The Mathematician (Book 1)

1. If The Shoe Fits (and even if it doesn't)

I think minutes passed. Harry merely glared at me like he was waiting for me to say something obvious, but I was a newfound mute.

He fucking knew – How?

"Come on," He then finally said, after whole minutes of stunned silence on my behalf. He calmly sipped his glass of wine and lowered his gaze. "I spend all day working on some of the hardest mathematical problems out there, and you really thought I didn't know that my brother hired you to sleep with me in hopes I might get you pregnant?" He smiled crookedly. "And who said vasectomies were unappealing."

I couldn't believe this. So much for my deep cover. And all of the money I was promised. "If you knew, why didn't you send me away at the door?" I found my voice at last. He was right; He was smart, so there was really no point in playing dumb here. 

"Because," he simply responded, "I want to offer you twice the money my brother is paying you to report back to him and say that we are sleeping together."

My eyes widened in even more shock. That was a twist I didn't see coming. "What?"

"Which part are you questioning, Ms Berry?"

Uh. All of it. "You want me to lie to your brother?"

"Didn't he do the same thing to me?" He pointed out. "As did you. You came here under false pretense with the intentions of having my baby. I suggest you either take my money and report back to my brother that you're sleeping with me, or that you get out of here penniless. The choice is yours."

"But... why?" I asked, trying to keep my mind in order. Was this really happening? "Why would you give me such an offer? Why not just send me away and save a fortune? I mean, what's your gain in this... twisted shit?" I thought he would've beat me up by now. I mean, I would've. Baby-trapping men for money was probably the lowest reason to get a child.

"Money is a game for us, Cassandra." He impassively started. "My brother has enough to sustain the next six of his generations, but he can't actually do that without an heir. The money would go to our cousin should both of us die without one. He hates our cousin," He dryly chuckled and finished his wine. "He'd rather pay a woman exorbitant amounts of cash to sleep with his brother for an heir, than hand over his legacy to our next of kin. And that, to me, is by far the best entertainment; To watch my brother so desperate, he'd try and turn his own brother into a breeder. That's my gain."

"So let me get this straight," I replied. "You're not interested in sex?"

"In general or with you?"

"With me," I bit. 

He slowly smiled and then shook his head. "No."

Alright then. Ouch. "But you are interested in spending tons of money on paying me to tell your brother that we are sleeping together? Even though we're not... All for your own amusement?"

"That's correct."

I stared at him for a long moment. That was the most insane form of humor I'd ever heard of. "You're crazy."

"Said the woman who accepted an eight figure check to sleep with a man she'd never met." He parried. 

I leaned back in my chair. "Alright, touché. So what now then? Since we're not gonna fuck, what am I supposed to do here? Just hang around?"

"I honestly couldn't care," He said and now poured himself a new glass of wine, chugging down three big sips. "Pardon me if I don't seem empathic, but you were trying to con me into knocking you up. What you do from here on out I couldn't care less about, as long as you keep reporting back to my brother. At the end of the summer, you leave and take your money with you, and I never see you here again. Go buy yourself a new life. I'll take care of my brother."