The Billionaire's Hidden Desires

Chapter 4 Love On Paper.

The group walked into a cavernous room full of papers on the floor. Everybody sat, and Victoria handed Lila her copy of the contract. "This is a document stipulating the terms and conditions of an agreement between you and Mr. Blackwood," she introduced. "It is pretty much self-explanatory. I should point out, loud and clear, the most important points."

Of course, it was only that last bit of the arrangement that Lila followed, about which Victoria had lectured.

After all, she was going to get six months of public status as Ethan's girlfriend, and that did include that she had to turn up at functions with him, show the flag, and generally play the girlfriend in support too.

Once or twice a month, more or less, she was going to be very well cared for indeed, but other, even beyond the dreams of avarice humans, funds were available to be spent—or squandered—on personal or business purposes. Its terms even included a termination clause just in case it fell through and one of them needed out.

"We are here to give the best for your privacy and safety. Anytime you need security, it will be provided. Media inquiries will come over to our PR team. You still have full control of your personal life, but please, for the relationship's sake, just maintain your appearance out there in public." Lila followed her racing mind, although she did realize that terms were all too necessary. She cast her glance toward Victoria and then toward Jameson, who gave her a reassuring nod.

"And what am I to do after the six months?" she placed both her curiosity and concern into her voice.

Victoria's lips quirked a little at the corners. "That's all; at the end of the contract duration, both parties can part. Mr. Blackwood will see to it, you are paid in full for existing—for such a bother as he would imagine it would be, having such demands upon him—and I vow to you that you will not be under any contract that will make you have to keep in touch."

Slowly Lila nodded. Businesslike enough, no doubt. But even so, to have definitively realized, for the next half year at the very least, that her own life would be yoked with Ethan's in some inextricable fashion beyond her power to conceive was bad enough—Ay.

The pen had almost made it to the dotted line when the door swung open, and there he stood: Ethan Blackwood. Confidence of a billionaire over-poured from the uniquely tailored, perfect suit, giving him a broader and longer frame. His blue eyes would catch Lila's, and in that one moment, it would narrow down to just the two of them.

"Well, Lila," he nodded back at her, a little smile on his face, as well. His voice—gods, it was liquid honey. Deep, smooth. "I was only too glad to have you along for the ride, you know?"

Lila blushed. "M-M-Mr. Blackwood," excited and jittery. But there was that feeling she felt, yet she couldn't just put a finger on it.

She leaned back into one of the chairs at the head of the table, looking over the contract in front of her. "You can call me Ethan; we're going to be working together a lot."

Lila nodded, trying to start realizing relaxation as something very dominating was in Ethan, yet something in the tone seemed so calm, so peaceful that she could not help but feel soothed. She was about to sign when suddenly some thought struck her, "But your business? How do you win out of this arrangement?"

Ethan leaned back for a moment in his chair, thoughtfully considering this. "My company is in the middle of a major merger. Scandals regarding me would more than likely kill the deal at this time. Just being seen with a steady partner projects the image of having your two feet on the ground, and sends a little message that you, as an investor, want to be true."

That is, until he was very frank, and Lila could appreciate that; everything just seemed to add up even if it was all so very cold and calculated. She took another deep breath, signed, smelling that strange mix of relief and trepidation from contact with the ink. The die had been cast: she now really was Ethan Blackwood's "girlfriend."

She was struck by another mind. Do you know the kind of man he is? At this, she turned to where Ethan was seated with a curious gaze trying to figure out his personality, contemplating on whether she could do it—his girlfriend for half a year; what if he was a beast? Or perhaps a wolf in sheep's clothing? She was distracted by Victoria, who reached out for the contract; though she hadn't looked at it yet, she stuffed it back across the desk to Lila. "Then we'll do the rest," she said as she moved to rise. "Jameson will be in touch—with more specific details and the arrangements for anything on the books now."

Lila stood and felt like crumbling just a bit. She glanced over to Ethan who nodded to be encouraging. "Walk on with me; and if you are worried or have questions, just let me know," he said.

As Lila walked out of the conference room, it felt as if she'd entered a rollercoaster. Her silky professionalism was just a stark contrast to the raging emotions inside of her.

Meanwhile, across town, another personality prepares to waltz in on the drama.

More of a rival than a business partner to Ethan, Marcus Hayes was now, therefore, with interest after the news about Ethan's "new affair." Sharp and ambitious, Marcus had once been an associate of Ethan's.

Theirs had been a nastily ended relationship, and Marcus had somehow got an ax to grind. What Marcus wanted more than anything at that moment was for Ethan to fail. The video of Ethan chummy with Lila seemed to spring thousands of inferences in his mind. Now Marcus knew that Ethan's business was in a period of time that sucked, where one screw-up could be costly.

Now, Marcus had ways of wringing any kind of information from anyone, and on this, a cynical smile crept onto his face. He had one contact in the media who happened to owe him a favor, and it was about time to ruffle up that scandal and get some secrets about this 'relationship'.

Lila walked into the elevator, and Ethan was working this late in the day. "So our first public appearance has to be this weekend at a charity function," said Ethan. "Jameson is going to call you with all the details; in fact, with wardrobe and all you'll need so that he may have you feel comfortable and confident." She wanted to do all she could not to nod at him, but the tornado that he had just thrown into her life now whirled in her mind. The elevator doors closed, and Lila took the last look at Ethan, considering how much—or how little—of him there would be in her future. The ink was signed, but what exactly was she bound to… well, that was yet to be determined.

In spite of this, Lila, with her feet on the sidewalk, felt that the weight really sat onto her shoulders at that moment.

All that uncertainty notwithstanding, one fact was very right—life was going to change in all ways she could never have begun to imagine. Hardly stepping out into the towering building, she already had an idea of what was to come. She went to the buzz on her phone and fished it out to read up on the news flash: a long-leaked video of Elena coming out in public to talk about the past relationship she had with Ethan, his ex.

All the scandals that could be inferred from this video may just crash all that Ethan had ever worked for.