7. Luis

CHAPTER 7

LUIS

T he following morning, Luis rose early like he always did, showered, dressed, and readied himself for the day. All the while, the beautiful woman he'd taken to bed last night nuzzled into his pillow, which she'd stolen from him in her sleep. She was disheveled, adorable, and the fact that she was still in the bed she had shared with him made everything he was going through seem somehow manageable. He found his optimism every time he looked at her. Everything was going to be all right as long as she stayed.

But she wasn't going to stay, was she? They'd already agreed to keep things simple. They'd talked about both of them just needing a boost, and sex seemed like the perfect prescription to soothe the residue of their bad days. But the longer Luis stared down at the girl he'd brought to a hotel on a whim, the more he wanted to keep her.

It was weird, he thought, not like him at all to fall in love with someone he barely knew. He'd never been so impulsive. And now that he was sober, he couldn't blame the beer. He was usually more careful in his decisions, deliberate in everything he did. But Clara made him want to throw caution to the wind and take every single chance he ever passed up. In short, she made him feel brave, impulsive. And God, yes, he really did want to keep her.

She stirred, and Luis quickly turned away from her so she wouldn't see him staring. "Feeling like a little room service?" he asked.

She rolled out of bed, gathered her clothes, and to Luis's supreme disappointment, started putting them on. "I don't think my pocketbook can take another hit," she said with a laugh.

Luis cocked his head at her, unsure what she was talking about. "Another hit?" He had bought her drinks, hadn't he? Yes, he definitely had. It was automatic for him at this point. It just seemed wrong to let anyone pay for their drinks when he had been given so much good fortune in his life. Luis's philosophy, which was one more thing he had picked up from his father, was to put any gifts the universe gave him to good use. Pass the luck around , his father would say. So he did. Then it dawned on him. "Clara, the room is already paid for. I took care of it on the way in."

"Right, but I'm going to give you half. I won't let you pay for all of it yourself, not after the treat you gave me last night."

"Treats," he corrected.

She laughed knowingly and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, standing on tiptoe to plant a kiss on his lips. It felt like goodbye, and Luis was desperate to put a stop to her leaving. "Well, if anything, I owe you for that," she said.

Luis shook his head. "You don't owe me a thing, Clara. Let me order us some room service. It'll be my pleasure to keep your company just a little longer."

She chewed her lip while she thought about it and finally came to a decision. "Oh, why the hell not. It's been a fun night, why shouldn't it be a fun morning, too."

"That's the spirit!" Luis cried, almost too loudly. "Pick anything off the menu. Don't worry about the price, pookie. I'm a very successful businessman." He used a cartoonish rich-person accent to make it sound like a joke, but of course, it was far from funny. He was more than successful — he had more wealth than a small country. This evening wouldn't make a dent in his empire, and every moment he spent with Clara was one he would pay for a thousand times over if he could.

Clara picked up on the role play and quickly adopted an accent that sounded like a bad imitation of Zsa ZsaGabor. "Whatever you say, dahling." She was having fun, assuming this was all a game, and Luis wanted it to go on forever. All his problems were just background noise when he was with her.

She ordered a modest breakfast and coffee, and Luis decided to add a chocolate-covered fruit assortment to it because, even if she refused to treat herself, he was going to do it for her. She took a shower while she waited for the food, and when she emerged from the steamy bathroom drying her hair with a towel and wearing a cozy white robe, Luis said, "You look delectable."

"Yeah, sure." Clara laughed. She didn't believe him, so he scooped her into his arms and kissed her deeply. His hand drifted down and he gave her ass a squeeze to prove his point. No chance he was going to let her forget last night so soon.

"Delectable," he repeated into her ear. "I'm so hungry, and it's not for breakfast." Her cheeks reddened, which let him know he'd made an impression. Good. Now he just had to make a thousand more.

They ate breakfast together at the table by the window, and it was delicious. Luis had ordered extra food and then pretended not to want it so Clara would eat more. He could tell she'd held back when ordering to go easy on him, and she had no idea how completely unnecessary that was. Luis found her thoughtfulness every bit as attractive as her absolutely exquisite body.

Halfway through his omelet, Luis got an idea. It popped into his head out of nowhere, and as soon as he thought of it, he couldn't think of anything else. There was a chance it could work, but if he brought it up now, would Clara think he was crazy? "If I paid for your fertility treatments, would that help?"

She blinked at him and set her English muffin down before she could take a bite out of it. Her eyes clouded with disbelief until she finally burst out laughing. "Oh, that's funny! Good one. You almost had me."

But Luis wasn't laughing. "No, I'm serious. I've been thinking about it, and I think we might be able to help each other out. I need legal residency, and you need money."

"And?"

"You can give me legal residency, and I can give you money."

She squinted at him and took a slow sip of coffee. "I can give you legal residency, how?"

Luis shrugged, hoping some nonchalance would soften the blow. "Marry me."

Clara came very close to spitting her coffee out in shock. "Excuse me?"

"If you marry me, I'll have legal residency, and I'll pay for your fertility treatments." He grinned. "Hell, I'll even be your donor if you like."

She giggled, still not believing what she was hearing. "What if I want a donor who went to Yale?"

"Ouch." He took a chance and offered her a grape, which she playfully at out of his hand. "That's harsh, Clare Bear."

"Bad nickname," Clara said. "Now I know I don't want you for a donor."

"Too late." Luis winked at her, and her cheeks turned bright red. "But I'm serious here. We both have what the other one needs. I see no reason not to take advantage of it. I can easily pay for your treatments. Not only that. I can pay for the rest of your life if you like. You won't have to be a working mom. You could focus entirely on raising your child, spend all your hours forming core memories with your baby, toddler, child, teenager. Get it?"

She narrowed her eyes, and Luis thought he hadn't made the pot sweet enough yet.

"Or you can choose to have a career. Hire the best nannies money can buy. You'll want for nothing. I swear it."

"Just how rich are you, mister?"

Luis leaned in and murmured, "Very, very, very rich."

"Lucky me," she said with a wink.

"I'm not kidding."

"Yeah, but you're exaggerating for sure. Listen, I think it's cute what you're proposing, very like a rom-com movie. But I don't think you know quite how expensive fertility treatments are. Clinics can bleed you dry for something like this."

Luis waved her concerns away. "Impossible."

She quieted then, thinking. He could tell she was trying to figure out whether she was being played or scammed, but he was more serious than he'd ever been in his whole life.

"And all you want from me is a marriage certificate?" she said.

"It doesn't even have to last for the rest of your life, just long enough to stick legally. Then you can divorce me and keep the financial benefit. You will have fulfilled your end, and I will fulfill mine. I swear it. My word is my bond. And if you doubt me, spend one night at my place. I swear you'll feel differently when you see how well I could provide for you."

Luis's mind was spinning while she thought about it, probably more than hers was. The question he couldn't stop asking himself, over and over again, was just who he was doing this for. He stood to benefit some, obviously, but she stood to benefit far more. Even if everything went south for Luis now, the worst that would happen was he would be sent back to Colombia. He would never have to work again. He could still provide for his family for the rest of their lives, as well as their children, and their children's children, and so on.

No, the one who stood to benefit most here was Clara. So why did Luis feel so uneasy when she didn't take the deal right away? Why was he so scared she was about to turn him down? When he realized the answer to his own question, he was even more stunned than she was.

Luis didn't want her to walk away. He didn't want this one-night stand to stay a one-night stand. He wanted to get to know the beautiful woman sitting across from him so much better. He wanted to see her face cradled by the pillow she had stolen from him every morning when he woke up. And it occurred to him, once again, that there was a chance he might actually be falling for her.

Finally, Clara gave her answer. "Well, if you're not pulling one over on me, then I'd be an idiot to turn you down. So… sure, I guess. But we've got to lay down some ground rules first. This is a business arrangement, a trade, and we don't treat it as anything else. We don't get emotionally involved. I'm not in a good place for relationship drama right now. Honestly, that's what I think may be appealing about your proposal…" She paused and then burst out laughing. "Proposal. That's funny."

It was funny, but then again, it wasn't. This was no joke. Luis mentally slapped himself. He knew better than to fall for a woman so quickly — to fall for a woman at all, really. He would never know whether they loved him back or just his money. But suddenly, he found, he didn't care. He just wanted her near. She made him smile more. She made his world a little brighter.

She finished her answer. "I may never be ready for a relationship, but I'm ready to be a mother, and you're sitting there offering me just that. No strings. How could I say no? You're making me an offer I can't refuse." Her Godfather impression was admirable.

Luis leaned back and folded his arms, trying not to laugh too hard at her joke. "Is that a yes ?"

"It's a we'll see ," she said. "Let's take a look at that house of yours first. You've gotta sell me on it a little."

"Well, obviously." Luis tried not to let his excitement show. Selling his lifestyle to her was going to be a breeze. He'd done it accidentally a thousand times before. People wanted to be him, marry him, and have everything he had. What they didn't know was how lonely it was to not know where anyone truly stood. No one told him they thought his beer tasted like cold piss, and Luis hated it. He wanted to know people spent time with him because they enjoyed his companionship, not because they were hoping he'd kick the bucket sooner rather than later and — surprise, surprise — leave everything to them.

With Clara, he had no such doubts. She hated his beer. She had no idea just how rich he was. He only wished he could take the time to woo her before she found out. But it was looking more and more like he was going to have to use his wealth and position just to get her to stick around. If things went his way, she'd fall for him for real. If they didn't, at least he'd have someone around who was willing to give him an honest opinion.

"All right," Clara was saying. "Let's see this house of yours. Does tonight work for you? I've got nothing going on, and I'm probably more intrigued than I should be."

"Oh, it's not a house," Luis admitted.

"An apartment, then." Clara frowned. "Already starting off so strong."

Luis noted her sarcasm. "Oh, I think you'll like it. And if you don't, I'll just buy you another one."

She rocked back and laughed, and Luis just shook his head. She still thought he was kidding. Well, she was in for a shock at the very least. The look on her face was going to be something he would remember for years to come, regardless of whether this even worked out. He just had to focus on that, and then maybe he could get his mind off how badly he wanted her to get to know the real him and love him despite his wealth, not because of it.