and put a dimple in her right cheek. And when the tip of her tongue touched her front teeth, he felt a jolt of desire right down to his toes.
At this rate, he was going to have to rethink which sister was the pretty one.
“What?” he asked, tamping down the unwarranted reaction.
“I’ve now figured out the difference between us.”
Alex squinted. Had he missed something?
“I’m firmly grounded in reality, while you dare to dream the impossible.”
He wouldn’t have put it quite that way, but true enough.
“I think we can probably learn to tolerate each other,” she continued. “I don’t see how we could convince anyone we’re in love.”
Alex took a pace forward, catching the scent of her perfume, tamping down yet another jolt of desire. This was crazy. He couldn’t be attracted to Emma. He wouldn’t
“You know your biggest problem?” he asked.
She stood up, but he still had eight inches on her. “No, but I bet you’re going to tell me.”
“It’s your defeatist attitude.”
“Actually, my biggest problem is you.”
“Sweetheart, I am your salvation.”
“Humble, aren’t we?”
“When you work hard and pay attention, you don’t need to be humble.” He inched closer, dropping his voice. “There are only six people in the world who know I’m not in love with you. I’m about to convince the rest.”
“The
“You need to think big, Emma.”
“You need to think realistically, Alex.”
“They’re not mutually exclusive.”
“Statistically? I believe they are.”
“Then you need to be the exception.” Alex grinned to himself. He could give back as much sass as he got. “And, Emma,
She eloquently rolled her eyes. “Can I get something in the prenup prohibiting your ego?”
“Only if your lawyer’s a whole lot better than mine.”
She took a half pace back. “So that’s your big plan? We gaze adoringly at each other in public, while our lawyers duke it out in the back room?”
He gestured for her to sit back down. “That pretty much covers it. Now, back to our engagement.”
She sat down and her chest rose and fell beneath the tailored dress. “I assume we’re talking about a very ostentatious ring?”
“Absolutely.” He eased down into his own chair. He’d been giving this some thought. In the event, of course, that one of them said yes. “Thing is, we don’t want them talking about
Emma paused. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“You a Yankees fan?”
She shook her head, and he could see the exact second she got his point.
Her brown eyes went round, and her complexion paled a shade. “No. Oh, no. Not the
“It’d make a splash.”
“I’d have to kill you.”
“Bad plan. You wouldn’t be in my will yet.”
“You may not have noticed, but Katie does the McKinley publicity. She’s the extrovert.”
“If you’ll recall, I
Emma’s expression tightened for a split second, and he realized his words might have sounded like an insult.
“She’s taken,” Emma declared. “Deal with it.”
“I didn’t mean-”
“Sure you did. No JumboTron. Got it?”
Alex hadn’t meant he preferred Katie. He didn’t care one way or the other. But another denial would be overkill. And it would probably just tick Emma off.
“How about if I surprise you?” he asked instead. “Add a bit of realism to the situation.”
“This is silly,” said Emma, straightening in her chair and getting all prim and proper on him. “We should be talking about the business merger. Who cares how we get engaged?”
Had she missed his point entirely? This whole thing was all about his reputation and his image.
“I care,” he stated flatly. Sass was one thing, but she needed to understand his interests. “You’re getting one sweetheart of a monetary deal, and I’m getting some good PR. The
She opened her mouth to rebut, but he was done debating.
“Make no mistake about it, Emma. You and I are going to convince the world we’ve fallen in love or die trying.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to do it,” Emma said to Katie as they walked off court number twelve at Club Connecticut. Distracted by Alex’s plan, she’d lost decisively to her sister, game, set and match.
She wasn’t an actress. And she wasn’t a public person. While some hotel socialites hit the club scene and made the front pages of the tabloid press, Emma jealously guarded her privacy.
“Is he being a real jerk?” asked Katie, sympathy in her voice as she gestured to an empty umbrella table with four white deck chairs.
“No jerkier than we expected,” said Emma honestly. “Problem is, he’s got this whole fantasy, fool-the-press thing planned. And I’m definitely not up for playing the simpering Wall Street bride.”
Katie frowned for a minute as she took her seat. “Well, I suppose he has to get something out of it.”
“He’s getting our hotels.”
“Only half.”
Emma raised her eyebrows at her sister. Did Katie honestly think Alex was being reasonable? “We promised him a wife, not a trophy bride for the front page.”
Katie shrugged. “So he wants to show you off a little. Why not go with the flow?”
Emma peeled off her sweatband and shook out her hair. “Because the flow will be trite and embarrassing. And, if you’ll recall, the flow is also one very big lie.”
Katie smirked. “No harm in looking good while you’re lying.”
Emma pulled a bottle of water out of the acrylic ice bucket in the center of the table. “Quit laughing at me.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just-”
“That it’s me and not you?”
Katie’s tone changed. “Of course not. I’m grateful. You know I’m grateful.”
Emma sighed. “I have to find a way to convince him to keep this low-key. A justice of the peace. A small announcement in the classified section.”
Katie reached for a bottle of water, cracking the cap. “Or I could lend you some clothes and you could hit the party circuit on his arm.”
“You’re not helping.”
“Wouldn’t hurt you to get out and about. You know you work too hard.”
“Not hard enough to save the company.”
“Hey, you’re saving the company now.”
Emma sat back in her chair. She wasn’t saving the company through her guile and business acumen, that was for sure. “It feels like prostitution.”
“Without the sex?”
“Without the sex.”
