Mr. Man Candy: A Fake Boyfriend Romance

by Alessandra Hart

  “We’re actually together now, if you can believe that. But there it is anyway. I’m the queen of pathetic-ness, not you.” I shrugged a shoulder.

  “I don’t understand. Is that story supposed to make me feel better?” Mom asked, tilting her head to the side.

  “Well, yeah. You paid for a few pieces of jewelry you couldn’t afford. I paid for a freaking man.”

  She smiled faintly. “That does take the cake, doesn’t it?”

  “Yup.”

  “It’s my fault, though. I harassed you so much you felt like you had to do that.”

  I shook my head. “No, if I was any good at relationships, I could’ve found a real date to shut you up,” I said with a wry grin. “But ever since Matthew, I’ve been useless with men. I shut myself off and pushed most of them away.”

  “Yes, I suppose you did,” she said. “But I’m still a bad mother. One of my daughters is a criminal, and the other one felt the need to fake an entire relationship. What does that say about me?”

  I arched an eyebrow. “Mom, I forgot to return a library book one time. It hardly makes me a criminal.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I meant Libby.”

  “I know, I was kidding. Just trying to make you feel better.”

  “I don’t deserve to feel better. I’m a horrible mother.” She put her head in her hands again.

  “Mom, for the last time, you aren’t horrible! Do you remember when I finished school and told you what I wanted to major in at college? We got in a fight about it.”

  “Yes. I wanted you to study business.”

  “Yeah, but you still paid for my entire design course, and when I finished, you were the one who helped me get my first job back home. You didn’t agree with my choice, but you still supported me.”

  “Well, yes, of course I paid for your education. I had the means to do so at the time, so why wouldn’t I? Any parent would if they could.”

  My brows dipped into a frown. “No, they wouldn’t, trust me. One of my friends from college got cut off by her family, even though they were super-rich and could afford it, all because she decided to switch majors and not go into medicine like they wanted,” I said. “So let me support you now. Let me help you pay off your debt.”

  “You really want to?” she said in a small voice.

  “Yes!”

  “That would be so helpful.” Mom’s shoulders sagged with relief. “But only do it if you absolutely want to. I won’t be offended if you change your mind.”

  “I won’t. Besides, that spare cash was originally going to Nate. Now that we’re actually together, I won’t have to give it to him.” I paused and smiled. “He said he was never going to take it anyway.”

  Mom nodded slowly. “I suppose at least one good thing has come out of this vacation. You’ve found someone great. I really like Nate.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. He didn’t exactly make a great first impression, but he’s grown on me. He clearly cares about you a lot.” She leaned forward. “Also, he’s very handsome.”

  I smiled. “He is, isn’t he? And speaking of handsome guys.…” I let my eyes drift over to the bar. “A very distinguished-looking man has been staring over here for the last minute or so. I think he’s looking at you.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly.”

  “He is! So much for you being invisible.”

  Mom turned her head to the left to check out the tall grey-haired gentleman at the bar. He noticed, and he raised his glass and nodded at her.

  “See?” I said.

  She looked flustered. “But I’ve been crying. I look horrible.”

  “He obviously doesn’t think so,” I said with a smile and a wink. I stood up. “I’m going to leave you to it and go back to my room. I’m exhausted.”

  As I picked up my purse, the older man headed over to our table and extended a hand to my mother. “Hello, I’m Harold. May I buy you a drink?”

  Mom fluttered her eyelashes. “I’d like that. I’m Margaret.”

  I smiled. That drink should be a nice distraction for her. She deserved it.

  I trudged out of the bar and took the elevator up to my room as waves of tiredness crashed over me. It was still early, but after such a harrowing day, I felt like I could sleep forever. At least in my dreams, my sister might not be a treacherous bitch.

  With a heavy sigh, I stepped into my room. The door clicked shut behind me, and my gaze fell on the chair on the left side of the room. My old bachelorette party sashes were still there, sitting on top of the veil. I rolled my eyes. I’d brought those things to the island with some big plan to burn them and throw the ashes in the ocean as part of some symbolic healing process, but now that just seemed frivolous and stupid. I’d already healed. All I needed to do was find love in order to fully let my past go.

  Now, the items were nothing to me but old scraps of satin and gauze. With a smile, I snatched them off the chair, crumpled them up and threw them in the trash can.

  That’s where they belonged all along.

  My door opened fifteen minutes later, when I was in the bathroom washing my face. I walked out to see Nate stepping inside. “Hey.” I crossed the room, my forehead wrinkling. “How’s Bobby doing?”

  He rubbed his temples. “As expected. Pretty much stared into space for the last couple of hours. But he’s asleep now. Sully had some mini sedatives on him.”

  “I guess those frat boy friends are good for something, huh?” I said with a wry smile.

  Nate nodded. “Yeah. They’ve actually been really supportive. One of them is staying on his couch up in the penthouse until I get back there tomorrow morning.”

  I raised my brows. “Tomorrow?”

  He nodded. “I thought I should come spend the night with you. Bobby lost his fiancée, but you lost your sister, in a manner of speaking.” As he spoke, he put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. “So how are you feeling?”

  “I think I’m okay. Guess it hasn’t really sunk in yet, like part of me is still too shocked to believe it.” I sighed and shook my head. “I just feel so bad for Bobby. Thinking someone loves you for so long, only to have them betray you so terribly… it’s one of the worst feelings in the world.”

  “Yeah, it’s fucked up.” Nate ran a hand through his hair. “And she didn’t just manipulate and betray him. She did it to everyone. You. Your mom. Her friends.”

  “Yup.” I pressed my lips into a thin line.

  “She did it to me too, even though I didn’t even know her. Played my brother and me against each other perfectly. Wasn’t even hard. She knew our rough history, because Bobby confided everything in her, so it was easy to pull off—she set him up, and I assumed he took my money. I treated him like shit these last few months. All for nothing. I’m a fucking dick.”

  “Nate…”

  He held a hand up. “It’s okay. You don’t need to defend me. I can admit it—I was an asshole.”

  “But you didn’t know the whole story. No one did.”

  He rubbed his face again, his eyebrows dipping into a frown. “Well, we do now.” He crossed the room to the minibar and poured himself a small glass of scotch. After taking a sip, he turned back to me. “When I spoke to him earlier, he told me what he went through when Mom died,” he said in a gruff voice. “That’s what you meant the other day when you said I should talk to him, right?”

  “Yes,” I said softly.

  “I had no idea. I grieved pretty normally. Never knew it wasn’t the same for him. I thought he’d just turned into a prick. So yeah, I’m an ignorant dickhead.”

  I shook my head. “When he lashed out at you all those years ago, you didn’t know the underlying reasons. You took his actions at face value, and that’s not your fault. Most people would do the same.”

  His jaw twitched. “I could’ve talked to him. Could’ve figured it out. I essentially cut him off instead.”

  I sighed. “Look, you both messed up. Sure, maybe you could’ve figured out what a hard time
he was having after your mom passed, but he said some really heinous things to you, and that made you not want anything to do with him. He knows that, and he doesn’t blame you at all. He just wants you to forgive him.”

  “I do. I forgive him. But what now?” He shook his head slowly. “I’m fucking worried. He could be prone to depression, right? Seeing as he’s had it before. Now all this shit has gone down… what’s gonna happen to him?”

  I sighed and stepped closer, slipping an arm around his hips. “I think he’ll be devastated for a while, but if he has a lot of support, he’ll get through it. Last time, he kept it all to himself, so he didn’t get much of that.”

  Nate nodded, his jaw steeled. “Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. I owe him that support. So if he needs me to hang out with him every single day so he’s not alone, I’ll be there. Or if he needs the world’s best therapist, I’ll fly them in to see him.”

  I smiled. “See? You are a good brother.”

  “Trying to be. Been a while.” He held out the scotch glass. “Want some?”

  I shook my head. “I already had some vodka. Probably shouldn’t mix drinks.”

  “At the reception?”

  “No, I went to a hotel bar downstairs. I was with Mom.”

  “Oh, shit, I forgot to ask. Is she okay?”

  “She’s pretty much in the same boat as me. Shocked. Sad that she never really knew who Libby was deep down. We talked for ages, but I ended up leaving because she attracted an admirer. Figured she could use the distraction.”

  “What’s the guy like?”

  I smiled. “Looks about her age. Well-dressed. Very polite. And guess what?” I leaned in closer. “His name is Harold.”

  Nate’s lips twitched. “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope.”

  “If today hadn’t been the shittiest day ever, I’d be laughing my ass off right now.”

  “Me too.”

  He wrapped his arms around my waist and murmured softly in my ear. “You sure you’re feeling okay?”

  I nodded, but it was a lie. I pulled back, sat down on the end of the bed and put my head in my hands, my chest and shoulders shaking. The tears finally came, hot and furious, spilling out and running down my face in briny rivulets. “How could this happen?” I choked out between sobs.

  Nate sat down next to me, one arm slung around my left shoulder. “I don’t know,” he said softly.

  “Shouldn’t I have seen this coming? How could I not know my own sister properly?” I wiped my face on the back of my hand.

  “It’s not your fault,” he said. “Libby’s obviously a narcissist. They always seem smart, charming and perfect, but it’s all a mask. Hers dropped today. It had to, because she was sprung, and for once she couldn’t talk her way out of it. She finally ran out of lies.”

  “I guess so.” I sniffed weakly. “It’s just so....” My voice trailed off.

  “It’s fucked up, no getting around that.” He rubbed my back. “But I’m here for you. I love you.”

  My eyes widened as I looked up at him. “You…” I was too surprised to even finish my sentence.

  “Yeah. I love you,” he said gruffly. “Probably didn’t pick the most romantic moment to say it, but it’s true, Georgie. I’ve been falling for you from the second we met. I know it’s too early to say it, and I—”

  I cut him off, blurting out, “I love you too!”

  He grinned. “You do?”

  “Yes! I don’t care that other people might think it’s too early to say it. I know how I feel,” I declared. “I just didn’t know if you were there yet.”

  “Well, now you know. I am,” he said. “And with all this Libby shit—don’t worry. It’s over now. We’re gonna get on that boat tomorrow to go home, and we’re gonna get back to our normal lives without all this crazy shit. Only we’ll be together. That’s something, right?”

  I nodded. He was right. The vacation, the fakery, the living nightmare of a wedding day… it was all over now.

  But we’d only just begun.

  36

  Nate

  Eighteen months later

  “We really shouldn’t do this...”

  Georgie gasped and swallowed hard as I pushed her up against the white vanity. “It’s not illegal,” I said with a smirk.

  “But it’s b—”

  I stole her next words with a kiss, sucking in her bottom lip. She moaned into me, a deep and hungry sound, and I curled my fingers in her hair, groaning low when her tongue slipped into my mouth. I reached down and grabbed her ass, grinding myself against her.

  “Wait, someone could hear us,” Georgie murmured, pulling away a moment later. “There’s a ton of people out there!”

  “That’s what makes it so fun.” I grinned against her ear, leaning closer to her.

  She smiled deviously. “I guess there is a wall between us and them…” she said. “But we have to be quick. We’re expected out there soon. Especially you.”

  I regarded her through a lusty haze. “I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything. Not when you look this fucking good.”

  “I shouldn’t have even let you into the room,” she said, shaking her head with a teasing grin.

  I trailed a path down her bare upper back, the pressure of my fingertips increasing as I tried to slip under her strapless dress. It was too tight, and there wasn’t enough time for me to undo it, so I changed tactics. I leaned down and put my hands up the skirt of the dress, hiking it up as I grabbed her ass and pushed her into a sitting position on the vanity. Some makeup bottles and compacts went flying, and she giggled as she spread her thighs invitingly.

  “What do you want to do to me?” she asked in a breathy voice, looking at me with half-lidded eyes.

  There were so many fucking things I wanted to do to her. I’d spent a good portion of the last year and a half doing most of them, but when it came to her, once was never enough. Or twice. Even a million times probably wouldn’t be enough to sate my appetite when it came to Georgie’s body. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever met, inside and out, and she deserved to be worshiped. I didn’t just want to make her come, though. I wanted to make her smile, wanted to make her laugh.

  Since our return from Saint Clare Island a year ago, we hadn’t gone a single day without seeing each other. The two week vacation was like a crash course in relationships for both of us, and now there was nothing in our way. Nothing to stop us from being with each other whenever we could.

  Georgie showed me that I could actually be with someone. For real. That latent unease about inadvertently fucking everything up with her didn’t bother me anymore, because I knew she was always there for me no matter what, even if I messed up and said stupid shit on occasion.

  In return, I showed her that she could ditch the fear of betrayal which kept her closed off for so many years. I would never leave her without warning. In fact, I would never leave her at all. She knew that. Nothing could tear us apart, and we grew closer every day.

  We even lived together now, at my place in Del Mar Heights, or ‘Paradise’ as Georgie called it. She’d kept the townhouse she owned, though. She worked hard to buy it, and I thought it would be sad to see her give that up so soon, so I suggested she hold onto it and rent it out for a while. She agreed, and she found a tenant easily—her friend and colleague Tiana, who’d been hunting for a new place around the same time.

  Ever since then, my house was Georgie’s house too. We were truly inseparable.

  “Why don’t you tell me?” I murmured, stepping in between her spread legs. I wanted to make her beg, wanted to see her eyes darken as she demanded my cock.

  “I want you inside me,” she replied, cocking her head to the side. “Now.”

  Close enough. I undid the top button of my black pants but left them up, teasing her with a mere glimpse of my erection. Then I reached up her skirt, tucked my thumbs into the waistband of her panties and pulled them down past her knees as she squirmed on the vanity. One glance at her fa
ce, the tight clench of her jaw, and I knew she was ready for whatever I wanted to give her.

  She let out a breathy, expectant moan as I reached down and freed my cock from my underwear. The glint of hunger in her eyes made my cock throb like crazy. Her expression was nothing short of desperate need. Pushing myself closer between her legs, I pressed my cock up to her bare pussy, rubbing it in circles over her clit. My breath was heavy against her neck, and my mouth watered at her delicious scent.

  “Nate, please...” she whispered. “I want you.”

  “Good.” I moved my cock down, pressing it right up against her soaked entrance. “This is mine,” I murmured roughly.

  “Yes,” she gasped, arching against me. She wrapped her legs around me, begging me with her body.

  My eyes stayed locked on hers. I was about to thrust myself all the way inside her tight pussy when a knock at the door startled me.

  “Georgie? You still in there?”

  It was Tiana.

  Georgie immediately pressed her hand over my mouth. Then she took a deep breath. “Just fixing my lipstick and getting my shoes on! I’ll be out soon.”

  “Okay, good. Your mom is going nuts looking for you. Also, we can’t find Nate. Any ideas?”

  Georgie gave me a devilish grin before answering. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

  “I swear Bobby and I saw him walk in earlier, but now he’s vanished. So weird! He didn’t answer Bobby’s text a few minutes ago, either.”

  As well as living at Georgie’s old townhouse, Tiana had been dating my brother for the last five months. They’d gotten on like a house on fire since they first met at a dinner party that Georgie and I hosted.

  When Bobby told me they were officially together, his words were accompanied by the first genuine smile I’d seen on his face since the day of his doomed wedding to Libby, in those early moments at the church before the awful truth surfaced.

  Christ, that fucking wedding… it was a black stain on our collective memories. Even thinking of it made my jaw twitch.