by Laura Conway
“Nothing really... She said she didn’t think you’d ever find someone to put up with your work ethic.”
Andrea laughed. “She would say that.”
“But you’re friends now though, right?”
“We try to be... It’s easier for her.”
“Why’s that?”
“She cheated on me, repeatedly, with a younger woman that she met on a business trip. She was only going for a weekend... Which turned into a week, and she finally came home two weeks later, with this woman. That was it.”
“Wow. That was... Harsh.”
“It was a long time ago,” Andrea said with a dismissive gesture.
Carley nodded. “I’m sorry I brought all this up... I just needed to know what was going on. I thought I screwed something up.”
“You didn’t. And you’re doing a great job, by the way. I don’t think I’ve properly said that yet.”
“Thanks... I came down to go for a swim,” Carley said, standing up. She lifted her tank top over her head to reveal a royal blue bikini top. “Do you want to join me?”
Andrea eyes lingered on Carley, and she eventually tore them away. “Yeah. Sure... Why not?” Andrea couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone for a swim. She’d been so busy lately. She left her tumbler on the coffee table. “I’ll go get changed and join you.”
“Okay,” Carley said as she took off her shorts. Andrea watched her tie her hair back in a messy bun, the muscles in her back becoming visible as she maneuvered the hair tie around her blond locks.
Andrea shook her head as she went inside. She’d just checked out her P.A. That was not something that could happen, and that was just the start of the list of reasons why she shouldn’t be interested in Carley. She was a lot younger than her, and she was leaving in five months. Andrea could keep going, but she pushed any thoughts of being attracted to Carley away as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.
Chapter Seventeen
Carley took her memory card out of her camera and uploaded the pictures onto her laptop. She’d gotten into the habit of coming down by the pool when it was dark and relaxing here rather than in her room or on her balcony. Andrea was usually out having drinks or dinner with someone or locked in her office working late into the night.
Andrea had given her the afternoon off today. Carley wasn’t sure what Andrea was doing, but she’d asked Carley to have her driver ready for her at 3:00pm. Carley spent her evening at the marina, taking photos and wandering around Marbella which she’d had very little time to do since she’d arrived here six weeks ago.
She flicked through the hundred or so photos she’d taken, putting a few in a separate folder to edit later. She got some good shots of the humongous yachts and exotic sports cars parked nearby. It was so different from the normal travel photos she took that Carley didn’t feel the hours slip by as she made her way around Puerto Banus. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the amount of wealth in this area even after spending a few weeks with Andrea.
She closed her laptop and left it on the sofa. She padded over to the house to go inside and put on her bikini. It was just after midnight, but this was her favorite time to go swimming, especially if she didn’t have an early start the next morning, and as far as she knew, she didn’t.
Carley was just leaving the kitchen when she heard the front door open. She was just about to say ‘Hello,’ but she heard another voice that she didn’t recognize. Carley stopped in her tracks. If she kept going, she’d meet Andrea and whoever she was with at the bottom of the stairs. Carley stayed in the kitchen, waiting to hear which way they went. She didn’t want to interrupt them. It might be a late-night business meeting knowing Andrea.
She heard the door close as she leaned against the wall, listening for the clicking of Andrea’s heels, but she didn’t hear anything. A gasp, quickly followed by a moan, got the better of Carley’s curiosity, and she peaked around the corner to see Andrea with her back to her, pinning a dark-haired woman against the door, her hands held above her head. The woman’s head was thrown back as Andrea kissed her neck, working her way up to her lips.
Carley hid behind the wall before she was seen, taking a deep breath as she crept back towards the French doors and went outside. Her heart was racing as she stretched out on the sofa, praying that they wouldn’t come out here. She reached for her laptop and turned it on. She could edit a few photos while she waited for a chance to get upstairs without being seen.
Carley didn’t know why she was so shocked. Andrea was a very attractive woman, and in the last few weeks, Carley had never seen her show any interest in anyone. Maybe she was dating that woman, although it seemed unlikely, because Carley was in charge of her schedule. Today was the first time she’d been so cryptic about where she was going. Usually Carley went with her, and she did find it unusual to be left behind, but at the time, she was happy to have the afternoon off. Now, she didn’t know what she was feeling.
She tried to focus on the photos in front of her, but the image of Andrea pinning that woman against the door stayed at the front of her mind. She stared at the water gently lapping against the pools edge, and she realized what was wrong with her, why she felt a little nauseous and almost restless.
She was jealous.
Chapter Eighteen
Carley returned to their table with two pints of Guinness and slid into the booth across from her. Andrea swiped away the notification on her phone reminding her about James’s wedding in three weeks’ time. She’d set a reminder to go off every Tuesday night for the last six months, but she still hadn’t found a solution to her problem.
This wedding was going to be the social event of the year, and there was no way that she was going single. Almost everyone she did business with would be there, and somehow everyone else seemed to have a healthy work life balance, or at the very least, they all had found someone to spend their lives with. Andrea wasn’t going to show up on her own, but she was running out of time. There was an obvious solution, but Andrea had been reluctant to ask.
“Cheers,” Carley said, lifting her pint class to make sure the Guinness had settled.
“Cheers,” Andrea echoed, clinking their glasses together.
They’d arrived in Dublin that morning, and her day had been full of meetings and visits to potential investments since they’d landed. Now, it was almost nine o’clock, and Andrea had suggested that they find a local bar to soak up some of the atmosphere while they were here. Her schedule didn’t always give her the time to explore a city, but their flight back tomorrow was in the evening with a few more appointments scheduled for the morning. They could enjoy a night out while they were here.
The pub was crowded but their booth was in the back, away from the laughter and the occasional song that broke out at the front where the bar was located. Andrea took a long drink, getting past the creamy head and taking a good mouthful of the black stout that tasted of hints of chocolate and coffee. She knew that wasn’t what Guinness was supposed to taste like, but when those flavors hit her tongue, she knew it was a good pint.
“Have you been to Ireland before?” Andrea asked as she licked her lips.
“Last year I came over to trace my roots. I could only get a week off work, but I went to Cork where my grandmother was from. Have you done business here before?”
Andrea nodded. “Property is expensive here, but if you can find a good deal, it’s worth it. The rents are incredibly high, especially in Dublin...” Andrea brought her pint to her lips. She wasn’t really in the mood to talk about business, not that kind of business anyway. “Look, Carley,” Andrea said with a sigh. “I have a favor to ask you.”
“Okay...”
“It’s possibly a bit weird, but I want you to think of it as an extension of your job, okay?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Do you remember meeting James at Stephanie’s birthday party?”
“Yeah, of course,” Carley said. “You said you often do business together, s
o I tried to remember his name for future reference.”
“Well, he’s my best friend too, and he’s getting married in three weeks.”
“Oh, that’s great. I didn’t see anyone with him that night.”
“His fiancé was around somewhere. He’s about the same height as James, but his hair is a lighter shade of brown, and he’s got a lot of tattoos... Anyway, it’s kind of a big event. I mean, I know it is. It’s his wedding, but apart from that, it’s a social event. Everyone we do business with will be there. We have a lot of the same friends.”
“Okay,” Carley said, bringing her pint to her lips.
“It’s just a really big deal.”
“What can I do to help?”
Andrea couldn’t believe she was about to say this. How had her life become so pathetic?
“So, I was wondering,” Andrea said, trying to figure out how to phrase this. “Would you be willing to come to James’s wedding as my date?”
“Like I did to Stephanie’s party? Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
“No. I mean as my date, as in... People need to think that we’re together.”
“You want me to be your fake girlfriend?” Carley asked with a smile.
“Yes.”
“Sorry,” Carley said with a laugh. “I don’t know what to say... What about that woman you brought home last week? Couldn’t you bring her?”
Andrea shrugged her blazer off her shoulders. When had it gotten so hot in here? She also thought she’d gotten away with bringing Sara home that night without Carley noticing.
“I’d prefer to bring you,” Andrea said, taking another drink.
“And why’s that?” she asked with a smirk.
Andrea stared back at her. Carley was having fun with this. “I think we’d both enjoy ourselves. The wedding’s in Nerja, and I think it’ll be believable that we’re together. You know... Since we know each other.”
Carley shrugged. “Will it be believable though? I mean, at least you’ve been with that other woman. We just work together, and I’d like to think that we’re friends.”
Andrea didn’t think she’d have to try this hard to convince Carley. Maybe it was a sign. “Of course, we’re friends, and it’ll be worth your while, financially speaking. Your pay check will double that week.”
“What?” Carley asked.
“That’s right. I said to think of it as an extension of your job, and I appreciate that this is not what you signed up for, but will you at least consider it? I need to know soon though... If it’s not you, I’ll need to find someone else.”
They both took a drink, and Andrea was starting to wish that she hadn’t asked her at all. She never thought it would be this difficult. She probably should have led with the money.
“Okay,” Carley said as she put her pint down. “I’ll do it.”
“You will?”
She nodded. “I don’t really understand why you can’t find someone else to do it. I mean... You’re beautiful,” she said with a shy smile. “But, hey. If you want to double my pay, why not?”
“Thanks, I think,” Andrea said, returning her smile. “It’s a two-day event. Wedding Saturday and an after-party Sunday.”
“That’s fine with me.”
“If you change your mind-”
“I won’t... So, how long have we been dating?” Carley asked, flashing her a smile.
Chapter Nineteen
Carley took another drink. She’d had Guinness before but never in Ireland. There was definitely a difference, and she was glad that she was drinking. She couldn’t believe the conversation she was in the middle of with Andrea. In three weeks, she was going to be going to a wedding with Andrea, posing as her girlfriend.
The request had taken Carley by surprise because... Well, it was a bit ridiculous, for anyone really, but especially for someone as stunning as Andrea, for someone as successful as Andrea. Why did she need to buy herself a date?
Carley probably shouldn’t have, but she enjoyed teasing Andrea about the woman she brought home the other night. Until that point, it hadn’t come up, and maybe Andrea didn’t think that Carley knew about her, but she did. And she was jealous of that mystery woman, until now.
“So, how long have we been dating?” Carley asked, already thinking ahead. They’d need to know their story if this was going to look real. “You know what,” Carley said, glancing at Andrea’s near empty pint. “I’m going to get us another drink, and you can think about it.”
“Thanks,” Andrea said, and Carley couldn’t quite gauge her mood. She seemed relieved that she’d said yes but unimpressed with her for bringing up that woman.
Carley slung her handbag over her shoulder and squeezed her way through the crowded pub until she found a space between a group of women from a bachelorette party and an older man sitting on a bar stool. She raised her voice over the noise to ask the bartender for two more pints of Guinness.
Carley replayed their conversation in her head, and she struggled not to smile. When she started working for Andrea, she never could have imagined that pretending to be her girlfriend would be part of the job description.
Carley paid the bartender and carried the two pints back to their booth. “So... What do you think?” Carley asked as she slid across the leather seat across from Andrea. “How long have we been together? You are bringing me to a wedding, so what are we talking about? At least six months? Or did we just meet when we actually met, but we’re head over heels in love?”
The look on Andrea’s face suggested that she wasn’t entirely sure if Carley was being serious or making fun of her and this situation. “If we say we met when we actually did, by the time the wedding comes around, we’ll have known each other for more than two months. I think that’s okay.”
Carley nodded. “Okay. We’ve been seeing each other for two months... Do you think your friends are going to buy this?”
“I’m going to mention your name in passing if I see any of them before the wedding,” Andrea said as she reached for her pint glass. “Thanks for this by the way.”
“And you’re okay with lying to your friends,” Carley said, hoping that she wasn’t crossing a line, but she couldn’t wrap her head around Andrea’s request. Surely, someone like her could find a legitimate girlfriend.
Andrea sighed. “Let me put it this way... I would rather lie to them than show up on my own.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. They all have their lives sorted out, or they appear to have, anyway. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished business wise, but I’ve never been great at relationships,” she said with a slight shrug. “I guess I just hate being outdone. I don’t want the failure in that part of my life to be on display in three weeks’ time.”
Carley took a drink. She still couldn’t understand it, but she would never have guessed that Andrea could be that insecure about any aspect of her life. She always seemed so confident.
“Okay,” Carley said, leaning forward to rest her forearms on the wooden table. “Just tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.”
Chapter Twenty
Andrea smiled to herself as Carley leaned forward to press the button for the floor where their suite was located, but she’d managed to light up the four additional floors beneath them.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have had that last round,” Carley said, returning her smile. She leaned against the wall of the elevator to face her, and Andrea couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from Carley’s.
“I don’t know. I’m nicely buzzed, and I have nothing scheduled before eleven o’clock tomorrow morning.”
“That’s true,” Carley said as the elevator stopped at the first floor. “Sorry about this...”
“It’s fine. I’m not in a hurry.”
Andrea wasn’t in a hurry, but she was finding it difficult to be this close to Carley. She didn’t know if it was the alcohol or the fact that Carley had agreed to help her out, but Andrea was suddenly more aware of how beautiful
Carley was. She’d noticed how blue her eyes were when they’d met, but something was different now.
When Andrea asked Carley to be her date for James’s wedding, she’d been thinking practically. She didn’t want to be surrounded by couples all weekend while she was on her own, but now she was starting to wonder what it would be like to spend two days with Carley when there was no business to be done.
They’d got along well since Andrea had hired her, but they’d only had a few conversations in the last few weeks that drifted into personal territory. Would they run out of things to talk about? How far would Carley be willing to take it? Would she just accompany her, or would they be dancing together and looking the part of a real couple?
“Finally,” Carley said as the doors opened onto the fifth floor, and they left the elevator, wandering down the hall to their suite. “Shit,” Carley said, patting the pockets of her skinny jeans and then searching through her handbag. “I lost my keycard.”
“I’ll let you in from my side,” Andrea said, sliding her keycard into the slot and pushing the door open once it turned green.
“I don’t know how I did that. I’m normally pretty organized,” Carley said as Andrea held the door open for her.
“I know... Would you like a nightcap?”
“Sure,” Carley said, leaving her handbag on chair in the corner of the room.
Andrea checked the bar area. “Vodka? Whiskey? Wine?”
“Whiskey sounds good.”
“Ice?”
“Please.”
Andrea made up their drinks and carried them over to the sofa, kicking her heels off on the way. “I know we got caught up talking logistics, so I don’t know if I ever said ‘thank you’ for agreeing to do this. I know it’s a strange request,” she said as she handed Carley a tumbler.
“It definitely is,” Carley said. “And thanks,” she said, lifting her glass to Andrea’s. “Cheers... But you know what? It’ll be fine if we don’t take it too seriously. I’m assuming I’ve already met a few people that are going to be at this wedding, right?”
