Evidence of Desire

Azure shook her head. “Save it, Harper. I’m not interested.”

“Of course you are. You want to keep your job and advance your career, don’t you?”

“Yes, but not like this.”

Slowly, meticulously, Harper laid out his plan. “We’ll embark on a marriage of convenience but let the world think it’s the real thing. A whirlwind romance between two old high school chums,” he explained, his tone strong, convincing. “Eminence will get exclusive rights to our wedding photos, and our first interview as a married couple, as well. We’ll appear at as many social engagements as possible and play up our love story for the cameras whenever we’re out in public. Your boss will love you, we’ll be touted in the media as the newest power couple to watch and everyone will be happy.”

“What’s in it for you?”

“Free press and a leg up on the competition.”

“You mean your cousin Jake, right?”

Harper shrugged nonchalantly. “Him, too.”

“When do you want to get married?” she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

“I’m flexible, but it would have to be soon, preferably by the end of the month.”

Azure’s hands were shaking, but she picked up her glass and sipped her ice water. It didn’t help. Her mouth was still dry, and her body temperature was still rising fast. Another question rose in her thoughts, one that increased her anxiety and troubled her conscience. “How long are we supposed to stay hitched for?”

“Three months sounds like a reasonable amount of time.”

“Three months!” Azure shrieked, drowning out the country music song playing softly in the background. “I can’t pretend to be your wife for twelve weeks! I could probably handle going back and forth between your place and mine for a couple weeks, but not for three months.”

“That’s why I’d expect you to live with me.”

“Every day?”

“And night.”

Azure swallowed. Good God, he’d thought of everything. But why was she surprised? He was Harper Hamilton, one of the most successful and respected lawyers in the state, and for good reason. The man was meticulous, thorough, the type of person who never slept in or ran out of gas on the freeway, or ever missed a credit card payment.

Unlike her.

Shivering, she rubbed her chilled hands together. Azure didn’t want to think about what would happen if she got fired; the possibilities were terrifying, scarier than any eighties slasher movie. With her student loans, her car payment and her ever-increasing rent, it was getting harder and harder to live the American dream. That’s why Azure had to keep her job. Writing jobs were hard to come by, and after years of pounding the pavement and doing crummy freelance gigs, Azure was thrilled to be gainfully employed. And at a popular, award-winning African-American publication no less.

“This is a win-win situation for the both of us, Azure.”

“Harper, this is crazy.”

“Crazy-smart,” he countered. “Our wedding is going to garner enormous press, but imagine what the coverage will be like once we split up?”

“Have you been talking to J-Lo’s people?”

Harper chuckled. “I don’t need to. I know how these things work. Divorce is big business. I should know. I’m an attorney!”

“I want to advance my career, and I’d love to be senior editor at Eminence one day, but I can’t marry you, Harper. I’m sorry.”

“You can’t or you won’t? I was right all along, wasn’t I? There is someone in your life.”

“That’s not it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Trust me. I’m as single as they come.”

Harper heard the angst in her voice, the hint of sarcasm. “You sound like my assistant. She’s looking for a nice, respectable guy to settle down with and—”

“A nice, respectable guy? Is there such a thing?” Azure couldn’t recall the details of her last date. It had been that uneventful. A complete waste of time. It had been months since she went out with someone, and even longer since she’d felt a real, genuine connection.

Until now, her inner voice whispered.

“Marry me. You won’t regret it.” Harper gathered steam, delivered a pitch that would impress a used-car salesman. “Being Mrs. Harper Hamilton will open doors for you, and soon you’ll have your pick of writing jobs. This marriage will be mutually beneficial—”

Azure cut him off. “Just what kind of benefits are you talking about?”

Another chuckle, this one louder and longer. “You have nothing to worry about, Azure. You’ll be perfectly safe in my home. This is a no-strings-attached deal, and I’m not looking for a friends-with-benefits setup, either. I don’t have the

time.”

Too bad, she thought, but didn’t say. Azure scolded herself. She had to stop doing that, had to start thinking with her brain instead of her flesh. Men like Harper—ambitious, career-driven types—were obsessed with their jobs, and although Azure wasn’t in the market for Mr. Right, she wanted to be with someone who’d fully commit to her.

“We’ll be sleeping in separate rooms, and I won’t be keeping tabs on you or anything, but while we’re married, I’d expect you not to date anyone else. It wouldn’t look good.”

“I understand. Makes sense.”

“And I’ll cover all of your personal expenses while we’re married,” he explained, sweetening the deal. “That includes your rent, your car payment, gas, whatever. And a thousand dollar weekly stipend. What do you think?”

That I could be debt free by the end of the year! Azure considered his offer, gave it some serious thought. She’d be a fool not to accept his proposition. They didn’t know each other, let alone love each other, but for some crazy, inexplicable reason, Azure wanted to marry Harper. The benefits to being Mrs. Harper Hamilton were too numerous to count.

Think about what this could do for my career!

Azure swallowed a squeal. No use letting Harper see how excited she was. She was going to marry one of the most eligible bachelors in Philadelphia—a strong, virile man who every woman wanted, and every man wanted to be—and his name and connections were going to increase her celebrity. And who wouldn’t love that? If I play my cards right, this marriage-of-convenience gig could catapult me straight into the editor’s chair at Eminence magazine!

“I think I covered everything,” Harper said, his eyes narrowed in concentration. “Do you have any more questions or is the plan crystal clear?”

“Oh, it’s clear, all right. You want us to get married, pretend to be madly in love to garner good press then break up three months later so you can get sympathy press.”

“I won’t make you out to be the bad guy, Azure. Trust me. We’ll both come out on top.”

He sounded sincere, convincing, but that was no surprise. He was an attorney. One of the best in the business. And so damn suave and debonair the women seated in the booth beside them had been stealing long, lusty looks at him all night.

“So, are you in or do I have to find myself another trophy wife?”

Biting down on her bottom lip, she thought long and hard about his outlandish proposal. Her mind was screaming, No, don’t do it, but her mouth didn’t receive the message, and when the word “Yes” sprang out of her lips, it surprised them both.