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Evidence of Desire

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Год написания книги
2019
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“You’ve certainly changed a lot since Willingham Prep School.” Harper stroked his jaw reflectively as he admired her appearance. Back in the day, Azure had lacked confidence, but now she carried herself with the grace of the First Lady. “What else have you been up to besides revamping your look?”

Azure filled him in. Told him about her freelance career, receiving her master’s degree in communications from the University of Philadelphia and her current position at the magazine. “I’ve been dreaming of writing for Eminence ever since I saw their debut issue on newsstands in 1995. I’ve been a huge fan of the publication for years, and I was thrilled when they hired me last year to be a senior staff writer. I worked my butt off to get the job, but all the sacrifices I made were definitely worth it.”

“You talk a lot about your career, but you haven’t said anything about your personal life. You say there’s no special man in your life, but I find it hard to believe a woman as captivating and as vivacious as you are isn’t being bombarded with phone calls for dates.”

“I could say the same thing about you. Where’s Mrs. Harper Hamilton?”

Harper chuckled. He liked her moxie, enjoyed her wit and sense of humor. But he still hadn’t figured out what Azure was after, and that frustrated him like hell. “You’re not here to reminisce about our old high school days or to interview me for your magazine, are you?”

Guilt troubled her conscience. Azure wished she could forget why they were there and just enjoy Harper’s company. His gaze, suddenly dark and predatory, slid across her face and down her body. A chill vibrated along her spine. Telling Harper the real reason she’d tracked him down wasn’t going to be easy, but it was the right thing to do. She’d spun her web of lies, and now it was time to tell Harper the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Azure started to speak, but when the waiter arrived, carrying plates and drinks and bubbling with good cheer, she closed her mouth.

“Louis wants you and your girlfriend to have a good time tonight,” the waiter said, unloading his tray, “so he sent over the most popular items on our new menu.”

“These bread sticks are delicious,” Azure said, plucking one from the basket and taking a healthy bite. “My compliments to the chef!”

The waiter drizzled fresh basil on their entrées and after promising not to disturb them, set off for the kitchen. For the next ten minutes, they ate in silence, only speaking to comment on the taste of the food.

To buy herself some time, Azure chewed each delicious bite slowly. She needed time to think, to figure out what she was going to do next, because something told her Harper wasn’t done grilling her.

“Azure, I’m waiting.”

“For what?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “You better hurry up and eat before there’s nothing left. These shrimp balls are slap-your-mama good, and I’m starving!”

Harper released a deep belly laugh, one that filled the dining room area. “I like having dinner with a woman who enjoys a good meal.”

“What else do you like?”

“I’d like for you to come clean.” Gone was the playful air, his boyish smile. “You’re skilled at using humor as a diversion, but I’m skilled at uncovering the truth, and we’re not leaving here tonight until you tell me what’s really going on.”

Azure put down her fork. Might as well since she’d lost her appetite. Her seafood pasta was moist, and the creamy Alfredo sauce flavorful, but Azure couldn’t eat another bite. Her stomach was clenched into a fist, and she was sweating like a burlesque dancer in a sauna.

Folding her napkin, she dabbed at her forehead and lips. A sip of water alleviated the lump in her throat, but she was still shaking from head to toe. Azure opened her mouth, and the truth tumbled out, one embarrassing, humiliating word at a time. “My boss thought the piece I handed in on your family was crap,” she confessed. “Leland said I didn’t ask the right questions or dig hard enough for dirt, and according to him, dirt sells magazines by the thousands.”

Harper sat quietly, without saying a word.

“Leland is convinced your family is hiding some big, dark secret, and he told me to find out what it is or else.”

Anger darkened his face, but Azure saw sympathy in his eyes, a glimmer of compassion.

“A lot of writers fabricate stories to make a name for themselves....”

“I would never do that,” she said, offended by what Harper was insinuating. “I’d rather admit that I failed and get fired than lie to get ahead.” At the thought of telling her boss the truth, Azure broke out into a cold sweat. Leland had a temper like Chris Brown and could be as cruel as an African dictator. Azure was not looking forward to their Friday morning meeting, and wondered if she should just hand in her resignation letter and be done with it.

“Your boss would be stupid to fire you. You’re very down-to-earth, and you make the people you’re interviewing feel comfortable. My dad rarely talks about his childhood, but he did with you, and once you encouraged him to open up, he wouldn’t stop talking!”

Azure smiled, but the heavy feeling in her chest remained. “Leland’s only been at Eminence for a few months, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about him it’s that he doesn’t make idle threats. Last week, he fired a pregnant staffer for insubordination and had her escorted off the premises. I’ll be lucky if he lets me stay long enough to clean out my desk.”

The rowdy group at the other end of the restaurant started singing “Happy Birthday,” and after three rounds of boisterous applause, they began stuffing their faces with cake.

“How was everything?” the waiter asked, collecting their plates.

“Great, thanks.” Azure forced a smile onto her lips.

“Would you care to see the dessert menu?”

Harper declined, and once the waiter left, he set his sights back on Azure.

“I’m sorry for wasting your time, Harper. I shouldn’t have let my boss bully me into setting up a meeting with you.” Uncomfortable with the blinding intensity of his gaze, she lowered her eyes to her hands and fiddled with the silver bracelet her roommate, Maggie, had given her for her birthday last month. “Tomorrow, when I get to work, I’ll tell Leland there is no story.”

“I appreciate you telling me the truth, Azure. I know that couldn’t have been easy.” His touch on her arm was light, full of tenderness and warmth, and his smile friendly. “Don’t stress out about your job. I have a feeling everything will work out.”

“You do?”

“What if you could give Leland the big story he’s looking for?”

Azure raised her bent shoulders. What was Harper about to disclose? she wondered, studying his face for clues. A hundred scenarios raced through her head. What was the Hamilton family dynasty hiding? A financial scandal? A crooked billionaire client? A skeleton in the closet? It didn’t matter. Harper had a story, something scandalous about his family he was willing to divulge, and she planned to use it to her advantage.

“I have a story that will benefit us both.”

Picking up her notebook, she snatched her pen off the table. “Go ahead. I’m all ears. Start from the beginning, and go slow, because I don’t want to miss anything.”

Harper wore an arch grin. “Marry me.”

Chapter 5

Azure felt her eyes widen, and her mouth drop open. Marry you? The thought was crazy. So crazy, in fact, she refused to even consider it. Either she misunderstood him or… No, no, that had to be it. Sometimes when she didn’t get enough sleep her brain got fuzzy, and this proved that she needed to quit watching reality TV into the wee hours of the morning and turn in early.

“Marry me,” he proposed, leaning forward in his seat, “and you’ll have everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Fame, success, popularity.”

In her haste to speak, Azure stumbled over her tongue. “Th-that’s your big, juicy story? The one that’s supposed to save my job and give your family more press?”

“Yeah, that’s it.” He nodded, looked as proud as a peacock sporting new feathers.

Azure nixed an eye roll. Harper was a true gentleman, and the last thing she wanted to do was offend him, but he sucked at saving the day. “I need another drink. Where’s the waiter?”

Harper’s gaze circled the room, and when he spotted one of the male servers, he signaled him over. Harper was anxious to lay out his plan, but he waited patiently until the server refilled their glasses with water before he resumed speaking. Only Azure wouldn’t let him. She held up a hand, cutting him off midword.

“Harper, I’m not interested. I love working at Eminence and I don’t want to lose my job, but I’m not going to marry you for kicks. I don’t like hurting or deceiving people, and my parents would kill me if they knew I got married for fun!”

“Really? You did a darn good job trying to trick me.” The moment the words left Harper’s mouth, he regretted them. A frown bruised Azure’s moist red lips, and her eyes thinned into a glare. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. You’re right. I haven’t exactly been honest, but what you’re asking me to do is unethical. Worse, this whole marriage-of-convenience thing could backfire in my face. Then I’d be humiliated, out of a job and the butt of everyone’s jokes. No way, no, thanks.”

“Hear me out, Azure. I promise to make this worth your while.” Harper felt his excitement grow. His plan was a winner, the answer to all of his problems. To become a household name, he needed to shake things up, to think out of the box, and what better way to boost his popularity than by marrying sleek and sophisticated Azure Ellison?

Harper sneered inwardly when he remembered his conversation with his dad. His father’s words played in his mind, and although he gave his head a hard shake, he couldn’t break free of his thoughts. You could learn a thing or two from Jake.... He’s parlayed his engagement into a huge news story and is attracting wealthy clients left and right....

Adrenaline surged through Harper’s veins. It was the same feeling he got whenever he stepped into a packed courtroom and delivered closing arguments. I’ve got this. All he had to do now was convince Azure, but he had the gift of persuasion, and planned to use every weapon in his arsenal to get the vivacious magazine writer on board. “This is what I propose we do—”
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