by Ashlee Price
A bit of a lie. I did think about it. I just couldn’t bring myself to accept it.
“And third, yes, I admit Kaleb Wilson is more famous than you are, but I never pinned my hopes on him. Thanks to you I never hope for anything anymore.”
“So you slept with him? Do you sleep with all your clients?”
I sit up. “How dare you, Reilly.”
“You said you were a virgin and I believed you, but I don’t anymore.”
“Well, I don’t care what you think,” I tell him as I grip the phone. “What do you care?”
“I’m still your client,” Reilly reminds me.
“Well, I have news for you. You can change that if you want. In fact, maybe you should. Oh, and find yourself a new dance partner and a new ‘friend with benefits’, too.”
With that, I hang up. I toss my phone on the pillow beside me and lie back down, letting out a sigh.
He’s even more a jerk than I thought he was.
And to think I thought he was sweet.
On the other hand, Kaleb started out a jerk and as it turned out, he’s sweet.
I run a finger over my lips as I remember his kiss.
Yes, I do remember that, even though I don’t remember getting in and out of his car after the party or much of our conversation in the treehouse after we ran out of wine and ice cream.
I remember that it was fleeting but that I felt it all the way to my toes.
Just the memory of it now sends a surge of heat up my spine.
It was an amazing kiss. And yes, in that moment, I felt a connection with Kaleb, too.
Unfortunately, some paparazzo has ruined all that. Now, I doubt I’ll ever get to see Kaleb again, much less kiss him again.
Tom probably won’t ever let me near him again.
After all, I’m supposed to help people think he’s a better man, and somehow, I doubt that kissing his yoga instructor qualifies.
Just then, my phone rings again.
Again, I hope it’s Cora, and again, I’m disappointed.
This time, it’s Tom.
I sit up and let out a deep breath. It’s so early in the day and so many men are calling me already.
I guess I should be glad I know the numbers, though, and they’re not calls from fans threatening to kill me for kissing the love of their life, or from reporters with a thousand questions.
I press the phone to my ear as I get out of bed. “Hello.”
“Dani?”
“Yes.” I draw a deep breath. “Listen, Tom. I’m sorry about everything. I know you’re mad and you probably don’t want me to have anything to do with Kaleb anymore, and I understand.”
“On the contrary, I want you to have more to do with him,” Tom says to my surprise.
I sit on the edge of the bed. “What?”
“Come over as soon as you can and we’ll talk. Kaleb and I will be waiting.”
I hear a click and the line goes dead.
I stare at my phone. Okay. Tom wants to see me. And apparently, Kaleb does too.
I stand up and scratch my chin.
I wonder what Tom wants to talk to me about.
~
“I want you to be Kaleb’s fiancée,” Tom informs me moments after I’ve arrived at Kaleb’s apartment. The three of us are standing in the living room.
The finger I’ve been tapping on my knee stops. I lift my head to look at Tom with wide eyes.
“Excuse me?”
Tom stands up. “You’ll be Kaleb’s fiancée. That way, people won’t think he’s back to his old ways or that he’s just pulling another stunt to catch people’s attention. Right now, people are looking at the picture of the two of you kissing and shaking their heads in disapproval. When they find out the two of you are engaged, well, that changes everything. They’ll be gushing with joy and maybe a bit of envy, which is better than disapproval.”
“Okay.” My eyebrows go up as I nod slowly. “So you want Kaleb and I to pretend we’re engaged?”
“Yes.”
I glance at Kaleb, who just shrugs.
I roll my eyes.
“It won’t be for free, of course,” Tom adds. “You’ll be generously compensated. What do you think of a million dollars?”
My jaw drops. “A million dollars?”
“Yes, in addition to your salary as Kaleb’s yoga instructor, which you will still continue to be.” He folds his arms over his chest. “Oh, and speaking of that, if you do agree, I’ll have to ask you to drop Reilly Evans as your client.”
I sigh. “You don’t have to worry about that. He’s not my client anymore.”
“I’ll have to ask you to drop your other male clients as well. It just doesn’t look good, and this whole arrangement is all about appearances.”
My eyebrows furrow. “And if I say no?”
“Then nothing will be done,” Tom answers. “But mind you, people will talk about you with more than looks of disapproval.”
“Aren’t they already?”
“That’s why you have to stop them. You may not want to admit it, Dani, but your reputation is on the line, too.”
I let out another sigh as I rest my head on the back of the chair and tap my knee.
I do hate to admit it, but Tom is right.
“You’ve got nothing to lose, Dani,” Tom says. “And it’s not that hard. Other women would kill for the task.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” I tell him as I remember the women from last night as well as the fan who tried to kill Reilly. “Won’t they want to kill me?”
“They might be dissuaded from trying to if they know you’re special to Kaleb.”
“And I won’t let them,” Kaleb promises.
Ah. Finally, he speaks.
“All you have to do is wear a ring, and I know someone who can bring one over within an hour,” Tom continues. “Go on a few public dates with Kaleb…”
“A few?” I cut him off. “How long is this pretend engagement supposed to be?”
“Say a year.”
“A year?” My eyebrows arch again.
“That way, people will believe it’s serious, and when they find out it’s over they’ll be crushed. They’ll feel sorry for Kaleb and support him even more.”
I frown. “So it will be my fault when the engagement is cancelled?”
“Well, let’s not talk about that yet. Before we cancel the engagement, we have to confirm it. So are you in?”
I shake my head. “No.”
This time, it’s Tom’s eyebrows that bunch up in confusion. “No?”
I stand up. “I’m sorry, Tom, for everything…”
“You don’t have be sorry,” Kaleb interrupts, drawing my gaze. “You did nothing wrong.”
I turn back to Tom. “But I can’t do this. Kaleb is an actor. He can pretend. I’m not good at pretending.”
“I’m sure we can have someone teach you.”
I tuck my chin. Seriously?
“And I don’t want to be in a pretend relationship, even if it is with Kaleb.” I sigh. “I’m sorry.”
I turn on my heel and leave the room. Moments later, I feel footsteps behind me in the hall and I turn around.
“It seems I’m always chasing after you,” Kaleb says.
“I can’t do this, Kaleb,” I tell him. “I know I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have gone to the party. I shouldn’t have drank too much…”
“I thought we agreed that was Ben and Jerry’s fault.”
I hear a throat clearing behind me.
“Not you, Jerry,” Kaleb says.
“I shouldn’t have let you kiss me,” I go on.
“Please.” Kaleb steps forward. “Don’t regret that.”
“Even if I don’t, I’m already screwed, right? No one is going to want me for a yoga instructor now unless I move to Alaska or something.”
“Then help me do something about it.” He takes another step forward. “I was the one who kissed you, after all.”
I shake my
head. “It’s just… not right. It goes against everything I believe in. Besides, I want a real relationship.”
“I know.” He brushes a few strands of hair off my face. “I understand. It’s not like I want this, either.”
Those words should make me feel better, but they don’t.
“I mean, I don’t mind pretending, since I do see what Tom’s trying to do and since you’re an amazing woman…”
My eyes grow wide. He thinks I’m amazing?
“But I don’t like the idea of forcing someone into a relationship with me.”
“A pretend relationship,” I remind him.
“Yes, a pretend relationship.” Kaleb nods. “Though if you agree, I promise I will make sure you don’t get drunk…”
I chuckle.
“That you’ll have plenty of ice cream and that no jerk will ever cross you,” he continues. “Oh, and let me throw something else in. You can kiss me anytime you want.”
I snort. “That’s a real bonus.”
Kaleb grins.
“But I…”
He presses a finger to my lips. “You don’t have to decide now, Dani. Think about it.”
I nod slowly.
He takes his finger off and I turn around and walk to the door, which Jerry opens for me.
Outside, I stop walking after a few steps to take a deep breath.
I can’t believe what just happened. Did Kaleb really just ask me to pretend to be his fiancée?
A part of me wants to jump up and down and say yes. Even if it’s pretend, this is Kaleb Wilson we’re talking about, after all. The million dollars does not hurt, either.
Another part thinks it’s not a bad decision to make given the circumstances. Sure, I’ll be deceiving people and breaking hearts everywhere. I’ll even have to drop my male clients, but I’ll be saving my reputation and Kaleb’s, and I’ll be earning money that could possibly sustain me for a lifetime.
Then there’s the other part that’s screaming louder than the other two—the part that’s scared, the part that’s telling me this is all wrong and that I’m just going to screw my life up even more by doing it.
Maybe it’s my gut. Maybe it’s my conscience.
I just… can’t.
Some things just can’t be.
Chapter Fourteen
Hector
“This can’t be.” I tap my finger on my mahogany desk as I give Dani a stern gaze.
Today, she managed not to be late. Ten minutes early, actually.
The reason I summoned her to my office instead of meeting her in the exercise room is because of something else weighing heavily on my mind—something which I can tell she isn’t aware of based on that confused look she’s giving me.
Dani’s eyes narrow. “I’m sorry, but what is this about?”
“You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you?” I lean forward. “And I don’t mean with teaching yoga.”
She frowns. “If this is about the pictures…”
“Let me guess,” I cut her off. “They don’t mean anything. They might not even be true. Still, it’s not good. This kind of behavior can’t go on.”
“Are you firing me?”
“Do you want me to?” I throw the question back at her.
Her head droops and she falls silent.
I sit back. “Well, the truth is I don’t want to fire you, but our contract does state that while you can have other male clients, as many as you wish, you must not be seen with them alone in public. I do have a daughter, after all. She’s nine. Now, I don’t mind what other people say, but with my daughter, it’s a different matter entirely. I want her to think only the best of me, which is why she can’t think that I’m letting a woman who’s sleeping around Hollywood inside my house.”
“I’m not sleeping around,” Dani argues.
I tuck my chin. “Are you saying you didn’t sleep with either of them?”
She doesn’t answer.
“Even if you didn’t, people think you did. Around here, image and reputation are very important.”
“I think I already know that,” she mutters.
I clasp my hands. “Obviously, you have violated that clause in your contract. You know what that means, don’t you?”
“That you’ll have to fire me?”
“That I’ll have to punish you,” I inform her.
Her cheeks pale. “No. Please. I don’t want that.”
“Of course you don’t. That’s why it’s a punishment.”
“No more punishments.” She stands up and steps back. “Surely there must be another way.”
I stroke my chin. “I have to admit that constantly having to punish you is no fun. There should always be a balance to things, you know.”
I get out of my chair and walk around my desk. “What do you say we sign a new contract, one that involves not only punishment but reward.”
I stop right in front of her, gazing into her quivering brown eyes.
Dani draws a deep breath. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”
“I’m not just cruel, you know.” I reach out to touch her cheek. “I can be good, too. I can make you feel very good.”
She steps back, hitting the edge of my desk.
She’s trapped and she knows it.
“Mr. Davis…”
“Shh.” I hold a finger to her lips, then run that finger across her trembling lower one in a slow, torturous fashion. “You have no idea what I can offer. Well, let me give you a taste of what you’ll be signing up for.”
I grip her chin and bring my lips down on hers. Hard.
She puts her hands on my chest and tries to push me away. Finally, she succeeds. Her palm falls on my cheek and sends me a step back, the sound of the slap traveling throughout the quiet room.
Dani gasps. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” I rub my cheek. “If you give me pain, then I shall give you the same in return.”
I slap her cheek with twice the force with which she slapped mine.
She almost loses her balance but manages to keep standing as she grips the edge of my desk. She places a hand on her reddened cheek. Then, slowly, she turns her head to look at me with wide eyes. Her mouth gapes.
“On the other hand,” I continue, stepping forward before she can get a word out, “if you give me pleasure, then you shall receive much of the same.”
I place my hand on the back of Dani’s neck and kiss her again.
At first, she still protests. I can hear her muffled groans. I feel her hands on my chest. Then, as I slip my tongue inside her mouth, those hands clutch me instead of pushing me away. Her groans turn into exquisite moans.
The sounds go straight to my crotch.
I grab her waist and hoist her onto the edge of my desk. One of her canvas shoes falls to the carpet.
Without tearing my mouth away from hers, I sweep away some papers to make room for her. A pen clatters to the floor.
Impatiently, I pull down the zipper of her sweater and push it off her. I pull away from her mouth so I can take one of her breasts in mine.
She lets out a loud moan, shuddering as I suck on her breast through the fabrics of her thin shirt and her sports bra. I slip my hand under them both and squeeze the mound of flesh.
Dani gasps.
I kiss her again as I push her down on my desk. My tongue dances in her mouth. My hands push her bra out of the way to rub and twist her engorged nipples.
She gives another shudder.
I move one hand down, slipping it between her thighs. They quiver and close at first, trapping my hand. Still, I stroke her as best as I can in the cramped space through the layers of cotton, and it proves to be enough. With a fresh shudder, she opens up to me.
“Good girl,” I whisper in her ear as I stroke her faster.
A soft curse escapes her lips and something else escapes from the folds of skin I’m stroking. My fingertips grow damp.
I pull her leggings and her remaining shoe off h
er in a frenzy.
Usually, I take my time and savor every moment, every reaction I get, but this time, I can’t seem to control myself.
Maybe it’s because I want her too much. Maybe it’s because I’m still jealous after seeing those pictures.
I don’t know. I just know that I can’t wait a moment longer to have a taste of her. A real taste of her.
When her ankles are freed of their cotton restraints, I spread her legs and bury my face between them. Dani lifts her head. Her eyes gape at me in confusion and disbelief.
“What are you doing?”
Ah. She has no clue, and that sends a fresh jolt of excitement through my body. My cock throbs in my boxers.
Instead of answering her, I hold her gaze as I stick out my tongue. I taste something as sweet as the scent drifting into my nostrils.
“Stop.” Dani makes a feeble plea as she grabs my shoulders.
I don’t. I just keep licking while my eyes pierce into her brown ones. They soften and glaze over, then fall shut. Her head falls back onto the desk.
Just as before, her hands stop pushing and start clutching. Her gasps fill the air.
I let the tip of my tongue graze against that button hidden in her curls. Her moans turn into soft cries as she tugs at my hair.
Then I slip my tongue inside her. Her hips rise off the bed. Her hands leave my hair and I hear the sound of her fingernails raking across my desk.
With each skillful probe and practiced swish of my tongue, I bring her to a writhing, crying mess on my desk. She is soaking wet now, and I can taste so much of the indescribable sweetness that could only come from her.
My cock quivers, eager to have a taste of its own. I ignore it, though.
This time, it’s all about Dani, all about what I can give her, not what I can take.
That can wait.
I push my tongue in deeper as I use my fingers to play with her. She squirms, her body in a frenzy.
Then suddenly, her fingers are back in my hair. Her back rises off the desk. Her hips jerk forward as she shudders. Her head falls back as her lips gape wide open.
Then she grows still. Her limp upper body collapses on my desk.
I pull away and lick my lips as I admire my handiwork.
Her bra is still shoved up so her rosy nipples are still sticking out. Strands of her hair have escaped from the scrunchie holding them prisoner and are now scattered across her flushed cheeks. Some of them are stuck there with the moisture of tears or saliva. Her lips are still parted, sucking in air. Her chest heaves with her efforts to replenish her supply of oxygen. Her eyes are moist and half lidded as they stare blankly into the distance.
