Chapter 2 You Can See What You're Getting First

Marissa spoke with such calm politeness that no one expected the impact of her words. Declan's wine glass nearly slipped right out of his hand.

"Holy shit, girl, you'd better get off him now," Declan blurted out. "Otherwise, if Shane ends up tearing you to pieces, don't expect me to step in and save you."

The room reeked of cheap perfume and alcohol. Then Shane picked up another scent beneath it all. It was light, sweet, and surprisingly fresh.

His eyes narrowed as he slowly lifted the hand he had left draped over the back of the sofa.

Everyone in the private room went quiet. They were already waiting to see how badly the woman would regret provoking Shane. Instead, he placed his hand around her waist and gave her a teasing squeeze, almost like he was checking the quality of something he had just been handed.

"Soft enough," he murmured. "Not bad at all."

Declan and everyone else could only stare at him.

"Shane, seriously? You're interested again already?" Declan exclaimed. "Man, you move fast."

Shane looked over at him. There was a slight curve to his lips, but his eyes stayed cold. "Didn't you hear what she said? She wants to talk to me alone. So we're going to have a nice private conversation. Unless all of you are planning to stay and watch?"

The room immediately filled with laughter and teasing shouts. Declan got the message and quickly started herding everyone toward the door.

Their voices gradually disappeared down the hallway until silence settled over the private room.

Shane still didn't let Marissa go. His hand moved slowly along her waist before his fingers closed around the back of her neck. Then he pulled her closer until hardly any space remained between them, close enough for her to watch every movement of his lips. "So, Marissa," he murmured, "tell me what you came here to talk about."

His voice dropped lower. "And more importantly, how exactly were you planning to have this little talk with me?"

The rumors clearly hadn't exaggerated much. Even after realizing exactly who she was, Shane still didn't bother holding himself back.

Marissa stayed right where she was. Sitting comfortably on his lap, she finally took the chance to study the man in front of her properly.

Shane and Collin looked somewhat alike, thanks to the features they had both inherited from Leonard, but that was where the similarity ended.

When it came to looks, Shane was in a completely different league.

Love had nothing to do with what she wanted, so as far as she was concerned, he was almost perfect for the role.

There was no reason to drag this out.

"I can hear you just fine, so you really don't need to be this close," she responded. "And I'm not marrying Collin anymore. He's sleeping with Zoe, and after that, I can't even look at him without feeling disgusted."

She held Shane's gaze. "I heard your father won't stop pushing you to get married, but you don't want some woman clinging to you and asking for more than you're willing to give. So here's my offer. Marry me. I won't ask you for anything, and after one year, we get divorced. Your father gets off your back, and when it's over, you walk away without any strings attached. Interested?"

Then she lifted a hand and removed her veil.

Before coming here, she had put on just enough makeup to hide most of the faint scar on her face.

Her skin looked flawless, and her delicate features gave her a soft, almost innocent beauty. At the same time, there was something quietly seductive about her that was hard to ignore.

"Think of this as proof that I'm serious," she continued as she let him get a clear look at her face. "I'm not ugly, so it's not like you're getting the short end of the deal."

Shane went completely silent. The playful look he had been wearing disappeared the moment the veil came off. His throat moved as he swallowed. When he finally answered, his voice stayed cool, though something rougher had slipped into it. "So you're asking me to fake a marriage with you?"

He had known for years that Collin was trash, so hearing about the cheating didn't shock him in the slightest. What caught him off guard was the woman sitting on his lap and calmly asking him to marry her.

"That's one way to put it," Marissa said after thinking for a second. "But I have one condition too. If we get married, I want us to act like a real husband and wife. You don't exactly have a reputation for avoiding sex, Mr. Anderson. I can't imagine that part would be too difficult for you."

Shane's mouth went dry at once. Something in his gaze changed as he looked at her, and the intensity in his eyes deepened. "When you say you want us to act like a real husband and wife, what exactly are you talking about?"

"We have sex. Obviously. But as long as we're married, you don't sleep with anyone else. That's my only condition. I don't want your money, and I won't ask you for a single cent." Marissa's tone stayed calm and practical. The serious look in her eyes made it obvious that she meant every word.

That only made Shane more curious.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the woman sitting on his lap.

Her face looked almost innocent, yet there was something undeniably tempting about her. Hearing such bold words come out of her mouth would have tested any man's self-control.

He was no exception.

He lifted her chin and ran his slightly rough thumb across her soft pink lips.

They were full and moist, and the sight of them made it difficult not to think about kissing her.

"I don't believe that's the whole story," he murmured. "Look at you, Marissa. You could have your pick of men. You've spent all this time hiding behind a veil and letting everyone think you're ugly, and now I'm supposed to believe you came to me just because you want my body?"

His meaning couldn't have been clearer. He didn't trust her.

Marissa wasn't offended. They had crossed paths a few times, but they had never had an actual conversation before tonight. If their positions were reversed, she wouldn't blindly trust him either. Someone had to earn that kind of faith.

"I wasn't pretending to be ugly. The scar only healed recently. My hearing has just returned too. There's still poison left in my body, and sleeping with a man is the only way I can get rid of it." And yes, getting even with Collin is part of the appeal." Marissa's gaze slipped toward his stomach. Then she remembered something she had read on a gossip forum earlier that night while trying to figure out where Shane was.

Someone had started an entire thread guessing about the size of his manhood. One woman who claimed she had experienced it herself insisted he was well-endowed.

Without meaning to, she looked lower. His partly unbuttoned shirt gave her a glimpse of his stomach, and the defined muscles underneath were impossible to miss. Her attention continued downward.

Before she could think better of it, she reached out. Her fingers were warm as they moved over the firm lines of his stomach, though the slight tremble in her touch betrayed how inexperienced she was.

"I need this tonight," she whispered. "How about we do it this way, Mr. Anderson? You can see what you're getting first. I know I have a good figure, so I doubt you'll have any complaints. Just make sure you don't disappoint me either."