Temporary Wife Temptation. Jayci Lee

have needed his help if she hadn’t missed her interview. Maybe he’d misread her. It was difficult to think with so much of his blood pumping away from his brain.

      “Are you willing to consider my request?” Her tone was clipped, but at least she was talking to him.

      He understood the hiring committee’s refusal to reschedule her interview—reliability was the bare minimum requirement for an executive position—but Garrett respected her decision to put her family before her promotion. He was only too familiar with putting his family ahead of his own needs.

      Garrett froze. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours since his declaration of independence. What if the key to his freedom stood in front of him? Natalie’s appearance was timely enough to be eerie. She was intelligent, pragmatic and desperate—maybe even desperate enough to accept his unconventional proposal.

      “Yes, and you can help me in return.”

      “You need my help?” Her eyes widened in surprise, but not alarm. He was gratified she didn’t jump to an unsavory conclusion despite his earlier brutishness.

      Garrett scanned their surroundings. They had some privacy in their corner of the patio, but a popular nightclub wasn’t the place for a lengthy discussion of his plans.

      “I need a wife.”

      “You want me to find you a wife?” Her eyebrows scrunched together as though she was struggling to untangle an intricate knot.

      “No. I want you to be my wife.”

      Her eyes grew impossibly wide, and he was struck once more by her alluring beauty. Her contrasting layers—demure and sizzling, uptight and witty—intrigued him. She was intoxicating. But for this arrangement to work, he couldn’t go there. Something told him sex would mean more than an enjoyable pastime to Natalie Sobol, and messy emotional entanglements could make even the most rational people reckless. No matter how tempting, she was off-limits.

      “In exchange for getting me an interview?” she asked.

      “You won’t need one. The job is yours if you accept my offer.”

      “I don’t need you to hand me the position.” She lifted her chin, narrowing her eyes at him. “I could get it on my own if I get my interview.”

      “I wouldn’t hand you the job if you weren’t qualified. Why don’t we say your performance as the interim VP was your interview and you passed?”

      “I could have the job? Just like that?” She arched an elegant brow, communicating both her skepticism and distaste.

      “If you marry me as soon as the wedding can be arranged, I’ll promote you to the position at the end of the year.” She did a poor job of hiding her eye roll, and Garrett rushed to clarify. “The marriage obviously won’t be permanent.”

      “Obviously.” Her expression told him none of it was obvious. “Just out of curiosity, how long is not permanent?”

      “Good question.” Garrett hadn’t thought through the details, but it had to last long enough to convince his grandmother that the marriage was real. But, most importantly, it had to last until he closed the Vivotex partnership and was appointed as the new CEO. It will happen. It has to. His grandmother had been grooming him for the position since the day he was born. It was her greatest wish to see him become Hansol’s CEO. Once he sealed the Vivotex deal, she could give in without losing face. “About seven to eight months until your new position opens up. Perhaps a few months longer. But definitely no more than a year.”

      Natalie sighed deeply, and raised her eyes to the night sky. “Why?”

      “It involves a sensitive and complicated family issue.” She deserved to know everything about his unorthodox proposal, but not here. “I trust you’ll keep this conversation confidential until we can discuss the details somewhere more private.”

      “Anything else?” She met his gaze, but her voice sounded distant and tired.

      “You have the key facts,” he said, tension edging into his words. “Will you marry me?”

      She stared back at him for a few seconds then shook her head. “That’s probably the worst proposal ever made. Like catastrophically bad.”

      A bark of surprised laughter escaped him. “You’re probably right, but this is the most efficient and effective solution to both of our problems. If—”

      She held up her hand to stop his words, and he obeyed her silent command out of shock. He was accustomed to deference from executives twice his age. He long admired her strength and confidence but being on the receiving end of her imperious attitude was startling.

      “This scheme of yours is beyond ludicrous.” She heaved a ponderous sigh, making the milky mounds of her breasts rise and fall. It took Herculean effort to keep his eyes focused on her face. “But I’m desperate enough to consider it.”

      “Good call,” he said with equal parts irritation and relief. To his chagrin, her reluctant not-quite-assent stung his ego, but his rational side was relieved she would even consider his preposterous proposal. Natalie Sobol was practical to a fault, but this time it worked in his favor.

      “I highly doubt that,” she said with a quirk of her red lips.

      Of course she did. The more she thought about it, the more dubious everything would seem. He couldn’t give her too much time to think things through. “Given this is a time-sensitive situation, you have until tomorrow at midnight to give me an answer.”

      “Tomorrow? You’re impossible.” With an exasperated glare, she spun away and stalked toward the staircase inside. His mouth curved into a grin. He’d spiked the ball into her court and she wasn’t the kind of person who would back down from a challenge. He was looking forward to her next move. Before he could turn away, the sight of her softly swaying hips recaptured his attention and his smirk morphed into slack-mouthed admiration.

      When she disappeared from sight, Garrett leaned against the railing and frowned at the starless sky. Why is she so desperate that she’d consider giving up a year of her life for a second chance at a promotion?