“All right,” I agreed. I’d play her little game, only because I wanted to know what her demands were. I crossed my arms and gave her a calm look. “Talk.”
“First off, who the hell do you think you are?!” she asked. “You stroll into Pace and slap down an offer as if you’re buying your morning coffee, and then you turn around and try to hire me to be … whatever it is you want. You’ve got a lot of damned nerve!”
“Is that why you showed up at my office?” I asked. “To yell at me?”
Audrey fixed me with a glare. “Oh, trust me, when I yell at you, you’ll know it,” she threatened. “I need to know what is going on in your head. One of the reasons I’m even entertaining the idea is because I’m curious.”
Questions began flooding my mind at her admission. Curious about what? About me as a person? About my life? About my company? “What’s the other reason?”
“I’m asking the questions here,” Audrey reminded me. “Why make this deal in the first place?”
She had more fire than I’d given her credit for. I rarely got this much pushback outside the boardroom. It was a shame I had taken sex off the table because I was sure sex with Audrey would be dynamite.
“Because I don’t have time for anything else. Relationships are messy. I’d rather do without them.”
She didn’t speak right away, only studied me through narrowed eyes. I didn’t care if she believed me—I just wanted to move the conversation along so she would give me the answer I’d asked for.
“Why not just ask a friend?” She raised a brow in question.
“I don’t do friendships, either.”
Something akin to pity flashed in her hazel eyes. I didn’t like it.
“Are you going to accept my deal, or not?” I asked. “I have a company to run.”
Audrey sighed, and her shoulders drooped as the tension finally left her body. “If this is going to happen, I have one condition.”
I knew I could provide anything she demanded, so long as it was within reason. I remained silent, gesturing for her to continue.
“If I do this for you, you withdraw your offer to buy Pace.”
I stared at her for a few moments, thinking over her proposal.
“That’s the only condition?” I crossed my arms against my chest. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch.” Audrey shook her head. “I pretend to be your girlfriend for a short time, and you leave my cousin’s company alone. Those are my only terms.”
Cousin? Shit. Come to think of it, she had mentioned something about Pace being her cousin’s company, but I was so preoccupied, that I hadn’t paid attention.
Now her fury made sense. For her, it wasn’t just about loyalty to her boss, but also loyalty to her family. I felt a spark of respect. But, the fact that she only had one condition made even less sense in the context of her situation.
“I don’t believe you.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s too bad.”
“People always want more,” I said. “You can’t possibly have only one condition.”
“I had another, but you covered that already,” Audrey admitted. “I’m not going to sleep with you.”
“Good, we finally found something we agree on.”
“So, you don’t agree to my other term?” she asked, meeting my eyes.
I studied her carefully. “How much?”
“How much what?” A look of confusion spread across her face.
“Let’s not play coy.” I gave her an unamused look. “How much money do you want? I told you I would pay you for your time, and I meant it.”
Audrey looked as if I’d just spat in her face. “I don’t want your money.”
“So, the only thing you want is for me to stop trying to buy Pace?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
It was a fairly large condition. The official offer for Pace was already in the works, and it would take a lot of convincing the board to withdraw it. However, it wasn’t impossible. Plus, she’d neglected to specify how long I’d have to stop trying, so, theoretically, once we parted ways, I could resume the buyout.
“Fine.” I uncrossed my arms and stood up straight. “You pose as my girlfriend for a few months, and I won’t try to buy your cousin’s company.” I extended my hand.
Audrey looked as if she was already regretting her decision. She reached out, grasped my hand, and shook it.
6
Audrey
What have I gotten myself into?
I stood naked in the bathroom, a towel tied around my body. I was supposed to be getting ready for the gala, but all I could do was stare at my reflection, wondering what the next few hours had in store for me. Aaron and I hadn’t seen each other since we’d made our deal a week ago, and, aside from a few texts, we hadn’t spoken, either. He’d said he wanted our debut as a couple to happen at the gala, not before then. If I was honest with myself, it was the scariest thing I’d ever had to do.
So, here I was, having second thoughts and avoiding the last stage of getting ready. I had already curled my hair and pinned it into a simple up-do, not having the time or energy to go to the hairdresser. I didn’t typically wear much makeup, but I had put in the effort for the evening, knowing how many eyes would be on me. All I had left to do was put on my dress.
The satin gown lay on my bed, waiting for me. I had avoided looking at it, somehow feeling that if I didn’t see it, it would disappear. Aaron had sent it, along with matching shoes that not even God himself could make me wear. They were too high and strappy for my taste. I had insisted I could find my own clothes for the event, but the garment bag, containing the most stunning gown I had ever seen, had arrived at my door two days earlier.
I wandered out of the bathroom, allowing myself to stare at the dress. It had to have cost more than most of my wardrobe combined, maybe even more than my apartment. I reached out and trailed my fingers down the folds of the fabric.
I hadn’t told anyone about the arrangement, or the conditions Aaron and I had worked out the other day. Privacy had been a luxury when I was growing up. I was the youngest of four, so my house was in constant chaos with people coming and going all the time. After I got older and moved out, I reveled in solitude, content to have a place of my own. My life was for me and me alone, and I didn’t like sharing the details of it with anyone but my family.
There was nothing I wouldn’t do for them, and, apparently that included pretending to be the girlfriend of the man the city most loved to hate.
Romantic relationships had never held much appeal for me, and I had always moved on from boyfriends once things started to get serious. I had no idea how Aaron expected me to act toward him, nor did I know what to expect from him in return.
You’re overthinking this, I scolded myself. He didn’t ask you to put on a persona, so just be yourself. You can do this. If you can travel the country with only a backpack and a cell phone, you can go to a fancy gala with a rich man.
I glanced at the clock on my nightstand.
I had to finish getting ready or I would be late, and I had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well with Aaron. With a deep inhale and a slow exhale, I dropped my towel. As I slipped into a pair of underwear and a matching bra, my hands shook so badly it took me two tries to do the clasp. Next came my slip, and then I slid into the cool fabric of the gown, unable to stop myself from enjoying the way the black satin felt on my skin.
The dress left my shoulders uncovered as it flowed down into a stylish cowl neckline. The tight fit accentuated my breasts a little too much (quite a lot, actually) for my personal preference, but it still provided a vision of elegance. Long sleeves fell to my wrists, hugging my arms, while still allowing me a wide range of movement. The waist fell comfortably in place, a pleasant surprise since I often had issues with clothes properly fitting my curvy frame. The satin fabric fell just above my ankles. A slit on the left side would only be visible when I took long strides.
I ran my hands down the fr
ont of the dress, smoothing out the fabric, and symbolically trying to push away my nerves.
“You can do this,” I told myself. “It’s just for a few hours. There’s nothing to worry about. You’ve got this.”
Of course, the no-sex rule definitely took some of the pressure off; I knew he wasn’t expecting anything at the end of the evening. But, there were still the social expectations I was unaccustomed to. I wasn’t a socialite. I didn’t like to schmooze or make small talk, and I knew that was what the evening would entail.
Still, despite my misgivings, it was all worth it to know Ronny wouldn’t have to worry about Aaron coming after his company again.
I chose a comfortable pair of pumps from my closet. They weren’t the fanciest, but I knew I could at least walk in them without tripping. Once I had slipped them on, I gave myself one last glance in the mirror. I barely recognized the woman staring back at me.
This isn’t me, I thought. But, still … I look amazing.
My hazel eyes popped, thanks to the dark yet subtle eyeliner and eyeshadow I had applied. The only splash of color was my lipstick: a matte cherry red that stood out against my pale skin. Confidence started to replace my anxiety, and the longer I looked at myself, the more I believed I could handle this.
My phone buzzed, and a brief glance at it told me Aaron was waiting downstairs. After one final deep breath, I grabbed my clutch and left the apartment.
I was unprepared for the honest-to-God limo parked out front. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered that the event was a black-tie gala and the biggest gathering Aaron’s company threw during the year. As the founder and CEO, of course he would show up in style.
The driver bowed to me as he opened the back door, and I slid onto the leather seat. Aaron sat next to me. He looked dashing, his tux perfectly tailored to hug his broad shoulders. In his hand, he clutched a drink, and he paused mid-sip, as his eyes landed on me.
I saw desire flash in those dark eyes as they brushed over my breasts and then watched the folds of my dress fall to reveal my thigh through the slit. My chest heaved as I sat up straight and cool air breezed against me. Even though I tried to suppress them, my nipples began to harden. Oh, no, he better not notice. He noticed. He glanced at the hard nubs pressing visibly against the fabric, and my stomach filled with both humiliation and butterflies.
After leaning back and finishing the sip of his drink, Aaron said, “You’re beautiful.”
I felt my face flush, and I ducked my head, suddenly shy. One smile and a compliment from this man, and I turn right back into a schoolgirl, I thought. Get it together, Audrey!
“Thanks. You scrub up well, too,” I replied, determined to maintain my composure. I tipped my chin up and met his eyes.
Aaron gave me a cheeky grin and took another sip of whatever amber liquid he had in his glass. “They won’t be able to take their eyes off … us.”
The limo pulled away from my building, and the lurch of movement brought me back into the present, to the very crazy and very public thing I had agreed to do. I wished I was back in my apartment in my comfortable sweats, wearing no bra, curled up on the couch watching Hulu, instead of being here with impossibly tight nipples and my little clit tingling against my lacey underwear. Watching a fairy tale rom-com felt much safer at the moment, than living one out, especially since my arrangement with Aaron Patterson was neither romantic nor comedic.
“A shot of liquid courage before we get there?” Aaron offered, nodding toward the glass in his hand. There was a bottle of Prosecco chilling on ice in the corner, presumably for me if I couldn’t stomach the taste of whiskey. True, brown liquor wasn’t my favorite, but right now …
I took the cup from him without a word, downing the rest of his drink. The whiskey burned my throat, and I squeezed my eyes shut and shuddered, shoving the empty glass back into his hand. “Ugh, that’s awful.”
“You’re supposed to sip it, not chug it like a freshman at their first kegger.”
The warmth of the alcohol settled in my stomach, and when I opened my eyes, Aaron was studying my feet. I tucked them under my dress and out of view.
“Those aren’t the shoes I sent.”
“No, they aren’t. I want to be able to walk. Be thankful I even wore the dress.”
“I understand that you don’t like me,” Aaron said, “but once we step out of this car, we both have to be all smiles, if we want to sell the story.”
“I am well aware,” I said breezily, trying a little too hard to act how cold and collected I could be about this whole thing. “That doesn’t mean I have to talk to you now.”
“That’s too bad.” Aaron chuckled. “We need to establish a few things—such as how we met, for example.”
“Sometimes, the truth is the easiest when you’re lying. We can say we met when you visited Pace. That we had seen each other around the city before but were never introduced until that day.”
“And it’s been a whirlwind romance ever since!” Aaron exclaimed in a sarcastic voice.
I could already feel the whiskey working its way into my system, and the further we drove, the more I relaxed. I tipped my head back against the headrest and shot him a mischievous look. I adopted my best sickening lovey-dovey face and threaded one of my arms through his.
“It was so sweet of you, buying me flowers and little gifts for no reason,” I gushed. “I just couldn’t stop thinking of you!”
Aaron made a face.
“What? Too much?”
He extracted his arm from my grasp, and for a moment, I thought I had made a fool of myself with our little game. But then, I realized he had drawn away only to take one of my hands in his own.
“We don’t need to be over the top,” he murmured. “I prefer subtle …”
With his free hand, he reached out to tuck a curl behind my ear, letting his fingertips graze the warm shell. His touch was gentler than I would have ever thought possible from the brusque man who always had to be in control. This close, I could smell his cologne: sharp with traditionally masculine cedar and pine but mixed with some more daring notes that seemed appropriate to a night out. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t enticing, indicative of a cultured man with money and taste.
“If we sell it to ourselves, everyone else will buy it.”
My pulse raced, and I found myself short of breath. Aaron’s fingers continued to follow the curve of my neck, down, down, down … until he traced my collarbone. Even the lightest touch of his fingers burned against my skin, causing my chest and face to flush. “Hmm …” he hummed.
I swallowed thickly. “Everything okay?” I asked, my voice softer than I’d intended. Despite my best intentions, it came out vulnerable, intimate. It was the voice of someone whispering to her lover during a movie, or asking what they wanted to eat for breakfast, after waking up together the next morning.
“I should have given you a necklace,” he said. Then his hand disappeared, and he turned his body away from mine to gaze out the window.
I remained breathless, blinking the stars from my eyes.
The rest of the drive passed in silence with Aaron staring at the city, and me trying to get my heart to beat at a normal pace. As we got closer to the gala, however, my anxiety spiked again, and I began to bounce my foot—a nervous habit I’d had my whole life.
Aaron placed a warm hand on my knee and brought my attention back to him. He gave me a look that was softer than anyone else ever had, and, for the first time since we’d met, I saw empathy in his eyes.
“You’re going to do just fine. I will be with you the whole time,” he assured me. “Just take my arm and follow my lead.”
Truth be told, it took me a moment to process the words he had spoken. My senses were on high alert. His hand still rested on my knee, and that was all I could think about. I had never been so aware of somebody’s touch before. All I could manage was a small nod as the limo came to a stop.
I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and watched
as Aaron stepped out of the limo. He offered his hand to me, and I took it.
A wave of noise hit me the second we stepped onto the red carpet. Cameras flashed and people shouted as Aaron slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me in close. We walked the carpet into the gala, Aaron shaking hands with almost everyone we met, heading in the same direction. He bypassed the reporters, however, not sparing them a glance—a move for which I was grateful.
Once we were inside, the media circus dwindled. Aaron leaned in close and said, “That wasn’t so bad.”
“This is probably a bad time to tell you, but I hate having my picture taken,” I whispered back.
Aaron chuckled. “So do I.”
We walked through the hotel entrance and toward the ballroom where the dinner would be held. I had to admit; the place looked stunning. People filled the room, each one of them dressed to kill. I even recognized a few faces, although that didn’t put me at ease as it would have in the past. Mainly because those same people, no doubt, saw who my date was. Eyes fixed us with judgmental stares from all sides, and my stomach twisted into knots.
I leaned closer to Aaron. “I’m not used to this.”
“Used to what?”
“People staring at me.”
“Of course people are staring at you,” he said. “First of all, you’re with me. But mostly, you look spectacular.”
A blush tinted my cheeks. “I don’t think they’re staring at me because I look good. I’m pretty sure it’s all you.”
“Another thing we may not agree on,” Aaron said. “Do you want another drink?”
“For the love of God, yes.”
Aaron placed a hand on my lower back as he leaned in to press a chaste kiss to my cheek. I barely had a chance to lean into the touch before he had turned and was heading toward the refreshments.
I wandered the room as I waited for him, listening to bits and pieces of conversation as I passed small clusters of people. Most of it was the usual stuff—rumors about affairs and divorces, boasts about whose team won last night’s game, starry-eyed commiseration over just dying to get the new Gucci bag in the limited-edition summer color before they were all gone. None of this was of particular interest to me.
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