Marrying Mr. Wrong (Dirty Martini Running Club #3) - Claire Kingsley Page 0,29
two. This felt so strange—so quiet. When we’d been together in Vegas, it had been all bright lights and noise. This was so serene.
We sat and dished up. Everything smelled amazing.
“So how was your flight home?” he asked when we were both settled with our dinner.
“It wasn’t bad. Yours?”
“Flying with a hangover is never pleasant, but at least it wasn’t far. Did you get the package I left for you at the Bellagio?”
My cheeks warmed. I couldn’t believe I’d dashed out of his room without my bra. “I did. Thanks.”
For a second, I thought about asking if he’d written Mrs. Sophie Cox on that note, but decided against it.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d go back for it.”
“Is that why you sent me the, um, gift today?”
“I thought it was fitting,” he said with a grin. “How long have you worked for Shepherd Calloway?”
“About two years.”
“Do you like your job?”
“I love my job. I’m not really one for being in the spotlight, so I like working behind the scenes, if that makes sense. And Mr. Calloway is a great boss.”
“That’s good to hear. What about family?”
I tilted my head. “You’re very inquisitive.”
“I’m just trying to get to know my wife.”
I rolled my eyes at his joke. His wife. Hilarious. “I’m an only child. My mom passed away when I was little, so it was just me and my dad.”
He met my eyes and there was an intensity to them that made my heart flutter again. “I’m very sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks. What about you?”
“I’m also an only child of a single parent. Although in my case, it’s my mom.”
That was interesting. I thought I remembered Cox living with both parents when we were kids. But maybe I was mistaken.
“Are you close to her now?”
“Very.”
“That’s nice. Does she live nearby?” I took another bite of my dinner. Delicious.
“She does. I moved her up here from Texas a few years ago.” He wiped his mouth, then set his napkin aside. “I suppose we should talk about our marriage.”
I laughed a little. “I don’t know if we should call it that.”
“We are married.”
“I know, but it’s not like we meant to. We don’t even know each other.”
“We’ve known each other since we were eleven.”
“Not exactly. Until you helped me off that balcony, we probably hadn’t seen each other in twenty years.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Oh yes, the balcony.”
My cheeks warmed. “Stop.”
“You know, in some cultures, arranged marriages are still common. The bride and groom might not even meet until they’re already married.”
“And your point is?”
“Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing.”
My mouth hung open for a second as those words swirled around in my head. Not such a bad thing? “You can’t be suggesting we stay married.”
“No, of course not. At least not long-term.”
“What does that mean?”
He held my eyes and that intensity in his gaze was back, making my tummy whirl with something. Nervousness? Excitement?
Arousal?
No, definitely not arousal.
Okay, maybe a little.
“Hear me out,” he said. “My former business partner… let’s say he got caught in a compromising position that resulted in an unfortunate public scandal—”
“He was doing coke with prostitutes.”
“You heard.”
“Everybody did.”
“Fair enough. Because of that, I lost several investors in a multimillion-dollar project I’m putting together. That’s why I went to your boss. If Calloway invests and my other investors stay on board, which I think they will, the project will be back on track and all will be well with the world.”
“What does that have to do with us? You don’t want me to try to influence my boss, do you?”
“No, of course not. The project speaks for itself. It’s a great opportunity and I’m sure he knows that. The problem is, another public scandal could bring everything grinding to a halt again. Specifically, a public scandal involving a drunken Vegas wedding and a messy divorce.”
“Why would it be messy? It seems pretty straightforward to me.”
He looked at me for a moment, his mouth lifting in a subtle smile, and once again, I wished I knew what he was thinking.
“You’re right. It probably wouldn’t be messy, although my lawyer is all up in arms about it. But I’m just going to level with you. It would be a lot better for me if we stayed married for now. We can take care of the paperwork when the project is underway and a personal matter like a divorce isn’t going to scare away my investors.”
I blinked in confusion. “Wait. You’re serious, aren’t you?”