by Lauren Wood
I clenched my fists, biting my tongue to keep from pointing out that it was his present behavior and decision making that made things that way … even if he did try to claim it wasn’t.
“But there’s testing groups. And surveys. And a number of other tactics we use for products we have no personal experience with,” I defended.
He threw his hands in the air. “Give it up, Kate. I’ve talked to the CEO of the company, and I know what they’re looking for. They want someone with kids of their own on this account, and that’s that. There’s nothing I can do. Don’t worry about the VP position. You’re working your way up. It takes time. I’m sure another promotion opportunity will come along soon. Now, if you’ll excuse me … we both have a lot of work to do.”
Sure, there’d be other promotions. But not the Vice President position. There was only one of those, and whoever landed it would likely hold onto it until Greg’s retirement. He was young for being the president of the firm. He had no health issues or any other signs that he’d be letting go of his title a minute before he turned sixty-five. Which meant that VP position was my only chance of making a substantial move up, unless I went to another firm entirely. And with Cherry Falls still being in a development phase, there was no other local firm that could even begin to compete.
Knowing all of this led me to blurting out one of the dumbest things I have ever said in my life.
“Actually … Greg. There’s something I need to tell you,” I said slowly. My mouth grew dry, making it hard to swallow - the way it always did when I was telling a lie. “I’m dating a guy who is a single dad.”
It was a small stretch of the truth. But we had been on the one great date and would be going on another. That constitutes as actively dating, right?
But Greg hung his head in condescending laughter. “Oh, Kate. I’m happy for you. But we’ve been working together for … how long now?”
“Over eight years.”
“Eight years? I have never once heard of you being in a serious relationship. I can’t pass you off to these clients as a parent just because your boyfriend of the month happens to have a kid. It’s just not the same.”
I could see him preparing to kick me out of his office. I had to think fast.
“We’re engaged!” I exclaimed in desperation. Greg looked just as shocked as I was about the words that just spilled from my mouth.
“Engaged?”
“Yes!” I fired back. “Engaged. I have … a fiancé. And … he is a single dad. His daughter will be...my step-daughter soon.” I swayed a little, trying to muster up enough confidence to make it all sound more believable. “Does that qualify me as a parent?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “What’s this guy’s name? And how old is his kid?”
“Ben. And his daughter, Olivia, is …” I racked my brain. I couldn’t remember if Ben had ever told me her age. And I didn’t know the first thing about kids, truthfully. Other than they were cute. Especially his kid. “She’s … eight months old,” I guessed cluelessly.
He considered it for a moment, mumbling through his thoughts. “Chuck’s kids are in highschool now. You raising a young one in today’s market would put us at a huge advantage. And as she gets older, the first-hand insight would be extremely helpful.” He scratched his chin for a while before turning to me with a bright expression. “Alright, Kate. You got it. I’ll let you and Chuck compete on this one. I expect both of your proposals in three weeks before we make our pitch to the client. But listen … until then, I’d like to meet this fiancé of yours. There’s a company dinner this evening. Chuck is hosting. Bring him along. Would you?”
“Uh … absolutely. No reason why I couldn’t, right? My fiancé, Ben. I will bring him along tonight.”
I smiled and thanked Greg, then raced out of his office as quickly as I could. I needed to lock myself in my own office and hyperventilate.
Obviously I was thrilled that I was in the running for the Nesters account and for the VP position. The only problem was … I only had one coffee date with Ben. And now I had less than five hours to find some way to get him to appear at Chuck’s dinner as my fiancé.
2
Ben
Joey’s maid showed me and Olivia in, informing us that Joey was in his home office. Olivia was half-asleep with her head resting on my shoulder, but the moment she realized we were going back to her dad she perked right up.
“Baby girl!” Joey’s face lit up as we walked in. She practically lept into his arms as he held them out. “How’d it go? Did you two have fun?”
“Bait,” Olivia smiled.
Joey’s eyes darkened over me. “I knew you were shamelessly flaunting my child around as your chick magnet, but I didn’t expect you to clue her in on the game.”
“Kids say the damnedest things,” I shrugged innocently.
“Did it work? Did you lure in your next fling?” He dug through Olivia’s bag, pulling out her favorite stuffed rabbit.
“Sort of. We had coffee with a real hottie, but … eh.”
“Eh?” he puzzled.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, prompting me to check the screen. “Speak of the devil.”
Kate: I enjoyed meeting you today. When can I see you again?
“I knew it,” I clicked my tongue, shoving the phone back into my pocket. “It hasn’t even been an hour since we left and she’s already texting me. She didn’t even give me a chance not to call her. I had a feeling she was one of those women.”
Joey laughed as he sank into his big, soft cushioned office chair with Olivia draped over his arms, snuggling her stuffed toy. “One of those women!? What … you mean the kind that actually likes you and isn’t afraid to show it? What’s the point in charming and flirting with every good-looking woman you meet if you’re just going to resent them for falling for it?”
“There’s a difference between a woman who’s DTF with no strings attached and the ones who want to sink their claws into you so deep that you suffocate and choke. And I am particularly skilled at spotting that difference.” I held my phone up in the air as it buzzed again.
Kate: How about tonight?
“Case in point. This woman is desperate and needy. Those are the ones who make your life a living hell when you try to cut things off,” I explained.
“I don’t know, man,” he sighed. “Angel had a huge crush on me. I knew that when we hooked up the first time, and it was a little intimidating at first … but now look at us.”
“Yep, you’re doing great. Except … I don’t want all of this,” I waved my hand around his wall covered with wedding photos and the baby sleeping in his arms. “Anyway, I gotta get back to the office. Thanks for letting me borrow your kid.” I kneeled down to Olivia whose eyes were heavy and blinking slowly. “Bye Olivia!”
“Say goodbye to Uncle Ben. Eternal bachelor,” he mocked. “When his good looks are lost with age, you’ll have to take care of him, Olivia. He won’t have anyone else around to do it.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I laughed, rolling my eyes. “You get that one down for a nap. I’ll show myself out.”
I hopped into my car and drove back to our downtown office. It housed two entities—my venture, known as Wilder Properties, and my best friend Nick’s umbrella company, Ransom Realty. We got into real estate and investing in our early twenties, right along with Joey and our other childhood friend, Damon. We were all broke inner city kids determined to make a life for ourselves that was better than we grew up with.
It was my idea to move our whole operation from New York to Cherry Falls, North Carolina. When the small town was named the newest up-and-coming “It” city, I knew we had to strike while it was still somewhat of a blank canvas. My hunch had proven correct. We had made a killing ever since we put ourselves at the forefront of the city’s development, far more than we ever would have made in New York.
Each time I walked through the golden sliding doors of our business, I marv
eled over how much everything had changed. In our short few years in Cherry Falls, all three of my buddies and business partners had settled down and started having kids.
I was thinking it all over when my phone buzzed. I glanced down to see crazy Kate had now escalated from texting to calling. I sent her to voicemail and turned my attention to Damon, who was just getting off the elevator.
“Look at that handsome devil,” I teased him as he walked up and gave me a high five.
“Ben, my man. What’s good?”
“I was just thinking over what I might get into tonight,” I told him. “Actually, I was thinking how much more complicated navigating nightlife has become ever since you three chumps abandoned me in my bachelorhood. Will you be at the club tonight?”
Ben may have been married with a little one at home, but at least he had started his own chain of nightclubs—the original one being right there in Cherry Falls so he could keep a heavy hand in the day to day operations. At the very least, I knew I could count on catching him there most nights, even if he did leave ridiculously early to get home to his wife and kid.
“Yeah, I’ll be there for a bit,” he nodded. “I’ll see you then if you come by.”
“See ya, man,” I waved to him as he exited the building.
I hid away in my office for the rest of the afternoon, busy with work. After completing a slew of paperwork, e-mails, and calls, as well as a string of more missed calls and texts from crazy Kate, I was exhausted and getting ready to head home and change for going out to see Damon. My afternoon may have been wasted on someone who, judging by the way she was blowing up my phone, was apparently psychotic. But I couldn’t let that stand in the way of that evening’s potential for finding someone new and easier.
I shut everything down for the night and flung open my office door. But I immediately froze when I saw Kate waiting for me out in the lobby.
“I told her she’d have to wait,” my secretary explained. “She didn’t have an appointment.”
“Uh-huh, I see,” I watched her cautiously. “What are you doing here?”
“Sorry, I tried to call. I found your office’s address on the internet, and … well … I couldn’t reach you by phone …”
I wondered if inviting her into my office would result in a big scene requiring me to call security. Her blowing up my phone and showing up out of the blue freaked me out, but I had to admit … the girl had tenacity and determination, if nothing else.
“Step into my office,” I motioned my arm across the door, hoping I didn’t regret not having her escorted from the building right off. “What’s going on?” I asked, closing the door behind us. “I had a great time over coffee and all, but … uh, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon … And so many times, at that.”
She sat in the chair in front of my desk, looking embarrassed as she wrung her hands together in her lap. “I know. I’m sorry. I swear I’m not crazy. I would have normally waited for you to call me, but … well, to be honest … I’m kind of in need of a date for this evening.”
“In need, huh?” I leaned against my desk in front of her. Even after she started showing her crazy side, I was still stunned by how good she looked. “I guess that explains your urgency to get a hold of me.”
“Yes, exactly. It’s for this work dinner, and … well, they’re expecting me to bring someone,” she explained. “It’s a really embarrassing story actually.”
I felt a little relieved that she had a reasonable explanation for her behavior. Or maybe I was just getting hypnotized all over again by her stunning features and prominent display of cleavage. “Well, Kate. You’re in luck. You took a risk by blowing my phone up and then just showing up here...and it just so turns out that I don’t have any concrete dinner plans.”
She perked up with hope. “Really? You’ll go with me?”
“Sure, why not?” I shrugged. “What time?”
“In about an hour,” she replied with earnest. “However … there’s just one little problem.” Her cheeks turned bright red. “I kind of … might have … well, okay. So I’m just going to spit this out. When you accompany me this evening … my boss and my co-worker along with their families … How do I put this … They … They think you’re my fiancé.”
“Come again?” I tilted one ear with my fingers. “I didn’t quite catch that.”
“My fiancé,” she gulped.
“Oh, so I did hear you. And it really was the bat-shit crazy thing I thought you said,” I laughed in shock. “Why the hell would they think I’m your fiancé!?”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” she desperately assured me. “I went back to work after we had coffee and got sucked into this meeting where our boss presented us with this new client. They’re a toy company. And he wasn’t going to let me take a stab at the pitch because I’m not married with kids. There’s this big promotion on the line, you see. And without a chance at this client, I would be out of the running.” She stopped just long enough to catch her breath before jumping right back into talking a mile a minute.
“I panicked. I froze. And you were fresh on my mind because we just had coffee and because you have Olivia and all. I … well, I told my boss that I was engaged to a single dad so I could stand a chance at landing this client and the promotion. I know it sounds crazy. I’m sorry. I understand if you never want to see me again.”
I nodded, processing everything she had just said. It was crazy. But acting crazy for the sake of your career was something I understood all too well. It had been a pretty crazy move to drag us all down to Cherry Falls, after all. And it paid off. Most risks I took for my job paid off, and I found myself empathizing with Kate’s desperate drive and determination. Anything to get to where she wanted to go. More than understanding it, I liked it. I liked her.
“Sure,” I said finally. “I can show up to this thing as your fake fiancé.”
“Really!?” Her eyes grew so wide, I thought she might cry. “Oh my god, Ben! Thank you so much!” She leaped from her seat and threw her arms around my neck. “You have no idea how much this means to me! Thank you! Thank you!”
The scent of her hair and the glorious feeling of having her body and big perfect breasts pressed against me was almost enough to keep me from saying what I was about to say next. But I knew I had to.
“So that problem’s solved,” I sighed. “But the bigger problem is …”
“What is it?”
“I’m not actually a single dad,” I confessed. “Olivia is my friend’s kid. I don’t have any children and I’ve never been married.”
3
Kate
My nostrils flared as I stared up at Ben with wide, crazy eyes. “You what!?!?”
“I’m sorry. It’s our thing. Olivia comes with me to the park sometimes and you know, the whole widowed dad thing really makes women go crazy for you,” he smirked, as if it was no big deal. Which only infuriated me more.
“And what about three or four dates in!?” I shrieked in disbelief. “Would you have kept lying about Olivia being yours then!?”
He cut his eyes to the side, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Uh … Kate. I don’t know if you noticed but I wasn’t exactly returning your calls and texts. There wasn’t going to be three or four dates.”
My heart dropped from embarrassment, but it quickly turned to boiling rage again. I hadn’t been crazy for assuming we would see each other again. I knew I hadn’t.
“What!? Why!? Then why did you give me your number!? And act like you wanted to see me again!” I fumed.
“Look, you seem like a great girl,” he offered cautiously. “Or at least you did before you stalked me down and started yelling at me. Doesn’t mean you’re not great! But right now … you are hardcore giving off the crazy vibe. All of that aside, you’re super hot and I had fun at coffee and all. But … I think we’re looking for different things.”
I wrinkled my fa
ce up, feeling even more flabbergasted than before. “Sure, I can see how I seem a little crazy right at this moment. But how the hell do you know what I’m looking for? What is it exactly that you’re looking for!?”
“Something that doesn’t last long enough for a lie about being a single dad to matter,” he said matter of factly.
My face turned hot and it felt like the blood coursing through my veins was lava. I was about to explode, and I knew it wouldn’t be pretty. I glared at him and quickly tried to accept the facts.
First, he was an asshole player who would lie and pretend to be somebody he wasn’t just to get laid. Second, I’d have to figure out what the hell to tell my boss about my non-existent fiancé and figure out how to cling onto my chances of having a shot at this new client and the promotion. I couldn’t do that while wasting time bickering with Ben over mixed signals in dating.
I let out a vicious, exasperated growl and spun on my heels to storm out of there as fast as I could. On my way out I ranted and raved about the whole thing.
“Unbelievable. To think you’d lie about having a dead wife and … wait.” I stopped dead in my tracks and whipped back around to Ben. “If Olivia isn’t your kid … where did she come from!?”
He waved his hands in the air and came running over, desperate to address the look of fear growing on my face. It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that I could have been dealing with a kidnapper and who knows what else.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. It’s nothing like that!” he insisted. “She’s my buddy’s kid. He knew she was with me.”
“Does he know you’re lying to people and saying that she’s yours!?”
“Yes, actually.” He crossed his arms and looked down at me with a smug smile.
“Ugh. You’re disgusting,” I hissed.
“Hey, you’re the one lying to your boss about being engaged to some guy you just met just because you thought I had a kid and could get you promoted at work. How is that any better than what I did?”
