Evidence of Desire. Pamela Yaye

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.