Millionaire's Women Part 52

"Um, when I was talking to my uncle, he said he's shorthanded at the restaurant tomorrow and I told him I'd help out," she lied.

Garek's frown deepened. "Can't your uncle find someone else?"

"Everyone else is busy."

"That's not acceptable."

She stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't want you working at the Taco Palace," he snapped.

"You don't want me to?" she snapped right back. "You have no right to tell me what to do." don't want me to?" she snapped right back. "You have no right to tell me what to do."

"I'm your employer. I don't want you showing up at the gallery on Monday too exhausted to work."

"Oh, I should have known. You're worried about business. business. Heaven forbid I should botch a sale because I yawned in a customer's face. It's obvious you'll never change. I don't know why I ever thought you could." She crossed her arms across her chest, trying to protect herself against the wind. "Just go away." Heaven forbid I should botch a sale because I yawned in a customer's face. It's obvious you'll never change. I don't know why I ever thought you could." She crossed her arms across her chest, trying to protect herself against the wind. "Just go away."

"No. I want to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to hear whatever it is you have to say."

His face was pale, his voice grim. "That's too bad, because you're going to have to listen."

"Have to?" she cried. "Why is that?" to?" she cried. "Why is that?"

"Because we're getting married-for real this time."

Chapter Fourteen.

Ellie stared at him in astonishment. "Was that a pro-posal?"

"Yes."

His tight-lipped response was not exactly romantic. "It sounded like an order."

"Ellie...I...that is...oh, dammit." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they looked a very dark green.

"I can't live without you, Ellie. Will you please marry me?"

The cold wind had stopped blowing at the beginning of his uncharacteristic, stammering speech. By the end, the clouds in the sky had parted and a moonbeam streamed down onto the porch. It danced over her skin and slipped inside her veins, making her feel as though she were lit from within. "Garek," she breathed. "Oh, Garek!" and hurled herself into his arms.

She saw the tension in his face disappear and an expression she'd never seen before light up his eyes, before his arms closed around her and he was kissing her fiercely.

She returned the kiss with equal strength, until she could barely breathe. She felt as though she were going to float up off the ground, her happiness was so intense.

With a choked laugh, he broke off the kiss. "I don't want to spoil your 'no s.e.x before marriage'policy at this late date. Can you be ready tomorrow?"

She blinked up at him, surprised and rather disappointed. "Tomorrow?" she repeated vaguely, trying to resist the urge to unb.u.t.ton his coat. "For what?"

"For our wedding, of course."

She gasped, his words dispelling her sensual haze, somewhat. "You want to get married tomorrow? That's impossible!"

His jaw tightened in that stubborn way she knew so well. "Why?"

A choked laugh escaped her. "I have to buy a dress, I have to give Martina time to find a new roommate, I have to get time off work-"

"I'll pay the rent for Martina and you can quit your job." His eyes dark and sensuous, he whispered, "I can't wait much longer, Ellie."

A s.h.i.+ver coursed through her. Of course, she wasn't going to quit her job or let him pay her rent. But the truth of the matter was, she she didn't want to wait either. "Give me a week." didn't want to wait either. "Give me a week."

For a moment, she thought he was going to refuse. But then he said, "You've got your week-but I warn you-" his eyes gleamed "-I'm kidnapping you after that."

She laughed. "A week doesn't give me much time. I'm really going to have to cancel our date tomorrow."

"If you insist. But you'll have to make up for it now."

He kissed her-extremely thoroughly-until they were both breathing hard.

"Maybe it's better that I don't see you this week," he said huskily, resting his forehead against hers. "I can't take too much of this."

"Do we really have to wait?" she asked, still breathless. "Why don't you come inside?"

"Ellie..." He leaned back, his hand cupping the curve of her cheek, his gaze dark and serious. "For once in my life, I want to do the right thing. I'm going to marry you first."

She would have laughed at the grim determination in his voice if her throat wasn't suddenly so impossibly tight. "Oh, Garek," she whispered, blinking back foolish, happy tears.

He groaned. "Don't look at me like that, or I won't be able to help myself." He kissed her hard, then again, more slowly. "I can't go a whole week without seeing you. We can at least have lunch together. Monday. Come to my office around noon?"

She nodded. With one final kiss, he released her and thrust his hands into his pockets, as if to prevent himself from reaching out for her again. She went inside and closed the door, but couldn't resist running to the window to watch him go. He strode down the stairs to the sidewalk, looking tall and strong and handsome.

She hugged her arms around herself. She couldn't believe this was happening.

She supposed she shouldn't have said yes so quickly. After all her doubts, after all their differences, she should have at least asked for some time to think it over.

But she hadn't been able to think. She'd been too surprised and too happy-too deliriously, ecstatically happy. She loved him. And he loved her.

She believed that with all her heart.

Whistling, Garek entered his office late Monday morning. Larry and Mrs. Grist were already there.

Garek smiled. "Good morning, Mrs. Grist, Larry," he said cheerfully.

Mrs. Grist responded civilly, but Larry only stared at him in astonishment.

"Mrs. Grist," Garek continued, ignoring Larry's silence, "would you please clear all appointments for two weeks-no, make that a month-starting next week. I will not be available."

Now Mrs. Grist looked startled. "But what about the meeting with the Lachland lawyers? They want to go over the independent auditor's report in detail. Most of the auditor's points are perfectly ridiculous, but the lawyers have a lot of questions-"

"Reschedule the meeting for this week," Garek said. "If they can't make it, suggest a teleconference."

Larry frowned. "What's happened?"

Garek looked at the two anxious faces before him. "Nothing," he said. "Except that Ellie and I are getting married."

An exclamation escaped Mrs. Grist. She beamed like a hundred lightbulbs. "Well, it's about time! Congratulations, Mr. Wisnewski. She's a fine young woman, and I'm sure you'll be very happy together."

Garek smiled back. "Thank you, Mrs. Grist." He glanced at Larry.

Larry, in contrast to Mrs. Grist, did not look at all pleased by Garek's news. In fact, he looked downright worried.

Garek arched an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Larry?"

"What? Oh, uh, no. Congratulations," Larry said hurriedly. "Uh, could I see you in your office?"

"Certainly." To Mrs. Grist, Garek said, "Ellie is coming to meet me for lunch. Have her come up immediately when she arrives."

In his office, Garek sat at his desk and looked at Larry's concerned face. "Yes?"

Larry hesitated a moment, then launched into speech. "This girl, Eleanor Hernandez-do you know anything about her finances?"

Garek arched a brow. "I haven't looked at her bank statement, no."

Larry's frown deepened. "I dislike having to be the voice of caution, but that is part of my job. You must get her to sign a prenuptial agreement."

Now it was Garek's turn to frown. "I hardly think that's necessary."

"It is is necessary. You know as well as I do that fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce-" necessary. You know as well as I do that fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce-"

"I have no intention of getting a divorce."

"No one does, Garek. But you've got to realize that people change, things go wrong, you can't always predict what your feelings will be five, ten, fifteen years from now."

"We're not getting divorced," Garek said, steel in his voice. "But even if we did, I would treat Ellie fairly."

"Yes, I'm sure you would. But her definition of fair might be very different from yours. Believe me, after four divorces, I know what I'm talking about. Women can be very vindictive when they're angry."

"Ellie's not like that."

"Maybe not-but she would legally be ent.i.tled to a portion of all your a.s.sets-she might even try to go after your business. You owe it to your stockholders, if not yourself, to protect the company."

Garek frowned. As much as he hated to admit it, what Larry said made sense. He had a responsibility to the company. He couldn't s.h.i.+rk that just because he was getting married.

"How long will it take you to draft an agreement?" he asked abruptly.

"I'll have to consult with a prenuptial expert, get a financial statement from your accountant, write out a schedule of separate property and an expense-payment schedule and a waiver of interest in the business...although maybe it would be safer to establish a trust to protect Wisnewski Industries. I'm guessing a month, maybe two-"

"You have until Thursday."

"Until Thursday! But-" Larry stopped midsentence. Something in Garek's expression must have made him rethink what he was about to say.

"Very well," the lawyer agreed. "I'll have it ready."

Larry left, and Garek stared for a moment at the painting of Woman in Blue Woman in Blue, before turning his gaze to the independent auditor's report on his desk. He could guess what it contained. Trouble. Lots of trouble.

The Lachland buyout had been progressing so smoothly-perhaps too smoothly. He d.a.m.n well should have known that no deal ever happened that easily.

He picked up the phone.

"I'm going to have to spend the day going over the auditor's report," he told Mrs. Grist curtly. "Call Ms. Hernandez and cancel our lunch."

Chapter Fifteen.

Ellie's treatment when she entered Wisnewski Industries on Thursday was very different from the first time she'd gone there. The security guard escorted her up the elevator himself, telling her that if she needed anything to just let him know.

"Thank you," Ellie responded, only half aware of his eager solicitude. She was thinking of Garek.

It was probably just as well that he'd canceled their lunch on Monday. She'd been terribly busy that whole day-and on Tuesday and Wednesday, also. She'd had to cancel her lease since Martina had decided to move in with friends who needed a third roommate. She'd also had to notify the utilities and the newspapers, both the Tribune Tribune and the and the Sun Times Sun Times, and buy herself a wedding dress; she'd found a beautiful white lace frock in a small boutique off Michigan Avenue for half price. Ellie'd also arranged for Bertrice to fill in for her at the gallery while she was on her honeymoon. Bertrice had been reluctant at first, but had changed her mind when she heard how much Garek was paying.

The power of money, Ellie thought.

But the idea didn't bother her as much as it once had. She could put Garek's money to good use, she realized. She appreciated that now in a way she hadn't been able to a year ago. It had been silly of her to fear wealth. Money couldn't destroy what she and Garek had. She wouldn't let it.

But of course, that brought her to her other problem-there were a few things she should tell Garek. None of them was really relevant to their relations.h.i.+p, but he had a right to know.

She'd intended to tell him on Monday, but then his a.s.sistant had called to cancel. She hadn't thought too much about it, imagining that he must be extremely busy. She'd expected he would call her that night.

When he hadn't, she'd been half disappointed, half relieved. But then, when another day pa.s.sed, and he still didn't call, she began to feel more and more uncertain.

Why didn't he call her? True, they'd agreed not to meet, but did that preclude telephone conversations, as well? Was he having second thoughts? Now that she thought about it, he hadn't really said he loved her. The words hadn't seemed necessary at the time. They'd been implicit in his actions.

Hadn't they?