“For an engagement party, they really went all out. I would think this was a reception if I didn’t know any better.” I looked around, taking it all in. The flowers, candlelight on every high-top table around the perimeter of the room. The band playing quietly in one corner.
“Hard to imagine how the wedding could top this,” Max agreed. “You can tell me all about it.”
“Oh, if you think I’m going to their wedding, you’re out of your damn mind.”
He laughed as he helped me out of my coat. “Come on. I’ll go if you will. It might be a lot of fun. Plenty of people watching.”
“I can do that by sitting on my front steps without having to wear a fake smile for hours on end. Thanks, but no thanks.” I’d decided to go without Megan’s wrap and felt the air on my back once my coat was gone. Then I noticed the degree of near-nudity some of the other women had gone for. It was like they were having a contest to see who could look more naked. I saw more side-boob in that ballroom than I usually did watching the Academy Award red carpet pre-show.
Mimi
I scanned the room while Max checked our coats, noticing the air kisses and squeals of joy as friends who’d probably just seen each other earlier in the day greeted one another like they’d been on opposite sides of the world for years. I was gladder than ever that Megan kept it real.
The sensation of Max’s hand on my bare back snapped me to attention. “Shall we?”
“I don’t know. You sure we can pull this off?”
“Just follow my lead.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
He leaned in and murmured in my ear. “I think you’re the most beautiful woman here. No contest. And I’ll bet my bottom dollar you’re going to go in there and show them how much happier you are without that ridiculous ass in your life.”
I couldn’t help myself. He was so close and saying all the right things and damn, his hand was touching my bare skin and I wanted him to move lower and I was pretty sure his cologne was hypnotizing me. Before I knew it, I turned my head and kissed him—chastely, gently, like a girlfriend would kiss her boyfriend before heading into a group of people. His palm pressed just a little harder into my back as I did.
“Thank you,” I whispered, my skin still tingling where he’d touched me.
“See, if you keep that up…” he murmured, his eyes half-closed, a smile playing on his lips when we parted.
“Keep what up?” I said innocently.
“My cock. You’re keeping my cock up with that behavior.”
“That is very uncivilized of you, Mr. Black,” I mock scolded.
“Yup, that’s it. I’m just your regular dick swinging caveman.”
“Luckily for you, I’ve got a thing for cavemen.” Was I really doing it? Was I flirting with him? And I was doing a pretty good job, too. That was the craziest part. He made me feel witty and beautiful just by treating me as though I was. I realized as we started making our way around the room with my hand in his, that I felt confident enough to take on anything the night could throw at me.
Good thing, too, since the first person to greet us was none other than Josh. Max squeezed my hand before shaking his. “Good to see you again,” he said with a wide smile.
“Yeah, you too.”
Josh looked at me and his eyes widened to holy cow proportions. I could tell he was no longer sure how to act. He had been so sure Lillian was right that Max was gay and pretending to help me to save face, but now the ground was slipping underneath him.
He could pretend to be the ultra-confident wunderkind of the financial planning world, but I knew him better than that. He worried all the time that he was a phony and that eventually he’d be found out by people smarter and more talented than him. Right then, I looked at him as he really was. Standing beside Max, he looked downright ugly. Outside and inside. I was amazed at what I’d ever seen in him.
“This is a great party,” I said smoothly, glancing around the room. “You really went all out, didn’t you?”
“Oh, this had nothing to do with me,” he said, looking sheepish. “This is all Lillian.”
“I hope that’s not a shadow of things to come,” Max joked. Only I knew he wasn’t joking. I squeezed his hand, hard.
“What do you mean?” Josh asked, his smile slipping. He knew it wasn’t a compliment, but he didn’t quite get the jab. He wasn’t always the sharpest knife in social situations.
I scrambled to beat Max before he delivered the fatal blow. “Oh, you know how it is. If we women left things like this to our men, they’d never get it done right.” I beamed at Max, while my eyes sent warning signals. As much as I loved seeing Josh squirm—and I really, truly loved it more than dark chocolate and wine combined—the last thing I wanted to do was make office life even more uncomfortable.
“She’s right,” Max grinned affably. “I could never pull off planning something like this. Just give me the bill, huh?”
“Oh, my future in-laws paid for everything.” Josh shrugged, that sheepish look still on his face.
I winced at Josh for falling so easily into Max’s trap and was just about to open my mouth to change the subject when Lillian found us. She gave me a completely fake smile before turning to Josh.
“I was looking for you,” she told him in a tone that reminded me of a mother talking to her toddler.
“Sorry. I was just greeting our guests.”
She looked at him meaningfully. “My parents want you to meet their oldest friends.”
She turned to us, her eyes lingering on Max longer than they should have before she pulled Josh away with her. For a bride to be she looked and sounded very hostile.
We watched as she led him to a humorless group of four. I almost felt sorry for Josh. Without even trying, Max had exposed him for what he was: a weak little boy with no say in his own life. And he would never have a say as long as he was with Lillian. I noticed her brushing her hand over his collar like she was adjusting it before sliding her arm through his.
Max noticed, too. “Poor sucker,” he muttered.
Mimi
“You think he’s a sucker?”
“Don’t you?”
“A bit, but you might want to plug up that leak,” I whispered, looking around to be sure we weren’t overheard. It didn’t look as though anybody was paying us attention. They were too busy having a fabulous time to listen to our conversation.
He raised an eyebrow. “What leak?”
“Contempt. It’s leaking out of your voice.”
He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll play nice. He is an idiot though.”
We both accepted champagne from a passing waiter with a silver tray balanced on one hand. “Why do you think that? Just out of curiosity. How would you sum him up?”
His steely eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why do I feel like you’re setting me up? Or testing me?”
“Oh, it’s totally a test.” I wanted to know more about him, what he thought about things, how he saw the world.
He rolled his eyes but answered anyway. “I’d bet anything that he started dating her because it made Mommy and Daddy happy. She’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but he would have asked her to marry him if she looked like the back end of a bus.”
That hurt. “She’s beautiful, huh?”
“Are you jealous?”
“No,” I said immediately. “Why would I be?”
He grinned. “What else did I say after that line?”
I blinked. “You said something after that?”
His eyes softened and he touched my nose with his pointer finger. “Yes, I did. Anyway, she’s not who he really wants, even though she might be who he needs—somebody to push him around and tell him what to do and how to do it since he can’t make a decision for himself.”
“Oh! Who does he really want?” I just couldn’t help it. My hurt pride needed to hear it.
“You.” His voice had dropped an octave. I told myself the throbbing between my legs was just the champagne kicking i
n.
He put an arm around my waist. I let him since it was what he was supposed to do as my fake boyfriend for the night. “But he can’t have you anymore because I’ve got you now.”
“Now you’re going too far,” I murmured, blushing furiously.
“No, I’m not. We have an audience,” he whispered.
My breath caught. “We do?”
“Absolutely.” He grinned wolfishly. “Now would be a good time to act as if you’re crazy about me.” As if it was totally natural for him to have his arms around my waist and pulled me in closer. I told myself to go with it—we were playing a role together, after all—but it was so hard to not act like a fluttery, nervous twit when I could feel his hard body pressed into me. Was Josh watching? I hoped like hell that he was. Lillian watching would be a bonus.
I stared into his beautiful eyes and licked my lips.
“If you keep doing that I’m going to have to take you into the toilets and fuck you until you scream. Then there would be no more doubt that I am your boyfriend.”
“Oh, you’re so romantic,” I murmured. Some part of me wanted so much to think we were not pretending. This was all real. We were an item, flirting and having fun.
He kissed my forehead, his mouth lingering there for the briefest of moments. “You taste of makeup.” His breath was cool and smelt of champagne.
I pretended to scowl. “Duh. Did you think I got this flawless look on my own?”
“I liked you just fine without the lick of paint.”
I fluttered my eyelashes. “Oh, Mr. Black, you say the nicest things.”
“And you, Miss Young, are looking for trouble.”
I bit my lip. I loved the idea of being in trouble with him. “You were in the middle of summing Josh up when we were interrupted,” I croaked.
His eyes lost their gleam. “There’s not much more to say about him. He didn’t have the balls to break it off with his meal ticket when he had you. Now that she’s turned up pregnant, he’s stuck with her for the foreseeable future, even if the marriage is hell on earth, which it probably will be.”
“Wow. That’s really sad.” I placed a hand on his chest because what the hell. I was his fake girlfriend. And oh, I liked touching warm steel. I felt the beating of his heart under my fingertips. I could get used to the whole fake relationship racket if it meant getting to touch him like that.
He frowned. “You’re not feeling sorry for him, are you?”
“Right now? No. He still cheated and used me. He didn’t have to lie like that, but I can’t get too angry because I can’t help feeling as if I dodged a bullet with this one.”
And I wouldn’t be here with you, with your arm around me and your face so close to mine and, boy, are you a good actor because I would swear we were really dating if I happened to see us from across the room. Hell, do you know how good you smell, and how much I want to take your shirt off right now?
He smiled softly. “I guess you did. I’m glad I was there when it happened, even if you were a completely sloppy drunk.”
I gasped and was just about to sling a retort when a male voice broke in. “I thought that was you!”
Mimi
We both turned to find Alexander Fields, CEO, and owner of my firm, standing in front of us. I was flabbergasted. I didn’t even know the man knew me. I was sure he couldn’t pick me out of a lineup with a gun pointed at his temple.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, when Max said, “Alex. How nice to see you here. I didn’t expect to.”
“I could say the same. This is not exactly your scene.” His voice was warm and friendly. I noticed the enthusiasm with which he shook Max’s hand. I wondered how he knew my boss. The man was a mystery to me. Suddenly, I felt like the outsider. As much as Max pretended that it was us against them. This was his world too. I found myself looking at Max in a different light.
“So what are you doing here?” Alexander Fields asked.
Max's arm snaked around my waist again. “You haven’t met my girlfriend, Mimi, have you? She…er…works with Josh.”
My boss’s eyebrows jumped before his dark eyes fell on me. “Oh, of course. Mimi. It’s so good to see you here tonight. You look lovely.” I could tell the old guy had absolutely no idea who I was. Max could have told him my name was Britney Spears and he probably would have gone along with it.
I smiled politely. “Thank you, Sir.”
Worlds were colliding before my very eyes and I had no idea what to do about it. Nobody in their right mind wanted to make small talk with their boss at a party, especially if their boss had no idea who they were. Not that I held it against him—we were a big firm with plenty of departments, and he was a busy man. However, I couldn’t help feeling a little disheartened by the fact that my boss had now been pulled into this charade.
Mr. Fields slapped Max on his back. “Maximus, my boy, this is a providential meeting,” His eyes had lit up behind his wire-rimmed glasses. “We’re spending this weekend in the Hamptons. Why don’t you join us? It would be wonderful to have you out there.” He looked at me. “Both of you, of course. Millicent and I would be delighted.”
My stomach got that empty feeling it did when I was on a roller coaster. I looked at Max. He looked at me and raised his eyebrow. I blinked to indicate that he should refuse.
At that moment, Josh and Lillian wandered over, hand in hand. Of course—Josh never missed the opportunity to brown nose with his boss.
Alexander motioned for them to come closer. “You, too, Josh. If you’re not doing anything this weekend please, come out to the Hamptons and spend it with us. It’ll be great.”
“We would love to, Alex,” Lillian cooed, managing to give me a dirty look while snuggling up to Josh. Josh, much in his fashion, looked like he’d missed the boat again.
“Well, Maximus? What say you?” my boss asked turning his attention back to Max.
Both Josh and Lillian looked at Max, and Max looked at me with a questioning look in his eyes. He was waiting for me to refuse. Dozens of excuses flew through my head. I was getting a root canal. I was repainting my apartment. I was scheduled to contract a contagious illness before then. Anything to get out of spending an entire weekend with my boss and the couple of the evening. For a fraction of a second, I even considered exposing myself to a contagious disease to get out of it. Was bird flu still a thing?
But the simple fact was, I couldn’t say no to my boss. It would be ungracious not to mention career suicide. Max had to say no for us. He must know we couldn’t go. I raised my eyebrows surreptitiously at him and willed him to find a gentle way of letting my boss down.
“I’m game if you are, sweetie,” he said softly.
I reminded myself to push him in front of a bus, or at least hurt him when we were alone again. Then my lips stretched and the words came through clenched teeth. “Of course, I’d love to.”
Mimi
I managed to wait until we were in the limo to lose my cool. “Do you have a paper bag for me to hyperventilate into? Or maybe a loaded gun that I can empty into the side of my head?”
Max stared at me, oblivious. “You’re that upset? Why?”
“Are you crazy? You couldn’t have told him that it was short notice and we have something else to do this weekend?”
Max settled into the seat. “So why didn’t you say it?” he challenged.
“I couldn’t turn him down. How could I? He’s my boss,” I wailed.
“Okay, okay, He put me on the spot! And you staring at me with those big eyes didn’t exactly help either.”
“What? Are you trying to blame me?” I spluttered.
“It’s hard to think when you have a boner,” he said cockily.
“It’s all a joke to you, isn’t it?” I accused furiously. My hand itched to slap that smug expression off his handsome face.
“Oh, come on, Mimi. Lighten up. It won’t be so bad.”
“Won’t be so bad? How do you figure that? A weekend with my boss wh
o doesn’t even know who I am. What could we add to make that more uncomfortable and awkward? Oh, right! My ex and his new fiancée who hates me,” I groaned, eyes closed.
“You should view this as a great opportunity to get to know your boss. Other people would kill for a chance like this.”
I opened my eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No,” he says seriously.
I shake my head. He didn’t understand. I didn’t want to get to know my boss in this way. And I definitely didn’t want to spend any time at all with Josh or Lillian. I chewed my thumb and tried to think. “Maybe you can go alone. The invitation was obviously for you. Mr. Fields didn’t even know who I was until you introduced me.” I looked over at him from the corner of my eye. “Very masterfully accomplished, by the way.”
“Yeah, well, I can be smooth when I try.”
“You could have tried harder back there, Mr. Smooth.”
“I don’t see why you couldn’t have said you were tied up,” he argued.
“I didn’t want to be rude!”
“Neither did I! Going on my own is going to be useless since Josh will be there. Unless you want him to think we broke up.”
I exhaled. “I guess there’s no way around this, huh?”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t want to spend the weekend with me.”
“Everything isn’t about you, you narcissist.”
“I’d resent that if I didn’t already know I was one.”
“Shut up. You can’t charm your way out of me being annoyed with you.” I folded my arms, swinging one of my legs back and forth.
“Wow. It’s like we’re actually a couple. We leave a party and you’re pissed at me for something I said inside.” He looked at me with one eyebrow cocked. “I mean, if I’m going to go through this kind of grief, I should at least get something out of it.”
Kissing Booth Page 27
