Fake Zoned: A Fake Date Anthology

by Malone, M.

  I turn to the others. “I needed Eli’s special touch to find someone. He came through, as usual.”

  I hold up one of the pictures. A tall, thin young man with light brown skin and curly hair is shown crossing the street. He’s wearing sunglasses but there’s no denying that he looks like us.

  “That’s him?” Gabe reaches out to take the picture. When he’s done looking at it, he passes it to Zack.

  “Yeah. Lucas Brown Marshall. Age 22. Also known as Luke,” I say, reading from the typed summary sheet Eli included. “He’s some kind of child prodigy. He graduated high school at 16 and college at 19. He owns a software development company. It says here when he was on summer vacation one year, he created the program the majority of the state’s hospitals use to keep patient’s digital records secure.”

  “I guess he was bored that summer,” Gabe comments.

  Finn claps him on the back and snorts out a laugh. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  I continue reading. “His mother, Anita Brown Marshall, owns a bakery called Anita’s Place.”

  Gabe sits forward. “I’ve been there a bunch of times. Best damn cheesecake I’ve ever had. So, what’s the plan? Should we go there and wait for him to show up?”

  “I’m not so sure about that. Just roll up out of nowhere and say ‘Surprise, we’re your brothers’ ?”

  Zack makes a face. “Right. Because I can’t see anything going wrong with that plan.”

  There’s a beat of silence and then we all laugh. Finn has the picture now. He hands it back to me and I slide it back in the envelope.

  Eli retreated because he was worried my brothers’ initial reactions would be less than positive. What if he has a point? This situation requires some sensitivity.

  What if Luke’s reaction isn’t positive?

  Now that I know he’s some kind of cyber genius, it makes sense he was so hard to find. He’s probably been taking steps to erase his digital footprint since he started using a computer. And if he’s taking that many precautions, he might not take too kindly to being found.

  For any reason.

  “Look, I want to say something.” They all quiet down and I try to get my thoughts together. “The past few months have been insane. My mom was diagnosed with cancer again and the father I haven’t seen in years is suddenly not only in my life but making some pretty crazy demands.”

  The others nod at that.

  “We still don’t know what old Max is up to or what any of this ultimately means but we have a choice going forward. We can let him call all the shots or we can stick together and figure this thing out. I’m counting on us being stronger as a group than apart. No matter what else happens, I’m happy I got some more brothers out of the deal.”

  Finn raises his beer in agreement. The others follow suit. “To brothers.”

  Eli raises his beer, too. “Now, you know that’s something I can drink to. To brothers.”

  Finn stands and then knocks me out of the way of the television.

  “Now that the speeches are over, get the hell out of the way so I can see who’s winning!”

  I punch him in the arm and then lean on the edge of his chair, observing him and the others as they scream at the screen.

  There’s a certain peace in surrounding yourself with people you trust. And I’m finally at peace. I know that after we’re done kicking it, I’ll be going home to a woman who loves me and who’ll stand by me through anything.

  And I know that no matter what Maxwell Marshall has in store for us in the future, I’ll have my brothers behind me the whole way.

  Because that’s what brothers do.

  The End

  … for now

  I hope you enjoyed reading Tank, the first book in the six-time USA Today bestselling series Blue-Collar Billionaires. The next book in the series is called Finn and it is available now!

  Next up is another sizzling fake-date story. Thane Kingsley IV lives for business but his parents have decided it's marriage or else. So he decides to find the fiancée of their nightmares. Let the games begin.…

  Turn the page to start reading Bad King!

  Bad King

  About Bad King

  I'm a Kingsley. I live for business. But my parents are threatening to give the empire I've spent my entire life building to my brother if I don't get hitched.

  They don't even seem to care that they've just put a gold diggers' target on my back.

  Well, if all my parents want is a wedding, I can do that. I’ll find the fiancée of their nightmares. Too loud, too blonde and ready for a good time.

  Let the games begin.…

  Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire?

  Resumes accepted here.

  Must be completely inappropriate.

  Chapter One

  Olivia Reyes shifted from foot to foot, trying not to lose her balance while balancing her cell phone between her shoulder and her ear. After listening to the phone ring, she immediately hung up and called back. Her best friend was notorious for disappearing into his work at all hours but it wasn't like him not to answer her texts.

  Just before she was about to hang up again, he answered with a distracted “Hello.”

  “Finally! I’ve been calling and calling. I was about to send out a search party.”

  “Oh, hey Boo.”

  She wrinkled her nose at the nickname. “How many years have to pass before you stop calling me that?”

  He chuckled as she knew he would. “It’s instinct now. I will forever associate peek-a-boo with my Olivia.”

  “Whatever. I’ve been trying to reach you. What’s up with you ignoring my texts?”

  “Sorry. I really meant to call you last night but I'm in the middle of testing the newest iteration of my soil. I started reading my notes from the last phase of testing.”

  “Of course. The last time we spoke you’d decided to alter the nitrogen levels again, right?”

  She smiled to herself as his voice became more and more animated as he explained the changes he was making. Bennett Alexander was probably the only person in the world who could wax poetic about the mineral levels in dirt. She could just picture him in his home lab, probably wearing jeans and one of those hideous sweaters with his glasses pushed up on top of his head. It was a sweet image that never failed to make her smile.

  Despite the fact that he was a genius and she was … not, he loved to tell her about his work. And she genuinely loved hearing about it. He was awkward, always had been, but after growing up together they had a unique way of communicating that probably didn’t make sense to anyone else. He always made her feel like he valued her opinion.

  Even if she never had any clue what he was talking about.

  “You sound really excited, Ben. I hope this new batch is the one.”

  He made a distracted noise. “It has to be. The changing weather patterns have really messed with our crops in recent years. We need soil that’s robust enough to gain us maximum yield this coming summer.”

  When he started mumbling to himself she figured she’d better get to the point of the call before she lost him again.

  “Bennett? Hey!”

  “Sorry. I’m still here.”

  “Your mom said you’ve been nominated for a Mentor Science award! That’s awesome.”

  After more mumbling and what sounded like a curse, he finally responded again.

  “Yes, I just got the invitation to the awards ceremony. Wait, you talked to my mom?”

  She smothered a laugh. “Well, you weren’t answering your phone as usual. So I figured Julia could at least make sure you were still breathing!”

  “Great. So that’s why she put the invitation out for me to see. I was wondering why she bothered. Social gatherings have never been my favorite thing.”

  “Um, well she did that because I asked her to. I was hoping that you’d take me as your date.”

  On the other end of the line, it got quiet. Too quiet.

  “I was just thinking that we don�
�t get to spend nearly enough time together these days, you know? And I can talk to everyone for you when you get nervous.”

  Olivia knew she was babbling but considering how easily Bennett got freaked out, it was better than letting the awful silence continue.

  “That’s true. I’m no good at this kind of stuff but you always cover for me.” Bennett sounded confused.

  Poor guy. She hadn’t hit on him since their disastrous first kiss the same summer he got his braces taken off. But after a few years of dating duds it was time for her to get serious. Bad boys were hot but they weren’t the type you made a family with. And that’s something she hadn’t had in a long time.

  “I don’t mind covering for you, you know that. So, it’s a date! I’ll call you later. Bye!”

  She hung up quickly before he had a chance to respond. No doubt he had no clue what had just happened. Bennett was brilliant in math and science but socially, not so much. She’d seen many times that any interaction with the opposite sex was enough to send him into a stammering, blushing frenzy.

  The only reason he could function around her was he’d known her so long that she didn’t think he really saw her as a woman. But she just knew that if they gave it a chance they could make it work. He was gorgeous, freakishly smart and he already loved her.

  What the hell more did she need?

  Passion. Excitement. Desire. Remember those things?

  The door to her office opened and Imogen stuck her head around the door. “Boss lady? The member and his guests have arrived. Dita and I have set up everything per the client profile.”

  “Thank you, Gen. I’ll be out in just a moment.”

  After the door shut behind her, the music stopped abruptly. Having a soundproof office was a blessing most days but perhaps if she could have heard the music she wouldn’t have wasted so much time daydreaming. Instead she’d been standing here for the past ten minutes lamenting the fact that she might never get laid again. At least, not with anyone she was really attracted to.

  She shook off the negative thoughts and quickly attached the last garter on the mid-thigh slip she wore. An elegant champagne lace with a deep plunge V-neck, it was the kind of thing a wife would wear when she wanted to seduce her husband. That was tonight’s member request, a boudoir theme.

  After shrugging into the matching satin robe, she picked up the information card she’d printed in advance of tonight’s bachelor party. When she saw the client code she groaned.

  It was King.

  Olivia treated all of the members of Club VIP with polite detachment. They were paying exorbitant membership fees and by extension, financing an extremely comfortable life for her and her partners. But Thane Kingsley was the most infuriating, arrogant, high-handed man she’d ever met. It took all of her restraint sometimes to hold her tongue.

  And he definitely knew it. She’d swear the man only came back so often to drive her insane.

  Well, whatever. All the girls who worked in her section of Club VIP knew to review the member’s requests prior to setting up the room so she wasn’t worried. Imogen was a little rough around the edges but she was professional at least.

  His Royal Highness, as she referred to him behind his back, would have no reason to complain about the service. He’d had the nerve to complain about the way the room was set up during his first month of membership and while Olivia had been perfectly polite, she had no doubt she’d scared him a little with her icy cold response.

  She was getting fired up again just thinking about it. Who the hell did he think he was? The only reason the set up hadn’t been to his liking was because he hadn’t filled out his preference list completely. The Masquerade Room was the epitome of wish fulfillment and every detail was customized to the client’s preferences.

  Her dream had been a place where high profile people could find their fantasy without exposure or risk of being recognized. After moving in that world of the rich and wealthy once, she thought she understood their needs better than most.

  Her family hadn’t been anywhere near as wealthy as her friend Elle, no yachts or chauffeurs, but as the only daughter of a successful Virginia horse rancher, she'd never wanted for anything. Their ranch adjoined the Alexander homestead on one side which was how she knew Bennett. It had been a good life before it all fell apart.

  She put a hand over her now flat belly. Things were going to be fine. After a few years of co-owning the club, she was almost financially independent at last and it wasn’t like she was going to do this forever. She’d move on, hopefully get married to Bennett and start having little Einstein babies who were just as amazing as their father. He never had to know about Club VIP.

  If Bennett ever found out about her new career, how far she’d fallen, he'd be disappointed or even disgusted. But it'd be even worse if he ever guessed her most secret shame.

  That she loved every minute of it.

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  She picked up the black satin eye mask on her desk and slid it firmly in place. It was time to show this bachelor party why they were the most exclusive pleasure club on the East Coast. Thane Kingsley might be the bane of her existence but this party wasn’t for him, it was a bachelor party for a friend.

  The man of the hour might have crappy taste in friends but he still deserved a fantastic sendoff.

  When she opened the door leading to the main room, the deep, hypnotic throb of the music hit her like a wave. The bachelor party was already seated on the low-slung couches peppered around the room. Ten pairs of eyes swung her way, all of them assessing.

  Wanting.

  Instantly warmth curled in her belly. King’s eyes met hers and she squared her shoulders, ignoring the little throb in her lower belly.

  “Gentlemen, my name is Angel. Welcome to the Masquerade room.”

  Chapter Two

  King sat back on the surprisingly comfortable couch and watched as one of the top executives of his company enjoyed a lap dance.

  His best friend, James Hamilton III, leaned over, his voice raising to carry over the driving beat of the music.

  “It was good of you to host the bachelor party for Devin. I don’t think the poor bastard actually has any other friends.” The entire time, James’ eyes stayed on the dancer gyrating against Devin’s lap.

  “That’s because he’s in the office twenty hours out of the day. Just like the rest of us.” King tugged at the knot of his tie. They’d all come directly from the office in fact.

  James shrugged. “Still, it was nice of you. None of us have the connections to score a membership to Club VIP. I heard they grant less than ten access keys per year.”

  King knew that to be accurate because he’d had to pay a hefty sum to get them to bend the rules and allow his membership. In the end he’d gotten what he wanted, as usual.

  There wasn’t much that the Kingsley name and money couldn’t buy.

  “Well, I figured it was the least I could do. After all, he’s already fucked. Poor bastard actually thinks he's in love.”

  James grunted. “On that note, Harris already started the divorce pool. My money is on the six-month mark.”

  “You actually think they’ll get that far?”

  “Have you seen his fiancée? I’m pretty sure he’ll put up with whatever crazy shit she does for a while just so he can continue to tap that on a regular basis.”

  King shook his head, completely bewildered by the idea of willingly shackling yourself to one woman. “I have no idea what is in the water lately but my executives are dropping like flies. Stanton got married last year, Stiles is up next and I just heard that Rollins is proposing to his girl soon.”

  “Face it, we’re getting old.” His friend’s smile was bright even in the dark room.

  Since King was a few years older, he figured the “getting old” quip was meant for him.

  “Thirty-one isn’t old. I wouldn’t even be considering marriage if it wasn’t for my parents shoving every gold digger over the legal age a
t me every time I go home.”

  “Yeah, I know all about those.”

  Uncomfortable, King looked around the room. James had defied his family a few years ago marrying his college girlfriend despite his parents’ disapproval. His wife hadn’t even waited until the ink was dry on the marriage certificate before she tried to empty his bank account. Ever since he seemed to have accepted that his fate was a loveless marriage.

  “Sheila was a bitch, man. But that doesn’t mean you have to get married to whatever plastic mannequin your parents push in front of you.”

  James shrugged. “I’m not doing it until I’m ready but I’m not fooling myself anymore. I want a family someday. So I’ll eventually have to seal the deal with someone.”

  “Or you could stay single forever like me.”

  He was expecting his friend to laugh but an uncharacteristically somber expression crossed James’ face.

  “Don’t push too hard, King. I regret so many things now. Fuck.” He ran his hands through his dirty blond hair, disordering the slicked back strands. “If I had just listened when my father tried to warn me… whatever, it doesn’t even matter now. Just think about it, okay?”

  “I hear you but I can’t live like this. My father actually threatened to hand over the reigns of Kingsley International to Colin. Can you imagine?”

  “Not really. He hasn’t gotten up before noon since he was in school.”

  “Exactly. He’s still out partying every night and bringing home random chicks. I have worked too hard to lose it all now. I’ve given everything to this company.”

  “That’s why you have to play the game. You have too much to lose now. Is pride really worth losing everything? Just marry someone they like, set her up with whatever she wants and then go have your fun on the side.”