I stared right back at her, not sure what to say. Charlie had been acting strangely all day, going on about those secret plans of his. He’d received more than one phone call and had been quite secretive about them, glancing around as if he was worried I might overhear his conversation.
“Look, I have no idea what he’s doing,” I said slowly. “I just work here, and I’m only living with him until I get back on my feet, like I said before.” I stared them both down but could tell neither believed me. “Why do you care so much anyway?”
Riley shrugged. “You know me. I just love gossip. It lets me live vicariously through others.”
Phoebe didn’t look at me when I turned my stare at her. “Same,” she said, staring at the floor. “I’m just curious…oh, and of course we wanna make sure our friend doesn’t get hurt,” she finished, finally casting her gaze and a grin up at me.
“Well, just don’t say anything to anybody about this, all right? Charlie didn’t want anyone to know about the deal, so just let it go.”
“Scouts’ honor,” Riley said, crossing her fingers over her heart as a promise to keep her mouth shut.
Phoebe gestured that she was zipping her mouth shut too.
“Listen, guys, I gotta get back to work,” I said.
Riley nodded. “Let’s get together soon. We need to catch up.”
“We will. I promise.”
“Just be careful, okay? Don’t let Charlie sink his claws into you. He might be hot as hell, but you’ll only get burned. We all know that one can’t be trusted.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said under my breath.
“What?” Phoebe asked, looking at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“Maybe he’s changed. He seems different somehow.”
“Seriously, Jaime? You’re sticking up for him now, public enemy number one? What kind of spell has he cast on you? You moved in with him, you’re working for him, and now you’re trying to tell us how he’s done a one-eighty?”
“We’ll get together soon. I promise,” I repeated, trying to give them a hint to leave when two customers walked in.
“Okay,” Riley said with a cautious smile. “Call me tonight.”
“Will do.”
Riley nudged Phoebe and they left the club.
I really couldn’t be jealous of Phoebe over her prior dealings with Charlie. The only thing she had ever liked about him was the sex, and they’d only done it a few times, never seriously dated. As far as I knew, she couldn’t stand how cocky he always was, and she’d never been truly interested in him. It was clear from all our recent conversations that she was no longer one of his fangirls, if she ever was.
Marlene stayed behind and looked at me. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you two?” she asked, arching her brow in speculation.
“Positive. We’re just friends.”
“Hmm. Well, in that case, I think I might wanna take him up on his deal,” she said.
I swallowed hard. “Really?”
“Yes. Do you think he’d marry me?”
I bit my lip hard. Marlene was a pretty girl with big, blue eyes and curves any man would die for, exactly Charlie’s type.
“I know he would,” I said.
“Then I’m going to propose to him the second I see him. He needs a bride, and I need the money. I’ll make sure all his loans to all the girls are fully paid back, too, so it’d be a win-win for all of us.”
“That’s so sweet, Marlene, and I’m sure he’ll be pleased, but…”
“But what?”
I hesitated a moment, not sure how to break the truth to her. “Well, Charlie’s got a bit of a reputation. I mean, aren’t you worried he’ll cheat on you, that he won’t be faithful to the marriage?”
She laughed. “A fake marriage? What’s there to be faithful to? If the marriage isn’t even real, it wouldn’t be cheating. I’m not looking for love, and I don’t want him. I don’t care if he screws the entire town while I’m wearing his damn ring on my finger, as long as my bank account is full when the whole charade is over. I can put up with his stupid, man-whoring ass for a couple years, and then we’ll go our separate ways, both of us a whole lot richer. I know that’s all he wants, too, his daddy’s money. He’s not looking for commitment, and I’m not either, especially with him. Heck, I doubt Charlie can even spell commitment.”
“Maybe you should get to know him first. I mean, I really think he’s changed, and you might—”
She laughed again. “I couldn’t care less about getting to know him.”
“Well, he worked really hard to build this club. It’s his passion and—”
“Honey, I don’t care about his passions, just his cash-ins!”
“Marlene!”
“Seriously. I don’t give a flying monkey’s ass what Charlie’s favorite color or food is. I don’t care what his hobbies are or what kind of freaky shit he gets busy at in the bedroom. It’s not like we’re applying for a green card, so I don’t need to know anything about him. I just have to live with him, pretend to be his ball and chain, and then collect my money.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said, nodding in agreement. The truth was the truth, cold as it was. Deep down, it hurt me to know my friend could be with such a great man without even caring to get to know him, but if that was what Charlie wanted, I had to let him go through with it. I couldn’t and wouldn’t stand in the way of his inheritance.
Chapter 18
The rest of the day dragged on, and as soon as Brad left, trailing the last students out the door, I quickly shut down the computer, locked all the supply closet doors, and made my way out the front. I expected to drive home in my clunker, but when I turned around, I saw a sleek, black limo pulling into the parking lot. It came to a stop right beside me, with not one squeak or squeal like the brakes on my old car always screamed.
The driver-side door opened, and a man dressed in an elegant black suit stepped out and walked around to the rear. “Good evening, Jaime,” he said as he opened it and took a short bow. “Charlie sent me to pick you up. It will be my pleasure to escort you to your destination this evening.”
“Uh, okay,” I said slowly. “This is quite the surprise.”
The driver laughed quietly. “A pleasant one, I hope. I am sure your date will be just as pleasantly surprising.”
“Date?” I repeated, and my gut twisted, my heart stuttering behind my ribs. “I, uh… I’m not really dressed for a date,” I said, looking down at myself.
“No need to worry about that. There is a dress inside the vehicle for you, one I am sure you will find appealing. You may change when we reach the venue,” he said, waving me toward the open door.
I gripped my purse more tightly, debating over whether to thank him politely and do as he said or hurry away to my own car and make a run for it. The more curious side of my brain took control, however, and my feet moved before I could stop them. I slid into the back of the limo, easing my body onto heated leather seats. A chilled bottle of champagne was already opened in an ice bucket before me.
“Help yourself to a glass if you’d like,” the driver said before he closed my door and soon reappeared in his seat.
“Where are we going?” I asked as I poured a very full glass of bubbly, wishing it was something stronger.
“I’m afraid I am not at liberty to divulge the details,” the man said as he pulled out of the lot.
“Not even a little hint?”
“Mum’s the word,” he said with a smile. “Boss’s orders.”
“Damn,” I muttered and sat back, sipping the champagne. The bubbles tickled my nose, and by the time I finished half the glass, it became evidently clear that I hadn’t eaten anything all day. After a full glass, I found myself grinning and giddy at the idea that Charlie had gone to so much trouble. All for little ol’ me, I thought with a giggle.
A short while later, the limo took a left and turned off the road, onto bumpier pavement.
I peer
ed out the window and choked on my mouthful of champagne. “Eddie’s place?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Yes.”
“But this… It’s just a dive bar!”
The driver chuckled, and I wondered what he found so entertaining about it. Why the hell would he rent a damn limo to drive me to a freaking dive bar filled with drunkards and old, crappy furniture and a jukebox as old as Moses’s grandmother? That makes as much sense as wearing a Vera Wang to a mud-wrestling contest!
The driver parked his luxury automobile right out front, got out, and hurried around to open my door for me. “Milady, we have arrived,” he said.
I hesitated before stepping out. “This is a joke, right?” I said. “Any minute now, you’re going to start laughing and tell me we’re going somewhere else…or maybe Ashton Kutcher will show up and—”
The driver shook his head. “I’m assure you no one is being Punk’d, miss,” he said with a grin. “As I said before, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised once you’re inside.” He walked to the front doors of the bar and pulled one open for me. “Enjoy your night.”
I sucked in a deep breath and headed inside.
“Oh! Your dress,” he called out. He scurried off and, a moment later, returned with garment bag on a hanger. “He requested that you change prior to going into the bar. There is a bathroom just inside, on the left.”
“Of course,” I said, taking the dress from him.
I walked inside and quickly found the bathroom, taking notice of the black curtains hanging down from the ceiling, blocking my view of the rest of the bar. They’d never been there before, and I paused for a moment, considering taking a sneak peek. No, it’s probably best to play along with whatever little game he’s up to, I decided.
I locked the bathroom door and tugged up the plastic to reveal a short, black dress with a low-cut neck and a low back with a silver zipper. It was fitted with a beautiful lace overlay, and there was even a set of lacy lingerie to match. I changed as quickly as I could, smoothed the dress over my thighs, and took in my reflection. Charlie had always had good taste in all things, clothes included, and this was no exception. The dress hugged every curve of my body perfectly, leaving nothing to the imagination. “That man,” I muttered, but I couldn’t help grinning; a thrill ran through me in knowing Charlie would be aware of exactly what was hiding beneath the fabric of the dress, because he’d picked it out himself.
I pulled a brush from my purse to touch up my hair, then applied some makeup. As I left the bathroom and parted the black curtains, a nagging voice in my mind said that my true feelings for him might threaten to bloom.
“Oh wow,” I whispered as my eyes took in the bar that no longer looked like a bar. Rose petals covered the floor and a table set with fine silverware and a black tablecloth. The lights were dimmed, and rather than the country-rock that usually blasted through the place, soft music was playing in the background. Candles flickered along the walls and the bar.
At the center of it all was Charlie, dressed in his tux, holding a single rose in his hands. His eyes glimmered as he took in the sight of me, and I obliged him with a quick twirl. “You look stunning,” he said huskily.
I warmed even more at the compliment. “No shoes,” I said with a laugh as I glanced down at my bare feet.
He cringed. “Well, I know you hate heels, so I wasn’t sure what to do about that part.”
“You chose right in choosing nothing at all,” I said, wiggling my toes in the soft rose petals and giggling as the champagne really began to kick in. “What is all this?”
He held the rose out to me and gave me a soft smile.
I took the flower, letting my fingers brush against his before I pulled it up to my nose to smell its sweet scent.
“Well, I was told I’ve been wooing you wrong, going about things the wrong way,” he said. “I wanted to make up for it, tenfold if need be. How am I doing so far?”
“Not too shabby,” I said, glancing around the bar again. “You’ve done a hell of a job. It’s beyond romantic.”
He laughed and leaned closer. “It was the only place I could afford to clear out for a night,” he admitted in a whisper.
The strong scent of his teakwood cologne filled my nose, even more alluring than the fragrance of the rose, and I breathed it in deep.
“Eddie owed me a favor. I don’t have my inheritance yet, remember?”
A man cleared his throat nearby, and I laughed at Eddie in his Sunday best, the same jeans he always wore, only topped off with a dress shirt and bowtie. “Yep, and after tonight, he’s gonna owe me three. Damn, girl! No offense, but you look fine.”
I smiled at the compliment. “Thank you. So do you, Eddie. I love your tie. You should wear it more often.”
He grumbled under his breath as he poured two glasses of deep red wine. “Dinner will be served shortly,” he announced before he retreated back to the kitchen.
“You really didn’t have to do all this,” I said as Charlie scooted me in at the table.
“I most certainly did,” he argued and sat down across from me. He hesitated and looked at me strangely as if there was much more he wanted to say but just couldn’t build up the nerve.
I held my breath, wondering if Charlie was finally going to admit to how he felt about me, if he was going to tell me he thought of me as more than a BFF and an easy fix to his problem. I even bit my lip as I nervously waited, afraid I might say something stupid too soon.
Instead of professing his love for me, though, Charlie picked up his wine glass and held it over the table. “A toast…to you.”
“Why me?” I asked with a smile and held my glass up too.
“Because you’ve been a true friend all these years,” he said and clinked his glass against mine.
We sipped our wine, and I debated coming clean right then and there, just spilling the truth out for him in Eddie’s bar. Before I could say anything, though, Charlie held out his hand for mine. “Would you care to dance?” he asked, jumping to his feet.
He pulled me to my feet, and we danced to slow music. He drew me close against his body, and I closed my eyes. I saw us in my mind’s eye, together, just as I’d always wanted. He moved his hand to the small of my back, and everything in me screamed for him to move lower. I wanted to stand on my toes and kiss him hotly, to show him that I was ready to give into our passion just as much as he was, but I wasn’t sure Eddie would appreciate us going at it in the middle of his bar.
The dance lasted through another song and then another. Neither of us said the word, but his hands bunching up the back of my dress spoke volumes. I melted into his touch, desperately wanting to just give in and see what could happen.
“Dinner is served!” Eddie called.
We both jumped away from each other as if we’d touched a hot stove. Eddie smirked but didn’t say anything about our closeness and our very public display of affection in his establishment. He dutifully set down two heaping plates of spaghetti and meatballs, the only classy dinner he knew how to make; potato skins and boneless wings just didn’t seem appropriate for the occasion, though he did leave the bowl of peanuts on the table for an appetizer.
Charlie led me back to my chair as Eddie came back with a basket of garlic bread and another bottle of wine. “Thanks, man,” Charlie said.
Eddie patted him on the back. “Anything to make this night go smoothly.”
I watched Eddie retreat into the kitchen. Charlie’s face reddened before he dug into his food, trying to ignore my curiosity.
“What’s so special about this night that it needs to go smoothly?” I asked.
“Nothing. That’s just Eddie being Eddie,” he said, without looking up. “You know how he is.”
“I sure do. That’s exactly why I know he wouldn’t just do all this because he owes you a favor,” I replied. “Charlie, what’s really going on here? And who told you that you weren’t wooing me properly?”
“A mutual friend who wishes to remain anonym
ous,” he said, then grinned.
I twirled spaghetti around my fork, my mind racing until I cursed and dropped it on my plate with a clatter. “Tammy! She called you, didn’t she? That damn woman. I’m gonna wring her neck for ratting me out!”
“You won’t,” he argued and reached for my hand. “She was right on all counts, and this is my away of apologizing for it.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying…” He paused and swallowed hard, tugging at the collar on his dress shirt. “I’m saying I shouldn’t have been in your face so much, trying to force you to agree to something as crazy as marrying me without, um…”
“Without taking time to figure out if we can work?”
“Yeah, that,” he said, “among other things.”
I sat back in my chair, fiddling with the napkin in my lap as I looked at him doubtfully. “What other things, Charlie? Do you want this to work, you and me…together?”
“Yes, and I know you want the exact same thing.”
“Listen,” I said, “I saw Marlene today. She’d walk down the aisle with you tonight, just for the money. You wouldn’t have to deal with love, commitment, any of that junk. It’d be a business arrangement and nothing more, just long enough to get your inheritance. You don’t have to ask me. There’s a replacement, and her feelings won’t get involved like mine will. In the end, the two of you can happily go from divorce court to the bank, then be on your merry separate ways, no fuss at all.”
“Yeah, I know. She came over to the house just as I was on my way out. She laid it all on the line.”
“Well? Why not? I mean, it’s perfect, just what you want and need. Marlene isn’t too hard to live with. As a matter of fact, she’s perfect for the job.”
He brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. “She’s far from perfect for this role, Jaime.”
“Why? She’s gorgeous, and she meets all the criteria. She’s even funny once—”
Begging for Bad Boys Page 135
