Imperfect Love: Arranged (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  Chapter Three

  Ireland

  “Enough staring at him behind your dark sunglasses. You’re not fooling anyone…and probably not even him. Time to cool you off.” Montana was up and moving our appetizing platter of heavenly goodness inside the cabana to a mini fridge. I swear I could practically live in the space complete with a microwave, flat screen TV, and sectional sofa. The only thing missing was a bathroom and a kitchen sink. I laughed to myself at the mention of the sink. Who hadn’t used the expression “everything but the kitchen sink” at least once in their life?

  Returning to my side, Montana handed me my frilly tropical drink that she had insisted on us drinking. It was a bit sweeter than my usual drink—skinny margarita on the rocks, no salt—but it was fun with its pineapple wedge, strawberry, and umbrella that she had plucked off the fruit tray. Knowing that she was not going to let me remain reclined, I huffed, set the drink down on a low table next to the chaise lounge, and adjusted my suit as I stood up.

  With my drink in hand again, I spoke up. “No embarrassing me, please. We are just taking a dip to cool off.” Why I bothered to say anything to her was beyond me. There was no telling that girl to do or comply with anything. My mentioning that she should behave probably fueled the fire within her even more.

  Following slightly behind her, we walked to a set of steps to descend into the crystal blue water rather than jump and risk losing our tops—something that would be easy to do with these suits. I had surprised myself a bit when I purchased it. I hated to admit it, but Montana was right, it was not something that I would usually wear. Since being told that I was getting married, I felt a streak of rebellion running through my veins. Another thing I was not about to divulge to my best friend as she would have me doing things one hundred percent out of my comfort zone.

  Montana didn’t need any encouragement and she probably wasn’t going to listen to my small plea I realized as she moved through the water straight for the man I couldn’t keep from staring at and his friend. I kept moving with her as it would have looked strange if I hung back. I had a flashback of Montana approaching a popular guy I had a crush on in high school and asking him if he liked me. I surely didn’t want to be mortified like I had been back then.

  “Mind if we share your wall?” Seriously, why didn’t she just say hello and set her glass on the side of the pool. It wasn’t like they owned the pool and there wasn’t room next to them. We did not have to be so close to them. “Montana and Ireland.” There was no denying that she had a motive and was coming onto them, practically delivering a pick up line like, “do you come here often?” I cringed and then nearly sucked my entire drink to the bottom with a slurp that was sure to give me a rush or brain freeze. “And you are?” She didn’t let them off the hook.

  “I’m Jensen and that is my friend Novak…and you, Ireland, look like you need something.”

  Yes, you! I loved how he said my name… I loved his deep, husky voice that enhanced the overall package…and he was even better looking close up and personal. Was it possible to fall in love so quickly? Because he was checking all of my fantasy dream man boxes and I found myself at a loss for words.

  “She definitely needs more, but she will probably be happier with your basic, boring, run of the mill margarita, rocks, no salt.” Montana made my delicious libation of choice sound terrible and it felt like a reflection of me. It also made me remember that I needed to go all out on this trip.

  “What are you drinking?” I managed to squeak out a few words.

  “Exactly what your friend said you desired.” That last word sent chills right down my body and tickled my girly bits. “I guess I’m boring,” he said with a sexy grin. I couldn’t imagine him to be a bore at anything. “But I have to say it tastes amazing.” He offered his nearly full glass to me and I took it between my two hands.

  Placing my lips on the rim, I closed my eyes and sipped where his mouth had possibly been. Sighing, I opened my eyes and watched him swallow hard before I breathlessly voiced my delight, “It’s delicious.”

  As I attempted to hand it back to him, he told me to keep it, “I’m yours… It’s yours, I’ll order another one.” I liked his slip up, “I’m” sounded a whole lot better than “it’s” coming from his full, nibbleable lips.

  I could visualize my teeth lightly biting his bottom lip, tugging it a little, and then sliding my tongue along it to make it all better. Wow! That fancy tropical drink with five different alcohols must have really zapped my brain. Good thing it wasn’t causing me to blurt out my thoughts and, fortunately, only a simple “thank you” escaped my lips. With his drink delivered along with more for Montana and Novak, I tried to keep my wits about me and steer our conversation toward business since he had mentioned that they were in town for a conference. So far he had not asked me why I was in town and I wasn’t quick to divulge my miserable situation. I never imagined that the simple subject of work would have me feeling down and excited all at once. It probably didn’t hurt that I was speaking with a handsome businessman.

  “My company has been talking about branching out to unknown territory and we will need to restructure those avenues a bit and bring in a new marketing strategy.” He was speaking my language and I was hanging on every word all the way from the pool back to our cabana. No longer too big for two vacationing girls, it was filling up thanks to Montana and Novak making friends while Jensen and I were lost in a corporate world chat. “We have been shopping marketing companies and narrowed it down to two in New York and one in Chicago, but we are leaning strongly toward—”

  “—Tate & Cane,” I finished his sentence and he grinned at me with a raised eyebrow. “They’re one of the best. Why would you use anyone else?”

  “Don’t tell me that you work for them?” He looked a little concerned.

  “No. Relax. I have my own PR service of sorts,” I announced, proudly.

  “Are they your competition?” he asked and leaned closer. “Are you going to try and sway me away from them?” I would love to sway him right into my arms but I wasn’t equipped to do marketing for his type of Fortune 500 Company. Not that he had told me who he worked for, but just the details about the conference let me know that they were probably a biggie that I would recognize on the Stock Exchange.

  “I am what you would probably call a middleman…middle woman or business concierge—that is the term I prefer. So many businesses either scrimp or splurge when it comes to marketing and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all company that is the same or right for everyone.” I loved that he gave me his full attention. He made my heart pound as I looked into his shaded eyes. I could only imagine the intensity that I would see in his eyes… his deep brown eyes. That was my guess…or my wish.

  In case anyone wanted to know what the ideal man for me would be…what I hoped my parents took into consideration when selecting my husband-to-be… Ugh! Push that thought away and continue! I envisioned brown hair, dark brown eyes, at least six feet tall so I could wear heels without towering over him, a nice build, straight pearly whites, sexy facial stubble and intellectual… And a sense of humor was a must too. So far, the man chatting with me had ticked off everything.

  “What are you doing?” I heard him ask, turning his head from side to side. What was I doing that had him moving oddly? “You seem to be studying me, am I wrong?”

  Oh shit! Please tell me that I didn’t mumble anything along with my unconscious movements.

  “Sorry. I was just wondering what color your eyes were.”

  I loved the smirk he gave me as he spoke up and made me laugh. “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.”

  “Deal,” I agreed and then quickly lowered my sunglasses which actually gave me an even better view of him. Clear vision to his bronzed skin, whiter than white teeth, and to top it off, he had dark chocolate brown eyes which twinkled thanks to the sun. However, the gleam in his eyes made me think about special effects seen in cornball movies and I couldn’t stop mys
elf from smiling until he leaned in and captured my mouth perfectly with his. The ultimate kiss that was only in fairytales was happening to me right there in front of everyone and I did not care one bit because, to be quite honest, everything but us faded away from my mind.

  Chapter Four

  Jensen

  “I have met my dream girl!” I shouted in my head before I ran my tongue along the seam of her beautiful lips. To my amazement, she opened her mouth enough to allow me in and once I tasted the inside of her warm mouth, I was lost. She was going to be mine…she was fucking mine. There wasn’t anything about her that didn’t appeal to me. Instant attraction. Instant chemistry. Instant lust…love. I could only imagine our sexual compatibility and if I had anything to say about it, I would be sampling that later tonight in the comfort of my hotel room bed.

  Those thoughts were quickly dashed by my no-longer best friend, Novak, simply because he pulled me away from my woman’s lips. “What the hell?”

  “I think you might cool it out here in public. Future wife-to-be. Remember?” That wife-to-be phrase had me sitting up straighter and had me wanting to kill Novak.

  “You’re married?” Ireland leaned close to me. Which surprised me since most women or all of the ones that I had been involved with over the years would’ve made a big scene. I hated the hurt look I saw in her eyes before she put her sunglasses back on. “I should’ve known and thank you, Novak. I needed that reality check.” She was about to move away from me and I reached out to still her movement.

  “No, please. Don’t leave me…ever.” I stared right into her hidden eyes. “I’m not married, yet. I’m sort of engaged, but I don’t want to be…not to her anyway. My parents are—” She put her finger to my lips and finished my sentence like she had already on several occasions throughout our conversation.

  “—making you get married.” I wondered if she was being sarcastic until she continued, “I would call bullshit on you, but I know that it still happens…” She removed her finger from my lips and touched it to her lips, making me wish for another kiss. “I’m here for my bachelorette getaway weekend.”

  I have never wanted to scream “no” at the top of my lungs more than I did at that moment. The world was unfair. God was cruel…or my parents were cruel for putting so much pressure on my shoulders to please people that I didn’t know. Foreigners…foreign to me in every way. This unknown woman, until minutes ago, didn’t exist when I agreed to make other people happy. I never believed my dream girl would ever materialize, but she did.

  “You can’t marry him.” I placed my hands firmly but gently on her upper arms as I spoke. Damn! Even her skin felt wonderful under my touch. Warm and smooth, I wanted to feel every inch of her from that moment until the end of time.

  Her words were music to my ears. “I don’t want to marry him. I want to be a career girl. I want someone to take me serious for a change…and support my ideas. My parents think my online PR business is a silly hobby. They want me to have babies, stay home, bake cookies, chair school fundraisers, and host playdates. I don’t want that life. I don’t want to be my mother. I want my own life and to make my own choices… But, I’m going to be thirty soon and my parents insist that I marry before my birthday.”

  I just sat there, gently touching her as she reached up and swiped a fingertip under her hidden almond eyes—I knew they would be exactly as I wished them to be.

  I couldn’t let her go.

  “Marry me and you can have your career. I have a house. You work online. You can work from anywhere.” Did I really just propose? Yes, apparently I did and it felt great! Amazing! I just hoped that her silence and gaping open mouth was a good sign or a “yes.”

  “You can’t be serious.” She stilled and looked at me before shaking her beautiful chestnut hair. “Of course you’re not.” Then she laughed and fell back on the chaise lounge away from my grip.

  Not giving up that quickly, I slipped off the chaise we had been sharing, and got down on one knee. “Marry me, I promise to make you happy and let you be who you want to be.” I had one of her hands cradled in mine and brought it up to my lips.

  She rolled over to face me. “You are serious, aren’t you?” I nodded and she used her free hand to caress my face. “You’re my saving grace. You’re my dream man. You’re not real.” She smiled and kept touching me as if I was a mirage.

  “I’m dead serious and to prove it, we’re getting married tonight if you say yes.” I removed one hand so that I could lower her sunglasses as she had done to mine moments before. “Eye to eye, tell me you want me to be your husband.” She nodded. “I love that nod of your beautiful head, but I need to hear it from your kissable lips.”

  “Yes.” With her answer, I reached behind her neck, gathered up a fist full of her hair at the nape and tilted her head so that I could capture her mouth in a deep and meaningful kiss.

  Fuck Novak! Let him come try to break us apart. He might succeed for a few moments, but he would fail in the end because I would be kissing my Ireland for the rest of my life, whenever I wanted and wherever I wanted with the whole fucking world watching.

  Sure enough, my friend thought he was coming to my rescue again.

  “Dude.” I felt his hand on my shoulder and then my arm as he pulled me up onto my feet. “You really need to get ahold of yourself. The sun, too many cocktails, and that beautiful woman have corrupted you.”

  I laughed. He was right on all accounts, but I was happy with the outcome of my day at the pool. It was the solution to my foreign problem that threatened to domesticate me.

  “We need to celebrate my marriage tonight. Right, Ireland?” I reached down and pulled her to her feet once she grasped my hand. “And yours too.” I winked at her.

  “You know that she is getting married?” Novak asked.

  Montana echoed his words adding a few of her own. “She told you?” I nodded. “And so…why are you kissing her?”

  “Yes. It’s her bachelorette party.” Montana nodded, listening to my rambling words. “Doesn’t every bride get to have a bit of fun?” Ireland giggled at my side and I kissed her forehead. “Break open the champagne, let’s toast to an unbelievable night ahead and to our good fortune.” Then I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “to you being my wife.” Kissing her neck before addressing the crowd that had gathered in the cabana, I received a dirty look from Novak. I didn’t care. I would deal with him in private so he didn’t make a scene after we cracked open a few bottles of expensive bubbly for a much needed toast.

  “To marriage!” We all clicked glasses and laughed as several of the freeloaders said, “Fuck marriage!” Any other time, I would’ve echoed their sentiments, but I was a lucky bastard who was going to be marrying his dream girl in a few hours.

  Little did I know that coming to Vegas for a conference and bringing along a suit would come in handy. My impulsive purchase earlier in the day was going to be put to good use as well—I just hoped that my new bride-to-be liked it.

  “What’s with the goofy smile?” Novak asked me while I watched Ireland and Montana dancing around clicking champagne glasses.

  “I’m getting married tonight.” I refused to look him in the eye.

  “Unless there is another part to your pending nuptials, I believe you will be saying ‘I do’ in New York in front of your family and a bunch of foreigners who are flying in on the company’s dime.” Still not looking at him, I filled his glass and mine.

  “Nope, right here and only you and Montana will be watching Ireland and I get hitched. She’s my way out. She’s the arrangement I am willing to go through with and I am helping her to be a career girl. The best part is, I get the ultimate dream girl.”

  I had no choice but to look at Novak as he got right in my face.

  “You have lost your mind completely. I’m all for you being happy and I warned you not to submit to your father’s wishes, but there are other people involved now. A family is pulling up stakes to fulfill the merger.” In the beginn
ing I think he was more upset than I had been.

  “It will all work out.” I patted my best friend’s shoulder and attempted to slip back down on the chaise where I had proposed to Ireland, but Novak grabbed my arm. I looked at his hand and then into his eyes. “Relax.” I removed his hand. “The mergers can go through as planned, just not all of them. They wanted me married to be in charge of the new division. That has to satisfy the new partners.”

  I wasn’t sure if Novak was going to be sick the way he held his stomach and head at the same time.

  “There is the matter of cultures and traditions. You have no idea how important the term ‘saving face’ is to foreigners.” Novak’s parents had come to the US as children so he knew first hand from his family and his studies in International Relations. He was our foreign correspondent for the company’s foreign affairs.

  “I have to follow my heart, my friend. Please stand by me and I promise to make everyone happy in the end. Hey! Maybe you can marry the foreign girl or do you want to make it a double wedding…I see the way you’re imagining Montana spread out on your bed.” I laughed and he punched me right in the gut—doubling over, it was my turn to grab my stomach.

  Chapter Five

  Ireland

  “You are fucking crazy!” Montana exclaimed after nearly spraying me with champagne from her almost empty glass which she had just clicked to mine.

  “It’s the perfect solution. His father wants him married to take over some new division of their family business and my parents want me married before I turn thirty. They get their wish, but just not with the arranged spouse they selected for me. The arrangement suits both of us and remember I will still be near you since his company is in New York.” She was still staring at me with disbelief in her eyes. “I won’t be stealing your clothes and sleeping on your couch—that’s a plus.” I knocked my hip into hers.

  “I was going to have a lock put on my closet,” she announced with a smirk and I knew she wasn’t kidding. She was fine when she dressed me, but having me sorting through her high fashion couture in a closet the size of a small bedroom, she would probably cringe at the thought.