
Okay. I canNOT be the ONLY ONE who would be more apt to fall OUT OF LOVE with someone that tried to blackmail or coerce me into a relationship (no matter HOW wonderful the person was otherwise). I mean, SERIOUSLY, what is okay with that?!? NOTHING! He could just as easily had the contract say that he wanted her on in a part-time advisory capacity (part-time so as not to interfere with her job), and even use that as an excuse to talk over meals and request her to do him a favor of joining him at parties to keep Alicia away, etc. There was NO REASON to actually blackmail her.
And speaking of which, WHY did she NOT THINK to take a tape or voice recorder with her when she confronted him so that she would have EVIDENCE of him doing so?!? Granted, the moment her brother's sexuality had been brought up, she would have felt like she could no longer USE the recording. But at least she would have given it a good try!
If not for the blackmail aspect, this would have been a WONDERFUL story. But that just ruined the entire thing. I will never understand why Harlequin authors honestly think that blackmailing someone into a relationship is romantic....

Nope. Couldn't get past her stealing the money. There was NO excuse. She shouldn't have even entertained the idea of asking for a loan after ONLY just having had sex with him for the first time. I can completely understand him thinking that she was only after his money at that point. And his pressing charges. She should have called her sister back and told her the truth, that she didn't have the money after all. Or she could have asked her boss/lover for ADVICE on how to handle things. If HE had decided THEN to loan the money, that would have been fine. But just in those few first pages, the story just turned my stomach too much.
So he didn't interfere or worry because he thought his husband was arguing with and confessed to by a woman.... Actually, I can see that. LOL