Title: Inc-Chapter 5
Author: MarshAngel
e-mail:watsonma@hotmail.com
webpage: http://www.crosswinds.net/~marshangel/angelmoon.htm

"Susa come in here, I want to talk to you."  Darien's voice came over 
the intercom, in soft Japanese. Setsuna responded to the friendly 
command quickly. He obviously wanted personal friendly attention or he 
wouldn't have called her the nickname he'd been using over the years or 
spoken her native language, the language of his mother and hers. 

Their mothers had been friends for quite a while, though the two had 
met only after Darien had returned from an entire year in college in Tokyo. 
He suspected Setsuna's mother had wanted him to marry her daughter. 

Setsuna wasn't his type however; she was far too much like him, if a bit 
quieter and more mysterious, though few would believe that possible. He'd 
used the time in Tokyo to become more familiar with the language and 
culture of his mother and grandparents. He'd also spent a semester in 
France with his father's parents; his father had only thought it fair and 
Darien was happy to oblige. It had certainly been an original experience. 
Unfortunately it had forced him to be away from his father at the time of 
his death. 

Darien was staring out the windows over the city. It was a beautiful 
day; unfortunately there was no way to enjoy it from inside the skyscraper. 
"Is something the matter Darien?"

"I'm considering a business agreement that would change 
everything. I'm not quite sure if I want to do this however. 

"You've always followed your gut instinct and it has rarely failed. Why 
do you hesitate now?"

"It's a merger. With Kyler Inc. In the end I come out on top. I inherit 
the fruit of the labor of the Kyler family."

Setsuna was surprised though the only expression on her beautiful 
face was the raising of one very neatly angled eyebrow. "Where's the 
catch?"

"I'm waiting to see it. Kyler's no fool. I can't see him merely giving 
his company away to me of all people without gaining something for all the 
years of hard work he and his predecessors have put into this company. I 
think most likely my answer will be no.

"Technically this is a rescue operation. A merger with Kyler Inc. 
makes them feel less like a sitting duck waiting to be eaten up by the first 
predator who happens to pass along the way. In this case that predator is 
one J.T. Montgomery who no one trusts for good reasons. I would get a 
reward for my heroic attempts though, and enormous profit potential and 
an international success of a company that is mine to do with as I wish. It's 
an enormously tempting reward. Too tempting to let slide by. I'm still 
waiting for Kyler to slip in that catch though. I think he knows that I'm 
tempted, he's just waiting until I say I'm willing to tell me exactly what his 
plan is."

"Well it seems there is little else to do but wait." Setsuna said.

"Mina get over here and if you can bring tall blonde and handsome 
with you that would be great. I need help!"

"What's going on Serena?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain when you get here. The short version of 
it is I'm supposed to seduce a gorgeous male into marrying me, whose 
usual female escort is the American standard of beauty and it's all 
happening tonight."

"What!" Mina screeched confused.

"Just get over here okay!"

It was a relief to know that she had two people she could count on to 
bolster her confidence. She had related the entire story to Andrew and 
Mina the night after she'd had dinner with her father. Mina had been 
disappointed not to have gained her as a sister but she had been mildly 
surprised when Andrew had frowned and said he didn't think it was the 
greatest idea but if she felt she should do it, it was up to her. Even more 
surprising however, was that he'd given Darien a stunning 
recommendation. 

She had assumed he wouldn't approve at all but it was apparent he 
was a new member of the Darien Derencourt fan club.  Mina had pouted 
and complained that she got all the good guys but Serena easily realized 
she didn't have him yet.

Serena hung up the phone. She'd had a week to think about it and 
she'd grown more nervous with each passing moment. 
Her father had informed her this morning that he'd be meeting 
Darien for dinner and that he wanted her to accompany him. He hadn't left 
her much time to panic, which is more than she had been all week. She 
had been a nervous wreck all week wondering what her father possibly saw 
in her that he thought she could get Derencourt to propose to her before 
they signed the documents necessary to complete the merger, if there 
would even be a merger. She wasn't as convinced as her father was that 
Darien would agree to the merger when he discovered that she was a part 
of the package.

She was equally worried about the possibility that he would agree 
and then where would she be? She had lost sleep imagining herself married 
to him and grown more upset with the realization that it was far too easy 
for her to do so.

She'd researched his entire life, at least whatever she could find on 
print. It hadn't gotten her any closer to thinking of herself as his wife. In 
fact the more she learned about him, the more she felt he wouldn't take 
well to the idea of having a wife. The man changed women like other men 
changed shirts! And from what she could tell he didn't leave any of them 
dissatisfied. She had tried to take it in stride and convince herself that if 
she ever managed to get him to out a ring on her finger she'd at least be 
guaranteed a good time in bed. That had caused her to blush until she felt 
she'd explode from the heat. She was ashamed of herself for first 
considering him on such a basic level, it was the same way men looked and 
treated women: sex first IQ later.

"It was hard not to think of him on that level. The little time she had 
spent in his presence, even in silence, not so subtle sexuality rolled off the 
man in waves. It made it difficult to imagine him committing to a 
relationship with her not so spectacular self. He'd be bored with her long 
before the ink on the marriage license was dry. 

She sucked in a deep breath as she took into consideration that she 
had to approach this carefully. Should she manage to complete the 
monumental task of getting him to marry her, she realized it would be 
forever. There would be no divorce. 

She sank down on the floor before her full-length mirror and let out a 
sigh of frustration. She could hardly believe she was seriously considering 
marriage so soon after breaking her engagement to Andrew. This shouldn't 
feel at all normal. She should be angry with her father and somewhere 
inside she was but she should not actually be hoping this would work out. 
She could not possibly actually want to marry Darien Derencourt. 
Less than half an hour later Mina, and Andrew burst in through her 
front door.

"Serena you wound me!" Andrew began dramatically. "No sooner 
than you crushed my poor heart in those beautiful hands than you've found 
another more wonderful and dear to you to take my place. My heart 
breaks," he moaned reaching the climax of his overacted dramatics.
Serena rolled her eyes. "Stop while you're ahead and don't quit your 
day job because there's no Oscar in the future for you."

"I can't believe you guys aren't engaged any more, I thought you 
were perfect together," Mina said almost mournfully. "I was actually 
looking forward to making a decent sister out of you," Mina added 
frowning.

"See what you've done Serena!" Andrew accused.

"Oh cut it out! I have a crisis on my hands. Well sort of. I don't know. 
My dad's going out to dinner with Darien to see if he will agree to the 
merger and he invited me to come along. "

"To sweeten the deal? Or for temptation?" Andrew asked.

"A little of both, I suspect, though I doubt it will work!"  Serena 
muttered under her breath. Andrew rolled his eyes. Unfortunately she 
wasn't being coy and fishing for compliments. He'd certainly spent enough 
time with her to know she was completely unaware of her own beauty in 
spite of the many times he'd reminded her of it. 

"So what's the problem?" Mina asked.

"I don't know what to wear!"
Andrew sank into a couch and picked up a magazine. "I can't believe 
you dragged me over hear to help you get dressed. Undressed I'd 
understand after all I know you miss me, you have to." He managed to 
duck before the pillow she threw at him could hit him in the head.

"She won't be missing you for long. I hear Darien's more than 
capable of undressing women."

"Don't remind me," Serena muttered. "I needed a man's opinion 
too."

"I don't see what the problem is, it's just a business dinner," Andrew 
said.

"It's a dinner with the man who may or may not be my husband. My 
entire future is being decided in one night! We dated for almost three years 
before we even considered getting engaged and now what some man I 
barely know says will decide whether or not I spend the rest of my life for 
him."

"Well there's no getting out of it now. Besides if he says no, life goes 
back to normal for you. So let's see your choices," Mina announced.
Serena went to her closet and pulled out the three dresses she'd 
narrowed her choices to and prepared to bring them out.

"Just try them on and let's see what they look like and we'll make 
our choice," Mina yelled from the living room.

The first one was a clingy black stretch cotton dress with a low wide 
neckline that emphasized her bust and her lithe female form all the way to 
mid-calf. To that she got a nod of approval but no rave reviews. Fortunately 
she'd expected as much.

The second was a pale blue that showed off her eyes. It was soft 
delicate cashmere and silk sleeveless dress with a droopy mock turtleneck. 
It skimmed her finger and made its stop at her knees.  She received 
delighted smiles and sly winks from the pair of siblings.

The last was a crme colored long sleeved crochet dress that 
stopped directly below the knees with a plunging v-neck so low the rose 
petals of her tattoo found it's way around the curve of her full breast and 
far out of reach of any of the delicate material of the dress. The back of the 
dress rivaled it's front by plunging so low the curve of her back was 
enticingly visible. It was one she'd never had reason to wear before. It was 
the one Mina insisted she wear. Andrew raised his eyebrows unable to stop 
his eyes from admiring her figure, and pointed out rather objectively that if 
she was going to seduce a man that was certainly the dress to wear. For 
the sake of her father's sanity however, he suggested a shawl, a rather 
large shawl. 

Darien drove his own BMW sedan rather than use the chauffeur 
driven limousine.  He was prepared to tell Kyler that he was unwilling to 
accept his offer. It was an excellent offer and he was sure he could work 
around any catch Kyler had to offer. 

The first time he'd been inside the Blue Lagoon he had been 
surprised. The restaurant's dcor, should have been tacky with most of its 
walls covered in blue green wallpaper that simulated water, it was actually 
quite beautiful. An entire wall was devoted to a rather large aquarium of 
expensive tropical fish and another looked out over the city, shimmering 
beautifully with all its bright colorful lights.

The last thing he expected when he entered the restaurant was to see 
a woman about to sit at Kyler's table, a secluded table for three with a view 
of the city. All he could see of her was her bare back where luxurious 
blonde curls tumbled down the opening left by a crme-colored crochet 
dress. Apparently, Kyler wasn't all business. Whoever that was, she wasn't 
his wife. It just may prove to be a more interesting evening than he had 
originally expected.

When he arrived at the table he couldn't contain his surprise when he 
saw the beautiful woman sitting next to Kyler. Serena Kyler sat next to her 
father looking even more attractive than the last time he'd seen her. If the 
back of the dress she was wearing was impressive, the deep V down the 
front was nothing short of spectacular. He couldn't recall seeing a better 
view, although he was more than surprised to see the rose tattoo curling up 
the side of one very smooth-skinned breast that flushed pink under his 
gaze.  She obviously had a side to her he hadn't yet seen.  He admitted to 
himself that he wouldn't mind seeing all her sides. Too bad she was taken.

As she felt his gaze wash over her, Serena couldn't help the blush 
that made her temperature rise a few more degrees. She tried to remain 
calm and collected without letting him know how hard her heart was 
beating as he looked at her, he was too attractive to live. He looked like 
he'd stepped off the runway of an Armani fashion show. His black suit 
hugged his imposing torso, emphasizing the width of his chest. His pants... 
she refused to look there in order to avoid turning a deeper shade of red. 
His black hair still hung a little too long into his exotic almost Asian eyes 
filled with pale icy blue orbs that were unnervingly soul piercing.
She was ashamed to find herself hesitating, trying to get a grip on 
reality when it was time to greet the man. Her brain seemed to have frozen 
momentarily. 

"It's nice to see you again Ms. Kyler, Mr. Kyler," Darien greeted. "You 
have a beautiful daughter Mr. Kyler, I thought we'd be alone this evening 
but your daughter's presence indicates something far more pleasant than 
business." 

 Kyler was pleased to see he was right. Derencourt was charming. His 
daughter's cheeks seemed to be made of rose petals. It was a good sign. 
She was obviously attracted to him.

"I'm happy to see you two have met, " Kyler said formally.  "As soon 
as we order, why don't we get down to business?"

"As you wish, Darien conceded."

The waiter appeared as if summoned by an unnatural force and took 
their orders. None of the three had problems making up their mind. In 
some ways they were all very much alike.  As the restaurant's specialty was 
gourmet seafood it was what made up the main course of their meal.

"I have changed my mind Derencourt," Kyler began. Darien's 
eyebrows shot up. He couldn't believe Kyler would back out now. He had 
seemed far more levelheaded than this.

"You are no longer considering the merger?" Darien questioned 
calmly.

"Yes, of course I am. I wish to add just one condition, and if it suits 
you, we can meet with our lawyers and have them draw up a contract."
Darien's blue eyes became coldly intense. Here was the catch. He 
wondered what it would be."

"What condition is that sir?"

Serena glanced nervously at her father. If Darien accepted this offer 
his life and hers would forever be changed. Suddenly she felt as if she were 
being sold and it brought a bitter taste to her mouth. For the sake of her 
family, she had agreed to be sold to a man she didn't really know. It was 
like an eighteenth century romance novel except there was no guarantee of 
a happy ending. In the real world, in this, enlightened, modern world, this 
was not romantic, it was archaic and ridiculous. Yet here she was all 
trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey waiting to see if Darien would accept 
her as his wife.  If she didn't stop thinking, she feared she'd ruin her make 
up with tears.

"I have decided that I want a part of my family to continue on this 
company. You see, my family depended on me to carry on this company, 
especially since my father could not. He wanted to be a musician, my 
grandfather disowned him and he later died in a car accident. My mother 
was in no condition to raise me and so my grandfather raised me and 
instilled in me family loyalty and values. My grandfather passed this 
company on to me and I have thought it over and decided I'd like to see it 
passed on to someone else in my family.

"As gifted as my daughter is, she is too young, and too 
inexperienced," and too female Serena added.  "Long ago I knew your 
mother well," Kyler continued. "I never had the chance to meet your father, 
but I suppose it is just as well, I may have killed him for marrying the 
woman I loved." Richard chuckled lightly, more to himself than to the other 
two people at the table. 

Darien was forced to mull over that new piece of information. His 
mother had once told him that she had loved once before his father. She 
hadn't said much besides the fact that his father had been the one to 
rescue her from what she called her "heart-wrenching well of despair."  So 
this was the man who had broken his mother's heart. A sudden sense of 
loyalty welled up in his heart and he was forced to push down a bit of anger 
towards this man who had caused one of only two women he could 
honestly say he loved, so much pain. He was forced to recall the refrain 
that had been the cause of his success, the one that reminded him that 
emotions and business didn't belong in the same arena.

"I have no doubt your mother raised you well. It is one of the reasons 
I am willing to entrust this company to you." Richard's face took on a look 
of reflection. "I wronged your mother back then, I chose my family over her. 
It is only right that I give to you what I couldn't give to her."
"There is no need to make amends for past deeds. My mother did 
well enough on her own. She and my father were happy together." Richard 
only nodded. 

"I'm not exactly sure what you're proposing here," Darien said 
somewhat annoyed with the delay.

"I'm proposing a marriage, between you and my daughter. Please 
don't say no before you think about it," Richard said hurriedly raising his 
palms in an attempt to quell any shocked outburst Darien might have had. 
It was unnecessary. Darien remained calm, for the first time noticing 
Serena's nervousness. "I want you to be a part of my family."

"It was brilliant of you to wait to spring this one on me until after I 
thought over your attractive offer." Darien said coldly.

"Please, Mr. Derencourt," Serena began as she felt him closing 
himself off.  She could hardly believe she was actually going to make an 
attempt to salvage this. "I want you to understand that this is not just a 
business, it's a family, a highly profitable family, but a family all the same. 
In my family we don't always get along, in fact in some ways we're very 
dysfunctional, but we stick together and we're loyal to each other when it 
counts. This business has been in our family for four generations and I 
don't have to do this but I chose to offer myself up to save this family 
because it is my family and I owe it to myself to do what is best for its 
success."

"I can see how it benefits you, Ms. Kyler, but am I to offer myself as 
the lamb upon the sacrificial altar of marriage to save your family?  As you 
said it is your family. I do not have any of the bonds you have to it.  I don't 
have to do this. I am not the one in need of help here. "

"There are people in this world who don't think of marriage as a 
sacrifice, Mr. Derencourt. You have nothing to lose, the risk is almost 
entirely mine isn't it?" Serena replied, gaining courage with her argument. 

"A wife is not so terrible a thing, even for a man like yourself."

He could almost believe her. Her face held such conviction. For a 
moment that seemed to last forever he stared at her. His roaming eyes 
seemed fixed on her face, her big blue eyes that held just a touch of violet 
framed by long silken dark lashes, her perfect, soft sweet pink lips, the 
heated flush of her cheeks, and the faintest touch of freckles he hadn't 
really noticed before across the bridge of her perfect aristocratic nose. He 
closed his eyes momentarily to rid himself of the image but her face 
seemed to have embedded itself on the insides of his eyelids.

"What about Andrew, your fiance?" he asked. He was disturbed by 
the idea that she'd toss aside her fiance to marry a perfect stranger at the 
will of her father. He felt sorry for her almost. He could hardly believe a 
father would ask this of his own child.

"Andrew and I were never truly in love, we broke our engagement 
almost two weeks ago."

"You did it quietly, it never made the society pages."
Serena smiled. "I find it hard to believe you read the society pages."

"I don't." Darien returned the smile. The smile left his face she had 
broken her engagement because she hadn't been in love and yet here she 
was suggesting a marriage of convenience, one without the love she was 
obviously looking for. She was right. The sacrifice was hers. It was one he 
wasn't sure he would have been able to make. He resented her father on 
her behalf. He couldn't have done this to his own child.

Darien turned his attention back to Kyler. "Since you've made the 
offer more complicated, I will have think about it. I'll get back to you."

 It would occur to Darien later that he had had every intention of 
saying no to the deal. Why was he thinking it over now?
