Her unusual scent, a mixture of lilac and sunshine, stayed with him throughout the day. Or maybe it was his imagination. Wishful thinking, perhaps. A few times he’d glanced around to see if she had come to the office despite their earlier conversation when he told her to take time to acclimate herself to her new life and home.
Picturing her in his house filled him with a strange sensation he didn’t recognize. The idea of being married had always set a cold lump in his stomach, but for some reason it didn’t bother him that Katie was his wife. Probably because it wasn’t real. They were under contract to produce an heir and keep the family business under his control. For now, they had a singular goal. They were partners.
She’d scared him for a moment with her comment about being his wife and not his mistress. He didn’t want her to get too comfortable in the role since it wasn’t a permanent thing. The reason he had chosen her was because he didn’t think she was the type to get carried away and latch onto him. The sooner she got pregnant, the better. Then she could focus on her baby and not on her new husband.
He had already informed his mother he was legally wed and asked her to pass along the news to Bumbling Billy and his ambitious wife. Poppy wouldn’t take it well. He expected her to storm into his office at any moment with a hoard of lawyers to dispute his claim of a legal marriage.
Unable to go another minute without hearing from Katie, he called her. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until she answered. Her voice freed him to breathe again. “Hey,” he said. “Has anyone dropped in for a surprise visit?”
She sounded groggy as she replied after a long pause. “Wha-what? Who is this?”
“The guy you had sex with three days in a row in Vegas. How quickly they forget.”
“Chase?!”
“There it is.” He grinned. “I knew you’d remember me eventually.”
Her tone changed from startled to cool in a blink. “I was napping because you told me to get some rest, and you also told me not to worry about visitors. Didn’t you say your family won’t drive all the way out here to bother me?”
“You need to be at the board meeting this Wednesday. Do you want me to pick you up?”
Another long pause.
“I can drive,” she said.
“I’m sending some clothes to the house. I want you to choose the perfect outfit for the meeting.”
“I have clothes.”
He sighed into the phone. “When you come to the board meeting, I don’t want you to come as Ms. Greer, my secretary. You are the CEO’s wife now. I want you to walk in like you own the place, head held high, dripping in jewels, and use your infamous icy stare on anybody that dares look cross-eyed at you. I want every jaw in that room to drop when they see you. Got it?”
“Understood. I will do my best to play my part to the hilt.”
That was all he needed to hear. A rare smile graced his face, and he relaxed for the first time since returning from Vegas. Setting his plan in motion, he said, “Remember, you are Mrs. Chase Grayson. Own it.”
♥♥♥
Frantic, Katie went through the pile of clothing for a second time. Strewn across the bed, the designer pieces must have cost a small fortune. On her third trip through her new wardrobe, she tried on each item and stood in front of the bathroom’s full-length mirror for several minutes. She took selfies of her favorites. Unable to make up her mind, she called Bianca so she could put her best friend’s expertise to work for her. As owner of the magazineLove Life, part of Bianca’s job had to do with fashion. Plus, she was married to a billionaire. She’d know what Katie should wear to her first board meeting.
“Guess what? I am finally having myPretty Womanmoment,” Katie said. “It’s unbelievably stressful. Chase bought me an incredible new wardrobe that you would not believe.”
Bianca snorted. “What is with billionaires buying clothes for women they barely know?”
“Chase knows me. I’ve worked for him for two years, and he’s my husband now. Why shouldn’t he buy me clothes?”
Katie took a breath and held it as she thought of all the things that could go wrong at the board meeting. She was about to get an official introduction to the Grayson family as Chase’s wife. He had warned her certain members wouldn’t accept their marriage. In fact, her new sister-in-law would fight them to the bitter end.
“I have my first board meeting this week,” Katie said. “Chase wants jaws to drop. He needs me to play the devoted wife, and I need to know what I should wear. Hold on for a second.” She flipped her phone around and sent Bianca the first pic. “Check this out? What do you think?”
“Hold on.” Bianca took a moment away from the phone to look at the picture. Then she was back. “You’re the CEO’s wife, but you’re also a board member. Correct?”
“As of this Wednesday, yes. His mother is signing over ten percent to me at the meeting.”
“Then you’re a stockholder, and you need to dress like a professional. This picture is way too sexy.”
“Chase says he wants me dripping in jewels.”
“Well,Chasemust be looking at this through emotion rather than logic. He’s wanting to use you to prove a point to his family, but if you want this to work, you need to dress professionally.”