Mr. Man Candy: A Fake Boyfriend Romance

by Alessandra Hart

  “Uh-huh.”

  I paused to take a breath. “But according to some of Reuben’s friends in the business, quite a lot of people want hidden security cameras, for various reasons. That’s not legal in most places, unless there’s a sign posted somewhere nearby notifying people that they’re being filmed.”

  “Right.” Nate’s forehead crinkled. He obviously had no idea where I was going with this.

  I pressed on. “The CryptX offices are pretty big, right?”

  He nodded. “They take up around half a block or so, yeah.”

  “What’s across the street or next door? Is it all other offices and businesses, or are there any houses?”

  “There’s a couple of apartment blocks on the other side of the street. Not directly across from the office, but close. Also a few townhouses.”

  I swallowed rapidly. “That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear.”

  Nate rubbed his eyes again. “Why?”

  “Well, I just realized something. The investigators for your case had no video evidence of whoever got into the office that night, because your own security tapes were wiped, and the nearest CCTV things didn’t capture anything. Nearest legal CCTV things, that is.”

  His eyebrows lifted slightly, and I could tell it was starting to dawn on him. “Oh….”

  I clasped my hands together, forming a steeple. “What if someone who lives across the road from your office has a concealed home security camera directly facing the street? If there are any near the CryptX offices, they could’ve captured whoever got in that night. If not that, they could possibly show who was walking or driving on that street around the time the person got in and out.”

  Nate sat up straight, his eyes widening. “Holy shit. The cops never considered that. Even the private investigators I hired never floated it as an option.”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “They might not have thought of it. The police investigators probably didn’t think of it either, because the cameras are concealed, and people don’t want the police to know they have them, seeing as it’s against the law to have hidden cameras filming stuff. And because you kept the case under wraps, it’s not like anyone in the area even knows there was a theft at your office. So no one would’ve felt the need to call the cops and say, ‘hey, I have some secret illegal footage that might help’, because they didn’t know there was anything to help with in the first place.”

  Nate’s eyes glimmered with excitement. “So there could be someone out there right now sitting on footage containing my thief. And they wouldn’t even know it.”

  “Yup.”

  He put both hands over his mouth and took several deep breaths, like he was hyperventilating. Then he leaned over and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me in a bear hug. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Neither can I,” I admitted. If Tiana hadn’t messaged me and brought up Reuben right when I was considering Nate’s case, I might not have ever thought of the home surveillance idea.

  Nate squeezed me harder. “We might actually have a solid fucking lead, all because of you.”

  My stomach fluttered. “I don’t want to get your hopes up too much,” I murmured. “There might not be anyone with concealed cameras on the street. So it’s just an idea.”

  He pulled back. “A fucking good idea! There might be someone out there who can actually help, and that’s more of an idea than the feds have come up with in the last few months. You’re a goddamned genius.”

  My cheeks turned hot, and I smiled. “I’ll email Reuben now and ask him if he can get in contact with his security industry pals. I’ll get him to see if any of them, or anyone they know, has installed any concealed cameras on that street in the last few years, within a half mile radius. Maybe even a mile. It’s a long shot, but hey… it could work, right?”

  “Yes. Holy fuck.” Nate’s eyes were wide and full of wonder.

  I grabbed my phone and tapped out an email to Reuben, explaining the situation and begging for his help (and discretion). The phone pinged just five minutes later.

  “Is that him? What did he say?” Nate asked, eyebrows pulled down in concentration.

  I quickly skimmed over the reply. Then I looked back up at Nate. “It could take a while… but he said he can help.”

  Nate punched the air. “Fucking yes!”

  “He says it could take a few days, maybe even weeks.”

  “I don’t give a shit how long it takes. This is the first lead we’ve had in months. Reuben can take all the time he needs, and if he finds something useful, you can bet he’ll be getting a fat chunk of change as a reward.”

  I smiled. “He always turns me down when I offer him cash for doing stuff above and beyond his duties, but this really takes the cake. He has to accept it. Even if we have to stuff wads of cash into his mailbox.”

  “Yep.” Nate shook his head. “Fuck, I just can’t get over it. We had the cops, feds and PIs working on the case for weeks, and they came up with nothing. But we give you a few days on an island and a couple of edibles, and suddenly you’re the Sherlock Holmes of the financial crimes division.”

  I groaned. “Didn’t we agree to never mention those cookies again?”

  Nate flashed me an impish grin. “I don’t remember any such agreement.”

  I laughed. “Okay, fine. Maybe I’ll start talking about clowns again.”

  He chuckled. “You got me there. No more cookie talk.” He stretched his arms and let out a heavy sigh, like he was letting all the weight of the world slip off his shoulders. Then he spoke up again. “Really, Georgie, I’m amazed. Fucking amazed. When you said you wanted to help, I knew you were serious, but…”

  He shook his head and trailed off. I finished his sentence for him. “You didn’t think I’d actually be able to?”

  He nodded sheepishly. “No offense or anything. It’s just that all these months have gone by with nothing. No clues, no new suspects.”

  “No offense taken. I didn’t think I’d come up with anything useful, either.”

  He grinned, got off the bed, and started pacing the room in fluid movements. “Shit, I suddenly have so much energy.”

  I smile and leaned back on the pillows, looking at him. There was a light in his eyes that I’d never seen when his company was the focus of discussion, and the despondent air of hopelessness had vanished.

  I knew my idea wasn’t perfect, and it might very well yield zero results, but just the simple hope that it might do something was clearly enough to stoke the fires of Nate’s resolve again. For the first time in months, he seemed excited about something in regard to CryptX.

  He came back over to the bed and sat next to me, clasping my hands in his. Then he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to mine, searing my lips with a kiss hot enough to melt an iceberg. I curled into his embrace as a familiar tingling sensation danced between my thighs.

  Nate pulled back, staring at me with a wondrous gaze. “You’re really something, Miss Miller,” he murmured.

  I smiled and leaned forward so that we were nose to nose. “You’re really something yourself, Mr. Scott.”

  32

  Georgie

  “Ready to go?”

  Nate looked down at me as I sat on my bed, adjusting the strap of my right stiletto shoe.

  “Almost.” I kept fiddling with the buckle, trying to tighten the strap to no avail. Nate sank down in front of me, a sly grin playing on his face.

  “What do you think you’re doing down there?” I asked, arching my brow.

  “Nothing that isn’t G-rated,” he said as he fixed my shoe strap for me. “You have a dirty mind.”

  I grinned. “Can you blame me after the last few days?”

  We’d decided to spend our last three vacation days before the wedding doing nothing but having fun. As such, the last seventy-two hours had been filled with walks on the beach, snorkeling adventures, kayaking around the islands, succulent restaurant meals (avoiding seafood, for obvious reasons), live music, and even an off-ro
ad ATV adventure tour in the forested, slightly mountainous part of Saint Arnaud.

  In between all that, we’d somehow managed to find ample time for sex. I’d actually lost count of how many times we’d ravaged each other’s bodies, but believe me, I wasn’t complaining about that one bit.

  Nate chuckled. “Fair point.”

  “I’m ready now, by the way,” I said, gesturing to my shoe.

  Nate took my arm and led me out of the room. We made our way to the elevator, and then down to one of the resort’s restaurants, which Libby and Bobby had booked out for the rehearsal dinner. Nate and I hadn’t actually been at the wedding rehearsal at the church earlier, since we weren’t in the wedding party, but we were still invited to the dinner upon Libby’s insistence, seeing as I was family.

  When we stepped into the restaurant, we found that we were the last of the attendees to arrive. We weren’t late, but everyone else had shown up together, seeing as they were all at the rehearsal earlier. The place was gorgeous—crisp white interior with silver accents, candles everywhere, and a picturesque view from the enormous window on the edge. As it was dark now, the silvery ocean outside was dotted with glittering golden lights from all the boats and yachts out there, making the view that much more impressive.

  Before us stood a long table covered with a white tablecloth and runner, and Libby stood up and waved to us. “The only two seats left are those ones,” she said, pointing to two empty seats at the end of the table. “Sorry.”

  I smiled. “That’s okay,” I called back. “We’ll still be able to—”

  I didn’t finish my sentence, because my shoe strap suddenly loosened itself again, and I stumbled forward on the hardwood parquetry floor. As I slipped, I almost fell into Bobby, who’d made a beeline for Nate and me when he saw us come in.

  The brothers both reached out to rescue me from the fall. Bobby quickly realized that Nate had me, so he drew back and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey.”

  “Hi,” I said with a smile before stooping to fix my shoe again.

  Nate cleared his throat. “Hi,” he echoed.

  He still hadn’t gone to talk to Bobby about everything yet, like we’d discussed the other day. Seeing as neither of us were sure how it would go, we figured it would be best if he waited till after the wedding, just in case it started any drama. After all, contrary to my mother’s initial thoughts, we weren’t here to ruin the wedding.

  Bobby dragged a hand through his thick hair. There was a thin sheen of sweat on his face. “I just wanted to… er… apologize for the other day,” he said. “I hope I didn’t cause an argument.”

  “Oh, it’s fine,” I said, patting his arm. He was clearly nervous.

  I gave Nate a side-eyed glance to see how he was reacting. He simply nodded. “It’s fine,” he said, echoing my words again.

  “Good. It wasn’t my intention to cause any issues. I….” Bobby trailed off and rubbed his chin. “Look, Nate, I also wanted to say I’m glad you’re going to be here for my wedding. You know, despite all the shit.”

  Nate nodded curtly. “Yeah, me too,” he said.

  There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment. Clearly, no one knew quite what to say next.

  “Well, enjoy the dinner,” Bobby finally said. He turned and took a few steps away, but Nate called out a second later.

  “Wait. Bobby, stop.”

  My eyes widened. I’d never heard Nate call his brother by his nickname before. Apparently Bobby hadn’t heard it for a long time either, because he turned around, his eyes like saucers. “Yeah?”

  Nate cleared his throat. “When we’re back in the city, would you wanna grab a beer sometime?”

  Bobby looked utterly stupefied. “You mean… really? With me?” He looked behind him for a second, as if he genuinely couldn’t believe Nate was asking him out for a drink.

  Nate’s lips curled into something that could almost be described as a faint smile. “I was just thinking, it might be time for us to have a talk. And I know you like beer, so….” He trailed off and shrugged.

  “I’d like that.” Bobby nodded vehemently. “How about I give you a call once Libby and I are back from the honeymoon?”

  Nate nodded. “Sure.”

  My heart swelled with pride and happiness. I was so glad he trusted my judgment enough to try and make things up with his brother. I knew it wasn’t easy for him, after all the years of resentment, but I had a feeling it would be a massive weight off his shoulders if he found it in his heart to forgive his brother and try to move on.

  I just hoped I wasn’t wrong about Bobby.

  Nate held out a hand, and Bobby slowly yet firmly shook it. Then he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Nate in a tentative hug, his eyes glistening with tears. “I really am glad you’re here,” he muttered, his voice husky.

  Nate didn’t reply. He simply patted his brother on the back. The embrace was awkward, hesitant, and stiff, but it was still one of the sweetest things I’d ever seen. It was probably also the most contact the two brothers had shared in years, as well as the most civil.

  Bobby pulled back and coughed nervously. “Enjoy the dinner,” he said for a second time, giving us a smile and a nod.

  We smiled and nodded back at him before heading over to our seats at the end of the long table. I didn’t need to say anything to show Nate how happy I was about what just occurred. We may have only known each other for a month, but we were already able to communicate via gestures and body language, so I knew he could tell how I felt from my crinkled eyes and the beaming smile which refused to leave my face.

  The night marched on. Smiling family and friends. Delicious food. Expensive wine flowing in a seemingly endless supply. Libby wasn’t drinking, because she needed to be at her brightest and freshest for the wedding tomorrow, but I indulged in a glass. The ceremony wasn’t till noon, and I didn’t need to spend hours getting my hair and makeup done in the morning, so I could handle a drink. My mom obviously felt the same way, because she knocked back three full glasses before the second course even came out.

  Nate looked down the table as she loudly recounted a story about Libby from our childhood, and then he turned his attention back to me. “Any news from Reuben yet?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “It’ll take a while.”

  “Yeah, I figured. Just excited, that’s all.”

  I smiled. “Oh, I know. I am too.”

  Nate looked back down the table at my mother, and then he leaned forward. “I’m half expecting to wind up with a bunch of footage of your mom roaming around in a black cat suit.”

  “Don’t forget the sack slung over her shoulder with a dollar sign emblazoned on it.”

  He chuckled. “Yup. You know, that little theory of yours about her was far too convincing. I had a dream last night where the feds called me, and they told me it was actually her behind the whole heist.”

  I snorted with amusement and held up a hand. “Like I said the other day, it was just an example. She wouldn’t do that.”

  Nate smiled. “I know. But what was it you were saying about her coming into a bunch of money recently? You never elaborated.”

  “Libby and I noticed she suddenly has a bunch of new, expensive stuff, and she’s been lying to us about where it came from,” I said in a hushed voice, ensuring none of the nearby bridal party could hear. They were the biggest group of gossips in the world, especially Bianca, the maid of honor.

  The smile dropped from Nate’s face. “Wait, what?”

  “She told Libby that I bought her a Chanel bag and some diamond earrings with a work bonus. But then she told me that Bobby bought them for her. Other stuff, too.”

  His brows furrowed. “Why would she lie?”

  I shrugged. “I’m pretty sure she has a rich new boyfriend who bought the things for her, and she doesn’t want to tell us yet.”

  He nodded slowly. “Is that like her, though?”

  “Not really. Usually she gets all excited and t
ells us about new men right away. But I dunno. Maybe she’s changed?”

  “Hm. Maybe.”

  I leaned forward, wishing I’d used a different example the other day when I was trying to show Nate how the CryptX thief could be someone other than his brother. Clearly, I’d planted a seed in his head, which wasn’t my intention. “Nate, trust me, there’s an innocent explanation. Mom wouldn’t do anything shady.”

  He nodded again. “Okay. I trust you.”

  “Good. She’s got her bad points, I know, but she would never steal or cheat someone out of anything.”

  Nate smiled. “I know what you mean about the good points. The other night when you were sick, she fussed over you so obsessively. It was cute.”

  I groaned at the reminder of the food poisoning. “I don’t even remember most of that night.”

  “I do. She stayed for hours,” he said. He looked down the table at Mom again, then back at me. “She might be a bit nutty, but I think she’s gotta be a decent woman overall. She really cares about you and your sister, even if she has a funny way of showing it sometimes.”

  “A very funny way,” I said with a thin smile as I recalled all the times she’d berated me for being single.

  We lapsed into a comfortable silence as the dessert course arrived. As we dug into the vanilla soufflé, we heard my mother’s voice drifting down the table again. “Oh, I just can’t believe it. Twenty-four hours from now, my youngest girl won’t even be a virgin anymore. I’m getting so old!”

  I looked down the table. Libby shot a meaningful glance at me from her seat, and I raised my brows and grinned back at her. She stuck her tongue out.

  Nate leaned forward. “Does your mother think you’re a virgin too?” he asked, eyes twinkling with humor.

  I snickered. “Doubt it. She’s seen you. I’m sure she knows no woman could resist you, even if they were a virgin when they met you.”

  He licked his spoon and raised an amused brow. “So she thinks I’ve defiled her precious daughter, huh?”

  I smiled slyly. “I certainly wouldn’t mind being defiled right now,” I murmured, leaning even closer. “The way you’re licking that soufflé off the spoon is giving me some ideas.”