The Marriage Possession
For the past year, Lisane Deveraux has been a successful lawyer by day and millionaire Zac Winstone's passionate mistress by night.A surprise pregnancy changes everything. Zac insists on commitment. But is he simply protecting his prize possessions–his beautiful lover and his future heir? For the sake of their baby, Lisane will become Zac's trophy wife…knowing that his heart will never be part of the deal.
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Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Coming Next Month
CHAPTER ONE
THE legal soirée was invitation-only, hosted in a luxurious hotel and presented for the cityâs legal eagles and their partners.
Judges, barristers and eminent lawyers of note. Where friendships flourished and opponents left the rigours of the court-room behind.
âMore champagne?â
The familiar male drawl had the power to quicken Lisaneâs heartbeatâ¦and more, so much more.
Lisane tilted her head a little, met Zacâs dark, gleaming eyes, and almost drowned in their depths. âDo I appear to need it?â
A loaded query, if ever there was one!
Mingling with her peers would be a breeze in comparison with the formal dinner, where seating arrangements would place her at Zacâs side in the company of his parents, and Allegra Fabrisi, their preferred choice of a partner for their son.
Tonight she would field empty compliments, the brilliant female smiles that didnât reach the eyesâ¦each of which were a mere salutation in deference to attract the attention of the man at her side.
Zacharias Winstone, wealthy in his own right, a prominent barrister and son of an eminent judge, he was the embodiment of everything that was charismatic male.
In his late thirties, tall, with dark hair and dark eyes, broad-shouldered, wide-boned, sculptured features, a sensual mouth and piercing dark eyes, didnât come close to describing the inherent sensuality he projected with effortless ease.
Zac, the babe magnet.
One had only to look at him to know he could drive a woman wild. It was there in his eyes, the faint, teasing smileâ¦the promise, simmering beneath the sophisticated façade.
Women undressed him with one lingering, seductive look, and blatantly moved in for the kill. For some it was a challenge, others had more serious plans in mindâ¦So far none had been successful.
For the moment he was hers. Friend, loverâ¦
Commitment wasnât a word Zac mentioned and marriage didnât enter the equation.
Relationship? Lisane pondered the word, sought its true meaning, and failed to pin it down.
Togetherâ¦for now, seemed appropriate.
A pensive smile tilted the edge of her mouth.
It was enoughâ¦wasnât it?
They shared much, yet in many ways were poles apart.
His wealth earned him a position on an accredited list of Australiaâs wealthiest names, while she came from an ordinary family of humble means and her education had been gained via scholarships and part-time work to help pay expenses.
Within the legal profession, Zac was recognised as one of the best in his field of criminal lawâ¦while Lisane occupied a position in the Crown Prosecutorâs office.
He had chambers in Brisbane, resided in a city apartment and owned a magnificent waterfront mansion on Sovereign Islands, an élite suburb on Queenslandâs Gold Coast, seventy kilometres distant.
Vastly different from the small, weathered cottage in fashionable suburban Milton that Lisane had bought, mortgaged and was in the process of renovating.
A Sydney-based girl of French-born parents, sheâd relocated to Brisbane a year agoâ¦a move due in part to the need for change. And the desire to remove herself from what had become an awkward situation.
Two couplesâ¦two blonde, blue-eyed sisters dating two brothers. Except whereas Solene and Jean-Claude had fallen in love and planned to marry, Lisane didnât share the same feelings for Alain. Friendship, yes, and affection. But not love.
Something it had taken a while to divine, given the almost life-long connection. Soleneâs engagement to Jean-Claude had prompted Alainâs marriage proposal, and Lisane accepted his ring, temporarily caught up in Alainâs persuasion and her sisterâs euphoriaâ¦only to have doubt soon cloud her perspective.
It hadnât been easy to break off the engagement, nor to leave the city of her birth. Except it wouldnât have been fair to Alain to stay.
He deserved more. So did she.
The law had fascinated Lisane from an early age, fostered and shaped by gritty television police and court-room dramasâ¦none of which bore much resemblance to reality, she reflected with a tinge of wry amusement.
At twenty-seven, she hadnât found it difficult to settle into a new job in a different city. In many ways sheâd relished the changes, new faces, forming tentative friendshipsâ¦and running into Zac.
Literally. Three days after assuming her position in the Crown Prosecutorâs office.
The momentous occasion had occurred in the city courthouse when she exited from the lift on the wrong floor.
It had taken only seconds to realise her mistake, and sheâd swiftly turnedâ¦only to collide with a hard male frame.
An immediate apology had left her lips, and in the same instant she became aware of the manâs physical impactâ¦his impressive height, breadth of shoulder, his sculptured facial features. Not to mention the fine quality of his clothing, the faint aroma of his cologne. The slight smile curving his sensuously moulded mouth. And foremost, his indisputable aura of power.
