3. Crossland

CHAPTER 3

Crossland

Surprisingly, she didn’t seem offended by my blunt response.

Instead, her eyes lit up with shock and delight, and just a hint of curiosity, all of which were quickly swallowed by some form of shame or hesitance which appealed to my more sensible side.

This wasn’t a typical, everyday business transaction, and I was sure the situation was taking her out of her comfort zone.

Well, that made two of us.

I was just thrilled she’d actually shown up today.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her shoulders dropping slightly as she glanced down at the folder in her hands. “This is all new to me. I’m not entirely convinced it’s even real.”

I nodded. “I understand that,” I said, dropping my hand and sliding it into my pants pocket. “It’s not like I’ve done this before, either.”

She seemed surprised by that statement, tilting her head as she looked up at me, then down to the documents in her hand, then back again.

“You’re pretty prepared for somebody who hasn’t done this before,” she said skeptically.

I laughed softly, then motioned to my desk. “Do you want to sit down and talk about this or are you about to bolt?”

She studied me for a few moments, something settling in her eyes before she walked to the chair across from my desk. She settled into it, crossing one leg over the other. I couldn’t help but note the move. She was effortlessly graceful, but she didn’t exactly look comfortable. The professional outfit she wore hugged her body perfectly, but she didn’t look like those were the clothes she’d normally wear, and it made me wonder what she would be completely relaxed in.

I walked around my desk and took the spot behind it, facing her.

“I’m prepared,” I said, getting back to what she’d mentioned earlier. “Because I’m an entrepreneur. Whenever I make a deal, I make sure I do my due diligence. And since you haven’t officially accepted my offer yet, I wanted to do everything in my power to ensure that you knew exactly what you were getting into.”

“And what exactly am I getting into?” she asked. “Beyond the obvious of pretending to be your girlfriend for three months so you can win some sort of billionaire poker bet.”

I chuckled at that, realizing how ridiculous it sounded when it came out of her mouth. I leaned back in my chair, contemplative.

“The thing is, I made a bet thinking I was going to win. I lost. And what I put at risk was something I actually can’t afford to lose.” The thought of losing my father’s beloved car, one of the last things that we ever rode in together on our last boys’ trip before he passed away, was unbearable, even when I knew it would go to my best friend. It’s not like Ethan would trash the car or even sell it. Nevertheless, I couldn’t part with it. I was kicking myself for ever even entertaining the idea in the first place.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to not lose what I mistakenly put at risk,” I continued. “Can you understand that?”

“More than you realize,” she said softly, then shifted in her chair. “But you need my help to win? What kind of bet is that, anyway?” She continued without allowing me time to answer. “Like, why would you need a girlfriend in order to win the bet?”

That was a fair question.

“It’s the one thing Ethan thought I wouldn’t be able to do,” I explained. “He thought it would put me off the bet. My friends don’t believe I can be in a relationship longer than one night.” I hesitated, wondering if I should elaborate. Knowing the truth about my intimate habits might be a deal-breaker for her.

“One thing that you can understand about me, Aspen,” I continued. “Is that I’ll never lie to you. Hence the background check in front of you and all the personal details I normally keep close to the chest. I’m not exactly a relationship person. I love sex, and I love women, sometimes more than one at a time. I always make sure I’m upfront about my relationship stance and everything is always mutually consensual and beneficial. But my friends love to give me shit about it.” I sighed. “Plus, I might have made a similar bet against my friend, and he’s delivering some payback, even though he found the love of his life out of it. You’d think he’d be grateful, not spiteful,” I said, and a flicker of amusement played over her features.

“Anyway,” I continued, getting back on point. “It’s not that I’m against the idea of monogamy, but it’s never suited me. I don’t like being tied down. I enjoy playing the field and I’m not shy about it. Most of my friends have been falling in love, getting married, or getting engaged, and they thought it would be funny to make me pay for the fact that I’m in my thirties and still behave like I’m in college.” I shrugged.

There were definitely times I wished I had someone I could count on. Someone I could trust. Someone who shared my passion for life. Someone who cared enough to notice when I slipped into one of those shadowy spaces—the ones where the grief of losing my parents and running their empire and constantly questioning if I was making them proud threatened to swallow me whole.

But I already had nearly everything I could ever want—an NHL team, numerous successful business ventures, amazing friends, and the best sister anyone could ask for. What more could I really expect from life?

Often, I wondered if losing my parents was the price I had to pay in order to have what I do. Asking the universe for a person to love me…really love me and understand the parts about myself that I couldn’t even get a grip on seemed like pushing it.

“Wait,” Aspen said. “This little deal of ours. How is it going to convince your friends if you just say I’m your girlfriend, but you’re out there having threesomes every other day?” she asked.

“Why just every other day?” I teased.

“Recovery time,” she said, eyes widening.

I laughed, shaking my head. “I don’t need that much recovery time.

“Jesus,” she muttered under her breath.

“And I have no intention of doing that while I’m with you,” I hurried to add. “I’ll take this as seriously as I would any other business venture,” I explain, and the declaration made me think about the other investments that my assistant had lined up for me to look at later in the day. While I loved my hockey team and my other franchises, I was getting restless. I was itching for a new project. This was certainly new.

“If you agree to this,” I said. “It’ll be purely professional between us. To the outside world, you’ll be my girlfriend. One I’ve been dating for three weeks already. You’ll attend events with me, hold my hand, call me darling or babe or whatever it is people call each other in relationships these days, and in return, I’ll pay you a million at the end of the three-month contract.”

Aspen chewed on her bottom lip as she looked through the documents again, scanning the information about my background. The little anxious move was cute as hell and this side of sexy. I couldn’t help studying her lips, all lush and kissable. And she was undeniably gorgeous, her colorful hair slightly chaotic as it framed her delicate face. And those eyes…they were absolutely killer.

I cleared my throat, shifting in my seat as my instincts took over. If she’d been anybody else, I would’ve already been working my charm on her and seeing if she’d be up for a little consensual no-strings-attached fun. But due to the nature of this deal, she was strictly off-limits.

Aspen closed the folder and looked at me. “No violence, no arrests. Squeaky clean, Crossland. That seems rare for a billionaire, doesn’t it?”

I cocked an eyebrow at her. “I’m aware there are some wealthy individuals in the world who use their power to take advantage of people because they don’t have a moral or ethical bone in their bodies. That’s not who I am, and that’s not who my friends are. We have money, and we’ve worked for every dime, but we don’t abuse it.”

Aspen nodded, studying me. “I’m seeing that,” she said, but tilted her head. “You said you don’t pay for sex.”

“I don’t,” I said matter-of-factly.

“But you want me to be your girlfriend for three months…and you’ve said you’re going to be monogamous during that time. So, how does that equate to you not paying for sex?”

My lips fell apart, no words escaping as I noted the uptick in her breathing.

Wow, she came in here fully thinking that I was contracting her not only to pretend to be my girlfriend, but use her for sex?

Jesus, and she was ready to agree to that?

I didn’t fault anyone who made money as a sex worker, but that wasn’t what I was trying to do here, and I was equally shocked she was contemplating accepting the deal while she assumed that was what came with it.

“For the outside world, I’ll be your loyal boyfriend. You won’t find me with anyone else during our three-month contract,” I explained, wanting her to know I wasn’t taking this situation lightly. “But for us…we won’t be having sex.”

An image painted itself all too quickly in my mind—me gently gripping her curved hips, lifting her onto this desk and spreading those thighs⁠—

No, fuck.

Business.

Professional.

“I won’t expect that of you,” I continued. “And it won’t be in the contract. I’ve never wanted to mix business and pleasure. This is strictly a business deal with quite a bit of money involved. If we were to cross that line…” I cringed, damning the fire licking through my veins as the fantasy in my mind begged to play out. “Don’t you think involving that would make this incredibly messy?”

It was one thing to have a mutually agreed upon one-night stand, but an entirely different thing to agree to a relationship, sex, and money.

Aspen visibly swallowed, the motion drawing my gaze to her neck and then lower, and I quickly snapped my eyes back to hers.

Damn it, she was gorgeous. And the longer I looked at her, the longer I spoke with her, the more I liked what I saw and heard. But that didn’t matter. Not if she took this deal.

If she didn’t? Maybe I’d ask her out to dinner.

But from the internal debate working itself out behind those beautiful eyes, I could tell she was in. She just needed to figure it out how to say so.

Aspen blew out of breath, then nodded. “I agree with that,” she said. “Sex always complicates things, but what about kissing? Won’t some of that be expected in public outings?”

“It could come up,” I said. “But if you’re not okay with that, we’ll work around it. The last thing I want to do is make you feel anxious or uncomfortable.”

“I’m okay,” she said. “With kissing. If the situation calls for it.”

I don’t know why that made me smile, but it did. “It sounds like we’re ready to get into the concrete details of the contract,” I said. “Have we ventured into negotiations?” I asked playfully.

“I think we have,” she said. “But don’t you want to know more about my background? I mean, I didn’t think to show up with my personal records, but I could be anybody. I could be a horrible person or a con-woman after your fortune. How would you know?”

I laughed at the adorable way she said all the horrible things she could be.

“I’m very good at reading people,” I said. “And while you’re right, I don’t know a thing about you, I kind of have a sixth sense for when people are trying to screw me over.” I planted a studious gaze on her, my eyes lingering on the softer features of her face. “You’re a good person. That’s why I picked you last night.”

She pursed her lips. “You picked me because I was the first girl you saw in a slightly skimpy romper.”

“Did I think you looked absolutely stunning?” I asked, pushing away from the desk and rounding it. I stopped next to her, leaning against the desk as I looked down at her. “Did I think about how your legs would look wrapped around my hips as I fucked you into oblivion? Absolutely. I’d be crazy not to react to how damn attractive you are.”

Her breathing hitched again, evident by the way her chest rose and fell, but her eyes never strayed from mine.

“But your knockout good looks had nothing to do with why I chose you,” I continued. “You made me laugh,” I said. “All that sass about me not having proper food in my club. Plus, Jesse seems like an amazing guy. You are the company you keep.” I smiled at her. “But to be safe, with your consent, I’ll have my team do a thorough background check on you before we officially sign the contract.”

The slight heat in her eyes instantly shifted to something cold, something fearful.

Dread.

It was dread.

Fuck me, what kind of skeleton was in her closet that would make this deal more of a liability than an asset?

I folded my arms over my chest like I was prepping to take a blow.

“Where did you just go, Aspen?” I asked, my voice soft.

She blinked a few times, and I could’ve sworn there was something glittering there, almost like tears. Just the thought of that tugged at something in the center of my chest, a pit opening in my stomach that I’d never felt before.

“My past,” she finally answered. “I went to the past.”

I swallowed hard. “And?” I pressed. “What are you afraid I’ll find?”

“I’m broke,” she admitted, the words sounding like they were literally breaking her to admit even though she paired it with a casual shrug. “I’m a twenty-eight-year-old barista.”

“In your own shop?” I asked and immediately regretted the question when I saw her face fall.

“No, not my own shop. Just a barista.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I said. “That doesn’t seem like a thing to worry you when I brought up your background check.”

“My parents…” Her face scrunched like the words were hard to force, and I could detect the pain in her voice that she tried to hide. “Are the worst people you can imagine. They’re the kind of people who lie to your face while stealing directly out of your pocket. They’re the kind of people who have children, so they can be paid by the state. They’re the kind of people who forget they have children, leaving them to fend for themselves at the age of five for days at a time.” She sighed. “They’re also addicts, and despite the many attempts in my adult years to get them the help they need, they’ve refused.” She fidgeted with the strap of her bag.

“I have a younger sister who I’ve been taking care of since I was ten. She just turned nineteen and got into the college of her dreams, and I’ve worked my entire life to raise her and make sure she’s had every opportunity my parents denied us.

“I got her out of the house the minute I could and cut ties with my parents, but they come around sporadically when they need things. Not that I’ve ever given them what they want…I’ve fed them before, given them a ride to clinics, nothing more. But I can imagine to somebody like you, who lives in the spotlight, that might be seen as a poor mark on your otherwise pristine portfolio.”

Hearing her story unravel in front of me made me see things about her I hadn’t noticed before. Like the slight exhaustion underneath her beautiful eyes, the weight she seemed to carry on her shoulders, and the determined attitude to do whatever it took to survive. It all made sense in a sad sort of way that made me want to wrap her in a comforting hug even though I barely knew her.

“One,” I said. “I find it truly admirable that you did that for your sister, and I’m sure she appreciates it more than you’ll ever know. I have a sister, and while I didn’t have to raise her, I had to take care of her after our parents suddenly died. So I understand in some ways the toll that takes on you.”

“Two,” I continued. “Thank you for being open and honest with me about that. You didn’t have to, and I appreciate it. I think that’s what’s going to make this contracted relationship work. Neither one of us attempting to lie to the other.” I shifted against the desk, doing my best not to reach out and offer her a comforting gesture. It didn’t really look like she needed it, but I couldn’t deny the instinct I had to give it. “How often do your parents come around?”

She wasn’t wrong about them being a liability, and if they were as bad as she said, then the second they found out she was dating me—which they likely would if they kept track of socialite media because that’s just the life I lived—I’m sure they’d come sniffing around. It wasn’t a deal-breaker, but it would definitely be something we’d need to prepare for.

Aspen sighed, shaking her head as she shrugged. “I haven’t seen them in a year and a half.” Her eyes went distant for a moment, as if she was back in that memory, and she shuddered. The girl actually shuddered like she was remembering a moment with the grim reaper, not her estranged parents.

Adrenaline spiked my blood, protective instincts firing.

I just wanted to protect my investment, that’s all.

“We can prepare for those kinds of situations,” I said. “Especially since you let me know ahead of time. I don’t want you to worry about it.”

She relaxed slightly.

“What do I need to worry about?” she asked after a few moments, then cleared her throat. “If I take this deal.”

I grinned at the way she was trying to play aloof, but she didn’t realize I’d been doing this for years. I could spot somebody who was already committed to the deal a mile away, but I played along, pushing off the desk and returning to my seat.

“I’m going to need you to be available,” I explained. “I spend half my time here in New York and half my time in Calgary where my team is, and in between I travel widely. Sometimes at the drop of a hat. Any girlfriend that I’d actually settle into a relationship with would be available to be at my side at any time.”

Aspen furrowed her brow. “That seems a little ridiculous,” she said. “And pretty one-sided. Would you really only pick a girlfriend whose only interest was traveling with you and being at your beck and call?”

I considered this, then shrugged. “That’s fair. Honestly, I’ve never really thought about what I’d expect out of a serious relationship. My friends’ fiancées and wives have careers of their own and they pick where they go when we travel as a group, but it’s important to me that during this time we show face. The more they see of you, the more they’ll believe you’re mine.”

Aspen worried that bottom lip between her teeth again, and I couldn’t help but want to relieve her of the pressure.

“Okay,” she said. “What else?”

“I’ll also need you to be monogamous to me. The second you’re seen out in public with me and declared my girlfriend, there’s a chance that paparazzi will take an interest in you. Your day-to-day routine, your night life, everything. If you’re out there trying to relieve an itch with someone who isn’t me, they’re going to report on it. I really don’t want that kind of publicity. I know it’s a lot to ask…three months is a long time to go without⁠—”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” she cut me off, laughing anxiously as she shook her head.

“No, I do,” I pressed. “I’m not taking this lightly. I understand asking you to give up any sexual relationships for three months is intense, but this will be a part of my deal-breaker. If I’m going to stay committed, you have to stay committed, and I know if I’m not offering it then the urge might come up to seek the release elsewhere, and that can’t happen⁠—”

“Again,” she cut me off. “Not an issue. I don’t do relationships either. I’ve never had time to even consider anything serious, and anyone who’s come close to even trying to date me more than once has run for the hills the second they realize that the only ambition I have is to take care of my sister.” She smiled. “Not an issue,” she reiterated.

Damn, that seemed seriously easy for her to agree to. If she was so willing to let go of the idea of sex for three months straight, she must not have had anyone treat her the way she deserved in the bedroom.

Or, she must know how to get herself off really well⁠—

Fuck. Just a thought of her touching herself filled my mind and made my blood run hot.

Jesus, I couldn’t afford for my thoughts to go that direction, so I slammed an ice-cold wall against the fantasy and pressed on.

“All right,” I said. “That’s good to know, because if there was ever a breech in that stipulation of the contract, it will be terminated.”

“I get it,” she said. “Anything that mars your public persona or reputation will void the contract. I told you about the one thing I was worried about, unless you think dating a lowly barista will bring you down a few notches, then I think we’re good.”

I smirked, narrowing my gaze at her. “You’re not lowly anything,” I said. “Do you love what you do?”

Aspen considered for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

“Then that’s all that matters. As long as you take joy in what you do for a living, it doesn’t matter if you’re a barista or a billionaire. What matters is that you’re happy, so the whole lowly comment seems more of a you thing, doesn’t it?”

She pursed her lips at me, and I really liked the way she looked like she wanted to either throttle me or throw her arms around me.

“Fair,” she said, echoing my early sentiment. “There are times I really wish I had more money to give Brecken the life she deserves—hence me sitting in your office, entertaining this ridiculous idea in the first place. But when it comes down to it, we’re fed, we’re safe, and she’s chasing her dream. That’s all that matters to me, and I don’t care how I obtain it.”

“Well, maybe we can help you with the money thing,” I said, and she straightened in her chair.

“Right. About that…you said one million? After hearing all your requirements and how available I’ll need to be, I think it’s worth two.”

I blinked, shock radiating down my spine at the direct shift in conversation. “Are you negotiating with me?” I asked, totally amused by her boldness. “I plucked you out of a crowd of strangers, sweetheart, and you want to ask for more money?”

Aspen shrugged, not at all shying from my response. “You need me,” she said, and my heart jolted.

I really fucking did.

I didn’t have time to track down anyone else, especially when my friends had already seen Aspen and I’d told them she was my girlfriend. I had to see this through, if only to prove to them I was fully capable of being in a relationship, which, for all intents and purposes, this would be a real relationship.

I wouldn’t be with anybody else, and neither would she. We’d spend a lot of time together, getting to know each other, and at the end of it we’d go our separate ways. If that wasn’t a relationship, I didn’t know what was. The only non-relationship part of it was that we wouldn’t be having sex, which, yeah, that sucked, but it was for the best.

“One point five,” I countered her offer, reaching into my drawer and pulling out a checkbook. “One point five million,” I said again. “That’s what you’ll earn at the end of three months as long as all contractual obligations have been held up by both parties,” I continued, scribbling down an amount on the check and tearing it off. “And you can have this now for expenses.” I handed her the check, and she took it, her lips parting slightly as she looked at the amount. “How does that sound to you?” I asked when she remained silent for a heartbeat too long.

Aspen put the check into her oversize bag that she’d hung on the chair. “I think that sounds fair,” she said. “When will I see the contract?”

“I’ll have it to you by the end of the day,” I answered, and we both walked toward the door.

“And what if I don’t like what I see in that contract?” she asked, looking up at me as we lingered in the open doorway.

I grinned down at her. “Like what?”

“What if you slip something in there about me having to clean your mansion or scrub your bathroom floors with a toothbrush? What if it says I’m obligated to give you a kidney or that you’re going to use me as food in some crazy underground rich-guy scheme⁠—”

A laugh ripped from my lips, and I shook my head. “I saw that movie. It was horrifying.” I shuddered, remembering watching the film alone on one of the rare nights I decided not to go out. “I may have movie-star good looks, but don’t confuse me with that type of man,” I said. “I’ll tell you right now, I have zero interest in hurting you, humiliating you, or putting you to work as a maid. Technically, you’ll be working for me since we’ll be in a mutual business agreement, but you know what I mean. Take your time with the contract, read every line. I’ll even pay for a lawyer who has your best interest at heart if you’d like to have somebody else look at it.”

“I can do that,” she said, and we quickly exchanged information, emails, and phone numbers. It felt almost official between us.

The only thing left was getting her to sign.

“I’ll text you later after I’ve read it,” she said, and then lingered in the doorway, almost like she didn’t know the proper way to say goodbye to me.

I winked at her. “We’ll worry about physical gestures after the ink dries.”

She sighed a relieved breath, and spun out of my office.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the way she held her head up as she walked, as if she owned this building instead of me. Couldn’t take my eyes off the way her luscious hips swayed as she moved. Couldn’t take my eyes off the curves of her body, begging to be touched, caressed, teased.

By this time tomorrow, if Aspen agreed to all the terms and signed the contract, I’d be in a relationship…

I’d be in the first relationship I’ve had in over a decade.

Aspen would be all mine for three whole months.

Mine in every way that mattered except for the one I normally wanted.

It was going to be a long three months.