Blackmailed Into His Arms. Margaret Mayo

larger of the two bags, from her. Turning, he headed for the main door and propped her luggage with his own.

      “Yes?” she asked distractedly, hitching the strap of her purse on her shoulder as she followed along behind and set her smaller carry-on bag next to the rest. She straightened to find him watching her intently, his blue eyes shining like crystals behind dark lashes.

      He took her arm, his fingers banding firmly just above her elbow. “When we get back,” he told her slowly, “if your father hasn’t come up with the resources necessary to pull SRS out of the fire, I’ll expect you to continue with our agreement. Unless, of course, you’re no longer concerned with helping Victor save the family business.”

      The latter seemed to be half apology, half threat. Elena thought she should probably be offended, or at least act outraged that he would dictate her actions once they returned home to Gabriel’s Crossing.

      Instead, she felt almost elated. Ten days wasn’t very long to collect the kind of money her father needed to stave off the Ramsey Corporation, which meant the chances were pretty good that they would need to buy more time. Time she’d be required to remain with Chase.

      That had been the deal, after all. She would play the part of his mistress for as long as it took for her father to raise the funds to save SRS. Just because they would no longer be a practically anonymous couple in the bright lights of Las Vegas didn’t mean she could go back on her word.

      Taking a deep breath, she met his gaze and nodded. “Of course. I only ask that we be discreet. My family and the rest of world don’t need to know the details of why we’ll suddenly be spending so much time together.”

      He inclined his head, his fingers dropping from her arm. “Agreed.”

      With that, he turned to open the door and she felt a wave of relief wash through her. She would be spending more time with Chase, after all, rather than being tossed aside like an old pair of gym socks as soon as their plane landed in Texas.

      And if she also felt more than a small jab of guilt at hoping it took her father awhile longer to move the family back into the black, she would deal with that later.

      They’d been home nearly a week when Chase called Elena at work. She hadn’t spoken to him since he’d dropped her off at the house she shared with her father and sister the afternoon they’d returned from Las Vegas.

      She’d wondered about him, caught herself jumping whenever the phone rang, half hoping he was calling to demand she spend the night with him. Or even that she accompany him to some dinner or another.

      But he hadn’t, and since she hadn’t given him her work number, she’d never expected him to call her there. Of course, she should have known that a man like Chase Ramsey could find her wherever she was, if he put his mind to it.

      As always, he got right to the point.

      “My mother invited me to dinner tonight. My brother is going to be there with his wife and daughter and I thought you might like to go and meet everyone.” Before she could respond, he went on. “No problem if you already have other plans. I’ll just tell Mom I’m in the middle of an important business deal and will be working all evening.”

      For a minute, Elena didn’t know what to say. She clutched the phone to her ear, her mouth hanging open in surprise.

      He wanted her to meet his family? And if she said no, he wasn’t going to go at all?

      What did that mean? Was he simply being polite, or did he have a more personal, hidden agenda?

      Her mind was spinning, her heart racing a mile a minute.

      “U-um,” she stuttered before quickly shaking herself. “Yes, of course. I’d love to go.”

      “You’re sure?” he asked, sounding almost sorry he’d called. “Because—”

      “I’m sure. My evening is wide open.”

      It hadn’t been, but it would be now. Her sister would understand. They had only been going to the mall, anyway. Something about looking for toys for the children at one of Alandra’s charities.

      “What time will you be picking me up? Or would you rather I met you there?”

      “No, I’ll pick you up. Let’s say … six o’clock?”

      “Six it is. I’ll see you then.”

      “Good. Great. See you then.”

      The line went dead, leaving Elena to listen to the hum of the dial tone. Slowly, she lowered her arm to hang up, leaving her fingers curled around the earpiece. A second later, she put the phone back to her ear and jabbed out a number she knew by heart.

      “Hello?” her sister answered after only two rings.

      Elena spoke only one word: “Help.”

      What should a girl wear to dinner to meet her lover’s parents and brother? Especially when they were only lovers because he’d blackmailed her into bed.

      That might not be the full reason she was staying in his bed, but it was certainly how he’d gotten her there to begin with.

      Thankfully, she had a sister who was much more savvy about this sort of thing and knew the answers to these kinds of questions. As soon as Elena had called Alandra’s cell phone with her semi-desperate plea, her sister had dropped everything and met her at home for a full sweep of both their closets.

      It was only dinner at his parents’ house, so nothing fancy was required. Instead, she needed something casual but elegant. Attractive and becoming without looking as though she’d worked at it.

      Formal would have been easier, she soon realized. If she were attending a black-tie affair, she would simply have had to throw on something long and sequined with a pair of high heels. But dressing for dinner with Chase’s family bordered on cruel and unusual punishment.

      They immediately crossed blue jeans off the list for being too casual. And a dress of any type for being too fancy. Skirts were borderline, depending on the style and design.

      Finally, after two or three hours of feeling like the mannequin for a window designer with multiple personality disorder, Elena held her arms up while Alandra pulled yet another top over her head, then stood back to study her latest creation.

      “I think we’ve got it,” her sister announced, grinning as she pointed at the mirror for Elena to see for herself.

      Elena sighed in relief as she saw that she looked almost perfect. Maybe a little overdressed, but not by much. Especially if Chase came straight from the office and was still wearing his usual suit and tie.

      Alandra had decided on a pair of wide-legged black slacks, with one-inch plain black pumps and a periwinkle blue sweater set trimmed with red, white, and black embroidered flowers.

      “Are you sure?” she asked, tugging at the hem of the sweater and turning left and right to view the full effect.

      “Absolutely. You look gorgeous, but not like you’re trying to impress anyone. If I were meeting my new boyfriend’s parents for the first time, I’d wear that exact outfit.”

      Elena’s heart shuddered at her sister’s words. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she said softly, her mouth gone dry as she turned away from the mirror. She couldn’t quite bring herself to meet Alandra’s gaze, so she moved to the bed, busying herself with putting earlier discarded garments back on their hangers.

      “You’re right,” her sister readily agreed. “He’s way too cute to be just a ‘boyfriend.’ He’s your red-hot secret lover.”

      Face flaming, she whirled in Alandra’s direction, waving a hand and glancing frantically toward the open bedroom door.

      “Shhh,” she hissed, marching past her sister to shut the door to hopefully provide them with a bit more privacy. Just in case. “No one is supposed to know, remember? And it won’t be a secret much longer if