She let out a breath of relief, and he wondered if her worry over My Perfect Match was mostly for her own investment in the project, or his.
“Okay. I won’t worry,” she said. “So you must want to talk about my dates—or yours?”
“No.” Even though his dates had been pleasant these past few nights, he wasn’t the sort who wanted to be out and about every night of the week. Yet with the media lurking around every corner, he knew if he suddenly stopped appearing around town with a woman on his arm, everyone would suspect he’d found the one. The whole thing was getting monotonous. “This is about something else.”
“Oh. You have a new project in mind for me or the team to work on?”
“No. Let’s sit.”
He gestured toward a long, wine-colored couch positioned a few feet away. He followed her over to the couch, then took a seat a few inches down from her. The wary expression on her face made his nerves twist even tighter.
“Wes, if this isn’t about the app or work, then what—”
“This is something more personal,” he interrupted.
She scooted closer. As Wes took in the look of surprise on her parted lips, he had the crazy inclination to kiss her. What in hell was happening to him?
“Personal?”
He reached for her hand and held it between the two of his. “That’s right. I want you to be my date. On Valentine’s Day—my wedding date.”
Chapter Five
“Date? Wedding?” Her heart pounding, Vivian stared at him in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”
“My brother Ben’s wedding is taking place this coming Saturday. On Valentine’s Day.”
Her heart slowed enough to allow her to catch a decent breath. “Yes, I remember reading the announcement,” she said. “I’ll go out on a huge limb and guess you’ll be in the wedding party.”
A wan smile touched his face, and Vivian wondered exactly how he was feeling about his twin getting married. She’d heard the brothers were especially close. Although she’d never understood why. Yes, people talked of twins bonded with a connection that bordered on mystical. But she couldn’t imagine such a link between Ben and Wes. Other than looking identical, they were very different. Everyone who worked under the roof of Robinson Tech knew that brash Ben didn’t mind plowing over whatever stood in the way of what he wanted, while Wes was the quiet workaholic, content to let his achievements speak for him.
“I’ll be standing as Ben’s best man.”
“Congratulations to your brother. And you,” she added.
“Thanks. We had rehearsal over the weekend and let me warn you, it’s going to be a massive wedding and reception.”
“Warn me?”
“Well, yes. As my date, you—”
She quickly held up her free hand to interrupt him. “Your date? Just a minute, Mr. Ro—I mean, Wes. I don’t understand any of this. Why are you asking me of all people to attend the wedding with you? Weddings are family affairs. You should be taking someone special as your date.”
Releasing his hold on her hand, he turned his attention toward the windows and the darkening skyline, but she somehow doubted he had the approaching rain on his mind.
“Vivian, don’t try to pretend ignorance. You have a good idea of how many hours I spend here in my office. Do you think I have time for a special woman in my life?”
“You don’t stay here around the clock,” she reasoned. “Besides, how would I know something that personal about you?”
He swiped a hand through his already rumpled hair, and Vivian was beginning to see that he wasn’t enjoying any of this. In fact, she got the feeling that he’d thought of her as a last resort date. The notion stung.
“The rumor mill in this place works harder than a cotton gin in September. If I had a steady, you’d know about it, that’s for sure.”
Vivian felt herself blushing. The idea that he believed she’d gossiped about his love life was worse than embarrassing. Whatever he might think, she didn’t sit around mooning or chatting about him or his wealthy family.
“Maybe not. But you’ve had a string of steady dates these past few days. Surely the app can provide you with an appropriate date. Why turn to me?”
Turning his gaze back to her, he frowned. “Because it just wouldn’t be right to take a strange woman from My Perfect Match to the wedding. She might get the wrong idea about the whole thing. Like I’m getting serious or something. You understand?”
Vivian figured she was gaping at him like some sort of idiot, but she couldn’t help it. The more he talked, the worse it sounded.
“I’m afraid I do. You don’t want any of your dates getting the impression that you might actually care about them—in a serious way,” she added drily.
“That’s right. And you being a woman—well, you know how weddings put romantic notions in your head.”
“Not mine,” she said stiffly.
He shot her a smile of relief. “Thank God you’re different and above all that sentimental foolishness. I knew I could count on you to understand the situation.”
Oh, yes, she was above it all, she thought sadly. Most men saw her as a practical woman. Not one to bend over his arm and kiss senseless.
Her gaze drifted to his lips. Well, she didn’t want Wes Robinson’s kiss anyway. To allow herself to dream such dreams about her boss would be like staring in a jewelry store window, pining for a ten-karat diamond. It just wasn’t going to happen.
“So you don’t think your family will get the idea that there’s anything between us?”
He shook his head. “They’d never suspect anything serious going on between us. They know you work for the company.”
Trying not to let a hint of sarcasm enter her voice, she said, “And you’d never have serious intentions toward an employee.”
A frown pulled his brows together. “I have no intentions of getting serious about any woman. Much less an employee. That would spell nothing but trouble.”
Trouble indeed, Vivian thought. She would have liked to grind her heel into the arch of his foot and tell him to go limp off into the sunset. But he was Wes Robinson, her boss. The guy who worked tirelessly. The guy who’d always supported her work and encouraged her imagination to fly into the technical future. If not for him, My Perfect Match would have been tossed into the trash heap with the rest of the department’s failed designs and ideas. At the very least, she owed him a favor.
“Okay,” she finally agreed. “I’ll be your date for the wedding.”
“Great. I’ll give you all the particulars of when and where later. In the meantime, I should inform you that the women guests are encouraged to wear red. In honor of Valentine’s Day. So you might keep that in mind while you’re picking out something.”
A blank look of despair must have come over her face, because he suddenly seemed to realize she’d never have anything in her closet worthy to wear to a Robinson family wedding.
“Uh, and don’t worry about the cost of buying a gown. Just go to Anton’s and charge whatever you need to my account.”
By now Vivian was so dazed she couldn’t decide whether to be insulted or thrilled. Anton’s was a high-end department store in Austin. She couldn’t afford to breathe the air inside the place.
Pride had her lifting her chin. “Thank you, but I’ll find a dress on my own and pay for it myself.”
“Nonsense. I’m the one who’s put you in this spot. You shouldn’t be out the expense of a dress. If it will make you feel any better, just think of it as a work assignment.”
And why not? she thought sickly. He certainly was.
“I don’t like this,” she said frankly. “I don’t like the idea of being something I’m not. Of being a decoy.”
Vivian was shocked to see a grin spread across his face. Wes wasn’t a man who grinned about anything. He smiled on occasion, but never grinned. The playful expression made him all the more appealing.
“I’m sure you can fake it for a few hours,” he
said.
Fake it? With him? How could she pretend to be his date when being near him made her feel as if she was on a very real one? Oh, this was all so crazy.
Desperate to put an end to the tangled trail of her thoughts, she rose to her feet. “Is that all? I should get back to work—George needs my help.”
Rising, he walked her to the door. “No need to keep you any longer. Thank you, Viv. I really appreciate you helping me out.”
“I’ll do my best not to let you down.” With a hollow feeling in the middle of her chest, Vivian left his office and hurried past Adelle’s desk before the woman could stop her with small talk.
I have no intentions of getting serious about any woman.
For the remainder of the day, his words haunted her. She couldn’t understand why he’d made a point of telling her such a personal thing. She’d certainly never flirted with the man or made any kind of overture toward him. If he was afraid she might be setting her sights on him, then he was crazy. Nothing about him matched the attributes she wanted in a man. But clearly he’d felt the need to remind her that he was off limits to her or any woman.
The idea was humiliating. By the time her work day ended, she was determined to show him she had no desire to snag him or any business shark. She preferred to swim with her own kind.
*
On Saturday, shortly after noon, Wes drove slowly through the row of apartment buildings as he searched for Vivian’s number. Before today, he’d had no idea where she lived. He’d expected to find her somewhere in the suburbs, in one of the newer apartment complexes that had sprung up in recent years. Now, he was a bit surprised to see she resided in a quaint older area of the city. The huge live oaks shading the yards and the rampant growth of ivy clinging to the brick walls told Wes the buildings had probably been here for longer than Vivian had been alive. But the streets were neat and clean. The sight of kids playing outdoors and the sound of dogs barking from front porches gave the neighborhood a homey feel. Far more than his private estate, which was surrounded by security fencing and locked behind wrought iron gates.
When he finally spotted a driveway marked with the number twenty-two, Wes pulled in and parked his car behind a little blue economy car. As he walked to the tiny porch, he noticed two young boys in the next yard. They were tossing a football and laughing as though they didn’t have a care in the world.
The sight of them had him thinking back to the days when he and Ben had been that age. They’d grown up as privileged children, never wanting for anything. Except the attention of their father.
Attention. Like hell, Wes thought with disgust. Gerald had been too busy hiding his true identity to give his eight legitimate children the devotion they’d needed and deserved. Now Ben seemed to believe it was important to prove Gerald was a long-lost member of the famous Fortune family. But as far as Wes was concerned, none of that mattered. Whether Gerald’s name was Robinson or Fortune, he’d been a negligent father and a louse of a husband.
Shaking away the dismal thoughts, Wes punched the doorbell, then glanced over his shoulder to see the boys had stopped their game of toss and were standing side by side, staring at him. Apparently they’d never seen a man in the neighborhood wearing a tuxedo.
The opening door creaked. Wes turned back around to see Vivian standing on the threshold.
“Oh, it’s you. I wasn’t expecting you for another fifteen minutes.”
When she failed to invite him in, he made an open gesture with his hands. “Shall I leave and come back in fifteen minutes?”
With a flustered groan, she pushed the door wide and invited him inside. “I’m sorry, Wes. Please come in. I’m almost ready.”
He followed her through a tiny foyer, then made a sharp right turn into a small living room. As she came to a halt in the middle of the floor, Wes was only vaguely aware of his surroundings. His gaze was riveted on Vivian. Something had happened to her. She’d transformed from a professional little developer into a dazzling vision of beauty. One who was practically taking his breath away.
“Viv! You look—” Gorgeous was the word he wanted to use, but he didn’t want to start the day off by making her feel uncomfortable. “Great,” he finished, his gaze sweeping from her upswept hair all the down to the toes of her black high heels.
She turned in a full circle, and as the hem of her dress swayed provocatively against her trim ankles, he had to admit the back of her looked just as luscious as the front. The deep red dress clung to her perfect little curves as though it had been tailor-made to fit. The neckline formed a V low against her back, while the front stopped at a point just above the space between her breasts.
“It took me ages to choose it,” she admitted. “And even after I got it home, I had my doubts. What do you think?”
Except for Ben’s, Wes figured every male eye in the church was going to be on her. Dear Lord, he’d not been expecting anything like this. How was he going to keep his eyes off all that creamy, smooth skin? How was he going to keep remembering that Vivian was a pretend date and not a real one?
“The dress is nice. Very nice.”
“I purchased shoes and a handbag, too. But don’t worry. I paid for them myself.” She gestured toward a floral couch pushed along the outside wall of the room. “Have a seat while I finish getting ready. It shouldn’t take me long.”
She hurried out of the room. After he’d taken a seat, he looked around at the simple furnishings and wondered if Vivian entertained much company. She didn’t seem like the socializing sort, but outside work, he hardly knew her. If he had, he would have expected to see her change from a plain little daisy into this fully bloomed rose.
Maybe she’d brought one of her app dates here, Wes thought. Maybe they’d sat close together on the very couch he was sitting on. And maybe the man had tasted her lips. Had her cherry-colored mouth been cold and stiff or warm and inviting?
Wes was trying not to think about the answer to that question when Vivian reappeared and announced she was ready. He took the cream-colored cape she was carrying and slipped it around her bare shoulders.
“It’s sunny outside, but the wind is cold,” he warned as he fastened the garment with a row of rhinestone buttons.
*
For the next few minutes, as Wes’s luxury car carried them toward the church located on the opposite side of town, Vivian stared thoughtfully out the passenger window. When Justine had learned she was going to Ben Robinson’s wedding as Wes’s date, Vivian had thought the woman was going to fall over in a dead faint. And her sister Michelle’s reaction to the news had been loud squeals of excitement followed by words of warning.
“I hope you don’t make the mistake of reading any importance into this, Viv. You’d only be asking for heartache to think a man like Wes could see you as a serious date.”
Vivian had actually laughed at her sister’s ridiculous concern. How could Michelle even think Vivian could foolishly fall for her rich boss? There was no way that could ever happen.
“You’re awfully quiet, Viv. Are you dreading this?”
She glanced over at him, then immediately wished she hadn’t. She’d never seen him dress in formal clothes before or go without his glasses for more than five minutes at a time. He looked incredibly handsome today with his dark, unruly waves brushed to one side and his jaws shaved clean of black stubble. The tailor-made tuxedo fit his long, lean torso perfectly, and the dark color made his appearance even more dashing.
“A little,” she admitted. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to act.”
With his attention focused on navigating the car though busy traffic, he asked, “How do you mean?”
Flustered at his clueless attitude, she let out a long breath. “Wes, it’s obvious I can’t be myself. I’m not here with you today as your employee, am I?”
A scowl creased his brow. “Look, Viv, if anyone is crass enough to inquire about our situation, then tell them you’re my date for the day. Nothing more, nothing less.”
/> Oh, brother, that was going to be easier said than done, Vivian thought. She could only hope she wouldn’t have to do much more than say a polite hello to his family members. Like she’d told him, she didn’t relish the idea of being a decoy.
“All right,” she said drolly. “I’ll give you admiring glances, not dreamy ones. And I’ll do my best to call you Wes rather than Mr. Robinson. Is there anything else I should know?”
“Not that I can think of. By the time we get to the church, it will be time for me to join the rest of the wedding party. The ushers should seat you somewhere just behind my family. Then, once the ceremony is over, I’ll meet you out front and we’ll head to the hotel for the reception. That’s all there is to it.”
Maybe for him, Vivian thought. But she felt as though she was about to step onto a huge stage in front of an audience of VIPs. And to make matters worse, she would have to ad-lib her part of the script.
Vivian flinched in surprise as Wes suddenly reached across the leather seat and wrapped his hand around hers.
“Don’t worry. This will all be over soon.”
Soon? Their afternoon together was only just beginning, and already Vivian could feel herself tumbling headlong into a situation she couldn’t control.
*
By the time Wes and Vivian entered the church, the members of the wedding party were already gathering to make their way to a vestibule out of sight of the hundreds of guests who were already being seated in the main sanctuary. Wes used the brief moments to quickly introduce Vivian to Ben, younger brother Graham, and two of their sisters, Rachel and Zoe.
Once Vivian left the group to take her seat among the wedding guests, Wes’s dark-haired little sister, Zoe, jerked him aside.
“Where did you find her?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Is she one of your app dates?”
The question irked Wes. He didn’t like the idea of anyone linking Vivian to the group of women he’d recently been parading around the city. “No. If you must know, nosy sis, Viv and I work together. She created My Perfect Match.”
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