He looked at me in the mirror, lifting his eyes as what I was suggesting dawned on him. I couldn’t believe I had just said that. I mean, we were talking about Oliver Paulson, here. God knew how many women he’d been with over the years, and here I was acting like he might consider taking me around on his arm and passing me off as his partner?
My heart flipped with excitement at the thought, and I did my best to ignore it. This was only business after all. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
“As my wife?” he asked to clarify.
“As your fiancee,” I suggested. “That way, if they ask about it again in the future, you can just say we called off the wedding.”
“Are you serious?”
He raised his eyebrows, a grin spreading across his face as he observed me with amusement.
“Feels like the premise of a sitcom episode.”
“Why not?” I shrugged, playing it cool but knowing my nervousness must have been visible on my face.
He was right, it did seem ridiculous, now that I thought of it. And that was the kind of thing that would have been in the news. If Masterson had been looking into Oliver’s private life, they would have heard about him getting engaged.
“I mean, it’d get all those tabloid stories out of their heads, wouldn’t it?”
“I guess you’re right,” he muttered, and I could see he was actually considering my idea. “You think you could do it? For the whole night? We’d need to get our story straight, make sure we were approaching it from the same angle and that we didn’t trip ourselves up in the details.”
“What, like I say we met at college and you say Neil introduced us, or something?” I teased. “I promise, I’ll keep my mouth shut. I won’t say anything that’s going to get in the way of the deal.”
“Sit still and look pretty?” he said, and he smiled at the thought. “Doesn’t seem like something you’d be good at.”
“I can pull it off for one night,” I assured him and I felt a little flutter at the knowledge that was how he saw me. Not as some ornament, but something more than that.
He paused for a moment, clearly considering the offer.
“You know, it might work.” he finally said, coming to terms with it. “It’s a crazy plan, but if we can pull it off, it might actually help land this deal, once and for all. I don’t want to fuck things up after we’ve come this far.”
“We should do this?” I asked, the uncertainty rife in my voice.
He looked up at me, his eyebrows raised.
“I need you confident,” he teased. “You’ll need to be the one to keep me grounded.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I grabbed my bag and ducked into the bathroom.
“Let me change – I’ll be out in five minutes.”
“Make it quick,” he ordered.
I closed the door behind me and looked at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I was going out tonight, sitting in on the Masterson meeting – one of the biggest meetings in Artemis’ history. It would be a huge boost for my career if I weren’t going along as Oliver’s fiancée.
Oliver needed me to be elegant and charming tonight but also loyal and domestic. A perfect partner. My career could wait.
My stomach flipped back and forth at the thought of what I was about to do. How far would we go? Would we hold hands for show? Would he kiss me? Would he touch me, lay his hand on the small of my back to guide me through the restaurant?
The thought of it made my heart squirm, and I turned away from the mirror to unpack the dress I’d brought. It was a navy number, crisp and sleek – one of the first things I’d purchased when my very first pay check had come through.
I hadn’t thought to bring anything date appropriate, but hopefully, this would suffice. Not too sexy but not too old fashioned either.
I slid into the dress. It was just stylish enough to work with my hair down and my makeup done for evening. I slicked on some lipstick and fluffed my hair, raking my fingers through it so it fell down around my shoulders.
It would be the first time Oliver had really seen me in anything other than office wear. I hoped he would be pleased.
I rubbed a spot of dirt off my shoe, glanced at myself in the mirror one last time, and headed back out the door.
“They’re here,” Oliver announced as soon as he heard the bathroom door open. Then, he turned, and his eyes travelled up and down my body. “You look amazing…”
He trailed off, and the phone that sat on the table next to the bed sprang to life, making us both jump. I took a step toward him, as though silently prompting him to finish his sentence. My lips parted slightly and I looked up at him, not wanting the moment to end.
“Okay, I don’t think we can put them off any longer,” he said smiling and offered me his arm. “It’s show time.”
I stepped toward him and placed my hand on his outstretched arm. It felt good, natural, obvious, even. I wanted to lean my head against his shoulder and inhale the familiar scent of his aftershave, but I knew that would be going too far.
It seemed like the rest of the night was going to be an exercise in testing boundaries, of wondering if he was having the same feelings as I was, or if he was really just doing this to secure the account.
We stepped into the elevator and descended to the lobby. A driver stood waiting for us. He rolled his shoulders back as we approached and gestured to the door.
“We’re ready to go when you are,” he said.
Oliver and I exchanged mischievous looks and stepped outside into the lightly drizzling, London night.
I thought it was kind of odd, the way they were taking him out on the town to finalize the meeting, but maybe that was just the way things were done here. This was a way of getting to know Oliver the person and decide if he is a good fit for their company.
The car was fancy, just like everything else had been so far. We slid into the back seat, Oliver making room for me. I had to suppress the urge to giggle like a school girl.
“Hold yourself together,” Oliver said playfully, like the two of us were in a spy thriller, and the success of the mission relied on my ability to keep myself from bursting out laughing.
We sped through the city, and I peered outside at all the people getting ready to start their weekends. There were gangs of girls in short, bright dresses and heels, lifting their bags to shelter their hair, and guys in tight jeans clustering around the entrances of clubs, smoking cigarettes.
A few people tried to see in the window of our car as it edged by and I was proud to be there beside Oliver Paulson, his fiancee if only for one night.
We arrived at the restaurant, and Oliver helped me out of the car. His fingers grazed my waist and sent an flurry of tingles across my skin.
I had to fight the urge to lean into his touch, to silently beg for more, and then I realized I didn’t have to fight that urge. For tonight, I could go along with it. We were meant to do this. We needed to convince them that we were comfortable together. To sell the story I had convinced him to sell. I needed to lean into his touch as hard as I could.
Oliver looked down at me with softness in his eyes, and I smiled back, knowing we’d look like an adoring couple to anyone watching, and thoroughly enjoying the notion of it.
“Oliver Paulson?”
A voice came from beside us, and we turned to find a man a decade or so older than Oliver.
“Tom Masterson.” Oliver said, extending his hand to the man confidently. “Great to meet you.”
“You too,” the man said, smiling widely, and then his eyes moved over to me. “And this is?”
“This is Mona, my fiancée,” he replied, without even a hint of hesitation.
The words sounded so natural coming out of his mouth. It felt as though he’d been introducing me like that for years.
Tom extended his hand to me, and I shook it firmly but femininely.
“Nice to meet you,” I offered, bowing my head slightly in h
is direction. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Hilary and Nathan are waiting inside,” Tom said, motioning toward the restaurant. “Shall we?”
“Yes, please, lead the way.”
Oliver gestured for him to go ahead. We exchanged another playful look, and I could tell he was as surprised at how well things had gone so far.
The restaurant was one of those places that spend a lot of money on making things look as authentic as possible, clean lines, minimalist art, waiters and waitresses who seemed to have been created specifically to match the décor. I paused to look around,. I wanted to be sure to take everything in, but Oliver caught my hand and tugged me along gently.
I knew I should look as if I was used to this kind of evening, but I couldn’t quite manage it without a reminder. I lifted my chin and tried to arrange my features into an appropriately unaffected look, but I couldn’t get the smile off my face. Way to look natural, Mona.
We arrived at a table where a woman, Hilary, and a man about Tom’s age, Nathan, sat. Nathan got to his feet to shake our hands while Hilary simply nodded at us from her seat and smiled tightly, looking me up and down and glancing over at Oliver.
“I didn’t realize you were engaged,” she remarked, and I still had the ring on my finger from the day before.
He nodded without missing a beat.
“Yes, this is my fiancée Mona.”
He glanced over at me, smiling fondly and reaching out to lightly touch my waist. “It’s her first time in London.”
“I’m sorry you’ll have to spend at least some of your time in meetings with us,” Nathan joked, and I offered him a laugh that I hoped would display the perfect amount of charm.
“Not at all,” I assured him as I took my seat.
Oliver sat next to me and briefly reached under the table to squeeze my bare leg. I felt a zing of excitement shiver up my thigh and my pussy swelled.
He didn’t have to do that, but he did, and just like that, it felt as though the night had gotten a whole lot more promising.
Chapter 18
Oliver
Dinner with the Masterson partners had gone better than I ever could have hoped. I was relaxed enough not to read as desperate, but interested enough to let them know I sincerely wanted to get them on board. It had gone about as well as it could possibly have gone, and I had to attribute much of that to Mona’s presence at the table next to me.
I was kind of stunned when she suggested we play at being engaged for the course of the night, but her reasoning was unassailable. I could just explain that we called things off if they ever followed up on it. It was an excellent way to get them to overlook my less than flawless past.
They adored Mona and peppered her with questions about how we met and when we were planning to get married and she handled it expertly. She was utterly charming, sweet, funny, and knew exactly when to pull back and let someone else talk. If she wasn’t my secretary, I might have proposed to her on the spot.
The night came to a close and we settled the check. I watched as Mona’s eyes widened at the cost of our evening, but she blinked away her surprise and sat back with the single glass of wine she’d been nursing all night.
“Oliver, it was great to meet you,” Hilary said, extending her hand warmly to me.
Tom and Nathan exchanged a look they probably didn’t want me to see. I could read it perfectly. I had successfully won them over. It was the look of people slightly surprised by the outcome, but more than happy to accept it at face value.
“You too.” I said, bowing my head in her direction and flashing her my most charming smile.
Mona said her goodbyes as well. “I look forward to seeing you again soon. Tonights dinner will be tough to beat.”
“We try our best,” Hilary said and smiled.
Before I knew it, we were in the back of a cab. As soon as the car door shut and cut us off from the three of them for the night, I took a deep cleansing breath and relaxed.
“That went so well,” Mona said as we pulled away.
“Yeah, it did,” I agreed. “Maybe I should have you come along as my fake fiancée more often.”
“It’s the humanizing factor. If you could actually land someone like me for real, it would really boost your game.”
“Think a lot of yourself, don’t you?” I teased.
“Shouldn’t I?” she shot back with a grin.
Our eyes met, and I was certain that if I leaned across and kissed her, we could have finally given in to how much we wanted each other, at last.
I looked away from her quickly. Just a few more minutes and we would be back at the hotel in separate rooms, safe from temptation.
All that this night had done was underline the fact that whatever feelings I had for this woman were far more than a sexual attraction. I could have forced that much out of my head eventually, if all it had been was her body. No, it was more than that. Much more than that.
I was falling for Mona. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and ballsy, and I couldn’t escape the fact my feelings for her were getting more and more intense with every minute we spent together.
I thought back to what Neil had said, but his advice dimmed in my head as I looked at her across the seat from me.
I liked Mona, more than I could remember liking anyone in a long while. I couldn’t deny it, no matter how bad an idea it was, and no matter what kind of shit it would bring into my life if I went for it. All she had proven tonight was that she was brilliant at the business stuff and even more appealing at the personal stuff. She would make an incredible partner in life, no matter what way I looked at it.
We arrived back at the hotel, and I cleared my throat as I got out the car.
“Thanks for letting me come along tonight,” Mona said immediately clearing the awkward tension. “Beats room service and local TV.”
“You were great,” I replied, keeping my eyes firmly fixed ahead.
I noticed Mona frown slightly as we approached the desk to pick up the key for the new room they should have assigned us by now. The man behind the desk glanced up and offered us a welcoming smile.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, the Masterson account, we should have another room this evening.”
“Oh, yes!” the man exclaimed, sounding way more excited than the situation called for. “We actually got the call a few minutes ago. They’ve asked us to upgrade you to the honeymoon suite.”
“What?” I said, stunned.
“For the you and your partner,” he clarified, gesturing to Mona and me.
We looked at each other, and then back at him.
“There has to be some kind of mistake,” I said and shook my head. “We already have a room. We needed another one.”
“They were very insistent on the phone,” the receptionist replied, frowning slightly. “It’s already been paid for. They said they wanted to treat you, as you didn’t know when you’d be back in London.”
“Lovely.” I said and reached over to pluck the key from his hand.
I couldn’t back down now. What if the news got back to Masterson? If they found out I’d been lying to them, I’d be in even more trouble than if I’d just told them the truth up front.
I glanced down at Mona.
“You take this room, I’ll stay in the old one. Sound good?”
We headed toward the elevator and stepped in together. The doors slid shut, and she looked up at me. There we were again – the tension mounting and her body achingly close to mine.
I wanted to throw my arm around her waist and pull her tight against me. My skin was practically itching with the urge to run my hands all over her body. It would have been so damn easy.
I eyed the fabric of her dress, wondering how it would feel beneath my fingertips, She saw me staring and she didn’t even flinch.
“So, the honeymoon suite, huh?” she remarked with a soft smile.
I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was thinking, if she was ho
ping I would touch her, that we could finally end the tension that had been building up between us for hours.
“Yep. The honeymoon suite.”
I managed a smile at the ridiculousness of the situation.
“I didn’t want to blow our cover, so I had to go along with it. Our little performance must have been convincing.”
“You’ll have a hard time outdoing this for the actual honeymoon,” she teased as we got out at the floor for our room. She followed me down the corridor.
“Where are you going?” I asked, and she cocked an eyebrow at me.
“I need to get my things,” she pointed out, and I shook my head, feeling stupid.
I hadn’t had that much to drink, but all the blood had rushed to my cock, and there wasn’t any left for my brain.
“Of course.”
I held open the door and she drifted past me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought she deliberately brushed her body against mine, even if for a split second. I fought the urge to lean down and press my face into her hair, to inhale the sweet scent of her shampoo, but instead, I cleared my throat and shifted to let her by.
Nothing happening here. Or at least, that’s what I would keep telling myself as long as it took her to get out of here.
She grabbed her things and stuffed them into her bag, then threw it over her shoulder. She turned to face me, but didn’t look up, as though she was worried if she did, she might have to let go of the resolve she’d been clinging to all evening. Or maybe I was just projecting how I felt on to her. At this point, the lines were so blurred I couldn’t make sense of them.
“You want me to help you with that?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said and smiled up at me. There was a coyness in her that told me she too was sorry to see the evening end.
I reached down to take her bag, and my fingers grazed her neck. She closed her eyes, ever-so-briefly, as though she were savoring my touch. I took a deep breath and forced myself to look away.
This was torturous in the best possible way. The two of us, assigned to the honeymoon suite, far away from anyone who would ever find out. It was a night built for sin.
We got into the elevator again, this time soaring to the top of the building. We were so far away from everyone and everything that it was as if we were the only two people on Earth. We didn’t say a word. We didn’t have to.
Lieutenant Commander Stud Page 97
