He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “We’re very picky about who we do business with, Mr. Styles.” His eyes flash from his phone, to me, and back. “You see, we don’t want to hire someone who doesn’t have beliefs similar to our own, and I’m worried that the press will get their hands on this and make it look like our beliefs match yours.” He leans forward and hands me the phone.
I take it and look at the image on the screen. It’s a picture of me leaving a nightclub with a woman on each arm. The article makes it seem like I’m some rich playboy who does nothing but drink and sleep with women.
I hand the phone back. “First of all, Mr. Smithfield, that article was a part of a smear campaign from a rival firm’s attorney. I was fighting against him in a big case, and he knew he was going to lose. He hired his own photographer to bombard me. He had the article written and then paid smaller publications and online magazines to publish it. And I have no problem with sending out a statement if this is ever brought to light. I assure you, my values match yours.”
He frowns. “While what you’re telling me about the article may be true, a picture doesn’t lie, Mr. Styles. Is this not you?” He flips the phone around.
“It is,” I agree with a nod of my head. “But it’s not me anymore. Look at the date on that article. It’s from four years ago. I was just a kid then. I was fresh out of law school, and between you and me, I had more opportunities available to me than any young man needed. Yes, I made mistakes, but I assure you, I have grown and matured since that article.”
He turns off the phone and places it back into his jacket pocket. “Is that so? Tell me, how is your life different from what it was that night? Have you gotten married or settled down with one woman?”
Fuck my life. Why does this matter so much to him? “I haven’t gotten married, but…” An idea hits me and I go with it before actually thinking it through. “I am getting married. I’m engaged, actually.”
His eyes widen and light up with happiness and surprise. “You are? That’s wonderful news! Congratulations.” He leans forward and shakes my hand.
I smile and nod. “Thank you.”
His phone rings, and he quickly pulls it back out and looks at the screen. He holds up a finger and lifts the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
I sit back in my chair to wait patiently.
“You did? That’s great. I might not miss it after all. Thank you.” He hangs up and then directs his attention back to me.
“Listen, Mr. Styles, my assistant managed to get me an earlier flight home, so I’m going to have to cut this meeting short. But how about you fly down to Georgia next week? Bring your future wife and make a nice little vacation out of it. We can meet up and go over the rest of my concerns then.” He stands. “You can even stay with my family and me. I have a guest house, so you’ll have plenty of privacy. And it will give us the time we need to make sure we’re a good fit for each other. How does that sound?” he asks, standing up.
I stand up, unsure of what to say. I can’t exactly decline his offer. We need him as a client. But can I accept? What about my soon-to-be wife? What can I even do about that? Hire someone?
“Sure, why not?” I reply, raising my hand to shake.
He beams a wide smile. “Wonderful. I’ll have my assistant book your flights and send over everything you’ll need. After messing with your schedule today, everything is on me. I insist.”
I smile and nod. “Thank you, Mr. Smithfield.”
He heads for the door in a hurry, leaving me alone. I flop back into my chair. “Fuck, why did I say that stupid shit?” I ask myself quietly.
I had already cleared my afternoon for our meeting, and when I agreed to meet with him sooner, I cleared my morning. I literally have nothing scheduled for the rest of the day.
I stand and leave the office. “Madison, I’m taking off for the day. Please take messages for me and forward anything important to my cell.”
“Absolutely, Mr. Styles,” Madison replies as I push myself toward the elevator.
Chapter 3
Samantha
I quickly clock out and grab my things before nearly running to the door. No way am I volunteering for another extra shift this week. I’ve already pulled in an extra eight hours of double time and my body feels like I’ve done nothing but run around a mosh pit all week. Every muscle is sore. My eyes are tired and strained. I would kill for a night out—a night where I don’t have to worry about money or stress about bills. Just a night to have fun and enjoy myself.
“Sam!” someone shouts behind me.
I almost don’t turn around, but then I do at the last second. I’m surprised to see Kenneth running up to me, aka Dr. McSexy…yeah, that’s my secret nickname for him. It’s so fitting that his name is Ken; he looks like he should be on Barbie’s arm.
I smile. “Hey, what’s up?”
He comes to a stop directly in front of me. “I was wondering what you’re doing tonight.”
I shrug, trying to act cool as butterflies dance in my stomach. “No plans. Another quiet night at home, I guess.”
He grins and it causes his blue eyes to light up. “Well, umm, I was actually wondering if you’d like to go out? Some of the staff are getting together tonight to have some fun and blow off some steam. We’re going to hit up Marcel’s for dinner and then go to a club for dancing and drinks or whatever. What do you say?” His smile hasn’t left his face, and it makes my heart pound in my chest at the thought of going on a date with him. Then again, he did say this was a staff thing, so maybe he’s not asking me on a date.
“I’d love to, but—” I start.
“It’s on me. Dinner and drinks. Come on. I see you around here. You work your ass off. Come have some fun.” He cocks his head to the side, like he’s secretly challenging me.
I laugh. “All right,” I agree, mostly because I’d love to get to know him better, but also because I’m in dire need of a drink or two to forget how shitty life has been to me lately.
“Awesome. I’ll pick you up at eight?”
“Sounds good. Here, give me your number and I’ll text you my address.” I unlock my phone and hand it over.
He quickly does so, and when he hands it back, his hand brushes mine. It shoots a spark through my hand and up my arm, causing a warming sensation to spread throughout my body, and judging from his grin, he did it on purpose.
“See ya later,” I breathe out.
He offers up one last smile and a wave before turning and walking away. I can’t hold back the happiness that courses through me as I push my way out of the hospital and down the street. All thoughts of my financial crises have completely vanished for a brief moment.
On my walk home, I pull out my phone and call El.
“Hello?” she answers.
“Oh my God. You’ll never guess who just asked me out!” I practically screech into the phone. “Or maybe you could since we just talked about it.”
She laughs and cheers. “The hot doctor?”
“Yes!” I nearly scream, jumping up and down as I walk down the sidewalk.
“That’s awesome, Sam! I’m so happy for you. It’s about time something good happened to you.”
“Yeah, and even though I’m super-excited for this date tonight, I’m still broke and ready to sell a fucking kidney if something doesn’t give. You know anyone who could sell a kidney for me? I could probably get my date to remove it for me,” I joke.
She laughs. “Sorry, but nope. I don’t have any organ traffickers on my call list. But I did ask Griffin about work for you. He said he doesn’t have anything right now, but he’ll keep you in mind if something comes up.”
“Tell him thanks for me.”
“I will,” she mumbles.
“What’s wrong? Your voice sounds off.”
“Well, it’s just that…I might have a way for you to make some extra money, but I don’t think you’ll like it.”
“Spill it already! You know how broke I am. I’
m ready to sell my soul,” I joke.
“I’m telling you, Sam, it’s very unconventional.” She’s dragging it out and making me a little nervous.
“Just spit it out, El. It’s not like it’s prostitution or anything, right?”
“Well, you know Griffin’s friend, Cameron?”
“No,” I state flatly, a little unnerved she didn’t refute my prostitution comment.
“He’s, like, the top lawyer in Chicago—the super-hot playboy? Anyway, he’s in a bit of a jam and needs a fiancée for a little while.”
I laugh, expecting her to say she’s joking, but it never comes. “Are you joking?”
“Not at all. It has something to do with getting a very specific client. This client is very family-oriented, and he wants to make sure the lawyer he hires has the same values.”
“That’s fucking weird, dude. I’m not doing that! I was joking about the prostitution thing, but this seems like borderline illegal.”
“You sure? You’d get a free trip to Georgia, all expenses paid. Plus, you’d be paid for every moment you spend with him, and trust me, you’d want that money. He’s a bit of a man-whore, and he’s rich and has the attitude to prove it.”
“He sounds terrible.”
She laughs. “I used to think so, but when you see him and Griffin alone, their friendship is very genuine and it’s brought me around. But I’m not the one who has to spend every minute with him either.”
I laugh. “Well, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I have morals after all, and the idea of hanging out with a self-absorbed womanizer doesn’t sound like a good time.”
She laughs but agrees. “I figured. I just didn’t know how hard up you were.”
I snort. “Hard up, but not quite there yet. Hey, next time I need someone to pimp me out though, I’ll be sure to give you a call.” I’m half-joking but also a little annoyed she would even suggest something this outrageous.
“I gotta go, Sam. Don’t be mad at me. Call me and let me know how it goes with Dr. Sexy tonight.”
“That’s Dr. McSexy, and I will. Bye, El.” I hang up the phone and finish my walk home.
Letting myself into the apartment, I step into the hallway and remove my jacket and hang up my purse. At this point, I’m not even sure why I carry it. It’s not like there’s any money in there. I laugh when I think about how my purse is worth more than the money in my wallet—which happens to be zero. And I still have another week to go before I get paid.
The apartment is dark, so I carefully walk to the kitchen and flip on the light. Nothing happens. I flip it back and forth a few times before realizing the power has finally been cut.
“Fuck!” I kick the doorframe with my toe, then continue to jump around, whining about the pain I just inflicted on my poor foot.
I take my phone from my pocket and turn on the flashlight so I can see enough to walk through the dark kitchen. I open the bread box and pull out the stack of bills I hid from El. With both hands full, I take them back to the living room and open the curtains, letting the afternoon light pour into the room. I sit on the edge of the couch and search for the electric bill. With a deep breath, I remove the bill from the envelope and look down to see the red banner across the top that reads Final Notice. The balance is five hundred dollars, with a four hundred reconnect fee.
Nine hundred dollars just to get power in my apartment. Even if I used my entire check next week, I still wouldn’t have enough to pay the rest of my bills—not to mention, live without power for a week. I won’t even be able to take a shower since the hot water heater is electric.
I stand and pace the floor. My credit cards are maxed, and no lender would give me a new one with the amount of unpaid bills I have. My credit score must be in the trash by now. What the fuck am I going to do? I could ask El and Griffin for the money, but I’d never be able to pay them back. Even if they did bail me out of this mess, I’d only fall back into the same rut in a few months. I really can’t afford this place and all the bills on my own. Unless…
“No!” I say aloud as if anyone other than my cat Cocoa is home with me. I continue pacing back and forth trying to talk myself out of the most idiotic thing I know I’m about to do.
I grab my phone and call El.
“Hey, everything okay?” she answers.
“How much is he paying?”
“What?”
“This lawyer…how much is he paying to be his fake fiancée or whatever?”
She laughs. “I thought you said ‘no way’?”
“That was before I came home to no power. And I don’t have nine hundred bucks to get it turned back on. How much?”
She lets out a deep breath. “Sam, just let me give you some money,” she pleads.
I explain that even if she did give me money, this would just be a recurring thing until I moved into a cheaper place. I need the money to pay off my debt, and get me moved into a place I can afford on my single salary.
“I’ll have Griffin give him a call,” she finally agrees.
“Thank you,” I breathe out in relief.
I take a quick shower, using the last of the hot water, then go out into the hall with my hair dryer to blow-dry my hair. I apply my makeup by the open window, using the last bit of the day’s light before finishing up and lighting some candles.
I’m slipping into a black dress when my phone rings. Thinking it’s Dr. McSexy, I answer without looking.
“Hey.”
“Hey, Cameron wants to meet up tonight to go over the details,” El says.
“Tonight? Noooo! What about my date?”
“I know. I told him tonight wouldn’t be good for you, but he insisted. It’s a time-sensitive issue and he wants to make sure you two click as soon as possible so he’d still have time to find someone else if things don’t work out.”
I let out a long, drawn-out breath. “Okay. I’ll cancel my date. I’m sure my virginity will grow back soon anyway. Where does he want to meet?”
She quickly rattles off an address and a time, and we hang up so I can call Dr. McSexy and cancel. He sounds truly disappointed, and I must admit I am too. We agree that we’ll get together as soon as our schedules free up, and that we’ll catch up at work.
I’m walking into an upscale restaurant in a trendy neighborhood an hour later. The waitstaff is dressed in jackets and ties, and every table is filled with ridiculously good-looking people. What the hell kind of place is this? This is much more upscale than I’d imagined. I knew he’d pick someplace fancy—a way to show off his money, I’m sure—but I’m almost afraid they won’t let me inside.
“May I help you?” the host asks with his pointy nose in the air.
“Yes, I’m meeting Cameron Styles,” I say, eyes flashing around and landing on every man I think may be him. It’s only now that I’m realizing I should have Googled the man so I’d have some idea of what he looks like.
“Right this way.” He spins around and leads me through the restaurant. In the very back is a private room. He pulls apart the double sliding doors and motions for me to walk inside, where I find a single table. The room is quiet and decorated with lavish bouquets and candles. There’s a bottle of wine chilling beside the small two-person table. But Cameron is nowhere to be found.
I take a seat at the table and the attendant immediately pours me a glass of wine. I hold up my hand to stop him. “Shouldn’t I wait?” I motion across the table to the empty chair.
“Mr. Styles has called ahead and told us to give you everything you want. He’s running a bit late, but promises he’ll be here very soon. May I start you off with an appetizer?”
I press my lips together and shake my head, opting to stick with the wine. I have a feeling I’ll need to be drunk for this.
Chapter 4
Cameron
“I can’t believe you two talked me into this. When I mentioned hiring a woman, I just meant, you know, like an escort or something,” I say, straightening my tie as I look myself over in the
mirror. For some weird reason, I actually feel nervous. Me! Nervous! I roll my eyes at how stupid I’m being.
“Sam is great. Way better than some random escort. And she really needs the money. You’re not only helping yourself, but you’re also doing me a really big favor by helping her,” El says, coming up to stand behind me, our eyes locking in the mirror.
“Why does it matter who you hire? A fake fiancée is a fake fiancée,” Griffin points out.
I turn around to address them both. “Because with an escort, I wouldn’t have to pretend to be interested or make conversation. With this woman, I’d have to do both—because if I didn’t, I’d have El chasing me around ready to rip off my balls at any given moment. And I’m quite fond of my balls, thank you very much.”
She laughs and my eyes cut to her.
She clears her throat then slowly begins closing the distance between us. She reaches up and straightens my tie. “I promise, you’ll love her.”
I flash her a grin. “Hey, Grif, can’t I just hire your fiancée instead?”
El lets out a puff of air and rolls her eyes just as Griffin snatches her away, pulling her against his chest like he needs to protect her. “She’s mine. Get your own.”
I press my lips together and shake my head disapprovingly. “What happened to sharing is caring?” I can’t hold back my grin.
“You can borrow my car, but not my fiancée and child.”
“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that there’s a baby in there. I still can’t believe you let this dull dud knock you up.” I move my head from side to side as I look her over. El is small-framed, and now that she’s pregnant, she looks like she has a small beer belly. If you just glanced quickly at her, you would really have to look to notice she’s pregnant.
El shoots daggers at me as she holds up her middle finger.
I laugh. “I’m just fucking with you guys. Thanks for helping me out on such short notice.” I grab my jacket off the back of the dining room chair and pull it on.
Claimed By Him: (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 73
