As much as Mike preferred the truth, he’d have been forced to lie. Because the truth would have seen any normal, loving parents advising their darling daughter to have absolutely nothing to do with him, no matter how much money was involved!

The truth might send Natalie running for cover as well. He’d have to be careful with her, and around her, in many ways. Perhaps he should restrict seeing her till their wedding, cut down the odds of anything happening that might spoil things.

Yep. That was what he would do.

‘By the way, I can’t make it to the bank on Monday morning,’ he said straight away. ‘I’ll drop in later in the day and sign the pre-nup.’

‘Fine,’ she said in her usual snippy fashion.

‘We’ll make the following Saturday our clothes-shopping day. I have to find out from the Helsingers what you need first. But we might as well make a time now. How about nine?’

‘You mean I won’t be seeing you till then?’ came her astonished reply. ‘What happened to making this engagement look like a real one? Shouldn’t we spend a bit more time together? Go out to dinner occasionally. Visit each other.’

Mike could not think of anything worse. He was sure to end up making a pass.

‘I don’t seriously think Helsinger is having our every move watched,’ he said firmly. ‘A man of his ego will rely on his own personal judgement. It’s what we do on the yacht which will count, not our behaviour beforehand. See you next Saturday, Natalie.’ And he hung up.

Natalie stared into her dead phone. She wasn’t going to see him for a whole week.

That was seven whole days.

And seven whole nights!

‘Good,’ she muttered, and slammed the phone down.

CHAPTER NINE

NATALIE could not believe how slow time went that weekend, and then the following week. She tried to keep busy, organising ads in magazines for Wives Wanted, as well as doing some spring-cleaning around the house. She visited her parents more than usual, delighting in their happiness over having their financial problems solved, but at the same time resenting Mike and his damned money every single moment.

The man was a menace all right. Not only had he revved up her hormones something rotten, he’d made her see how empty her life was. And how lonely.

She no longer enjoyed reading as much, or watching television. Yet she’d once really looked forward to sitting down with her latest best-seller, and watching her favourite TV shows. Suddenly, such activities seemed nothing more than futile time-fillers. Going to the gym felt pointless as well. Why shape and tone a body that no man ever saw?

As for working with the clients of Wives Wanted…

Matching people up together had seriously lost its gloss. Natalie decided that, once she got that second million, she would do something else with her life.