Liar (a FAUX-MANCE novel)

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  “May as well check it off our list, sweetheart. Maybe we should.”

  Cori’s eyes grew large, and she took in a deep breath and held it, trying to play her next move. “I…we…don’t want to intrude.”

  “It’s no intrusion at all, or I wouldn’t have invited you,” Winnie answered with a hopeful grin.

  “I have this proposal thing to work on. Work has been crazy busy. I just don’t know if I can get the time off with such late notice.” That was all Cori could come up with, and it fell short.

  Nick raised his brows, surprised she was using Thorne as an excuse. “I’m sure your boss won’t mind. It’s okay to leave early.”

  He’d pulled the boss card. Son of a bitch. Cori was stuck and having a hard time keeping that smile she was wearing intact.

  “I understand if it’s just too much for you. I mean, it was supposed to be you and Phillip picking a cake. It’s okay if it still stings a little, honey. I wouldn’t blame you.” An evil little giggle and squinty eyes delivered the real intention behind the cake tasting. It was to further humiliate Cori and remind her who won the boy.

  “Not at all. Is that what you think?” Cori asked as sympathetically as she could. “Oh, honey. It doesn’t bother me at all. I mean, I don’t even think of you two ever — well, until the other day, and I was like, oh yeah…Winnie and Phil. Everyone ended up with who they were supposed to be with, and Nick and I are just sooo happy, you really did me a favor. So, I guess I sort of owe you one. We’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it!”

  It was either disgust or disappointment that crossed Winnie’s face. It didn’t matter which because either way, Cori won this round with a sucker punch to Winnie’s ego.

  “Okay then. I’ll email you the address and time. See you Friday.” With pursed lips and a bruised ego, Winnie turned on her heels and charged off. “Come along, Phillip.”

  As they walked away, Nick and Cori could hear Phillip speaking to Winnie. “Did she really just call me, Phil? I hate being called Phil.”

  Make that two points. The couple looked at each other and started laughing.

  “We are awful, awful people, Nick,” Cori chuckled, burying her face in her hands. “Why did we do that?”

  “I don’t know, but it just…happened. Those two are…awful,” he added.

  “You, my friend, are really into this. I mean, you’re really good at it,” she teased.

  “I’ve known of Phillip, through other people, for some time. I just don’t like the guy. Or her, for that matter. They make it easy. Plus, this allows me to get to know you better. I have to say, I’m enjoying that part more than anything.”

  “Well, Blackthorne, you aren’t so bad yourself.”

  Their dinner finally arrived, and they spent the next several hours eating, chatting, and eating some more. It was easy — the company, the conversation — all of it. They shared a handful of details about themselves, their families, but mostly talked about Thorne Industries. It was the largest common thread between them for the time being, after all.

  As the evening wore on, and the restaurant became quiet, they realized just how long they had been sitting there when they were only one of two couples left and the staff was starting to turn chairs upside down on the tables.

  He pulled out her chair and walked her out. “Are you sure I can’t drop you off at home?”

  “I appreciate it, but my ride appears to be here already,” she said, nodding to the waiting town car parked in front of the restaurant, the driver, James, already holding her door open.

  “So I see.” Nick and James were locked in a dueling stare. “He’s not just your driver, is he?”

  “James? No, he’s a dear friend, who happens to be my driver. He’s harmless, just protective.”

  “I can see that. I think he’s silently kicking my ass in his mind,” Nick teased.

  “Or kissing you,” she fired back with a giggle.

  “Kissing? Oh…ohhh.” He turned to face Cori and grabbed her hands. As much as he wanted to kiss her, it was too soon, and they had a feisty audience. “I’ll meet you in the lobby Friday, does that work?”

  “It does. Thank you for tonight. I had a really good time, actually.”

  “Did you doubt you would?”

  “I don’t know what I thought, to be honest. It was fun, even if it was interrupted for a minute. Thank you.”

  “Of course.” He pulled her stiff, rigid body into him, and hugged her, kissing the top of her head, and she relaxed into the warm embrace. “It was my pleasure. Hopefully, we can do it again.”

  “There’s always cake on Friday.” She smiled, leaving him standing on the sidewalk as she made her way to the car and climbed in.

  James closed her door and walked around the car, giving Nick one more look that screamed, I dare you, more than it said, I want to kiss you. Nick was glad Cori had a friend like that and could see himself liking James just fine. He watched them disappear in the distance before he buried his hands in his pocket and headed in the other direction. Rather than wait for his car, he decided it was a nice night for a walk. The cool air would do him good because her scent was all over him now and driving him wild.

  CHAPTER 7

  Morning coffee in hand, Cori made her way through the front door of Thorne Industries, only to get her dress caught in the breeze and stuck between the doors. When she walked forward, giving it a light tug, it came free, but not without tearing the hem just enough to be obvious. Tony had a little bit of everything behind his security desk, including a sewing kit he knew how to use. It wouldn’t be the first time he helped her with a clothing emergency.

  “Did you see what that door did?” she asked.

  “Sure did. Already have the kit out,” he answered with pride. “Turn around, and I’ll stitch it up so it doesn’t get any worse until you can get a professional to fix it up proper.”

  She went on to tell him about her evening with Nick, not leaving out a single detail. A couple low whistles and a few chuckles later, she made it to the point of the conversation. “I know why I’m enjoying making Winnie eat crow, but why do you suppose Nick’s so invested in this ruse? I mean, before last weekend, he didn’t know any of us.”

  “There’s no telling. Maybe he knows you better than you think. You have worked here for some time, and just because you didn’t know who he was, doesn’t mean he didn’t know who you were.”

  Nodding her head, she agreed. “Good point. It still doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t add up. I think he may be into this a little more than I am. He insisted we go to the cake tasting. I mean, I love a good piece of cake, but a guy like that can buy out the whole shop — daily — he doesn’t need to crash a wedding tasting.”

  “Like I said, Cordelia, there may be more to the story,” Tony offered, still perched on his knees behind her, putting in the final stitches. “Maybe the fact that this is something he doesn’t do regularly is what’s appealing.”

  “Maybe you’re right.”

  “Oh no, I accidentally caught the cuff of my shirt in one of the stitches. I’ll have to fix that really quick.”

  There was a shift in the air, of sorts, catching Cori’s attention. When she looked up from where she stood, a smile crossed her face at the sight of Nick walking through the doors. He had a way about him that had an entire room, or bustling lobby, responding to his commanding presence. He was just that guy.

  Puzzled by Cori’s presence behind the security desk, he headed her way when his expression turned serious, and Tony popped up behind her, holding the back of her dress up to an almost revealing level. It took him a minute, but he finally saw that they were attached, and an awkward moment became even more awkward.

  “Um, good morning?” he asked. “What…never mind. I don’t think I want to know.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. Tony just sewed us together,” she replied, holding up the sewing kit while Tony snipped the stitch that bonded them. “I mean, I tore my dress in the door, and he stitched it up un
til I can get it to the seamstress.”

  “Makes perfect sense, actually. Better sense than what I thought when I saw him standing behind you…holding your dress up,” Nick laughed.

  “There, all fixed. I stuck a little safety pin in there, underneath, for good measure,” Tony added, happy to have helped and to see the two talking.

  She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Tony. You’re the best. I’ve gotta run.”

  Her pace quickened when the elevator loaded and there was still room for her. With a quick wave from the elevator as the doors were closing, she hollered, “Have a good day.”

  “Aw, she’s a good kid, that one,” Tony said to Nick, both still looking at the now closed elevator doors. “Like a daughter to me, ya know?”

  “Right,” Nick said with a grin, obviously lost in thought. “A little peculiar, but equally intriguing.”

  “Has a good heart, she does.” While he had a listening ear, Tony took the opportunity to do a little matchmaking…again. “Put herself through school, lives on a fixed income, but still does for others, even if it means she goes without. Rather than buy herself a big cup of joe, she gets a small, just so she can get me one too, every single morning. She doesn’t think I know, but I do. Sweet kid. Claim her as my own.”

  “Selfless. I noticed that.” Nick turned to Tony, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I remember seeing her rush in from grabbing a candy bar from the vendor out front. Some crying kid had dropped his sucker or something, and she handed him the candy bar she just bought, ruffled his hair, and went upstairs.”

  “She’d give ya the shirt off her own back, even if it was the only one she had,” Tony added for good measure.

  “Shirt off her back. Yes…” Nick pulled out his phone and pecked at the screen, then waited a moment and pecked some more. “Tony, I’m expecting a guest this afternoon. A tailor. Can you see that they are properly escorted to my office and have adequate assistance? They may need some extra hands.”

  “Oh.” Tony smiled, certain he knew who the tailor was for. “I sure can, sir. Sure can.”

  “Technically, it was my door that tore her dress. It only seems fitting that I…fix it.”

  “Of course, Mr. Blackthorne.”

  “Please…it’s just Nick.” He smiled at the older man and left with his plan to surprise Cori in place.

  A large floral arrangement full of roses and peonies greeted Cori at her desk. These are new, she thought, looking at the other bouquet of peonies in the middle of her small conference table from the night before. Anxious to see if there was a card, she riffled through the flowers, but didn’t find one.

  They were beautiful and expensive, but they couldn’t sit in the middle of her desk, so she moved them to the credenza near her office door where she could enjoy them and not risk knocking them over. When she sat in her chair, she noticed a card perched on her keyboard that had been previously obstructed by the large arrangement of flowers.

  Cordelia, you looked stunning last night. Diamonds and red lipstick were made for you…and every man fortunate enough to see you in them.

  Flattered by the words, she found herself still stumped. Her full name was used again, which limited her options. It was far too intimate to be Tony, and those flowers were not cheap — head of security or not – it couldn’t have been him.

  It had to be Phillip, as far as she could tell. He knew her full name, he saw her last night, and he had the means to send such a gift. The last gift, the chocolates, made sense too. He had just seen her then as well. Why not add his name, and what was his game? Or was he afraid signing his name could be used against him?

  If it was Phillip, then why? She wasn’t trying to win him back — she didn’t want him — at all. There was satisfaction, though, in knowing he was seeing the grass wasn’t always greener. And in his case, that it was artificial grass on top of it all.

  Case solved. She was getting to him. Nick was making him jealous. Served him right.

  CHAPTER 8

  Traffic had been a disaster, putting Cori and James behind schedule. Though there was plenty of padding in her morning schedule, and she would be at her desk in plenty of time, her morning chat with Tony would be cut short. Worse things could happen, she supposed.

  What she wouldn’t compromise was her morning coffee. She would be late for coffee. With her hands full and some extra hustle in her step, she wasn’t paying enough attention when she walked over a storm grate, catching her heel. In an effort to stay upright and not flash her goods to half of Portland, she sacrificed the heel of her shoe.

  Though still attached, it was barely hanging on. She hobbled the rest of the way in, straight to Tony and his bag of tools. Surely, he had something to help her.

  She liked to get to her desk before her team arrived, but walking around with a busted shoe and odd hobble was not only tacky, but risky, especially since she wasn’t the most graceful on two feet.

  “You seem to have a bit of a streak this week, kid,” Tony teased. “I have some of that industrial glue. Holds anything together. A man glued himself to a building and hung there for days using this stuff.”

  “That’s exactly what I need! These may be knock-offs, but nobody needs to know, and even these don’t come cheap,” she admitted. “I just need to get through today.”

  “Sit your rear down on my chair and give me your leg. That’ll be faster than unlacing these things. How long do these take to get on?” he asked sincerely.

  “They aren’t that bad. I have it down to a science. Besides, once they’re on, they don’t come off until bedtime.”

  “All that for a pair of shoes.” He shook his head, going to work on her shoe. “I don’t understand you young people.”

  Like the previous day, Nick walked through the door, surprised to see Cori sitting behind the security desk. He was headed their way when an associate stopped him and began having a conversation that was entirely one sided. It was obvious to Cori that Nick didn’t hear a thing the man said because his attention was pinned on her and the peculiar happenings behind Tony’s desk.

  Cori finally stood to try out the fixed heel, only to stumble when it broke. So much for industrial strength. “Now what? It didn’t work, and I don’t have an extra pair of shoes or time to run up the block to grab some anywhere.”

  “Well,” Tony said, scratching his head, “we could just break the other one off. Not ideal, but at least you won’t be lop-sided.”

  “Perfect. It’s summer. They’ll just look like strappy flats. You’re a genius.” She turned away from Tony and grabbed ahold of the counter in front of her to brace herself.

  Tony, resourceful as he was, grabbed the heeled foot she elevated and went to work tugging, pulling, and bending the heel he was trying to break.

  Cori caught Nick’s attention again, but this time, his expression dropped to one of concern as he looked around to see who was watching. She followed his glance, unsure why he was doing such, and shrugged her shoulders at him.

  From her perspective, Tony was just fixing her shoe, but from where Nick stood, she was leaning over the counter with an older man behind her pulling and thrusting, doing who knew what. Breaking the conversation, he quickly made his way to the security desk to see what they were up to this time. Surely it wasn’t what it appeared to be.

  “Hey,” she grunted, holding onto the counter with a death grip as Tony tugged on her foot.

  “Do I even want to know this time?” Nick asked with an awkward smile when he saw Cori’s foot in Tony’s hand.

  “Oh, my heel broke. Tony is just evening me out. No time to get a new pair before the day starts.” She shrugged.

  “Cori, take the morning and do whatever it is you need. Being in management comes with privileges — as does being engaged to the CEO.” He winked.

  “No. I can’t do that. I won’t do that.” She shot Nick a serious look that suggested she might even be a little offended.

  With a big jolt, Tony s
houted, “Got it!”

  “Thanks, Tony.” She kissed his cheek and threw both heels in the trash. “You’re the best.”

  Both men stood and watched her hobble off in an odd moment of déjà vu as she climbed into the elevator. “Have a good day,” she said, tossing them both a wave before the doors closed.

  “Poor kid can’t catch a break, but still makes the best of it. Off to conquer the world, she is,” Tony offered with a chuckle while cleaning up his work space.

  “Not a woman I know would have a shoe disaster and make it look on purpose and own it,” Nick said in disbelief. “That literally would constitute an emergency sick day for any other woman.”

  “Yep. That’s our Cori. Takes a lot to get her down. You mark my words — rather than rush out of here at noon to grab a pair of whatever is close by, she’ll work through lunch and forget the shoes are even an issue.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “She rarely takes a full lunch as it is. Just works — total company girl. Sets an example for her team. She says it makes her approachable and available — that’s why they respect her so much,” Tony added, just in case Nick was unaware, which he likely was.

  “Really? Makes sense I suppose.”

  “Yep.” Turning his attention to wiping down his desktop, he had another trick up his sleeve. “Too bad Guido’s isn’t a little closer.”

  “Guido’s?” Nick questioned.

  “The sandwich shop she loves up the street.” Tony paused to glance at Nick over the top of his glasses. “Italian grinder is her favorite — with extra pepperoncinis. Don’t be fooled by that size seven. She’s not one of those fussy lettuce wrap girls.”

  “Size seven?”

  “Oh…size seven shoe, that is.” Tony grinned. It was working.

  Nodding his head, Nick grabbed his phone out of his pocket, as he did the previous day, and hit the screen a few times before bringing it to his ear. He looked at Tony. “Right…size seven and an Italian grinder.”