Chapter One.
She needed a man.
Preferably one with one with one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to spare.
Maya Baker stared into the small homemade campfire in the middle of her living room floor and wondered if she had officially lost her mind.
The piece of paper in her hand held all the qualities she dreamed her soul mate should posses. Loyalty, intelligence, humor, a strong sense of family and love for animals. A healthy income.
Maya grabbed a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and thought about her dilemma. Het flower shop was mortgaged to the hilt. The Cafe expansion would take careful planning anr there wasn't a dime to spare. She looked over the Victorian loft apartment and easily calculated there was nothing to sell. Not even on ebay.
She was twenty seven and probably should be living in a stylish condo, with stylish designer clothes and a date every weekend.
Instead, she took in homeless dogs from the local shelter and bought chic scarves to update her outfits. She believed in living in the sunlight, being open to possibilities and following her heart. Unfortunately, none of those traits would save her mother's house.
She took a sip of her ruby red wine and acknowledged that there was nothing left to do. No one had enough money.
The doorbell rang.
Her mouth fell open, who could be visiting her this hour. She looked at her grungy sweatpants and crop top and wondered if she had time to change. Before she could ran to the closet the doorbell rang again. So she walked over, took a deep breath and reached for the knob.
"About time you answered the door." Laura stared at her best friend Olivia Ryan and scowled.
"You were supposed to be a man."
Olivia snorted and walked in and waved a hand in the air, flashing pink nails, and flopped into the sofa, "Yeah, keep dreaming baby girl. You scared your last date off so I won't be setting you up again."
"What do you mean i scared him off? I thought he was going to attack me."
Olivia raised an eyebrow, "He leaned in to give you a good night kiss. You stumbled and fell on your ass and he felt like an idiot. People kiss after a date dummy."
"He had tons of garlic at dinner, i didn't want him anywhere near me."
Olivia grabbed the glass og wine and took a healthy swig. She stretched out her long legs clad in black leather pants, and hooked her high heeled boots over the edge of the battered table." Remind me again why you haven't had sex in the last decade?"
"Witch."
"Celibate?"
Maya gave up and laughed. "Okay, you win. Why are you gracing me with your presence on a Saturday night? You look amazing."
"Thanks, am meeting someone for drinks at eleven. Wanna come?"
"On your date?"
Olivia made a face and drained all the wine remaining in the glass. "You will be better company, he is a bore."
"Why are you going out with him then?"
"He looks good."
Maya dropped next to her on the couch. "I wish i could be more like you, Olivia. Why do i have so many hang ups?"
"Why don't i have any?" Olivia's lips twisted in self depreciating humor. "So what's with the papers?" she pointed to the papers on the table.
Maya sighed, "I was making a list of what i want in a man."
"What kind of list?"
"Just a specific list of what i want, am manifesting my man."
Olivia's eyes gleamed, "let me see the list."
Maya handed her the list. She settled on the carpet, let the humiliation begin.
"Number one," Olivia started, "believes in monogamy. Very important to the list. Number two, wants children." she looked up. "How many?"
Maya smiled at the thought, "I would like three, but i can settle for two. Should i have specified how many in this list?"
"No, it's okay." Olivia continued, "Number three, knows how to communicate with a woman. Good one am sick of reading books about venus and mars. I have gone through the whole series and i still don't have a clue. Number four, loves animals." she groaned, "Really?"
Maya scooted around in the carpet. "If he hates dogs, how can i continue with my volunteer program at the shelter? And what if he is a hunter?
" You are so dramatic." Olivia turned back to the list." Number five, has a moral code of ethics and believes in honesty. Should have been number one on the list. But what the hell. Number Six. A good lover." she waggled her eyebrows. "That would have been number two in my list. But am proud the item actually showed up, maybe you are not as hopeless as i thought."
Maya swallowed hard dreading the next requirement in her list. She watched Olivia read the item over and over again.
"I think am reading this wrong,"
"Probably not." Maya sighed.
Olivia read the last item on the list. "Needs one hundred and fifty thousand dollars cash." she looked up. "I need more details."
Maya lifted her chin, "i need a man i can love, with ama extra $150,000 throw in. And i need him fast."
Olivia shook her head like she just surfaced from underwater. "For what?"
"To save my mom's house"
"What are you talking about?"
"Remember how mom used to jokes about needing more cotton to pay the bills? I haven't told you how bad it is. Mom wants to sell and i can't let her. They have no money and no where else to go. I will do anything to help, even marry."
Olivia moaned and grabbed her purse. She ripped out her phone and punched in some numbers.
" What are you doing?"Maya fought panic at the thought that her best friend wouldn't understand.
" Canceling my date. I think this new item needs to be discussed. Then am calling my therapist. She is very good and discreet and she takes midnight appointments."
Maya laughed, "You are such a good friend Olivia."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Chapter Two. Alex Smith had a fortune at his fingertips. But to get the one thing he wanted he needed a wife Alex believed in many things, working hard to accomplish a goal. Controlling anger and resorting to reason when a moment became confrontational. And creating buildings that were solid and beautiful. Smooth angles and sharp lines blending together. Bricks and concrete and glass attesting to the solidity that people craved in ordinary life. The Short moment of wonder when a person looks upon the final creation for the first time. All of these things made sense to him. Alex did not believe in marriage, love or even family. This things made no sense to him, and he had decided not to incorporate them into his life. Unfortunately, uncle Billy had changed the rules. Alex 's guts coiled, and his sick sense of humor almost caused a laugh to spill from his lips. He rose from his leather chair and stripped of his jacket. He quickly changed into his gray sweatpants and matching tshi
Alex Smith glanced around, satisfied with the result his conference room provided a business atmosphere.. The contracts were well laid out, with an elegant silver tray filled with tea,coffee and a variety of pastries. Formal, yet friendly which would reflect the tone of their marriage. He ignored the deep pitch in his gut when he thought of encountering Maya Davis again. He wondered how she had grown, the stories his sister shared painted her an impulsive, reckless woman, she didn't fit the image he needed but his sister Olivia insisted she would be perfect. Stubborn memories of a free spirited kid with a ponytail bobbing teased his thoughts, even though he knew she owned a flower store, hr still thought of her as Olivia's play mate, despite the fact that he hadn't seen her in years. But time was running out. They shared a distant past, but he could sense that Maya could be trusted. She may not fit the idea of his perfect wife but she needed the money and he needed a wife, fast.
"God your parents really screwed you up." she muttered. "Thank you." "What if i don't fit in all these categories?" "We will work on it." Her eyes narrowed, and she bit her lip. Jordan flashed back to the first time he kissed her, when he was sixeen. How his mouth had pressed against hers,feeling her tremble. His fingers lightly caressing the bare skin of her shoulders. Then she had smiled and told him she loved him. Wanted to marry him. He should have kissed her or said something sweet and nice instead he had laughed. Even at sixteen he knew no relationship could ever be beautiful, they all eventually turned ugly. He shook off the memory and concentrated on the present. "Why don't you tell me what you are looking for in this marriage?" "One hundred and fifty thousand dollars upfront. In cash." He leaned closer to her intrigued, "Hell, that's alot of money. Gambling debts?" An invisible wall slammed between them. "No." "Shopping spree?" Temper flared in her eyes. "None of y
Maya looked over the crowd and wished she was back at BookCrazy, holding her Friday night poetry reading with her best friend. The business dinner tonight was the turning point in Alex's career. She knew heavy hitters swarmed the halls for the chance at glory, and Alex needed to dazzle the crowd in order to get a hearing. She handed the hostess her coat and let Alex lead her into the packed ballroom. “I’m assuming you have a general plan of attack?” she asked. “Who are the two players you need to concentrate on?” He motioned toward a thick cloud of cigar smoke. A tight circle of conservative businessmen surrounded a man impeccably dressed in a gray suit and silk tie. “Hyoshi Komo is building the Japanese restaurant. His vote is key to gain the third partner in the waterfront deal.” “So, why don’t you go over there and give your pitch?” She plucked a salmon tart from the tray of a tuxedo-clad waiter and grabbed a glass of champagne from another. “Because I don’t want to be one of t
Her steps carried her around the next corner into a room that looked more like a gallery, filled with shelves of old, bound books carefully displayed. She held her breath as her fingers itched to caress the binding of old leather and relish the sound of crackling as she turned the pages steeped in history. “Ah, so to get you to notice me tonight, I should turn into a book, no?” She spun around. A man stood in the doorway, his eyes filled with a mischievous humor she knew to be a part of his core. His hair was long and caught back in a low ponytail, giving him the look of a pirate who had charmed women for centuries. His lips were full and his nose dominated his strong features in typical Italian style. Dressed in black pants, a black silk shirt, and expensive leather shoes, he exhibited a graceful, seductive air just by standing. Maya knew immediately the man was charming, warm-hearted, and deadly to women. The thought made a smile curve her lips. She had a soft spot for womanizing
Michael watched the gesture with barely hidden amusement. “It seems Richard thinks you are the perfect man for the job. Perhaps we can set up a meeting to go over your ideas.” “Thank you. I’ll call your secretary and arrange an appointment.” She caught the clear-cut simplicity in his tone, and knew Michael noticed. Alex didn’t play certain business games, namely being too arrogant to pick up the phone himself to call for an appointment. “Very good.” Michael took her hand and placed a kiss on her palm. “It was lovely to meet you, Maya.” His Italian accent caressed her name. “I’m having a dinner party for a few close friends two weeks from tonight. Would you join me?” She noted he directed his invitation to her so she turned to her husband. “Darling? Are we free?” This time, his movement wasn’t subtle. He took a step behind her and wrapped both hands around her waist, drawing her back against him. Her butt pressed against his groin. Iron thighs trapped hers. He rested both hands d
Alex’s hands hung at his sides, empty. For one moment, he’d been filled with her: her curves, her scent, her heat. Now he stood in the middle of the room, alone, just like he had on their wedding night. A married man with a hard-on and no relief in sight. Amazed at his ridiculous predicament, he tried to go over the events of the evening and see where he had gone wrong. The moment he caught her with Michael, a slow, steaming anger had risen up within him. The heat started at his feet, traveled to his stomach, his chest, and finally settled like a hot band around his head. If he was a horse, he would have snorted out smoke and stamped his hooves. If he was a wolf, he would have howled at the moon. Her hand had rested on the Michael’s arm. He must’ve been quite amusing, because she threw her head back and laughed, her cheeks flushed and rosy. Her full lips had gleamed under the chandelier light. They’d acted like they were long-time friends instead of people who had just met. But the
“Oh, yeah, Alex would just love this kind of night out. He’d probably prefer a root canal and a prostate exam.” “How are you two getting along? Besides the physical attraction.” “Fine.” Olivua rolled her eyes. “Lying again. You’re not going to tell me, are you?” Maya realized she’d always confessed everything to Olivia except for one event. The first time Alex kissed her. She’d known she loved him back then. Friendship turned to rivalry and then to a girlish crush. That first kiss twisted emotions so pure within her she believed it was love. Her heart beat for him, full of joy at the possibility of them being together, so she uttered the words, her voice echoing through the trees. “I love you.” Then waited for him to kiss her again. Instead, he stepped back from her and laughed. Called her a silly baby and walked away. She learned her first lesson in heartbreak in that moment. Fourteen yearsold. In the woods with Alex Smith. She wasn’t about to repeat the lesson. She pushed th