by Lila Kane
I tried to stay calm. “That’s all he wants? To apologize?”
Stacy nodded. “Yes. As far as I know. I was trying to set you two up yesterday, but that was before I knew you guys had a past. Now I just think you need closure.”
Closure? Was that what I needed?
But it sounded right. I hadn’t gotten over Ben. Not entirely. Not if he could affect me like he had yesterday. Maybe getting an apology would help me move on and be able to start having other relationships.
Stacy plucked something off the dresser in her bedroom and passed it over. An envelope. “This is for you from Ben. And if it makes you feel any better, I told him that if he ever hurts you again, I’ll hack off his balls.”
I choked on a laugh. “That’s sweet.”
“I thought so.” She grinned. “Ben is an old friend, and I love him, but that doesn’t mean I’m behind everything he’s done. So, you know, if you want to talk or whatever, I’m here for you.”
The thought made my stomach clench. I was still angry, sure, but the humiliation was worse. That I’d been stupid enough to spend an entire weekend with someone I barely knew. That I’d actually thought I was falling in love.
I thanked Stacy for the note and walked back to my room.
Even worse, I actually wanted to see him again. Just a small part of me. I snorted. But it was only so I could tell him what a detestable human being he was.
I wanted him to know that he’d hurt me, but I could move on.
It had nothing to do with the fact that he was a god of a man, over six feet tall with eyes that pierced me all the way to my soul.
Closure.
I ripped the flap of the envelope and pulled out the notecard. It was covered in masculine writing, a crisp curve of words that reminded me of him.
Please meet me for lunch. You know where. I’d like to make amends.
Ben
Meet him for lunch, huh? And I knew exactly where he wanted me to meet him. It was the same place we’d met the first time.
I lifted my chin. All right. If he wanted to do this, I’d play by the rules. I’d meet him where he wanted, but this time I was going to make sure I had the upper hand.
I had no intention of letting Ben walk out on me again. This time, he was the one who was going to be left wishing he knew just what he was missing out on.
7
I shifted in the seat at the restaurant on the corner, getting a better view of the street outside the window. She was late. Either that or she’d decided not to come, which I couldn’t blame her for.
Standing me up for lunch wasn’t near as bad as what I’d done to her.
But Elizabeth—Libby—wasn’t that kind of person, from what I’d gathered. She was reasonable, and a reasonable person would understand that fixing this, making amends could be in their benefit, even if just for personal reasons.
The door to the restaurant opened and someone stepped through. I was about to rise from my seat when I saw a couple instead of Libby.
Fuck.
My waiter caught my eye and walked over. “Can I get you more water or an appetizer?”
I started to shake my head and then shrugged. “Iced tea would be good.”
He was probably wondering if I was going to sit at his table all afternoon and not order anything. The least I could do was buy the tea and give him a good tip.
I checked my watch. A few more minutes. That was all. I had to remind myself that there were thousands of ways to find a girlfriend in this city and sitting by myself hoping to dredge up the past wasn’t one of them.
My jaw clenched at the idea. I didn’t just want a random girlfriend. I wanted Libby. Her bright disposition, her quick smile, curves in all the right places.
The partners in the firm would be as charmed by her as I had been and they’d believe we were a couple because we had a spark.
The waiter delivered my iced tea and I took a quick sip before pulling out my wallet.
Then the door opened again. I didn’t even bother to look up until a long, shapely set of legs moved into my line of sight.
My gaze jerked up to her face. And it was nearly blinding. She hit me with everything she had—wavy hair that glowed like she was standing in the sunshine, full lips that were curved with something secretive, and her eyes.
God, what had she done? I mean, she looked the same, but…better. Confident. As though she had the world at her fingertips.
As though she had me at her fingertips.
“Elizabeth,” I said, scooting my chair back.
“Don’t get up.” She took the seat across from me. “And it’s Libby.”
Her response came out as smooth as honey, as though we were old acquaintances and she was just checking in. And, truth be told, she didn’t look like she was here for an apology at all. She looked like she was here for payback, because she looked fucking hot.
“How have you been?” she asked before I could get my act together.
I cleared my throat. My waiter stood at the corner of my vision and I nodded at him to come over and pour water for her.
“Anything else for you?” he asked Libby.
She smiled at him and arched her brow. “Thank you, no. This shouldn’t take long.”
Damn. She wasn’t taking any prisoners.
I leaned in after the waiter left and said, “Thanks for meeting me. I’ve been doing well. You?”
“Can’t complain,” she said with a shrug. Her dress showed off bare, bronzed shoulders that made my mouth water.
This wasn’t the Libby I remembered. Nonchalant, breezy. No, this was a show. It had to be.
In fact, I knew it was because the smile was gone. It was the first thing I’d noticed when I saw her at the party. A mega-watt smile that seemed to encompass the entire room.
That smile wasn’t there this time.
“I’ve been pretty busy,” she continued after a moment. Then her eyes bore into mine. “But now that I don’t have a job, I have some extra time on my hands.”
I held back a grimace. Okay, she was upset. As expected. I took it in stride, especially because I knew that her losing her job was indirectly my fault.
Which was part of the reason I was here.
“Sorry about that,” I told her.
“Why?” She smiled, but it was razor-sharp. “It was my fault. And it was absolutely worth it.”
“Libby,” I murmured. “This isn’t you.”
Her eyebrow arched again and I immediately regretted the words.
She leaned in, her voice lowering. “How dare you. You don’t know me and didn’t take the time to in the past if I remember correctly.”
The heat in her gaze could have burned me if I was sitting any closer, but it gave me hope that she still cared. This hadn’t left her unscathed, and I was in the same boat. I thought about Libby more than I wanted. Too often.
Whether she wanted to admit to it, we shared something. And it was still there. That chemistry. That spark.
And I wanted it back, even though I knew it wasn’t a good idea. Libby was here for a reason and I needed to get to it if we were going to make any progress. An arrangement, that’s all.
“You’re right,” I told her, switching to business mode. “We’re both different people and life, I’m sure, has changed for both of us. I asked you here for a reason.”
“To make amends, you said.” She folded her arms. “Well?”
“I’m sorry.”
She didn’t respond, just continued to watch me, already knowing I had more to say.
“I regret what I did to you,” I said. “And I’m sorry I hurt you. I have reasons, but that’s not why I’m here. I just want you to know that I felt bad, still do. So, again, I’m sorry.”
She released a slow breath. Despite her good show, I could still see the crack in that façade. What I’d said—apologizing—meant something to her.
And I was glad I’d done it.
“Thank you,” she murmured. Then she moved to stand.
“Wait.”
She blinked. “Why? You said you wanted to make amends. You have.”
“That wasn’t all.”
But she was already out of her chair and moving toward the door. I rushed to drop a few bills on the table before hurrying after her.
She stood on the sidewalk, head tilted back so the sun shined on her cheeks. Maybe she was composing herself. Or maybe she was enjoying a beautiful day. Either way, that was a lot more like the Elizabeth I was used to. I hadn’t known her long, but I’d recognized that about her right away. That she wanted—no, needed—to wring every ounce of pleasure out of every day.
“I wasn’t finished,” I said, stepping up next to her.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “I was.”
Hell. First it was fire and now it was ice. Libby was making it clear where she stood.
“I want to fix this,” I said.
“You did.”
“Not entirely.”
This time, her shoulders sagged and she sighed. “What? What else do you want from me? You had your chance to hurt me—is that what you’re trying to do again?”
“Hurt—no! I didn’t mean to hurt you the first time and I said I was sorry.”
“And I accepted your apology.”
“Hold on. Libby—” I gripped her arm, irritated that she wouldn’t just give me a minute. “Will you stop trying to walk away? I said I wanted to fix this and there’s more I want to do.”
“I think you’ve done enough.” She tugged her arm away from me, but I didn’t miss the flicker of hurt in her eyes.
Shit. Whether I wanted to or not, I was still hurting her.
I pocketed my hands. “Okay, look. I just have one more thing to say.”
“What?”
I moved in front of her so she would meet my eyes. “Will you be my girlfriend?”
Her mouth dropped open, and shock flickered in her gaze.
“That’s right,” I told her. “I want you to be my girlfriend.”
“Seriously?” she asked, her voice getting higher. “You think that’s fixing this?”
“Absolutely, if it’s done right.” I softened my voice, appealing to her. “Stacy is moving in with Jeremy so you have a rent issue. I can give you a place to stay. Wait—” I said when she started to argue. “That’s not all. I’ll include a generous stipend to get you back on your feet. And if you want to wear that outfit every day to torture me, you can. You look sexy as hell and I’m dying to know what’s underneath.”
It might have been my imagination, but I swore her lips quirked. I wasn’t lying. I wanted to take that dress off of her. I wanted to remove every layer nice and slow. But even though it was the truth, I regretted saying it. This was supposed to be an arrangement. Unfortunately, Libby did things to me I hadn’t felt in a long time.
“This isn’t real,” she mumbled, shoving her hand through her hair. A few pieces blew in the wind, brushing her cheeks.
I reached out to move them behind her ear, and then froze when I realized what I’d done. I shoved my hands in my pockets again and glanced at my shoes.
Fuck, I was off my game.
I drew in a deep breath and then met her eyes again. “I assure you, I’m serious. You need money and a place to stay, I need to settle down—or make the partners at my firm believe I have. I think it’s a win-win.”
“This is really going to cost you.”
I blinked when the words registered. Was she really considering my proposal? “Name it,” I said. “Whatever you want.”
She smirked once, eyes lighting. “I’ll make a list.”
“Wait, does that mean yes?”
Libby turned slightly, ready to walk in the other direction. But she glanced over her shoulder with a curve to her lips that was almost devilish. “Yes.”
8
“Hold on,” Stacy said, sounding a lot like Ben had back at the restaurant. “You’re moving in…where?”
I shoved clothes into a box, smiling at the idea of them getting wrinkled. I’d just send them off for dry cleaning once I arrived at Ben’s place. And he could pay for it.
I gave a short laugh. This was crazy. But so perfect. Ben wanted to fix things, and I was going to let him. So, I had to pretend to be his girlfriend. No big deal. Not a huge price to pay for what I was getting return.
And as long as I kept my distance from him otherwise, everything would be just fine.
“I’m moving into Ben’s place.” I wedged more clothes into the already full box and then closed the lid.
Before I could start taping it, Stacy set her hands on top.
“Wait. Just…wait.” She met my eyes. “You’re moving in with Ben? I thought…why?”
“You don’t have to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. He told me all of it.”
“All of it?”
“Yes. About how he told the partners about his girlfriend and how he needed someone to play that part.” I pointed at her. “And how you were going to help him.”
Her mouth opened and closed. She sighed. “Okay, yeah, but that was before I knew about you and him and your past.”
I pulled the box from under her hands. “Like I said, it’s the past. I’m moving on.”
And I almost believed myself when I said it. Sure, I wasn’t completely healed from how Ben had hurt me, but it wouldn’t take long—especially when I was earning my dream from our arrangement.
When I’d met him at the restaurant, I’d almost backed out when I’d seen him. I didn’t think I could do it. But I’d pulled it off. Which meant I could pull this next step off. And next thing I’d know, I’d be over Ben Davis and my dream would be in my hands.
And if part of that was flaunting my sexy dresses or outfits in front of him like he’d suggested, I might just do that too. Just out of spite. Or maybe…just because I could. He could look but he couldn’t touch.
Besides, for him to propose an arrangement like this, he had to be ready to move on, too.
Just because there was the tiniest spark when we’d seen each other didn’t mean anything. It was just leftover from before and soon it would be gone.
“Are you sure about this/” Stacy asked.
“One hundred percent.” I’d just think of it like another acting job. I’d be Meryl Streep or someone like Katharine Hepburn, cool as a cucumber and not taking any shit from the world.
If it got me the theater, I was willing to do it. I’d told Stacy at one point that I would do almost anything to make it mine, and I hadn’t been lying.
“You get to move in with Jeremy,” I told her with a smile, “and I get to start over. It’s a win-win.”
For everyone. Including Ben. But I personally thought I was getting a better deal. He’d have nothing at the end of this—unless he made partner—and I’d have everything.
“You’re really going to be able to keep business separate from…pleasure?” she asked.
The word instantly brought images of Ben to mind, his body pinning mine to the bed while his lips worked their way down my throat to my breasts.
“Uh…” I smiled. “Yes. I mean, you thought I could do it before, which was why you were trying to set us up.”
“Yeah, but that was before.”
“And this is now. We have a business arrangement. Done deal.”
I was sure of it. I thought back to the words my mom had said to me before she died. That was only two short months before I came to city with the idea that the whole world was at my fingertips. You can do whatever you want, she’d said. Be whoever you want. Don’t let the world tell you who you are, you tell them. Shout it from the rooftops.
Stacy stepped back from the box it looked like she’d been about to hijack again. “All right. If you’re good, I’m good.”
“Great.” I flashed her a smile. “Then there’s nothing else to do but finish packing.”
She was a good friend and helped me box the rest of my clothes, and we finished just as we heard the sound of
a moving truck outside.
We both walked to the front of the building and saw one of the movers on the stoop.
“Miss Blume?” he asked.
I nodded slowly, surprised at how many people were out here. I barely had any possessions—I didn’t need six movers.
“We’re here to help you move.” He gave me a smile and nodded to the door. “If you show us what needs to go, we’ll get it all. Oh, and your ride is over there.”
I looked over and my eyes widened when I saw the stretch limousine on the opposite side of the street.
“There isn’t much to move,” I started to tell the man, then my words trailed off and nerves sprung up when Ben got out of the limo. He wore a suit, solid black and tailored to fit him perfectly. It clung to his body like a second skin. A second skin I couldn’t help but want to see under.
“That’s not a problem,” the man said agreeably. “We’ll do whatever you need.”
Ben turned and spotted me on the stoop. He pulled off his sunglasses and met my eyes. It was an instant jolt, first longing—even desire—and then anxiety.
Fuck. I mentally took back everything I’d just said to Stacy inside. This was a huge mistake. This thing with Ben was supposed to be business, and if I was feeling anything at all toward him besides indifference, there was a problem.
I was supposed to despise men in business suits, but instead I was practically drooling. I could see the outline of his biceps, the strength in his thighs, and I knew just how skilled he was with everything else he possessed.
“Pull it together, Libby,” I whispered to myself.
Remember Griffin Theatre. That was all I needed to do. It was a means to an end.
I lifted my chin and walked across the street, giving him a polite smile, and stopped on the side of the limo. Ben moved in, as if to kiss my cheek. I automatically stepped back, startled, and then extended my hand because I felt awkward and didn’t know what to do.
I forgot that I’d have to deal with the physical aspect of this. Being his girlfriend didn’t mean being polite—at least not always. No worries. A few chase kisses on the cheek wouldn’t hurt.
