Mason was on it in a sec, every bit the powerful CEO with a commanding air, towering above the pack.
“Naw,” he drawled. “We got plenty of cash, we got plenty of resources. We’re not closing our doors, not by a long shot.”
But the journalists were relentless.
“What was that about your grandfather’s will?” a particularly nosy woman cawed, red fingernails gripping a recorder. “That you can’t get the money you need unless you get married? We haven’t seen any women with you for ages now, Mason, not since that redhead last year.”
I shot my buddy a warning look. Any mention of Priscilla puts him in a bad mood, but my friend was all smooth confidence this time. Maybe he’d gotten over that bad episode now that we had something new and ten times better on our hands.
“You haven’t seen me with any women because my private life is exactly that. Private,” he said dryly. “But we’re ready to step out of the shadows because I’m happy to announce that one, I have a fiancée, and two, we’re expecting. Come here, honey,” he said, gesturing to Katie, who stood a half-step behind him. “Come on baby, it’s time to meet these jackals,” he rumbled, indicating the reporters following his every move.
And I swear, as Katie stepped into the limelight, a collective hush descended. It’s rare for professional reporters to be stunned by anything since they’ve seen it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly. All sorts of scandal, all sorts of salacious news and mean gossip, these folks are often the cause of a lot of hurt. But for once, they were cowed.
Because Katie was absolutely stunning, glowing almost. Ripe, lush and curvy, the brunette smiled a sweet smile, demurely appropriate in that purple dress, like a mother goddess come to life.
“Hi,” she said with a warm smile. “I’m Katie Jones, Mr. Major’s fiancée.”
The female reporter was on it in a second.
“When did you get engaged? How do you know Mason?”
The questions were like gunshots coming hard, fast and relentless, but our girl is a smart one. She merely smiled mysteriously, looking the cameras straight in the eye and enunciating with clarity.
“I’m an art student at the Union League, and Mr. Major is a patron,” she said. “We’ve been seeing each other for a while, but kept it under wraps because we knew you guys would be interested. But now,” she said, turning to Mason with a glowing smile, “we’ve decided to go public because I’m pregnant,” she said. “I’m pregnant and Mr. Major will have his heir.”
Immediately, a hubbub broke out.
“A baby!” said a hushed voice. “Oh my god!”
“She looks it,” nodded another. “Look at her waistline, she’s got to be at least five months along.”
A third voice rose above the rest.
“Is it a boy or a girl? Where are you living? When will the baby be born?”
Katie handled it all with the grace of a professional, never letting go of that sweet smile.
“We’re keeping the sex of the baby a secret for now,” she murmured while shooting a loving glance at Mason, slipping her small hand into his. “And of course, I’m living with my fiancé. No wedding date yet,” she said, answering the inevitable, “but soon, I promise. Isn’t that right Mace?”
I swear the big man was stunned Katie was so quick on her feet, thinking of everything before it actually happened. And she was perfect for the role too, with the genuinely adoring smile, her body language comfortable and at ease, topped off with the burgeoning belly. We’d done our job well, and I mentally gave myself a pat on the back.
Mason looked like he’d been hit by lightning, but the alpha caught himself and immediately slipped into role.
“Of course,” he rumbled appreciatively, eyes glued to Katie’s ripe form like he was a man in love. “My bride to be is staying with me, she’s left the dorms at Union, and we’ll let you know the sex of the baby when the time is right,” he assured the reporters. “But for now, let’s not keep a pregnant woman on her feet.”
And with that, he literally bent and lifted the brunette into the air, her curvy, lush form snuggled against that broad chest. Shit, they looked perfect together, like a Mr. and Mrs. already, staring into one another’s eyes, the world melting away to just them.
But never one to waste time, Mason strode to the waiting car and deposited Katie in the backseat before circling to the other side. Pausing for a moment with the door open, he called out to the wolf pack.
“Major Enterprises is thriving,” he said with a low chuckle. “You can bet your ass on it.”
And with that, the car pulled away from the curb, tires screeching, the couple’s heads outlined in the rear window like a pair of lovebirds. I whistled under my breath. That had been a performance and then some, both by my man and the woman we’d picked up. But now that the main attraction was gone, the reporters descended on me like a swarm of wasps.
“Mr. Smith,” they cried, voices cacophonous. “Mr. Smith, what’s going to happen after the baby’s born? Is Mason Major going to step down? Are you going to become President and CEO?”
I frowned instinctively. Why would Mason leave the company? That was fucking weird, I didn’t want to be at the steering wheel by myself. Where was this coming from? But smoothing my expression, the answer came out like a PR professional.
“Of course not,” I said glibly. “Mace and I have been at the head of this billion-dollar business for twenty years. You think he’s gonna give up just like that? And leave me at the head of the empire? I don’t think so, dude’s getting married, not going underground.”
But the reporters were relentless.
“What about parental leave? Is he going to take the three week paternity leave offered to all male employees?”
I was stunned for a moment. We consider Major Corp. to be at the forefront of employment practices, and yeah, offering leave to our male employees was part of our “commitment” to family values. I hadn’t thought much of it at the time because what guy takes off work when they have a baby? That was like saying, “Oh I was sick and had to stay home,” when actually you were watching ESPN all day.
But now, confronted with the possibility that my buddy might have to take parental leave just to keep up Major’s image of being “family-friendly” was confounding. Shit. This was new, but I forced myself to smile nonchalantly.
“We’ll see,” I rumbled, giving nothing away. “We’ll see.”
And with that, I too got into a black car, the door slamming behind my big form. Thankfully, the interior was blessedly quiet, and I could hear my own thoughts after the riot outside.
“Where to?” asked my driver.
“Home,” I growled. “Take me home.”
With a screech of tires, we were off into the busy Manhattan streets. I looked out the window moodily. Shit, the farce was going so well, almost too well. Katie and Mason appeared perfect, like a couple head over heels in love, a baby already on the way. It was so perfect, I should have been ecstatic, but instead, all I felt was confused. What the hell was wrong with me? Pulling up the apartment building, I strode into the lobby, ignoring the concierge while waiting for the elevator, a dark look on my face.
And stepping into the box, I pushed five. We’ve got private elevators that open straight into our apartments, but what most people don’t know is that Mason and I have pads that are connected. I’ve got the fifth floor, he’s got the sixth, and to the back, there’s a staircase that connects the two, discreet and hidden. We don’t use it much, but yeah, actually our apartment is one huge space, if you want it that way.
So when the door dinged open, I took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time to be pissed, this was the time to celebrate. Our semi-illegal plan was working, and all I needed was a drink to relax, to alleviate the tension in my muscles. Some ESPN sounded mighty good, something to block out the confusion running through my brain, white noise to dull my senses.
But as I stepped into the spacious living room, modern furniture sleek and gleamin
g, Mason and Katie were already there waiting for me like nothing was the matter.
“Hey,” my buddy drawled, looking over his shoulder. “Welcome to the party.”
Katie looked perfectly poised and together, not a hair out of place, sitting on a divan with her legs demurely crossed. She was gorgeous, flat out divine with those luscious curves and curly brown hair. My body hummed to life despite the fact that I’d been dead-tired not two seconds ago.
“HI Derek,” she murmured, shooting a special smile my way. “We escaped the scrum, how did you do after we left?”
I decided not to comment on the fact that both were in my apartment, and merely settled onto the couch across from them, big form looking relaxed even though I was getting more juiced by the second.
“Hell as always,” I drawled lazily. “But you guys got it worse.”
Mason nodded as Katie laughed softly.
“That shit’s always bad, but I’d say we pulled it off,” he said with a sideways glance at the girl. “We pulled it off real good.”
Katie nodded, shooting us both admiring glances.
“We did really well,” she affirmed, “How about you Derek? You make out okay?”
I took a deep breath. On the one hand, I wanted to blurt out my feelings. I wanted to say, you guys look so perfect together, so where am I in all this? Is there room for me in this trio? What about me?
But on the other, what alpha gives in to stupid things like insecurity and goddamn feelings? I sounded desperate, disgusting myself. So nodding, I spread both arms spread out on the back of the couch, the picture of supreme male confidence and shot a grin their way.
“It’s all good,” I drawled lazily. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Katie nodded, but her smile melted until she was gazing at us with serious eyes. Because oh shit, the little girl had something to say and she wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“I know what we’re doing is just pretend,” she began.
I stopped her there.
“That’s right, honey,” I ground out, stretching like I was worn out. But Katie wasn’t done yet. She shook her head, determined to be heard because there was something else on the female’s mind, something even more pressing.
“Fine with the fiancée stuff,” she said slowly. “I get that there’s a will out there where you have to be married, or pretend married, to access some cash. But I have to ask something,” she said, shooting a swift glance at both of us. “Ummm….”
“What is it little girl?” rumbled Mason, one dark eyebrow arched. Like me, he looked the picture of supreme male confidence, a huge animal relaxed on the sofa. “Shoot.”
Katie took a deep breath, nervously biting her lip before looking between us again.
“It’s just that,” she began. “It’s just that there’s something going on between the two of you. And don’t tell me I’m wrong,” she said quickly. “I can feel something in the air, it’s like lightning shooting between you guys. So what’s going on?” she asked again, brown eyes hesitant yet insistent at once. “What’s happening?”
Suddenly, the temp in the room went up about a hundred degrees, all of us on notice. Because I realized just how perceptive and intelligent our girl was. Katie had picked up on the vibes, on the hot looks between Mason and I despite our efforts to hide it. We’d acted like we were all about her, that she was the focal point of our trio, but in reality we were all equal partners.
My breath whooshed out with relief. Thank god, I was gonna get my day in the sunlight, the two of them weren’t going to move to the next level on their own.
But I didn’t want to give in right away, I wanted to play with her a bit.
“Why do you say that?” I drawled, shooting her a smile. “You think something’s off between me and him?”
Katie bit her lip again, looking between the two huge male forms, now humming with energy.
“I feel something between you guys,” she repeated again, brown eyes wide yet determined. “There’s something there.”
Mason raised his eyebrows at her.
“So? Derek and I have known each other for a long time, baby girl, we’ve been in business together for twenty years. There’s a lot of history honey. Maybe we’re actually both trying to get your attention. Maybe this mofo is jealous of me,” he remarked, jerking his chin my way, “and wants you to himself.”
But Katie couldn’t be deterred. Because she was no dumb female, popping out babies without a brain. The brunette was perceptive, intuitive, with an ability to catch every subtle nuance. Despite the fact that Mason and I had only just discovered our feelings for each other, the brunette had caught on immediately. She knew she wasn’t the only target in the room. There were three of us, with deep-seated hunger boiling hotly underneath.
“No,” she said again, her voice tremulous yet strong. “It’s not business, and it’s not me either. Well, it is me, but only sort of. There’s something between the two of you, and only you. What’s going on? If I had to put my finger on it, I’d say it’s passion.”
There, the word was out, and it was perfect. It wasn’t lust, although that was certainly part of the equation. And it wasn’t quite love either, although I know that I’m head over heels in love with Mason. It was passion, the new, just-discovered flame of feeling that burned between us, growing so hot that it pulled our female like a moth towards flame, consuming her as well.
So I took a deep breath, heart racing furiously. Shit, this was getting out of control. We had a farce on our hands, a fake engagement with a fake fiancée. But there were very real goals too. Because Mason, Katie and I were developing some real feelings, a true connection because of the very situation we were in. The situation was confounding, confusing, and yet the swirl of activity, the deep conversation was inevitably pulling us into the whirlpool.
And taking a deep breath, I plunged headfirst into the churning waters.
“Yeah, so Mason and I are thinking about starting up. Is that a problem? Does it surprise you?”
My partner started on the chair, big form jerking involuntarily. Dark slashes grazed Mace’s cheekbones as he fought to look normal. But there was no point in hiding, no point in ducking behind the obvious because the three of us were about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, and might as well go for it. Might as well put it all out there before this woman who was changing our lives.
And she didn’t let me down. Looking between the two of us, the brunette bit her lip again.
“It surprises me, yes,” she admitted softly. “I never thought two alpha males like you would, you know, be into each other as well.”
My eyebrow quirked.
“Why not?”
“Why not?” she repeated. “Well, I guess both of you are so alpha, I figured you’d be into women only. I never thought males like you would be looking to date other males.”
I shot her a questioning look.
“Who said we dated other males?”
Katie was flummoxed for once, her chest rising and falling quickly, generous curves sheathed in that tempting dress.
“I just thought,” she stammered. “I just thought that maybe you guys dated other men.”
I shook my head.
“Not me. You, Mason?”
The dark man shot me a look but shook his head.
“Naw,” he grunted. “I don’t date men.”
This time it was Katie who looked perplexed.
“So, what you’re saying is that you’ve never been with men before?”
I grinned right back at her.
“That’s right, girlie. I’ve done everything alphas do, I’ve been with dozens of women, one, two, or three at a time. It’s easy, especially when you’ve got the power that we do. But men? It’s new territory for me. For both of us,” I corrected, shooting a meaningful look Mason’s way. The dark man jerked his head in agreement, big body still tense, air crackling.
“So you’re saying,” Katie repeated again, “that this is new to you. Two
men and a woman. Or two men, just the two of you? I’m sorry, my head’s all muddled from everything that’s happened.”
This time, Mason answered.
“Two men and a woman isn’t new,” he rumbled, eyes intent on that curvy form. “Derek and I have shared women before, absolutely. But it was just a quick fuck, something casual,” he concluded.
But that wasn’t what Katie was getting at.
“When you were with the other woman,” she said slowly. “Were you, you know, into each other?” she asked, biting her lip once more. “Or was it all about the girl?”
Silence hung in the air. But I answered, as nonchalantly as possible.
“It was all about the girl,” I rumbled. “Mason and I focused on the female. Sure, we saw each other, that’s inevitable, but we weren’t into each other if you know what I mean. This is the first time that we’re exploring something new,” I ground out, my eyes meeting his in a clash across the room. “So what’s new for you is new for us too. We’ve never been into one another before.”
There was another silence, but then the girl took a deep breath, that generous chest inhaling before exhaling deeply.
“Then I feel better about it,” she said quietly. “I feel better about this already.”
A sharp bark escaped my friend.
“Why? What’s better about all this?”
Katie turned to us with limpid eyes, hands still playing with the folds of her skirt.
“It’s been overwhelming for me. It’d be overwhelming for anyone,” she said with a smile, a glint flashing in her eye. Yeah, that was my sassy baby, nothing could keep her sense of humor down. “But knowing that there are a lot of firsts out there, for me as well as you guys, helps a lot. It makes it feel like this is an adventure for all of us to explore, that I’m not some science experiment gone bad, with you guys watching the whole time.”
I snorted.
“Honey, you’re not a science experiment, I assure you.”
“I know, I know,” she said shyly. “But for a while, I felt like it. I mean, kidnapped? And then passed off as Mason’s fiancée? It was like I was a monkey doing tricks, with no idea where this was all going to end up.”
Double Dare: A Fake Fiancee MMF Romance Page 7
