"Why don't you join me up here, Howard?" she offered, peeking down the branch at him.

A frown creased Howard's face as he glared up at her. His chin, dented with a dimple, was pointed upwards, his sun-kissed skin glowed with sweat, and his curly brown hair seemed messy today. She ran her gaze appreciatively down the length of him; Howard was a handsome man. It was a fact Gloria knew of. She noticed the way the women looked at him the last time they were in town together, but she didn't care. She wasn't one to feel jealous, least of all over a man.

Noticing he ignored her invitation, she heaved a breath and began climbing down the tree, avoiding the hem of her skirt for fear she would tumble down. Howard stood at the foot of the tree, arms outstretched, as she approached. He wrapped his arms around her waist and helped her settle on her feet.

Once down, he placed his hand on her waist and ushered her away from the small gathering of trees. The house stood at a far distance, but Howard didn't utter a single word until they finished the trek to the building and made their way through the house and into their bedroom. Then he shut the door behind him and turned to her.

"Mind telling me what this is about?"

Confused, she watched him. She recognized the lust that darkened his gaze and she half expected him to rip her clothes off in that second. But he stood there, motionless, as he glared at her.

She waited a few seconds for him to elaborate on his question. When no further explanation came forth, she sighed. "What?"

"This!" He growled. "This! Us! What are we about? Because I cannot understand." She quirked a brow, holding his gaze, uncertain what he was ranting about. "Do you despise me, Gloria?"

"Why on earth would you think that?"

"Well, for starters, let's see... you, Gloria, are cold. Distant! Unapproachable! Hard-hearted! Selfish! Inconsiderate..."

She bit down on her lower lip to keep her laughter from spewing out as she considered the spoiled child before her. Howard was used to having his way and the second he realized he couldn't have his way with Gloria — for she wasn't the perfect wife he desired — he resorted to whining about it. She didn't feel like having a conversation with a spoiled child, but obviously, Howard felt the need for a pity party, and she was required to attend, whether or not she wanted to.

So she stood there, saying nothing while listening to him whine about her selfishness; what sort of woman held back her feelings from her husband? What sort of woman didn't respond to his kisses? What sort of woman lay unmoving while he tried to be intimate with her?

"Maybe we should end this. This ― whatever this is."

She frowned then, realizing what he wanted; a divorce! While she wanted nothing but to be released from this ridiculous marriage, she couldn't let Howard divorce her, for she needed him. She was offered money to marry him, and she needed to stay married if she was going to walk out of here with any money.

Howard obviously wanted her, but was too proud to take her when she sat unmoving. It hurt his ego. So, she needed to treat him like some of her solicitors in San Francisco. They were men who paid for her services but got cold feet before they got their money's worth. Gloria had walked away from the first man she encountered like that, and Coleen had been furious. According to Coleen, it was the client's job to pay for Gloria's services, and it was Gloria's job to convince them to take it.

Perhaps Howard needed some convincing.

A smile played at the corners of her lips as she took measured steps toward him. His eyelids grew a notch as her palm came to rest on his chest. Slowly, she worked to undo his buttons and slid his shirt off. She held his gaze, seeing the glimmer of lust spark into a full bonfire. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his.

She ran her hands up and down his bare chest, mentally noting every dent in his body. She reached down, finding his belt and working to take it off. If she could give him what he wanted, he'd let her carry on with her day in peace and, hopefully, her year until the contract with Stuart was over.

She was about to pull off his belt when his hands took hold of her face, and he captured her lips. She kissed him in return, her hands pressed against his chest.

"What do you feel, Gloria?" She heard his breathless whisper against her neck, but said nothing. Gloria had always despised talking and working. When she had a job to do, she went right to it, looking forward to when it ends.

"Gloria?"

Irritated, she tilted her head to the side, their kiss deepening — if only to shut him up.

He pulled away, his eyes questioning her. "What do you feel?" he asked once more.

Gloria had never, in all her life, been resisted by any man; neither had she ever met a man who wanted to talk rather than sleep with her.

She wanted to yell at him and tell him she felt nothing! The only thing she could feel was hunger, anger and, on rare occasions, passion. If he wanted love, he could look elsewhere.

"Does it matter?" She offered a flirtatious smile, her finger drawing an invisible line down his chest. "Hmm?" she purred, leaning forward and reaching for his lips.

Howard stepped back, and but for the timely realization of his rejection, she would have fallen forward. Offended, she watched as he scrambled for his shirt that was lying carelessly across the room. He shrugged on his shirt and quickly buttoned it.

"Howard!" she yelled as he made for the door.

He stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. "It does," he whispered. "It matters." He pulled the door wide open and walked out.

Horrified, she watched him leave. For the first time in Gloria's life, she had failed to satisfy a man; it was a realization that filled her with a despicable feeling of defeat and a desperate desire to be the one to conquer Howard. She would conquer Howard, and it would be a conquest that wouldn't require love.