A tattoo.
It'd taken Herculean willpower to return his gaze to her strongly arched brows and frowning full lips. And even more willpower to keep his mind from wondering what bit of ink she'd permanently etched onto her skin. A butterfly? A teddy bear? A pair of hearts? Merina was a beautiful woman. Seeing her disheveled and learning that under her prim-and-proper exterior there lived a wild woman was…fascinating.
It'd been a long time since anyone had fascinated him.
"You. Settled?" One of Tag's eyebrows climbed his forehead. "With Merina Van Heusen?"
"That's the gist." Reese nodded.
"How? She has to hate you for trying to disassemble the VH."
"A minor setback."
Tag laughed so hard, he nearly toppled off his chair. By the time he righted himself, he was swiping moisture from his eyes and shaking his head. "Good luck with that, brother."
Reese felt his mouth tug at the corners. He saw no other way. This would have to work.
"Merina sounds like the perfect option," Alex interjected, and Reese breathed a sigh of relief. His father, his hero. If Alex saw this working, it would. They shared a brain for business, for negotiating. "She'll do anything to keep her family's legacy intact. And she's tough enough to handle the press."
"No kidding." Reese grunted. In the short time he'd seen her, she'd barreled into his office unannounced, given his dinner date from last week an icy glare, and called him a suited sewer rat. Plus—
"She used the term horseshit," Reese said, drawing the attention of the other men. "Who says that?" As he asked that question, he felt the corner of his mouth lift in amusement. When she said the word shit, her upper lip canted to one side, just a tad. Thanks to the rain that had washed away some of her makeup he'd noticed there was a tiny pale freckle at the corner of her mouth.
Sexy.
"Merina is tough, but also soft," he said, dragging his thoughts back on course. "She dresses like a lady, handles herself like a woman, and doesn't allow anyone to boss her around."
"Including you," Alex added. "But if you have her cooperation, sounds like she could smooth out your rough edges in the public eye."
"Agree to what? What are we talking about here?" Tag, who was grinning in confusion, shook his head. "You going to demand she date you?"
"I'm going to ask her to marry me," Reese stated, and his brother's smile erased.
Alex smiled proudly. "Brilliant."
"For six months," Reese said. "An agreement that will end as soon as I've established my CEO status. Then we can quietly divorce, and I'll sign over the Van Heusen."
Jaw ajar, Tag looked from his father to his brother. "You're both insane."
"I'm desperate," Reese said. It was the truth. "If I don't convince the board to give me Dad's position, they will appoint a CEO outside of this family."
"That can't happen." Tag looked appropriately upset. None of them wanted anyone other than a family member running Crane Hotels.
"No," Reese agreed. "It can't."
Alex was retiring in six months. He wouldn't put off his retirement, a move that Reese supported a million percent. His father wouldn't let the board bully him. "Start showing weakness, Reese," he'd said, "and they'll pick at your carcass the rest of your reign. We need them. But they need us more. We just have to make them see it."
It was an irritating corporate chess game, but Reese was learning to toe the line when necessary. He planned on growing Crane Hotels to twice the size his father had, and to do that, he couldn't be a lone wolf. He needed the support of the people who made decisions: the board.
Since his work ethic preceded him and they still didn't trust him, the wolf would have to put on sheep's clothing to make them believe he was one of the herd. A family man. A husband intent on keeping up squeaky-clean public appearances.
Win the press, win the board.
Win the board, win CEO.
But Reese also knew his weaknesses. He needed someone who was his opposite yet equal. He needed someone who could handle pressure elegantly, even while using the word horseshit.
He needed Merina Van Heusen.
"I have a dinner date," Alex announced, standing from his chair.
"Who is she?" Tag teased.
Big Crane's sons had all taken after him, none of them planning on settling down—well, until just now. But Reese's would be a marriage on paper—totally different. His father had loved their mother, and after she died, he never found another to fill her shoes. Alex was in his sixties and neither the board nor the media cared if he dated. No, that magnifying glass focus fell on Reese, who was the next in line as heir to the Crane throne. Tag's dating was overlooked because he was the party guy and it was expected. Eli was a nonissue since he was overseas. Maybe when he came home, the press would care who he was fucking.
Reese doubted it. The media had their hooks into him. He was the easy target—the man who'd made tawdry headlines because of the number of women he spent time with—and never spent time with more than once.
"She is a he, and he is the linen supplier for the greater Chicago area," Alex answered.
"You're supposed to be retired," Reese said.
"Six months." His father pointed at him. Reese smiled. His old man. Retired but not dead, he often said of his future plans. Alex turned and left the conference room and Reese stood to do the same. It had been a hell of a long day already and was less than half over. He didn't stop at five, unless it was five a.m.
"Explain to me why you have to marry Merina Van Heusen?" Tag asked, still lounging in the chair. Even dressed nicely, he resembled a lazy cat. He was damn good, though. Guest and Restaurant Services was not an easy part of the hotel business to keep running, but Tag did it flawlessly. And dressed like a bum half the time. Go figure.
"Because Kate Hudson is taken?"
Tag rolled his eyes. "Why not just date her?"
"The board needs to see I'm serious. Nothing is more serious than marriage. Once I've settled down, they'll see I'm a changed man. Responsible."