FAKE: An Enemies to Lovers Standalone Romance

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “Can we go there instead?” she asked, pointing to the Queen Street Warehouse, an unassuming local bar and burger joint.

  “Why? I heard the food at Alo is amazing? You can have greasy burgers at St. Marks. Let’s spend my money.” I slapped her leg.

  “See, they …” she nodded behind her to the troop of cars that had followed us, “expect us to go to Alo, but Alo doesn’t need our sponsorship, that crazy little burger joint does. The owners of that place are going to see a boost in sales that might just take them to the next level. I’d rather make them successful than an already famous place. We can come back to Alo one day if you want.” There was her amazing smile, she had me hooked, and her logic was sound.

  “Well, I was dreaming about Croque monsieur … nothing beats a good Croque,” I playfully lamented.

  “I know someone with a good ‘Croque.’ I promise I’ll play with it later if you indulge me now.”

  “Okay, since you’ve brought my ‘Croque’ into the equation, I now can’t say no.”

  She giggled, and we parked my outrageously expensive car in front of the local burger and beer joint. The food was decent, definitely no top tier French cuisine, but filling. I was starving, and the beer was handcrafted, really nice. We were noticed, and the place got the attention Kylie had wanted.

  After eating our fill, Kylie had another mission she wished to accomplish.

  “You see that little store over there, Baby on the Hip? I bet it’s also a local business with a private owner just making their little part of the world sparkle. Let’s buy the baby something in there.”

  Her sweet face was all alight, how could I say no?

  We went in and purchased a few items in neutral colors for the baby, and at that moment, it really hit me we were going to actually have a being who was going to use the stuff we were buying ... we were having a baby!

  “How far along are you?”

  “Almost four months, why?”

  “I want to meet your OBGYN. We need a gender ultrasound; I mean if you want to know. I certainly do, and we’ve got a lot to do to get ready for this kiddo.” I started getting the slightest bit stressed.

  “I’ve got an appointment in two weeks; you are definitely welcome to be there. We’re doing a 4-D ultrasound, so if the little kiddo is related to you, we’ll definitely know if it’s a boy.” She giggled.

  “If he’s anything like me, huh? Well if he’s anything like you, he’ll take off running the moment he’s out of the womb.” That made her laugh.

  “Fair enough.” Her eyes sparkled in the midday sun, and my heart ached to know her better.

  What made those eyes shine?

  “Okay, now. I have one more thing I’d like to do before we race back to the house and get a car home.”

  “I couldn’t eat another bite. I’m still trying to digest that hamburger.” Her face twisted into a grimace.

  “Ha, me too.” I took her hand as we walked back to the roadster.

  Tiffany’s and Company were just down the road ... as soon as she saw the store, she looked at me with wide questioning eyes.

  “What are we doing here?” she asked.

  “None of your business …” I slapped her sweet ass.

  We walked into the shop and approached the clerk at the counter. “May I speak with James, please?” I asked as the female salesperson’s eyes bulged, and she tried to cover her shocked expression.

  News about Kylie and me was sure spreading fast.

  “I’m James,” the clerk declared as he extended his hand to me. “Mr. Blair, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Thanks. We’re a little pressed for time, do you mind showing me the necklace I’ve requested?”

  “Why yes, will you follow me upstairs, please?” I’d been through the drill before; I was making an enormous purchase, so I’d be ushered to a cubical and shown the jewelry then wined and dined until I paid.

  “Do you mind waiting down here?” I asked Kylie, making sure I sounded disinterested and businesslike.

  “Sure, I’ll browse while you do whatever.” She was completely unphased, I loved that about her.

  Other women may have felt affronted not to join me. In my excluding her, I was ensuring that whatever I was getting definitely had nothing to do with her. If it had been another woman I’d previously dated, they would have made an issue of coming to Tiffany and Company and not be bought at least a trinket. Kylie clearly didn’t care. I went upstairs to look at the necklace I’d chosen for her online last night while I watched her sleep.

  I wanted her to have something to celebrate her pregnancy and honor the sacrifice she was making carrying our child. It was a huge decision for a model to have a baby; sometimes it ended their career. Kylie had never mentioned any resentment or worry about it, but all the same, she didn’t have to have the child; she’d made a choice to end one pregnancy, though it was an entirely different situation. I was happy that she chose to have our baby.

  “Here it is.” James gingerly held the one-hundred-forty-two-thousand-dollar necklace in his hands as he gracefully laid it out in front of me.

  It was a Victoria diamond cut necklace that looked like a parade of delicate butterflies all strung together in a dance of light and whimsy. Kylie reminded me of a butterfly, beautiful, but fragile. Though I was beginning to discover that butterflies weren’t as breakable as they seemed.

  “It’s beautiful. I’ll take it.” I handed James my black American Express card, and he tried not to show any kind of overwhelming emotion, but the commission alone was going to give him a chunk of change. I didn’t care; the necklace was perfect, and I had money to burn.

  “Let me get it wrapped up for you.” He was shaking a little, though he tried to hold his composure.

  “Don’t. I lifted the necklace off the black velvet cloth. It’s going on a neck.” With that, I left my Amex card with James and bounded down the stairs.

  Without pomp or ceremony, I stalked up behind Kylie and gently draped the necklace around her neck.

  “Wait? What?” For a moment she was confused and disoriented until she turned to me and her fingers danced over the hundreds of tiny diamonds at her neck as I fastened the clasp. “Alec?” She slowly turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. “What the hell did you just do?” She was breathless.

  I caressed her shoulders and drew her in closer as I fit my chin into the crook of her neck.

  “I bought it while I watched you sleep last night. I want you to have something to remember us.” I touched the necklace. “And when you’re squirting Alec Jr. out of your V-jay, this will keep you from murdering me.” I kissed her cheek and let the gift do its thing.

  James came with my card and a slip to sign and saw Kylie’s wide-eyed wonder. I swear the man almost had a meltdown seeing Kylie in the flesh. For a moment, I forgot how famous she was.

  “I thought perhaps it was for her. I mean you don’t get engaged to one woman and give a hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar diamond necklace to another.” Oh boy did he stick his foot in it.

  “A hundred and what?” Kylie turned to me almost mad.

  “Nothing ... I have tons of money. This doesn’t change anything at all. You’re the mother of my child. I’m a billionaire several times over. I want you to have nice things.” I turned to James. “Thank you, James.” I nodded to him and escorted Kylie out to the car.

  She took my arm and floated out the door. I tore through the streets of Toronto tempting a speeding ticket on our way back to Rochester. Her fingers fondled the necklace as she told me over and over again that I didn’t have to give her extravagant gifts. I just turned up the music and ignored her. After a good twenty minutes of protest, she smiled, touched my knee, and thanked me.

  “When we get back to whitewash mountain, I’ll fuck you silly.” She gave me a goofy grin, and I think it was at that moment, I knew for sure I’d fallen in love with her.

  Chapter 29

  Kylie

  I wasn’t exac
tly sure why Alec bought me the most expensive necklace in the store, but I was aware of a shift in our friendship, with privileges and ... a baby. He was much more playful on our trip to his lake house, and I saw a side of him I really enjoyed. I was going to make it my mission to see more of that side.

  I fell asleep on the long drive back to Manhattan. Though I think he wanted to carry me up to the penthouse, I walked, however, I barely made it. I was able to take off my clothes, toss them in the hamper, and fall into bed buck naked, wearing only my beautiful diamond necklace. Alec pulled the duvet up and tucked it around my shoulders.

  “I’m supposed to fuck you silly,” I said in a sleepy haze.

  “We’ll save it for later.” He kissed my temple, and I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep. “Besides, I don’t fuck anymore.” He turned out the lights, and I was out.

  The next morning, I woke to him caressing my face. “Sorry sweetheart, but it’s time to get up. We have a big day ahead of us.”

  “Oh right, that,” I grumbled as I stretched out my sleep heavy limbs.

  “Apparently, ‘people’ are on their way. We only have time for a quick shower.” He lifted the covers off me, and I looked down at my naked body.

  “Maybe I should take this off,” I said quietly as I removed the necklace and set it softly on the side table. “Do you have a safe or something you want me to put it in?” I felt awkward asking.

  “No. I want you to wear it.” My heart bottomed out for a second, thinking maybe it was still all part of the roles we were playing.

  “Right. I should probably be seen wearing it today since I’m sure it’s all over the news that you bought it.” I tried not to sound bitter.

  He gently grabbed my face as I stood and kissed me softly on the lips. “That’s not why. I just love the way it looks on your gorgeous neck.” He kissed my neck and scooped me into his arms. “Time for a shower, the people will be here soon.”

  I couldn’t help laughing. He commanded the shower to turn on, and we bathed in the rain room. As soon as he set me on my feet, his mouth was on mine, kissing sensually. He wasn’t pent up or rabid, but rather soft, sweet, and seductive. I lifted my leg up to his erection, which had risen rather quickly while we kissed. Without any effort, it stood proudly spearing the space between us. I dropped my hand to it and gently stroked as I slid him inside of me.

  “I owe you this,” I teased as I moved up and down on him.

  He grabbed my other leg so that I straddled his waist with his cock lodged inside of me and his hands under my ass he moved us to the wall where he could get better leverage and pressed in further.

  “You owe me nothing.” He kissed my collarbone, my chin, my lips.

  He moved in me slowly as I felt the size of him graze my insides, stroking every nerve to attention. I marveled at his strength being able to hold me up as he ground in farther, his mouth now on my nipple, sucking and drawing it in as my nerves set on fire. Though the water cascaded around us, we weren’t washing but rather bathing in each other as I stroked my fingers through his wet hair with my insides igniting to a white-hot passion.

  Being suspended in his arms with nothing more than his kisses, his cock, and his embrace to ground me, I came hard, shuddering under the warm pelting streams of water. As I climaxed, he grunted and pushed in farther than I thought he’d ever been able to go, and while buried to the hilt, he released his hot seed into the center of my universe and said the words I’d never thought I’d hear.

  “I love you!”

  It was in the heat of passion, raspy and untamed, but there was truth there as he came down from his high and stroked wet strands of hair from my face. “And I always will.”

  He kissed my lips once more and slowly smoothed soap over our bodies.

  “Thank you,” was all I had the energy to say.

  He washed my hair, and I rinsed it as he washed his. When we were out of the shower and dressed, we walked into the main living space to an obnoxious pounding on the door. Alec rolled his neck and looked at me.

  “You ready for this?” He was the one who didn’t seem ready, but this was just a day’s work for me.

  “Yep. Let’s do it!” I grabbed his hand and gave him a big squeeze.

  Alec opened the door, and a tall lanky man with a mop of golden hair that curled loosely around his face bounded in.

  “What you don’t answer your phone anymore?” He walked into Alec’s apartment and sat at the bar across from the kitchen. “I need to have you sign these papers before we go over to the building. It’s a media circus over there, so we won’t have a chance to do this without the world looking on.” The guy then stopped and looked at me. “Wait. Sorry.” He stood up and walked over to me. “I’m Christian, Alec’s only friend. Nice to meet you, Kylie.” He extended his hand to me. “I’m glad Alec’s finally gotten behind a charity. We’ve been trying to get the ol’ miser to give to something other than political campaigns.” Wow, that was a tidbit I didn’t know about. “Getting this guy to part with his money is no easy feat.”

  Strange, I thought to myself; he just dropped a hundred and fifty K as if it was a quarter for the candy machine.

  “I’m glad he’s giving it to us.” I gave Christian a broad smile trying to keep everything light and airy. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Oh yeah, speaking of contracts. Kylie, I need you to …” Alec started then looked at me, with my wet hair dripping in my face. “Never mind.” He kissed my temple and let whatever thought he had to say go. “Let’s sign these bad boys and get over to the building site.”

  At that moment, Alec’s cell dinged. “Great,” he muttered under his breath.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, seeing the alarm on his face.

  “Your people are after me. Maralis is downstairs with a team of stylists to get you ready for today, and your roommates are about to have me arrested for kidnapping. Apparently, everyone is downstairs fighting with the doorman. “Just let them all up.” Alec relented as he hit the end button.

  “Wow, who are you?” Christian asked arranging the papers in a neat row for us to sign.

  “Shut up,” was all Alec said.

  Within moments, it felt like hundreds of people descended upon Alec’s white sanctuary. I felt bad for him, this wasn’t his scene.

  “Kylie!” Avery raced at me and threw her arms around my neck. “Oh, my God! Oh, my God! What the hell? I thought Lurch was going to let you out of your cage. What happened? Madison and I were really worried.” I panicked; I thought Alec had cleared the weekend with them.

  “Didn’t Alec call you?” Worry sliced through my insides.

  “He did, but I mean kidnappers always do that.” She was so off sometimes.

  “Doesn’t usually happen to two famous people being followed by paparazzi, but if it makes you feel any better, I’ll chill at home this weekend.”

  Avery’s face lit up. “Hello! Yes!”

  I glanced over in Alec’s direction, and I watched as his expression became somber.

  Surely, he could give me up for the weekend.

  The morning was a blur. We cut the ribbon at the Every Dream building where there were loads of press and people honking and screaming because they were bottlenecked in a traffic jam. Avery kept a hawk-eye on everything, Maralis gracefully fielded questions about Alec and me. Christian was doing official stuff for Alec’s company, thus dragging Alec this way and that, and then poof, it was over, and everyone disappeared.

  “You better call me tonight,” Avery threatened as she left. “And you are really sure you’re okay with all of this?”

  “I am really sure,” I lied.

  As soon as the press, people, and hoopla were over, Alec joined me and shuffled me away from the crowd. I had made a speech that was handed to me an hour before I was to give it; Alec gave a short speech. I handed a homeless youth I’d never met an award from my foundation that I didn’t even know we had, smiled for pictures, used big fake scissors to cut a huge bow around the bu
ilding, and we ditched out before the buffet barbeque was served on the grass.

  As planned, Alec and I ‘escaped’ to a secluded lunch spot, which was actually a picnic in Central Park that was already set out for us, with security flanking the trees. Alec and I had smiled so much, both of our mouths were sore. I was hungry, having skipped breakfast, and I was feeling the return of my first-trimester nausea, so I dug right into the food.

  “Is it always this way for you?” he asked, seeing my calm demeanor.

  He looked a bit frazzled.

  “It can be. There are days that are this bad. Don’t we have something else tonight?” I had completely forgotten about the Broadway musical.

  “Yes.” He rolled his eyes and lay down on the grass. “Your life sucks. When I’m on the news it is a press conference, maybe lunch ... but this is madness.”

  “Yeah, my life is madness.” I continued to eat, feeling weird.

  “And you like all of this?” he turned to me to ask.

  “No. But it’s what happens, sometimes.”

  “Would you step away from it?” He was suddenly very serious.

  “I’m going to have to when I get too big. At least for a little while, then there’s getting my body back, which might never happen so …” I hated to think that far in the future as it was a little scary.

  “What would you do if you didn’t model?”

  “Focus on my non-profit like giving out awards I actually know about and raise little Jr. Hang out with people. Help Avery with her fashion brand. Live in a big lake house away from the world.” I winked at him and smiled.

  There was that damn camera again. He was so relatively normal but for his weird photography habit.

  “No more pictures, Alec. You’ve taken enough,” I pleaded.

  “So,” he started while reading his phone. “‘Has Kylie finally found Mr. Right after a million Mr. Wrongs?’ That’s the headline. ‘Consummate playgirl Kylie Morgan is seen in Toronto wearing a two-hundred-thousand-dollar Tiffany necklace.’ Wow, I must have gotten a deal.” He winked at me. “‘How did Kylie fit Blair in between Dane Wynters and Poet XRX? She’s always had a full dance card, but not this full. Pictures from Lake Ontario show she’s remarkably flexible, and we should hope to be hearing wedding bells beside the pitter-patter of tiny feet as her baby bump is clearly starting to show. Will this fairytale romance sweep them off their feet or under the carpet? Who knows? So ... that’s just the one that posted two minutes ago. There are hundreds.” He put his phone down.