Roman Thorne

"We've been waiting for you," Dante said as Roman pushed open the heavy glass doors.

Roman stepped into the Thorne executive office. His body still hummed with the aftershocks of last night. He could still smell the faint trace of vanilla on his skin. He could still feel the tight, wet grip of the woman's pussy squeezing his thick cock right before he pumped his cum deep inside her. He ran a hand through his hair, a relaxed smile on his face. He made his way to his desk, ignoring the thick tension in the room.

"Sorry I'm late," Roman said.

"I waited all evening for you yesterday," Jude said. The corporate lawyer sat in the leather guest chair, clicking a silver pen against the mahogany table.

Roman ignored his brother's lawyer. He was in a fantastic mood, and he refused to let Jude's uptight energy ruin it. Roman turned his attention to his older brother. Dante sat on the couch, looking like hell. Dark circles hung heavy under his eyes, and his expensive suit looked slept-in.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Roman asked.

"Bad. Terrible," Dante replied. His voice was hollow, a sound that made Roman's chest tighten. "I am under federal investigation, Ro. I can't even walk to my car without shoving reporters and microphones out of my face."

Roman's heart clenched. The haze of last night's lust vanished. "I didn't know it was this serious. I thought the articles yesterday were just an internet rumor."

"You would have known how serious it was if we had met yesterday," Jude snapped, his tone harsh.

Roman shot the lawyer a dark look. "I waited for close to an hour at the restaurant. When you didn't show up, I left."

He had left the restaurant and walked down the street to a high-end hotel bar. That was where he saw her. The woman sitting alone in the black sheer gown. He didn't usually pick up random women, but the moment he saw her, his blood ran hot. Every nerve in his body flared to life.

"I got stuck on a conference call with the SEC, and then I called your private line, but you didn't pick up," Jude said, his voice softening.

"I got busy too," Roman said. His lips twitched with a faint smile as he remembered fucking Nora hard against the white hotel sheets. She hadn't cared about his money. She hadn't even recognized him. And she didn't flinch when his massive bodyguard, Mack, approached them. It made her fascinating.

"Let's not start an argument," Dante said, dragging a hand down his tired face. "We need a solution, and we need it today."

Roman and Jude constantly clashed, but Roman loved his brother. He pushed his pride aside. "Fine. What really happened? I am in the dark here."

"Your brother has been formally accused of corporate fraud," Jude explained.

"Fraud?" Roman let out a sharp laugh. "That is impossible. He is the most honest man in California."

"Which is why we believe he was framed," Jude said.

"By who?" Roman asked.

"We don't know for sure," Jude shrugged.

"Well, I do," Dante snarled through gritted teeth. "It is that son of a bitch, Bryce Caldwell."

"No, no, we cannot go around accusing people," Jude cautioned, holding up a hand. "That opens us up to defamation suits."

"It is obvious," Dante insisted, leaning forward. "Bryce fabricated those financial emails. He lied to the feds, claiming I bribed the zoning regulators to get the Diamond Residences project. I just don't know how he bypassed our firewalls and got access to my clients' private financial information."

"It is still a wild assumption," Jude maintained.

Dante's face darkened with rage. "You think it is an assumption? Guess who won the Diamond Residences contract right after the board removed me? Bryce Caldwell."

Roman leaned back against the edge of his desk, crossing his arms. He processed the information. Dante was a workaholic. He took their father's failing real estate business when he was only seventeen and built an empire. Dante's clean money funded Roman's first automobile factory, making the Thorne brothers billionaires. Dante was innocent. Bryce Caldwell was a snake.

"This sucks," Roman said, his voice dropping an octave. He stared at Jude. "How do we take down Bryce Caldwell?"

"No," Jude warned instantly. "We will do no such thing. It is just a hunch. It has not been proven that Bryce orchestrated the hack. We have to tread carefully."

"If my brother says it is Bryce Caldwell, then it is," Roman said. He ignored the lawyer and looked at Dante. "How do we ruin him?"

Jude sprang to his feet, buttoning his suit jacket. "As your lawyer, Dante, I cannot advise a retaliatory strike."

It was the first time Roman had seen such genuine panic on Jude's face. The lawyer's caution unsettled him. Roman gave a slow, curt nod. "What do you suggest we do, then?"

Jude blinked, surprised that Roman backed down so fast. He cleared his throat and sat back down. "We need a distraction."

Roman arched his eyebrows. "What sort of distraction?"

"Something massive. Something to draw the media's attention away from your brother's indictment," Jude said.

Dante scoffed loud. "Are you kidding me? You think there is any news bigger than Dante Thorne facing federal fraud charges?"

"Well, we can create one," Jude countered.

"Alright then, let's see you try," Dante said, folding his arms across his chest.

Jude went silent for a moment, pacing the room. Then his eyes lit up. "How about Roman getting back with Tiffany?"

"No fucking way!" Roman snapped. "I am done with her." Tiffany was his ex-girlfriend. He had proposed to her once. The tabloids called them the ultimate power couple. It fed his ego, right up until he caught her sucking another man's cock in his own guest house. He broke off the engagement six months ago. "That is impossible. Knowing Tiffany, she has already spread her legs for the next big tech CEO."

"Maybe not Tiffany, but I get Jude's point," Dante said, sitting up straighter. "If you get into a high-profile relationship, it could dominate the news cycle."

"Or marriage," Jude added, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Yes, a wedding!" Dante exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "That would be huge. I would still be under investigation, but a royal Thorne wedding would divert the paparazzi."

"You are forgetting one minor detail here," Roman pointed out. "I don't have a girlfriend, let alone a wife."

"Oh, that is simple," Jude waved a hand dismissively. "We will find you a woman and arrange a marriage of convenience. We draft an ironclad prenup. Six months, maybe one year, and you are done. You pay her a settlement and walk away. You don't even have to consummate it."

Dante moved closer, gripping Roman's shoulder. "Ro, think about it. That would be the biggest headline of the year. Roman Thorne, the hottest single billionaire bachelor, gets hitched!" Dante gestured wide, making Roman chuckle. "Nothing would beat that. Not even my federal probe."

Roman looked at his brother's hopeful face. Dante was the only family he had left. He watched Dante sacrifice his youth to raise him. Roman would burn the city down for Dante. Getting a fake wife was a small price to pay.

"Fine. I will do it for you," Roman said.

Dante let out a massive sigh of relief, and Jude clapped his hands.

"But," Roman raised a stern finger, halting the celebration. "Where do I find a wife? I don't want another gold digger trying to drain my accounts."

"Leave that to us," Jude said, typing on his phone. "We will find you the most reputable woman in the city."

"Don't worry, Ro, I have got it under control," Dante assured him.

"We will work on the candidate list fast," Jude promised.

"And Bryce Caldwell? What are we doing about him?" Roman pressed.

"Nothing," Jude replied too quick. "We let the feds continue their investigation. In the meantime, Dante needs to lay low until we clear his name."

Roman nodded. "Good. How is Stella holding up with the press?"

"She hates it," Dante sighed, speaking of his wife. "But we will survive."

"Alright then," Roman said. He walked over and pulled his older brother into a tight hug. "You have got this."

"Thank you for doing this, man," Dante said, squeezing him back.

"You are welcome, bro."

Jude grabbed his briefcase. "I will get back to you soon with the list. And if you happen to have any other options in mind, I will be happy to vet them." The lawyer winked.

Roman knew Jude was hinting at Tiffany, but Roman's mind instantly went to Nora. He barely knew her real name, but he was already obsessed with finding her again.

"Maybe," Roman shrugged.

"Oh, I know that look," Dante teased, his mood finally lifting. "Do you have someone in mind?"

"Maybe," Roman repeated, letting out a short laugh. "I will let you know if she fits the bill."

"Alright. Thanks again, Ro," Dante smiled.

"Use my private elevator," Roman warned them. "The reporters are definitely still camping outside the main lobby."

"Good thinking," Jude said.

Roman watched the two men exit through the concealed back door. The moment he was alone in his sprawling office, he walked to his desk and pressed the intercom.

"Mack. Get in here."

A minute later, his massive head of security walked through the door.

"Find everything you can on the woman from the bar last night," Roman instructed. "I want a full background check."

Mack nodded without asking questions. "Yes, sir."

Roman sat at his computer, trying to focus on his automobile supply chain metrics. He couldn't concentrate. He had never felt this impatient to uncover a woman's identity. He just wanted to see her face again.

An hour later, Mack knocked on the heavy oak door and entered.

"You found something?" Roman asked, lifting his head.

"Yes, sir," Mack said, handing over a thick manila file.

"Alright, get out," Roman dismissed the bodyguard.

He tore open the envelope. A printed photograph slid out onto his desk. Roman picked it up. He spent a solid thirty minutes just staring at her face. Her striking green eyes, her delicate jaw, the dark hair cascading down her shoulders. She looked innocent in the photo, a stark contrast to the way she screamed his name while he fucked her into the mattress.

He flipped to the data sheet.

Nora Hayes, 26. Daughter of Arthur Hayes.

Roman smiled. He knew Arthur Hayes. The man was a millionaire who owned a massive chain of elite steakhouses. Nora came from a reputable family. She wasn't a desperate street hustler. She was an heiress. This made her the perfect candidate for the contract marriage. Jude couldn't draft a better PR spin.

Roman skimmed through her education and business history. His heart hammered with excitement. Then, his eyes landed on the marital status section.

Divorced.

Ex-husband: Bryce Caldwell.

Roman froze. The air rushed out of his lungs. He read the printed name again, his vision tunneling.

Bryce Caldwell.

A sudden surge of anger erupted in his chest. His blood turned to ice. He just slept with his brother's greatest rival's ex-wife. Or maybe his current wife, for all Roman knew about Bryce's twisted life.

His mind spun, piecing together the nightmare. She was sitting alone at a bar right around the corner from Dante's firm. She didn't flinch at Mack. She pretended she didn't know who Roman Thorne was. It was a setup. Bryce planted her there as a honey trap, and Roman walked right into it, blinded by her beautiful face and tight body.

Panic clawed at his throat. He racked his brain, trying to remember the pillow talk. Had he told her about Dante's legal troubles? Had he mentioned the SEC? Had he shared sensitive corporate information while she was lying naked on his chest? She could take everything straight back to Bryce.

The betrayal stung deep. The thought of Bryce Caldwell using this woman to spy on him made Roman's blood boil until he saw red. He gripped the edge of his mahogany desk, his knuckles turning white.

He wasn't going to be a pawn in Bryce's game. If she was a spy, he would break her.

Roman snatched his phone and hit the security speed dial.

"Mack," Roman barked, his voice dripping with pure fury. "Find Nora Hayes. I don't care where she is. Bring her to my office immediately."