Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Then there was the issue of Marksen and me.
Maybe now that he had gotten this stupid prank out of his system, he and Luc could go back to being friends and then maybe he and I could perhaps see if we truly had chemistry.
I was curious to know what this was, and if I was being honest, I wanted to see if there could be more. I had always had a huge crush on Marksen, before I even knew what that meant.
I had put all of that away years ago. The moment I knew I was going to school for a practical degree and have a career, I knew that the likelihood of my father choosing to marry me off to someone like the DuBois heir was slim. Such a man needed a professional wife, someone who would be there to run his life while he worked and ran the rest of the world.
That life would never be something that would satisfy my lust for life and need for challenges. Maybe he didn’t want a bored housewife to come home to. Maybe he wanted someone with the same drive that he had.
Or maybe I was being a stupid little girl who thought sex had to mean more than sex.
It didn’t. Logically I knew that, and I may not have my innocence anymore, but I still had my pride.
If Marksen wanted more, he was going to have to ask.
He would have to woo me after he got me home.
Keeping my tone light, I said, “I need to get back pretty soon.” Then took a seat at the table.
I knew I already missed the brunch and all of that. I was sure Luc and Amelia had already left for their honeymoon, but I still had work to do.
“You’re kidding me,” he said with a bored expression on his face.
“I’m not kidding. I need to go over the data for the last quarter and make sure we are hitting our growth estimates. And then I need to see if the business can afford a few more staff writers and another photographer. I also need to go over the PR packages from the top brands for their Christmas lines and see what we will and won’t feature in November and December. Not to mention coverage for the Denim and Diamonds Ball for the Manwarring Foundation.”
Urgh, stop talking business!
This is why you were a freaking virgin at twenty-five and it took a stupid, drunken prank for you to finally get laid.
“You cover your own family’s events?” he interrupted me.
“Of course, well the magazine does, but there is also the Theophane Theatre Production, and this new club called Primal is opening up. I need to either assign someone to cover all of this or do it myself.”
The more I talked, the more Marksen just stared at me.
Finally, he took a seat on the bench across from me.
He raised an eyebrow. “Princess, I think I need to explain to you how a kidnapping works.”
“The prank is over. You had your fun. Now, let me get back to work. I have spent countless hours building the reputation of my magazine. I can’t let it all fall apart over a drunken joke between my brother and his friend.”
He bared his teeth. “I’m not his friend and this is not a fucking prank. You aren’t going anywhere. You are my prisoner. I was trying not to be a dick about it by not chaining you naked to the bed and feeding you moldy bread and water, but make no mistake. You are here for the foreseeable future.”
“You’re joking,” I said, the food falling from my fork before I set it back on the plate. My stomach twisted, and suddenly, the food that had smelled so good only seconds ago now made me want to vomit.
“I’m not. It is funny, though.”
“This stopped being funny a while ago, Marksen.”
“For you, maybe.” He sat back on the bench and looked at me. “Last night, you said love was more important than anything, including reputation.”
“I did.” My heart hammered inside my chest as I looked around. There had to be a way out, a way I could signal for help.
Some way to let my brother know where I was so he could come for me. Oh God, I hoped he hadn’t already left for his honeymoon. He would be unreachable for weeks.
The irony was killing me.
I was the one who told him to leave his phone and all forms of communication at home!
“See, you said that last night, but now you are talking about your little website’s reputation like it’s important.”
“It is important. I never said reputation wasn’t important at all. I simply said there are more important things.”
“Like love,” he clarified.
“Yes, like love.” A cold sweat broke out on my brow.
“So you can be mad this little hostage situation is going to mess with the reputation of your magazine, but I can’t be mad that your brother destroyed my reputation?”