Dangerous Deception (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (6 page)

Then a thought came to him and he frowned.  She was
practical, down-to-earth and she did what she had to do to survive.  She might
actually be the answer to a whole lot of his problems, the primary one being
how to get his father off his back.

What would Dani the chauffeur think about ditching
that job to come work for him - as his fake fiancée?  His smile widened into a
grin.  He was sure he could convince her to come on board with his plan.  She
looked like she needed the money.  Why else would she have taken on the
chauffeur job on top of her teaching career?  This could be the solution to
both their problems.  She needed money and he had lots of it.  He needed a
female buffer for his annoying family and she looked like the kind of woman
who, once the job was over, would cut loose - no strings attached.  She didn’t
strike him as the clinging vine type and that suited him perfectly.

Satisfied, Storm leaned back to enjoy the rest of the
plane ride.  When he returned Dani would be hearing from him.

What he’d hand her on a silver platter was an offer
she would not be able to refuse.

******

“You want me to do what?”  Dani stared across the
table at Storm, not believing what she’d just heard.

“I want you to be my fiancée for hire."  A
mischievous grin tickled his lips.

“Are you serious?” she asked, and for some reason her
heartbeat accelerated as she awaited his response.  “You’re joking, right?”

“I’m very serious,” he said with a smile.  “I find
myself in a bit of a dilemma.  My father insists that I find a wife and settle
down.  He’s decided that he’ll be dead in the very near future and is
determined that he should see the face of his grandchild before he departs.  My
child.”

Dani sucked in her breath and glared at him.  “You
want to pay me to have your child?”

“Hold on, not so fast,” he said with a laugh.  “I’m
not going there.  No way.  All I want is to give my family the impression that
I’m moving in the right direction.  You see, he’s got them all on his side.  I
just need a break from all the pressure.”

“And you think having a fake fiancée is the answer?” 

"It’s the perfect solution,” he said with a smug
grin.  “I get them off my back and you - if you agree - get enough money so you
won’t need to be on the road at all hours of the night.”  He leaned back in the
chair and gave her a look of total confidence, as if she’d be crazy to turn him
down.

Dani lifted her glass and took a long sip of her
ginger ale.  He was certainly full of it, thinking she couldn’t refuse him. 
She had a good mind to give him a flat out no just to wipe that satisfied smile
off his face. 

To her surprise, on his return to Chicago he’d invited
her to lunch, telling her he had a proposal for her, one that would be mutually
beneficial.  She’d been more than curious and had eagerly accepted his
invitation, thinking he was going to offer her a permanent job as his
chauffeur.  She’d anticipated that he would offer her a salary that would
exceed what she was earning with Tony.  After all, if he expected her to give
up her current employment he’d have to be offering her an increase.  A position
like that would suit her well, not only for the potential increase in pay, but also
for the fact that she wouldn’t have to worry about lecherous passengers.  She’d
looked forward to meeting with him to discuss the new arrangement.

And then he’d gone and sprung this mad hatter plan on
her.  He wanted to pay her to engage in yet another deception, this one far
more dangerous than the first.

But she was nothing if not practical.  She’d been
racking her brains, trying to find ways to make more money, and here Storm had
dumped a solution right in her lap.  She would love to turn him down just to
have the satisfaction of teaching him not to take her acceptance for granted
but she didn’t have that luxury.  She needed the money.

She gave him a challenging stare.  “I want at least
double what I’m making with Tony.”

He’d been tapping his fingers against his glass but
when she spoke he stopped and gave her a nod.  “So you’re accepting.  Wise
decision.  One you won’t regret, I’m sure.”

“And you’ll pay me what I asked?”  she pressed.

Storm gave a laugh.  “Honey, your services are worth
far more to me than that measly sum.  You’d be closer to the mark if you aim
for ten times your pay.”

Dani’s heart hopped in shocked pleasure.  Could this
really be happening?  Then she narrowed her gaze.  “You’re not pulling my leg,
are you?”

He looked amused.  “Now why would I do something like
that?  What?  You think I can’t afford it?”

Dani remained silent.  He had a point.  That kind of
money was nothing to a man like him.

“I want you to be comfortable when we go out,” he was
saying.  “You’ll want to dress nicely.  You’ll need money to do that.”

It was then that she realized he wasn’t being overly
generous just for the heck of it.  He’d clearly calculated her needs and that
was how he had come up with his figure.

“I’ll take it,” she blurted out before she could
change her mind.  “When do I start?”

“I’d like to announce you to my family in the next few
weeks,” he said, “so our first order of business is to advise Tony that you
won’t be coming back and your second,” he reached over and took her hand in
his, “is to get to know me better.”

Dani almost snatched her hand back, she was so
surprised.  She wasn’t on the job yet so why was he holding her?

He must have seen her discomfort because he let her slide
her hand from his.  “You have to start pretending to like me, Dani.  And that
means touching sometimes.”

She could feel the heat rising in her face.  Shoot. 
She hardly ever blushed so why now?  All he’d mentioned was touching and she
was turning red.  What if he’d mentioned sex?  She would have probably looked
like a lobster.

Not that she intended to hop into bed with him. 
Delicious as he looked a girl had to draw the line somewhere.

“We’ll spend the next few days in each other’s
company.  I’ll show you some of the things I like to do and you can bring me up
to speed on your interests.  We can’t be total strangers when we go to meet my
family.”

“Okay,” she said slowly, “that makes sense.”

“And I’ll only monopolize your evenings.  I know
you’ll be busy at the preschool until, what, four o’clock?” 

“I get off at three,” she said, “but you can pick me
up at four.  I only live five minutes drive from the school.”

“That’s convenient.  Can you be ready by five
tomorrow?  I’ll be free by then and can pick you up.”

“Five o’clock is fine,” she said with a shrug.

“Wear jeans and a comfortable top.  We’re not going
anywhere fancy.”

“Where are we going?”  she asked.

He shook his head.  “It’s a surprise.”

Next evening Storm showed up at her apartment right on
time.  The buzzer sounded at exactly five o’clock.

“I’ll be right down,” she yelled into the intercom. 
She was wearing jeans and a white shirt and she grabbed a light jacket on the
way out the door.  As she exited the elevator and entered the lobby of the apartment
building she saw Storm.  He had his back to her, his cell phone to his ear. 
Unobserved, she took the opportunity to admire his strong masculine frame, the
breadth of his shoulders in his black leather jacket and the tightness of his
butt in faded jeans.  Talk about delicious.  She would never say this to him
but he looked good.

At that moment he turned and when he saw her his lips
curled into a crooked smile.  He said something into his phone, effectively
ending the call, then turned his full attention on her.

“Very nice,” he said, his look approving.  “This beats
you in a chauffeur's uniform any day.”

“And…you look good, too.”  She might as well practice
complimenting him.  Most likely she’d have to do a lot of that in her future
role as fiancée.  And it wasn’t like she’d be lying.  He’d looked handsome each
time she’d seen him in formal wear but now in jeans and leather jacket with
just a hint of shadow on his chin he looked so much younger and a whole lot
sexier.

He seemed to like the compliment because he threw her
a boyish grin then gave her his arm.  “Let’s hit the road.”

Dani got the surprise of her life when they walked out
into the parking lot and headed toward a big black motorcycle.  When they
stopped in front of it she looked up at Storm in uncertainty.  “Are we going
riding on this?”

“Yes, we are.  This is my baby,” he said, his voice
full of pride.  “We’ve been together for three years now and she’s never let me
down.”

“Well you just continue to have good times with your
baby.  Alone.  I’m not going on that thing.”  Dani folded her arms across her
chest.

“Oh, come on, don’t tell me you’re a scaredy-cat,”
Storm teased.  “You’ve been such a tough cookie since I met you.  Don’t tell me
you’re turning chicken now.”

“I’m not chicken,” she retorted.  “But I’m not stupid,
either.  Motorcycles are dangerous.”

“What if I promise to go real slow and only on the
local road, no highways?”

“Still dangerous,” she insisted.

He stepped closer to her, so close she could smell the
earthy fragrance of his cologne.  Her eyes wandered up his torso and the
expanse of his chest, over the square jaw with its barely-there stubble and up
to his eyes that twinkled with undisguised amusement.

“Would you come if I told you I have two helmets?”

Slowly, she shook her head.  “Not even then,” she said
but this time she was smiling.  She’d meant to stand her ground with him but
who could resist that crooked smile and the surprising dimple in his left
cheek?  And the fact that he’d let his hair grow a little longer until it curled
at the collar of his jacket did not make things any easier.

She had to admit, the man was gorgeous.  Second admission
- she wanted to spend the evening with him and if the only way she could do
that was on the back of a motorcycle then maybe she’d take the chance.  As long
as he promised to go really slowly.

“Come on,” he wheedled.  “You know you want to try
it.”

She drew in a deep breath then expelled it in a sigh
of acquiescence.  “Alright, you’ve worn me down.  I’ll go.  But only if you
promise to be careful.”

Storm put his hand up in a brisk salute.  “Scouts
honor.  You’re safe with me.”

I’m not so sure about that, she thought, but she didn’t
say it out loud.  She might be safe with him on his motorbike but the closer
she got to him, the more her heart was sliding down the slippery slope of
attraction.  She seriously could not afford to get caught in the mudslide.  She
was his hired help, not his girlfriend, and she would do well to remember that.

Dani reached out and took the helmet from Storm’s hand
then she followed his example and pulled the strap under her chin and snapped
it closed.  Then they were ready to go. 

Storm flung his leg over the motorcycle and started
the engine with a vroom, making Dani jump.  He laughed at her.  “Hop on,” he
yelled over the din, "and hold on tight.”

She plopped her bottom on the seat behind him and
wrapped her arms around his waist.  Even with her fright at being on the back
of a motorcycle she could feel and appreciate the taut muscles of his abdomen,
and the feel of his strong back against her chest was wickedly delicious.

She didn’t even attempt to play modest and maintain
some distance between her body and his.  She clung to him like he was her
lifeline and she planned never to let go.

Storm revved the engine and then they were off, with
Dani laughing and screaming all the way out of the parking lot.

If she’d thought being on the back of a motorcycle in
a parking lot was scary she got the fright of her life when they hit the road
and a car zoomed pass, so close that Dani’s heart leaped into her throat and
she couldn’t even scream.  “Please, Storm, please,” she whimpered, “This is
scary.  I want to stop.”  This wasn’t Dani the practical, Dani the brave.  This
was Dani the wimp but she didn’t care if the whole world knew it.  She just
wanted to get off that motorcycle and on to solid ground.  Now.

Storm must not have heard her because he kept on
going, slow and steady at first then a little faster until he was keeping up
with the rest of the traffic and passing some of the slower cars on the road. 
To his credit, he did not take the ramp that led to the highway even though
that route would have made for a far more exhilarating ride.  Instead, he
turned off the main road and headed for a side road with just the odd car or
van passing by.

They rode for several more miles and with each passing
minute Dani’s tension eased until she was pressed against Storm, not out of
fear, but simply because she was reveling in this one chance she was getting to
hold him close.  Finally, they arrived at a wide open field with strips of
paved road stretching for miles.  It looked like an abandoned airport with
runways that now lay bare.  It was here that Storm let his baby fly.