I can’t believe I’m about to do this. I absolutely cannot believe it’s happening. Like something out of a dream, or a fantasy story. Not my life, certainly. And yet, it’s his hand swallowing up mine in a strong grip. It’s his firm handshake. It’s him, I’m swaying closer to, almost touching my body to his because he’s so overwhelming, I can barely stand up straight.
And he knows it, the scoundrel.
Chapter 11
Dani
My hands are shaking as I pull out my cell to call the only person who I think might come close to understanding what I just went through. Not that Penelope has ever been propositioned the way I’ve just been. But she gets me. She’s been in my shoes. We share a history, even if we’ve only known each other for a few years.
“Penn. Oh, my God.” I can barely get the words out, I’m breathing so heavy.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you all right?” Her normally smooth, mellow voice is shot through with fear.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. I just—I can’t believe what just happened. I need a second to catch my breath.”
“But you’re all right?”
“I’m all right.” I think. I hope.
“So what happened?”
“I think I just did something really stupid. Or really amazing. Or both.” I’m still sitting on one of the chairs in the restrooms on the ground floor of his building. I don’t trust myself to go out onto the street. My head is still spinning and I’d probably walk into traffic and get killed.
“I swear, girl, if you don’t tell me what it is, I’m going to scream!”
“Sorry, sorry.” I take a deep breath. “I texted you earlier and told you about the job Helen sent me on today.”
“Yeah, you did. How much will you end up getting for it?”
“Oh, I don’t even know. Whatever it comes to after Helen’s cut and taxes.” Funny, how I’ve stopped thinking about that already.
“What will you do with the money?” She cackles in glee at the idea of such a huge sum.
Boy, do I have news for her.
“That’s not the news, though. Penn. This is the news.” I pause to take a deep breath. “The guy who I was cleaning for wants me to go to Vegas with him this weekend and pretend to be his fiancée at his ex’s wedding.”
Silence. For a long time. “What?” she finally gasps.
“You heard me.”
“To Las Vegas? For the weekend?”
“Yes.”
“He’s footing the bill?” Amazing how we think along the same lines. An after-effect of the way we both grew up. We might have been thousands of miles apart at the time, but we know what the other one went through.
“Oh, he’s more than footing the bill. He’s buying me clothes to wear there, and we’re taking his private jet, and staying in a suite in a fancy hotel.”
“Uh, Dani…”
“I know, I know. It all sounds too goddamned good to be true.”
“He’s not some pervert sicko, is he?”
“I don’t think so. I sure hope not.”
“I guess you have to sleep with him, huh?”
“No.”
“No?” she echoes in shock.
“He told me he didn’t want that from me. He’s still in love with his ex. I guess it’s an ego thing for him. He wants to show that he is all right without her or something.”
“What’s he like?”
I blow out a deep, heavy breath. “Oh, Penn. He’s gorgeous. I mean drop-dead gorgeous. Almost a foot taller than me, dark hair, the bluest eyes you ever saw…” I realize I’m getting a little giddy. I sound like I have a crush, like a teenager with a crush on the captain of the football team.
“I hate you so much right now!” she squeals.
“Then, wait until I tell you the best part.”
“You haven’t yet?”
“Nope. He’s giving me two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for doing this.”
Silence. Longer, this time. “Oh, my giddy aunt! That’s—that’s a lot of money. Hang on…did you get the money yet? Do you even have proof that it exists?”
“He’s rich as sin, Penn.”
“That doesn’t matter. Ever hear about debt, dear? He could be in it up to his eyeballs, for all you know. I would definitely get a look at his bank statements before I agreed.”
“It’s too late,” I whisper with my eyes squeezed shut.
“You already said you would!”
“I did. It’s nuts, right? I’m insane. I did something completely insane and it’s so unlike me, I don’t even know what to think.” I hold my head in my free hand, rubbing my forehead as it all comes crashing down. Penn is right. It’s too good to be true. Wake up, Dani. This is the real world. Who pays someone two hundred and fifty thousand dollars just to pretend to be their fiancée for a weekend? There has to be more to this. I exhale slowly, the rush of excitement dying out. Making me suddenly feel sad and depressed. Of course, things like this never happen to me. I feel my body slide down the wall of the restroom and I end up squatting on the floor.
“I don’t have to go back to him,” I say quietly. “I can just call it quits and move on and I don’t have to go through with it.”
“Now wait a minute. Wait just one minute. I never said that, girlfriend.”
“Then you’re sending pretty mixed signals, Penn.”
“I just think you should exercise caution, is all. Find out if the money even exists, but you know. Hell, Dani, even if it doesn’t, you’re getting a fabulous Vegas weekend out of it. With a gorgeous man. And if he wants sex. Go for it. How often do you get a new wardrobe bought for you and whisked off to Vegas for the weekend by a billionaire? Never is the short answer.”
I giggle.
“I hate you sometimes,” she grumbles.
“If you think it, you mean it…”
We both laugh.
“So you don’t think this is wrong?” I ask again.
“You know what’s more important? How you feel about it. The fact that you even have to ask whether I think it’s wrong, tells me you have misgivings.”
“A Psych major, through and through,” I mutter.
“I mean it. You have to be okay with it personally.”
I stand up and square my shoulders. “I believe him when he says he won’t do anything wrong, and I’ve already gotten his word on that. Believe me.”
“I believe you did. You’re not a dummy. Although, if he’s that hot, don’t you think you should be jumping his bones?”
“I don’t want to think about it like that. I don’t like the idea of it. He said he doesn’t play games and has no intention of luring me into his bed. He only wants me to pretend to be his fiancée.”
“So you’ll have to pretend to be crazy about him.”
“I’ve gotta admit, I don’t think I’ll have to try too hard,” I whisper, since I don’t even know how I feel about this next little admission. “He’s really something.”
“You already said he was a dream. You don’t have to rub it in.”
“I don’t mean that—not just that, anyway. I don’t know what it is. He’s sexy and alluring and smart. He appreciates honesty and character, and we both know how sexy that is.”
“And how unbelievably rare,” she snorts.
“I think, no…I know, if we ran in the same circles, I would like him as a friend. Yeah, he’s weird in some ways. Even obsessive when it comes to having things done a certain way. It took all day to get his place cleaned. He’s tough too, in a strong, silent way. I get the feeling that whatever he does, he’s a big deal.”
“With all that money, I bet he is.”
“You know money doesn’t mean a person is a big deal. He could’ve inherited it, or just got lucky with a windfall, but I don’t think so. He said he likes to negotiate, and was just away on a business trip. I think he’s a big deal for sure. He’s definitely used to having his own way.”
“Oh. You’ll go together
like oil and water.”
“We already do.” I snicker. “We’ve already shared a few choice words. I don’t take well to being ordered around, and told him so.”
“Good!”
“That being said, I’m moving into his apartment for the rest of the week.”
“What? No. Way.”
“It’s just so we can get to know each other better. I mean, it’s Monday night. It’s not like I’ll be there forever. We’ll fly out Friday morning. A few days, staying in one of the guest rooms. Hey, it’ll be like a real vacation. I haven’t had one of those in…ever.”
“But. Do you have to?”
“It’s one of his conditions and yes, I admit that it gave me pause at first. But it’s only a few days. And I do need to get to know him if I’m going to be convincing.”
“That’s true. I guess it’s like that movie Green Card where they learn each other’s ways and habits, so they don’t trip up in front of the immigration officers,” she says dreamily.
“I do want to do a good job. I don’t want to let him down. I’ll do everything in my power to make his ex, regret leaving him.”
“You work so hard at everything you ever try, I already feel sorry for her.”
“I do go the extra mile, don’t I?” I tell her about the sheets.
She laughs uproariously. “That is so typical of you! So he appreciated that, huh?”
“He did.”
“I always knew that being such an insufferable perfectionist with a nonstop work ethic would pay off one day. Good for you.”
“Insufferable.” I chuckle. “Good to know how you really feel about me.”
“You know what I mean. You’re just too perfect.”
I catch the sight of my own brown eyes in the mirror. “Yeah. Perfect.” I’m anything but, and she knows it, but I get her point. I am a stickler for perfection and order. Like him.
“And now, a perfect man noticed your perfection! You deserve this!”
“I’m hardly perfect, but thanks, I think?”
“Girl, he’s the golden goose that laid the golden egg.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” I laugh. “I’m standing in the restroom of his building shaking in my shoes.”
“Why?”
“Because I did the math and it’s going to mean I can quit my stupid job and focus on wrapping up school. I need this money more than I even want to admit to myself and I think I’m just scared that it’s too good to be true.”
“Sometimes good things happen to good people, Dani. It’s about time you had a break. It’s not the money. It’s what the money represents. Your freedom. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
Chapter 12
Dani
Suddenly, I have memory flash. I’m back in the small house I lived in with my parents. The Child Protection Officers are there. They’re telling my mother and father that the others kids have reported me for selling my body in school the day before. I can see my mother’s face vividly. It is white with horror. I try to tell them that I only wanted to help, but my father won’t even look at me. And my mother is so ashamed she hangs her head.
I take a deep breath. Wow, that was so long ago and yet it has remained so fresh in my memory banks. “And it doesn’t make me a whore? Taking all that money?” I ask slowly.
“What? You’re being paid to act like his fiancée. If you then chose to screw him because you want him like mad, that’s your fucking business. Your life. You hear me? Just be smart about this.” She pauses. “But I know you wouldn’t, because that’s not your style. And I know something else, too.”
“What?”
“You won’t let yourself have any fun.”
“You don’t know that!”
“Sure, I don’t.” She laughs. “You won’t, because you don’t know how to.”
Ouch. That one hits a little closer to home than I like, because she’s right. I’ve never been able to devote any time to fun. I’ve never had a vacation. No Spring Breaks for me, no trips to Europe, or Mexico as a graduation present. I’ve been working since I was thirteen, as soon as I could get papers stating I was eligible. I was the Girl Without Parents, the Foster Kid, the one who never belonged. Penelope is my only true friend, plus a few casual acquaintances I sometimes chat with before, or after class. But most of my classes are online, so I’m fairly insulated from the world.
“Is that weird? That I don’t know how to have fun?”
“No. Not weird. But something you should work on. This is your chance. Live it up a little! Go shopping, hit the slots, or the poker tables, drink all you want, have a ball. He’s paying for it.”
“That’s true. I guess, I could. He doesn’t seem like the type who would begrudge me a bit of fun. I’ll find out more about him before we go and we’ll see.”
She let out a sound between a growl and a groan. “Honey, you are gorgeous. You’re smart and sweet and you’ve got a kickin’ bod. He wants you with him because you’ll make him look good in front of his ex. He might think he’s in control of the situation, but you are. Remember that when you want to enjoy yourself, and you’ll find a way to convince him.”
Her knowing laugh makes me laugh, but it also makes me blush and bite down hard on my bottom lip. I can’t stop thinking about his eyes, and his smile and oh, God, his body under that expensive suit of his.
And the way he looked at me. The way his eyes trailed over my body whenever he got the chance. He said I was beautiful. I don’t think he was lying about that. He’s attracted to me. Admitting it to myself makes my heart race all over again.
Him. Attracted to me. Whoa!
“This still feels so crazy,” I whisper.
“Probably because it is.” She chuckles. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t amazing. Because it’s definitely that. Just promise you’re gonna keep me updated all the time. Okay? I mean, even if you have to check in while you’re staying with him. I don’t want my girl staying with a guy who’s gonna wear her skin.”
“You always say the sweetest things.”
“Also update me if he wants to turn the twosome action into a ménage scenario.”
“Eww,” I scream.
We’re both giggling as we get off the phone. As always, a talk with Penn makes me feel better. I can do this, and I’ll have a great time while I’m at it.
And when it’s all over, I’ll have the kind of bank account that I could only dream of until now. I can’t help but plan for the future as I stroll out of the restroom.
As I get to the door, a man in uniform runs up to me. “Dani Saber,” he asks.
“Yes.”
“Let me show you to your ride.”
For a second I can only blink, then I follow him out to the street. A gleaming limo is idling on the street waiting for me. He opens the back door and I slip inside the perfumed interior.
The driver opens the glass partition and smiles. “Good evening, Miss Saber. My name is Tom. Where can I drop you off?”
I give him my Red Bank address.
He nods and closes the partition.
The car begins its smooth journey. Wow, this is the life.
When a text buzzes on my phone, my smile fades.
BROCK: Why did it take you so long to get to the lobby? Is everything all right?
What the hell? Is he monitoring me? I decide to ask him as much. Are you some sort of stalker now?
BROCK: No, but I had my driver parked illegally. You spent an extra fifteen minutes in there. I was about to go down and make sure you were all right.
Wow. He’s intense. Uh, thanks. Everything is fine. I made a phone call from the Ladies.
BROCK: From now on, please let me know when you plan on doing something like that.
I can’t stand another minute of this crap. I call him up instead of wearing out my thumbs texting everything that’s on my mind. “What’s with this caveman macho act? That sort of thing went out of style a long time ago.”
“Hello to you, too
, Dani.”
“I mean it,” I snarl. “I don’t need to tell you when I’m making a phone call, Brock. In case you forgot, we only met this evening. And while it’s true that you have employed me to go to this wedding as your fiancée, it doesn’t give you the right to dictate what I do.” Penn would be so proud of me right now. I’m sort of proud of myself, in fact.
“I won’t apologize for being concerned about your well-being, now that we have an arrangement in place.”
“Having an arrangement in place doesn’t mean you own me.”
“No, but it means I’m investing money in you, and I don’t want to lose on this investment.”
I blink. “I’m an investment?”
“You’re an investment of money—and time, which I value above all else.”
“You don’t have to invest a thing in me, Mr. Brock Whatever Your Last Name Is. I didn’t ask you to bestow this great honor on me, and I don’t want you to.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“What do you think?”
For a few seconds, all I hear is the sound of his breathing. I wonder what’s going through his head. He can’t like being told off like this, but he had it coming to him.
“Fair enough. If this is all too much for you, you’re free to do as you choose. If you decide not to take me up on my offer, it was nice knowing you. Though I plan on docking a percentage of your pay for skipping on my bedroom.”
Just like that, the call is over and I’m right back where I started from. My foster mother always did warn me that my mouth would get me into trouble. I sit back, utterly dejected. Well, it was nice while it lasted, the idea of all that money. All that freedom.
Buzz, buzz.
My eyes snap down to my phone.
BROCK: In case you’re still in, I’ll have a car pick you up at nine tomorrow.
Damn him. I manage to wait twenty minutes before replying. Okay. I’ll be ready.
Chapter 13
The Promise Page 19
