had.
Well, she was fully dressed and ready for business. Business that shouldn’t include him. Raising her chin, she turned to Mason as if she hadn’t made the most awkward entrance into a business meeting in history. She extended her hand to the man who looked like an old oil tycoon from Texas, complete with handlebar mustache and big gray, bushy eyebrows to match his slightly disheveled silver hair. The only thing missing was a pair of dusty cowboy boots and a Stetson. “Pleasure to meet you, Mason.”
“Come in.” He waved her forward, politely ignoring her outburst. “I asked you both here today because I’m seeking a new promotional opportunity, and I think you might be the people to help me.”
“I’m intrigued.” Cole sat forward.
“Both of us?” Daisy asked, hoping to sound casual and aloof while inside she panicked. Business dealings with her ex were out of the question. She could barely be in the same room with him.
She’d barely seen him over the last year, even though their jobs had them running in similar circles. That had worked out great when they were dating, but now it was awkward. At least for them it was. Seemed everyone else loved seeing them together, even if they weren’t actually
together
anymore.
Surprisingly, the one area that hadn’t suffered from the bad press about their breakup was dress sales. They were still as lackluster as always. The down economy had bottomed out her numbers long before Cole had. And by the distinct lack of
Exclusively Yours
magazines she’d seen on the shelves lately, it seemed the economy hadn’t been much kinder to him, either.
Mason cleared his throat, gaining her full attention again. “What I’m proposing is simple—a wedding. I’ve been looking for the right couple to pull this off for a while, and I’d thought it was you two until that breakup last year. But my mind was changed once I saw how much attention one little coffee-shop date garnered.”
“It wasn’t a date,” she insisted.
“No?” Mason raised his eyebrows. “But it could have been. It could have been one of many little rendezvous you’ve tried to make look like casual run-ins. It could be the start of a rekindled spark. It could be the very thing that leads up to an engagement. Yes?”
“No,” they both said in unison.
“Hear me out before you decide. With the economy being in the shitter, I figure we need a way to revitalize our industry. Brides and grooms aren’t going in for big weddings anymore. And we need to change that by letting them help plan your dream wedding.”
The water Cole had been sipping dribbled down his chin as he coughed and sputtered. “Our dream wedding?” he finally managed to choke out.
“Yes. The public would get to weigh in on everything—dress, location, and centerpieces. All of it would be showcased in your magazine, and of course, the only dresses to choose from would be Daisy’s own designs. A few special guest appearances by our ‘couple’ at my bridal shows, and we’d have the makings of a huge publicity event that is mutually beneficial.”
Daisy nibbled on her lower lip. Could she do it? Could she pretend to marry him if it meant publicity that might save her boutique? Meeting Cole’s eyes, all she could see was his rejection when she’d brought up marriage for real while dating. All she’d ever wanted was the possibility of having a future with someone. She wanted the ideal family—husband, a couple of kids, maybe even a dog—everything she’d missed out on when her father died, leaving her an only child with a single mom.
She had tried starting a discussion; he’d thought it was the beginning of the end. Their relationship was over a month later.
And now she was supposed to plan a wedding with him?
Not a chance in hell.
Chapter Three
“I was willing to entertain the idea of a mutually beneficial investment deal, but this is beyond comprehension. I will not marry Cole Benton,” Daisy said in a horror-stricken voice. She flipped her long hair over her shoulder, and he watched as it tumbled halfway down her back in waves. God, he liked tangling his hands in that hair.
But he couldn’t agree more with her statement.
“No way,” he said, standing from the table and pacing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. This deal wasn’t an option. This was…something else…a trap.
Marriage? No fucking way.
He turned back to face Mason Bridgewater—and Daisy.
Damn it. Why the hell did Daisy have to be involved in this? The offer would have been bad enough with some stranger, but with Daisy, he couldn’t agree. Nope. He’d dated Daisy before and they didn’t play well together. They wanted fundamentally different things out of life. One little business arrangement wasn’t going to change that.
Seeing the scowl on her face reminded him of the arguments they’d had at the end of what had been an otherwise-great time together. He already felt his blood pressure rising, and it wasn’t from Mason’s ridiculous offer—it was Daisy, all five foot five of her stubborn attitude.
She’d walked into the boardroom with a short skirt riding up her ivory thighs, the knee-high boots that made her three inches taller and caused his mouth to water every time she wore them, and a V-neck blouse plunging deep into the valley between her substantial breasts. By the time she’d taken her seat at the table, his pants were uncomfortably tight across his lap, and his annoyance at Daisy was at an eight.
Just like old times.
The only woman he’d ever met who could simultaneously turn him on and annoy the hell out of him—Daisy. She was like a firecracker—a petite package, but combustible when tampered with, both in good ways and bad.
“Mr. Bridgewater, you can’t seriously think we’d actually agree to your offer. You can’t snap your fingers and expect two people to jump at your command.” Daisy’s voice held the same disgust as Cole felt. “We’re completely wrong for each other. I can’t commit to him for however long you determine is necessary.”
“That’s not what you said a year ago,” Cole muttered under his breath. Oh sure, now she didn’t want to get married. But when they’d been dating and things had been perfect, in his opinion, that’s when she’d insisted on screwing it all up by demanding a ring and a few silly words. But he didn’t do marriage. Marriage was for suckers. He’d learned that little tidbit from his father.
Daisy glared at him, her deep blue eyes flashing with defiance. If looks could kill, he’d be fifty kinds of dead right now. “What I said or did last year is of little concern to me now. It’s called moving on. Perhaps you should try it sometime.”
“Oh, I’ve moved on, babe.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head, the smug and sexy smile he knew irritated her coming to his lips. “And I can move on again anytime I want, with any woman I want.”
She swept her hair out of her eyes for the hundredth time. Her slightly unruly hair never did stay where she wanted it. As she tucked it behind her ear, memories of his fingers doing that very same thing flooded his mind. Her hair had always been unspeakably soft, like satin.
“I understand this isn’t your first choice,” Mason said. “But I think it’s a fantastic idea and definitely one we can all benefit from. Don’t try to tell me you aren’t feeling the pinch, because I know that’s a lie. I know both of your businesses need a cash investment fast, or you’re going to be in trouble.”
Mason was right. Cole had already tried everything he could think of to stimulate sales, but it hadn’t worked.
“I’m offering you an easy solution.”
Daisy and Cole glanced at each other. No way was he going to admit in front of her that his business was suffering.
“My offer gives all of us some much needed publicity and a way to build excitement in our industry again,” Mason said, twirling his mustache between his fingers. “It’s not like I’m asking you to make a lifelong commitment. It would only be about six months. Half a year in your lives, and you can have an investment big enough to float your businesses for five. And hopefully the buzz we generate spurs a massive sales spike that carries over for many more years to come. So tell me, how is this a bad idea?” He leaned back in his chair, looking smug, as if he knew they couldn’t disagree.
Cole could disagree, and he did. “Why can’t you make the investment in our businesses, and we agree to do the joint advertising and marketing without all the other stuff involved?”
“Because the brides of today need something they can fantasize about. They need to be reminded that every bride should have the big day of her dreams to go along with the man. And what better way to do that than with a lavish public wedding they can help plan? Sort of like that reality show where the people fall in love, then televise their nuptials. It boosts the network’s ratings like crazy. Why can’t we do the same to boost attendance at my bridal shows and increase our brand recognition?”
Daisy shook her head. “It won’t work. Brides aren’t spending money on huge weddings anymore.”
“That’s why we need to do something drastic,” Mason said. “If we give brides a good reason to come to my shows or to pick up Cole’s magazine for the next update on your wedding, it’ll also make them want to buy the things they see showcased—like your bridal gowns.”
“And you really think that seeing us get married is going to make brides around the country want the wedding we show them?” Cole asked.
“Yes, I do,” Mason said, leaning forward and looking serious.
“Why us?” Daisy asked, glancing at Cole. “Why not some celebrity couple?”
“Because celebrity lifestyles are unattainable. I need a romance brides can actually relate to, and that’s where you come in, Daisy. You and Cole are the perfect mix, since you’re both recognizable yet Daisy is not famous. And the fact that you have a history together will make it all the more believable that you’re getting married. The media already loves you two. The coffee-shop incident is all the proof I needed to convince me of that. You’re a walking contradiction—the playboy who would never get married has finally been caught by one of the country’s up-and-coming bridal-gown designers. I can see the headlines now—‘The Bachelor Takes a Bride!’”
“And you expect us to go through with an actual ceremony?” Cole asked, his throat tightening around the last word.
“What I expect is for you to get engaged and plan a wedding. I don’t care if you loathe each other in private. I want you to appear to the public as a couple reunited and deeply in love, willing to spend a fortune to start your new life together with an extravagant celebration. You would make an appearance or two at my bridal shows so that new, hopefully excited, brides could be involved with your wedding planning—voting to choose everything from your rings to your shoes to your dress and even your honeymoon destination. There would be very little planning you have to do yourselves. You only have to show up and look like you love each other. Easy.”
Maybe for another fake couple that would be easy, but could he and Daisy pull it off?
“And when the time comes to say, ‘I do,’ you fake it,” Mason continued. “No one has to know the marriage isn’t legitimate, at least not until after the fact.”
“Sounds like a great way to piss off our new clients,” she said.
“Agreed. How could we fool our clients and then expect them to take the joke all in good fun?”
“True.” Mason drummed his fingers on the table with an expression of deep thought. “Then maybe after the fake wedding, we tell the truth, and to soften the blow we’ll pick a random winner who will get an all-expenses-paid honeymoon to the destination they voted for. And maybe you can give away a few free subscriptions for the magazine. And Daisy a gown. By the time this is all over, you will be substantially more financially secure and able to easily afford the giveaway.”
“How much more secure are we talking exactly?” Cole asked. His interest was piqued now that he knew his marriage to Daisy wouldn’t have to be real. It was worth considering—for the right price.
“One hundred thousand now to keep your businesses running as soon as you sign my contract and an additional two hundred thousand when you walk down the aisle. Each.”
Cole stopped pacing and sat back down at the table. That was a lot of money. Definitely more money than he’d hoped for. If he had that kind of cash for the magazine, he could keep things running for a long time. He might even be able to convince his father he was successful.
Daisy sat with her back ramrod straight, her eyes full of fire. Could he pretend to marry her to save his business? Maybe. It wasn’t as if their previous relationship had been completely terrible. Hell, the sex had been the best of his life. But their breakup had been messy.
She’d never been content to leave things as they were. She’d taken on their relationship the same way she took on her business, always pushing for bigger, better, more. And then she’d asked for too much. She’d wanted forever. He’d wanted right now.
Ending things with her hadn’t been his first choice, but he hadn’t seen any other way when they wanted fundamentally different things out of life. Marriage was not in the cards for him, not when he was busy doing everything he could to save the magazine and prove to his father he deserved the one he really wanted. Any relationship had to come second. For Daisy, second was never good enough. And when she stopped being into the fun and freedom of their relationship, he’d decided it wasn’t fair to string her along, knowing he’d never give her the future she really wanted.
Breaking up had been the best thing for both of them.
So why did seeing Daisy again stir something up inside him that had been dormant? He felt like a man who’d walked the desert to drink from the sea, only to never feel his thirst be quenched.
Damn, Daisy was going to complicate things.
“I won’t sit here and listen to you say it’s no big deal to fake an engagement…to fake an entire wedding…for six months!” She looked as if she was ready to jump across the table and smack Mason for the mere suggestion of being married to Cole. The notion wasn’t that repugnant to her now, was it?
Cole turned to her. “Maybe it’s worth considering.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re actually going along with this fake-marriage idea? You, the sworn bachelor?”
“I’m saying it’s worth talking about before we make a final decision that affects both of our businesses.”
“You’re going to commit to me for six months? You can barely commit to a pair of pants!”
“Hey now. Don’t insult my pants.” She didn’t have to hit below the belt, did she?
She cocked her head to the side, challenging him. He remembered that look well. “And your last girlfriend? How long did she last?”
“How long was it, Daisy? You tell me.” He leaned back and crossed his arms. Why the hell was she being so difficult?
“I was your last girlfriend?”
He shrugged. “I stopped using that word. Seemed it always led to a miscommunication about relationship status. Figured it was easier to drop the word from my vocabulary all together. I’m thinking about getting a pet, though. If I can make that commitment, I’m sure I can deal with this arrangement for a few months.
“You’re getting a pet? You’re going to take care of a dog?”
“I didn’t say anything about a dog. I’m thinking about a fish.”
“Wow. You’re really evolving.”
“Thanks.” He grinned, thoroughly enjoying her biting sarcasm.
“I won’t do it, Cole.”
“My deal is final,” Mason said. “You can take it with my conditions and have many successful years ahead of you in the bridal industry, or you can refuse, and your design house could fail, drift away to nothing. But I’m sure your skills will land you a job as an assistant to another designer if you decide to stay in the field. The choice is yours.” He stood and collected his things. “If you’ll excuse me, I have other opportunities to attend to. You have twenty-four hours to decide before I move on to my next idea.”
He walked out of the room without another word.
It was the first time Cole and Daisy had been alone in the same room since they’d broken up. Something intangible crackled between them like static electricity. The familiar sensation, along with seeing Daisy sitting here all fired up, feisty—and goddamn it sexy—made his heart race.
He really needed this money to come through, but did he want to get engaged to Daisy—go through with a fake marriage—just so he could save the magazine, when simply being in the same room as her made his blood pressure rise along with his dick?
…
“You’re not really considering this, are you?” Daisy asked, disbelieving. No way would Cole ever think about giving up his bachelorhood to score an investment deal. So why was he staring at her as if he was trying to figure out a way to convince her to go along with the plan?
She knew that glint in his eyes. It was the one he got every time he tried to get someone to bend to his desire. The same one he’d used on her when he’d convinced her that bungee jumping off a bridge would be fun and a good way to bond as a couple. It wasn’t a good way to bond. It was a good way to pull a back muscle and end up bedridden for a week.
Well, she wasn’t going to let him talk her into anything stupid again. She was her own woman, and she’d make her own decisions.
“You have to admit, he came up with a pretty good plan,” Cole said, shrugging.
“Really? Getting married is a good plan to you all of a sudden? Wow. Your magazine must really be hurting.”
“Like your bridal gowns are selling so well. Is that why you’re here, because you’re so successful you don’t need any help?”
“My design house is not your concern. And I certainly don’t want help or anything else from you.” She took a deep, shuddering breath as she struggled to keep her anger in check.
His gaze flickered down to her chest. She held her breath, forcing her body to still. He would not get to enjoy her heaving bosom or any other part of her anatomy as long as she could help it. Cole didn’t deserve to stare at her breasts like they were a steak dinner. Not when he’d had his fill and then pushed her away like an empty plate.