MARRIAGE-BARGAIN

chapter 17

NICK POV

Nick shut the door behind him and fell into the leather chair. He stared at his drawing board and curled his hands into tight fists to stop the

itch. He wanted to create. He envisioned materials such as limestone and brick, with flowing images of glass and sleek curves. The pictures

danced behind his closed lids at night, and here he was, owner of Dreamscape Enterprises, and stuck most of the day in board meetings.

He cursed under his breath. Okay, so the board members aggravated him, with the pencil-pushing tactics and money-grubbing ideas. Most

of them opposed the waterfront contract, believing the company would go bankrupt if he took the job and couldn't deliver. The board was

right. He had a simple solution.

Don't fail.

Conte's party was Saturday night and he still hadn't secured a business meeting. Hyoshi Komo hadn't called either. Stuck at square one, the

only thing to do was wait for the man to make his move, and count down the hours to the party. Maybe Conte was waiting to see how the

social function turned out before seeking a meeting, unlike he told Alexa.

Alexa.

Her name alone was a punch in the gut. He remembered the way she shrieked and shook her head and bounced around the living room in

a victory dance after winning chess the night before. A grown woman acting like a child. And once again, he had laughed his ass off.

Somehow, as beautiful as his companions were, their slick wit only rippled the surface. Alexandria made him connect with a deep belly laugh,

like he was young.

His direct line buzzed. He picked up. "Yes?"

"Did you feed the fish?"

Nick closed his eyes. "Alexa, I'm working."

She made a rude snort. "So am I. But at least I worry about poor Otto. Did you feed him?"

"Otto?"

"You kept calling him Fish. That hurt his feelings."

"Fish don't have feelings. And yes, I fed him."

"Fish certainly do have feelings. And while we're discussing Otto, I wanted to tell you I'm worried about him. He's placed in the study and

no one ever goes in there. Why don't we move him into the living room where he can see us more often?"

Nick dragged a hand down his face and prayed for patience. "Because I don't want a fish tank ruining the look of the main rooms. Maggie

gave me the damn thing as a joke and I hated it on sight."

Frost nipped through the receiver. "Messy, too, aren't they? I guess you don't do humans or animals. I'm sorry to inform you, but even fish

get lonely. Why don't we get him some company?"

He straightened and decided to put an end to this ridiculous conversation. "No. I don't want another fish, and he will not be moved. Do I

make myself clear?"

The line hummed. "Crystal."

Then she hung up.

Nick cursed, grabbed the nearest stack of papers from the last board meeting, and got to work.