I’d thought I’d wait until after the roadshow presentations to start funneling money to her house, but then I saw her house book sitting in the kitchen. I’d wondered why insurance wasn’t able to cover the rebuild of her home until I saw that she wanted to make it livable for someone with a disability, most likely her mother. She must have been planning to move them in with her so she could care for them. That idea made me worry about our having sex lessen a bit. She had her own goals and plans for this fake marriage, and wouldn’t likely be put off them just because we slept together. She wasn’t looking for love or a husband. I was probably safe, but to stay safer, I really needed to keep my libido in check.
I called my brother Gabe to see if he could help with Hallie’s house.
“What’s up Nate?”
“I have a house I want you to look at.”
“I’ve got a house.”
I rolled my eyes, “Does that mean Sam put you on the title?” Gabe had redone her home, fell in love with her all over again, moved in with her, and finally married her.
“She keeps me around because I’m handy. So, what’s this house you’re looking at? What’s wrong with that piece of perfection you already own?”
“It’s not for me. My assistant’s home burned down, and she needs some enhancements done on the rebuild.” I wished I’d brought the book with me so I could be more specific.
“Like what?”
“Her mom has MS, and it looks like she wants things to make the home accessible for a wheelchair.”
“Do you have any specs on what she wants?”
“A few. I can email them,” I said, thinking I could scan and send the images from the book.
“Give me the address too; I’ll go take a look.”
I gave him the location of the home, which wasn’t that far from my place. I hadn’t known she lived so close.
With that out of the way, I went back to work, reviewing reports on some of our newest research, and looking over the next stops on the roadshow tour. I slipped out mid-morning to go home to scan and email Hallie’s book to Gabe. I picked up lunch for us because that seems like what a husband would do. But, when I got back, Clair said Hallie had gone down to our research facility. Christ, she was efficient. My last assistant would have told me what was going on that required a visit, and I’d have had to go. Hallie was a take-charge kind of woman. My work life was infinitely easier with her around.
I took the lunch into my office, and when I was finished, I started back to work. Not long after, Clair buzzed me on the phone to let me know I had a visitor.
“It’s Ms. Carter.”
Oh, Christ. Allison. “Send her in,” I stood, wondering what the hell Allison was doing here. I knew she’d moved to New York, so why would she be walking into my office in Virginia?
She breezed in all smiles, “Nate, thank you for seeing me.” She looked the same as always. Blonde hair with highlights in all the right places. A form-fitted dress just low enough to see the swells of her perky breasts. Makeup to smooth the skin to an almost doll-like sheen. As I watched her approach, I realized she was the cookie-cutter image of all the women I’d been with before. For some reason, I’d been drawn to women who’s looks weren’t quite real.
Hallie, on the other hand, was real. Yes, she wore makeup, but it enhanced her natural beauty, not covered up her face. She’d looked sexy in her green dress, but the rest of the time, her clothes appeared to be comfortable or, like her, efficient. I never got the impression that Hallie tried to use clothes or makeup to hide who she was or present someone different.
“Allison, what brings you here?” I gave her a brief hug and then motioned for her to sit in a chair in front of my desk. I stood at my desk, leaning back on it.
“I was in Washington and thought I’d drop in. I hope you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Liar. “What’s in Washington?”
“Oh, just a meeting with a Senator for my client,” she studied me for a moment. “Married life looks good on you.”
I swallowed, hoping she was being truthful and hadn’t discovered or suspected something, “Thank you.”
“I have to say, Nate, I was shocked, truly shocked, to hear you were married. Aside from the fact that you said you’d never get married, is the little issue that she’s your assistant.” She waggled her index finger at me, “You naughty boy breaking your own rule about no fraternizing.”
“What can I say? Hallie is an amazing woman,” that, at least, wasn’t a lie.
“Speaking of Hallie, where is she?”
Why did she want to know? “She had to run down to the lab.”
“Too bad. I’d have liked to have seen her.”
To compare notes, no doubt. Allison and I had some pretty interesting sexual moments, but I had to admit, there was something about being naked with Hallie that felt more satisfying. It hadn’t been a game or a quest to see how creative or debauched we could get. Sex with Hallie was organic, real, authentic, just like her.
“I’m sure she’ll be disappointed to not have seen you too.”
Allison stood and walked around my office. “No pictures of the wedding?” she asked, looking at my desk.
“You know I like a clutter-free desk.”
Her eyes flashed, and she bit her lip no doubt remembering a time I fucked her on my desk, “I know.”
Christ.
She came around and stood in front of me, a niggle of concern fluttered up my spine. There was something in her approach that had me feeling like I needed to retreat. Like she was on the prowl, and I was the meat.
I straightened away from my desk.
“I have to say, Nate, she’s not who I would have expected to ensnare you,” she patted my shoulder as if she was wiping away lent, but then left her hand there.
I hated to act like a skittish cat, but I couldn’t let her get any ideas. I stepped away, “She surprised me too.” It would be mean to say I’d been attracted to the wrong women before, so I kept that bit to myself.
“Are you sure she’s real?”
I frowned, “What do you mean?”
She inhaled and made a face like she wasn’t sure if she should say anything, “You’re a great guy, handsome, of course, any woman would be interested. But you’re wealthy too. A woman in financial trouble—”
“You’re saying she married me for my money?” Of course, Allison was right, but this fake marriage had to appear real. Then I wondered how she knew of Hallie’s financial situation. I resisted the urge to throw her out of my office, “Did you check up on her?”
She made a face like she was chagrined, “I know I shouldn’t have, but I care about you, Nate, and I don’t want to see you taken advantage of.” She moved around the desk to stand next to me again, her hand was on my shoulder again. “If you needed a wife for this IPO, why didn’t you come to me?”
I supposed I should have felt panic that she’d guessed about my marriage, but instead, I was pissed, “I wasn’t in love with you.”
She made a face, “Come on, Nate. Since when do you know about love?” Her hand smoothed across my chest. “I’d have made the perfect wife. I know how to work a room to make money. I have connections.”
I looked down at her blue eyes, wondering if I was as shallow as she was. I nodded in agreement, “That’s true, and the fact that I didn’t reach out to you should tell you that this marriage isn’t about money or the IPO.”
Her smug expression faltered slightly, but she rallied, “I was thinking since I was in town, we could get together. Have a little fun. You know, like old times?” She pressed her body against mine, and I’d realized too late, she’d maneuvered me, so I was back against the desk.
“If I was married to improve my image for the IPO, as you suggested, an affair would be a no-no,” I said.
“You just said it wasn’t for the IPO. Come on, Nate. It’ll be fun,” she finished off her statement by pressing her lips to mine. I immediately pushed her back and sidestepped out
of her reach. That was when I noticed Hallie standing in the doorway.
He’s a Lying Cheat
Chapter Ten: He’s a Lying Cheat
Hallie
This marriage is fake, this marriage is fake, this marriage is fake…
I chanted the words in my mind as anger and jealousy threatened to have me stalk across Nate’s office and rip Allison’s blonde extensions off her head.
She was seducing my man, and he was doing a piss poor job thwarting her. How did a tiny petite woman like Allison get a big ass man like Nate trapped between her and his desk, rubbing her pussy against his dick, and kissing him? Probably because he liked it. That was the only explanation.
Fine then. I knew the type of man Nate was, so I shouldn’t have been surprised. So what that he’d given me half a dozen mind-blowing orgasms in the last twelve hours? That didn’t mean he felt anything for me. After all, this marriage is fake.
But that didn’t mean I was going to put up with it.
Since I wasn’t really married to him, I wanted to act like seeing them lip locked didn’t bother me. But it was a fake marriage, so I had to act like a pissed-off wife until I could get our fake divorce. Too bad I couldn’t get his house in the settlement.
“Hallie,” he started toward me. “How were things at the lab?”
I glared at him and then gave Allison the evil eye, “Not as interesting as here.”
He put his hands on his hips and blew out a breath, “It’s not what it looked like.”
I laughed derisively. “That’s what they all say.”
“Hallie, I’m sorry,” Allison finally chimed in. “I just…well as you know, Nate and I had a thing once.”
He shot her a vicious glare and then turned to me again, “It’s done. It’s been done for a long time.”
“Allison doesn’t think it’s done,” I was proud of how calm I sounded. But then this was a fake marriage. Perhaps I should be shriller. Maybe I should let out how I was really feeling, something like You’re a motherfucking bastard.
“What Allison thinks doesn’t matter. It’s done,” He stepped toward me, but I wasn’t going to let him fog my brain with his nearness.
“Are you sure? Because you weren’t fighting her off very hard,” I looked toward his groin expecting to find a hardon. There wasn’t one, but that didn’t mean there hadn’t been.
“Seriously, Hallie, you can’t blame me for trying.” Allison flipped her long blonde tresses over her shoulder. “I’ve got to run.”
I had a few choice things to say to her, but since she was making a move to leave, I kept them to myself.
She went to Nate, but he held his hands up, his voice flat, hard, “You know where the door is.”
She gave him an exasperated look then shook her head, “Play hubby all you want, Nate. You and I both know you can’t keep it in your pants.”
She turned and walked out. Good riddance.
I shut the door because the office didn’t need to hear what I was about to say to him.
He walked to me and was about to put his hands on my arms, “Hallie, I know that looked bad but—”
“No. I talk, you listen,” I pushed him away from me.
His brows shot up in surprise, “Okay.”
“Your reputation is no secret, Nate.”
Annoyance flashed in his eyes. I wondered why, if he didn’t like his reputation, he kept acting like a horndog.
“And I have no doubt that you’d cheat on your wife.”
His jaw tensed, and his cheeks flushed in anger. He looked like he’d respond, but I didn’t let him.
“I know this marriage is fake, but I’m not a woman who’d stay with a man that cheated. People who work here know that. So you either act faithful, or this deal is off.”
“She was coming on to me, Hallie. I wasn’t accepting it.”
“She had her lips on yours, Nate. If that’s not accepting it, I don’t know what is,” I shook my head and stalked away, feeling like an idiot for letting him touch me last night. It wasn’t just the sex that had clouded my mind, but also discovering a man that had more depth than I’d thought. And if I was honest with myself, a part of me wished that this fake marriage could be more than just a business deal with benefits. Okay, so maybe not a real marriage, but perhaps a romantic relationship. What an idiot!
He ran his fingers through his hair, “She took me off guard. I realized it too late. I have no interest in her. None. Even without our deal, I wouldn’t be taking her up on her offer.”
I scoffed, “I don’t believe you.”
His anger flared again, “Why not? What have I ever done to indicate I’m a liar?”
“Your reputation.”
He leaned in toward me, apparently giving up trying to appease me, “I like to fuck women, but that doesn’t mean I lie and cheat.”
“It shows a lack of morals,” I couldn’t believe I just said that. I wasn’t a pious prude.
He scoffed, “So you’re Miss High and Mighty, all of a sudden? Did you forget you agreed to lie about this marriage to get your home built? Or is fucking worse than lying? If so, what does it mean about you that you let me fuck you last night? All night.”
I wanted to slap him, except he wasn’t wrong. Truth was the way to go here, “It means I’m an idiot.” Not wanting to risk saying something that might get me fired, I walked out of his office.
“Everything okay?” Clair asked as I stalked past her desk toward my office.
“Just fine,” I said through gritted teeth. For a moment, I wondered if she knew what was going on in Nate’s office. Why hadn’t she told me he was with someone? Had she wanted me to catch him? Was she looking out for me, or did she want me to be hurt? Inwardly I groaned. Now I was distrusting my friend.
In my office, I slumped in my chair and wondered what the hell I’d been thinking to agree to this dumb marriage. To think there was more to him than being a womanizer. Then, to sleep with him! IDIOT! Ugh!
I shut my eyes, but when I did, the picture of Allison rubbing up on him came to mind. I blinked them open. What should I do? I told him he had to act right or I’d call off the deal, but maybe I should call it off regardless. He never answered so maybe he was going to call it off.
I shook my head. No, I didn’t think he would. It was too early in the IPO presentation, and if we were all of a sudden not married, that would lead to questions about fidelity, except he wasn’t faithful. Ugh! I lowered my head to my desk, giving it a small whap against the wood surface. What to do?
The only solution was to get to work. Distraction was what I needed from this problem.
I pulled out notes I took on my trip to the lab when the door opened.
Nate stepped in, looking angry. Why was he angry? I wasn’t the one kissing an old flame.
He pointed a finger at me, “You and I are married. I don’t cheat. I’d never cheat. Got it?”
I nodded, even though I still didn’t believe him. But I supposed for the purposes of our deal, he could keep it together. Of course, depending on how long this fake marriage lasted, he might get blue balls because there was no way in hell, I was going to sleep with him again.
“Good,” he stalked out, slamming my door behind him.
I blew out a breath and got to work. I hid in my office all day, taking care of Nate’s various business needs, including verifying meetings for our trip to Chicago next week for his next round of IPO presentations. I wondered if I could get out of that trip, but then remembered, I was supposed to play his loving wife. How was I going to pull that off after what I saw in his office?
Not wanting to commute home with him after work, I texted him that I was going to visit my parents and would be home late.
Should I have you followed? Do you have another man on the side? Distrust goes both ways. Was his pissy text back. Asshole. I didn’t respond.
I ordered an Uber to pick me up at work and take me to my parents. On the drive, I wondered how I was going to manage the next two d
ays over the weekend. I couldn’t hang out in Nate’s house when I could hardly stand the sight of him. I needed to make plans to stay busy and away from him.
My parents were surprised but happy to see me. I helped my mom cook dinner, and then I played backgammon with my dad. They were practically falling asleep in their chairs before I realized how late I was keeping them up. I nearly asked if I could stay the night, but knew I needed to go. I ordered a car to bring me back to Nate’s house.
When I arrived, I was going to go straight to my room but didn’t want to appear like I was being childish. When it was clear he wasn’t in the house, I wondered if he’d changed his mind and gone off to have a good time with Allison after all. But a quick look out back found him in the pool swimming laps.
I watched as his strong, powerful body glided through the water. He was naked, as evidenced by his fine bare ass. As I observed him, I wondered why he couldn’t be the man I thought he was last night? The one who put his customers first. The one who didn’t need accolades for his good deeds. The one who made my skin shiver in delight. The one who could love a plain, curvy woman.
That last thought made me realize that some of this angst I was feeling was self-inflicted. I meant it when I told him I wasn’t a woman to accept cheating so he’d need to keep his dick in his pants if he wanted me as a pretend wife. But I could hardly blame him for my getting caught up in the fantasy of him. The reality of who he was as a person was crystal clear. Sure, he did good deeds, but that didn’t make him Prince Charming. He said it himself, I’m not a saint.
He stopped at the end of the pool and turned his head to look at me, “You should turn away, or you’re going to get an eyeful.”
I rolled my eyes, “If you don’t want me to get an eyeful, perhaps you should wear a swimsuit.”
Her Hero Boss Page 7
