by Kasey Krane
My phone rang just as I was about to leave the house. I’d settled on plain black slacks and a navy shirt open at the collar. I wasn’t going to the trouble of tie. No matter how many cameras were going to be on me.
It was my brother Oliver on the phone.
“Hey man.”
“Hey. I heard you’ve been set up on a blind date tonight.”
“A blind fake date.”
“Yeah,” Oliver said with a laugh. “But you’ve met her already, right?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then how did they get pictures of you?”
“Pictures of us? What are you talking about?” This was getting more confusing by the second.
“I just saw them online. Pictures of you and a tall blond bombshell.”
I knew he was talking about Keira. That was the best way to describe her. The only way to describe her.
“It’s not her. That’s my PR agent,” I replied.
“Wow. Okay. Well, whoever she’s set you up with better top her,” he said.
And I just had a feeling she wasn’t going to.
Now that I’d met Keira and got a taste of her, I was spoiled goods.
I was late.
When I walked into the bar, I saw her right away and recognized her as Alisha, Keira’s assistant.
I was under the assumption she’d already been fired. Now this felt like a cruel joke Keira had orchestrated to make us both uncomfortable.
Alisha was gorgeous, I had to admit that. I hadn’t noticed her the first time we met because I wasn’t paying attention, however, I made it a point to examine her now.
She was a petite brunette with the perfect tits.
“How crazy is this?” she remarked when I slid into the stool beside her at the bar. I sensed there were a lot of eyes on her tonight. Other guys would’ve participated in a bloodbath to be in my position with a beautiful girl like her, but I was bored of her already. And we’d only just started.
“Yeah, pretty crazy. Keira brought you up to speed?”
“Yes, she told me everything and I’m happy to help.”
“Well, thanks, I guess.”
Alisha was drinking a pink drink out of a cocktail glass and I ordered a double shot of whiskey. I figured I’d need it if I had any intention of making this night interesting.
“So…maybe we should discuss what this relationship is going to look like.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. I kept picturing what this night would’ve led to if it was Keira sitting across from me. I wouldn’t have been able to keep my hands off her.
“What is there to discuss? We smile and wave at the cameras, right?”
Alisha giggled and leaned towards me. I noticed how she tucked her hair behind her ear. A gesture I was well acquainted with.
I mean…I could fuck her.
But did I want to?
Since when did I start turning down an opportunity to sleep with a beautiful chick who was throwing herself at me?
“But what about the intimate details? Like…should I be spending the nights at your place? What kind of dates are we going to go on?” Alisha bit down on her lip and looked up at me with rounded eager eyes.
Maybe she was too excited about this.
I felt claustrophobic. We needed to slow the fuck down.
I knew what I’d signed up for, but I wasn’t ready for it.
More importantly, I needed to get Keira out of my head first.
My drink arrived and I poured it down my throat quickly. Then I turned to Alisha, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“We live separately. Sometimes, we’ll have dinner together, you can call them dates if you want to. No intimate details,” I replied. And in her eyes I saw she was disappointed. But I’d made up my mind already. I didn’t want a relationship with her.
Fifteen
Keira
I couldn’t stop obsessing over Everett and Alisha going on this date tonight.
Even though I was the one who’d orchestrated the whole thing.
I could have picked any other girl. Hell, I could have picked a professional actress like I’d initially planned to—but it wouldn’t have mattered. I knew I would’ve obsessed over it regardless of who the girl was.
I just couldn’t bear the idea of him with someone else.
Why?
It drove me nuts.
I’d been in my apartment all evening, refusing to even meet Steffi. She was going out for a few drinks with the other girls and I feigned exhaustion. Yes, I was exhausted. That was true.
I was exhausted by my racing thoughts about Everett. And all because of one kiss?
To me, it began to feel like the kind of kiss I’d only experience once in my life. The energy, the electricity, the complete surrender…it wasn’t like anything I’d shared with anyone before. And the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a bad idea.
I knew it’d never work between us.
The only thing Everett wanted was to have what he couldn’t get. The more I pushed him away and ignored his advances, the more he wanted me. But once he had me, he’d be done. He’d forget about me and move on to his next target.
And where would that leave me?
I’d never experienced heartbreak because I’d never allowed myself to be in that position before. If I gave in to my desire for Everett, I knew I’d be heartbroken once he moved on from me. Which would probably be immediately. The next morning.
As strong as everyone thought I was—I didn’t know if I could handle that kind of rejection. And I needed to remain strong for Sean’s sake. I couldn’t focus on a failed relationship when I had my career to focus on. When I had a brother who needed me…
I stared at the clock on my living room wall. It was already past ten. They’d been together for over two hours now. I could just picture them at the bar. Laughing and flirting, clinking their glasses together while they spoke about nothing in particular.
I’d seen the way Alisha’s eyes lit up when I told her my plan.
I knew she was excited to be in a relationship with Everett Baker, even if it was going to be a fake one.
Were they going to sleep together tonight?
I gritted my teeth at the thought, trying to contain the mounting bitterness and envy. Why did I do this to myself? Why did I pick Alisha?
But it wouldn’t have made a difference, no matter which girl he slept with tonight. I’d still be jealous, and I’d never experienced this emotion before. No man had meant anything to me.
And despite all the reasons Everett was wrong for me, I couldn’t help myself.
I eyed the bottle of wine on my kitchen table, but I knew if I started drinking tonight, I wouldn’t stop. The alcohol would make me sad. I might even break into tears over this…and there was nothing more embarrassing than crying over a man I couldn’t have.
Then the doorbell rang.
My heart was pounding when I opened the door. I’d already looked through the peephole and seen it was Everett standing outside. He clearly knew his way around getting a hold of people’s private information. I’d never shared my address with him, and yet there he was—in the middle of the night when he should’ve been having drinks with Alisha.
I didn’t have time to change out of the old leggings and oversized shirt I was wearing around the apartment. My hair was pulled back tightly in a ponytail. No makeup. No sexy perfume. I was simply me but it didn’t make me self conscious.
I wanted him to see me like this. I was hopeful it might remind him to not play with me. That I was a living breathing human.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him in a low voice.
“Can I come in?”
“Where is Alisha?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t kill her and dump her body somewhere, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Why aren’t you on your date with her?”
“Because I wasn’t fuckin’ interested!” he growled. Everett ran a hand through his hair and I
saw how his eyes looked dark and dangerous. I gulped nervously.
I hadn’t ever been as attracted to him before like I was to him now.
Especially so because I knew he hadn’t slept with Alisha. He hadn’t slept with anybody tonight.
I stepped aside and he walked into my apartment.
“So you want me to look for someone else?” I asked, trying to keep it casual and professional. I had no choice but to stick with the story for now.
Everett turned to me with his square jaws tightly clenched.
“No Keira, I don’t want you fixing me up with someone random. I don’t have the patience to spend time with somebody I’m not interested in.”
“Okay, is there someone you’re interested in? Maybe some girl you’ve…been with in the past? Maybe we could set that up.”
Everett took a few steps in my direction. I wanted him to touch me. Maybe he’d see it written all over my face. Maybe he knew exactly how happy and excited I was to see him.
“No. There’s nobody like that,” he replied.
“But for this plan to work we need…”
“You.”
“What?” I was confused, I thought I’d misheard him, or misunderstood him.
“For this plan to work, we need you. Why do you want to hire someone and run the risk of messing up the plan by using a stranger, when you can fill the shoes yourself?”
I stared at him blankly, waiting for his words to sink in.
“I want you to be my girlfriend,” he reiterated. “My fake girlfriend,” he corrected himself.
I felt breathless.
I stood motionless. Just staring at him like he’d given me the worst possible news. My hands felt clammy and cold and I was sure all the color had drained from my face.
Obviously I wouldn’t have admitted it to him, but I’d imagined a scenario like this already. Everett and me being forced to be together because of circumstances. For us to finally have a legitimate reason to kiss again. To do more…
But now that he’d said the words, it sounded ridiculous to me.
“Are you suggesting…”
“Do I have to repeat myself a fourth time?” he asked with a cocky grin on his face.
I was sure no matter how many times he repeated himself, I wouldn’t be able to come to terms with his suggestion.
I crossed my arms over my breasts and he followed my movement. His gaze settled on my breasts and my nipples hardened. I imagined his mouth tightening around my sensitive firm buds. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“I work for you. You’re my client. Do I have to explain to you how professionally and ethically wrong this would be?”
“Yes, please do, because I don’t see any reason why this couldn’t work.”
“Because…” My words failed me. I couldn’t come up with one good reason, even though I knew there were plenty. This would never work.
“Because nothing.” Everett took a few steps closer to me. “Look, they already have photos of us together. The cameras caught us talking outside your brother’s apartment building.”
I’d seen them doing the rounds online and I hoped a new girlfriend would drown those quickly.
Everett shrugged. “So why not just run with that story? The trolls are already speculating on who you are, so we won’t have to try very hard to fabricate a plot.”
He had a point. A vague weak point.
My nostrils flared as I held my chin up to him.
“I can find you someone who’d do a professional job.”
“You’ll find me a professional girlfriend?” His smile was so handsome, I melted. I hated myself for how weak he made me feel.
“I…I don’t know how to…this wouldn’t work…”
“Why not? You can do exactly what you want any other girl in that position would do. We pose for the cameras. We go out for a few meals and have our pictures taken together. You accompany me to a few events. Blah blah blah. That is your plan, right?”
Everett looked deep into my eyes. I wanted to go to my room and lock myself in there. I was ashamed of myself for how excited this made me.
“It’s not a part of my job description!” I blurted.
He tipped his head to the side while his blue eyes roamed all over me.
“Sure, but you’ll do a good job of it, right? You’ll do anything to make this work, right? Well, the only person this is going to work with is you.”
I wished he hadn’t said that because now my head was spinning. I couldn’t get the thought out of my head—Everett Baker wanted me.
But for all the wrong reasons.
I panicked.
I took a few steps away from him. I felt like I needed to get away from him so I could think straight again.
It was scary how close he was to convincing me of this insane plan. It’d never work. How would I sell this to George and the rest of the team? What would they think of me and my work ethic if I got into a fake relationship with one of our clients?
I had a reputation.
I also had my sanity to think about because I knew he’d drive me insane. He already drove me insane.
But Everett came closer to me. The more I backed into the wall, the closer he got until he had me cornered. I had nowhere to go. My eyes were fixed on him and his still roamed all over my body. I confirmed it in his eyes—he wanted to undress me.
No, he wanted to rip my clothes right off.
And if I was being perfectly honest with myself, it’s what I wanted to do to him too.
“I need to think about this. I’m sure I can come up with a different solution.” My voice came out like a whisper. He heard the shakiness. He knew I was weak.
For the first time since we met, he saw a glimmer of weakness in me.
Damn it.
“You don’t need to think about it at all, Keira. We both know it makes sense. You’re a professional, you want this job done right. This is the only way it’ll work because I’m not going to make it work with any other girl you bring to the table.”
His eyes narrowed on me. He meant business. He almost said it like a threat.
“You and everyone else around me wants me to go along with this stupid plan for the sake of the company reputation, right? Well, this is how I want to do it. Take it or leave it.”
He stood so close to me now that my nose brushed against the side of his neck. All he had to do was lean forward, just a few inches and my mouth would be in his. I felt my belly tightening with desire, my pussy throbbing with my need for him.
I stared into his eyes, sinking straight into them.
“So tell me, Keira, what’s it going to be? Take it or leave it?” he asked.
Take it.
Obviously.
But I didn’t say anything. All I did was kiss him.
Everett took my face in his hands and kissed me back, hard. He pinned me to the wall with the strength of his body, pulling my arms up above my head so I was completely and utterly exposed to him.
He ran his hands all over me, while his tongue stroked mine, taking slow but quick possession of me. My hips rolled to the motion of his mouth. I felt the wetness between my legs. I wanted him inside me. This time it had to be more than just a fleeting kiss.
I wanted him to know that I couldn’t get him off my mind.
His hands moved until he gently pulled my top off. We had to break away from our kiss while he pulled the top off, throwing it to the floor.
I was in a skimpy bralette that clung to me. My nipples poked proudly through the jersey material. He glared right at my breasts, his gaze swinging from my left to my right and then he grabbed them with his hands.
“Fuck, you’re hot,” he groaned before sinking his face in my shoulder. His hands tightened on my breasts and then moved down. Over my flat belly. Down into my leggings until I felt his fingers explore the wetness of my panties.
Oh my God.
I shuddered against the wall.
No man had touched me like this before. It fe
lt like an explosion inside my body and I didn’t have any control over my actions.
When his fingers found my clit, I moaned with delight.
“Yes…” I hissed, pressing my eyes close. He slipped his forefinger in me and I bit down hard on my lip. At this rate, I’d taste blood.
He stroked my clit and pushed into my pussy until I gasped for air. Just like that, with just a few moves of his hand, he brought me to the edge of an orgasm.
Clearly, he knew something other guys didn’t.
I was always uptight when I got intimate with other men. I’d never surrendered myself this easily. But Everett’s fingers were like magic and the more he rubbed and stroked me, pushing his finger deep in my pussy and then pulling out slowly—I was about to come.
I grabbed his shoulders, clinging to his muscular body for support while I completely surrendered to him. I allowed myself to enjoy the way he took control of me. His eyes were on me, watching the way I responded to his touch. To his skill.
There was no escaping it.
He pushed and pushed and stroked until I cried out with pleasure. My body shook as I came. My cream covered his fingers and he didn’t stop banging me until I collapsed on him. Clinging to him for my life. At that moment, he was my raft keeping me afloat above water because it sure felt like I was sinking.
If this was the way it felt with just his fingers playing with me, what would it feel like when his cock was inside me?
Sixteen
Everett
That felt good.
It was exactly what I wanted to see.
For the first time, as I watched Keira come, her crystal blue eyes wild with pleasure while her fingernails dug into my shoulders—I was able to see her in her rawest, most beautiful form.
No woman had looked this hot while she came.
I felt like I could get addicted to seeing her like this. Watching her while I was inside her.
Her plush pink lips were parted while she looked into my eyes—she almost looked shocked I was able to make her feel like this. She had no idea what else I could do to her. If only she’d let me.
