Propositioned By The Tycoon: Mr Strictly Business / Bought: His Temporary Fiancée / A Win-Win Proposition

“I’ve been on the board of this particular charity for a number of years, but I wasn’t sure I could get away.” He cut her off before she could ask the question hovering on her lips. “And no, I had nothing to do with hiring you. That’s handled by a subcommittee. I did discover, however, that you’ve waived your usual fee and donated your services.”

She shrugged. “It’s for a good cause.”

“Thank you.” He could see her slipping back into professional mode and didn’t want to distract her. “I’ll let you get on with your duties. One quick question. What’s your calendar for tomorrow look like?”

“I thought I might need a day off after the fundraiser, so I kept it clear.”

That suited him perfectly. After a few days of allowing Catherine to take the lead with their romantic outings, Gabe was intent on trying his hand at it. “Keep it that way, if you would.”

She brightened. “You want me to plan something? Or shall we wing it?”

“I’ll take care of everything. You just show up.”

He gave her another swift kiss and then left her to focus on her event, though periodically through the afternoon he caught her glancing his way with a speculative look. Since they’d started in with the dates, he’d discovered that she preferred to keep their outings moving, no doubt so they wouldn’t have another incident like the one at Milano’s.

Come tomorrow, he intended to change all that.

All Gabe told Catherine in advance was to wear a swimsuit underneath her shorts and cotton tee and prepare for a day in the sun. When he pulled into Sunset Marina the next morning, she turned to him, her eyes glowing with pleasure.

“We’re going for a cruise?”

“I thought we’d take a ride through the Chittenden locks and onto Lake Washington. Or we can wander around the Sound, if you prefer.”

“It’s been ages since I’ve gone through the locks. Let’s do that.”

The day became magical. In those precious hours, Gabe didn’t care about the secrets that divided them, or the past or the future. The now occupied his full attention. It turned into one of those rare Seattle days where the Olympics stood out in sharp relief to the west and the Cascades held up their end to the east, with Mt. Rainier dominating the skyline in between. But as far as he was concerned the best view was the pint-sized woman who lazed across his foredeck. A hot golden sun blazed overhead, causing Catherine to strip down to her swimsuit, while a warm summer breeze stirred her hair into delightful disarray.

Eventually, she joined him on the bridge, handing him a soft drink and curling up in the seat next to him. She examined her surroundings with unmistakable pleasure. “I gather this is one of the custom-designed yachts your company manufactures.”

“One of the smaller ones, yes.” He shot her a swift grin. “It’s not a Piretti engine…at least, not yet. I’m hoping to pin Jack LaRue down soon. Then maybe I’ll have time to dig into your bookkeeping records and give them the attention they deserve.”

She shrugged. “I’ll leave that to you. It’s definitely not my area of expertise, although it sure is Dina’s.”

“Mom has a talent for it,” he agreed.

“I guess that’s why it surprised me that she didn’t catch on to…What was the name of that guy who proposed to her a few months after your dad died?” She snapped her fingers. “Stanley something, wasn’t it?”

The question hit like a body blow. “Are you talking about Stanley Chinsky?”

She hesitated, reacting to his tone. “Um. Did he head Piretti’s accounting department at some point?”

“Yes. He was also a board member.” Outrage filled him. “That bastard had the nerve to propose to Mom?”

Catherine made a production of sliding her can into one of the drink holders, her gaze flitting away from his. “I gather she never mentioned it.”

“No, she didn’t.”

Catherine released a gusty sigh. “I’m sorry, Gabe. I didn’t realize or I’d never have said anything. She told me about it that night we had our heart-to-heart.”

“Did she also tell you that Stanley attempted to rob her blind during his tenure as our accountant?”

“Actually, she did. I think she blamed herself to some extent,” Catherine offered. “She thought her refusal of his proposal may have provoked his retaliation.”

“The hell it did. He started stealing from us the minute my father died. If he proposed to her, it was only in the hopes of covering up his little scheme.”

Catherine offered a tentative smile. “Dina did say it was a pretty clever one.”

“It was. It took me forever to figure out—” He broke off. “Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch. Why the hell didn’t I see it?”

“See what?”

He turned on her. “This is your fault, you know. If I hadn’t been so distracted by you, I’d have seen it right off.”

“Damn it, Gabe. Seen what?”

“What my mother’s been up to.” He turned the boat in a wide arc and goosed the throttle. “The reason you’re going bankrupt is that my dear mother has been skimming the accounts.”

Chapter Nine (#ulink_eb251e9f-2ed0-547c-a4f1-de38d917c7ca)

It took several hours for Gabe and Catherine to work their way back from Lake Washington to Shilshole Bay and safely dock the boat at the marina. They arrived on Dina’s doorstep just as dusk settled over the city. She opened the door with a wide smile, one that faded the instant she got a good look at their expressions.