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bought
it hook, line, and sinker. "So who's the trustee?"
    "I'm surprised you have to ask. Of course,
it's my wonderful stepmother."
    Jake smacked his forehead. "Old Connie, the
ice queen? I can see the problem. I wouldn't want to be under that
woman's thumb either."
    So Maddie wanted to stick it to Constance
Quinn? Now that was an idea he could support. He studied Maddie,
his gaze probing for the secrets that simmered beneath the calm
depths of her green eyes. She didn't fidget beneath his scrutiny.
Heat built inside him. What would she be like if she lost that
reserve? What would it take to turn that frost into steam heat?
What would her mouth feel like beneath his? For a moment, he almost
forgot that she was nothing but a spoiled rich bimbo. He turned a
lazy smile designed to irritate on her. "What are you willing to
pay me to be your kept man?"
    Her stern frown was almost reward enough. "I
am not paying for you to be my kept man. I'm paying you to marry me
and make my stepmother think it's a real marriage. For that, I'll
pay a base salary of one hundred seventy-five thousand, payable
when I collect the trust in a year. With a signing bonus of fifteen
thousand plus the other benefits we talked about. At the end of the
year, if you have abided by the contracts and nondisclosure
agreements, you'll get another fifteen thousand as a termination
bonus."
    "So you really can't pay me anything other
than the signing bonus until you get your full inheritance a year
from now?" For just a moment, Jake thought about telling her to
take a hike, but he was simply having too much fun on this cold
March morning. Plus, he did relish a good negotiation.
    "I can pay the signing bonus and your
expenses every month," Maddie said diffidently.
    Jake enjoyed the scarlet color that stained
her fair skin. She wasn't as cool and collected as she tried to
appear. That small break in her control excited him. What would she
be like in the sack if she lost all control? His gaze dropped to
her coat that she clutched so tightly. What did she look like
beneath that coat now that she was all grown up? He felt a dull
throb in his groin.
    He'd planned to take off a few months and go
rock climbing in Germany. Not to mention indulge in a lot of
recreational sex. It had been a while. He hadn't been interested
enough to make the effort. All the women were like clones of each
other, and they all had subtle, and not so subtle, plans for
becoming Mrs. Jake Becker. So he was wary of any kind of long-term
relationship.
    Maddie was different. He could play with her
and not worry that she had designs on his fortune. Even without her
trust, she probably had way more money than he. Then there was the
added bonus that she was a playgirl with a lot of recreational sex
experience so she knew the score. He wouldn't have to worry about
breaking her heart. "I must admit I'm a little flattered. The
keyword in that sentence is little. See if you can make me feel a
lot flattered."
    Maddie's eyebrows snapped together in a
frown. "What do you mean?"
    "I mean money talks, and bullshit walks, Red.
I'm interested enough to talk further, but if that's your final
offer, sweet cheeks, then don't let the door hit you in your skinny
little behind on your way out."
    That made her face flame. "I don't recall
your being quite so obnoxious when we were kids."
    Jake liked that when he pushed, she lost more
of that cool control. He dumped more fuel on the fire of her
indignation. "Speaking of your behind, I need to have a look at
it."
    "What?" Her green eyes shot sparks at
him.
    "I have a certain reputation with the ladies.
If you don't look like the kind of woman I'd marry, your plan won't
work. That's assuming you want everyone from your stepmother to
those trashy tabloids to believe this is a real marriage. That's
the image you want to portray, right? A real marriage. So before we
go any farther, let me take a look at you because the Maddie I
remember was a skinny little thing. If you don't