Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I hop up on the counter and cross my long legs at the ankles. “I can’t do that. This is my job at stake. I actually went to school for this. Something like that will live on in infamy forever, and if I get fired, I’m going to have to move out of Providence to get hired anywhere again.”
“Well, maybe we can just work behind the scenes. Attack her character.”
“If they have an open marriage, and your dad doesn’t love her, I doubt that would work,” I point out.
“Then we’ll just have to make him look undesirable from her perspective. Why does her daddy want to marry her off anyway? Why is that his price? You’d think he’d be happy to give his connections to my dad in exchange for a cash injection into his failing empire. Why is she on the table?”
That just makes me think how I wished I could have been spread eagle on the piano of my dreams last night. I quickly wash the image out of my mind with an entire bottle of mental bleach.
“You’ll just have to seduce him,” Mika continues. “He’ll meet you again as his wedding planner, and you can go from there. You already have a connection. He’ll just think it’s this weird sign from the universe that brought you two together again.” Grinning broadly, she gets two mugs out of the cupboard. “If he falls for you and finds out that love can be real, then maybe he will take a chance on finding happiness again and ditch this fake marriage crap.”
“He could still get fake married. It’s an open marriage. Plus, just no. I’m not going to fake fall in love with your dad,” I say, shaking my head.
“You could do it for real.”
I clench my hands so tightly in my lap that my knuckles go white. “I don’t think that’s something you can force.” Judging by the way my body lights up and my nipples pretty much go into full slasher mode at the expense of my nightgown, I wouldn’t have to try too hard.
“Ugh, fine,” Mika mutters, sighing grudgingly. It’s the kind of sigh that says she’s not letting this go, but she’ll make a backup plan for now and work on adding Project Get Bellatrix To Fall In Love With My Dad, Dad To Fall In Love With My Bestie, or Both Would Be Best into the mix later when she figures out how to do it so subtly that I don’t notice. “You do what you can do to delay the wedding. I’ll have to figure out how I can convince him not to go ahead with it, but it’s going to take time. I just need you to buy me some time.”
“Money usually opens any doors. I’m not sure how I can delay a wedding when they can just go elsewhere, to some other venue, for the big day. When things don’t work out, they can get another wedding planner, and I’ll probably be fired.”
“You’re not getting fired.” She sounds so sure of herself. “We just have to make this work.” Mika takes my hand and squeezes the life out of it. “Are you with me, my rabid raccoon fighting partner in crime?”
“I’m sorry, I think they ate all the brains I had.”
“It’s okay.” She bumps my chest with her fist, curling her long, clawlike black lacquered nails into her palm so they don’t stab me. “Think with this.”
She flattens her hand over my racing heart, and ugh, blimey and barnacles, what kind of friend would I be if I told her no?
Probably the rational, sensical one.
I need more information. She’s had some time to process this, but I’m out here, wallowing in the deep end.
“What else did your dad say? Like why a wedding to get the connections he needs? Why did this asshat throw his daughter into the deal when it could have been strictly business?”
I don’t like Mika’s smile. It says she’s already been over this, and it’s by no means an out. “Geneiva’s father is old money. I was right about the castles and his empire. And what does old money care about more than anything?”
“Their wealth?”
“Their reputation,” Mika corrects me. “Apparently, Geneiva’s always been trouble. She has this guy she’s in love with, and he has connections to the mob.”
“The mob?” I gasp. “Are you freaking kidding me? I’m not getting involved with the mob in any way.”
“She wanted to marry him, but she agreed to this marriage on paper and to keep him as her secret lover so she doesn’t shame her family. His family isn’t keen on her either. She’s not Italian.”
“Who cares? Just get married anyway and fuck what people say.”
“It’s complicated. For one, they care. A made man has to keep his empire under control. Revolts end up in bloodbaths.” Like Mika knows so much about the mob. She better be spouting this from smut books and movies she’s watched and not from real-life experience. “I guess for all her faults, Geneiva loves her family. She doesn’t want to be cut off in any way, financially or otherwise.”