The Blackmail Marriage

chapter 6

Marguerite stared at him in alarm.

"I'm not sleeping with you!"

"Then where will you sleep?" he asked. "Outside?"

Her mouth dropped open in panic. "You can't be serious! I can't sleep outside----it's dark and cold and,"

"Then you'll have to share my bed."

"I'd rather take my chances with the wildlife out there!"

"I have it on good authority the life out there is pretty wild," he said smoothly.

She snapped her teeth together in anger. He was goading her deliberately, she could tell. Surely he didn't expect her to sleep with him?

But...outside?

She gave an inward shudder; scorpions, spiders, centipedes and mosquitoes ruled outside. She lifted her chin determinedly. "I suppose you think this is highly amusing, dragging me to this God-forsaken place to teach me some sort of lesson."

"What sort of lesson would that be?"

"I don't know," she said. "You tell me."

He took a leisurely sip of his wine.

She examined his handsome face for some clue to what he was up to but he was inscrutable as ever.

"I can assure you, Marguerite, I have no such goal in mind. I simply wanted to get us out of the city, away from prying eyes so we could adjust to our situation."

"We couldn't even be in this situation if you hadn't insisted on your pound of flesh."

"We wouldn't be in this situation if your brother hadn't stuck a diving spear through the bottom of my yacht."

"Is that how he did it?" she blurted without thinking. How in the world had Cyrill got his hands on a diving spear?

He must have seen the question in her eyes.

"Not once, not twice, but three times," he said. "He was obviously very determined, which I observe seems to be somewhat of a family trait."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She lowered her gaze. "Cyrill can barely swim a length of a pool. How could he possibly be responsible for diving underneath your boat and doing such some sort of damage?"

"It's amazing what people will do when suitably motivated."

"Yes, that is certainly something I've recently observed," she said wryly.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning: why did you insist on marrying me?"

"You know why."

"I don't believe you needed to escape the press so badly. You must have some other motive, although it beats me what it might actually be."

"I told you, you're my insurance policy. I lost my boat but I got you instead."

"I don't mean to take anything away from myself, but for one point five million dollars don't you think you might have been a little short-cahnged?"

"That remains to be seen."

"What do you mean?" She eyeballed him. "You can't mean to go back on your word?"

"What word was that?"

Her eyes widened in fear. "You promised this was a hands-off arrangement."

"Did I?"

"You know you did!"