“You look stressed. Are you sure you want to go away for the weekend?” Josh asked, looking at me over his coffee cup.
“Yes. It’s not that I don’t want to … just …” I trailed off. I hadn’t quite lied to him. I just hadn’t told him I was going away with a guy who was paying me to pretend to be his girlfriend. There were some things brothers didn’t need to know, right?
I bit my lip. “Morning,” Jake said behind me. My heart skipped a beat as I spun to face him. My brother’s friend.
He looked me up and down, a smile spreading over his lips. “You’re all done up today. Got a hot date, or are you all dolled up for me?”
I snorted. “You’re probably one of the last people I’d consider getting dolled up for.”
It’s not that he wasn’t cute. It was just that … well, he was my brother’s friend.
“Oh, but I could show you such a good time.”
Yea, I’m guessing you can’t show me anything my vibrator can’t do ten times better. But I didn’t say it, my brother was right there, after all.
I didn’t say anything as Jake made his way over to the counter and got himself a cup of coffee. I glanced over at the clock. It was a couple minutes until noon. And I still hadn’t figured out how to get hold of Adam.
“I’m going to have a shower,” my brother said as he stood, heading for the bathroom.
Jake made his coffee and headed back to the living room without a single word to me.
I bit my lip. Alright, what am I going to do? How could I have been this stupid?
Ding.
My heart skipped a beat.
I rushed for the door, my backpack sitting beside it.
My fingers curled around the handle. It’s not like it could be him. He didn’t have my address, so why was I so hopeful?
I opened the door, and my jaw dropped to the floor.
“Well, are you ready to go?” Adam asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I … you …” How had he found my place?
“Well?”
“Um, yes,” I stammered. “Of course.” I bent down, grabbed my bag and slipped into a pair of black flats.
I slung the backpack over my shoulders and stepped out of the house, and we headed down the hall without a word to each other. How had he found my address? Had he broken into the records or something? That was illegal. If something happens with him, I’ll keep it in mind, I thought. Just in case I needed to make sure he stayed away from me or something. It would be good to have a little leverage. Right?
I bit my lip as we stepped outside and he led the way towards his car. My jaw dropped staring at the black BMW.
Wow. I was going to be riding in that all day? I couldn’t believe it.
As we made our way to the car and I got into the passenger seat, I looked around, trying to take everything in. I’d never been in a car this nice before. It’s gorgeous, I thought.
“We’re on a bit of a time limit, so you better be a fast shopper,” he said.
“Alright … how long do we have?”
“Five hours before we have to leave for the house.”
Five hours? How long did he think I was going to take shopping?
“I … I think I’ll be able to manage with that time,” I retorted.
He snorted, a soft smile touching his lips. “Didn’t realize you were funny. Cute.”
My heart skipped a beat. It had been a long time since someone called me cute. I bit my lip, unwilling to admit just how happy that made me as the car pulled away from the parking lot and headed for the rich side of town, which was probably where he lived.
Wow, I really don’t know anything about him, I realized as we drove in silence. I bit my lip, not wanting to pry, but if I was going to pretend to be his girlfriend, I should at least know a little about him. Right?
I opened my mouth to stay something but words didn’t come out.
My phone buzzed, letting me know that I had a text message.
I looked down at it.
What time?
My heart skipped a beat as something tugged at the pit of my stomach. Crap. I’d totally forgotten about Matt and I hanging out. I took a deep breath, hating what I was about to do.
Sorry, think I have to bail. Other things came up. Maybe next weekend?
I sent the text, trying to tell myself it wasn’t a big deal. I mean, he’d bailed on me before, right? He would understand.
But when we pulled into the parking lot of a mall, and I still hadn’t heard from him, I was beginning to feel guiltier than ever. I liked Matt and didn’t want him to think otherwise.
“You look guilty. Did you stand some boy up or something?” he asked as he came to a park and shut the car off.
“I …” I trailed off, looking down.
“Right, you did, didn’t you? You and that one cleaner had some sort of date. Right?”
My heart skipped a beat. “You knew that?”
“I overheard you.” He shrugged.
He knew, and he still asked me to come with him! Was this some sort of game to him?
“I forgot about that, sorry.”
He stepped out of the car and headed for the mall.
I unbuckled quickly, hopped out of the car and speed walked to him, closing the distance between us. My heart accelerated. He said sorry. But did he actually mean it? Or was he just saying it to make himself look better?
“Apology accepted.” But I wasn’t going to forgive him. Matt had probably really needed that. It’s your fault for not thinking about it. I knew I was right. The blame should be on me; after all, I was the one who agreed to help him, even though Matt and I had made plans.
We made our way into the mall, and he led the way into a store.
“Adam ...” A girl smiled widely. She had blonde hair and green eyes. But it was the small waist and perfect outfit that I stared at with wide eyes.
“Hi … err … I was hoping you could help my friend out real quickly. As you can tell, she needs some new clothes.”
The girl looked at me, giving me a once over. “Yes, I see what you mean. I’m Sarah,” she said closing the distance between us.
“Right, Sarah,” I saw Adam mutter to himself.
My brow furrowed. Had he really not remembered the girl’s name?
My heart skipped a beat. Wait. I finally knew his name. Adam. I wonder if he knows mine. If he had my address, I was willing to bet he knew my name.
“Hi Sarah.” I forced a smile over my lips as I shook her hand.
“Let’s get started. I’m sure Adam has a few stores in mind he wants to take you … like a salon.”
I glared at her. What the fuck did that mean? My hair was just fucking fine. But I didn’t say anything. I just let her lead the way to whatever section of the store she wanted. Adam walked off on his own, ignoring us.
“Let’s start with the basics. What size are you?”
“I … um, 2.”
The girl looked me up and down. “I think you’re a little bigger than that, but we’ll see.” She shrugged.
I stared at her blankly. “You think? I mean, we look the same size. I’ll take your word for it.” I looked her up and down slowly then gave her a wide, fake, smile.
I saw Adam behind her pause halfway through pulling something off the shelf.
Yup. She was going to be just fine if I took her to that house. That was why I picked her, and because I knew she could use the money.
I wanted to help her out in any way I could, not to mention she was gorgeous.
Okay, so there were a few reasons I’d picked her. I wasn’t going to give her the detailed list. All she needed to know was that I picked her, and I was going to give her seven grand and buy her some clothes.
It was the only part that really mattered, right?
I bit my lip and looked at the white dress. It would be perfect for dinner tonight. She would look stunning in it, and there was no way mother could have an issue with it. The black lace would be just e
nough to make her look dressed up, but she wouldn’t outshine anyone—which in this family would be important.
I glanced over to see her being ushered into a change room by Sarah. I hadn’t known Sarah very well, but I was hoping she’d be here.
I came here to pick out some outfits for my younger sisters a couple times a year, and she always managed to find something really nice. But that last time I’d come here, she’d asked me out, and since then I’d been trying not to come in. However, I needed her right now. My mom liked the clothes she picked out, and I needed my mom to like Fiona. I needed everything to go over well this weekend; otherwise, it was going to be hell on Monday.
I crossed over to the change room with the dress in hand and gave it to Sarah. “I want her to try this on.”
“Sure thing!” Sarah gave me a wide smile. Her eyes locked on mine, and I could see her getting ready to say something, so I did the cowardly thing and rushed away without another word.
Within an hour, I had four new outfits. I wasn’t sure why I needed four outfits for two days, but I didn’t bother asking. I mean, I was getting free clothes; I wasn’t going to turn that down. We headed up to the till, and my heart skipped a beat as I watched the numbers go up. Higher and higher.
Adam didn’t seem fazed by it as he pulled his card out of his wallet and paid.
Sarah looked disappointed as she watched him pay. She bit her lip, her eyes on Adam. I could tell there was hurt there. Though when he looked up, she smiled widely.
“Thanks! I hope you two enjoy yourselves.”
He nodded, turning on his heel and heading for the exit. I bit my lip reaching for the bag. I knew I should say something, but what?
Quick!
“Thank you, Sarah. I really couldn’t have picked out such nice things without your help.”
I turned and headed after Adam. I knew it wasn’t much, but it was the best I could think of, and I wanted to try and make her feel better.
“So, where to next?” I asked as we walked through the mall.
“Shoes, jewelry, hair, and makeup.”
My eyes widened. We were going to get all those things? Why?
“I have makeup, we can skip that. And what’s wrong with my hair?”
“It’s washed out.” He shrugged as he guided me into a Guess store.
My jaw dropped as I looked around.
I had a strict rule about not going into these kinds of stores because I couldn’t afford anything in here, and I would want to buy everything I could and just put myself even deeper into debt.
I sucked in a deep breath, looking around.
“Well, pick out some shoes.” He motioned for me to go towards the shoes.
I all but ran to them, my eyes taking everything in, and reached for a pair of leopard print ones.
“No,” he said.
No? I thought I was going to get to pick them out.
I didn’t say anything and shifted my hands to a pair of black pumps. Okay, there wasn’t anything he could say wrong about these. They were simple and classic.
“Are these to your liking?” I asked, trying not to sound snide.
Adam smirked. “Much better.”
My heart raced as he sat down on the bench. I pulled down a couple more pairs of shoes. I mean, if I were going to have four outfits, I really should have four different shoes—right? Of course.
“Hi! Would you like me to get you any sizes?”
“Please, seven. For… these five pairs.” I motioned towards all the ones I’d pulled down.
“I’ll be right back.” The girl gave a broad smile as I made my way over to the bench and sat down.
Adam sat beside me, not saying a word. He didn’t look angry or annoyed that I’d picked out a pair of shoes that were over a grand. He didn’t even look like he cared. More than anything, he looked lost in thought.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“What?”
“I mean … couldn’t you just find a girl you actually like and go on a couple dates with her and then have her join you?”
“It’s … not that simple.”
My heart skipped a beat. Was he gay?
It would make sense.
“Most girls … couldn’t handle my family.”
“And you think I can?” Or did he just not care?
The woman arrived with five boxes in her hands. She gladly handed them to me and offered to get me anything else I needed. I thanked her and waited until she walked away to slip off my shoes and try on the first pair.
“I have it on good authority that you can handle yourself a lot better than most people.”
What? How?
I didn’t dare ask, though. I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer. So I stared down at the shoes. I frowned, unable to believe how comfy they were for a pair of four-inch heels. They were a little glittery, but they were so cute.
“Do you like them?” he asked.
“Yes but—”
“Then we’ll get them.”
“Do you think I’ll get much use out of them? I mean … they’re kinda …”
“You can wear them to the house, but you’ll have to change into something else for dinner.”
Shoes? For dinner? I shrugged, not saying a word. I stared down at the $500 shoes. It seemed kinda silly to get them just to wear there.
I tried on the pale grey ones. I was thinking they would go perfect with the skirt I’d gotten. But it was the black flats that I was going to wear with the dress Adam had picked out for me. I wasn’t sure how I felt knowing that he was picking out my dresses, but it was a really cute dress.
I still don’t really get it. Why me? Why not just date a girl? What did he mean that he thought I could handle his family? Am I getting into some sort of crazy shit that I am going to regret? Probably. But that doesn’t matter. I’m getting seven grand and new clothes out of it. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for seven grand. Except sleep with him. If he thinks I’m going to sleep with him just because he bought me a bunch of stuff, he’s wrong.
“You should get those,” he said, snapping me back to reality.
“Are you sure … they’re not cheap.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He shrugged.
“Okay …”
“Just hurry up; we’ve still got to get your hair done.”
When we finally left the shoe store, I had two more bags to carry, and then we got my hair done. I came out with light blonde hair and a fresh cut that left me feeling amazing. I also had my eyebrows and nails done. Talk about being pampered.
As I walked through the mall, I felt crazy. Here I was with bags of clothing and shoes, and I’d just gotten my hair done. I felt … well, I felt rich. A feeling I’d never had before to be honest, and it seemed amazing. We stopped at an overpriced makeup store to get me new makeup. Then there was just one more thing left to do.
My jaw dropped as he pointed to the large diamond ring that was $2351. “I’d like to see that one.”
The girl behind the counter smiled widely, clearly thrilled that she was going to be able to show off some of the pricier things.
“That one is nice, but might I suggest the one beside it. It’s a little bit more but—” I looked at the price tag. Since when was $6423 a little bit more?
“I don’t like it,” I said quickly.
He turned to me. “You don’t?” He raised an eyebrow.
“No. it’s … too much.” I looked around the casing, moving towards some of the cheaper ones. “I like this one.” I pointed towards a simple diamond ring.
“Then try it on.” He smiled as he came over to me and looked at what I’d picked.
51. Chapter Four
I changed before we headed back out to the BMW. Wearing Vera Wang and Gucci made me feel … like I was dreaming, honestly. Because what other reason was there to explain the fact that I was wearing clothing that cost more than my rent each month?
“So, if I’m going to be your girlfriend for the weekend, I
need to know about your family,” I told him. And I needed to know what our story was. How long had we been dating? Had he asked me out? Had I asked him out? Were we set up by a friend?
What was the deal here?
“My mother will be the hard one to deal with. My dad is pretty much always busy, and I have three sisters.”
“How old are your sisters?”
“The youngest is eight. Then twelve, and the oldest is fifteen.”
“So you’re the oldest in the family?”
“Yes.”
I nodded, taking everything in. “And what does your mom like?”
“Being a bitch.”
That wasn’t as helpful as I’d been hoping he would be, but I didn’t say anything—obviously this was hard on him.
“Will there be anyone else there?”
“For dinner, yes. There will be a couple cousins and some aunts and uncles.”
“Alright. Anything I should know about them?”
“Don’t talk about politics.”
I stared at him. Did he really need to tell me that? “Oh,” I mocked disappointment. “That was going to be my starting conversation.”
Adam snorted.
“And what about us? Have we been together long?”
“A couple weeks. I asked you out, and we met through a friend.”
I nodded, taking it all in. This was something I could work with. “And we’ll keep it as open as we can; that way, we don’t get caught up in a lie.”
Adam nodded.
It sounded like a good plan. I just had to hope it would actually go well. Right? If not, we’re both screwed. Well … I might not be, but I’d have to face Adam again on Monday, and if I screwed everything up for him, I was sure he’d make things hard on me.
I swallowed dryly. Just make sure this goes alright, I thought. And I still needed to be sure I got paid.
I glanced over at him as he drove. It wasn’t ideal to talk about, but I knew I needed to make sure we were on the same page. “And … about the payment …” My cheeks flushed.
“It’s in the glove box.” He nodded towards the compartment in front of me.
Interview with a Billionaire: Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 33
