SAVANNAH
We used the executive elevator that led straight to the twenty-fourth floor. I’d only been there once when Wesley and I went around the management floors. I didn’t see the CEO’s office because Rafael Sebastian wasn’t in and didn’t normally meet with the new employees. He gave all that hiring process and authority to managers and HR.
I struggled to maintain my breath as the car went up. I became entirely aware of Rafe’s strong presence in the tight space around me. I wasn’t claustrophobic, but this should hint at what people felt experiencing it. My cheeks turned heated, so I gazed down at the floor. We were quiet. There weren’t any employees present in the building anymore at this hour. This was probably the longest elevator ride I’d ever had.
The doors opened, but to my surprise, Rafe took my hand, clasping it with his warm fingers. The surge of electricity rushed through my veins, reaching my heart to cause a rapid rhythm. He led me out to the elevator and marched straight to the widest mahogany door in the hallway. The silence in the place was deafening.
“Here.” He pushed the door open and let me in first.
A floor-to-ceiling window with a view of Central Park behind the spacious wooden table, black leather chair, and living room set welcomed me. It was a stunning panorama, and I was fleetingly paralyzed.
“Wow.” I ambled to the window to appreciate the view closely.
“Not afraid of heights?” I felt his presence behind me, and a tingling sensation ran across the back of my head.
I glanced down at my feet and saw that I was close to the edge of the building, with only a glass wall protecting me from falling. But I thought what I saw below was rather majestic. I could clearly admire the building structure and the busy streets of the city.
“Not really.” When I looked up at Rafe, he had a ghost smile on his lips.
“You can sit over there and make yourself comfortable.” He pointed to the couch and walked behind his desk. He opened a drawer and brought out some documents.
I surreptitiously gazed at him as I marched to the couch and cosseted onto the cushion. Rafe undid his necktie, unfastened his cuffs, and rolled his sleeves to his elbows, revealing two strong forearms with visible lines of veins. I could watch him forever... his tall, broad physique, his dress shirt hugging his body in a perfect fit, and the way his long legs draped with that tailored trousers. Was he working right now? He flipped the page to the next, lifting his sexy arm.
“Do I have something on my face?” Rafe’s voice echoed, startling me.
My face went crimson. I wet my dry lip with my tongue, but I didn’t like how I behaved. I was literally salivating over the man. I shook my head to get back to reality. Rafe was now coming over, carrying two documents. He put them on the coffee table in front of me.
I averted my attention back to the folder. “Are we working right now? Is this about PeekFlix? I thought Carter was my boss,” I managed to joke.
He perched on the sofa at my side and gulped his drink. “Carter is your boss, and no, we’re not going to talk about PeekFlix. Open that.”
I obliged, then read what was written on top of the first page.
Non-Disclosure Agreement.
Agreement for what? Below were some sets of information, rules, and terms that I instantly tired of looking at that I didn’t want to continue reading.
I immediately got chills at the suspense. “Why are you showing me an NDA?”
“You can read that later. It’s only for formality, but I’ll briefly explain the agreement. I know this is too soon, considering you’re still processing your divorce, but I’m not the type to wait, so I’ll get to the point.”
“I’m not sure I’m following.”
“Is it safe to assume you’re not seeing someone right now?”
I hesitated, confused. Where was this conversation going? “You saw, and you know that I don’t. But why the question?”
“I want you, Savannah. If not Reed, I need to know what else is in my way.”
Shivers ran down my spine. I’d never been so aroused. Never been so tempted by a person. Never been so devastatingly mesmerized by another man after I got married.
“I’ll take that as a no. Here is what I’m going to discuss with you. I need a wife, Savannah.”
That was where he lost me. “Okay... Why are you saying that to me?”
“Because I want you to fill in that role.”
I caught a hitch in my throat and choked. “Me? Your... Oh, God. I can’t even think about it. You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” Rafael looked at me, and I saw a side of him I hadn’t seen since the first time we’d met—immense desire and strong resistance. The prickle between my inner thighs that had been churning for a while had officially hit my belly. Good Lord…
“I’m still married, which you already know, and we’re not even… together. I don’t know much about you, you don’t know much about me, and we’re not even… in love.”
“Yes, but you’re attracted to me as much as I’m attracted to you. That should be enough. About your current marital status, I will take care of it.”
“Wait.” I hold up a hand. This was coming to me out of the blue. I couldn’t fathom how we suddenly had this conversation.
“But you just met me.”
“And you’re the first woman I’ve ever spoken with more than a few times. Personal things. You’re not afraid to speak of your thoughts, yet you still surprise me whenever you open your mouth. You are like a puzzle I’m compelled to solve every time. Despite that, it seems I can trust you.”
I shook my head firmly. “You can’t be so sure. I’m an open book. There’s no mystery about me. No puzzle to solve. You know what I’m going through. I’m not ready to enter another—”
“I know you still haven’t moved on from your husband, and I’m not going to force you,” he cut to my words. “But I’m not him. I’ve avoided commitments at this age because I used to think marriage wasn’t necessary. You have nothing to worry about a mistress with me. It falls out of my principle.”
“Thirty-six is not that old.”
The one side of his mouth curled up. “I’m glad if you think so.”
“Okay, let’s talk more specifically. What changed your mind? If you’ve avoided commitments up to this point, why now?”
“It’s because of my father. In my family, it’s a tradition.” Rafe explained his family history and how every firstborn inherits their father’s legacy. So normally, he was the successor. Until his father changed his mind. Benjamin Sebastian Jr. wanted his son to settle down before his retirement in three months, or everything he worked hard for would be passed on to his brother, Julian, who had recently just married and impregnated his wife. Rafe said he also needed heirs and intended to have them with me. If hearts could fall out of chests, mine was already on the floor.
“You rich people are so complicated.”
“I assume you understand me now. It’s just how the way things work in my world. We don’t always have a choice. You saw a glimpse of it with your husband.”
“Ex-husband,” I corrected him again. “And you’re right, but you can choose the woman.”
“I’m choosing you.”
Air abandoned my lungs. He should stop startling me with flowery words. I might fall for it and completely believe him.
“I mean the right woman. That can’t be me.” Why was I even entertaining this conversation? I should’ve been running, but I was glued to my seat, interested to hear the rest.
“I didn’t think you were, but you fascinate me more than most women on my list,” he said frankly.
Oh my God. There was a list. Candidates. My stomach twisted. I suddenly felt ill in the gut. I didn’t think I could imagine Rafael asking someone else about becoming his wife.
“So if I decline now, you’ll move on to the next woman?”
“If you say no, this conversation didn’t happen.”
I swallowed dryly. “What’s the deal?” I had a feeling that was not it. I wasn’t going to say yes, but I was curious.
His eyes gleamed at my apparent interest. “I need a wife, but you don’t need to marry me just yet. Let’s just say that this is a trial.”
“A trial. Like a probation period?”
“Something like that. Especially in your case. I won’t forget that you still have lingering feelings for your husband, so I have a better proposition for you.”
“Fine. Let’s hear it.”
“Instead of immediately jumping to marriage, I want to hire you as my girlfriend.”
My chin dropped, nearly lost my breath. I wasn’t able to respond right away.
He brushed his long finger on my chin. “Close your mouth, Savannah. It’s quite distracting.”
I pressed my mouth together. “Hire me? Like a job?”
“Yes, I just need you to be with me. I’d invite you to several gatherings and occasions where my father is present. Of course, you will be compensated.”
“So, you want us to pretend we’re in a relationship until your father passes down his legacy to you? Why would I do that?”
“No, I want you to hire you until you are ready to legally marry me,” he pointed out, word by word. “I said I needed heirs, Savannah. I don’t want our kids to be illegitimately born.”
Our kids. My pussy clenched in anticipation. My body suddenly felt feverish.
He really meant it. I had forgotten the fact that I needed to procreate with him to achieve that. And our first kid should inherit his legacy when he retires.
How ironic.
Edward married me but didn’t want kids, and this man only wanted marriage because he needed children. It was so tempting, given the fact I wanted to have children so much.
What is wrong with men these days?