THE BILLIONAIRE BRIDE

Chapter 4

Blake

Prince Charming has found his bride

Cyndara and the Glass Slipper

She chews on her lips when she is nervous, absentmindedly twirls her hair when she is thinking, crunches up her nose when you say something unbelievable, and flinches when you get too close. I have gathered a whole bank worth of information about Catherine Clyde in the span of two hours of our meeting and I don’t like it one bit.

Not one bit.

“Are you done going through the terms and condition of the contract agreement?” I asked, irritation clawing at me with how long she is taking to sign this, I know thousand of girls that would jump on this opportunity but here she is sitting across from me, staring at the paper like a hidden clause might suddenly crawl out and bite her.

“No! Wait! Let me get this straight” she said leaning back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, and for a split second I wish I was the chair. I block the thought out immediately.

“You want a six-month marriage arrangement with me, and after that, I get paid a hundred million dollars?” she asked, her eyes lifting to meet mine.

For a brief second, I could have sworn her gaze dropped to my lips before returning to my eyes.

“Yes,” I said, more curtly than I intended.

Truthfully, I wasn’t impatient, I was annoyed that my attention was so fixated on Catherine Clyde and every single thing she does.

She nodded slowly, and I expected her to finally sign the contract but she didn’t instead.....

“If we are going to pretend to be in a relationship… or a marriage,” she said, straightening in her seat, “you can’t kiss me. You can hold my hand publicly, but you can’t kiss or touch me.”

There was a fierce determination in her eyes, like she had already won an argument I hadn’t even started yet. I laughed, throwing my head back slightly.

“How then, Miss Cathy,” I said, spreading my hands, “are we going to convince anyone that you are my wife and madly in love with me if we can’t even kiss for show?”

I tell myself that I am arguing with her on this for the sake of the agreement, for the sake of appearances and not because I am suddenly very interested in knowing how those plump pink lips would feel against mine.

She twirled her hair again, absentmindedly. After sitting in this room for two hours with Catherine Clyde, I’ve come to recognize that look, so, I braced myself, because I knew she was about to say something ridiculous.

“You can put your hand in my back pocket,” she said, smiling in a way that tells me that she knew exactly what she was doing. She was baiting me, and I was absolutely not going to fall for it. But my curiosity got the best of me.

“What’s that?” I asked anyway and her smile widened like someone told her she just won a lottery.

“What?” she gasped dramatically, covering her mouth. “You haven’t watched Eighteen Candles? No way.” She paused, waiting for a reaction, but I just stare at her disinterested.

I stared at the paper, at my perfectly crafted contract being vandalized by a quirky woman who clearly doesn’t understand boundaries or limits.

She lifted her head again and scrunched up her nose.

Okay! Maybe she also does that when she thinks of something unbelievable.

“We can’t have s*x,” she said suddenly, pointing the pen at me like she was accusing me of something. I had the sudden urge to snatch the pen from her before she added more nonsense.

“No s**t, Sherlock,” I muttered, folding my arms across my chest and rolling my eyes.

“Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me, Mr. Darcy,” she shot back, pouting her lips before looking back down at the contract. Then she froze, her head snapped up.

“You don’t know Darcy, do you?”

“Nope.”

“What about Hearthcliff? Lizbeth Bennett? Katie Hepburn?”

With every name, my silence stretched longer, her expression turned more and more horrified.

“Okay! You have to watch all the 90’s romcoms classics with me,” she declared, scribbling again like a madwoman.

I should be angry. In fact, I should be stopping her, but instead…I find myself smiling subtly, when I am sure she isn’t looking. Because for some reason, the idea of being in a room with her, watching whatever nonsense she just listed, does something strange to my chest.

What is wrong with me? It’s just another woman.

“Considering you are done destroying my contract,” I said, clearing my throat, in an attempt to also clear my thoughts “do you agree to the terms?”

She leans back, putting on a whole performance like she is actually thinking about it. I tap my fingers against the desk, the sound echoing in the quiet office.

“Yes, I agree,” she said finally. “As long as you don’t kiss or touch me, we are good.” She eyes me warningly, like she doesn’t trust that i won’t try to touch her after our encounter in the men’s restroom.

I grin.

Oh, I love a good challenge. And Catherine Clyde? She is a challenge.

I snatch the contract from her before she adds anything else and append my signature quickly, sliding it back to her. She signs hers just as easily.

Done. There’s no going back.

“Good,” I said, standing up. Then, almost as an afterthought...

“Oh, I forgot to mention…. you have to live with me for the six months.”

Her head snapped up so fast I almost laughed.

“What?” Her mouth fell open. “That was not stated in the contract.”

Her tone turned slightly whiny, and I instantly feel the urge to push her further.

“You are not the only one who gets to modify the contract,” I said, grinning.

She paused. Then, just like that, her expression changed. A smile spread across her face as she rested her chin on her hands, smiling up at me like she knew something I didn’t. I immediately know I am not going to like whatever comes next.

“I don’t want to be in the spotlight,” she said, inspecting her nails like this wasn’t a big deal. “No public appearances. Nothing.”

I blinked at her.

“But that makes absolutely no sense,” I said. “You do know I am a public figure, right? I need people to see us. To talk about us. Our engagement. I’m kind of a big deal.”

She didn’t even look at me.

“If you want me to live in your house for six months, then you have to agree to this,” she said calmly. “I can’t have my whole life turned upside down for an arrangement that is not going to mean anything after six months”

My jaw tightened. I exhaled sharply.

“Fine,” I said finally. “But you attend all private events.”

She looked up immediately. “Done.”

I stood to leave, but she suddenly stretched her hand out toward me. I looked at it. Then at her.

“We have to shake on it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It seals the contract.”

I huffed out a laugh and took her hand. The moment our skin touched, something snapped inside me, i immediately felt a sharp, electric jolt ran through me.

I looked up immediately and found that she was already staring at me. Those greenish-grey eyes locked with mine.

And for the first time since this whole ridiculous arrangement started—I realized something.

I am in so much trouble.