It felt like a deal with the devil and there had to be a catch. “You said it had to appear authentic. Define authentic.”
Liam sat back in his seat and crossed his leg over his knee. “No one is going to follow us into the bedroom, Francesca, and I won’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do. But everything we can do to convince people we are a couple in love would be helpful.”
She shook her head and looked down at her lap. This was all so sudden. The idea of being Liam’s fiancée, even if just temporarily, wasn’t so bad. She’d be lying to herself if she said she hadn’t thought about their time in the elevator as she lay alone in bed each night. But his fiancée? Publicly? What would she tell her family? She couldn’t tell them the truth. And her friends? She would have to lie to everyone she knew.
But the alternative was unthinkable. She cared too much about ANS and its employees to let the company fall into Ron Wheeler’s hands. Going along with Liam’s plan would protect the company and earn her the charity gala she wanted so badly. When the arrangement was no longer necessary, her friends and family would just have to believe that things had soured between them and they broke it off. She could live with that. It wasn’t as though they were actually going to get married.
She looked up in time to see Liam slide off the couch to his knees and crawl across the floor until he was kneeling at her feet. He looked so handsome in his navy suit, his dark, beautiful blue eyes gazing into her own. He took her hands into his, his thumb gently stroking her skin. With him touching her like that, she’d probably agree to anything.
“Francesca Orr,” he said with a bright, charming smile. “I know I’m just the humble son of a pig farmer, but would you do me the honor of being my temporary fiancée?”
Four
Liam watched Francesca’s terrified expression, waiting for her answer. He could see the battle raging in her head. He understood. He was having to make sacrifices for the company and what he wanted, too. He felt guilty for dragging her into his mess, but she really was the perfect choice. If she could walk away from that elevator like nothing happened, she could do the same with this engagement. In the end, they could go their separate ways, both having gotten what they wanted.
Her dark brown eyes focused on him for a moment, then strayed off to his shoulder. Her expression of worry softened then, her jaw dropping with surprise.
Confused, Liam turned to look at his shoulder. Perched there on the navy fabric was a lone ladybug. He’d opened the window of his office this morning when he was suffocating from the pressure and needed some fresh air. The tiny insect must’ve been a stowaway.
Francesca untangled her hands from his and reached out to scoop the ladybug from his shoulder. She got up from her seat and walked over to the window. Opening it wide, she held her palm out to the sun and watched the bug fly out into the garden outside the network offices.
She stood looking out the window for several minutes. Liam was still on his knees, wondering what the hell had just happened, when he heard her speak.
“Yes, I will be your temporary fiancée.”
He leaped to his feet and closed the gap between them in three long strides. “Really?”
She turned to him, her face calm and resolute. She looked really beautiful in that moment. Serene. The dark green of her suit looked almost jewel-like against the tan of her skin. It made him want to reach out and remove the pins from her hair until it fell loose around her shoulders. He liked it better that way.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s the right answer for everyone.”
Liam was elated by her response yet confused about what had changed. There had been a moment when he had been absolutely certain she was going to tell him no. He’d already been mentally putting together a contingency plan. He was going to offer her obscene amounts of cash. And if that didn’t work, he was going to find out if Jessica, his secretary, was married. “What helped you decide?”
“The ladybug. They’re an omen of good luck. Having one land on you means you are a blessed soul. It was a sign that I should accept your proposal.”
Liam knew better than to question her superstitions as long as they ruled in his favor. “Well, remind me to thank the next ladybug I come across.”
Francesca chuckled. “I think you owe the entomology department at Georgetown a nice check.”
“And I will get right on that. After I take my fiancée to lunch and let her pick out her engagement ring.”
Her head snapped up to look at him. “So soon?”
“Yes,” he insisted. “The sooner my aunt hears about this, the better. That means ring shopping, an announcement in the paper here and in New York and public sightings of the happy new couple. I intend to update my relationship status on Facebook before the day is out.”