by C. M. Albert
Mister
Stand-In
A Cocky Hero Club production
USA Today Bestselling Author
C.M. Albert
Mister Stand-In
A Cocky Hero Club production
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Copyright © 2020 by C.M. Albert | Flower Work Press and Cocky Hero Club, Inc
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement (including infringement without monetary gain) is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Cover by Marisa Rose Wesley of Cover Me Darling LLC
Cover Photography by Reggie Deanching of R + M Photography
Cover Model Aidan Stewart
Editing by Erin Servais of Dot and Dash, LLC
Interior by Stephanie Anderson of Alt 19 Creative
Cocky Hero Club Production
Mister Stand-In is a standalone story inspired by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s Mister Moneybags. It’s published as part of the Cocky Hero Club world, a series of original works, written by various authors, and inspired by Keeland and Ward’s New York Times bestselling series.
The Official
Mister Stand-In Playlist
“About Love” — MARINA
(From the Netflix film To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You)
“Addicted to You” — Avicii
“Adore You” — Harry Styles
“All of Me” — John Legend
“Animal” — Neon Trees
“Back to You” — Alex & Sierra
“Catching Feelings (feat. SIX60)” — Drax Project
“Chapter” — Christian Paul
“Deserve” — Chase Fouraker
“For Her” — Chris Lane
“Hero” — Enrique Iglesias
“I Believe in You (Acoustic)” — Tyler Hilton
“I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)”— The Four Tops
“If I Can’t Have You” — Shawn Mendes
“Intentions (feat. Quavo)” — Justin Bieber
“Into the Unknown” — Idina Menzel & AURORA
“Love on the Brain” — Rhianna
“PILLOWTALK” — ZAYN
“Put a Little Love on Me” — Niall Horan
“Stuck with U” — Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber
“Sucker” — Jonas Brothers
“What a Man Gotta Do” — Jonas Brothers
“You Make My Dreams” — Karizma Duo
This book is dedicated with love to my dear friends,
Heather and Deena.
My writing sisters. My strength. My laughter.
My source of growth and support
during the weirdest year ever.
Ride or die, Smuffins!
#babyyodaforever
It isn’t about
Diamonds,
Fuck the
Flowers,
All she wants
Is someone to
Keep her bed warm
Every night,
And touch her
Like it’s
Agony not to.
—J. Rose
Mister Stand-In
CARTER WRIGHT was used to being anything but Mr. Right. He wouldn’t exactly call himself a street rat, but his life had somehow become a rags-to-riches story—one he’d rather keep to himself. The best part about being a stand-in to some of the wealthiest a-holes in New York?
Access.
To anything, and anyone, he wanted.
And that certainly wasn’t little Miss Moneybags, Presley Kincaid. No, he had his sights set on someone even hotter—her stepmother. But when Lauren asks him to stand in for her richer-than-sin fiancé at their rehearsal dinner, and then he’s paired up with her spoiled daughter, Presley, at the wedding, Carter can do the only thing he’s truly good at: Shut up. Smile. Be charming.
Be the stand-in he was born to be.
But when Presley turns out to be more than she pretends—and a one-night stand gives her more access to his past than he intended—Carter’s simple, easygoing lifestyle starts to unravel, exposing the biggest lie of all. One so big Carter never even saw it coming.
Will Presley accidentally expose the Stand-In for who he really is? Or will her discovery free Carter from the street hustle he’s perfected and finally help him claim a life, and love, that was always meant to be?
Contents
Cocky Hero Club Production
The Official Mister Stand-In Playlist
Mister Stand-In
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Carter
Presley
Other Books by C.M. Albert
About the Author
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER ONE
Carter
“SHE WANTS ME to do what?” I groaned, hoping I’d heard my friend, Dex Truitt, wrong. I picked up the dirty tennis ball and whistled. Baby Yoda came bounding forward, her pointy ears flapping happily in the crisp autumn air.
“Who’s my good girl?” I scratched behind the rescue puppy’s floppy ear. Her large, dark eyes beaming up at me was almost enough to make my insides go soft.
Dex snickered. “You sure you don’t want to adopt her?”
I shot him a side eye as I tossed the tattered ball across the dog park and shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans to keep them warm. About four dogs chased after the ball, but Baby’s fierce protector, Bandit—a rescued greyhound Dex adopted a couple years ago—did what he always did and growled as he stood between the ball and the other dogs. Baby plopped her cute, little, wrinkly Pug self onto the ball and chewed it with unrestrained pleasure.
“What’s your deal with Lauren, anyway?” Dex asked, checking his phone quickly before shoving it back into the pocket of his expensive, black overcoat. “It’s not like you haven’t done something like this before. And it’s easy money.”
He wasn’t wrong. But Lauren Kincaid was different
, and this wasn’t a job I wanted to take. The last thing I wanted to see was a woman I’d crushed on as a teenager marry yet another rich SOB. And worse? Stand in for said schmuck at his own rehearsal dinner because he was too fucking “busy” to make time for something so important. He didn’t deserve her. Thank god he wasn’t going to be there, or I was fairly sure I’d be making a scene.
I sighed, running a hand through my wavy, brown hair. I’d need a cut before Thursday if I were insane enough to do this. “How much?”
“Five.”
“For just the rehearsal dinner?”
“Yep,” Dex said, laughing when I groaned again. “The easiest five grand you’ll ever make.”
“Well, except for that one time,” I reminded him, snickering.
“That was certainly something I’ll never forget,” Dex agreed. “I don’t think Las Vegas will either.”
“That’s why I like sticking to my own stomping grounds when I can.”
I grew quiet, and Dex let me have a minute to figure things out. He was busy throwing a bright orange ball to Bandit anyway. There was something I couldn’t quite figure out. “Why’d she ask you and not just call my office?”
He cleared his throat. “Well, this is where is gets a little interesting,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Spit it out, Truitt.”
“She’s marrying Richard Brash.”
“As in, the CFO of Montague Enterprises? Your CFO?” This couldn’t get any worse. “Isn’t he, like, a hundred?”
Dex laughed, the deep, rich sound drawing a curious glance from a woman standing on the other side of the park. Her gaze lingered on us, and I couldn’t help but flash the cute redhead my full smile and dimples. On cue, she blushed and looked away.
“He’s only sixty-five, Carter. What does it matter? It’s just a job, right?”
I nodded but didn’t answer.
“Look, we have a critical finance meeting that night that can’t be moved, otherwise he’d be there. Lauren’s been to enough of our functions to know you’re a friend of mine. And since you’re almost impossible to book these days, she thought she’d see if she could grease some palms and pull in a favor. It’s my CFO, Carter. It would mean a lot if you could make it happen. Plus, Bianca and I will be there without the kids. It’ll be a good time.”
Yeah, a good time. Just me, my friends, a room full of strangers, and the beautiful, leggy brunette who fueled nearly all my teenage fantasies. On the night before her wedding. What could possibly go wrong?
“Make it ten, and I’m in.”
“Done,” Dex said, whistling for the dogs.
We walked back to Forever Grey, the inner-city rescue center near Dex’s office—the same one where he originally found Bandit. They’d since expanded and started taking in special rescue cases like Baby. Dex roped me into walking some of the dogs on a weekly basis, as a way for us to get some “bro” time in, while helping them out. Since my lifestyle didn’t exactly afford a stable schedule for me to adopt one, I was happy to volunteer when I could. Being New York’s elite—and only—personal stand-in for any above-the-board function meant I was highly sought after and always in demand. Yep. I’d spent the last four years after leaving the military being arm candy for some of the wealthiest bastards in New York. On most days, it didn’t suck. The money, food, and travel destinations were exceptional. And the gig gave me access to some of the hottest pieces of ass in the entire world. Don’t get me wrong. I never slept with a client. That was a hard no for me. I was a stand-in, not a prostitute.
But a client’s sister or business partner? That was another story altogether.
Not only that, but after just a short time of running in New York’s tight circle of the richest of the rich, I had more dirt on these assholes than Deep Throat had on Nixon. And it got me in a lot of doors, which is how I’d run into Lauren again after all these years. The first time she’d seen me on the arm of a super model at New York’s fashion week, her eyes grew wide with recognition, and she had to do a double take. Since then, we’d brushed by each other socially many times, as the wealthy were bound to do.
I wasn’t really in their circle though. Maybe that’s what kept Lauren from approaching me, from seeing if that flicker of recognition was real. If the instant attraction on her part could grow into anything more. Or if I was still just the young punk she remembered from The Grove—the small coastal island where she and her first husband had vacationed every summer.
I said my goodbyes to Dex and caught a cab home.
It doesn’t matter, I thought miserably as I glanced out at the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Lauren had always been out of my league. A woman like that didn’t slum with the property manager’s son, even if he were all grown up and could give her a run for her money now.
Shit. What could a sixty-five-year-old fart give her that I couldn’t? I snorted, thinking of all the ways I’d take care of Lauren if I were given the chance. But it wasn’t about that. Even I knew that. As much as I’d put her on a pedestal all these years, there was still one truth I couldn’t outrun.
Lauren married for money the first time. And I was certain she was marrying for money again. Sure, I could screw her for four hours straight until she couldn’t walk right or be satisfied by any other man ever again. What? I could. But the one thing I couldn’t give her was the insanely wealthy lifestyle she’d been born into and would never walk away from.
Certainly not for a street rat like me.
CHAPTER TWO
Presley
I CHECKED MY phone for a third time, scrolling through my inbox to see if Sylvia’s edits had come in yet. Nothing. Shit. She didn’t usually take this long to reply. Maybe I’d taken the wrong angle for my Finance Times article. Had it been too personal? I shook my head. No. Bianca Truitt had read it and thought it was perfect. And there was no one else I trusted there more than Bianca. Even though she was only with the magazine part time at best now, she’d taken me under her wing and was like a big sister and mentor, all rolled into one.
“Really, darling? Can’t you step away from your work for just a minute?”
I glanced up at my stepmother. She looked gorgeous in her long, champagne-colored gown. Of course she did; she was a natural beauty. Sure, we all knew that enough money could make even the homeliest woman look like a princess for a night. But Lauren Kincaid was no princess. And she certainly wasn’t homely. No, my stepmom was basically the Queen of Everything. Lauren was the kind of woman who knew her place in the world and was happy to live it in her own brand of confident style.
I pushed back my mop of strawberry blond curls self-consciously as I gave her my full attention.
“It’s perfect, Lauren.” I wasn’t lying. The final alterations made the dress look like a second skin and would bring Richard Brash to his knees at the wedding. I just hoped he could make it through their wedding night in one piece. He was a good twenty years older if I’d done my math right. The thought of Richard in bed with Lauren made me shudder. I ran my hands up my arms and over my goose bumps. Thank god I was loaded. There was no bank account big enough for me to ride a man like Richard into the grave.
“Thank you,” she said, turning this way and that in front of the three-way mirror of New York’s most exclusive bridal boutique. Her perfectly round, surgically enhanced breasts swelled in the strapless dress, her light bronze skin glowing against the champagne-colored gown. The white corset top had delicate champagne boning wrapping around her thin waist, several rows of diamonds sparkling along its top seam. I had to admit, it drew your attention to Lauren’s best physical assets. The soft, textured fabric of the skirt had a dreamy quality to it and flowed out from her hips like a favorite daughter birthed from petals and waves. It was exquisite and nothing less than I’d expect from my stepmom.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced down at the new text message. “Hang on, Lauren, I
need to get this.”
Lauren pouted prettily, used to using it as a weapon to get what she wanted in life. “If I’d known you were going to be so preoccupied, I would have brought along Sylvia.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Funny you should mention that. This is Sylvia, which is why I need to respond. I’m sorry—it’ll only be a minute. Besides, it’s your last dress fitting. It’s not exactly like I needed to do anything,” I reminded her. “I’m just here for moral support. I promise you’ll have my undivided attention when I get back.”
I stepped out of our private suite and into the reception area. I nodded at the personal assistant manning the front desk and quickly read Sylvia’s message.
Sylvia: Sorry to text. In important meeting. Excellent work. Your best yet. Bailey will send over minor edits later. You may be ready for more.
I squealed, clutching my phone to my chest and drawing a curious, mildly annoyed glance from the receptionist. “Sorry,” I whispered. “I just got some of the best feedback of my career from my boss!”
The woman’s face relaxed and she smiled. “Will you be heading back in now?”
“I am.”
“Could you please give this package to Mrs. Kincaid?”
I nodded, accepting the long, thin box with ribbon so soft and expensive it put my bedsheets to shame. When I got back in the suite it was empty. I took a seat and was about to text the good news to my best friend, Willa, when Lauren returned from the changing room, ready to go.
“All done?”
She nodded, then draped her soft, leather Hermès bag over her forearm and cleared her throat. “I do hope you’ll be more present at the wedding rehearsal tomorrow night. It would look tacky for a bridesmaid to be checking her phone all evening, especially when she’s my stepdaughter,” she said, frowning slightly when she noticed the box in my hand. “What’s that?”
“Lauren, it’s your big day. I promise I won’t bring my phone out once, unless it’s to get a picture of you in that amazing wedding dress,” I added for good measure. “Oh, and the receptionist asked me to bring this to you. She didn’t say who it was from, but I could probably take a wild guess,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Dick probably feels bad that he’s missing his own rehearsal dinner.”
