by Hamel, B. B.
I head back out into the living room. Cerise and Maxime are not where I left them, which is actually a good thing. Maxime is now sitting on the couch where, just ten minutes before, Cerise suggested that I undress her and fuck her while her husband watches, just to really seal the deal.
It took me completely off guard. We were just idly chatting about musicals when she suddenly asked if I found her attractive. She is a beautiful woman, and I didn’t want to insult her, so I told her the truth. Yes, of course I do.
“Beautiful enough to fuck?” she whispered in this sultry croon. “Beautiful enough to undress, right here, and fuck while my husband watches?”
“I’m not sure that’d be appropriate,” I said, desperately trying to think of anything to get me out of the situation. “Besides, I doubt your husband would enjoy it.”
“Oh, don’t worry about Maxime. He is very… open-minded. You see, we like to do this, for big business deals, yes? You fuck me, make me happy, show me how committed you are… and then I open all the doors you need. Do you understand?”
I understood, all right. She opens her legs for me… then she opens the gates to one of the most exclusive real estate markets in the world.
See, if she were anybody else, I’d throw her ass out so fast she’d bruise. But Cerise and Maxime are distantly related to the reigning monarch of Monaco, Prince Albert. He controls everything that happens in his kingdom, including all real estate deals.
And I desperately want to build in Monaco. The country is essentially a tourist playground for the wealthiest people in the entire world. Any new luxury hotel built in Monaco is practically guaranteed to thrive— and make millions.
But it’s normally impossible. Monaco is a tiny country and development is strictly controlled. Fortunately, though, I ran into Cerise and Maxime at a film premiere two year ago, and after I realized who they are, I’ve been working on this deal ever since.
Now we’re so close… and all I have to do is fuck a married woman.
But I can’t.
As beautiful as she is, I’m not that kind of man. I wouldn’t fuck someone for a business deal and I sure as hell wouldn’t fuck a married woman, no matter how “open-minded” her husband may be. I have principles and morals, believe it or not.
So I say the only thing that comes to mind in the moment.
“I’m sorry, but I’m with my assistant, Paige. We keep it a secret for obvious reasons, but I couldn’t do that to her. We’re very much in love.”
What a stupid fucking plan.
But Cerise seemed to buy it. She was disappointed, but she didn’t press the matter too hard. And when I saw Paige go to the bathroom out of the corner of my eye…
I decided to make my move and cement this fiction for real.
Except as I come back into the room, I’m starting to think maybe that wasn’t such a great idea.
Maxime gestures for me to join him on the couch. Cerise is lingering over near the bar, a glass of wine in her hand, looking bored as she looks out the window at the city skyline.
“Sit, sit,” Maxime says to me. I hesitate but I sit down next to the man. He beams at me with these unnaturally white teeth. “So, are you doing okay? You were gone for a long time.”
His grin suggests that yes, our little act was definitely noticed.
“I’m fine,” I say stiffly.
“Good, good, good.” Maxime laughs but it sounds a little forced. “Cerise tells me you are with your assistant girl. Very pretty, very young. Good for you, I hope?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Good, good.” He beams at me. “She says you turned her down, but do not worry. I understand. You’re with another and you’re faithful. We respect that.”
Cerise makes a scoffing sound from the window. Maxime’s smile falters slightly but he keeps on beaming.
“Thank you,” I manage to say.
“Cerise and I discussed things while you were, ah, indisposed,” he says, “and we want to move forward with our arrangements. We’d like our lawyers to meet, papers to be drawn up. Can you arrange this?”
“Absolutely,” I say, my heart beating quicker in my chest. “I can have it done in the morning.”
“Good, good. But no rush, no rush. We plan on staying in the States for at least another week.”
Just then, Paige slips back into the room. She comes in silently, moving along the far wall, but as we all look over at her, she adjusts her dress ever so slightly. It’s a tiny gesture, but it says so much—that her dress needed adjustment, that something happened to move it out of place. As Maxime looks at me, I catch Paige’s eye and she gives me the slightest smile.
Oh, god. What a clever girl. She did that on purpose, just to sell our little ruse even more.
And she has no clue why she’s even doing it. Damn, the girl earned that ten thousand. Hell, she should’ve asked for more.
“Oh, Paige, Paige,” Maxime says suddenly as Paige moves to escape into the kitchen. She pauses like a mouse caught by a cat. “Come, come, join us over here.”
I turn to look at her, my eyes hard. She looks back at me, panicking. I just give her a sharp nod and she slowly moves over in our direction.
“Can I get you anything?” she asks. “I was just going to check on dessert.”
Maxime scoffs. “You are not working now, yes? We know about you and Leon, it is okay. You don’t have to hide it in front of us.”
She looks even more panicked now but she plasters a smile on her face. “Yes. Right. Sorry.”
“Lucky girl,” Cerise says, drifting over from the window. She cocks her head, looking Paige up and down. The two women couldn’t be more different: Cerise is tall and willow-thin with pale skin and blonde hair while Paige is shorter, curvier, with thick dark hair and almost dark-chocolate-colored eyes.
“Uh, yes,” she says, still forcing a smile.
“Let’s not drag her into this,” I say. “You’re not comfortable talking about this, are you?”
She shakes her head quickly. “Not at all.”
“Come now,” Cerise says. “Just because you are lovers with your boss, it is not a bad thing, no?”
Paige’s eyes go slightly wide but she quickly does the math.
I’m sorry, my gaze says. She glances at me and glances away.
“I didn’t know that was anyone’s business,” she says almost primly.
Cerise laughs. “No, of course not, dear. How old are you, if I may ask?”
“Twenty-two,” Paige answers.
“And is this your first job, out of university?”
“Second,” Paige says. “I worked for a non-profit before.”
“Ah, non-profit. Tell me, did you learn that you have a thing for bosses there?”
Paige’s eyes go wide and Cerise smiles demurely.
“Darling,” Maxime snaps, looking annoyed. “Leave the girl alone. This is a good night, we should be celebrating.”
Cerise looks away from Paige and smiles at her husband. “Of course, darling. To our coming business arrangement.” The woman raises her glass. “And to the money we’ll make.”
Maxime sighs as his wife drains her glass, places it down gently on an end table, and then exits the room.
He stands up, giving me an apologetic look. “She gets like this when she doesn’t get her way,” he explains. “I am very apologetic. Please, draw up the papers, we will speak tomorrow, yes?”
“Of course,” I say and stand. I shake Maxime’s hand as the man looks over at Paige.
“And to you, I am sorry. I wish you both the best. Your secret is safe with us, despite how my wife may act, she is very discreet.” He winks at me then leaves, following his wife out.
I stand in the room with Paige and we listen to Maxime and his wife argue in the hallway in hushed tones. They’re speaking French too quickly for me to follow and their voices recede as they head toward the front door. I hear them disappear out into the hall and the door slam shut behind them.
“
What the hell did you tell them?” Paige snaps at me.
I turn back to her. She’s radiant still, just like she was back in the bathroom. Even though she’s clearly pissed, I still find her incredibly sexy.
I knew she was attractive before that moment in the bathroom, but I wouldn’t let myself pay any attention to her. I was focused on my job and she was just another part of that. I keep my private life and my business life separate at all times.
But now those two spheres just met and I don’t think I could separate them even if I tried. Not when Paige looks like that… not when her moans are stuck in my mind.
“I can explain,” I say.
“Go ahead.” She crosses her arms. “Explain.”
So I recount the whole story, starting with how I met the couple to Cerise’s proposition on the couch.
“That’s when I came into the bathroom,” I say. “I needed you to, you know, convince them that we’re really together.”
“And you thought that getting me to fake an orgasm was the best way to do it?”
“It felt like the more expedient way,” I answer with a shrug.
She clenches her jaw. “If you just explained, I could’ve played along. You know, instead of embarrassing me.”
“Is that what you think I did?”
She blushes a little. “I didn’t know they’d be listening.”
“You think I just made you fake an orgasm… for my own benefit?”
“Well, I didn’t think about it, okay!” She throws up her hands. “I’ve never had something like that happen.”
“I haven’t either,” I admit. “Maybe I should’ve explained but I didn’t think I had time.”
“Well, you should’ve anyway,” she says, shifting slightly. “So what now? I mean, I can’t just keep faking orgasms for you.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad,” I muse slightly with a smile on my face.
She just glares at me. “Do you have a plan?”
“I’ll admit, I’m flying blind here.”
“Of course you are. You didn’t think past your dick.”
I raise an eyebrow. “My dick had nothing to do with it, if you recall. It was all fake.”
“Right. Whatever.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “So they think we’re together.”
“That’s right. Otherwise I would’ve insulted Cerise and this whole deal would’ve gone up in flames. I’ve worked too hard to lose it like this.”
She watches me carefully for a second and I can see the gears turning in her mind… and I have to admit, I’m a little worried.
Paige is a smart girl. There’s a reason I hired her over the literal hundreds of other applicants. She’s clever, quick, and competent. I’m hard on her but only because I know she can take it.
“You need me,” she says.
I let out a long sigh. “Looks that way.”
“You need me to pretend to be your girlfriend.”
“Secret lover.”
“Whatever.”
“Maybe I do. Maybe we’ll just break up.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. Then Cerise will just expect you to put out and I don’t think you want that.” She hesitates a second. “Why don’t you want that?”
“She’s married,” I say. “And I’m not a whore. I don’t mix sex with business.”
“Right. Okay. Makes sense.” She takes a breath. “So you need me.”
“We established that already.”
Slowly a smile crosses her face and she strokes her chin. “I want a million dollars.”
I laugh. “No.”
“This isn’t worth it?”
“It probably is, but I’m not going to let you browbeat me into a stupid deal, my dear.” I walk toward her and I love the way she reacts to me, almost physically stepping backwards, like I’m a magnet pushing her away.
All I need to do is flip the polarity and drag her toward me and she’ll be all mine.
“You can afford it.”
“I definitely can.”
I stop inches away from her. I love how uncomfortable it makes her.
Means she probably wants to make that fake orgasm turn into a real one just as bad as I want to make it happen.
“So then do it. One million and I’ll play along.”
“How about this? I’ll double your salary for as long as you have to pretend.”
She purses her lips, clearly annoyed. “No way. Not enough.”
“You already make good money. Twice that is more than you could dream of.”
“No way. Triple it. And I want to work fewer hours.”
I laugh, genuinely delighted.
“How about this?” I reach out and cup her chin, tilting her beautiful full lips up toward mine. “I’ll quadruple your salary, but you’ll work just as long and as hard as I fucking tell you to. And when this is all over and I have my hotel built, I’ll give you half a million bonus.”
She blinks and stares into my eyes, but she doesn’t pull away. I’m surprised by that but I think she likes my touch. Either way, she puts herself in my hands… she gives herself to me.
“Deal,” she says finally. “But this is just pretend. I’m not actually going to…”
“Like I said. I’m not a whore and I don’t expect you to be one, either. That fake orgasm is as far as we’ll go.” I lean forward, lips brushing past hers, to stop at her ear. “Unless you beg me to go further.”
She turns her head away and stumbles backward. She’s bright red again, flushed and breathing fast, just like she was back in the bathroom.
“Asshole,” she says. “Don’t do that, okay?”
“You’d better get used to it if we’re going to make this work.”
She shakes her head and glares at me again. “I wasn’t prepared, okay?”
“Cerise and Maxime might seems ridiculous, but they’re rich, smart, and very well-connected. If we’re going to fool them, we can’t do this halfway.”
She takes a breath, steadies herself, and nods. “Okay. Okay. We have a deal. I’ll play along.”
“Good girl.” I smile again, cocking my head. “Now, please straighten up. I’ll be in my office.”
She glares at me again. “Oh, of course. Right back to being your assistant.”
“You are my assistant. Don’t forget it.”
She makes a face then gathers herself and nods once. “Yes, sir.”
I smile at that. She’s called me “sir” hundreds of times and it never once really reached my ears… but hearing it now sends a shiver of pleasure down my spine.
“Good girl,” I say, almost purring the words, and I swear she blushes again.
I leave the room, a smile on my face.
This is a crazy scheme and I’m offering Paige a lot of money. She may actually end up with her million at the end of this, depending on how long it drags out.
But I suspect she’s going to be worth every single penny.
3
Paige
The next morning when I wake up at the ass-crack of dawn and roll out of bed, a strange thought hits me:
I’m working for way more than I was just yesterday.
I’ve been getting up at five in the morning every weekday since I started this job, and every morning I’ve found it harder and harder to justify feeling so tired for a job I hate. I think that’s why I finally decided to quit, just sheer exhaustion finally overtook me.
But this morning, it feels like an entirely new world.
Sure, this little arrangement is absolutely bonkers. We’re tricking some foreign couple that’s related to some tiny monarchy in a tiny European country so my boss can build some ludicrously expensive luxury hotel and make millions of dollars. It’s the kind of situation people roll their eyes at.
But that ten-thousand-dollar check didn’t bounce when I deposited it through my mobile app and I know Leon’s good for the rest.
I shower, get dressed in simple black slacks and a navy blouse, grab a
quick breakfast, pour some coffee into a to-go mug, and run out the door. It’s my usual morning hustle, but…
Well, it’s a glorious morning hustle now.
I’m making money, baby.
I hurry to Leon’s office. He works out of the same building he lives in, just a few floors down. I get there before him, right around six, and I get everything ready for him. He wants three newspapers laid out, plus a cup of steaming hot coffee with just the right amount of cream prepped to go. I have his messages set up and his computer logged in with his email already open. I do the coffee last, just before he walks in the door.
I could set my watch by Leon Price. Heck, I probably should. He comes in through the door at 6:30 sharp, sits down at his desk, surveys everything in front of him, and finally looks up at me.
“Good morning,” he says flatly.
There’s no knowing wink, no smile of recognition. It’s like last night didn’t happen. I bristle a little bit but I don’t let it show.
“Good morning, sir,” I say.
Maybe I’m dreaming but I think I see a little flash of something in his expression. But as quickly as it appears, he’s already turning to look at his computer.
“Busy day today,” he says. “I need you to take a stack of contracts across town and be back in an hour for a meeting I want transcribed.”
I clear my throat. “I can’t get across town and back in an hour.”
He arches an eyebrow. “You can’t or you won’t?”
I bunch my fists and release them. “Can’t. It just takes longer than that.”
“Make it take less time.” He says it flatly with a slight disapproving frown. “Or are you going to be lazy now that you’re making more money?”
I glare at him. “No, sir,” I say.
“Good.” He reaches into a top drawer and pulls out a large envelope. “Address is on the top. Be back in an hour, please.”
I accept the envelope without another word. I don’t have time to waste fighting him on this.
I’m already ordering an Uber as I hustle to the elevator. I think about taking the stairs but that won’t save me much time and I’ll only get sweaty. I’m jittery when I get downstairs and outside, and my Uber arrives a couple minutes later.
