Temporary Bride
Arabella Sheen
Max Jordan is one of America’s most powerful, leading corporate lawyers. He is also the major stockholder and head of the billion-dollar corporation - Jordan Diamond Empire.
Max must marry soon to keep the business safe and the company secure from a takeover.
Returning to England in search of the only woman he knows and trusts to help him in his moment of need - he tracks Amy down and asks her to marry him.
Amy Denver wants nothing to do with Max Jordan...and she certainly wants nothing to do with his marriage proposal. Five painful years have passed since Max disappeared from her life and a lot has happened to her in between. Amy has a secret she’d rather he didn’t discover. Her secret is Jake...their son. Once again Amy finds herself surrendering to Max and his demands as he whisks her and Jake off to Waterfront, his private, secluded home in the Hamptons.
Chapter 1
EXCERPT 1
Dawn was breaking on the horizon of the London skyline as Max Jordan, head and company director of Jordan Diamond Empire, flew into Heathrow airport in his private jet.
EXCERPT 1
Dawn was breaking on the horizon of the London skyline as Max Jordan, head and company director of Jordan Diamond Empire, flew into Heathrow airport in his private jet.
It had been a long, arduous North Atlantic flight but Max had spent his hours in the air lucratively. During the flight, he had been fighting a mid-air battle using his laptop and he had won a diamond laser contract for his company worth billions of dollars. All that remained to be done was for him to fly to Japan and finalise the deal with a face-to-face handshake and a signature on the dotted line.
Looking at Max, no one would guess he hadn’t slept in nearly twenty-four hours. Having had a quick shower on the plane and changed into one of his many handmade suits, he looked as fleshly groomed and as sleek as he had hours earlier when he’d boarded the luxury jet in New York.
Tall, tanned and dynamic, Max could be described as sex on legs.
Ploughing his way through the VIP lounge to the waiting limousine outside, all eyes turned in his direction. Chic, stylishly-beautiful women followed him with desire in their eyes, while waiting businessmen revealed a flash of envy as he passed. But Max was oblivious to all their stares. He was a man on a mission and time was of the essence.
The door to the limousine was being held open in readiness for him and, without ceremony, Max sped passed the onlookers and climbed into the back seat. Pulling away from the airport the chauffeur looked in the driving mirror and asked, “Where to Mr Jordan? Your hotel or the office?”
“Office please,” Max replied. He then proceeded to indulge in a luxury he never normally found time for…he sat back and let himself experience the ride.
The laptop and briefcase he had brought along with him lay unnoticed and forgotten on the seat beside him and, as he sat back looking out of the window watching familiar landmarks go by, he felt a pang of nostalgia for the old times.
After five years of absence from the city, he was once more back in London and vivid memories of happier times came flooding back. It had been a carefree period in his life when he could do exactly as he wished. Now things were different. He had responsibilities.
Max still called the shots and had ultimate power and control of the business, but in some things, his hands were bound and tied.
Often he felt the weight of his obligations heavy on his shoulders, and that was one of the reasons he was here today in London.
He was here to perform a duty…his duty.
He needed a wife and he knew what he had to do.
Max had returned to England to find and marry Amy Denver.
Without any problems, the limo cut through the city’s heavy morning traffic and when it reached a tall building where Martin and Campbell had their law offices, Max stepped out of the car and was immediately greeted by an entourage of eager people. A welcoming party had been patiently waiting on tenterhooks for his arrival.
A zealous individual willing to please Max gathered the laptop and briefcase from the car and Max was politely steered towards a rank of open lifts which were all being held in anticipation of his arrival.
“We’ve been expecting you, sir. How was your flight?”
“The flight was good thank you…long, but good. Now, perhaps one of you would like to show me around your firm before the meeting. I’d like to get a feel for the place and see how you run your operation.” He was taking control of the situation.
Max glanced pointedly at the sleek, slim watch on his wrist and everyone took the hint.
They all stepped into the waiting lifts and, with the doors closed securely behind them, they went straight to the fifth floor where Martin and Campbell had their offices.
Max was in London on two accounts - company and personal business.
He was working with the English law firm Martin and Campbell on an international lawsuit involving worldwide diamond embezzling. But the diamond lawsuit wasn’t his only reason for being in London…he was here for more. He wanted to find Amy Denver and take her back to America with him, only Amy didn’t know that…yet.
Jordan Diamond Empire was in trouble and if Max didn’t marry soon to protect the company, he might not have a company to run.
On the sixth floor, Amy was blissfully unaware of Max Jordan’s presence in the building. In the conference room, she was busy laying out files and briefs on the long, wooden, mahogany table and generally preparing for the onslaught of lawyers who were about to descend on her.
Catching a glimpse of herself in the reflective shine of the conference room window, Amy smoothed her hair back into place and straightened her pencil-slim, black skirt over the smooth, slender, sexy curves of her hips.
She was ready to face the barrage of lawyers heading her way.
She knew she looked good and she felt good. Adrenaline was pumping in her veins and she was ready to take on the world.
In the four years, Amy had been with the law firm as a junior lawyer she’d been faultlessly brilliant in her work. She excelled at her job and there was no one with better skills to run and manage the support teams.
It was her ability to organise and cope in any difficult situation that had won the hearts of her colleagues and she was greatly valued by them all.
“Is everything under control Amy?” Peering around the door was Cathy Moore.
Cathy was one of the female partners who had also become a good friend of Amy’s.
“Sure…everything’s fine. Why what’s up?” Amy asked.
“The American’s here. The whole place is buzzing with the news and it seems they’re now heading here to the conference room.” There was an urgency in Cathy’s voice.
Cathy was showing concern for the controlled chaos that seemed to be rampant throughout the building.
“Well that’s good news,” said Amy brightly. “Hopefully we’ll be sticking to our schedule and we’ll have no delays. For once maybe…just maybe, I’ll be able to get away from work on time.”
“You’ll be lucky,” said Cathy letting out a deep sigh. “We’ll probably all have to stay and work overtime. I imagine we’ll be here slogging away until midnight catching up on any decisions they make during the meeting.”
Amy let out a long agonising groan.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure James will let you leave early. But right now I’ve got to go . . . see you later.” With a quick wave, Cathy disappeared from sight.
Amy hadn’t thought about the extra hours she might have to work this evening and she felt uneasy about having to stay on longer than planned.
The full-on meeting was due to take place in ten minutes and anyone of importance had to attend.
Today of all day’s there was no room for error. It was decision day and the partners were going to determine which of them would be working with Max Jordan and take on the Diablo case.
Rumour had it James Martin - the senior partner - was likely to take the job. It was James who had brought the American lawyer in on the case and this new guy was supposed to be an expert in the field of diamonds and corporate law.
From somewhere along the corridor Amy heard a scurry of foot-falls approaching. It was her boss James Martin and his team.
“Good morning Amy,” James said giving her a conspiratorial wink.
She saw he was wearing his blue shirt and tie which meant James was in a good mood and ready for action.
“James, morning…nice to see you,” she said enthusiastically and greeted him with her usual sunny smile.
Four years ago James had sat in on her interview. Throughout the years he had mentored her and encouraged her to work hard. Little by little she had climbed and worked her way up the corporate ladder. She thought of James as the older brother she never had. But James liking what he saw, was continually trying his luck and asked Amy out on numerous occasions. Every time she refused, he took it on the chin and waited…until the next time.
“We’re ready when you are sir,” she said politely.
Everything was in place and ready for the meeting. The white marker board had been cleaned and the new digital hologram projection system was set-up and running.
Nearly everyone had arrived and were ready to take their seats and prepare for the onslaught of questions. They were, however, still waiting for the infamous American lawyer to appear.
Everyone was on tenterhooks expecting his arrival at any minute and even James, who was rarely flustered, seemed on edge.
At that moment, the door to the conference room opened and a tall, forceful figure appeared framed in the doorway.
Amy felt the blood drain from her face.
Gripping the back of a nearby chair for support, she just managed to stop herself from fainting.
Max Jordan - her Max Jordan - was standing in the doorway and Max looked like he owned the place.
Disclaimer, Copyrights and Publishing
Any names or characters have no existence outside the imagination of the
author or are used fictitiously and actual events are purely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, copied,
stored in a retrieval system known or hereinafter invented, without
written permission of the publisher.
Copyright © 2013 by – Arabella Sheen
Published by priceplacebooks
All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-0-9575698-0-5
About Arabella Sheen
Arabella Sheen is a British author of contemporary romance and likes nothing more than the challenge of starting a new novel with fresh ideas and inspiring characters.
One of the many things Arabella loves to do is to read. And when she’s not researching or writing about romance, she is either on her allotment sowing and planting with the seasons or she is curled on the sofa with a book, while pandering to the demands of her attention-seeking cat.
Having lived and worked in the Netherlands as a theatre nurse for nearly twenty years, she now lives in the south-west of England with her family.
Arabella hopes her readers have as much pleasure from her romance stories as she has in writing them.
Social Media
Website: http://www.arabellasheen.co.uk/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ArabellaSheen
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BOOK BLURB:
Max Jordan is one of America’s most powerful, leading corporate lawyers. He is also the major stockholder and head of the billion-dollar corporation - Jordan Diamond Empire.
Max must marry soon to keep the business safe and the company secure from a takeover.
Returning to England in search of the only woman he knows and trusts to help him in his moment of need - he tracks Amy down and asks her to marry him.
Amy Denver wants nothing to do with Max Jordan...and she certainly wants nothing to do with his marriage proposal. Five painful years have passed since Max disappeared from her life and a lot has happened to her in between. Amy has a secret she’d rather he didn’t discover. Her secret is Jake...their son. Once again Amy finds herself surrendering to Max and his demands as he whisks her and Jake off to Waterfront, his private, secluded home in the Hamptons.
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Arabella Sheen http://arabellasheen.co.uk
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