by Lexy Timms
“There’s no such thing as too much work.”
“Said the over-worked woman. Yes, there is.” He placed the cheese between the slices of bread. Doing this for her was a reminder of just how right he was to let her go. Allyson deserved a man who wouldn’t bring more stress into her life. She deserved happiness and a carefree life. Not one filled with drama, tabloid reporters, and meddling mothers-in-law. As much as it pained him to think about her with someone else, he hoped that she would find a good man after this. One with enough money to give her a good life, but not so much money that it brought her unhappiness.
“Agree to disagree then,” she said.
He held up the two plates. “Where do I grill these?”
“Try the sandwich toaster.”
That answer nearly made him drop the plates. Memories of the night before they headed down to Greenville for the weekend came flooding back. They had argued about wedding presents for her brother. She wanted to give him something cheap. Dane wanted something expensive. Eventually they had come to a compromise of sorts.
She arched an eyebrow. “What’s with that look? It isn’t my brother’s sandwich toaster. I gave him the gift.”
He shrugged. “Maybe when you get married I’ll get you that car for a gift.”
“Don’t you dare!” But she was laughing while she said it.
With the sandwiches in the toaster, he turned his attention to the tea. He busied himself pouring out the hot water and adding sugar. They had worked together long enough for him to know how much sugar she liked. Ordinarily he wasn’t much of a tea-drinker, but it probably wasn’t a good idea to drink coffee so late at night.
After grabbing the toasted sandwiches, he set the table and sat across from her.
“So,” she said, “what’s the plan for tomorrow’s interview?”
* * *
Dane’s strong, long leg brushed against hers as he adjusted in his chair. She knew it wasn’t intentional, but the pressure of the contact overwhelmed her senses. Earlier tonight he had taken her hand in his, and she had been so surprised by it that she froze. Her heart knew they couldn’t be together, but her body didn’t seem to have gotten the message. Every touch made her all hot and bothered. Made her eager to be touched again.
He cleared his throat. “It’s just a sit-down interview for one of those upscale local tabloids. So, we’re not going to be on camera.”
“Thank goodness.” She took a bite of her grilled cheese. Perfect.
“They’re going to take a few photos,” he warned.
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. “Your mother mentioned that before we left.”
“Allyson, you’re beautiful,” he said. “Taking photos is the least of your problems.”
She forced down her grilled cheese, trying to focus on eating so she wouldn’t react to the way he was making her feel. Getting over her boss wasn’t going to be an easy task. Not if he insisted on being charming and complimentary. “Flattery isn’t going to help us, Mr. Prescott.”
“We just have to remember to keep talking about how sudden this was. We acted impulsively and got married.”
She nodded. “I guess when we reveal our version of the truth, we can say we impulsively got married at my brother’s wedding. But for now, no mention of my brother or our fake wedding not being legally binding.”
“Exactly.” He paused. “There’s still time to back out of this—”
“I want to do this,” she said, cutting him off. “Are you having second thoughts?”
A thoughtful expression came over his chiseled features. “You said you wanted to go ahead with this to help Prescott Global. Well, during this charade we ended up in bed together. If you’re doing all this for the company, then what we did was about business. Which means I made a mistake and I’m sorry.”
She swallowed hard. “Do you regret what we did? Because I don’t. It wasn’t about business. I wanted to be with you. Both times we ended up together it was my idea, remember?”
“So, it was just physical?” There was no emotion in his tone, but their eyes met. Heat blazed in the depths of his clear blue eyes.
“Does it matter? You made it clear we should go back to the way things were. It’s not going to do us any good to litigate the past.”
He ran a hand through his blond hair, clearly frustrated. “We need to look like a loving couple tomorrow. It’s probably going to be hard to convince the reporter of that if you’ve managed to get over me so quickly.”
“Over you?” she snapped. “How could I get over something that barely even happened?”
Dane steepled his hands and looked at her, his brows furrowed. “Allyson, I’m trying to clear the air. I just want to make sure that you’re okay. That we are okay.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So, this clearing the air is just business?”
A pause. Then he sat up straight and crossed his muscular arms. “No. I guess I want to know if what happened meant anything to you. And I know I don’t have the right to ask, because I’m the one who ended things.”
If he was trying to undo what he had done, she wasn’t going to beg him to take her back. He was going to have to lay out what he wanted and fix what he had broken. After all, she was the assistant. Chasing after her boss when he so clearly put an end to things was bad form.
“I’m not going to wait for you, Mr. Prescott.” Maybe her family didn’t think she was good enough. And maybe nothing was going to stop the pang that shot through her every time she realized they couldn’t be together. But she had her pride. She wasn’t an heiress, but she could still show him that he was wrong. She could still show him and everyone else what she was made of. “If you regret what you did, I suggest you figure it out sooner rather than later.”
His jaw clenched, but he said nothing further on the touchy subject of their not-quite breakup. Instead, he steered things to tomorrow’s interview. They went over questions the reporter might ask, and even texted his mother a few times for her input.
Finally, he said goodnight and left. The empty apartment was somehow lonelier without his presence. Suddenly, she felt exhausted. The roller coaster ride of the last several days was finally taking its toll. Draining her.
She headed into the shower. When she stood under the hot jet of water she thought she might cry, but she didn’t. It wasn’t until she stumbled into bed that the pain began to tug at her heart in earnest. Last night she had fallen asleep in Dane’s arms, but now she had to sleep alone. Clutching a pillow tightly she felt the pain wash over her, and let the tears fall.
Chapter 18
“It occurred to me that we haven’t moved in together.”
Dane’s voice made her bolt upright as she pressed her cell phone against her ear. “What?” She hadn’t meant to shriek so loudly, but WTF! This man was full of surprises.
“Why don’t you get ready and we can discuss it on the way over to the interview,” he said.
In her shock, she managed to find the words to form a coherent sentence. “Um, okay. Don’t you want to go over some last-minute details first?”
“That would be fine, Allyson. Let’s do that now. We’ll talk about moving in together on the ride over.”
He’d called bright and early, so her brain was still fuzzy from sleep. As they went over details, her heart squeezed at the sound of his deep voice. Her stomach fluttered at the thought of moving in with him. Somehow she was going to have to stay as calm as possible this morning so she wouldn’t blow the interview.
After she hung up, Allyson agonized over the right outfit to wear. She’d picked out about five last night, and now none of them seemed right. Frustrated, she grabbed the furthest one from her, dropped it, and settled on a light pink skirt suit. It was romantic, flirty, but also professional. And it was the most expensive thing she owned. She might not be a wealthy heiress, but with perfectly applied makeup and some jewelry she had to admit she looked like a million dollars. She stared at herself in the bedroom mirr
or; she had somehow managed to hide the dark circles she’d gotten from crying herself to sleep the night before.
She met Dane downstairs. When she saw him leaning against the luxury car, waiting for her, she nearly dropped her handbag. He looked sinfully gorgeous, dressed in an expensive navy-blue suit with no tie. The top buttons of his shirt were opened, revealing the tanned skin beneath. His blond hair was deliciously tousled, and he wore aviator sunglasses. Dane looked like a movie star, and the sight of him took her breath away.
“Good morning, wife.” He held the car door open for her, and flashed her a killer smile.
If she was going to prove she could navigate the shark-infested waters of high society, she had to remember that the first person she had to watch out for was Dane himself. He was disarming enough to steer her from her goal of proving him wrong. “Good morning,” she said breezily, and settled into the back seat.
He got in beside her, slipped his shades off, and pocketed them. “So, have you given any thought to moving in with me?”
Luckily, the partition between the back seat and the front was up so the driver couldn’t hear. As the car drove off down the street she sighed, marveling at how one little white lie had upended her entire life. In the chaos of the last few days, she hadn’t even thought about moving in with him to keep up the charade. Probably because they had spent most of their time together at work, at the Lodge, and at his seaside home on Prescott Hill. “I haven’t.”
“Well, we’re husband and wife for now. So, you can stay at my place until we spin our breakup story to the press. Besides, I can better protect you from the press if you’re at my place.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. Spending so much time with him for days on end sounded dangerous. Dangerous and heavenly and far too tempting. Sitting so close to him in close quarters was already making her dizzy. Spending the next several days at his place was going to set her on edge. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”
“That’s surprising,” he said, his face unreadable. “Considering how committed you are to all of this.”
She wasn’t going to back down from that challenge now. “I haven’t unpacked yet, so I could come back later to pick up my things.”
He waved his hand. “We’ll have someone deal with that and pick your things up for you.”
“Usually I’m the one who handles things like that,” she said. “Or have you forgotten?”
“Remind me to get you an assistant after all this blows over.”
She laughed despite herself. “You’re throwing your money around again,” she pointed out.
“Good. Someone has to spend it.”
They arrived at the City Enquirer offices and headed inside to meet the reporter for the interview. Despite Allyson’s nerves, the interview went smoothly. Nothing inappropriate was asked, nothing seemed impossible. Even she was willing to admit it had gone fine. It probably came down to their preparation the night before, and the fact that Dane literally held her hand through the entire thing. After it was over, they headed to Dane’s swanky condo in Manhattan.
She’d been inside his apartment several times, but she always seemed to forget just how luxurious the place was. The living room was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased a glorious view of the city. The décor was sleek, ultramodern, and very masculine. Everything set in chrome, dark blue, black, or shades of grey.
“I know you wanted us to head straight to work, but I have a surprise for you,” he said.
“Oh?”
“It’s from my mother.”
She made a face. “Oh.”
He laughed. “Don’t be like that. You’ll like it, I promise.” He motioned to a set of white boxes on his king-sized bed. They looked like the boxes from those upscale boutiques. “Go ahead, open them.”
Curious, she slipped off one of the lids and peeked inside. She gasped at the sight of a sparkling, sequined evening gown. “It’s beautiful.”
“Stunning gown for a beautiful woman.”
She blushed at his words. “I couldn’t.”
“Couldn’t you?” he asked. “I asked my mother to have her assistant send over dresses in your size. They’re for the gala.”
“Mr. Prescott,” she said, lifting the boxes, “there’re six dresses here! I can’t wear them all to the gala.”
“One is for the gala; the rest are a gift.” He shrugged. “Least my mother can do.”
“These gifts can’t be from your mother,” she said dryly.
He winked. “Maybe I had a hand in getting a few of them.”
“These must have cost a fortune. I recognize that gown from a designer collection.” Allyson stared in awe, unable to stop herself from touching the sparkly material of the red dress. “It probably cost ten thousand dollars.”
“There should be shoes in the boxes as well.” Perfectly ignoring her point.
This was crazy. She knew her boss had a habit of spending extravagantly on his friends and family, but this was all a little too much. But she still reached for another box to slip off the lid. In spite of herself, she pulled out the gown and held it over herself. This gown was black, elegant, and flowing.
“You can try them on,” he continued, “if you want. I can help you pick which one works best for the gala.”
Reaching into another box, she pulled out a slinky dark blue, almost black dress. A groan escaped her throat. It was the most exquisite gown she had ever seen. “Damn, Mr. Prescott; it’s so beautiful.”
“Dane,” he reminded her, and tapped her nose gently. He chuckled. “It’s Dane to you, Mrs. Prescott.”
Mrs. Prescott. Heat blazed within her. Her insides turned to jelly. Why was it that every time she was around him she eventually ended up out of control? The part of her brain that reminded her to use good sense and judgment was already shutting down. Holding on to the sinful dress, she grabbed the strappy shoes at the bottom of the box and raced into the adjoining bathroom. She peeled off her pink suit and slid the dark blue dress on. It fit her like a glove, the silk gently skimming over her curves, two dangerously-high slits showing off her legs. The dark color made her legs looks silky white. And the six-inch heels were to die for.
She peeked her head out of the bathroom. “This one is sinful.” She cautiously walked back into the bedroom, her hands smoothing over the silk fabric. “What do you think?”
He didn’t respond.
She turned around and looked up from the dress to give him a questioning glance.
Dane was staring right at her, an inferno blazing in his eyes. His gaze wandered down her body, his eyes lingering on her lips, her breasts. When he settled on her thighs she felt herself sway. She had a dress on, but the way he looked at her…it was like the heat in his gaze burned her dress to cinders. Leaving her naked, exposed, burning with desire.
“Mr. Prescott?” Her voice wavered. “What do you think? It’s too much, isn’t it? I look like a slut. It’s got these massive slits…I don’t usually show off anything of my—”
“You should wear this dress to the gala,” he finally choked out.
“But you haven’t even seen me in the others.”
“I don’t need to. This is the one.” He was still looking at her with stark, possessive need.
It took all the strength she had not to tear out of the dress and wrap herself around him. Right now, she knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him. But she wasn’t going to beg him. Wasn’t going to push. She had meant what she said last night. If he wanted her, he had to do something about it.
She waited for him to speak. To fill the tense silence with some clever remark.
“If you don’t agree, you could always take it off,” he growled.
Oh damn… “Is that what you want me to do?” She forced herself to breathe.
“You already know that’s what I want.”
She trembled. “You want me to take off my dress?”
“You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”<
br />
“You made your feelings very clear yesterday,” she replied. “If you want me, all you have to do is say the word.”
Surprise flashed in his eyes. Good. He was probably used to his rich, blonde mannequins falling at his feet. Dane might spend his money on extravagant gifts, but he probably never had to work a day in his life to get a woman. “I want you,” he ground out.
Somehow, despite the fact that she was slowly melting into a puddle under the heat of his gaze, she sauntered over to him. “How long do you want me?”
“For as long as you’ll have me,” he replied.
Damn, that was a good answer. Her eyes met his and her lips slowly curved into a smile. “I’m not taking this dress off,” she said faintly.
His big hands skimmed over her body, the heat of his touch burning through the thin fabric of her gown. “You don’t have to.”
“You’re not going to change your mind again, are you? Because if you ever doubt me again—”
“I’ll never doubt you,” he interrupted. “I was wrong. I should have trusted you, Allyson. I want you. Now. Tomorrow. Next week. Next month. Next year—”
Her lips found his, her back arching to propel her forward. She clung to him, grabbing hold of his jacket to steady herself against his hard body. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she welcomed him in, her tongue crashing into his. The kiss was bruising, punishing, the sweet ache shooting through her body, arousing her, making her wet. A moan sounded in her throat.
Allyson broke the kiss and looked down. It would take forever to take everything off the bed. As if sensing her thoughts Dane guided her into the bathroom, wrapped his hands around her waist, and lifted her up onto the stone top counter. She stared at him open-mouthed, watching him reach into a cabinet to retrieve a condom.
“Do you want to do this?”
Hell, yes. More than anything. “Yes.”
Without another word, he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. Frantic to have him inside her, she reached up her dress to pull off her lacy panties. Dane slipped the condom on, and her body quivered in anticipation. The sight of his huge erection made her mouth water. She moaned again, her body on fire with raw, desperate need.
