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      ‘I beg to differ. I now have a vested interest in how you help your brother. One could argue, in fact, that it will be my money that will be used to support him if the need should arise.’

      ‘I’m going to get another job as soon as I can.’

      ‘There’s no need for you to do so immediately,’ he said. ‘I quite fancy the idea of a kept woman.’

      ‘I’d rather die.’

      ‘Such strong words,’ he chided. ‘No, I definitely like the idea of you at my beck and call every hour of the day.’

      ‘You will soon tire of it.’

      He grinned at her disarmingly. ‘I wonder.’

      She turned away from the contemplative look in his eye.

      ‘I wanted to talk to you about living arrangements,’ she said.

      ‘Ah, yes—’ he sat on the sofa and stretched out his long legs in front of him ‘—the living arrangements. I was wondering when we’d come to that.’

      ‘I’m assuming you want me to live with you?’

      ‘Of course.’

      ‘But what about my apartment?’

      ‘Get rid of it.’

      She took a turn about the room in agitation.

      ‘What’s the problem, Maddison?’ he asked her. ‘Surely you’re not balking at the idea of sharing my penthouse?’

      She turned back to face him. ‘Where do you live?’

      ‘In the Papasakis Park View Tower Hotel.’

      ‘You live in a hotel?’ She looked at him incredulously.

      ‘Why not?’ He crossed his ankles. ‘The beds are comfortable, the food edible, and the showers hot. Why wouldn’t I live there?’

      ‘I would’ve thought a man of your means would have a castle of his own,’ she said. ‘It must be very impersonal living in a hotel all the time.’

      ‘I’m used to it. Anyway, I’m in and out of the country such a lot I haven’t got time to manage a private residence.’

      ‘How much travelling do you do?’

      He gave her a knowing look. ‘I can see where your mind is headed. If you think you can get away with anything while my back is turned you can think again. I might be out of the country rather regularly but I keep a steady eye on what’s happening when I’m away.’

      ‘I wasn’t thinking anything of the sort,’ she lied. ‘I was just wondering what I should do when you’re away, that’s all.’

      He propped his hands behind his head and surveyed her casually. ‘You’ll be too busy pretending to be the devoted wife in my absence and if you behave yourself I might even allow you to come with me occasionally.’

      ‘I can’t wait.’

      He laughed at the insincerity of her tone. ‘Come on, Maddison, you do your sex a disservice to insist your motives are all above board. What young woman wouldn’t want an all expenses paid trip overseas?’

      ‘I would prefer to have more choice over my travelling partner.’

      ‘Be that as it may, I still think you should be grateful I’ve been so obliging in all this. Another man might have asked you to pay back every cent.’

      ‘I would rather work an eighteen hour day for the rest of my life than spend an hour with you.’

      His expression closed over and she wondered if she’d pressed one too many of his buttons.

      ‘You have a lamentable lack of grace in your choice of words,’ he said. ‘One would hope that tendency will abate as time goes on.’

      ‘You expect me to be grateful to you for blackmailing me into this arrangement?’

      ‘No.’ He got to his feet with languid ease. ‘I don’t expect you to be grateful; I expect you to be realistic. Your brother is a prison statistic waiting to happen. I’m giving you a chance to redeem his future prospects.’

      ‘What do you want from me?’

      ‘I thought I’d made that clear. I want you to pretend to be a wife in love for a short period of time.’

      ‘I’m not sure I’m up to the task.’

      ‘Then you’d better brush up on your skills,’ he said. ‘If you don’t, the weight of the law will fall about your brother’s shoulders.’

      ‘That threat is going to wear out if you brandish it about too much.’

      ‘It’s not a threat, Maddison, it’s a promise, and if you don’t fulfil your side of the bargain, neither will I.’

      ‘I don’t know why you’ve targeted me as your victim in all this,’ she said. ‘I have absolutely nothing to offer you.’

      ‘You have everything to offer me,’ he countered. ‘You love your brother and are prepared to do anything to save him. That sort of loyalty is not to be disregarded.’

      ‘You’re exploiting it for your own ends.’

      ‘Maybe, but at the end of the day you’re the one who wins in all this.’

      ‘How so?’

      ‘Your brother will be released from all retribution from me, and you’ll be adequately compensated for your time and efforts in portraying yourself as a devoted wife. I can’t do any more than that.’

      ‘I still think there’s a loophole in all of this.’

      ‘It’s understandable you’d see it that way, but let me reassure you I have no such motive. I wish only for a quick solution to my own problems, and as it turns out you are a very convenient alibi.’

      ‘It’s been all too convenient for you, though, hasn’t it?’ she asked. ‘My brother has played right into your hands.’

      ‘Your brother was foolish enough to leave a footprint. If he hadn’t done so I would still be scouring the streets for the culprit.’

      ‘I only wish my brother had thought to torch your car and your hotel as well,’ she said bitterly.

      His mouth thinned as he took in her enraged features. ‘That would have been most inadvisable. If he had done so you would not be marrying me next week, and your useless brother would be facing me in court.’

      Maddison didn’t have an answer at the ready.

      ‘I would advise you, Maddison, to see things as they are. You stand in front of your brother’s freedom; don’t throw it away on a whim of petulance directed at me.’

      ‘I hate you.’

      ‘I’m very glad you do,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t like to think you harboured any other emotion considering the terms I’ve laid down.’

      ‘How can you sleep at night?’ she asked.

      ‘I can sleep with ease,’ he said. ‘Knowing that I did all I could to secure my own interests.’

      ‘At the expense of someone else’s?’

      ‘Yes,’ he said without apology. ‘At the expense of someone else’s.’

      She turned away from his arrogant features and sucked in a steadying breath. ‘How soon do you wish to activate this fake marriage?’

      ‘Next week.’

      She swung back to face him, her expression full of alarm. ‘Next week?’ She had forgotten it would be so soon.

      He gave a casual lift of one shoulder as if they were merely

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